Author Joel Rosenberg believes some of the events unfolding around us hold biblical significance, particularly when it comes to Israel and the Middle East.
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Rosenberg, an expert on biblical prophecy who now lives in Israel, recently spoke with CBN News about Hamas, the war in Gaza, and how current events might play into what the Bible says about future happenings and the end of days.
“That is the No. 1 question I’m getting asked … ‘Can you put this [current moment] in a prophetic context?'” Rosenberg said. “I would say, No. 1, we’re definitely in a birth pang, right? Jesus speaks in Matthew 24 that there’s going to be contractions and releases, moments of wars and rumors of wars, and kingdom against kingdom, nation against nation, as well as earthquakes and famines and other disasters.”
He continued, “Those are contractions and, just like when your wife gets close to delivering, … the contractions are longer and more painful, and the release moments are shorter.”
Watch Rosenberg break it all down:
Rosenberg said Israelis were living in a time of release on Oct. 6, 2023, as it was safe, prosperous, and secure — the safest it had been in modern history.
“You’d have to go back to the days of Solomon and David when the kingdom was peaceful and secure,” he said, noting Israel had just come off making four Arab-Israeli peace treaties and normalization treaties via the Abraham Accords. “We were just about to finalize another deal — the biggest peace and normalization deal in Israeli history — and that would be with the Saudi government.”
But all of that peace was obliterated by Hamas’ horrific terror attack on Oct. 7, 2023, an event he said was the “longest contraction” modern Israel has faced.
“I would add that, just in context, I believe COVID was a biblical Matthew 24 contraction where … a lot of people died. But the other part was … not only was there this terrible health pandemic, plague, a biblical plague, but even the American government could say in an instant, ‘You can’t go to church. You can’t leave your house. You can’t go see your friends, but the strip clubs could stay open. The casinos could stay open. The bars could stay open — the liquor stores, but not churches. That was a contraction.”
Another contraction, he said, is Russia’s elongated war in Ukraine, a chaotic and deadly ongoing event further creating international stability.
Rosenberg cited Amos 9:9 while discussing Israel’s current war after the Hamas invasion. That verse reads (NIV): “For I will give the command, and I will shake the people of Israel among all the nations as grain is shaken in a sieve, and not a pebble will reach the ground.”
He believes Amos 9:9 is a recurring prophecy, but that the current war in Israel is another “shaking” that falls under its umbrella.
“I don’t believe Israel’s under judgment … in other words, God didn’t send this enemy, but God … allowed it,” Rosenberg said. “Why? To shake us, to help us realize that most Israelis either haven’t read, don’t remember, or don’t care about Psalm 23, in which David, our greatest king, told us the Lord is our shepherd.”
He said some Israelis forgot, due to security, the realities inherent in this Scripture.
“We forgot as a nation that there are ravenous wolves trying to destroy us,” he said. “It shows what a moment of release of security we felt like we were in. But I think this is a wake-up call.”
As for the Palestinians of Gaza, Rosenberg said he believes they are facing a “biblical judgment,” appealing to Genesis 12:1-3 (NIV) to make his case. Those Scriptures read:
The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”
Rosenberg said the Abrahamic Covenant makes it clear God will bless those who bless Israel and curse those who do not.
“If you curse Israel every day for 76 years, and you want to … elect a genocidal government, even if later you don’t want that, but what are you going to do now?” he said. “I believe we’re seeing a judgment. Doesn’t mean God doesn’t want to show mercy. Also, we need to pray as Christians. Who else is praying for the Palestinians? We need to be. We need to show compassion. But there’s a judgment going on from 76 years of hatred, hostility, cursing, and now, you know, an attempt at genocide against Israel and the Jewish people.”
Considering the prophetic verses in Bible books like Ezekiel — particularly the Gog and Magog prophecy — Rosenberg broke down his beliefs on what’s happening now and how it might relate.
“In terms of watching where we are going, there’s no question in my mind that we’re seeing the chess pieces on the board align in a manner that’s consistent with the prerequisites of Ezekiel 38-39 happening, the war of Gog and Magog,” Rosenberg said, referring to the Bible chapters that purportedly predict Russia, Iran and Turkey attempting to invade Israel.
But Rosenberg was also careful in addressing these issues, reminding Christians not to read too closely into what’s happening. He said dynamics can and do quickly shift.
“I just want to caution people who are interested in those prophecies … don’t try to jump to a fast conclusion,” he said. “The data doesn’t support yet a conclusion, but it definitely supports [the premise], ‘Isn’t this interesting?”
Watch above for more from Rosenberg on these topics.
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