Posted by Bibleman [Bibleman] on November 11, 1999 at 10:34:15 {mJnjjpluA6f9UnUPxURUslyACFuF8c}:
In Reply to: **TO LOVERS OF TRUTH posted by dproper on November 11, 1999 at 07:58:39:
Hi dproper,
Don't worry about it sinking in!
There is a period of time that when you learn something new you're in denial, then you have to wait until your whole intellect understands it as reality.
For instance, when I first discovered that the SK400 was a reference to 541BCE Year 7 of Nebuchadnezzar II, which dates the fall of Jerusalem in 529BCE. I couldn't accept it because up until then, having been raised in the truth, it was drummed into my head that after Jerusalem was destroyed that very year the Jews ran down to Egypt and thus left he land desolate. So after confirming the 1st of Cyrus in 455BCE, I thought the EOGT was in 525BCE, 70 years earlier. And I even published about that.
After that, just for fun I just looked into the astronomical text reference to see how credible it was. That is, the "Insight" Book mentions just one astronomical text reference in support of Year 7 of 523BCE to support a 539BCE fall of Babylon. But I knew that was wrong and must have been a mitake but hadn't checked it out. So 523BCE was disproved immediately since the eclipses didn't work that year. They were only 2:45 apart.
But I tried to make them fit to 537BCE which I thought was the 7th year of Nebuchadnezzar. But nothing. So after giving up and being bewildered thinking this text would prove the true chronology which at that time I just KNEW had to be 525BCE. I just did a search of all eclipses for 100 years from 500 to 600BCE thinking it was year 7 of another king. Nothing matched except 541BCE which matched PERFECTLY! I knew this had to be the reference. There were no others. Later I eliminated matches for 1000 years from 0 to 1000BCE! So 541BCE was a deliberate reference for "year 7" of Neb-2.
But that didn't help me because the BIBLE required that Jerusalem fell in 525BCE! So I got flustered and started trying to adjust Babylonian chronology somehow to try and make this fit. I thought there was a co-rulership or something. But nothing.
Then finally, I came across Jer. 52:30 which said that the LAST DEPORTATION was in the 23rd year.
Wait a minute. 529BCE was 4 years from 525BCE. BUT....if the 70-year desolation began after the 23rd year, then that would mean the 19th year was four years earlier in 529BCE, the very same dating in the text.
Well! Here an ancient text actually corrected Wathtowerite false doctrine that the 70-year desolation began in the 19th year when in fact it began in the 23rd year! I was amazed.
But... I still couldn't believe it.
Even though the reality was right there in front of me and I had an ancient text confirmation and correction for the fall of Jerusalem in 529BCE, now Biblically supported. I still couldn't believe it. I just couldn't believe the WTS at that time could be so wrong about such an important event. I even wrote them about it later.
I think it took me about two full weeks for it to finally sink in.
And that's my point.
You learn bits and pieces and it takes time to actually sink in. You have to look at it and look away... look at it and look away. And then something finally clicks that this isn't going away and then it becomes real.
So give yourself a little time for ACCEPTANCE after the fact. Because you do have to come out of denial until you finally accept it.
It's winning the lottery for 40 million! You look at the winning ticket. You call and they say, "Yes, you've won!" But then you still can't believe it. It takes a while to accept it.
But then, you finally do accept the reality when you see there is just no other choice here and it all falls into place and you let go of all those false teachings and beliefs and accept reality.
So now when somebody talks about 587BCE I just start laughing out loud hysterically.
That's why I don't go to meetings. I know I'm going to forget to study the Watchtower in advance one week (as usual) and 607BCE is going to catch me by surprise and I'll just burst out laughing out loud and I'll have to excuse myself for interrupting the meeting as I struggle laughing hysterically and apologizing as I try to make it to the men's room, knowing full well I'll end up falling on the ground and ROLF! (I'll tell my relatives to tell the brothers I have epileptiform fits sometimes that come on suddenly without warning that resemble laughing...)
It's bad....it's bad. :>
But you'll get there! The more you know about it, the more you'll know how fake the current chronology is and you'll finally accept it.
That's why I have my REALITY CHECKS FOR YOU.
Like this great one, my favorite.
Right now, the "academic" world claims that the eclipse mentioned by Herodotus for the Lydian-Median peace agreement, the most famous eclipse in history!, happened in 585BCE. After this agreement, Astyages allegedly married the sister of Croesus and they had a child, a girl. She in turn became the mother of Cyrus. You can look it up. 585BCE.
But... Cyrus died in 530BCE, 9 years after he conquered Babylon in 539BCE, right? He was 70 years old when he died. Which means, he was born in 600BCE. Soooo?
You mean OOOPS!
How can Cyrus be born in 600BCE when his mother wasn't even conceived until after 585BCE, 15 years later?
This doesn't work! And it doesn't work big-time!
This represents at least a 45-55 year chronology revision plain and simple!
Yet it remains uncorrected in the 587BCE chronology by all the academic experts?
Oh, please!
So the more you know, the more you realize the reality of the situation and the more ou understand that the Bible's chronology is the only one you can trust.
And what's nice about scenarios as above is, that you can pretend you are "sincere" about rectifying the matter and just ask the "experts" A.F., Jan, COJ and others about how they adjust this discrepancy. Of course, they can't. The implication is that the chronology was revised to the tune of 55-years post Herodotus. And there is no way they can get an adjustment without dismissing the credibility of the 587BCE chronology. So it's a lose-lose situation for them. IF they attack the credibility of Herodotus, they lose the credibility of the 587BCE chronology at the same time, allowing you to revert back to Biblical chronology with no problems.
So just give yourself time and keep learning! If I'm wrong then too bad for me. But I'm not. Not by a long shot!
Cheers,
Bibleman