August 4, 2022|

Correcting the Errors of Joel Richardson, Nelson Walters, & Rock Island Books (CJ Lovik)

There  comes a time when Messianic & Hebrew Roots believers need to  critically analyze some of our favorite YouTube stars. Joel Richardson,  Nelson Walters, and Rock Island Books (CJ Lovik) have gathered a large  following in recent time. Don’t get me wrong each of these men have  produced some very interesting analysis of prophecy. Joel Richardson has  done some great work clarifying that the Ottoman Turkish Empire will be  the end-time Beast. Nelson Walters has some very interesting books on  prophecy. Rock Island Books appears to be very prolific on YouTube  gathering a lot of views.

You  might ask how can anyone have a problem with these authors and  producers? It’s simple really…often when a teacher comes out with some  keen insight those who love their work can’t help but assume that  everything they say is just as valid as that particular teaching that  the reader really appreciates. It turns believers into near-sighted  followers. “Oh he’s so inspired…”, they claim which leads to a partial  blindness to critical analysis of other parts of their teaching that  have less proof and more theory. Faith covers up the blind spots…because  someone that inspired can’t be wrong…

We  won’t take the time to think about Peter and his great insight that  Yeshua was the Son of God…only later to reject him publicly at His  trial. He went from inspired to “not inspired” rather quickly. It just  shows the best of us are capable of making mistakes. Has Joel, Nelson,  and Rock Island made some Theological and Eschatological mistakes? I am  proposing that they have.

Rock  Island Books (CJ Lovik) is the easiest to handle. I love their  whiteboard analysis of the end-times. They are creative and engaging…but repeatedly wrong. You don’t have to base that on my comments. They have  admitted that they are wrong and keep publishing update videos to try  and fix the errors that they made in previous videos. As such, each  subsequent video has fewer and fewer views. Why? They were wrong and  keep being wrong…and its undeniable from video to video. This is a  problem. I love the enthusiasm though. Here’s a hint CJ…there is no  Pre-Tribulation Rapture.

Joel  Richardson published a book titled, “Mystery Babylon” wherein he claims  that Mecca/Saudi Arabia is Mystery Babylon. How did he come to this  conclusion. I assume it seemed to fit nicely with his book, “The Islamic  Antichrist” wherein he brings nice clarity to Islam being the Legs of  Iron and the final Beast from Daniel and Revelation…not Rome.

There  is only one problem with Mystery Babylon being Mecca/Saudi Arabia…it’s  not Biblical or Torah based. That is the problem with some prophecy  teachers. They stumble on or find a great bit of teaching and then run  into all kinds of misidentification of roles of characters in prophecy  because they are more attached to a particular teaching than to the  Torah. Now keep in mind I’m not trying to disparage Joel, Nelson, or CJ.  What am I trying to do? Make sure that believers don’t get caught in  the weeds like they did with the failed Blood Moon prophecies that  Pastor Mark Biltz popularized. Once again a well-intentioned teacher  that made lots of money on the Blood Moon teaching…prediction after  prediction failing.

Don’t  think that I don’t like listening to these teachers. Just like you…I  do. But this is about the search for truth and as such that requires a certain amount of questioning and analysis since they and I have all  chosen to enter the public square and open our mouths. I’ve contacted  both Joel and Nelson letting them know some of the problems with their  analysis of Mystery Babylon being Mecca/Saudi Arabia or Neom. I can’t  say that I’ve seen a definitive change in their teaching though. Seeing  how important it is I’m presenting it to the Body for review.

They  are all on YouTube…and even Joel’s books are free on his website. My books are free on Kindle at Amazon.com. I am challenging you as I have  them…recheck your work. Don’t assume. The time is too short. My book,  “Babylon vs the Restrainer” does a thorough analysis of what the Torah  says about Mystery Babylon. None of these other works have done so. They  have looked at the Prophets…but not as much from the Torah. If you are a follower of Yeshua you need to make sure you don’t waste your time on a  popular theory that is also wrong and unbiblical.

Nelson  has done a number of videos hedging around Mecca/Saudi Arabia being  Mystery Babylon. He appears to think it is Neom…you know the new wonder  city of Saudi Arabia that doesn’t even exist yet…and for it to fulfill  any of the Biblical prophecies would likely take over a 100 years. You  really can’t talk out of both sides of your mouth claiming the Yeshua is  about to return and then talk about a city that has no shot of  fulfilling these prophecies without a massive amount of time. Hint…it  won’t be in your generation then…and neither will the Mark of the Beast.  So much for urgency or the 6,000 year plan of God. Now his videos are  getting more and more hedgy talking occasionally about Neom and also  about Mystery Babylon being a system…but he has not ruled out Neom publicly.

What are these prophecy teachers missing?

The  Beast is appointed to destroy Babylon by God Himself. They are not one  and the same or of the same nature. Mystery Babylon is a woman and not  an animal. They are different in nature. Declaring that Mecca/Neom is  riding the Ottoman Turkish Empire in any way shape or form is not  historically accurate. So what do they do? Put Mystery Babylon off to  the future. “Watch out…its coming…”. Yet Paul makes it clear that  Mystery Babylon has been working for thousands of years.

2  Thessalonians 2: 7, For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only  he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

Notice Paul connects the Mystery of Iniquity to the revealing of the Son of Perdition. Mystery Babylon is not future…it has been here since Paul’s  day at the very least. Neither Joel nor Nelson’s teaching accounts for  this scriptural fact.

How  does Joel and Nelson account for God’s complaint that Mystery Babylon  has been slaughtering the Saints and the Prophets well before Islam came  along around 610 AD? Was Islam responsible for the slaying of the  prophets for over a 1,000 years prior? No they were not. Please keep in  mind I am NOT a Replacement Theologian. I am pro-Israel…pro-repentant  Israel. This will likely be there first rebuttal. It’s just not true.

Many  prophecy teachers are misidentifying the characters of Revelation 13.  Because of their confusion they resort to smudging together the  characters saying that the Beast is both an empire and a king.  Revelation has so much clarity most readers don’t pick up on it. The  Beast coming up out of the ocean is an empire (tree) in the image of its  seed-The Red Dragon (Satan) from the prior chapter. This empire  conquers Jerusalem at the mid-point of the Tribulation. Then and only  then…and not before…the Lamb Speaking as a Dragon….arises as the False  Prophet (aka the Antichrist/Son of Perdition) to rule the Beast  (empire).

Don’t  skip over this…there is NOT a duo coming of the Antichrist and the  False Prophet or the Beast and the False Prophet. The Antichrist is the  False Prophet (Son of Perdition). Nelson’s first response has been that  that can’t be, because the Lamb Speaking as a dragon has everyone  worship the Beast. There must be two…the Lamb Speaking as a Dragon  (False Prophet) and the Beast must be the Antichrist because everyone is  worshiping him.

Unfortunately that argument doesn’t hold up.

Revelation  3:9, 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.

If Nelson’s view is accurate then we must be more important than Yeshua…because He makes the Synagogue of Satan to worship us!

Remember  the Beast is not the rider (Mystery Babylon). The Beast hates the rider  and turns and destroys the rider (Mystery Babylon) with fire and  consumes her. What most prophecy teachers are missing is that both  Mystery Babylon and Jerusalem are destroyed twice. Once by the Beast at  the mid-point of the tribulation and then in the end…by the Hand of God.

Revelation 14:8, And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is  fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine  of the wrath of her fornication.

So, what are these prophecy teachers missing because they have a blind spot  for the prophetic implications of the Torah? They are missing the fact  that Mystery Babylon, The Great Whore, is decked out in the garments of  the High Priest! And if you examine the Torah you will find out why the  Levites will be purged with fire.

Malachi 3:2, But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when  he appeareth? for he is like a refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: 3  And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall  purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they  may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. 4 Then shall the  offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the  days of old, and as in former years.

They are missing the fact that the Aaronic Priesthood in the Torah is  prophetic of what will happen in the end. They are missing what happens when Aaron refuses to take part of the sin offering.

Leviticus  10:16, And Moses diligently sought the goat of the sin offering, and, behold, it was burnt: and he was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, the sons of Aaron which were left alive, saying, 17 Wherefore have ye not  eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and  God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make  atonement for them before the Lord? 18 Behold, the blood of it was not  brought in within the holy place: ye should indeed have eaten it in the  holy place, as I commanded.

What  happens when you have a the Aaronic High Priest (High Priest in the  Valley of the Shadow of Death) refusing to do his job in conjunction  with the Melchizedek Priesthood (Moses on the Mountain) who is prophetic  of Yeshua the Messiah? The High Priest with clean garments in the  valley turns into an abomination as typified by the exiled leprous woman (Miriam) who must remain outside the camp until she has participated in the cleansing ceremony of the Red Heifer.

What was Miriam’s sin? She spoke evil of Moses (prophetic of Yeshua), just  as Aaron refused to partake of the Sin Offering (prophetic of Yeshua).  This is why Mystery Babylon is depicted as wearing the garments of the  High Priest. It is no coincidence that the Levites and Jerusalem will be  purged with fire…twice. Once by the Beast and again by Yeshua. Babylon  is fallen…is fallen.

Can I make a suggestion? Always be willing to re-evaluate that your assumptions are Biblically accurate and challenge these teachers to do  the same. Publicly ask them until they stop giving non-answers and have  reevaluated their own teachings and can give a Torah based answer.  Again…no disrespect to the these men. I love most of their work. Truth  never allows you become comfortable…it forces you to change until you  conform to the full truth. I have no doubt readers will challenge my  claims. I just ask that you research first…then challenge.

Please read “Babylon vs the Restrainer” by Ken Mentell. Sold on Amazon.

Ken Mentell, from the Best Selling “Restoring Truth Series”. Ranked #4 on Bestcommentaries.com list for End-times/Eschatology.