With "a new Hitler rising in Iran," it is up to President Bush -- who met with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Washington late last year -- to deal with the Iranian threat, says Rosenberg. "If President Bush believes Iran needs to be neutralized (and I believe he does), and he is convinced that military action is the only way (I don't believe he is there right now), then the U.S. should take the lead."

Rosenberg added:

"If anyone is going to stop Iran from threatening the world with nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them, it has to be soon, perhaps no later than the end of 2007. After all, 2008 is an American election year. 2009 will be the start of a new administration. By then it may be too late. The thermonuclear genie may be out of the bottle."

Last summer's Israeli/Hezbollah war led several cable news networks to raise questions about whether the crisis in the Middle East was a signal that the "End Times" were approaching. Rosenberg, the bestselling Christian author of such apocalyptic/political thrillers as "The Copper Scroll," "The Ezekiel Option," and "The Last Jihad," received more than his fair share of media attention, appearing on CNN and the Fox News Channel.

In late October of last year, Rosenberg was in Albuquerque, New Mexico, speaking at Calvary Chapel of Rio Rancho and Calvary Chapel of Albuquerque. His topic in both churches was, "Are We Living In The Last Days?" "We examined current events in Russia, North Korea and the Middle East in the light of Bible prophecy," Rosenberg recently wrote. His talk at Calvary Albuquerque was "simulcast over the radio, and webcast to viewers in Jerusalem and at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad," according to his blog.

The visit to Albuquerque "was the 22nd city we've been in since late-July when 'The Copper Scroll' and 'Epicenter' book tours began," Rosenberg wrote on his blog. "We've had the remarkable privilege of addressing more than 33,000 people in person from coast to coast; giving more than 220 radio, TV and print interviews; and communicating with more than 17 million people through the media; as well as meeting privately with U.S. and foreign government leaders who have become increasingly interested in prophecy."

Rosenberg's speaking engagements extend beyond church appearances and book signings. In an appearance with Glenn Beck on Beck's CNN Headline News program, Rosenberg pointed out that he had made several visits to "speak at a White House Bible study" and had conversations with "a number of congressional leaders and Homeland Security, Pentagon [officials] about my novels, which are based on Bible prophecy."

Rosenberg told Beck:

"The question that's been most interesting among these various administration and congressional officials is, 'Are you saying that the Bible talks about an alliance between Iran, Russia, and a group of Middle Eastern countries to attack Israel at some point?' And the answer is yes."

On his blog, a day after his appearance with Beck, Rosenberg responded to a short item in Rolling Stone magazine which mentioned his visits to the White House:

"Rolling Stone's latest issue describes me as a 'loony' who is secretly urging President Bush to bring about Armageddon. It's a theme the Washington Post pursued earlier this year, along with a number of left-wing bloggers. But any suggestion that I have some secret back channel into the Oval Office or have had any kind of influence on the President on this topic is simply not true. Yes, I've briefly met the President a number of times over the years, and yes, I have signed copies of several of my novels for the President that were given to him by friends of mine. But no, I don't know him personally, I've never had a conversation with him about Bible prophecy, and I doubt he has had any time to read my books."

Getting started with 'The Last Jihad'

Rosenberg was an important but mostly behind-the-scenes figure in the conservative movement until his first novel "The Last Jihad" became a bestseller. A Jew who converted to Christianity more than 30 years ago, Rosenberg has worked for former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israeli politician Natan Sharansky, Steve Forbes, right-wing radio host Rush Limbaugh, and William Bennett, America's self-appointed morality maven. He is also a former Heritage Foundation staffer.

"The Last Jihad," completed before the 9/11 Trade Center and Pentagon attacks, propelled Rosenberg into the spotlight. The novel featured a hijacked jet making a kamikaze-like attack against the President of the United States, simultaneous terrorist strikes on the US, London, Paris and Saudi Arabia, an oil deal between Israel and the Palestinians that threatened to unleash a war with Iraq, and a possible preemptive nuclear strike. Helped along by endorsements from popular conservative talk show hosts Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and G. Gordon Liddy, the book hit the best-seller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, Amazon.com and Barnes&Noble.com.

Rosenberg's second book, "The Last Days," opens with the death of Yasser Arafat and a U.S. diplomatic convoy ambushed in Gaza. Wikipedia notes that "Two weeks before 'The Last Days' was published, a U.S. diplomatic convoy was ambushed in Gaza. Thirteen months later, Yasser Arafat died." "The Last Days" also spent time on the New York Times best-seller list, hit number five on the Denver Post list, and hit number eight on the Dallas Morning News list. According to Wikipedia, both books have been optioned by motion-picture producers.

In an interview with the Washington Times, Rosenberg told reporter Chrissie Thompson that he didn't think that his novels "were going to predict the future. ... I was basing them on a series of Bible prophecies, but when [they] started to come true ... that has been striking for all of us, myself included."

Another of his novels, "The Ezekiel Option," is described by Rosenberg as "a political thriller about the threat of a Russian-Iranian alliance to destroy Israel based on the Biblical prophecies found in the Book of Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39." These prophecies, according to Rosenberg, "describe what Bible scholars call the war of Gog and Magog. Russia and Iran form a military alliance with Lebanon, Syria and a group of other Middle East countries to destroy Israel in what Ezekiel described as the last days"

The threat from a Russian/Iranian alliance

On his blog, Rosenberg has consistently suggested that Russia should be added to the Bush administration's "axis of evil":

"Under [Vladimir] Putin's leadership," Rosenberg wrote, "Russia has also joined the 'axis of evil.' It is selling billions of dollars worth of missiles and high-tech weaponry to Iran, Syria, Algeria, and other radical Islamic and Arab regimes. It is building nuclear facilities for Iran, training Iranian nuclear scientists, and running political interference for Iran at the UN to prevent the West from imposing sanctions despite the fact that Iran's leader has called for the United States and Israel to be wiped 'off the map.'"

Rosenberg describes "Epicenter: Why the Current Rumblings in the Middle East Will Change Your Future" -- which hit the New York Times hardcover best seller list, logging in at #19 on November 12, 2006 -- as "the nonfiction version of these [Book of Ezekiel] prophecies, explaining what ... the prophecies mean and what's really going on in the world that suggests that we may be closer to the fulfillment of those prophecies than most people realize."

Asked about the growing relationship between Iran and Russia, Rosenberg pointed out that:

"Russia is clearly building a military alliance with Iran today. In December of last year, Russia signed a $1 billion arms deal with Iran. Russia is building Iran's nuclear facilities. Russia has trained over a thousand Iranian nuclear scientists, and Russia is running political interference for Iran at the United Nations to prevent the U.S. and Europe from slapping sanctions on Iran."

"Identifying Iran in Ezekiel 38 is" easy said Rosenberg. "The country mentioned is Persia, and until 1935, the official name of Iran was Persia. Where we get Russian from is that a dictator emerges in a land called Magog, according to Ezekiel 38:2. ... When you do the detective work ... you find out this is the people group that settled north of the Black Sea in what we now call Russia."

The Rosenbergs' Joshua Fund

Recently, Rosenberg, and his wife Lynn, co-founded The Joshua Fund, which according to its website, "is partnering with evangelical ministries in the Middle East to provide desperately needed resources to Christians in the region to bless their neighbors in need in the name of Jesus. This is a tremendous opportunity to demonstrate the love of Christ to those who need it most."

According to "Christian Zionist Author to Evangelize Lebaneses Refugees," a post published in early November on Richard Bartholomew's always informative "Bartholomew's notes on religion", the Fund's two "humanitarian aid" efforts are called the "Project to Bless Israel" and the "Project to Bless Lebanon."

According to its website, The Joshua Fund ... "is a non-profit educational and charitable organization founded to encourage Christians to:

*    "Pray knowledgably and consistently for Israel and the Middle East

*    "Invite speakers to their churches and conferences to talk about how to bless Israel and her neighbors and to share what God is doing in the Middle East today

*    "Take vision trips to -- and attend conferences in -- Israel and the Middle East

*    "Publish Christian books and music in Israel and the Middle East

*    "Invest in the rebuilding of the ancient ruins in the Holy Land

*    "Assist the poor and needy in Israel in the name of Jesus Christ

*    "Support the evangelical Church in Israel and the Middle East as the only true hope for peace and reconciliation"

In the website's "making a difference" section it lists a series of current accomplishments which includes: translating "The Ezekiel Option" into Hebrew and Russian for publication in Israel in 2007 (there are thousands of Messianic Russian Jews in Israel); leading a Vision Trip to Israel and Turkey for the President of Campus Crusade for Christ Canada and two dozen evangelical business and church leaders; attending a book launch party for David Brog, the executive director of Christians United for Israel and the author of "Standing With Israel: Why Christians Support The Jewish State," which was held in Washington, D.C., at the home of Daniel Ayalon, Israel's Ambassador to the U.S.; raising $20,000 to send Bibles to Iraq; hosting a dinner for Dr. Ahmed Abaddi, Morocco's Director of Islamic affairs and an aide to King Mohammed VI, which was intended "to help build bridges of understand between Morocco and American evangelicals," and was covered by National Review, The Weekly Standard, and The Washington Times; hosting a forum entitled "What God Is Doing In Iraq" with born-again Iraqi General Georges Sada, the author of "Saddam's Secrets: How an Iraqi General Defied and Survived Saddam Hussein"; and meetings of Joshua Fund board members Joshua Fund board members "with numerous U.S. and Middle Eastern political leaders ... to discuss current events in light of the Bible and God's plan and purpose for the Middle East."

In addition to Rosenberg, who is president of the fund and his wife, who is vice president, other participants are Tim Lugbill of the National Association of Manufacturers, and his wife Carolyn of Going Global Matters; Steve Klemke, the senior Vice President of KCM Mining and "luxury car guru," and his wife Barb; Amy Knapp; Edward Hunt who, along with the Rosenbergs, directs November Communications, Inc., which helps leaders "discover, develop, and deliver their message at home and around the globe" and his wife Kailea, who works for Global Impact Ministry at Lon Solomon's McLean Bible Church in Virginia.

"Lebanese refugees will get "Bags of Blessing," to be distributed by Campus Crusade for Christ and local evangelicals," Bartholomew reports. The "Bags" will, according to The Joshua Fund's materials, "include non-perishable food items such as beans, rice, pasta, canned meat, processed cheese, oil, and powdered milk. In addition, each Bag will contain basic supplies such as soap, candles, matches, and aspirin, and a Jesus film DVD in Arabic."

According to Bartholomew, "Lebanese refugees are a particular target for evangelism just now." In July he blogged about "how an official for [Franklin Graham's] Samaritan's Purse had claimed that the Israeli bombardment had 'softened the hearts of many Muslims.'"

Bartholomew points out that "despite Rosenberg's personal background as a Jewish convert to Christianity, the 'needy Israelis' will be spared a similar 'Jesus film DVD in Hebrew,' for obvious political reasons."