Wednesday 3 July 2013

When was Manasseh taken to Babylon?

   Those who advocate the 2520 prophecy believe that in 677BC,  Manasseh in his 22nd year was taken captive by Esarhaddon and sent into Babylon. This view is supposed to be proven from a reading of Isaiah 7:8
“For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin; and within threescore and five years shall Ephraim be broken, that it be not a people.”
The theory is that Isaiah proclaimed this prophecy in 742BC, so that “threescore and five years” later, would take us to 677BC when it is believed that Manasseh was taken to Babylon.
There are many problems with this theory:
  1. Where in the Bible does it say that Manasseh was captured in his 22nd year? The Bible simply tells us when Manasseh began to reign, his sins, his captivity and his restoration. The Bible does not say in which year he was taken to Babylon. All those who believe that Manasseh was captured in his 22nd year are following Jewish tradition.
  2.  I am yet to find historical evidence for Manasseh’s captivity in 677BC and the reason is because he was not in Babylon at that year. Archaeological records confirm that Manasseh was working on a building project in 677BC
  3. The Bible does not give a starting date for Isaiah’s prophecy so how can anyone be sure that it was in 742BC?
  4. Isaiah prophesied that within sixty-five years Ephraim shall be broken. The prophecy points to the demise of Ephraim, which is a name referring to the northern kingdom of Israel. Manasseh was from the southern kingdom of Judah so that prophecy was not pointing to him.
I give a lot of details concerning these points in my new book, William Miller's 2520 Prophecy
Please visit www.2520book.com for more information.
Order your copy today. Blessings!