I came across Rob Skiba this past May while attending his breakout session at the 2015 United in Torah Conference in San Diego, California. I had never heard of Rob Skiba prior to attending the conference. Since coming into the Faith I had for all-intents-and-purposes ended abandoned my interest in eschatology, end-time prophecy and the like, with the exception of my recent reading of Michael Rood’s “The Mystery of Iniquity–The Legal Prerequisites to the Return of the Messiah.”  Rob’s topic at the conference was entitled “The Yahuwah Triangle.” This 3-hours breakout session exposed me to not only concepts from the Book of Genesis that I had never heard of before–that being the concept of who and what Nephillim truly were–as well as present-day concepts related to the pagan origins of our nation and the end-times being somewhat of a repeat of Genesis chapter 6. I left his presentation completely overwhelmed and completely wanting more from this man of Yahovah.

Rob Skiba describes himself as a writer, director, actor and researcher. After hearing his presentation at United in Torah and consuming this book, I describe him as a man on a mission: a mission to reveal the hidden evil that has existed from the time of Nimrod through the founding of our nation, all the way up to the end times of this world. The story and concepts that he brings out in this book are nothing short of jaw-dropping and frankly disturbing. After attending Rob’s presentation at the May conference, I couldn’t wait to get a hold of his materials and gain a better understanding of full message he is trying to get across to our nation and the world.

I got a hold of Babylon Rising and the First Shall be Last shortly after returning from the conference. I found Rob’s prose to be refreshing, compelling and it held my attention throughout the entirety of what is a moderately lengthy read. My understanding and knowledge of Babylonian-Egyptian-Greek and Roman mythology was and continues to be essentially non-existent, but Rob did a fairly good job of keeping a reader like me afloat by providing as much of a primer on the subject as practical, without bogging down the content with a course on mythology and paganism. As I’ve mentioned in a recent podcast and blog posting, I’ve taken it upon myself to research and gain as much of an understanding of the Ancient Near East and its associated religious practices and beliefs. This project I have to admit did not originate with my exposure to Rob Skiba but with Torah Teacher Matthew Vander Els. I came across Matthew’s teachings about the nations of the Ancient Near East and their influences on ancient Israel–this in the fall of 2014 at a Michael Rood conference in New York. Matthew’s presentation convinced me of the importance of having at least a modicum of knowledge and understanding of Ancient Near Eastern customs and practices in order to better understand aspects of our Hebraic Roots. Rob’s presentation this past spring and my reading of Babylon Rising only solidified in my mind and soul that part of our training in the Faith must include a familiarization of ancient paganism and its influence upon the world then, today and tomorrow.

Babylon Rising and the First Shall be the Last was unlike any book on end times I’d ever read. It was an indictment on all that we Americans hold dear in this country: our history, freedom, democracy, liberty, the pursuit of the American Dream and the like.  Few of us would ever imagine that much of what we held sacred and true regarding our nation’s beginnings and her government and society are far from the contrived Christian foundation that we were all brought up to believe. Prior to reading this book, I had been primed by a fellow Hebraic Roots brother on the questionable origins of our beloved nation. Then upon reading Skiba’s well written dissertation on this subject, many of the pieces and questions I’d had in my mind for the last several years seemed to fall handily in place.

Skiba spends a great amount of time laying the foundation of how the end times will not be as fundamental denominational writers have long envisioned it be. In fact, Skiba’s version of the end times can be described as a revival of an “oldie” but far from “goodie.” The first three or so chapters focus on the Genesis account of the pre-flood and early post-flood period of man’s history. I would say that the basis or theme of this section of the book would be found in that famous prophecy delivered to us by the Savior that simply says: “For the Son of Man’s coming will be just as it was in the days of Noach.” (Mat. 24:37 CJB) Skiba certainly makes a sound argument against those who would link this prophecy to anything but those things that were transpiring during the days of Noah. What I mean by that is that modern end time teachers have gone out of their way to link end time events to technological advances, Catholicism, financial devastation, religious fanaticism and governmental harassment. Skiba does not preclude that any one of these elements is part and parcel of the end times. Instead, Skiba draws the reader to examine the Genesis record to arrive at an understanding of exactly what the Master was referring to. Without going into the content of the book, suffice to say, the things and situation of Noah’s day is nothing like that which the modern day end time prophets and teachers are putting out. Rob’s thesis is nothing short of shocking and utterly thought provoking.

The second half of the book is devoted to the pagan origins of the United States which I believe will send much of churchianity, or even the secular segment of our nation, spiraling out of psychological control. To see logically and irrefutably laid out before the reader a thesis that shows the United States from the beginning was founded upon paganism and that she has had little connection whatsoever with Christianity is nothing short of a life changing paradigm shift. Bottom line, Skiba orients the reader to see quite clearly that this is not the America that he/she has been led and taught to understand from a Christian perspective. Everything, from our money to our monuments and so-called hallowed halls of democracy in Washington are infected with paganism. So deep is this rabbit hole that one can spend a lifetime simply trying to find one’s way out of the labyrinth of tunnels and dips and corners that lead to the origin of this nation’s government and societal norms.

Skiba spends the the latter portions of the book tying everything together from the perspective that much of what we’ve been taught in our denominations is erroneous. It is this erroneous foundation that will sentence many a would-be believer down a path of destruction at the end times. The sense of false security that is germane to Western churchianty precludes most Christians from ever realizing the truth and it is that lack of understanding, coupled with the sense of false security, that places the whole of Christianity in a precarious situation as it relates to end times. The bottom line Skiba concludes, is that, it really doesn’t matter what it means to us; it matters what it means to God!. And that is where churchianity has slipped off the tracks. It is my prayer that books like Babylon Rising will awaken the Church Triumphant from its millennia old slumber before it’s too late.

Babylon Rising-and the First Shall be Last is an absolute must read for any self-professing believer in Y’shua Messiah. The reader may not agree or believe everything Skiba writes in this book, and that’s okay. In fact, Skiba goes to great pains throughout the book to provide the reader with a disclaimer that much of what is written is Skiba writing on that which he has researched and that which has been revealed to him by the Spirit. It is up to the reader to do his/her own research and come to his/her own conclusions. This is as it should be in every aspect of our Faith–hear, receive, verify, do something with it.

Get this book Saints.