The apostle Paul once stated, “from among you yourselves men will rise and speak twisted things to draw away the disciples”. Today that very thing is happening. Apostate Jehovah’s Witnesses along with other opposers attack our beliefs from all angles. This includes our 1914 doctrine.
Jeremiah lamenting the destruction of Jerusalem; By Rembrandt
We believe Jesus Christ began his rule invisibly in the heavens in 1914, through an interpretation of the Seven Times prophecy in Daniel. The Seven Times lasts 2,520 years, and began when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonian empire and the last Davidic King was removed. Our strict Bible chronology places this event in the year 607 BCE. Counting 2,520 years from that date, we come to the year 1914 CE. For a more detailed explanation of this interpretation, and how it is biblically sound, see Appendix A.
This, however, conflicts with the widely accepted chronology of historians. They believe Jerusalem was destroyed in 587 BCE, twenty years later than we say. If they are correct, the 1914 doctrine has a serious problem – it's twenty years out! However, this essay will set out to show – from the Bible – that the 607-based chronology of Jehovah's Witnesses is correct.
- 607 is the date Jerusalem was destroyed by Babylon.
- 1914 is calculated using that date as a starting point.
- If 607 is wrong, 1914 is also wrong.