Posts by JCanon

31

How "Bible Prophecy" Will Soon Be Disproven!

by metatron in

it's very simple: all this 'prophetic' ( or pathetic) nonsense about "anglo-america" is going to come to an end in a few years.. china has already become the world's biggest exporter:.

http://www.manufacturingnews.com/news/06/0905/art1.html.

in ten years, they will become the largest economy - with the biggest population.

JCanon

Ah, Canon, I wish you could help me reason with my State Lottery Commission! You see, I keep telling them that "7 times" clearly represents
the 7 winning numbers on my lotto games. They won't believe me!
How to fake "prophetic chronology"
1) find some really good numbers in the Bible
2) symbolically re-interpret the surrounding details to make them look important - and ignore the fact that whatever obscure Old Testament
prophecy you pick was fulfilled thousands of years ago, anyway.
3) throw in some deliberate attempts by people to fulfill the "prophecies" - like rabid Zionists, wingnut Christians or even people in the distant
past like desperate Jews in the 1st century. The guy who did the best job gets named "Jesus" and thereby remembered in
history. Whoopee!
4) Preach this stuff with great authority - because just like Joseph Smith, if you do, some idiots will buy into it.
metatron

Hi metatron, I emphatize with your position, but the more "coincidences" that line up, the less credible this reference is. You would claim that you can just line up any number of references to your liking? Here's what you're up against. The VAT4956 has only two dates for year 37 of Nebuchadnezaar; 568 and 511 BCE. So you only have two choices for dating the the NB period potentially. Only since in cases of double dating, the cryptic date is always the original date. Therefore, 511 BCE, which is the cryptic date is the academically correct date and being so, you only have one chance to harmonize at least two Biblical chronological references. One is the beginning of the 70 weeks prophecy, which has to occur in 455 BCE because of the absolute date of the Jesus' baptism in 29 CE. The other, of course, is the link to the second coming which is dated 2520 years after the fall of Jerusalem that must also cross-reference the "1335 days" prophecy. In both cases, dating the fall of Jerusalem in 529 BCE match the Biblical timeline precisely. That is, year 23 falls in 525 BCE, the last deportation, 70 years before the 1st of Cyrus which gives you 455 BCE. 1947 ends the 1290 days so dates the second coming to 1992 meaning the fall of Jerusalem to match this must fall in 529 BCE. We now have direct evidence that is the correct date. So FROM MY PERSPECTIVE there is only one possibility. Your argument is dysfunctional because there is no way you can get past the VAT4956 reference to year 37 of Nebuchadnezzar occurring in 511 BCE which produces absolute dates for the 1st of Cyrus and the fall of Jerusalem, which must be coordinated with the future event of the restoration of the Jews to Palestine in 1947, also an absolute date. So sorry, UNLESS YOU CAN DEMOSNTRATE yourself that you can recalculate anything you want using a coordination of ancient and modern dates, your allegation is just your own fantasy. It demonstrates a lack of clear competence in the how specific Biblical chronology is. SO YOUR TASK: Use 511 BCE for the 37th of Nebuchadnezzar and lets see you come up with varying dates for the 1st of Cyrus or the fall of Jerusalem in some other year than 529 BCE. I'll be waiting. Otherwise, your claim is incompetent. Just wishful thining. Sorry. JC

18

Dispelling Myths: 1914 Expectations

by AuldSoul in

jehovah's witnesses currently teach that prior to 1914 no one could have predicted what happened in europe in 1914. they teach that the world was heading toward such idyllic stability that the events of 1914 caught everyone off-guard.

so surprised were the people of the time that they looked back with fondness at the calm preceding 1914 as a time that could never be gone back to.. what were the bible students teaching about 1914 prior to that year?

in what capacity did they claim to be teaching?.

JCanon

JCanon,
1914 was not a biblical date at all. It doesn't become biblical just because a war happened. People are attributing meaning to the Scriptures, not getting meaning from the Scriptures, when they engage in that sort of nonsensical speculation about the fulfillment of Bible prophecy.

I don't think you understand. The first sign to begin the "last generation" is "kingdom vs kingdom and nation vs nation" in contrast with the usual wars. So there is a Biblical basis for begining the last generation with a world war. Meaning, you are mistaken. You characterize the reference as "nonsensical speculation" but really, is it?

My view is that it is rather fundamental. The series of signs leading up to the appearance of the "sign of the son of man" begins with "nation vs nation and kingdom vs kingdom." I don't think it is "nonsensical" to presume this is a reference to a world conflict. "Nation vs nation, kingdom vs kingdom" in contrast with the previous statement about "rumors of wars", meaning wars isolated to perhaps just two conflicting countries. So that's where that reference comes from.

But now that we are in 2008 we have retrospective. The establishment of the state of Israel as represented by the fig tree is thought to be the understanding of that reference and thus the concept of a generation of 40 years can be tested against the application of the generation of 40 years beginning with a world war, that is WWI in 1914.

http://parentalguide.com/Documents/Bible_Prophecy/Parable_fig_tree.htm#BIBLE%20PROPHECY

So if that's the case, since the State of Israel was set up in 1948, that falls within the generation of 40 years that would have begun in 1914. Since that works, there is no possible credible dismissal of that interpretation. By anyone. It remains a potentially fulfilled prophecy. It's just that simple.

JC

7

Daniel 4:15 and the iron/copper banding of the tree

by behemot in

in his book four strange books of the bible: jonah, daniel, kohelet, esther (shocken books, new york 1967), elias j. bickerman, commenting on daniel 4:15, states that representations of the "sacred tree" with bandings similar to those described in that verse have been found on mesopotamian monuments.. i'm reading a translation of the book that lack notes and therefore i'm not able to trace the information's source.

does anyone here know about this iconography and its possible meaning?.

behemot.

JCanon

In conclusion, Henze noted that the parallels are imperfect, as in Daniel the tree itself was cut down before the bands or fetters were applied, and the bands represent the tree's fertility in Assyrian ceremony whereas its purpose is unclear in the biblical text. Since the text itself is unclear and no use is made of the fetters in the interpretation, the meaning of the fetters was possibly already lost to the biblical author himself (Henze, p. 90).

How profound. Perhaps sometimes something is so simple those looking for deeper meaning miss it. Even the WTS' simple explanation here found relevance for the bands. The context of the banding of the tree was for a specific time: 7 times. This was the time when the kingship would be in abeyance. If you cut a tree down and leave the stump it will sprout again. The second coming messiah is directly called "Sprout" at Zechariah, and Jesus said to come out of the stump of Jesse as the rightful heir of the kingshp. So the banding of the tree mechanically shuts down the trees circulation which prevents it from sprouting out. When the 7 times are up then the bands are removed and then the tree would produce a new sprout and thus the kingdom would be considered to be in place again. That sprout would be an earthly representative of the kingship in the earth again who would be Jesus Christ.

Now that is the WTS' direct explanation. Why is it so difficult to understand that concept? Or is it simply something to be avoided.

The WTS though becomes inconsistent when so clearly if the new sprout that would arise after "7 times" that is 2520 years after the last king is removed, if you don't have someone on the earth again taking up the rule. This tree, after all, is about an earthly representative of the Davidic kingdom. So the return of the messiah in the flesh the second time is a more direct parallel and fulfillment of this imagery. Having Christ merely remain invisible and never physically return to the earth to begin ruling waters down the significance of this parable.

Furthermore, it doesn't allow extrapolation of why two bands of different metals were being used. Again, the two bands represent the different natures of the first and second coming. The iron representing the first coming of Christ in the flesh as a Jew, a white man, an heir to the royal kingship. The second band of copper represents the second coming of the messiah as an Ethiopian. Thus we find Christ at the second coming described as having "legs of copper" and llikened to the 'copper' serpent on the staff of Moses. The bands are mentioned in the right order as well: iron first, copper second.

Clearly, in this case, the WTS had better understanding of this imagery, though it is diluted by their belief that the 2nd coming would not be a return in the flesh.

CHRONOLOGY ISSUES: Finally, though no one has touched on it, this particular reference is in the context of Nebuchadnezzar being off his throne for 7 years. Olof Jonsson claims there was no time for this to occur. He lists lots of Babylonian records for the activity of Nebuchadnezzar, but then includes a spurious reference by Josephus about how Tyre was sieged for 13 years by Nebuchadnezzar before finally being conquered. He begins this 13-year seige in connection with a 23rd year campaign mentioned by Josephus, thus suggesting what Nebuchadnezzar was up to from year 23 to 36, after which we have a record of Nebuchadnezzar in year 37 going on another campaign down to Egypt, one that is also mentioned in the Bible. However, Josephus dates the 13-year siege from year 7 of Nebuchadnezzar not year 23. Thus the only reference to the 13-year siege is deliberately taken out of the context in which it is recorded and placed somewhere else. So Josephus is misquoted regarding when the 13-year siege begins.

Of course, it is easy, therefore to dismiss that reference which means there is no documentation for what Nebuchadnezzar was actually up to after his 23rd year until his 37th year. If there actually was a 13-year siege of Tyre it would have ended in year 20 of Nebuchadnezzar, which does not contradict the Bible. Something similar could have occurred with Tyre in that some of the lowly people were left behind for some reason after the city and primary residents were deported; then in year 23, when the last remaining ones of the Jews were deported, any remaining ones in these other desolated cities were deported as well, thus fulfilling that Tyre would be "forgotten for 70 years" aligned with the 70 years of desolation of the entire region. After all, Tyre was a coastal trading seaport city. With no one in the interior to consume anything, whom with they be trading with?

The above being noted, there is plenty of time from year 24 through 36 for Nebuchadnezzar to have been off his throne and inactive for 7 years to fulfill the "type" part of this prophecy. The "type" was a literal 7 years that prefigured the "anti-type" which was the expanded fulfillment of a "day for year", 2520 years into the future when "sprout" would be brought forth in the earth to begin ruling again when the tree was unbanded. Of course, Sprout, would be in the form of the second-coming "copper"-colored messiah, reflected in the nature of the second band.

This vision and its meaning is not really that difficult to understand and JWs use these fundamental references for their primary chronology reference related to 1914. It's still valid, regardless of how many scholars don't seem to have been able to figure it out, though it seems rather strange to me so many missed the obvious.

Now just so I'm not just imagining this. I did my own quick search for "2520 years" and the prophecy of Daniel and found this commentary by someone who came up with the 2520 years and the understanding that this is linked to the Jewish kingship in some way. It is not exactly like the WTS since they thought the bands of iron and bronze were linked with various kingdoms over the 2520-year period, but essentially it was fundamentally clear when the bands were removed that the tree would sprout again....

http://www.bibleinsight.com/tree.html

7 years x 360(days per year) = 2,520 years .
This revised
perspective also allows a direct connection to the period of 2,520 years.
The bronze and iron bands being those of the Jewish (post-Babylon) and
Christian eras.
Which ever way the prophecy is viewed, it is important to realize that upon completion of the allotted time (with the bands having been removed) a branch would spring from the stump. 

But this may actually underscore something fundamental with respect to a scholarly view of what the Bible is talking about, which some try to coordinate presumptively with what is going on in the surrounding pagan cultures, and those who isolate the Biblical reference in terms of its prophetic significance. That "bias" makes the scholar incompetent with respect to understanding the religious significance, but only because they are not looking for an explanation connected with Christ or anything else in the Bible. They approach the Bible with the idea that's it's not inspired, there is no true living god and, therefore, any explanation even remotely connected to that is not considered. So the approach to the Bible as purely a secular reference rather than a spiritual and sacred one makes all the difference in the world; thus a preponderance among "scholars" who are totally baffled by any esoteric interpretation of a dream. It simply boils down to interpretation belonging to the "prophets" and not scholars. So while it is good to hear what scholars have to present from a secular point of view that might shed light on the subject, they are no authorities on interpretation, which is something that belong to the religious people who believe the Bible is inspired.

A tree representing the kingdom of Israel being chopped down for 2520 years before it sprouts again is quite fundamental here. In reality, it has actually been fulfilled. When the dating is tweaked just a little to reflect the actual original chronology of the period which is confirmed by the VAT4956 for the fall of Jerualem in 529 BCE, the 2520 years run out in 1992, the same date you get for the second coming when 1947 ends the 1290 days and the second coming is fulfiled at 1335 days, that is 45 years after 1947. So in addition to a reasonable explanation of the symbolism here, we also have the reality to confirm the accuracy of the prophecy; Jesus, indeed arrived precisely in 1992-1993.

I guess "playing dumb" comes in handy sometimes when there is a great need not to believe.

JC

18

Dispelling Myths: 1914 Expectations

by AuldSoul in

jehovah's witnesses currently teach that prior to 1914 no one could have predicted what happened in europe in 1914. they teach that the world was heading toward such idyllic stability that the events of 1914 caught everyone off-guard.

so surprised were the people of the time that they looked back with fondness at the calm preceding 1914 as a time that could never be gone back to.. what were the bible students teaching about 1914 prior to that year?

in what capacity did they claim to be teaching?.

JCanon

You all are stuck in what happened and the whole 1914 thing! Let it go. Look, no one knows when the kingdom will come, not even his own son Jesus Christ.
-Aleman

1914 becomes a Biblical date because of WWI. The first sign of the "generation" was "nation vs nation and kingdom vs kingdom" thus a world war. So it is relevant, historically. I don't know that it is connected to any predictable Biblical chronology. As far not knowing then the "kingdom" will come. the Bible says "nobody knows the DAY nor HOUR" but it doesn't say month or year! Thus three prophecies point to the year of the second coming. One that dates it 45 years after the Jews officially return to Palestine. So nobody knows the day nor hour, but we do know the year and month. The second coming must occur during December of 1992, January, Frebruary or March of 1993 up to April 6 (Passover). That's pretty specific. And since obviously this is a past event we wonder if it was fulfilled. YES, it was... for some of us who were part of that event. JC

12

Finantial Issues of WT

by JWRESEARCH in

wt have always been very discreet about their finances.

in the annual totals the sum spent had great increases every year.

however is the evidence is quite clear about the recent fall of contributions - the result was the cut in watchtower and awake.

JCanon

Interesting, but somewhere I read the WTS is one of the top 10 corporations in NYC. I wonder how rich they really are?

JC

19

Elderly parents and the Book Study

by tinker in

do any of you have elderly jw parents?

my mom is 89, good health and very active jw.

her world is the local congergation and 5meeting per week.she has her sunday outfits, tues, school dress, and thurs afternoon more casual styles.

JCanon

You make a good point about this. Individual attention is more effective at the Book Study group level. As a witness, you felt a part of the congregation as a whole and the organization, but also had a BS group identity as well. That identity and intimacy will be gone. There will certainly be less chance at spontaneous social interaction. Getting to know people at the Hall is more difficult and generally people will fall into their own natural cliques and some will be left behind and isolated.

I have two elderly parents also, but they are ailing. Lots of elderly ones in the local congregation here. But some of the elderly already cannot travel to the meetings so listen to the meetings over the speaker phone from home. Your mother is fortunate to be in good health and so aged. I hope she stays well. All my best wishes. Thanks for sharing the "social impact" aspect of this change. I think many will lose out on getting to be closer to some of the individual members now. Maybe that was part of it. The members are more like another number than an individual now.

JC

9

Noah, a preacher of righteousness?

by easyreader1970 in

if you are familiar with the wbts literature, you are familiar with their version of the story of noah.

it's mostly the same as other christian versions except for one detail.. in only one scripture in the bible (2 peter 2:5), noah is called a preacher of righteousness.

this is the only scripture in the entire 66 books that mentions him in this way.

JCanon

If JWs are right in thinking that Noah preached for 40 years to provide a warning to the pre-Deluvian people, and his preaching work serves as a parallel to the preaching work JWs carry out today, why has God allowed JWs to preach for over 150 years without bringing judgment?

Everything is happening as prophesied. You have to consider the chronology involved with the work of JWs:

1. They were to go from a few people to a worldwide organization just prior to the "end of the system of things", which occurred in 1947. The "end of the system of things" of Matthew was the end of the gentile times, the appointed times of the nations. So they did reach worldwide status by 1947 and then the "end" did arrive.

2. A second chronology regarding their work would only last for 77 years. That is, the vineyard workers who work for 11 hours. A half hour is 3.5 years so an hour is 7 years. 11 hours is 77 years. So 77 years from 1914 ends in 1991. So that would be the climax of their specific preaching work. The end focus of that work would be the second coming, which occurred in 1992. Prior to the second coming, however, the "man of lawlessness" was to be exposed during the "last hour" or the 12th hour which occurs from 1991-1998 but before the actual second coming. On November 10, 1992 the WTS thus became the official "evil slave" organization and were abandoned. So technically their preaching after 1991 is not recognized as an official "warning" anymore.

Their general message was pertinent though. That is, that we are living in the last days, particularly since 1914. That is still absolutely true and relevant. But their "official" work ended in 1991 per the Bible, that is, the 11 hours of working in the vineyard.

JC

13

WT last week 'This Generation"

by bobld in

i have a question for leolaia.you did an excellent review of last weeks wt study article i appreciated it q13/14.

in the paragragh ""as a class,these anointed ones make up the modern-day "generation" of comtemporaries that will not pass away "until all these things occur" "" see footnote.. my question...if the anointed.ie 144,000 make up a generation of comtemporaries.

would they not be part of a generation say in the 1st century,the 5th century,10th century.15th century 18th century,19th century(1914) providing the proper food at the proper time.if that is so than how can the gb say this generation(anointed ones)will not pass away and that we are living "in the conclusion of the system of things"?

JCanon

It has also just occurred to me that this recent change might be reflective of the inevitable demise of the current NB timeline. RC14 dating from Rehov and clearly revisions by Xenophon will only take a matter of time before it affects ancient history dating. Anticipating this inevitability and their focus on 1914, this "generation" revision may be a smoke screen to simply detach significance to 1914. Thus, 1914 will fall softer if it ends up getting revised when secular history finally comes to terms with the Persian Period revision issues.

I wonder what explanations they will come up with for a 1992 second coming, besides it invisibly occurring. Or maybe they will chuck the 2520-year prophecy all together?

JC

13

WT last week 'This Generation"

by bobld in

i have a question for leolaia.you did an excellent review of last weeks wt study article i appreciated it q13/14.

in the paragragh ""as a class,these anointed ones make up the modern-day "generation" of comtemporaries that will not pass away "until all these things occur" "" see footnote.. my question...if the anointed.ie 144,000 make up a generation of comtemporaries.

would they not be part of a generation say in the 1st century,the 5th century,10th century.15th century 18th century,19th century(1914) providing the proper food at the proper time.if that is so than how can the gb say this generation(anointed ones)will not pass away and that we are living "in the conclusion of the system of things"?

JCanon

Just for the record, the GB was "disfellowshipped" by Jehovah on November 10, 1992. Fred Franz died on December 23, 1992, just 2 days before the second coming. So they are supposed to be CLUELESS and a barren wasteland with no green grass of truth at this time. This applies to their understanding of the "generation" and what to expect during this generation to fulfill Jesus' words. So here are the "errors" corrected, so that ultimately some don't think Jesus' words failed just because the WTS has the wrong understanding.

1. First of all the "end of the system of things" mentioned in Matthew 24 is not Armageddon or the end of the world. He was talking to Jews under gentile rule and that was the "system of things" they looked forward to ending. They understood when the gentile times ended and the new, independent nation of of Israel was reestablished (i.e. the rebudding of the fig tree) that Christ would be "near at the doors." So there was an association between the "end of the system of things" and the second coming. The second coming would arrive very shortly after the end of the system of things, that is, the end of the gentile times. So the WTS does not understand the "end of the system of things" is not Armageddon.

2. The WTS thinks the "great tribulation" is also connected with Armageddon. But it is not. The "end of the system of things" indeed follows on the heels of the "great tribulation" but this great tribulation is clearly a local event, not global. And women without small children could escape it by fleeing into the mountains. This "great tribulation" was a major "sign" though leading up to the second coming. It is clear in the Bible that it is completely over before the "sign of the son of man" appears, indicating the messiah had been born. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days..." Again, the WTS is clueless! How can they explain Armageddon comes first and is over before Jesus arrives? They can't. They don't understand. Thus the "great tribulation" that Matthew is discussing was actually the HOLOCAUST and WWII.

3. The "generation" reference that Jesus is thus noting is saying that from the first sign, which is a world war until the appearance of the "sign of the son of man" there would just be one generation. Included in this generation would be the "great tribulation" where 2/3rds of the Jews would be exterminated (Zech 13:8) but also it would see the reestablishment of the State of Israel within that generation as well as the birth of the messiah after which the "sign of the son of man" would begin to appear to the selected anointed ones ("eagles"). The "end" occurred thus in 1947. The new State of Israel occurred in the Spring of 1948. This was an indication that Christ was "near at the doors." The messiah was born in early 1950. So a "generation" can be understood in its most direct reference, that is a generation like that generation in Moses' day after the Exodus of just 40 years. That would be the primary reference in the mind of Jews to a "generation": 40 years. And that concept of the 40-year generation indeed was fulfilled with "all these things" occurring within that generation, including the preaching of the "good news before the end comes" in 1947.

So in conclusion the WTS' problems figuring out the generation and the great tribulation and the end of the system of things is their own problem complicated by their being in spiritual darkness and unable to see. It is not a problem for Jesus and the Bible, however, in being fulfilled. There is no need to try to find a means to stretch that generation past 40 years from 1914-1994 in order to fulfill that. And indeed, the "sign of the son of man" has been appearing to the anointed "eagles" so this is real.

The WTS will never understand the "last generation" because they don't understand the "great tribulation" (Holocaust) or the "end of the system of things" (end of gentile times in 1947, not Armageddon). They are clueless and totally in spiritual darkness and only speak from a barren spiritual wasteland. In the meantime, the truth is known to the "eagles", the JIOR, who are the faithful anointed ones and the "wise virgins."

JC

73

The 70 years of devastation--as revealed by the Bible

by AddaGirl in

watchtower teachings say this period is from 607 bce to 537 bce.

most of the documentation relating to the seventy years indicates that period to be 609 bce to 539 bce, the rule of the babylonian empire.

i wrote to headquarters, because as a bible study student i knew i could ask questions about certain doctrines that those baptized cannot without consequence and some of the information i received from them was very helpful especially when it was used to verify the chronology of the kings of judah and israel through the bible.. the bible says there are actually (2) 70-year periods.. the first being one of servitude to the babylonians of both israel & judah from 609 bce to 539 bce.

JCanon

The date of the Return indeed is the only possible date to end the seventy year period as descibed by Jeremiah, Daniel and Ezra. The other candidate, 539 BCE for the Fall of Babylon is impossible for the very simple amongst many others that the Jews were still Babylon at that time and the land was still desolate at that time.

You make good point, Scholar. However, this is old school and limited. Ezra 6:14,15 confirms two things:

1) That Darius I died in his sixth year.

2) That a king called "Artaxerxes" succeeded him that year and helped complete the temple.

When this was investigated it was discovered "Artaxerxes" was actually the second name for Xerxes and they were the same king. Xerxes claimed he was his own son to avoid an assasination attempt and further conflict with the Athens, which he had destroyed. The Jews liked Xerxes/Artaxerxes so went along with this counterintelligence against the Greeks, but then later the Persians paid off other Greek historians (i.e. Xenophon, Plato, Aristotle) to revise their history and thus the revised Persian-influenced Persian and Greek timelines became "official" in later times. Later, after Christianity, it seems to have been latched onto by Jews to help deny Christ or deflect from when Christ was to arrive. Thus the true date for the fall of Jerusalem and the true date of the Exodus are notoriously manipulated historical events in the academic world, which is only influenced by anti-Biblical academic societies. But we've past that now. Enough astronomical events have been left on the books to completely coordinate and reconstruct the original timeline, a timeline now augmented with advanced RC14 dating confirmation. So there's just no excuse to keep debating the 70 years as far as the absolute dates without addressing Ezra 6:14,15 and the Persian Period revisions.

YOU can ignore that part of the history if you want, but others of us have corrected the timeline and now see complete harmony between the secular and Biblical timelines.

http://www.geocities.com/siaxares/709guide.html

Thus, at the end of the day, it is not a matter of anything being at all confusing any more. We know why secular and Biblical dates for the NB Period are discrepant. It's not a mystery any more. Those who pretend there are options still are simply ill informed. I've done my share by explaining how to correct the secular timeline, so that's as much as I can do. If my evidence is not acceptable then that's your choice. But I'm content with the results totally.

The second thing is this. A lot of the focus on getting the NB Period correct is really to see how that affects modern-day events, such as 1914 or 1992. However, 1914 and 1992 are past dates. Thus whether or not the messiah arrives in 1914 or 1992 are the primary interests in ancient chronology. But it also allows us to retrodate all events based upon modern events. For instance, 1947 fulfills the 70th week jubilee for the Jews and thus can be directly used to date the Exodus to 1386 BCE, because the two events are linked. Likewise, since we know when a 70-week period for the 1st coming ends in 36CE, we can confirm the dating for the entire week, including the year the 70 weeks begin in 455 BCE. The return of the Jews occurs on the 19th jubilee of the week, the Exodus is the 1st jubilee and 1947 is the 49th jubilee. So we can now use modern events to actually correct and compare to the ancient dates now. RC14 dating confirms the timeline along with several specific eclipses.

So all I can basically say is some of us out here are not experiencing contradiction between the Bible and secular history any more. We've resolved all the contradictions and have archaeological and astronomical and historical evidence in place supporting it. It's one thing to disagree with the conclusions but quite another to pretend there is no possible resolution when in fact it actually has been resolved.

So maybe I should consider myself lucky I don't have to deal with the contradictions any more. Yeah, exactly. Paint me HAPPY!

JC