Arauna

There was never a time when they were not allowed. Who's going to 'not allow' them?

I read  a book by one of Saddam Hussein's Christian advisors (he survived Saddam by always speaking the truth and giving frank advice) and he says they did have chemical weapons. Georges Sada wrote a book.  Read on this page what he said: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WMD_conjecture_in_the_aftermath_of_the_2003_invasion_of_Iraq - also read his biography on Wikipedia.
I had a bible study whose family was hit by the chemical bombs. Saddam used chemical weapons against the Kurds - on one occasion something like 23,000 died.  Sada says that they were expecting the Iraq invasion (I remember at the time the media was preparing the people for invasion - I was living in UK - it took about 6 months of talk before they went in)   They took so long to invade that Saddam had time to smuggle the weapons into Syria in emergency aid vehicles (fake red cross/moon) and planes. England's population were against the invasion but Blair went in despite their opposition and this eventually cost him his premiership - he had to step down.
I often wonder where those weapons are in Syria and who has control of them now - because these "unknown"  owners can be using them. Apparently one only needs a small caravan (small space) to make these weapons.
 

http://www.deepseanews.com/2016/11/this-thanksgiving-remember-the-cranberry-bog-dolphin/

You're ignorance of science is breathtaking!

I've seen a different kind of sloppiness from you - and it affects your integrity.     You have made wild statements on this forum that were unfounded, such as, only Juda were returned back to their homeland etc... which is an important mistake and affects the outcome to the understanding of the subject  607 BCE. 
I bet you had the same sloppiness when you investigated that "extremely logical" arguments made by Dawkins.  I am honest when I say - I have never met a Dawkins-disciple which has thought Darwinism through properly - they just take his 'expert' religion and follow it like a slave. As I have said before - these theories or other philosophies take the place of religion because one cannot believe in "nothing".
I asked you a question before to see how committed you are to your religion. It is a 'blind faith' if it is not based on proper science..... even if most atheist professors and their disciples adhere to its "theories" and profess it as reality and fascistically do not tolerate any opposition in the universities.
I am not going to argue this with you because you are committed to your 'faith' but if there is anything that is truthful in you, you will admit that the bone record is scant.  It seems that nature made no mistakes at all - almost like a perfect god- most species appeared perfectly formed and every organ working together in perfect synchronization....no mistakes- perfect selections - almost like a theoretical god.   There is no record of  mistakes...and one would expect millions if we look at the number of different species around and the changes that were ongoing. 
What scientists cannot answer - and they know this because it is rarely talked about...... is that the different tissues and organs (liver, eyes etc.) developed over millions of years when the earth had " goldilocks" conditions..... long-term stable conditions for perfect selections... And yet, the complex sexual organs had to develop very quickly so the mammal can survive.  What is more many mammals have such different sexual organs as to boggle the mind!  Read up about it - it will stun you! Many are totally different to other organs.  
Evolution takes the easies path to survive...... why randomly develop separate sexual organs that function totally differently? .... when it is easier to have everything in one individual?  What boggles the mind is that these organs developed totally separately by ...... chance...... and yet the one has sperm and the other eggs... and the shape of them is different and yet fits perfectly....and they can only reproduce when they are in the same area!   Unthinking random selections that by chance happen to be totally different but happen to work perfectly together...and happen to develop in close proximity -    theoretical god or miracles?   
And if you try to argue that nature could "cut and paste" the DNA language program - and add a little here and there to make up for the differences - then we need an intelligent programmer don't we - one who will cut and past just the right DNA sequence?  
Mathematics is also a 'language' which describes phenomena which cannot be described in other languages..... it depends on how the "tool" is utilized and helps to sift out ideas which are illogical..... but is it  'absolute' truth?  Some treat math as a substitute god. Many theories for which we have calculations cannot be proven because humans are mortal and history has proven that we often make mistakes in our calculations/assumptions - and then one theory is replaced by another....
 
This is my last contribution on this subject since it has eaten too much of my time - I have an active life!
Thanks to those who were kind and supporting....   I have looked at the Bible again and its consistency regarding the main theme tells me this is the only "reality".   World conditions are also progressing as predicted since 1914  and greedy/arrogant scientists are main contributors to its problems - such as the poisons which are polluting our water resources and agricultural land, genetic engineering which is causing many sicknesses and may lead to world hunger because it is removing diversity, bombs which can destroy the earth over and over and much more...   other frightening developments.
So I will definitely not put my future in the hands of fallible men/scientists  who are the brains behind the sciences which is contributing to the destruction of earth and sea (together with governments, false religions, and the economic system of the world which cares only for profits...or power) .........and all those uninformed humans who buy into its powers. 
The world is such as mess and rolling downhill quite fast....  Soon Jehovah will "prove to be" - as the meaning of his name indicates....the nations shall have to know that I am Jehovah.
 
 

I've seen a different kind of sloppiness from you - and it affects your integrity.     You have made wild statements on this forum that were unfounded, such as, only Juda were returned back to their homeland etc... which is an important mistake and affects the outcome to the understanding of the subject  607 BCE. 
I bet you had the same sloppiness when you investigated that "extremely logical" arguments made by Dawkins.  I am honest when I say - I have never met a Dawkins-disciple which has thought Darwinism through properly - they just take his 'expert' religion and follow it like a slave. As I have said before - these theories or other philosophies take the place of religion because one cannot believe in "nothing".
I asked you a question before to see how committed you are to your religion. It is a 'blind faith' if it is not based on proper science..... even if most atheist professors and their disciples adhere to its "theories" and profess it as reality and fascistically do not tolerate any opposition in the universities.
I am not going to argue this with you because you are committed to your 'faith' but if there is anything that is truthful in you, you will admit that the bone record is scant.  It seems that nature made no mistakes at all - almost like a perfect god- most species appeared perfectly formed and every organ working together in perfect synchronization....no mistakes- perfect selections - almost like a theoretical god.   There is no record of  mistakes...and one would expect millions if we look at the number of different species around and the changes that were ongoing. 
What scientists cannot answer - and they know this because it is rarely talked about...... is that the different tissues and organs (liver, eyes etc.) developed over millions of years when the earth had " goldilocks" conditions..... long-term stable conditions for perfect selections... And yet, the complex sexual organs had to develop very quickly so the mammal can survive.  What is more many mammals have such different sexual organs as to boggle the mind!  Read up about it - it will stun you! Many are totally different to other organs.  
Evolution takes the easies path to survive...... why randomly develop separate sexual organs that function totally differently? .... when it is easier to have everything in one individual?  What boggles the mind is that these organs developed totally separately by ...... chance...... and yet the one has sperm and the other eggs... and the shape of them is different and yet fits perfectly....and they can only reproduce when they are in the same area!   Unthinking random selections that by chance happen to be totally different but happen to work perfectly together...and happen to develop in close proximity -    theoretical god or miracles?   
And if you try to argue that nature could "cut and paste" the DNA language program - and add a little here and there to make up for the differences - then we need an intelligent programmer don't we - one who will cut and past just the right DNA sequence?  
Mathematics is also a 'language' which describes phenomena which cannot be described in other languages..... it depends on how the "tool" is utilized and helps to sift out ideas which are illogical..... but is it  'absolute' truth?  Some treat math as a substitute god. Many theories for which we have calculations cannot be proven because humans are mortal and history has proven that we often make mistakes in our calculations/assumptions - and then one theory is replaced by another....
 
This is my last contribution on this subject since it has eaten too much of my time - I have an active life!
Thanks to those who were kind and supporting....   I have looked at the Bible again and its consistency regarding the main theme tells me this is the only "reality".   World conditions are also progressing as predicted since 1914  and greedy/arrogant scientists are main contributors to its problems - such as the poisons which are polluting our water resources and agricultural land, genetic engineering which is causing many sicknesses and may lead to world hunger because it is removing diversity, bombs which can destroy the earth over and over and much more...   other frightening developments.
So I will definitely not put my future in the hands of fallible men/scientists  who are the brains behind the sciences which is contributing to the destruction of earth and sea (together with governments, false religions, and the economic system of the world which cares only for profits...or power) .........and all those uninformed humans who buy into its powers. 
The world is such as mess and rolling downhill quite fast....  Soon Jehovah will "prove to be" - as the meaning of his name indicates....the nations shall have to know that I am Jehovah.
 
 

You refused to quote anything written by COJ, ultimately admitting your claims were based ONLY on your faulty memory.
You STILL refuse to quote anything written by Franz, almost certainly because you're relying on your faulty memory.
In other words, you're still lying.
AlanF

Makes some sense. There seems to have been mix of "city" and "rural" life for the exiles:
(Jeremiah 29:4-7) 4 “This is what Jehovah of armies, the God of Israel, says to all the exiled people, whom I have caused to go into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, 5 ‘Build houses and live in them. Plant gardens and eat their fruit. 6 Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Become many there, and do not decrease. 7 And seek the peace of the city to which I have exiled you, and pray in its behalf to Jehovah, for in its peace you will have peace. Also see: https://www.timesofisrael.com/by-the-rivers-of-babylon-exhibit-breathes-life-into-judean-exile/  which includes information that probably helps explain why so many Jews stayed in Babylon and didn't come back when they were released by Cyrus:
Each document catalogs when and where it was written and by whom, providing scholars with an unprecedented view into the day-to-day life of Judean exiles in Babylonia, as well as a geography of where the refugees were resettled. The earliest in the collection, from 572 BCE, mentions the town of Al-Yahudu — “Jerusalem” — a village of transplants from Judea. “Finally through these tablets we get to meet these people, we get to know their names, where they lived and when they lived, what they did,” Vukosavović said. The texts help dispel the misconception that the Judeans in Babylon were second-class citizens of the empire, living in ghettos and pressed into hard labor. While some toiled in base drudgery, others thrived, owned property, plantations and slaves, and became part of the Babylonian bureaucratic hierarchy. “It teaches us that we weren’t slaves, like we were slaves to the Pharaoh,” Vukosavović said. “It teaches us that we were simply free people in Babylon, living not only in Al-Yahudu, but also in a dozen other cities where Jews either lived or did their business.” I apologize if this has already been referenced. I still have a page worth of the comments to catch up on. However, the idea of "captivity" which was what many Jews feared, did not match up with Jeremiah's prophecy that things could go well with them. Yet, here we have a collection of about 200 texts that helps confirm or corroborate that Jeremiah was right.
 

Why would you want to pretend that? Are you saying you don't believe that the book and visions of Revelation came from Jesus? Here are the first 5 words of the book in the NWT:
(Revelation 1:1) A revelation by Jesus Christ,. . . Again, I don't know why you would pretend this was true either. Revelation contains many references to prophecies in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Evidently. But why do you denigrate Jesus' words by calling his words "infamous"? Jesus said there will be appointed times for the nations to trample Jerusalem in both Luke 21:2 and Revelation 11:2. If you don't like the number, 1260,  that Jesus connected with those Gentile Times, it's not me you need to take this up with.
Since Jesus, around 33 CE, said that these Gentile Times were still future, I would place them some time after 33 CE.  I think you are probably on the right track with your reference to Romans 11.
 

To be fair. It’s true, English is not my first language. Unfortunately, Grammarly doesn’t know how to correct, English the way racist white people think English should be used or understood by the rest of the World. Especially by those that say they are Jehovah’s Witnesses and have the same attitude toward others.
There’s no correction in Grammarly to fit your individual, and personal writing style, ALANF, There is no BOT button to copy your writing style verbatim, sorry!! But in my native language, there is a word for people like you. It starts with a “P” middle “nd” and ends with “jo”. It brings it, more to the point.
I feel sorry for the owner to have allowed this forum stoop so low? Instead of intellectual conversations, it has [be]come a cesspool, with vices of ignorance, by, one sad little person, shame!!!  
Especially when racism by language barriers is being introduced without the consideration of the own[er].

It's not confusing at all that Jesus said only 1260. If you are saying that Jesus meant something else, just go ahead and clear up why Jesus would only mention 1,260 when he meant something else. This is what I said from the very start of bringing this up. That if we wish to contradict Jesus, we should at least be able to explain why.
This is how people "twist" the scriptures, by claiming that just because Jesus only mentioned 1260 in connection with the Gentile Times, that he meant to say something more than what was mentioned in Scripture. All one has to do is add something to the scroll that isn't there. But is this something you really want to do?
(Revelation 22:18, 19) 18 “I am bearing witness to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone makes an addition to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this scroll; 19 and if anyone takes anything away from the words of the scroll of this prophecy, God will take his portion away from the trees of life and out of the holy city, things that are written about in this scroll. Jesus spoke of the nations trampling the holy city, Jerusalem, for "appointed times." How long were those appointed times? Jesus connected 1,260 with these appointed times for the trampling of the nations. Jesus didn't mention another length of time. But your argument is that Jesus didn't say ONLY 1260, so that we should conceivably add another length, or lengths of time that we find in other prophecies. Is there some scripture you have in mind that gives you permission to change times and seasons like this? Should you add lengths of time you find in all other prophecies, or only the ones in Daniel?
Since Jesus said ONLY 1260, I suppose by your logic you could add, 1,260 + 1,290 + 1,335 + 2,300 + 2,520. Of course, you really only mean that we should subtract the 1,260 from what Jesus said and add just one of those time periods, to replace it with.
No matter how you wish to manipulate what Jesus said, it's still true that Jesus ONLY connected one time period to the Gentile Times. It would be false to claim otherwise.

Great job dear!  Very interesting.   I like it when we share information where everyone can learn something... even if we do not always agree. Good Move!

Remember... when everyone is dying of thirst ... there is clean, potable water in toilet tanks, and hot water heaters. (If you could see what is inside your water pipes you might gag...)

1.   After initial fall of Jerusalem: 10,000 princes, 7000 mighty warriors, and every craftsman and metal worker  which were 1000 -  2kings 24:11-16 - He left the poor behind. A separate number of high ranking MEN are named in 2 Kings 24:14 and these numbered 3,023
Did you notice something about all these numbers?  They were only the family heads (men).  The children and wives were not numbered.
2.     After approximately 10 years (in 607) - Most of the remaining ones were removed from the land -  2Kings 25:11 it is described as "the rest of the population".
I do not know where you got your "scholarly ' information - but it is not accurate!
Additionally - 
Ezekiel 1:1 Now it happened in the thirtieth year, in the fourth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I was among the captives by the river Chebar, that the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.
Verse 2: In the fith year of exile of Jehoiachin the word of Jehovah came to Ezekiel by the river Chebar…….
Some of the first captives were already living at Chebar! 
 
3.  The tablets you mentioned above - I quote: 
“The tablets shed light on the Judeans’ contributions, detailing taxes paid, debts owed, credits accumulated and trade in fruits and other commodities.”
These commodities will include agricultural produce, flax (for linen clothing) and food for many animals - which will include animal husbandry.    I have a peeve with you - you think if you keep on denying something and ignoring something it will become true.   What was the root cause for the exile.... please answer...... their religious disobedience or was the reason that God had a whim to put them in a foreign land for no reason at all?      

I believe the confusion is coming from you. This subtle attempt to reverse what you are denying by Jesus own words is a good example of deceit that Witnesses shouldn’t conduct. But, until your willing to be honest with your answers instead of deflecting on the issue? Then there is no real dialogue. Remember itÂ’s NOT ME denying Jesus words, ITÂ’S YOU.

I think both @Arauna and @AlanF will be interested in this new study:
https://www.academia.edu/35554936/Judeans_in_Babylonia_A_Study_of_Deportees_in_the_Sixth_and_Fifth_Centuries_BCE
From the introduction:
"Deportees played a key role here [in the less populated regions]: they were settled in marginal rural areas and integrated into the land-for-service sector of agriculture.33 Given plots of land to cultivate, they had to pay taxes and perform work and military service in return. The majority of cuneiform sources pertaining to Judeans originate from the land-for-service sector of Babylonian agriculture." - p. 6
"Agriculture was of huge importance to the Babylonian economy, and a great many deportees were settled in the countryside to bring new land under cultivation. There is no evidence that the Babylonians practised Assyrian-style two-way deportations, but deportees were predominantly taken to Babylonia, especially to depopulated areas in the countryside." - p. 9
I've only skimmed parts of this doctoral dissertation because it's only just come up in my email feed.
 
 

This sort of discussion has been going on a long time in the "Muslim World".
Martyrs are promised if they die for Allah, they will go to Paradise, and get 72 Virgins ... or it could be 72 white raisins.
Some highly prefer one over the other .... but they never argue about the number.

A better idea is to quickly change the title of all your books to "The Fire and the Fury."
An old book called "The Fire and the Fury" by Randall Hansen from 2009 (about Allied bombing in WWII) has suddenly become a best seller in Amazon, in spite of languishing sales for many years. I heard an interview with Hansen where he says he should send a bottle of champagne to Michael Wolff.

Already debunked.
AlanF

We are not talking about the city of  Cain or the nomadic settlements in the time of Abraham - (although Ur was a city state and Melchizedek was a priest-king of Jerusalem /Salem) in his time.
We are talking about the culture of cities-states which was started by Nimrod (built many cities in Babylon and Assyria) and formed the network of cities which became the Sumerian, Assyrian and Babylonian empires.
comparing apples with .... 
In Greece they also had city-states...... Athens, 
A polis consisted of an urban centre, often fortified and with a sacred centre built on a natural acropolis or harbour, which controlled a surrounding territory (chora) of land. The term polis has, therefore, been translated as ‘city-state’
Other cultures had a similar social and political structure, notably, the Babylonians, Etruscans and Phoenicians,
among the most important were Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Thebes, Syracuse, Aegina, Rhodes, Argos, Eretria, and Elis.
Abraham was looking forward to a 'city' - as described by Paul.  This refers to a government with a king which is a priest - like Melchizedek! 
Later cities: the function of the priests became separated from that of the king.... Most cities had large temples where priests fed and clothed the God of the city and tended to the "God" and people who came for predictions.  All were polytheists - so there were many shrines to the other Gods.

1.      The Jews from the 10 tribe were scattered ALL over the empire - many of those taken by the Syrian empire were put in Elam and the cities of the Medes....and the river Gozan. Look on a map - this is at the outskirts of the empire territory.     
The root cause of the ten tribe deportation is given in 2 Kings 18: 11,12  together with the names of the areas they were deported to. The root cause for Israel was the SAME reason for the exile of the Juda - disobedience to the law and the pollution of the land. They broke the covenant of Jehovah excessively with their deity worship.  NOT a whim of  Jehovah for them to have a change...of ruler 
Your 'theory' above - not true.    It must have taken some time to reach them in the far reaches of the empire!  The call went out to ALL of israel to return.
2.    617 BCE - Jehoiachin - The upper class of the population is taken to the Babylon - including the metal workers, mighty warriors, craftsmen, court officials princes, including Daniel and his 3 friends, Ezekiel and their families.... the numbers for the men are given in the scriptures I cited in my response above - the number of men as the numbers of the wives and children are not given.  I have already given you the proof that Ezekiel  (Ez 1)  visited a  community of the first group of exiles at the river Chebar......   Not all these people were settled in the city of Babylon itself and they were not in a position to hear any court gossip....too far away... look on your map where they were...(there were two more incursions by Nebuchadnezzar after this - most probably taking all the smaller cities around Jerusalem.) 
3. The poor people who were left behind under Zedekia and the prophet Jeremiah - together with a group of high officials - could have been spared being removed from the land BUT as you rightly said - they did not listen to Jeremiah/Jehovah. However!   The first group of exiles had already left for Babylon almost 10 years before - it was not the entire group that would have been spared the exile as you have implied in your previous answers.   
The temple of worship was destroyed and all the rest in the city were taken. Thousands who took refuge in Jerusalem during the 18 month siege (some Jewish sources say 30)  died from famine and sickness, war injuries, and the fire which destroyed the temple ( Lam 4:10
With their own hands compassionate women
    have cooked their own children

I remember reading that the Babylonians catapulted dead bodies,   which Jews had thrown over the wall (most probably swollen in the heat), they were projected back into the city - the conditions must have been absolutely devastating - especially for Jews who were not supposed to touch a dead body. The Talmud says that almost a million died....  I believe this is exaggerated but it gives one a good idea of the devastation - apart from those who died in other cities.
Zedekiah's sons and many, officials, priests etc. were put to death. Only 832 men survived Jerusalem with the remnants of their families. Jer 52:29 (In the 18th year of Nebuchadnezzar, 832 people were taken from Jerusalem).   Jerusalem and its land was definitely left desolate. 
Jer 9:11  11 “I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
    a haunt of jackals;
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah
    so no one can live there.”
13...The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law,
Jer 32: 43 - a wasteland without man and beast
Several archeologists confirm that archeological surveys confirm there was not a single known case where a town of Judah was continuously occupied because of the violence that was visited on the Judah.  City after city was ceased to be inhabited at this time - some never to be reoccupied. 
 
The above scriptures and events prove why the countryside was almost empty - all the deaths and the exile of those who survived - that hegemony was NOT the main reason for the exile but it was disobedience to Jehovah that led to the total devastation of their capital city and its land.
 
 

The 70 years ended when Cyrus took the title of "King of Babylon, Sumer and Akkad and of the four corners of the world" on NEW YEARS DAY (12 day yearly festival) Nissan 538 BCE.
Cyrus started his campaign in September 539 BCE when he crossed the Tigris with the subsequent Battle of Opis. After this he went after Nabonidus who had fled to Sippar - who managed to get away again from Sippar.  Babylon fell next.  Later Nabonidus gave himself up at Babylon because he had no allies.
Cyrus issued his edict shortly after his crowning allowing the Jews and other nations to take their gods with them - to their home. 

Yes - the domination of Israel is the primary reason for the mention of the 70 years.  Babylon put themselves on "high"  - above the nation of Jehovah (which is part of the main theme of the Bible).
All the prophecies in the bible which indicate other nations (empires) dominating Jehovah's people has to do with the 'gentile times".  How gentiles would dominate the nation of God.

If you read my contribution  (above) you will notice that Darius was appointed as soon as the city was taken  - it would become a satrap in a greater empire - hence the title of king of Babylon, Sumer and Akkad and of the four corners of the world - an imperial title. He took the title in Nissan 538 BCE.