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Hi Grissom,
Please carefully examine the following and then tell me why you want to continue being a Jehovah's Witness:
From WT literature, we have the kings of Babylon and the length of their reigns:
Nebuchadnezzar -- 43 years
Evil-Merodach -- 2 years
Neriglissar -- 4 years
Labashi-Marduk -- assassinated within 9 months
Nabonidus -- 17 years
This agrees with the thousands of cuneiform tablets which show:
Nebuchadnezzar -- 43 years
Evil-Merodach -- 2 years
Neriglissar -- 4 years
Labashi-Marduk -- 3 months
Nabonidus -- 17 years
Here are quotations from WT literature showing the lengths of each king's reign:
Nebuchadnezzar -- 43 years
*** it-2 p. 480 Nebuchadnezzar ***
Nebuchadnezzar ruled as king for 43 years
*** w00 5/15 p. 12 Pay Attention to God’s Prophetic Word for Our Day ***
Learning that his father, Nabopolassar, had died, this young man named Nebuchadnezzar took
the throne in 624 B.C.E. During his 43-year reign...
*** w86 11/1 p. 5 A Dream Reveals How Late It Is ***
Since Nebuchadnezzar reigned for 43 years (624-581 B.C.E.), this is a reasonable conclusion.
*** dp (Daniel Book) chap. 7 p. 99 Four Words That Changed the World ***
Proud King Nebuchadnezzar’s 43-year reign in Babylon ended with his death in 582 B.C.E.
*** dp (Daniel Book) chap. 4 pp. 50-51 The Rise and Fall of an Immense Image ***
9 Nebuchadnezzar, who reigned for 43 years, headed a dynasty that ruled over the Babylonian Empire.
It included his son-in-law Nabonidus and his oldest son, Evil-merodach. That
dynasty continued for 43 more years, until the death of Nabonidus’ son Belshazzar, in 539 B.C.E
*** it-1 pp. 238-239 Babylon ***
Finally, after a 43-year reign, which included both conquest of many nations and a grand
building program in Babylonia itself, Nebuchadnezzar II died in October of 582 B.C.E. and was
succeeded by Awil-Marduk (Evil-merodach). This new ruler showed kindness to captive
King Jehoiachin. (2Ki 25:27-30) Little is known about the reigns of Neriglissar, evidently the successor
of Evil-merodach, and of Labashi-Marduk.
Evil-Merodach --- 2 years
*** w65 1/1 p. 29 The Rejoicing of the Wicked Is Short-lived ***
Evil-merodach reigned two years and was murdered by his brother-in-law Neriglissar, who reigned for
four years, which time he spent mainly in building operations. His underage son Labashi-Marduk,
a vicious boy, succeeded him, and was assassinated within nine months.
Nabonidus, who had served as governor of Babylon and who had been Nebuchadnezzar’s favorite
son-in-law, took the throne and had a fairly glorious reign until Babylon fell in 539 B.C.E.
*** it-1 p. 453 Chronology ***
For Awil-Marduk (Evil-merodach, 2Ki 25:27, 28), tablets dated up to his second year of rule
have been found. For Neriglissar, considered to be the successor of Awil-Marduk, contract tablets
are known dated to his fourth year
*** kc (Let Your kingdom Come 1981) p. 186 Appendix to Chapter 14 ***
Nabonidus Harran Stele (NABON H 1, B): This contemporary stele, or pillar with an inscription,
was discovered in 1956. It mentions the reigns of the Neo-Babylonian kings Nebuchadnezzar,
Evil-Merodach, Neriglissar. The figures given for these three agree with those from Ptolemy’s Canon.
Neriglissar -- 4 years
*** w65 1/1 p. 29 The Rejoicing of the Wicked Is Short-lived ***Evil-merodach reigned two years
and was murdered by his brother-in-law Neriglissar, who reigned for four years, which time he spent
mainly in building operations. His underage son Labashi-Marduk, a vicious boy, succeeded him,
and was assassinated within nine months. Nabonidus, who had served as governor of Babylon and
who had been Nebuchadnezzar’s favorite son-in-law, took the throne and had a fairly glorious reign
until Babylon fell in 539 B.C.E.
Labashi-Marduk -- less than a year
***Index 1930-1985 Labashi-Marduk ***
LABASHI-MARDUK
king of Babylon: w65 29; bf 183-4
*** w65 1/1 p. 29 The Rejoicing of the Wicked Is Short-lived ***
Evil-merodach reigned two years and was murdered by his brother-in-law Neriglissar,
who reigned for four years, which time he spent mainly in building operations. His underage son
Labashi-Marduk, a vicious boy, succeeded him, and was assassinated within nine months.
Nabonidus, who had served as governor of Babylon and who had been Nebuchadnezzar’s favorite
son-in-law, took the throne and had a fairly glorious reign until Babylon fell in 539 B.C.E.
Nabonidus -- 17 years
*** it-2 p. 457 Nabonidus ***
NABONIDUS
(Nab·o·ni´dus) [from Babylonian meaning "Nebo [a Babylonian god] Is Exalted"].
Last supreme monarch of the Babylonian Empire; father of Belshazzar. On the basis of cuneiform texts
he is believed to have ruled some 17 years (556-539 B.C.E.).
*** w68 8/15 p. 491 The Book of Truthful Historical Dates ***
17 Other investigators say this: "The Nabunaid Chronicle . . . states that Sippar fell
to Persian forces VII/14/17* (Oct. 10, 539), that Babylon fell VII/16/17 (Oct. 12), and that Cyrus
entered Babylon VIII/3/17 (Oct. 29). This fixes the end of Nabunaid’s reign and the beginning of the reign of Cyrus.
Interestingly enough, the last tablet dated to Nabunaid from Uruk is dated the day after Babylon fell to Cyrus.
News of its capture had not yet reached the southern city some 125 miles
distant."—Brown University Studies, Vol. XIX, Babylonian Chronology 626 B.C.—A.D. 75,
Parker and Dubberstein, 1956, p. 13.
Footnote
"VII/14/17": The 7th Hebrew month Tishri, 14th day, 17th year
of Nabonidus’ reign.
So there you have it.
If you start with the WTS's own date of 539 for the fall of Babylon and count
backwards through the Kings of Babylon for each year of their reigns,
you arrive at 586/587 for Nebuchadnezzar's 18th/19th year, when he destroyed Jerusalem.
I think the key quotation is the one from WT 1965 1/1 p. 29 , which shows Evil-merodach reigned two years, followed by
Neriglissar, who reigned for four years, followed by Labashi-Marduk, who reigned less than 9 months, followed by
Nabonidus.
This is an important quotation because it shows the succession of the kings, with no room
for an extra king in between, and it also agrees with the conventional chronology's regnal lengths.
Using the WTS's own data for the neo-Babylonian kings and the lengths of their reigns,
there is NO ROOM for an extra king or for an extra 20 years.
If you start at 539, the WTS's own date, and count backward according to their own
data regarding each king and his reign, you will arrive at 586/587 for Nebuchadnezzar's
18th/19th year, when he destroyed Jerusalem.
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607 B.C. made easy:
Most of what we need is found in a single paragraph of the Watchtower book "Babylon the Great Has Fallen - God's Kingdom Rules!" on page 184 . To keep things simple, I will paraphrase this paragraph, but include the actual paragraph at the end for reference.
We have to start some 68 years AFTER the date of Jerusalem's fall with a date and event that is agreed upon by both the WTS and secular historians. From this date we will count backward by counting forward.That date is 539 B.C., the date that Babylon fell to Cyrus the Mede. Keep in mind we are trying to find the date Jerusalem fell.
The Watchtower book "Babylon the Great Has Fallen - God's Kingdom Rules!" tells us that Nabonidus was King when Babylon fell in 539 B.C. The Watchtower book "Aid to Bible Understanding" tells that Nabonidus ruled seventeen years from 556 to 539 B.C.
We are now back to 556 B.C.
The Watchtower book "Babylon the Great Has Fallen - God's Kingdom Rules!" tells us that before Nabonidus, Labashi-Marduk ruled about nine months. It also tell us that before Labashi-Marduk, Neriglissar ruled for four years. So if we go backwards 4 years and nine months from 556 B.C. we're now at 560-561 B.C.
The Watchtower book "Babylon the Great Has Fallen - God's Kingdom Rules!" also tells us that before Neriglissar, Evil-Merodach ruled for 2 years. We are now back to 562-563 B.C. and to the last year of the reign of King Nebuchadnezzer.
On page 1212 of the Aid to Bible Understanding book we are told that Nebuchadnezzer ruled 43 years.
562/563 + 43 years = 605/606 BC, the year when Nebuchadnezzer started ruling Babylon.
2nd Kings 25:8-10 tells us that Jerusalem was destroyed in the 19th year of Nebuchadnezzer's reign, so if we go forward 19 years from 605/606 B.C. we will have the approximate years of the destruction of Jerusalem.
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Nabonidus- 17 years 556to 539 B.C. - Cyrus overthrew Babylon
Labashi-Marduk- assassinated within 9 months
Neriglissar -- 4 years
Evil-Merodach -- 2 years
Nebuchadnezzar -- 43 years
17 years + 9 months + 4 years + 2 years + 43 years = 66 to 67 years.
Starting at 539 B.C. and going back 66/67 years we arrive at 605/606 B.C. or the start of the reign of Nebuchadnezzer.
Nineteen years after 605/606 B.C. brings us to 586/587 B.C. when Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar.
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*** References ***
Insight on the Scriptures page 425 under "Chaldea""
"Particularly was this domination manifest during the seventh and sixth centuries B.C.E. when Nabopolassar, a native of Chaldea, and his successors, Nebuchadnezzar II, Evil-merodach (Awil-Marduk), Neriglissar, Labashi-Marduk, Nabonidus, and Belshazzar, ruled the Third World Power, Babylon."
Babylon the Great Has Fallen - God's Kingdom Rules, page 184:
"After reigning but two years King Evil-Merodach was murdered by his brother-in-law Neriglissar. According to the inscriptions that have been found, this usurper of the throne spent most of his time in building operations and reigned four years. When he died, his son Labashi-Marduk, though not yet of age, succeeded him. He was a vicious boy, and within nine months he had his throat cut by an assassin. Nabonidus, who had served as Governor of Babylon and who had been Nebuchadnezzar's favorite son-in-law, now took the throne and had a fairly glorious reign till Babylon fell in 539 B.C."
Aid to Bible Understanding on Nabonidus - P 1195:
"Last supreme monarch of the Babylonian Empire...On the basis of cuneiform texts he is believed to have rule some seventeen years (556-539 B.C.E.)."
2 Kings 25:8-10 On the seventh day of the fifth month, which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, Nebuzaradan, the commander of the guards, a servant of the king of Babylon, entered Jerusalem. 9 He burned the Lord’s temple, the king’s palace, and all the houses of Jerusalem; he burned down all the great houses. 10 The whole Chaldean army [with] the commander of the guards tore down the walls surrounding Jerusalem.
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Welcome to JWD, Grissom and Happy researching !!!
BTW, Jesus is my mediator now instead of a bunch of spiritual drunkards up in Brooklyn, NY. who can't get anything right.