This Revelation Timeline Decoded post reviews a video by Joel Richardson of FAI STUDIOS, called THE BOOK OF REVELATION // Session 13: The Beginning of Birth Pains.
Dalton Thomas and Joel Richardson are publishing a video series about Revelation. My review of the series exposes their false, futuristic teachings, which effectively serve to hide the true fulfillment and the antichrist.
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 he and Dalton Thomas don’t want to get bogged down in technicalities, models, controversies, where do the seals, trumpets and bowls line up on the timeline.
That’s ironic, as in the video Joel gives a timeline in which the seals, trumpets and bowls are fulfilled during the last half of the supposed future 70th week of Daniel 9, the seven year tribulation period.
Joel says that they want to focus on the majesty and the beauty and the glory of Messiah.
The majesty and the beauty and the glory of Messiah, is found in His fulfillment of the 70th week of Daniel 9, when He ratified the everlasting covenant with His blood as the Spotless Lamb to atone for our sins, which ended the need for temple sacrifices! By assigning the 70th week of Daniel 9 to the enemy of Messiah, the antichrist beast, Joel Richardson and Dalton Thomas are effectively hiding the majesty and the beauty and the glory of Messiah.
The majesty and the beauty and the glory of Messiah is found in the exacting fulfillment of His Olivet Discourse, as all of the things that He described from Matthew 23:36 to Matthew 24:33 were fulfilled by 70 AD when the Romans desolated Jerusalem, the temple, and the Jewish nation.
The majesty and the beauty and the glory of Messiah is found in the exacting fulfillment of most of Revelation during the last 1,900 years! Messiah said in the first verse of Revelation that these things must take place shortly and in the third verse that the time is at hand for them to start being fulfilled!
These three prophecies validate the authority of Scripture and the deity of Messiah, but the explanations from Joel Richardson and Dalton Thomas are effectively hiding the majesty and the beauty and the glory of Messiah. I pray that they are led to the truth, because they’re going to stand before Him to give an account.
Joel Richardson says that he and Dalton Thomas want to focus on helping people be prepared for the storm that’s coming, to be prepared for the tribulation, to stand in the hour of trial.
You can’t be prepared if you fail to understand that most of Revelation has already been fulfilled, if you don’t know where we’re at on the fulfillment timeline, and what will happen next as we await Messiah’s return! Read this Revelation Fulfillment Summary
You can’t be prepared if you don’t know who is the antichrist beast and the false prophet. Read Prophecy Points To The Leader Of The Roman Beast Study
These statements from Joel Richardson are misleading many people, so that they will be as the foolish virgins who don’t have the oil of Scripture truth to light their way in the end times!
I’m not saying that Joel Richardson and Dalton Thomas are purposely giving false explanations, but the effect of their teaching is that misleading people.
Joel Richardson points to a futuristic 70th week of Daniel, when the antichrist makes a covenant with Israel.
The 70th week of Daniel 9 prophecy foretold when Messiah would appear to carry out His ministry, and when (in the middle of the 70th week) He would confirm the (everlasting) covenant (that was mentioned in Daniel 9:4) with His blood as the Passover Lamb, to atone for our sins. It’s not about a 7-year tribulation period in the end times or the antichrist.
The office of the papacy, the Popes of Rome, fulfill Bible prophecy as the ‘little horn‘ of Daniel 7, the ‘son of perdition‘ of 2 Thessalonians 2, and the ‘antichrist beast‘ of Revelation 13, who leads the ‘harlot‘ church of Rome.
How is it that Joel Richardson and Dalton Thomas ignore the witness of the great theologians of the 16th-20th centuries and the Protestant Reformers, who proclaimed all of these things?
Joel Richardson says that in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel 9, that antichrist desecrates temple which is the abomination of desolation.
Look at what he’s declaring! He’s putting the enemy of Messiah, the antichrist, at center stage of the 70th week of Daniel 9! That is heresy as Messiah was at the center stage of the 70th week of Daniel 9. Daniel 9:27 says that he, Messiah the Prince of Daniel 9:25 and 9:26, confirms the (everlasting) covenant and in the middle of the week He ended the need for temple sacrifices.
The context of the ‘abomination of desolation‘ is Messiah declaring judgment on the Jewish leaders and the ‘desolation’ of the second temple; which took place in 70 A.D. Messiah said that when you see the abomination of desolation, then flee Judea, so it’s a sign that people in Judea saw. It’s not about the end times.
Luke 21:20-21 tells us what it was, an army surrounding Holy Jerusalem, which Josephus documented as taking place in November of 66 AD, when Cestius and his army came to Jerusalem to end the Jewish rebellion. Messiah’s saints in Judea saw the sign, and knew that they needed to take the first opportunity to flee to the mountains of Pella for safety.
That opportunity came when Cestius and his army left Jerusalem for no explained reason. Messiah’s saints urgently left Jerusalem like Messiah told them to, but the Jews stayed. Then three strong divisions of the Roman army were sent to Judea, which led to 1.1 million Jews dying in and around Jerusalem from famine, pestilence, infighting, suicide, crucifixion and by the Roman sword.
The Jews who believed in Messiah were saved, those who rejected Messiah were desolated.
Joel says that Messiah declared that the temple that He just came out of would be desolated, but then he applies the Olivet Discourse to a future temple.
That makes no sense! The temple that Messiah had just exited and proclaimed would be desolated, was destroyed in that generation in 70 AD, just like Messiah proclaimed!
Joel Richardson says that the seals, trumpet bowls will be fulfilled in final 3 1/2 years of the future 70th week of Daniel 9.
Futurists say that most of Revelation will be fulfilled during a futuristic 70th week of Daniel 9. But since the 70th week of Daniel 9 was about Messiah and not the end times or the antichrist, their explanations are based on a faulty foundation. That’s why I wrote The 70th Week Of Daniel 9 Decoded book, to help people see the truth and the deception that’s based on it.
Joel Richardson says that the rider on the white horse in the first seal is the antichrist.
He says that the cosmic language of the sixth seal lines up with sun, moon and stars being darkened in Matthew 24:29.
How in the world does Joel not understand the symbolism of the sun, moon and stars, when there are examples in the Old Testament which show us that it’s pointing to leadership systems?
In Messiah’s Olivet Discourse, it’s pointing to the Jewish leadership system being darkened when the Roman army desolated Jerusalem, the temple and the Jewish nation in 70 AD. The High Priest (sun), the Sanhedrin (moon) and the priests (stars) were either killed or taken prisoner.
In the sixth seal of Revelation, it’s pointing to political upheaval in the pagan Roman Empire, as Emperors were losing power.
Joel Richardson says that the trumpet judgments point to war, Messiah returning to execute justice.
The seal judgments were about the decline of the pagan Roman Empire and the trumpet judgments led to its fall, as army after army was sent to attack it. Sadly, Joel Richardson and Dalton Thomas are either blind to the truth about their fulfillment or they’re wolves. They seem sincere, but at this point in the narrative, the enemy has infiltrated the ranks.
Here’s link to my websites where I prove out the fulfillment of these prophecies, which exposes the deceptions of the enemy.
The Olivet Discourse Deception
The website studies give verse by verse explanations, and the books provide much more detailed information.
You can read summary of my books by clicking on this link: Bible Prophecy Decoded Study Books by David Nikao Wilcoxson
