JOEL C. ROSENBERG
Joel C. Rosenberg is the founder of the Joshua Fund and the New York Times best-selling author of The Last Jihad, The Last Days, The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll, Dead Heat, and Epicenter, with more than 1.5 million copies in print. As a communications strategist, he has worked with some of the world’s most influential leaders in business, politics, and media, including Steve Forbes, Rush Limbaugh, and former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. As a novelist, he has been interviewed on hundreds of radio and TV programs, including ABC’s Nightline, CNN Headline News, FOX News Channel, The History Channel, MSNBC, The Rush Limbaugh Show, and The Sean Hannity Show. He has been profiled by the New York Times, the Washington Times, World magazine, and the Jerusalem Post. He has addressed audiences all over the world, including Russia, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, and Belgium, and has spoken at the White House, the Pentagon, and the U.S. Capitol.
The first page of his first novel—The Last Jihad—puts readers inside the cockpit of a hijacked jet, coming in on a kamikaze attack into an American city, which leads to a war with Saddam Hussein over weapons of mass destruction. Yet it was written before 9/11 and published before the actual war with Iraq. The Last Jihad spent eleven weeks on the New York Times hardcover fiction best-seller list, reaching as high as #7. It raced up the USA Today and Publishers Weekly best-seller lists, hit #4 on the Wall Street Journal list, and hit #1 on Amazon.com.
His second thriller—The Last Days—opens with the death of Yasser Arafat and a U.S. diplomatic convoy ambushed in Gaza. Two weeks before The Last Days was published in hardcover, a U.S. diplomatic convoy was ambushed in Gaza. Thirteen months later, Yasser Arafat was dead. The Last Days spent four weeks on the New York Times hardcover fiction best-seller list, hit #5 on the Denver Post list, and hit #8 on the Dallas Morning News list. Both books have been optioned by a Hollywood producer.
The Ezekiel Option centers on a dictator rising in Russia who forms a military alliance with the leaders of Iran as they feverishly pursue nuclear weapons and threaten to wipe Israel off the face of the earth. On the very day it was published in June 2005, Iran elected a new leader who vowed to accelerate the country’s nuclear program and later threatened to “wipe Israel off the map.” Six months after it was published, Moscow signed a $1 billion arms deal with Tehran. The Ezekiel Option spent four weeks on the New York Times hardcover fiction best-seller list and five months on the Christian Bookseller Association best-seller list, reaching as high as #4. It won the 2006 Christian Book Award for fiction.
In The Copper Scroll, an ancient scroll describes unimaginable treasures worth untold billions buried in the hills east of Jerusalem and under the Holy City itself—treasures that could come from the Second Temple and whose discovery could lead to the building of the Third Temple and a war of biblical proportions. One month after it was released, Biblical Archaeology Review published a story describing the real-life, intensified hunt for the treasures of the actual Copper Scroll. The Copper Scroll spent four weeks on the New York Times hardcover fiction best-seller list, two weeks on the Wall Street Journal best-seller list, two weeks on the Publishers Weekly hardcover fiction list, and several months on the CBA best-seller list. It won the 2007 Logos Bookstores Best Fiction Award.
In Dead Heat, America is in the midst of a heated presidential election when the Secret Service learns of a catastrophic terrorist plot to assassinate one of the candidates. U.S. forces attempt to stop the terrorists before millions lose their lives, but events threaten to spin out of control. Dead Heat debuted at #4 on the New York Times hardcover best-seller list. It also became a USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and CBA hardcover best seller.
www.joelrosenberg.com
www.joshuafund.net
OPERATION EPICENTER
May 27, 2008
TO: Pastors, Business Leaders, Political Leaders, and Interested Parties
FROM: Joel C. Rosenberg, Founder of the Joshua Fund
SUBJECT: Launching “Operation Epicenter”
The prospects of a devastating new military confrontation in the Middle East are real and growing. How will we as evangelical Christians respond? Will we help those in harm’s way? Will we do what we can to care for the real and practical needs of millions of innocent people caught in the cross fire? What’s more, will we do so with unconditional love and unwavering support, the kind of generous, gracious love Jesus modeled for us in the Scriptures? Or will we turn a blind eye and a deaf ear?
Israeli political, military, and intelligence leaders tell me they believe Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and Hamas are preparing for all-out war against the Jewish state. U.S. intelligence officials tell me they fear a catastrophic new conflict in the epicenter may not be far off. No one can be certain when hostilities will begin. But the warning signs are everywhere.
And let’s be clear: the stakes could not be higher.
Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has, of course, vowed to “wipe Israel off the map” and says Israel’s destruction will happen “soon.” If Iranian leaders are able to acquire nuclear warheads, and are able to match those warheads with the high-speed ballistic missiles they already have, they could do in about six minutes what it took Adolf Hitler six years to do—kill six million Jews.
Meanwhile, Israeli intelligence estimates that Iran and Syria have completely rearmed Hezbollah with more than 30,000 rockets and missiles, all aimed at the Jewish state. What’s more, Moscow is selling billions of dollars worth of missiles, fighter jets, and other high-tech armaments to Iran and Syria. North Korea is also working closely with Iran on its long-range ballistic missile program.
Then, of course, there is Iraq. Some important progress has been made in that vital epicenter country. But should the American government precipitously withdraw U.S. military forces from Iraq before Iraqi security forces are fully prepared to make and keep order, many experts fear Sunni and Shiite radicals inside Iraq could be emboldened, leading to a full-blown civil war.
At the same time, death and destruction continue to plague the people of Sudan, who have been suffering genocide in recent years. We also must keep our eye on Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt, where radical Islamic jihadists are trying to destabilize those governments. The possibility of coups or civil war is particularly acute in Lebanon and Jordan.
THE BIBLICAL COMMAND TO BE READY
The Scriptures command followers of Jesus Christ to love their neighbors and their enemies, bless the poor and needy, and care for victims of war and terrorism, and to do so with unconditional love—that is, with no strings attached. (See Deuteronomy 15:7-11, Leviticus 19:18, Proverbs 25:21-22, Isaiah 58:6-12, Matthew 5:42-44, Matthew 14:16-21, Matthew 15:32-39, Matthew 25:31-46, Luke 4:18-19, Romans 15:25-27, Galatians 2:7-10.)
Severe poverty is rampant in the Arab world. But even in Israel, nearly a quarter of the Israeli population—more than 1.5 million people—lives on less than $800 a month for a family of four. One in five Israelis live on less than $500 a month. When the next war hits, the needs will even be greater.
It is critically important that we be prepared to care for all the people of the region, regardless of race, religion, color, or creed. The Bible says God loves the whole world and cares for all who suffer, Jews and Gentiles alike (John 3:16). The ministry of Jesus was certainly to the children of Israel. But in Matthew 15:21, where was Jesus? He was in southern Lebanon, in the “district of Tyre and Sidon.” Matthew 4:24-25 says the news about Jesus “spread throughout all Syria” and “large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan” (NASB). In Acts chapter 2, the followers of Jesus sought to bless everyone they could find. The text says that they reached out to “Medes and Elamites” (Kurds and Iranians), “residents of Mesopotamia” (Iraqis), “Egypt and the districts of Libya,” and “both Jews . . . and Arabs.” This is our mandate too.
The Joshua Fund, therefore, is committed to building a global alliance of evangelical
Christians ready, willing, and able to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus, according to Genesis 12:1-3. We also believe we must move quickly, because war is coming, and the clock is ticking.
THE OPERATION EPICENTER APPROACH
Operation Epicenter is a Joshua Fund initiative to provide at least $120 million worth of humanitarian relief supplies to the epicenter over the next few years to care for those in need today, as well as to pre-position supplies ahead of future wars.
Here is a quick overview of our goals and objectives:
Operation Epicenter Strategies
The Joshua Fund seeks to build a global alliance of evangelical Christians that will:
Bless the poor and needy in Israel and the Muslim world
Bless victims of war and terrorism in Israel and the Muslim world
Pre-position humanitarian relief supplies ahead of coming wars
Work closely with local and national political leaders to bless those in need
Distribute aid through local believers, congregations, and ministries when possible, as well as through local officials and in cooperation with other aid organizations
Communicate the urgent needs of the epicenter to believers around the world
Build a global movement of believers praying for the people of the epicenter
Assist in the restoration of Israel and reconciliation between Jews and Muslims
Operation Epicenter Projects
Over the next few years, the Joshua Fund and our allies seek to:
Bless Israel with at least $100 million in humanitarian relief
Bless Israel’s neighbors with at least $20 million in humanitarian relief
Invest in projects to expand “pipeline capacity” in the epicenter, enabling local ministries to better receive and distribute humanitarian relief supplies and helping them acquire warehouse space, trucks, forklifts, etc.
Hold Epicenter Conferences around the world to help evangelical Christians understand God’s love for the people of the Middle East, understand the threats facing the people of the region, and learn how they can bless Israel and her neighbors in real and practical ways, showing unconditional love and unwavering support
Recruit at least 100,000 people around the world to pray faithfully for the people of the epicenter
The Joshua Fund’s Accomplishments to Date:
Over the past few years, the Joshua Fund and our allies have—by God’s grace—been able to:
Provide much-needed relief to 3,500 needy residents (including some 700 seniors) of Kiryat Shmona, an Israeli town on the northern border with Lebanon that was hit by more than 1,000 rockets during the Second Lebanon War. These residents—all of whom live below the poverty level—received Hannukah gifts for their children, clothes, diapers, kitchen supplies, warm comforters for the winter, and other essentials.
Provide blankets, heaters, clothing, kitchen supplies, toys, school supplies, and other relief for hundreds of needy residents of Sderot, an Israeli town on the southern border with Gaza that has been hit by thousands of rockets, mortars, and missiles since the Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza in the summer of 2005.
Provide vans to local officials and relief organizations in Israel to help them transport volunteers and relief supplies.
Finance the purchase of hundreds of tons of food in Israel, some of which is provided to the poor and needy in Jerusalem, some of which is provided to those in need in northern Israel, and some of which is being stockpiled for use in the next war.
Finance the purchase of much-needed medical equipment and supplies for the Barzilai Medical Center, the only hospital available to the 500,000 Israelis living on the border with Gaza.
Stock bomb shelters in northern Israel with food, water, and other essential supplies in preparation for the next war.
Provide financial assistance to organizations in Israel that care for needy Holocaust survivors, new immigrants and refugees, homeless men and women, and victims of terrorist attacks.
Provide thousands of new backpacks and school supplies to Israeli schoolchildren who live below the poverty level.
Provide relief packages through trusted evangelical Christian ministry partners for some 6,000 Arab families in Lebanon devastated by the Second Lebanon War. These care packages included nonperishable food items such as beans, rice, pasta, canned meat, processed cheese, oil, and powdered milk. In addition, each package contains basic supplies such as soap, candles, matches, and aspirin, along with a JESUS film DVD in Arabic.
Provide financial assistance to trusted evangelical Christian ministries that distribute food, clothing, Arabic Bibles, and other essential relief supplies to Palestinian Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza.
Finance the establishment of evangelical Christian radio ministries in the West Bank and Iraq.
Finance shipments of humanitarian relief supplies into Iraq and Sudan, working closely with trusted evangelical Christian ministries.
Hold the inaugural Epicenter Conference in Jerusalem in April 2008, attended by some 2,000 Christian leaders from all over the world and webcast to thousands more. (See www.epicenter08.com.)
Speak at pastors’ conferences, retreats, and other assemblies throughout the epicenter—in Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, and elsewhere—to encourage local Christian leaders, pray with them, and find ways to stand with them and support the vital work of building and strengthening the church of Jesus Christ in the lands of its birth.
Sign up more than 50,000 subscribers to “Flash Traffic” to receive geopolitical updates from the epicenter, Joshua Fund project updates, and urgent prayer requests.
Educate more than 30 million people about the work of the Joshua Fund and the threats to Israel and her neighbors through hundreds of radio, television, and print interviews.
This is just a snapshot of what we are doing, but I hope it gives you a sense of where our hearts are and how we are investing the resources you and others are investing in us. There is much more to be done, of course. The good news is that we have been deeply encouraged by the number of Israeli and Arab leaders who have sought the help of the Joshua Fund and by the enthusiastic and generous response of evangelical Christian pastors, businessmen and women, and lay leaders around the world.
One example: When we completed our first project in Kiryat Shmona—in close cooperation with our Jewish and Christian allies in Israel—we had the privilege of meeting with the mayor, a former Israeli defense minister, and other local and national officials to better understand the situation Israelis face in the north. That night, I was asked to address an audience of some 350 Israelis to explain why evangelical Christians want to bless Israel. After a few minutes of speaking by translation, I concluded by saying, “You will soon forget who I am, what organization I represent, and what I’ve said here tonight. That’s fine. But if you happen to remember one thing, I hope it is this: The followers of Sheikh Nasrallah and Hezbollah hate you and want to destroy you. But the followers of Jesus love you and will stand with you.” The audience erupted with applause. Many Israelis came up to us afterward to thank us for caring for them in their time of need.
This is the Operation Epicenter approach—by building strategic alliances between evangelical Christians, Jewish leaders, Arab leaders, local pastors, and local officials in every country in which we work, we believe that together we can leverage limited amounts of financial resources in order to bless the maximum amount of people.
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Interested in joining the Operation Epicenter movement? There are lots of ways to help. Consider this list of 60 ways to bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus.
Stock one bomb shelter in northern Israel with food, water, a first aid kit, other emergency supplies, and a secure storage locker. There are currently more than 5,000 bomb shelters that need to be stocked with supplies before the next war. Each bomb shelter costs approximately $5,500 to stock (though prices have been going up due to the rising cost of food and gas
and other transportation costs).
Provide one ton of food to care for needy families in northern Israel who were hit by 4,000 rockets and missiles during the 2006 war with Hezbollah. These families are still recovering from that war. Many live on less than $500 a month. And food prices are rising in Israel, as they are around the globe. Every month, therefore, the Joshua Fund pays for about 10 tons of food to be purchased by one of our allies in Israel and distributed to the needy in the north as well as stockpiled for the next war. Cost: $2,500 per ton.
Help purchase desperately needed medical equipment such as respirators, ventilators, operating room lamps, mobile X-ray machines, and the like for underfunded regional hospitals in Israel. At the request of hospital administrators, the Joshua Fund has adopted the Barzilai Medical Center in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon to help them raise funds for such equipment. Barzilai is the only hospital and trauma center serving the 500,000 Israelis living near the Gaza border and facing a nearly constant barrage of rockets, missiles, and mortars. They are doing heroic work, but they do need our help. Some of this equipment is very costly, averaging $20,000 to $80,000 each. A donation of $5,000 would help significantly toward meeting these vital needs.
Help provide food baskets to needy families in Jerusalem on Jewish holidays. Working with our local allies, the Joshua Fund recently helped finance the distribution of 680 food baskets to needy Israeli families for Passover.
Provide food, blankets, wheelchairs, and other assistance to Holocaust victims in Israel, many of whom tragically live at or below the poverty level, even within the Jewish state.
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