In the Berean Bible Manual, Part IV, p. 15 (just before the Concordance), based upon the fact that the Times of the Gentiles began with the uncrowning of Zedekiah, 607 B.C., a number of the parallels in the 2520 years' parallels are given. These are especially interesting just now in view of certain ones repudiating 607 B.C. as the year of Zedekiah's uncrowning. They are, of course, in striking refutation to the repudiations. We suggest that these parallels be re-read. We desire to add to them a few others that we noted during Jan., 1915, that are connected with the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, and that find their parallels exactly 2520 years to the day in the years 1912 and 1914. In order to understand these parallels let us remember that Nebuchadnezzar in the type represents Satan, the god of this evil world; that Jerusalem represents Christendom; and that Zedekiah represents the civil powers of Christendom. Satan brought about the conditions leading up to the World War in a deliberate attempt to divert the Radicals from their purpose of changing his order of affairs; and in this scheme he especially used the Central Powers to carry forward his purpose, doubtless reasoning that it would be better to have a weakened kingdom of his spirit than a strong one of another.
In the type it will be recalled that:
- on the tenth day of the tenth month, in the ninth year of Zedekiah's reign Nebuchadnezzar laid siege to Jerusalem (Jer. 52: 4);
- on the ninth day of the fourth month in Zedekiah's eleventh year the walls of the city were broken down, the men of war fled (Jer. 52: 6, 7), were pursued, and were later scattered by the Babylonians;
- on the seventh day of the fifth month Nebuzar-adan, Nebuchadnezzar's general, returned to the city (2 Kings 25: 8), and
- on the tenth day of the fifth month he entered and began to destroy the city and the temple (Jer. 52: 12-14);
- on the twenty-third day of the fifth month (Jer. 52: 15, 26, 27, 30; see amended translation of verse 30 in PT. '21, 88, par. 2, near middle of second col.) he led away the captives, after leaving some Israelites, under Gedaliah as governor, in the land (Jer. 52: 6);
- the murder of Gedaliah on the first day of the seventh month led, on the second day of this month (Jer. 41: 1-4), to the scattering of the people from their homes (Jer. 41: 1-18), i.e., made them cease to be inhabitants of the land; thereupon they went to Egypt.
Since the uncrowning of Zedekiah and the desolating of the land were contemporaneous (PRESENT TRUTH '21, 92, par. 1), it was on the second day of the seventh month that both events occurred, Zedekiah being uncrowned at Riblah (Jer. 52: 9, 10, 27), which was perhaps reached by a leisurely five weeks' journey from Jerusalem, whence he departed on the twenty-third of the fifth month (Jer. 52: 30), the arrival at Riblah perhaps taking place on the first day of the seventh month, the day of Gedaliah's death (Jer. 41: 1, 4). For two reasons we understand that the expression "on the second day" (Jer. 41: 1, 4) means the second of the seventh month, as well as the day after Gedaliah's murder: (1) Since Zedekiah's uncrowning and the land's desolation were synchronous, and since these two events were the most important in the whole series of events with which Nebuchadnezzar's third unsheathing of his sword was accompanied, we ought to find their definite date given in the Bible; and this passage, if understood as above, is the only place where their definite date is given. (2) The parallel of these two events occurred Sept. 21, 1914, just 2520 years after. This proves our understanding of the datings of Jer. 41: 1, 4 to be correct. All of these events find their parallels exactly 2520 years to a day by lunar reckonings in the end of this Age. These lunar reckonings, however, are not based upon the present incorrect Jewish calendar; but upon the months beginning with the day of the moon's newing at Jerusalem. Our data for these new moons for 1912 and 1914 we have taken from Whitaker's Almanac, a Standard British Authority. Jerusalem is 35°, 13', 30" East Longitude; and therefore its time is 2 hours, 20 minutes, 54 seconds ahead of Greenwich time.
What were the date and event exactly 2520 years after the tenth day of the tenth month in Zedekiah's ninth year? The date was from 6 P. M., Dec. 17, to 6 P. M., Dec. 18, 1912; for the moon newed for the ninth month at Jerusalem Dec. 8, 1912, at 7:28 P. M. The event was connected with the first meeting of the Ambassadorial Conference of the six great European Powers, which was called by the Powers to solve the Balkan war situation. This Conference assembled for the first time on Dec. 17, 1912, in London, in the British Foreign Office; and that evening Austria's greedy purpose (the Entente diplomats called it "Austria's swine-policy") then announced by her ambassador, to checkmate for her own aggrandisement Serbia's aspirations for a seaport on the Adriatic, laid the foundations for the World War, which began the overthrow of Christendom, just exactly as 2520 years to a day before Nebuchadnezzar's laying siege to Jerusalem laid the foundation for Jerusalem's overthrow. Austria's "swine-policy" stirred up such resentment in Serbia as ultimately led to the murder of the Archduke of Austria, the direct occasion of the World War. Hence through Austria's stand, which was supported by Germany and Italy, Satan as antitypical Nebuchadnezzar began to besiege Christendom exactly 2520 years to a day after his type began to besiege Jerusalem, the type of Christendom.
The next event that calls for our attention is breaking through the walls of Jerusalem on the ninth day of the fourth month in Zedekiah's eleventh year. What date and event correspond to these? The date was June 30 from 6 P.M. to 6 P.M. July 1, 1914; for the moon newed at Jerusalem for the fourth month June 23 at 5:54 P.M. The following is the event, which occurred in connection with the Archduke's funeral: According to papers that the Allies since the war have obtained from the German Archives, through the aid of the German revolutionists, the German and Austrian General Staffs held meetings the night of June 30 to the day of July 2, 1914, at which it was decided that the opportune time, "the Day," so long feared and expected by European statesmen, had come for the great War; and these General Staffs then and there decided to force it on. This was a breaking through of the walls of Christendom's arrangements and powers, represented among others in the Hague tribunal, for safeguarding its peace and welfare, even as the parallel event occurred to a day exactly 2520 years before, when the arrangements and powers for safeguarding Jerusalem's peace and welfare, its walls were broken through. And as in consequence of the breach in the walls the Israelitish army fled and was scattered, so the defenders of Christendom's welfare and peace, the great Powers, fled before Satan's loosened angels, who brought about the decision of the German and Austrian General Staffs (Rev. 7: 1, 2). These defenders were scattered in their councils and efforts; and the leaders of both sides in various ways were captured by Satan even as the Israelitish leaders in the type were taken by Nebuchadnezzar.
The next event that calls for our attention is the return of Nebuzar-adan to Jerusalem on the seventh day of the fifth month of Zedekiah's eleventh year. What were the date and event corresponding to these? The date was from 6 P.M., July 28, to 6 P.M., July 29, 1914; for the moon newed at Jerusalem for the fifth month July 23 at 4:59 A.M. What event occurred in that period? At 8:30 P. M., July 28, 1914, Austria declared war on Serbia. European statesmen scattered, divided in their plans and methods, sought to ward off the war threatened by Austria's ultimatum to Serbia, but failed. The declaration of war that was to be the precursor of the destruction of Christendom, begun by Germany's declaration of war against Russia, came exactly on time to a day, 2520 years after its type occurred. In Austria's course the fallen angels prevailed, coming against Christendom, just as Nebuzar-adan prevailed coming against Jerusalem, exactly 2520 years before.
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE
One of the saddest of all the dates and events of this whole parallel now calls for our attention—that which occurred on the tenth day of the fifth month. In the type the Babylonians began to destroy the city and temple on that date, on which very date in the year 70 A.D. by a peculiar coincidence the Romans also destroyed the temple at Jerusalem. Exactly 2520 years to the day after the Babylonians began to destroy the city and temple was from 6 P.M., July 31, to 6 P.M., Aug. 1, 1914; and on this day the Kaiser, acting under Satanic control, declared war on Russia and thus changed the local war between Austria and Serbia into the World War, which began the destruction of antitypical Jerusalem, Christendom, the beginning of the destruction of the temple corresponding to the beginning of the destruction of the Nominal Church, which, like the civil power, in numbers, prestige and influence was weakened by the World War, a weakening that yet persists.
The next event given in the type (Jer. 52: 15, 26, 27, 30) was the leading away of the captives on the twenty-third day of the fifth month, just two weeks after the burning of the city and temple began. What date corresponds to this? The date exactly 2520 years after this date was from 6 P.M., Aug. 13, to 6 P.M., Aug. 14, 1914. What event occurred on this date corresponding to the leading away of the Israelites into captivity? We answer, the Czar's final decision to reunite the three sundered parts of Poland, and to grant her autonomy was that day reduced to writing and signed, and was the next day solemnly declared to the whole Polish nation. The following considerations will make this clear. Christendom has always preferred autocracy in its empire, and has yielded to democracy and self-determination only under constraint. Russia had the most autocratic government of Christendom, and for her to be compelled by circumstances to grant autonomy to any part of her empire was putting her under great restraint, symbolic captivity. And from that time on both sides were continually offering their subjects more liberty to gain their support; and thus more or less autocratic Christendom was increasingly coming into restraint, symbolic captivity. Let us in this connection remember that all of these events at the parallel times represent the beginnings, not the completions of the antitypes.
The next to the last date for our consideration in this connection is the first day of the seventh month of Zedekiah's eleventh year. The events that occurred on the first day of the seventh month were the arrival of Zedekiah at Riblah and the murder of Gedaliah at Mizpah. What was the date exactly 2520 years later corresponding to the first day of the seventh month? It was from 6 P.M., Sept. 19, to 6 P.M., Sept. 20, 1914; for the moon newed at Jerusalem for the seventh month Sept. 19, at 11:54 P.M. On that date the Battle of Aisne was being fought in its eighth day. During these eight days the Allies on the west front were attacking the fortified Germans with the greatest desperation and with the highest losses. At the end of the eight days' attack they almost despaired of dislodging the Germans, deciding to try it but one day more; and then, if they should fail, to erect trenches against those of the Germans. This decision brought Christendom to the place, antitypical Riblah, where final judgment against its lease of power was to be made; for with that day its lease of power did expire; and incidentally it killed the party (Gedaliah) that stood for a continuance of power through former war measures; for let us remember that it was by trench warfare, definitely decided upon, and entered into the next day, that Christendom, whose lease of power was then ended, received the start of the "eviction process," which will continue forty years.
And now the final date, the second day of the seventh month of Zedekiah's eleventh year. On that day Zedekiah was uncrowned, his sons, nobles and officers were slain before his eyes, and then his
eyes were put out; and the Jews who were in Palestine were scattered from their dwellings, an event that was introductory to their flight to Egypt. The day exactly 2520 years later was from 6
P.M., Sept. 20, to 6 P.M., Sept. 21, 1914. On this day, the allied attack in the battle of the Aisne failing, trench warfare conditionally decided upon the day before, was entered into as the
only available method to meet the conditions then prevailing. This decision resulted in a course of action that was greatly weakening to Christendom, taking away her right to rule longer under
Divine lease, blasting the great reputations of Christendom's most prominent officers, and blinding the civil powers of Christendom to what was going on as incidental to the expiration of its
lease of power, the beginning of its eviction. Certainly trench warfare was an eviction proceeding whose ultimate result will be the utter desolation of the social earth, as trench warfare
certainly began that desolation; for it was through trench warfare that the nations wore out one another, thus weakening them preparatory for Armageddon, whereby Christendom as now organized will
become "desolate without inhabitant." But trench warfare was the beginning, not the completion, of the antitypical desolation.
(taken from the STUDIES IN THE SCRIPTURES of Charles T. Russell, Vol. 2 - The Time Is At Hand - Note III for pages 246,247;
published by Laymen's Home Missionary Movement)