With ISIS on the rampage, “is this the end of Christianity in the Middle East?” - Joel Rosenberg

(source: New York Times) With ISIS on the rampage, “is this the end of Christianity in the Middle East?” So asks a must-read feature story in the New York Times. by joelcrosenberg

(Denver, Colorado) -- In my recent novel, The Third Target, a New York Times reporter  criss-crosses the Middle East, trying to understand and explain to the world the rise of the Islamic State and the objectives of its leaders. Among the questions my fictional character -- J.B. Collins -- is trying to answer:

1. Why are ISIS jihadists are so blood-thirsty?
2. Why do ISIS leaders want to establish an Islamic kingdom or caliphate?
3. Are ISIS leaders are really serious about slaughtering and/or enslaving all of the Christians of the region, in addition to annihilating Jews and all Muslims who don't subscribe to their theology or eschatology?

Now, in real life, a must-read feature story has been published in the New York Times magazine by a reporter who has crisscrossed the epicenter, documenting the slaughter of Christ-followers by ISIS, and asking the provocative but very relevant question: "Is this the end of Christianity in the Middle East?"

I highly recommend that you read and share the article with others. But I also urge you not to be discouraged. Here's why:

• Bible prophecy is clear that wars and revolutions will increase and intensify in the Middle East and around the world in the "last days" as the return of Christ draws increasingly near. "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. But all these things aremerely the beginning of birth pangs." (Matthew 24:6-8; see also Luke chapter 21, Ezekiel 38-39, Zechariah 12-14, etc.)
• Bible prophecy is also clear that persecution of Christ-followers will increase and intensify in the last days before Jesus returns. "[T]hey will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name." (Matthew 24:9)
• The prophecies found in the Biblical book of Revelation indicate that many Christians in the Middle East will be martyred for their faith. "When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, would be completed also." (Revelation 6:9-11)
• The prophecies of Revelation also make clear that many followers of Jesus Christ will specifically be beheaded in the last days before the Lord's return. "I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God..." (Revelation 20:4)
• That said, Bible prophecy further makes clear that amidst all the wars and persecution of believers in the last days, the good news of God's offer of salvation and forgiveness and eternal life through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will be communicated to every person in every nation, including throughout all of the Middle East. That is, as chaos and carnage spread, the boldness of Christians to share the Gospel with all those who are lost -- including throughout the Muslim world -- will also deepen and intensify. "This Gospel of the kingdom [of Jesus Christ] will be preached in the whole world, as a testimony to all nations, and then the end shall come." (Matthew 24:14)
• Not only will all people in the Middle East (and around the world) hear the Gospel during the End Times, so many will repent and receive Christ as Savior and Lord that the total number of new believers will be difficult to count. "After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm brancheswere in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, 'Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.' And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God..." (Revelation 7:9-11)

In short: yes, this is the most dangerous moment in the history of the Middle East for Christianity, but no, this is not the end of Christianity in the epicenter -- rather, this is the dawn of Christianity's greatest waves of evangelism, conversion and discipleship. Even now, millions of Muslims are converting away from Islam and becoming truly devoted disciples of Jesus Christ, as I have written about in my non-fiction book, Inside The Revolution, and in blog columns like this one.

I'll discuss this more at the August 6th event I'll be speaking at in Denver. (please click here to register).

For now, here are excerpts from the New York Times article:

• One hundred years ago, the fall of the Ottoman Empire and World War I ushered in the greatest period of violence against Christians in the region. The genocide waged by the Young Turks in the name of nationalism, not religion, left at least two million Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks dead. Nearly all were Christian. Among those who survived, many of the better educated left for the West. Others settled in Iraq and Syria, where they were protected by the military dictators who courted these often economically powerful minorities.
• From 1910 to 2010, the number of Christians in the Middle East — in countries like Egypt, Israel, Palestine and Jordan — continued to decline; once 14 percent of the population, Christians now make up roughly 4 percent. (In Iran and Turkey, they’re all but gone.) In Lebanon, the only country in the region where Christians hold significant political power, their numbers have shrunk over the past century, to 34 percent from 78 percent of the population. Low birthrates have contributed to this decline, as well as hostile political environments and economic crisis. Fear is also a driver. The rise of extremist groups, as well as the perception that their communities are vanishing, causes people to leave.
• For more than a decade, extremists have targeted Christians and other minorities, who often serve as stand-ins for the West. This was especially true in Iraq after the U.S. invasion, which caused hundreds of thousands to flee. ‘‘Since 2003, we’ve lost priests, bishops and more than 60 churches were bombed,’’ Bashar Warda, the Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Erbil, said. With the fall of Saddam Hussein, Christians began to leave Iraq in large numbers, and the population shrank to less than 500,000 today from as many as 1.5 million in 2003.
• The Arab Spring only made things worse. As dictators like Mubarak in Egypt and Qaddafi in Libya were toppled, their longstanding protection of minorities also ended. Now, ISIS is looking to eradicate Christians and other minorities altogether. The group twists the early history of Christians in the region — their subjugation by the sword — to legitimize its millenarian enterprise. Recently, ISIS posted videos delineating the second-class status of Christians in the caliphate. Those unwilling to pay the jizya tax or to convert would be destroyed, the narrator warned, as the videos culminated in the now-­infamous scenes of Egyptian and Ethiopian Christians in Libya being marched onto the beach and beheaded, their blood running into the surf.
• The future of Christianity in the region of its birth is now uncertain. ‘‘How much longer can we flee before we and other minorities become a story in a history book?’’ says Nuri Kino, a journalist and founder of the advocacy group Demand for Action. According to a Pew study, more Christians are now faced with religious persecution than at any time since their early history. ‘‘ISIL has put a spotlight on the issue,’’ says Anna Eshoo, a California Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, whose parents are from the region and who advocates on behalf of Eastern Christians. ‘‘Christianity is under an existential threat.’’

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• “Israel, Iran & ISIS: What’s next?” I’ll be speaking about this in Denver onAugust 6th) — register today for tickets to the event.
• Is Bible prophecy relevant for our troubled times? (7 videos from a seminar I co-taught with Anne Graham Lotz on Bible prophecy.)

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• Order Implosion: Can American Recover From Its Economic & Spiritual Challenges In Time?
• Order The Third Target today.
• Learn more about The Joshua Fund (www.joshuafund.net) – educating and mobilizing Christians to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, and caring for the poor and needy with food and other humanitarian relief – read our latest Donor Report, and make a tax deductible, secure, on-line contribution.
• I’m excited to announce The Joshua Fund’s 2015 “Prayer & Vision Tour of the Holy Land.” Come with me and walk where Jesus, the apostles and the prophets walked. Study the Word of God. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem and all the people of the epicenter. Meet and worship with local believers. Serve the poor and vulnerable. Discover the Lord afresh, and even be baptized in the Jordan River. This is a journey that could change your life! Here are the details.
• Follow on Twitter — @joelcrosenberg
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joelcrosenberg | July 27, 2015 at 6:21 pm | Categories: Uncategorized | URL:http://wp.me/piWZ7-3k2

Prophetic WARNING from Joel Rosenberg - with an eerily accurate track record. - Dr. Lance Wallnau

Prophetic WARNING from a man with an eerily accurate track record.

February 10, 2015 by Dr. Lance Wallnau 

Prophetic WARNING
from a man with an eerily accurate track record.

Joel C. Rosenberg now lives in Israel and writes from his bomb shelter basement. His first book “The Last Jihad” blew people away and became an 11-week New York Times Best Seller. He wrote it to warn Americans about the danger of radical Islam, thinking he was four or five years ahead of the threat. He was shocked that 9-11 happened as fast as it did the way it did.

He is worried the same scenario is about to happen now with ISIS.

JORDAN IS OUR FRIEND!
Rosenberg says: “I am deeply concerned that ISIS is plotting major attacks not only against the U.S. and Israel, but also Jordan and other Arab allies in the Middle East.”

ISIS burned alive the Jordanian fighter pilot it was holding captive in a cage. Then released a 22-minute video of this savage act for the world to see.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II — denounced as “an ally of the crusaders” by ISIS terrorists in the video — was in Washington meeting with leaders many of whom attended the National Prayer Breakfast, where the President made his comments condemning ISIS followed by comments connecting American Christians and the CRUSADES!

Joel's current research involves two former CIA directors, one a Democrat and the other a Republican. Jim Woolsey, served with President Clinton, and Porter Goss was the CIA director under George W. Bush.

WHAT WORRIES THE C.I.A.?
Asking them, “What keeps you up at night? I’m writing a new series, I need a new enemy. I want to write about something that’s say, four or five years out, but something that’s emerging that you think people should know about.”

They both said, “You’ve got to watch Al-Qaeda in Iraq. They’re morphing into something different. It looks more dangerous to us, and we think they’re going to be a huge problem, in Syria and Iraq.”

They were predicting ISIS and they were not alone. Two Defense Secretaries saw the threat also and told the White House.

OBAMA THOUGHT HE KNEW MORE THAN TWO DEFENSE SECRETARIES
Former Defense Secretaries, Bob Gates and Leon Panetta both warned the President NOT TO WITHDRAW all U.S. forces from Iraq – that Iraq’s government was not ready for this and that radical Islam would storm into the vacuum created by American withdrawal.

This historic blunder has received a free pass from the media.

Why this mental fog over the Oval Office?

AMERICANS SEE A SERIOUS ATTACK COMING
The extent to which the White House labors under a spell in regard to Islamic extremism is alarming. The disconnection between the Oval Office and America over this subject cuts across party lines. The entire country knows something dangerous is occurring. A recent McLaughlin poll indicates:

• 74 percent of Americans fear ISIS is going to launch a catastrophic terror attack in the U.S.
• 73 percent believe ISIS would perform genocidal acts against Israel if given the chance.
• 65 percent of Americans fear that ISIS will try to overthrow the King of Jordan – an important moderate ally – and then form a base inside Jordan they will launch attacks against Israel and the United States.

Most Americans care little about Jordan, yet they see the situation more clearly than Washington.

Rosenberg went to Israel and interviewed the former head of Israeli security, Mossad, and asked the same questions. He gave the SAME answer.

He then went to Jordan and gathered feedback from the Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, the Interior Minister and a Prince who is a senor advisor to the King. While talking to the Interior Minister he was asked, “Is this going to be like a Tom Clancy novel?” Joel said, “Well I hope so.” The Minister replied, “Good. Sit down and get your notebook out. Lets go on record. I want to give you this information because the King has appointed me to make sure your scenario never happens, at least not in our country.”

WHAT KEEPS JOEL UP AT NIGHT?
Ask Joel Rosenberg what keeps him up at night? He answers, “I thought ISIS was a threat we would face in four or five years, it’s coming up much faster than I anticipated.”

This is exactly what he said before 9-11.

HISTORIC ALLIANCE FORMING NOW!
While media sleeps, and the President rolls over in bed on the WRONG side of the issue, a historic event is unfolding before our eyes…

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of ISRAEL, King Adullah in JORDAN and President el-Sisi in EGYPT have formed a historic GRAND ALLIANCE against radical Islam. The most historic POSITIVE geopolitical Middle East development in recent history and American leadership is on the wrong side and media are yawning.

Welcome to the strange new chapter of emerging Sheep and Goat nations. While some strange mental fog disorients American leaders, the leaders in Egypt, Jordan and Israel are moving in unity and clarity against the devil and toward the status of Sheep Nations!

STRATEGY.
With you on your watch praying for these 3 leaders we will see the plans of the enemy thwarted.
1.) Pray for King Adullah and unity in Jordan.
2.) Pray for Netanyahu’s election in March (the White House wants him out).
3.) Pray that something happens to cause Iran to shift with regard to its nuclear agenda and President Obama will have and heed wise counsel from John Kerry.
4.) Pray for a revived prayer movement and clear headed American leaders to emerge.

IT’S TIME TO TAKE GROUND!