The Bible or Secular Historians--Who do You Choose to Believe?
Bible chronology indicates the destruction of Jerusalem, and the beginning of the Hebrew exile occurred in 607 B.C.E. Jeremiah prophesied this for Israel, "And all this land will be reduced to ruins and will become an object of horror, and these nations will have to serve the king of Babylon for 70 years." "For this is what Jehovah says, 'When 70 years at Babylon are fulfilled, I will turn my attention to you, and I will make good my promise by bringing you back to this place.'" According to many historians, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians took place in 586 B.C.E., and the surviving Israelites were taken into exile to Babylon and its territories leaving Israel literally emptied and desolate. Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon. Due to his policies of religious tolerance, he decreed in 539 B.C.E. the Israelites to be freed to return to their homeland. A remnant that numbered 42,360 made the journey back to Israel, arriving in Judah in 537 B.C.E....