Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that Jesus Christ was enthroned invisibly in heaven in the year 1914 and that, shortly after that, in the year 1919, he appointed a “faithful and discreet slave” or governing body to explain the Bible for his followers and direct the preaching of the good news worldwide. These teachings are unique to Jehovah’s Witnesses and failure to accept them is grounds for removal from the group.[1]
If you were to ask how these dates are arrived at the reply might be that they are supported in the Bible. Most witnesses, however, would find it very difficult to explain using just the Bible and would have to resort to one of the society’s publications in order to do so. This is because the explanation is not found in one book of the Bible but is arrived at by a complex combination of many isolated biblical statements. The date for the fall of Jerusalem to Babylon as being 607 BCE is the foundational starting point for their calculations. You can find an explanation of this on the society’s official website.
But all historians and archaeologists date the fall of Jerusalem to 586/587 BCE instead of 607 BCE. How does the Watchtower society arrive at the date of 607? Once again, it is claimed that this is based on the Bible. The prophet Jeremiah foretold that a period of seventy years would elapse before the Jews would be allowed to return to their homeland. In the year 539 BCE, Babylon fell to the King of Persia, a date on which most historians agree. However, if Babylon fell in 539 BCE, seventy years would bring us back to a starting point of 609 not 607? In order to arrive at 607 BCE the seventy years would have to end two years later at 537 BCE. The Watchtower claims this is when the Jews finally were able to settle in Jerusalem after being released from captivity and making the trek back to their land. They base this on an interpretation of Daniel chapter 9:
In the first year of Da·riʹus the son of A·has·u·eʹrus—a descendant of the Medes who had been made king over the kingdom of the Chal·deʹans— 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, discerned by the books the number of years mentioned in the word of Jehovah to Jeremiah the prophet to fulfill the desolation of Jerusalem, namely, 70 years. (Daniel 9:1, 2)
The Watchtower society interprets “fulfill the desolation of Jerusalem” to mean from the time Jerusalem was left without an inhabitant until the time the Jews returned and inhabited the land again would be the seventy years. But is that the correct interpretation?
What does Daniel mean by desolation of Jerusalem? Since Daniel is referring to the prophecy of Jeremiah we need to understand what Jeremiah said would be accomplished by the period of the seventy years.
“Therefore this is what Jehovah of armies says, ‘“Because you would not obey my words, 9 I am sending for all the families of the north,” declares Jehovah, “sending for King Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these surrounding nations. I will devote them to destruction and make them an object of horror and something to whistle at and a perpetual ruin. 10 I will put an end to the sound of exultation and the sound of rejoicing from them, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the hand mill and the light of the lamp. 11 And all this land will be reduced to ruins and will become an object of horror, and these nations will have to serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.”’ 12 “‘But when 70 years have been fulfilled, I will call to account the king of Babylon and that nation for their error,’ declares Jehovah, ‘and I will make the land of the Chal·deʹans a desolate wasteland for all time. (Jeremiah 25:8-12)
And now I have given all these lands into the hand of my servant King Neb·u·chad·nezʹzar of Babylon; even the wild beasts of the field I have given him to serve him. 7 All the nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his own land comes, when many nations and great kings will make him their slave.’ (Jeremiah 27:6, 7)
“For this is what Jehovah says, ‘When 70 years at Babylon are fulfilled, I will turn my attention to you, and I will make good my promise by bringing you back to this place.’ (Jeremiah 29:10)
It is clear that the seventy years in Jeremiah’s prophecy is not about the length of time Jerusalem and it’s temple would be destroyed and the land be without an inhabitant, but about servitude to Babylon and includes other nations as well.
The society is either unaware of this or is hiding this information in order to hold to the 537 BCE date as the end of the seventy years of Jerusalem’s destruction.
However, as recently seen in a drama portraying the prophet Daniel in the 2021 “Powerful by Faith” Regional Convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses the society unwittingly showed that this is out of harmony with Jeremiah’s prophecy.
Confusing the end of the 70 years with the return of the Jews to Jerusalem enables them to keep 607 BCE as the starting point for their calculation of the time period leading to 1914.
Jeremiah 29:10 says:“For this is what Jehovah says, ‘When 70 years at Babylon are fulfilled, I will turn my attention to you, and I will make good my promise by bringing you back to this place.’
The context of Jeremiah chapter 29 indicates his letter was written to Jews who were already exiled in Babylon for perhaps as much as ten years by this time. ( 2 Kings 24:12-17; Matt 1:11,12)
Rather than believe the false prophets who were saying their deliverance would come soon, Jeremiah admonished them to build houses, plant gardens, get married, have children and seek the peace of the land. (Jer 29:4-9)
It is noteworthy that instead of “at Babylon” many Bibles render the verse “for Babylon” which places the emphasis on 70 years of Babylonian rule instead of Jewish captivity. Is this a valid translation? Why does the New World Translation not render the verse this way?
Since, by the time of Jeremiah’s letter to the exiles, the Jews and many other nations were already experiencing the oppression of Babylon and Jerusalem had not yet been destroyed, would not the rendering 70 years “for Babylon” make more sense?
One of the nations that were to be included for judgment was Tyre. (Jer. 25:22)
Isaiah also prophesied against Tyre. In Isaiah chapter 23, a time period was set for the judgment of Tyre to last, namely 70 years:
“In that day Tyre will be forgotten for 70 years, the same as the lifetime of one king. At the end of 70 years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of a prostitute: 16 “Take a harp, go around the city, O forgotten prostitute. Play your harp skillfully; Sing many songs, So that they will remember you.” 17 At the end of 70 years, Jehovah will turn his attention to Tyre, and she will return to her hire and prostitute herself with all the world’s kingdoms on the face of the earth.” (Isaiah 23:15-17)
Amazingly, the book Isaiah’s Prophecy vol. 1, reasons on this prophecy:
21 Isaiah goes on to prophesy: “It must occur in that day that Tyre must be forgotten seventy years, the same as the days of one king.” (Isaiah 23:15a) Following the destruction of the mainland city by the Babylonians, the island-city of Tyre will “be forgotten.” True to the prophecy, for the duration of “one king”—the Babylonian Empire—the island-city of Tyre will not be an important financial power. Jehovah, through Jeremiah, includes Tyre among the nations that will be singled out to drink the wine of His rage. He says: “These nations will have to serve the king of Babylon seventy years.” (Jeremiah 25:8-17, 22, 27) True, the island-city of Tyre is not subject to Babylon for a full 70 years, since the Babylonian Empire falls in 539 B.C.E. Evidently, the 70 years represents the period of Babylonia’s greatest domination—when the Babylonian royal dynasty boasts of having lifted its throne even above “the stars of God.” (Isaiah 14:13) Different nations come under that domination at different times. But at the end of 70 years, that domination will crumble.” (Isaiah’s Prophecy vol. 1 pgs. 253-254)
This book clearly states that “the 70 years represents the period of Babylonia’s greatest domination.” With the fall of Babylon occurring in 539 BCE, this explanation appears to indicate a starting point of 609 BCE rather than 607 BCE for a seventy year period of Babylonian dominance. Why is it that with Tyre, the 70 years are understood as the period of Babylonia’s greatest domination, yet, when it comes to Jerusalem, the 70 years are understood as “a period of severe punishment from God—aimed specifically at the people of Judah and Jerusalem”?
It would appear that the reason is because without the seventy years being a period of punishment of Jerusalem ending in 537 BCE, the entire doctrinal framework of the organization and their ability to calculate to the year 1914 would completely unravel.
There is another 70 year time period spoken of in the Bible that specifically concerned only the Jews. This covered the time of the destruction of the temple to its being rebuilt and is recorded in Zechariah’s prophecy.
[1] The Watchtower April 1, 1986 pgs. 30-31