This Revelation Timeline Decoded post reviews a video by Joel Richardson of FAI STUDIOS, called ‘THE BOOK OF REVELATION // Session 21: The Mysterious Identity of The 144,000 Revealed.’
Video Description: MARANATHA Global Bible Study // The Book Of Revelation. Session 21: The Mysterious Identity of The 144,000 Revealed – Joel Richardson
Let me start by saying that the historical fulfillment of the 70th week of Daniel 9 from 27-34 AD, Messiah’s Olivet Discourse which describes events leading to the Jewish-Roman War of 66-70 AD, and most of prophecies in Revelation during the last 1,900 years; validates the authority of Scripture and the deity of Messiah. Joel’s futuristic explanations serve to hide those proofs.
The Protestant Reformers and great theologians of the 16th-19th centuries all taught the historical fulfillment of prophecy. It’s only during the few centuries that the futuristic deceptions have taken hold as the enemy has deceived even the very elect.
The concept of a future 70th week of Daniel 9, in which a one-man antichrist appears and most of Revelation is fulfilled, is a deception from the enemy. I know that sounds crazy since most people teach these concepts, but the enemy has worked hard to mislead the end-times saints so that even the very elect are deceived. I pray that you will seek truth, not to defend a belief.
Please understand that I declare these things not because I think that I know it all, and I’m not saying that everything that Joel Richardson teaches is false. He seems to be very sincere in his beliefs and His love for Messiah. What I’m showing is that what he teaches about prophecy fulfillment is false, because it’s based on the futuristic model that was created by the enemy to deceive the end-times saints.
I don’t proclaim this for my sake, because this isn’t about me. You can dismiss what I’m saying and defend your beliefs, but now you’re accountable and I’ve fulfilled my role as the watchman blowing the trumpet.
Joel Richardson says that the sealing of the 144,000 takes place in the end times.
The truth is that the 144,000 saints were sealed before the barbarian armies of the trumpet judgments were released to attack the Western Roman Empire. There were many believers in the Roman Empire and they needed to be protected during the judgments of the pagan Roman Empire.
Read Revelation Fulfillment Summary
Joel Richardson says that prophecy has symbolic language.
That is true, Revelation is full of symbolic language, but Joel consistently applies a literal explanation.
In Revelation, Messiah uses symbols which are defined primarily in the Old Testament to point to literal events. If you take the language all symbolically, like Preterists do, then you miss the fulfillment. If you take the language literally, like Joel Richardson and Dalton Thomas do in this video series, then you miss the fulfillment.
Messiah’s apocalyptic vision is like a final exam to see if you’ve read the whole Word. Sadly, many Christians don’t read the Old Testament as they deem themselves ‘New Testament believers.’
Read Revelation Is Symbolic And Literal
Joel Richardson says that some from the lost tribes of the House of Israel had regathered before Messiah’s first advent.
I agree! Messiah said that He came for the lost tribes of the House of Israel. Messiah found His disciples in the northern regions where the tribes of the House of Israel had regathered. Other than being in Jerusalem for Holy Feast Days and to die as the Spotless Lamb for our sins, He spent His time in the northern regions of Galilee.
In the midst of Isaiah telling the house of Israel that the Assyrians would come to disperse them from the land, he gave them hope that the Messiah would shine on them when they would be regathered before His coming.
Isaiah 9:1 “Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.”
2 “The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.”
6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
7 “Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.”
Matthew 4:13-17 says that Messiah began His ministry in Capernaum, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, where the ten tribes of the House of Israel used to live.
“And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The land of Zebulun and Naphtali in Galilee, were the parts that principally suffered in the first Assyrian invasion. And they were the first that enjoyed the blessings of Messiah (the promised light) preaching the Gospel, and exhibiting His miraculous works among them.
Messiah found most of His disciples in Galilee. Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, James and his brother John, were all fishing in the Sea of Galilee when Jesus called them.
Joel Richardson talks about the attitude of Hebrew Roots people who cause division towards mainstream Christians.
Hebrew Roots people can become too extreme, too legalistic and many of them condemn other believers. That said, mainstream Christianity is based on man-made traditions that were created by Roman bishops and Emperor Constantine at gatherings such as the Council of Nicaea.
Easter and Christmas are man-made traditions which are based on pagan rituals of the Babylonian Mystery Religion. We are commanded to observe the Father’s seven Holy Feast Days, which Messiah is still in the process of fulfilling to redeem the set-apart saints.
Messiah died on Passover as the Spotless Lamb, for our sins. It’s not the same thing as Easter. He was in the grave on the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which represents His sinlessness. He rose on the Feast of First Fruits. He sent the Ruach Spirit on the summer feast of Pentecost.
Messiah will return on the fall Feast of Trumpets. He will make judgment on the Day of Atonement. And He will marry His bride on the Feast of Tabernacles.
So some of what Hebrew Roots people teach is truth, as they are following the ancient path of Scriptural truth, not man-made holidays. Sadly, many of them have been deceived by Jewish fables regarding the Scriptural calendar and the Sabbath.
Joel Richardson points to the black Hebrew Roots movement.
It’s awesome that black believers are seeking to follow the ancient path of Scriptural truth. Sadly, they’re abusing the Scriptures to proclaim that the Hebrew Israelites were black. And many of them are using this supposed exalted status, to make racist statements towards people of other races.
Joel Richardson points to people today proclaiming that the Jews in Israel are fake Jews.
This is a huge area of blindness for Christians! Rabbinical Torah Jews believe that the Zionist state of Israel is illegitimate in the eyes of God and that it DOES NOT represent Jews or Judaism.
They believe that the Ashkenazi Jews have illegitimately seized the name “Israel” and have no right to speak in the name of the Jewish people! They believe that contemporary sovereignty over the Holy Land belongs to those who have lived there for centuries, the Palestinians. They desire to live in peace and harmony with their Muslim Brethren, as their ancestors did.
You can read more about them at these websites:
It is Jewish researchers who proclaim that most of the Jews in Israel, and in the world, are not descendants of Abraham; but that they are Jews by religion only. This lines up with Revelation 3:9, which is written to the church era of Philadelphia that existed in the 18th-20th centuries, and it speaks of people who proclaim to be Jews, but are not.
“Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.”
Read Revelation 16 – 6th Bowl Judgment
Joel Richardson brought up the topic of people believe that the earth is flat.
He makes a great point that the sun stays the same size all the way across the sky, which is not possible if the earth is flat, as it would appear as a small dot on the eastern horizon, grow dynamically as it moves overhead and then shrink down to a small dot again. But that’s not what we see.
I go through the verses that flat earthers cite in my The False Doctrine Of The Flat Earth book. You can get a free PDF copy @ Flat Earth Deception
I pray that Joel Richardson and Dalton Thomas find the truth about prophecy fulfillment, for they are declaring things which they will regret when they stand before Messiah.
Messiah’s apocalyptic vision is a war manual, designed to hide the explanation from those who should not understand it. It uses symbolic words that are defined in the Old Testament to point to a literal fulfillment. If you read Revelation only from a literal perspective, the interpretation is hidden.
Understanding the vision is like taking a Biblical final exam. If you’ve read the whole Word, you will have seen the symbolism that Messiah uses and can apply it to the fulfillment.
If you read Revelation as one chronological narrative, the prophecies seem out of sequence. That’s because it has four chronological layers, each of which spans from when it was written until Messiah returns.
This book explains the prophecies of Revelation on a timeline to help you see how the four chronological layers interact with each other, so that you can comprehend the whole vision.
You will learn how to identify who fulfills the role of the son of perdition, the antichrist beast, the false prophet, and the harlot called ‘Mystery, Babylon the Great.’ You will understand the proper context of the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments; the little book of Revelation 10, and the two witnesses of Revelation 11.
Whether you’re a novice at Bible prophecy or someone who has studied it extensively, I provide an explanation that is easy to understand yet has the depth of verse by verse explanations to provide you the evidence you need to prove it out.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE REVELATION TIMELINE DECODED BIBLE STUDY GUIDE
