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What is e-watchman’s position on the 586 verses 607 controversy regarding the date for the fall of Jerusalem? |
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| My position is that it does not matter one way or the other. Whether Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem in 586 B.C.E. or 607 B.C.E is moot – irrelevant as regards the so-called times of the Gentiles. As all of Jehovah’s Witnesses know, the importance the Watchtower attaches to 607 B.C.E. is based upon the notion that the destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the Davidic dynasty marked the beginning of a prophetically designated period of 2,520 years that ended in 1914 with Jesus sitting down upon his heavenly throne. It is believed that Jesus Christ referred to this period of time at Luke 21:24; where he said: “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled.” The Watchtower teaches that Jerusalem first began to be trampled on by the nations when Babylon destroyed the holy city and the appointed times were fulfilled in 1914 when Jesus, the legal heir to the throne of David, supposedly began ruling over the nations from heavenly Jerusalem. But we should be careful not to allow ourselves to become dazzled by the Watchtower’s perceived ability to divine the time of the return of Christ using biblical chronology. What is obviously overlooked by the vast majority of Jehovah’s Witnesses is the fact that the Watchtower Society’s chronology is based entirely upon the assumption that Jesus intended “the appointed times of nations” to apply from the time of Jerusalem’s destruction by the Babylonians. But did he really? Jehovah’s Witnesses, of course, are not preterists. We recognize that Jesus’ great prophecy regarding the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. has a dual fulfillment that extends far beyond the first century. But the question is: Do the appointed times of the nations date from the original destruction of Jerusalem approximately five centuries earlier? Is there biblical support for the Watchtower’s teaching or is it an arbitrary interpretation? It is important to establish the truth of the matter regarding what the appointed times actually mean. If the appointed times do not apply to the Babylonian destruction then the 607-586 debate is indeed meaningless. Frankly, in the context of Jesus’ remarks concerning the appointed times of the nations there is not so much as a hint suggesting that the trampling of Jerusalem had already begun. On the contrary, Jesus was pointing forward to the future, when a disgusting thing would desolate God’s holy place and Jerusalem would come under siege and her citizens would be led away into captivity. That is why Jesus said: “Furthermore, when you see Jerusalem surrounded by encamped armies, then know that the desolating of her has drawn near. Then let those in Judea begin fleeing to the mountains, and let those in the midst of her withdraw, and let those in the country places not enter into her; because these are days for meting out justice, that all the things written may be fulfilled. Woe to the pregnant women and the ones suckling a baby in those days! For there will be great necessity upon the land and wrath on this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled.” Clearly, Jesus was foretelling the future trampling of Jerusalem by the Romans. In fact, Jesus’ apostles and first century disciples were to be eye-witnesses of the event. That is why Jesus said “furthermore, when you see Jerusalem surrounded by encamped armies, then know that the desolating of her has drawn near.” Indeed, Christians witnessed not only the complete desolation of Jerusalem, but they also were witnesses to the fact that the Jews were dragged off into captivity by the Gentiles. Having actually seen the fulfillment of Jesus' prophecy it is simply preposterous to suppose that the apostles may have understood Jesus to be recalling the historical desolation of Jerusalem and the Babylonish exile of the Jews. They were keenly interested in the future of Jerusalem, not its past. It should be kept in mind, too, that the apostles were headquartered in Jerusalem. They were quite likely laboring under the impression that Jesus was going to return to the physical city of Jerusalem and set up his kingdom. So, the future fall of Jerusalem would impact the apostles and thousands of other disciples of Christ; so much so, that Christians living in Jerusalem and the surrounding territory of Judah would be required to take life-saving action in response in advance of the coming desolation. Since the early Christians obviously did not believe the appointed times of the nations pertained to Nebuchadnezzar’s conquest of Judah, nor is there anything in the context of the 21st chapter of Luke to suggest they should have, why do Jehovah’s Witnesses understand Jesus’ prophecy differently? Indeed, what biblical justification is there for the Watchtower’s elaborate 1914 chronology based upon “the appointed times of the nations”? Actually, the Watchtower claims that the holy spirit revealed it to Charles Russell and the early International Bible Students. The February 1st, 2004, Watchtower states: “When would “the appointed times of the nations” end and God’s Kingdom rule begin? The answer, which was “sealed up until the time of the end,” involves Bible chronology. As that “time” approached, Jehovah took steps to reveal the answer to a group of humble Bible students. With the help of God’s spirit, they discerned that “the appointed times of the nations” began with the destruction of Jerusalem in 607 B.C.E. and that those “times” were 2,520 years in length. From this, they deduced that 1914 marked the end of “the appointed times of the nations.” They also came to realize that 1914 was the beginning of the end for this system of things.” If God’s holy spirit was really responsible for helping the Bible Students discern the true meaning of “the appointed times of the nations,” shouldn’t there at least be some means of testing the inspired expression, as the apostle John exhorted Christians? After all, the Bible is a product of God’s holy spirit, so it is reasonable to expect the same spirit to guide us in our understanding. But does God expect us to accept interpretations of Scripture that do not make sense or that are contradictory? Of course not. But, if “the appointed times of the nations” are not to be understood the way the Watchtower teaches, how should we understand them? Actually, the holy-spirit-inspired book of Revelation, which was written more than 20 years after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem, reveals that the symbolic holy city is destined to be trampled on by the nations for an appointed time amounting to 42 months. The 42 months is, in fact, the only appointed time of nations that is explicitly mentioned in the Scriptures. Therefore, we must conclude the Watchtower’s chronology is mere sophistry. Rather than God’s holy spirit, it is apparent that Satan the Devil is the promoter of the Watchtower’s 1914 faux-parousia, “operation of error.” Ironically, the Watchtower’s seven times doctrine fits the profile of the teachings of false prophets, of whom Jesus specifically warned would be proclaiming that “the due time has approached” in advance of his actual return. For further reading on this topic see the following essays: Was 1914 the end of the Gentile times? Let the reader use discernment A closer look at 1914 The end of a delusion is at hand |
The e-Watchman Mailbag Collection
March 24, 2006
