AnnOmaly,
Greetings. Yes I have a copy of Alcyone Ephemeris. Also, I downloaded the letters and and other Alcyone version. Although the principal reasons I use ephemeris programs are NOT related to challenging the WatchTower, I am curious if the alternate version of the program would be more convenient for a notebook vs. laptop application.
To have come as far as I have, I am fully aware of how many ways I can either be intimidated or brushed off. But at the same time, the process generates some imperatives of its own, some obviously personal. And it not simply to address 1 question. I hope to have at least 40 in the envelope and also make many of them a matter of public record. That's not the ususal way these things are submitted, right?
So since we are talking about 607 BC, some introduction.
Some Problems
Since the most detailed critical information related to Jehovah Witnesses is usually written by people who have left the organization, it is almost impossible to introduce their remarks to those remaining within based on the organizational attitude toward those who have left. As a result, I have found myself examining other old publications of the organization. These have included yearbooks (e.g. 1934 and 1928), plus books by Russell and Rutherford. In addition there is the public testimony of the Members of the Governing Board in the 1954Scotland legal case L. Strachan vs. E. Walsh.
In the case below (and elsewhere), I have drawn some from the 1934 Yearbook to supplement discussions in “What the Bible Really Teaches”. The 1934 Yearbook is also well known for its appendix enclosure of Joseph Rutherford’s open letter to Adolph Hitler, declaring his shared disdain for Jews, priests and Jesuits and how he would like to work with the new Herr Chancellor; for details read the Declaration of Facts. But also enclosed in the yearbooks of those days were daily scripture readings, expanded on several fold by passages from Watch Tower articles probably written under Rutherford’s direction as well. Here are some illustrative cases.
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September 20, 1934
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them: until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High. Dan. 7: 21, 22.
Jehovah’s faithful devoted ones on the earth constitute his sanctuary class, and hence his saints. While speaking great words with its mouth, like its father, Satan, the seventh world power does violence to Jehovah’s people. It was "Christendom", the Anglo- American empire system, made up of political, commercial, military elements, clergy, secret-service spies, and the strong-arm squad, that made war on the saints following the casting of Satan out of heaven. This war against God’s people reached a climax in 1918, at which time this beastly seventh world power did "wear out the saints of the Most High". But now the time has arrived to execute destructive or fiery judgment against the world organizations that have so long defamed the name of the Most High.
Watch Tower -15 June 1933
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November 20, 1934
And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. John 17: 19.
It cannot be said positively why the Lord permitted the thought of ’going to heaven’ to have the chief place in the mind of so many of his people, but we do know that the Lord permits men to exercise their own free will. If one has a selfish motive in understanding the truth of God’s Word it is likely he will fall into error. Jesus and the apostles stressed the importance of love for God, which means an unselfish devotion to Jehovah; yet many deemed it of greatest importance to get themselves ready to go to heaven rather than to show their love for God. It may be asked: Does error or misconception matter much, as long as one is honest and does the best he knows how? Does it affect one seriously? It certainly does! Sincerity and honesty in following an error does not build one
up. It is the truth that sanctifies.
Watch Tower- 15 January 1934.
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November 27, 1934
Hew down the tree . . . : let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given unto him; and let seven times pass over him. Daniel. 4: 14, 16.
The tree stump (picturing mankind) with bands iron and copper around it shows the non-existence or non-activity of God’s kingdom in the earth. The beginning of the counting of the "seven times" must wait until the overturning of Israel’s last king, Zedekiah, in 606 B.C. From that time the scripture applies: "It shall be no more, until he come whose right it is" to have the kingdom arid rulership of the world. At Zedekiah’s overthrow this decree against Israel was entered and there it was that Satan became the god of the whole world. Then and there the seven times began to count; meaning that God would not interfere with the beastly rule of earth until the end of that specific period of time. Those seven times, beginning in 606B.C. and extending over 2,520 years, ended in 1914, when Christ was enthroned by Jehovah.
Watch Tower 15 February 1934.
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There are some problems with the devotional daily readings excerpted above. In the last reading above for 27 November 1934, note the scriptural date. In the book “What Does the Bible Really Teach?, left at my office door in May of 2009 with a cheery endorsement ( “I thought you might enjoy this book.”), on pages 216-217 this same matter is discussed as follows:
“How and when though, did God’s rulership begin to be ‘trampled by the nations’? This happened in 607 BCE when Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians. “Jehovah’s throne” became vacant, and the time of the kings who descended from David was interrupted (2 Kings 25: 1-26). Would this trampling go on forever? No, for the prophecy of Ezekiel said regarding Jerusalem’s last king Zedekiah: ‘Remove the turban and lift off the crown… It will certainly become no one’s until he comes who has the legal right and I must give it to him’.”
The Ezekiel quote is from chapter 21. But did you notice the change of date there?
The later publication says that Jerusalem was conquered by the Babylonians in 607 BCE. At the bottom of the page there is a footnote explaining that there was no year zero in either BC or AD chronologies.
Yet the date of Christ’s “rulership” and Satan’s casting down from heaven remained the same? Why was it not moved to 1915? Was there an announcement from heaven to the theocratic ministry to the effect that “basically you were right about the arrival time, but actually your calendar of events should be corrected to a year earlier”?
Let us consider again the reading for 24 November 1934: “Does error or misconception matter much?”
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Any evidence at all for 607 or 606 BC?
Both Charles Taze Russell and Joseph Rutherford grew up as Presbyterians. Before they both went on their own printing sprees, prior to the American Civil War an earlier American Presbyterian minister created a publishing sensation known as “Barnes Bible Notes”. A 17-volume set of commentaries on nearly every verse of the Bible prepared over several decades, the work is filled with cross references to other verses and exegetical texts. Used by ministers across the country to prepare sermons and originating with Dr. Barnes’ lectures to his Bible study classes, the books were purchased and read by maybe millions of American churchgoers. As a matter of fact, I have heard that it was even used for many decades, if not to the present day, at the JW Brooklyn headquarters.
During the last year, I met a trucker and retired railroad engineer who was setting up a website with ancient history chronologies where he relied greatly on Barnes. As a result of discussions from time to time, he decided to give me a preview look. I have to say that he is the ONLY other instance I have ever encountered beside the Jehovah’s Witnesses who claimed that Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in 607 BC. My acquaintance based this assertion on a Barnes citation. I tracked down Barnes to find out why or how he came up with that and here is what it says.
Daniel 1:1
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem - This event occurred, according to Jahn ("History of the Hebrew Commonwealth"), in the year 607 b.c., and in the 368th year after the revolt of the ten tribes. According to Usher, it was in the 369th year of the revolt, and 606 b.c. The computation of Usher is the one generally received, but the difference of a year in the reckoning is not material. Compare Michaelis, Anmerkung, zu 2 Kon. xxiv. 1. Jehoiakim was a son of Josiah, a prince who was distinguished for his piety, Kings2 22:2; Chronicles2 35:1-7. After the death of Josiah, the people raised to the throne of Judah Jehoahaz, the youngest son of Josiah, probably because he appeared better qualified to reign than his elder brother, Kg2 23:30; Ch2 36:1. He was a wicked prince, and after he had been on the throne three months, he was removed by Pharaoh-Nechoh, king of Egypt, who returned to Jerusalem from the conquest of Phoenicia, and placed his elder brother, Eliakim, to whom he gave the name of Jehoiakim, on the throne, Kg2 23:34; Ch2 36:4.
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He speaks of Nebuchadnazzar but nothing of king Zedekiah. But now look at what Barnes says for
2 Kings 25:8 the verse being
On the seventh day of the fifth month in the nineteenth year of Nebuchadnezzarking of Babylon, Nebuzaradan commander of the imperial guard, an official of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem.
The nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar - 586 B.C., if we count from the real date of his accession (604 B.C.); but 587 B.C., if, with the Jews, we regard him as beginning to reign when he was sent by his father to recover Syria and gained the battle of Carchemish (in 605 B.C.).
On that day (verse 9 NJB)“He burned down the Temple of Yahweh, the royal palaces and all the houses in Jerusalem.”
Now, how about the earliest assertion of this date within the organizations publications - and why.
Question 13: Destruction of Jerusalem, Origins of 606/607 BC from Charles Taze Russell Writings
The earliest instances that I can find of attributing Watch Tower dates to the destruction of the First Temple in Jerusalem (606 or 607 BC) is to the works of Charles Taze Russell, Studies of the Scripture. Because this date was later revised by a year after the passing of both Russell and Rutherford, I say dates. In any case, Russell gives two basic arguments for 606 BC: one is derived from Ptolemy’s King’s list which he appears to be alone even in his era as interpreting as such. The other was his studies in pyramidology – also included in the Studies of the Scriptures series sold by the Watch Tower Society for about a decade after Russell’s death. The second argument, however, was discredited by the Society during Rutherford’s administration and in fact proclaimed as “Satanic”. Thus, while this removes at least half of the support for Russell’s argument, it also brings up another question. Based on advertisements emplaced in the Society Year Books during the 1920s, I believe that the Studies in Scriptures hardbound were priced at about since dollars and many hundreds of thousands were sold. Furthermore, in divorce proceedings, C. T. Russell made it clear that proceeds from the purchase of these books were not his property but those of the Society. But since the book promoting this argument was distributed by the Society and then declared highly defective, was there any effort to recall the product and refund the customers? If not, what was done with the funds that were obtained by distributing a book and theory which the Society declared to be Satanic?
