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Wars and Rumors of Wars
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Are we living in the last days? Joel C. Rosenberg, Bible scholar on the endtimes and author of The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll, and other books on endtime prophecy, says, "Yes, we are living in the last days,according to the Scriptures and their fulfillment in world events," prophesied thousands of years ago by many men of God who were used by the Holy Spirit to pen the Scriptures.
To read more go to www.joelrosenberg.com.
Monday, July 31, 2006
MSNBC MOCKS CNN FOR ROSENBERG SEGMENT ON WHETHER THESE ARE "THE LAST DAYS"
UPDATE: MSNBC is mocking CNN for asking me if we are living in the "last days" and for being obsessed with the Mideast war and Bible prophecy. What's more, a left-wing media watchdog group seems completely baffled by all the national interest in whether we are living in the end times. But CNN and others are continuing to ask questions. And they should. As I told one interviewer today, we are approaching the end of radical Islam as we know it.
Media Matters wrote: "On the 'Beat the Press' segment of the July 27 edition of MSNBC's Tucker, MSNBC producer Willie Geist discussed a segment of the July 26 edition of CNN's Live From ... in which anchor Kyra Phillips talked about the Apocalypse and the Middle East with Christian authors Jerry Jenkins and Joel C. Rosenberg -- who share the view that the Rapture is nigh. As Media Matters for America noted, Phillips asked Jenkins and Rosenberg if we are 'living in the last days' and whether she needed 'to start taking care of unfinished business and telling people that I love them and I'm sorry for all the evil things I've done.' Geist also mentioned a segment from the July 24 edition of Paula Zahn Now in which, as Media Matters noted, onscreen text read 'End of the World?' Geist stated that Phillips 'is getting a little nervous' and that CNN 'certainly seem[s] to have doomsday on the brain.' He concluded that CNN should 'lighten up a little bit.'" To read theMSNBC transcript, please click here.
But to the surprise of many -- and the shock of some -- CNN hasn't backed down in the face of such sniping. To the contrary, the network is pursuing the story even further. Tonight, Paula Zahn spent not one but two full segments examining evangelical views that we are living in the end of days. On Friday, Zahn's producers sent a camera crew to my home to get my thoughts. Tonight's piece ran several excerpts from that interview in which I explained the list of signs Jesus tells us to watch as warning signs of His return -- wars, rumors of wars, revolutions, famines, earthquakes, persecution of the believers, the spread of the gospel, the rebirth of the State of Israel, and so forth. They also asked me to explain various Biblical and evangelical terms like the "Rapture," and the "Tribulation" and "Armageddon," which they then explained to viewers quite carefully, with Scripture and graphics to make it understandable.
I commend CNN for their interest. Tens of millions of Americans are intrigued with this story, and CNN is doing a good job covering it.
The Christian Broadcasting Network is also very interested in this story, as you might imagine. Pat Robertson interviewed me at length this morning about The Copper Scroll, why my novels keep coming true, and the Biblical prophecies behind them. I told him point blank that I believe the prophecies in Ezekiel make clear that we are approaching "the end of radical Islam as we know it."
To understand what I meant -- and to read the "700 Club" transcript in full -- please click here. To watch the interview, please click here.
Latest headlines:
* UN says Iran must suspend nuclear program by August 31
* Iran forces urged to prepare to hit Israel
* Raise readiness, Assad tells Syrian Army
* Israel prepares for aggressive ground campaign
* After Iran, Canadians see Israel as biggest threat to peace, poll finds
posted by Joel C. Rosenberg @ 6:41 PM 5 comments
Sunday, July 30, 2006
READER QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LAST DAYS -- PART 2
An avalanche of emails from around the world are coming in, asking about current events and Bible prophecy. This morning, let me try to answer one of the most frequently asked questions.
Q: How do we really know these are the last days? I thought the "end times" and Jesus' return would be unknown to mankind -- like a thief in the night -- and to think otherwise was the sin of pride. I do know that the earliest Christians believed that the end times were imminent and that the history of Christianity since then is littered with those who felt the same.
A: Great question. Actually, it's two important questions. First, are there going to be signs that suggest that the return of Jesus Christ is increasingly close at hand? And second, are we seeing those signs today?
The quick answer is this: I believe, as do most Christians, in something called the "Doctrine of Imminence." This means that Jesus tells us to be alert, and faithful, and honoring to Him always because the Rapture of the Church (the sudden disappearance of Christians to heaven) could happen imminently, at any moment. The Rapture doesn't require any signs. It could happen today, or tomorrow, or next week, or five years from now, or more. We don't know exactly when it will happen. It will happen suddenly and Jesus said we are not to speculate on the exact day or hour because only the Father Himself knows that detail (Matthew 24:36). Those who have truly repented of their sins and put their faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord will suddenly go to heaven in the blink of an eye, and all others will be left here on earth to suffer through a terrible time of persecution and supernatural judgments known as the "Tribulation." People can still repent during that time and become true followers of Christ, but sadly they will have to suffer tremendous persecution, and many will be martyred by the Antichrist and his forces. That being said, Jesus also made it clear that while His true followers won't know the exact day or hour of the Rapture, we will have a sense that the Rapture -- and other End Times events -- are increasingly close at hand. He said there will be signs to indicate that we are living in the last days, and I have no doubt that we are seeing those signs today.
In Matthew 24 and Luke 21 the disciples asked Jesus, "[W]hat will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" Jesus could have given a very Don Rumsfeld answer, "No comment -- next question!" -- but he didn't. He explained in quite a bit of detail what signs we can expect in the last days. Among them:
* Wars and rumors of wars
* Revolutions
* False prophets and messiahs
* Famines
* Earthquakes
* Increase in lawlessness
* The spread of the gospel to every nation and people group on earth
* Persecution of followers of Christ
* The rebirth of the State of Israel and Jews returning back in the Holy Land
Now, obviously, there have been wars and famines and earthquakes for the past 2,000 years since Jesus first gave this list. So Christians throughout the centuries have wondered whether they were living in the last days. But what makes the times in which we live distinctive from all other times in history was the rebirth of Israel as a modern state in 1948, the reunification of Jerusalem under Jewish control in 1967, and the return of Jews to the Holy Land over the past 100 years or so. With Israel back in existence, all the other End Times prophecies can now be fulfilled. Among them:
* The "War of Gog and Magog." The Bible tells us in Ezekiel 36 and 37 in great detail how Israel will be reborn as a country, how Jews will return to the Holy Land, and how Israel will rebuild the "ancient ruins" and develop an "exceedingly great army." Then, the Bible tells us that Russia, Iran, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, and other Mideast countries will form an alliance and surround Israel and seek to wipe her off the face of the map, but they will suddenly suffer God's supernatural judgment. We learn in Ezekiel 38-39 that this event will happen in "the last days." Does it happen before or after the Rapture? We don't know. The Scriptures don't tell us for certain. But given the tragectory of recent events, this War -- upon which The Ezekiel Option was based -- could happen soon. Important point: the Doctrine of Imminence tells us that no more prophetic events have to happen before the Rapture. But that does not mean that no more prophetic events will happen before the Rapture. In other words, this War could happen before the Rapture, but it does not have to.
* The rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. According to Ezekiel 40-48, after the rebirth of Israel and the "War of Gog and Magog" there will be a great Jewish Temple in Jerusalem in the last days. In Isaiah 2:2, we read that "in the last days, the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains." The Prophet Micah also describes a Temple being built in Jerusalem in the last days and drawing people from all over the world. So does Daniel, and the Apostles Paul and John. Jesus Himself says the Temple will be operational in Jerusalem in the last days and that eventually it will be desecrated by the Antichrist. Obviously, the Temple has not been rebuilt yet -- but it will be. Plans are already in place. Much is happening behind the scenes. The Copper Scroll is all about the battle for Jerusalem and the rebuilding of the Temple. For more on this, see my forthcoming non-fiction book, Epicenter. Key point for now: the Rapture is not dependent upon the Temple being built first. The Temple could be built after the Rapture. But it is possible that the Temple is built -- or begins to be built -- before the Rapture.
* The battle of Armageddon. After the rebirth of Israel, and the "War of Gog and Magog," and the rebuilding of the Temple, and the rise of the Antichrist and a seven-year period called the "Tribulation," the Bible says we will eventually see all the nations of the world attack Israel in the Valley of Jezreel at Har Megiddo -- the mountain of Megiddo -- known in English as "Armageddon." This is the climactic, apolcalyptic, final battle of this age. Just when Israel seems to be on the verge of being completely destroyed, we will see the literal, physical Second Coming of Jesus Christ who will destroy the forces of the Antichrist and set up His kingdom on earth for 1,000 years.
As you can see, none of these key End Times events could take place until Israel was reborn as a country and the Jewish people were back in the Holy Land. But now we're there, which means events could begin to accelerate very rapidly. That said, if you're a follower of Christ and you're planning any major sins, let me recommend that you postpone them. None of us want to be Raptured and suddenly see Jesus face to face and be ashamed for the lives we're living. Secondly, if you've never made a personal decision to become a true follower of Jesus Christ, let me encourage you to make that decision today. We simply don't know how much time we have left before the Rapture. It could be twenty or thirty years -- or more. But it could be soon. We know we are closer than ever before, we just don't know how close. But believe me, anyone who carefully studies the prophecies about the Tribulation feels compelled to warn people not to be left behind and to suffer through those terrible, terrible years. I certainly do. May God bless you on your own spiritual journey.
If you'd like to read about "My Spiritual Journey," please click here.
If you'd like to learn how to become a follower of Jesus Christ for yourself, please click here.
To read Part 1 of "Reader Questions," please click here.
posted by Joel C. Rosenberg @ 10:03 AM 5 comments
Friday, July 28, 2006
JOEL ON "700 CLUB," PAULA ZAHN MONDAY
Media interest in the eerie similarities between current events and Bible prophecy continues to grow. On Monday I'll discuss these topics and The Copper Scroll on the "700 Club" in the morning and CNN's "Paula Zahn Show" at 8pm eastern. I'll also be on the nationally syndicated Lars Larson radio show on Westwood One at 6pm eastern. Please check local listings for exact times and stations. Thanks.
* To read the first chapter of The Copper Scroll, click here.
* To read an interview about the new novel, click here.
* For more on the battle for Jerusalem, click here.
UPDATE: If true, the anti-Semitic statements attributed to Mel Gibson are absolutely shameful and despicable. Many Jewish believers in Jesus (myself included) defended him and his remarkable movie, The Passion of the Christ against charges that Mr. Gibson and his film were anti-Semitic. The film most definitely was not. It still stands as the powerful depiction of our time of God's love and plan of forgiveness and salvation for all mankind by sending the Jewish Messiah to Israel to bless Jews and Gentiles alike. But Mr. Gibson's comments are painful and indefensible. Drunk or not, there is no excuse for his behavior or his views.
posted by Joel C. Rosenberg @ 12:34 PM 5 comments
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
JOEL ON CNN: "APOCALYPSE NOW?"
UPDATE: PROPHETIC HEADLINES
* Rice sees bombs as "birth pangs" (see Matthew 24:8)
* Ahmadinejad: Israel pushed self-destruct button in Lebanon
* Iranian envoy calls for Russia's more active role in Middle East
* World powers converge on Rome for Middle East crisis talks
* Armenia deepens ties with embattled Iran
* Reporters, Politicians Ask: "Are These The End Times?"
The following is a transcript from Wednesday's segment entitled "Apocalypse Now?" on CNN's "Live From..." with anchor Kyra Phillips. To see the video clip, please click here:
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN: So dig this. A man was bulldozing a bog in central Ireland the other day when he noticed something unusual in the freshly turned soil. It turns out he'd unearthed an early medieval treasure, an ancient Book of Psalms that experts date to the years 800 to 1000. Experts say it will take years to document and preserve this book, but eventually it will go on public display. Now here's the kicker: the book -- about 20 pages of Latin script -- was allegedly found opened to Psalm 83. Now, if you're a scholar, as you know [in] Psalm 83 God hears complaints that other nations plotting to wipe out the name of Israel. Well that's precisely the kind of news nuggest that would get the attention of my next guests -- a seemingly random event with an eerie coincidence to reality. Jerry Jenkins is in New York. Now along with Tim LaHaye, he co-authored the widely popular LEFT BEHIND series, only 63 million copies sold, by the way. Also joining me is Joel Rosenberg in Washington. He is the author of THE COPPER SCROLL, the latest of several apocalyptic novels. So, gentlemen, from books to blogs to the back pews, the buzz is all about the End Times. What do you think about the Book of Psalms. Is this going to be the next thing that both of you are going to write about?
JERRY JENKINS: That's an amazing news story. I hadn't heard it.
PHILLIPS: Really? OK, this is news to you, then.
JENKINS: It's some ways it's not terribly surprising. I think God finds ways of speaking to us and He does that through His Word. That's an incredible story, and it would probably have to be told in fiction form because people are going to find it hard to believe.
PHILLIPS: Well, Jerry, you've sold 63 million-plus books about the End Times. Why do think they have been so successful, and why did you decide to go that route? Why did you want to write about it?
JENKINS: Well, the idea for fiction about the End Times was really Dr. LaHaye's. He's a prophecy scholar and theologian. He's been studying this stuff longer than I've been alive. But he just had the idea that after writing several non-fiction books about the subject that if we could put it in a fiction format that more people would find it accessible and understandable and that's proven true. And because of the end of the millennium, and because of 9/11, and because of what's going on in the Middle East right now, people are scared to death about the future and I think they hear about books that are based on the prophecies of Scripture and it just intrigues them and makes them want to find out what we think.
PHILLIPS: So, Joel, are we living in the last days? I mean, let's talk about the specific signs to watch. You've written about them. What does the Bible say, and are we there?
JOEL ROSENBERG: People are very interested, I agree. Tim and Jerry's books deal with the Rapture, the disappearance of the Church and the events going forward through the Book of Revelation. My series -- The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll -- deal with events that could lead up the Rapture and the return of Christ. Yes, people are interested because the rebirth of Israel, the fact that Jews are living in the Holy Land today, that is a Bible prophecy. When Iran, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Russia begin to form an alliance against Israel those are the prophecies from Ezekiel 38 and 39, and that's what I'm basing my novels on. I've been invited to the White House, Capitol Hill, by Members of Congress, Israelis, Arab leaders -- all want to understand the Middle East through the lens of Biblical prophecies. I'm writing these novels that keep seeming to come true, but we're seeing Bible prophecy bit by bit unfold in the Middle East right now.
PHILLIPS: And you talk about epic battles for Jerusalem. Get specific with us. Tells us what is happening now that totally correlates with what you've written about Biblically.
ROSENBERG: Well, that's right, Ezekiel 36 and 37 -- those are chapters in the Bible, in the Old Testament, that are about the rebirth of the State of Israel and Jerusalem coming back under Jewish control. We've seen those prophecies happen. Ezekiel 38 and 39 -- what my novel The Ezekiel Option is about -- is an alliance of Islamic countries to destroy Israel and liberate Jerusalem. Are we seeing that beginning to come true? That's the big question. Then Ezekiel 40 through 48 is about the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem. Now, if that happens in our lifetime, that alone could unleash the wrath of a billion Muslims worldwide. That's what The Copper Scroll is about. Hunting for treasure. Hunting for ancient documents. And the series of events that could lead to the building of the Jewish Temple and an apocalyptic war in the Middle East.
PHILLIPS: All right, now Jerry, you know, there'sa number people who would sit back and say, "You know, that Jerry and that Joel, they are crazy. How can you take this book that's more than 1,000 years old, these are just stories, you can't relate it to what's happening right now." What do say to those critics?
JENKINS: I think that's the uniqueness of how we treat the Scripture. So many people try to interpret Revelation symbolically or figuratively and they can interpret it in a couple of hundred different ways. Dr. LaHaye's view has always been, let's take literally what we can take literally, and tell it as if John the Revelator [author of the Book of Revelation] meant what he said when he said, "I looked and I saw...." Unless he's making some comparison, let's just tell it as a literal story. It's really made it come to life for people and opened it [Revelation] up to make it understandable. It has for me as a writer. All the prophecies of the Old Testament about the coming of Christ as a baby were fulfilled literally. So we're saying, what if all the prophecies of the New Testament about Jesus coming back and Rapturing His Church are also literal? We should treat them that way and just see what it looks like.
PHILLIPS: Joel, you also write about the Prophet Zechariah, and if I remember right, let's see, I think it was [chapter] 12 -- right? -- 12:1-3.
ROSENBERG: That's right.
PHILLIPS: Make the correlation for our viewers.
ROSENBERG: Well, this is the prophecy that says that God is going to cause the nations of the world -- the leaders of the nations -- almost get drunk with the dream of recapturing Jerusalem. Now, the Bible says that first Jerusalem will come back under Jewish control in the last days. That'll be one of the indicators [of the last days]. Well, that's where we are today. What are we watching? Saddam Hussein, or Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, or Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah -- they're all drunk with the dream of capturing Jerusalem. That's what The Copper Scroll novel is about, which is about this battle -- this intense battle -- to liquidate the Jewish people and liberate Jerusalem. I mean, are we seeing that happen? It's hard not to say that we are. That's why I've gotten invited over to the CIA, and the White House, and Congress. Because people -- it's not that they necessarily believe the prophecies, but they want to understand the prophecies in the Bible, in light of what is going on right now.
PHILLIPS: Do you think they're taking what you're saying and incorporating it into foreign policy?
ROSENBERG: I wouldn't go that far. But I would say that Bible prophecy is an intercept from the mind of God. It's actually fairly remarkable intelligence. And that's why my novels keep coming true, because mine are on this side of the Rapture -- leading up to Jerry and Tim's books -- but they suggest the events that the Bible does lay out that will gets us closer to those events. And in fact, one by one, The Last Jihad, The Last Days, The Ezekiel Option and now The Copper Scroll, they have this feeling of coming true. I think that's why a million copies have sold. They're New York Times best-sellers. Because they are based on Bible prophecy and they are coming true bit by bit, day by day.
PHILLIPS: Jerry, what do you think about what Joel wrote, about watching the rise of a Russian-Iranian alliance seeking to wipe out Israel?
JENKINS: Well, I find it very fascinating, and of course, Joel is a real geopolitical watcher. You know, compared to him I'm just a novelist. As he said, Dr. LaHaye and I are writing about things that are yet to come in the far future. But one of our takes is that nothing else has to happen before Jesus returns. He could do it at any time, regardless of who's in charge or what the state of the Temple is. We feel that all the prophecies have been fulfilled leading up to the return of Christ, which means it could be today, tomorrow, next week or 100 years from now. I'm fascinated by all the stuff that Joel is watching and seeing and just love hearing him talk about it.
PHILLIPS: Joel, do I need to start taking care of unfinished business, and telling people that I love them and I'm sorry for all the evil things I've done.
ROSENBERG: Well, I think that would be a good start. I mean, Jesus loves the people of the Middle East. Matthew 15, Jesus was in southern Lebanon. Why? Telling the people of Lebanon that He loved them, that God loved them. What's interesting is that I was just at the Iraqi Prime Minister's speech today. You know, the Bible talked in Jewish theology and Christian that Iraq would be reborn as a country and would become phenomenally peaceful and prosperous, and then a terrible dictator known as the Antichrist will arise. Watching this speech today in the House of Representatives, the first speech by an Iraqi Prime Minister to a Joint Session of Congress, it strikes me that bit by bit we're watching Revelation and these other prophecies get closer to fulfillment.
PHILLIPS: Joel Rosenberg and Jerry Jenkins, you both scare me, but you both fascinate me. Gentlemen, thank you so much. I appreciate it.
posted by Joel C. Rosenberg @ 8:18 PM 10 comments
Reposted by A Lamp unto My Feet
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