Here are the failed prophecies if 587 BCE is the correct date for Jerusalem's destruction.
Jerusalem uninhabited and in ruins for 70 years.
If 587 BCE is correct, then the desolation ends in 517 BCE. By this time homes had been built and crops grown for over 20 years (). Alternatively, if the desolation ends in 537 BCE, the period is only 50 years, not 70. Alternatively, if the period began in 3rd year of Jehoiakim, the desolation is only 68 years, not 70, and whole passages of Jeremiah are wrong. No matter what argument is used, the prophecy fails.
70 years of the nations servitude to Babylon, starting with Nebuchadnezzar
If 70 years begin in Jehoiakim's 3rd year of rulership, servitude lasts 68 years, not 70. If servitude begins in 609 BCE (secular chronology) with the defeat of Assyria, Nebuchadnezzar is not King for another 2 years, but prophecies state nations serve him and not his father; once King, servitude lasts 68 years, not 70.
Tyre forgotten for 70 years.
Period begins after the destruction of Jerusalem (), which is 587 BCE at the earliest. Period ends when Tyre's profit becomes holy to Jehovah (), in 537 BCE (). Only 50 years have passed, not 70.
Egypt devastated for 40 years.
Ezekiel gave prophecy in 570 BCE () and devastation begins in 568 BCE. Within 30 years Egypt has a King and holds a foreign alliance, and all exiles were released from Babylon, also Kingdom strong enough to rebuff Persian Empire. The 40-year period ends uneventfully in 528 BCE.
However, the 607 BCE date fits all the chronologies and prophecies like a glove! It creates no contradictions, no failed prophecies, and requires no complex arguments or contrived explanations. All one needs to do is accept what the Bible plainly says, that 70 years is 70 years long.
607 BCE – the only date that works
Here is the result when we accept the Bible's mathematics — that 70 years is 70 years long:
Jerusalem uninhabited and in ruins for 70 years.
If 607 BCE is correct, then the desolation ends right on time in 537 BCE when the Jews are back in their cities.
70 years of the nations servitude to Nebuchadnezzar
If 70 years begin in 607 BCE, servitude lasts the full 70 years. Nebuchadnezzar is King at start as prophecies stated.
Tyre forgotten for 70 years.
Period begins after the destruction of Jerusalem (), which is 607 BCE. Period ends precisely 70 years later when Tyre's profit becomes holy to Jehovah (), in 537 BCE () when Tyre provides materials for the new temple.
Egypt devastated for 40 years.
Ezekiel gave prophecy in 590 BCE () and devastation begins in 588 BCE, ends exactly 40 years later in 548 BCE. A year later secular chronology records Egypt's King holding a foreign alliance.
The date 607 BCE is the only date which fits — and not only does it fit, but it fits extremely well. If one is “searching for truth”, as many 587-promoters claim to be doing, shouldn't one only abandon 607 BCE if there is a better explanation? Is 587 a better explanation? Does it harmonize with the Bible in a better way than 607? Most certainly not! —See our summary chart
The only reasonable conclusion is that 607 BCE is the date of Jerusalem's destruction. One would have to be extremely biased, rabidly opposed to Jehovah's Witnesses, or just have no regard for the Bible's inspiration to promote any other date. According to God's Word the Bible, the desolation began with the city of Jerusalem, and it began in 607 BCE. —See our time-line for an overview of the whole chronology
Month-to-month
In fact, the 607 BCE date even allows the 70-year desolation to begin and end in the exact same month. The Watchtower of 15th January 2006 explains:
In the seventh month of 537 B.C.E. (Tishri, corresponding to September/October), the faithful returnees offered their first sacrifice. King Nebuchadnezzar had entered Jerusalem in the fifth month (Ab, corresponding to July/August) of 607 B.C.E., and two months later [in the seventh month] the city's desolation was complete () As foretold, Jerusalem's 70-year desolation ended right on time. () Anything Jehovah's Word foretells always comes true.
Click to enlarge
On the other hand, not a single one of the 587-based theories creates such a perfect harmonization. In fact, all chronologies based on 587 cause massive contradictions, causes four prophecies to fail, and makes entire passages of Jeremiah just plain wrong.
What the passages “actually” mean
Worst of all, scriptural accounts which are perfectly clear and understandable, apparently require an expert to tell you what they actually mean.
When the Bible says Jerusalem and Judah are both devastated for 70 years, it doesn't actually mean 70. When it says 40 years for Egypt, it doesn't actually mean 40. When Jeremiah said the land will be devastated, he actually meant it already was. When the Bible said the land would be without an inhabitant, it didn't actually mean without any inhabitants. When the Bible says all the princes were in Jerusalem, it didn't actually mean all the princes were there. When the Bible said Daniel was trained for 3 years before seeing the King, it didn't actually mean 3 years before seeing the King. When it said Tyre would be forgotten for 70 years until helping rebuild the temple, it didn't actually mean 70. And so on and so forth.
We are strongly reminded of the tactics of Trinitarians, how they try to explain away clear words and tell you how “the father is greater than I am” actually doesn't mean that. The Bible simply doesn't agree with 587 BCE, and attempts to make it fit are contrived, complicated, and end up contradicting whole sets of scriptures. They use secular dates sourced from unknown pagan astrologers to over-ride the inspired writings of faithful Bible prophets, causing it's prophecies to fail; they go further and play with the word of God – inventing an exile that never occurred, just to suit their own ideas. It truly is a disgrace.
On the other hand, we as Jehovah's Witnesses are determined to go with the whole Bible record and what it says rather than unproven writings of historians — who may or may not have an ax to grind and reasons to slant history to suit their own beliefs.
Your Decision
Will you accept the chronology of the Bible and it's inspired prophecies – God's view – or, will you believe the secular chronology and the viewpoint of imperfect human historians and their Bible-contradicting dates?
This essay and website has been researched, written, and created by brothers who, at one time, believed that 607 BCE was incorrect, and that 587 BCE was more likely. We read the claims of apostates, and were gullible enough to be taken in by them. After some time we realized that the promoters of 587 were not motivated by “truth seeking”, as they so often claim, but rather from an arrogant desire to simply prove the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York wrong, and to prove themselves more clever or more righteous than Jehovah's people, whom they hold in obvious contempt.
After much research we can now see that the year 607 BCE really is correct according to the Bible. As the apostle once warned, we were “so quickly removed from the One who called [us] with Christ’s undeserved kindness, over to another sort of good news. But it is not another; only there are certain ones who are causing you trouble and wanting to pervert the good news about the Christ.” () Now we see clearly that Jehovah's Witnesses are right, and 587 is wrong.
There is a very popular book which advocates the 587 BCE date, written by an apostate with a disturbing cult-like following. To successfully draw people out of the truth, he promotes 587 to discredit the 1914 doctrine. He conveniently forgets to mention that 587 contradicts the Bible so much that it makes entire prophecies fail, of course.
By putting on a false piety, pretending to be merely seeking truth, he has fooled many into believing the secular chronology. By using twisted methods of interpretations he even convinces many that the Bible supports this ridiculousness too!
One woman who read his book (and left the truth being erroneously convinced 607 is wrong) remarked that she had “found the truth about the truth”. She then quoted Jesus in saying “the truth shall set you free!”, happy that she doesn't have to go to meetings anymore or preach as Christ commanded, as she is now more enlightened than the ignorant Jehovah's Witnesses.
However, she and thousands like her are totally and utterly fooled. Talking of a divisive issue back in the 1st century, the apostle comments, “Once you were making fine progress, who got at you so that you now are no longer convinced of the truth? That persuasion did not come from the one who called you, and now the whole lump is in a ferment because of that small amount of yeast. Yet I am confident that all of you who belong to Christ will not deviate from your convictions; but the one who is upsetting you, whoever that is, he is the one who will bear the responsibility.” —, 2001 New Testament
Also the apostle advises how we should treat ones who cause such problems, “keep your eye on those who cause divisions and occasions for stumbling contrary to the teaching that you have learned, and avoid them. For men of that sort are slaves, not of our Lord Christ, but of their own bellies; and by smooth talk and complimentary speech they seduce the hearts of guileless ones.” () Yes, for “...their word will spread like gangrene.” —
This concludes the main part of this essay.
Please consult the Appendix for further reading.