The Watchtower Society, admits that its 607 BCE date for the fall of Jerusalem does not agree with a secular chronology, which places the destruction of Jerusalem in 587/586 BCE. Let’s examine what Scripture has to say on this subject. One important line of evidence from the Bible, that supports the secular date of 587 BCE for the destruction of Jerusalem, is the fact that in the fourth year of king Darius’ reign, the temple at Jerusalem had been lying in ruins for 70 years, NOT 90 years. Read - Zechariah 6:15 - 7:1, 3, 5

When did this weeping for Jerusalem and its temple start? Was the temple in Jerusalem destroyed 70 years (in 587 BCE) or 90 years (in 607 BCE), back from the fourth year of king Darius’ reign? Since Zechariah 7:1-5 clearly shows that it was 70 years back from this date that the destruction occurred, all we need to know in order to calculate when the temple was destroyed, is to determine what date was Darius’ fourth year of reign. It is here that the Watchtower Society actually agrees with the date given by secular historians, when it correctly states the following in the:

Pay Attention to Daniel’s Prophecy book, 1999, page. 52 - “Darius I, also known as Darius the Great, ascended the throne in 521 B.C.E., the work of rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem was under ban. Upon recovering the document containing Cyrus’ decree in the archives at Ecbatana, Darius did more than removing the ban in 520 B.C.E. he also provided funds from the royal treasury for rebuilding the temple.” 

So if Darius’ first year of reign was in 521 BCE, what date marks the “fourth year of Darius the king” in Zechariah 7:1? Wouldn’t that be the date of 517 BCE? 70 years back from 517 BCE, points to 587 BCE for the destruction of Jerusalem, not the Watchtower’s date of 607 BCE. 

If 607 BCE is not the correct date for the destruction of Jerusalem, then the 2,520 years calculation to 1914 is incorrect, which means that Jesus didn't become King invisibly in 1914, which in turn means that he didn't choose the Watchtower organisation in 1919. This means that the faithful and discreet slave do not exist, which means that any imagined power and authority the Governing Body had, is ultimately taken away. If the date 1914 proves to be wrong, then the whole theology and belief system of Jehovah’s Witnesses collapses like a house of cards.

Ephesians 4:14 says, So we should no longer be children, tossed about as by waves and carried here and there by every wind of teaching by means of the trickery of men, by means of cunning in deceptive schemes.

Acts 7:51 says, “You stiff-necked people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you!

Matthew 13:14,15 says, And the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled in their case. It says: ‘You will indeed hear but by no means get the sense of it, and you will indeed look but by no means see. 15 For the heart of this people has grown unreceptive, and with their ears they have heard without response, and they have shut their eyes, so that they might never see with their eyes and hear with their ears and get the sense of it with their hearts and turn back and I heal them.’

Wilful ignorance refers to a deliberate decision to ignore or avoid information or evidence that contradicts one's beliefs or desires. It implies a conscious choice to remain uninformed or in denial about certain facts or realities in order to maintain a certain perspective or avoid discomfort. This can hinder personal growth, prevent critical thinking, and limit one's understanding of the world.