The Bible said there were two things that were going to happen.
- The City/Temple is going to lie in desolation for 70 years – Daniel 9:2
- The nations (not just the Jews) are going to serve under the king of Babylon for 70 years – Jeremiah 25:11
Historical evidence proves that both of these prophesies were fulfilled according to the Bible. However, it appears that they did not happen concurrently, and the bible does not insist they were going to start and end at the same time.
- Serving the King of Babylon for 70 Years started in 605/6BC and ended in 535/6BC after the Jews were released when an altar was established in Jerusalem under Zerubbabel.
- The desolation of the city/temple started in 586/7BC and ended in 515/516BC when the temple was restored.
The “serving the king of Babylon” started in 605BC, thereafter Jerusalem was destroyed in 586BC. The Jews arrived back in Jerusalem in 5356BC, set up an altar, started the construction of the temple which was completed in 515/6BC around 20 years later.
