Author Joel Rosenberg believes some of the events unfolding around us hold biblical significance, particularly when it comes to Israel and the Middle East. 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.” 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 that 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.” '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.' Another contraction, he said, is Russia’s prolonged 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 verses 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 that 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?'” This article originally appeared on CBN's Faithwire.

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Oliver Anthony like to talk... A LOT... doesn't he? In a recent video, the "Rich Men North Of Richmond" singer Oliver Anthony shared his thoughts on why he believes the music industry is a joke. After noting that he would step away from music and change his business model to ministry, Oliver Anthony does not hold back his feelings about why he believes the industry is a joke. Seems like such a polite, fun-loving fella for someone who wants to pursue ministry, but I digress... In a recently uploaded 15-minute video, he did not hold back on his feelings. While there was a lot to unpack from that video, one portion that stood out was Anthony calling out an artist for using autotune and backtracking on stage. While he did not name the artist, many fans thought he might be referring to Parker McCollum, as he noted it occurred during a festival at Myrtle Beach and the artist came on after him. The only festival at Myrtle Beach is the Carolina Country Music Fest, and Oliver Anthony played the Thursday night kickoff this year. He was the second-to-last artist on the lineup, which meant the only artist to take the stage after him was Parker McCollum. “A lot of these mainstream acts…everybody runs backing tracks. Like I’ll never forget, I won’t say who the act is, but I think it was at South Carolina at the Myrtle Beach one, the band who played after us, that dude had six autotune modulators on a pedal board on stage, just to help him with vocal pitch live. And they had backing tracks running, drum loops running. It’s like, for somebody to pay hundreds of dollars to go listen to like a fake performance…nobody talks about that stuff.” https://twitter.com/Smuphy/status/1865246608092250503 Parker McCollum has seen this video or at least the assumption that he is the artist in question, and wasted no time clearing up that his statement is far from the truth. McCollum took to social media to share a response video from horseback. "Hey guys, per the Oliver Anthony interview or whatever it was claiming that he saw drum loop modular or whatever he called it, I don't even know what that is...100% fabricated lie. Never ever, ever, ever one time have I ever used autotune or a drum loop or anything fake of any kind on stage. Me and my guys are ripping it the real deal every single night. There has never been any single part of our show, not one note, that was not live, raw, and in the moment. 100% fabricated story. That is 100% a lie. That will never change. We will always be out there swinging it as a real band, trying to do our best to respect country music. So, that's all I've got to say on it, and that's where it needs to end." McCollum shared his message loud and clear: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DDVTsS7SnKy/?hl=en Parker's good buddy Koe Wetzel, defended him, noting that his shows are nothing but the real deal. As did other Texas artists and friends like Kolby Cooper and William Clark Green. While Anthony seemed confident in his claims, McCollum's quickness to clear it up shuts down Anthony's statement. While it's not uncommon for mainstream country artists to use autotune or get a little help from a drum loop or backing tracks, if you've been to a Parker McCollum show, you know that he's standing at that microphone, singing his heart out every night. He's the real deal who cut his teeth in Texas for YEARS, building up a big audience before he ever got near a Nashville record deal. Before he signed, he was playing venues a lot of major label artists with number ones on mainstream country radio still dream about playing. Oliver on the other hand makes some good points here and there regarding the country music industry, but mostly comes off like a bitter guy who doesn't quite know what he's talking about. Which is ironic since he's pretty much know for one viral song. And since he's seemingly rejected the industry as a whole, what is there to be bitter about? Now, a manager telling him to post a video about Beyonce's album in the hope that they could collaborate some day is ridiculous, and I don't blame Anthony for being pissed about it. But overall, the man talks a lot of shit for someone who doesn't seem to understand how things work in the country music business. Remember when he was trying to book shows and then canceled over ticket prices, and got called out by the venue? It's a small example but it just goes to show you that he's still pretty wet behind the ears... all the more reason to maybe... stop talking so much shit? How many live shows has Oliver even played in his entire life... like 25? 35? Now that McCollum has responded, I will be interested to see if Anthony speaks out again, either confirming or denying that McCollum was the artist he was referring to. On that note, here's Parker live from the Ryman a few years back: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X21eHDHxoPM&pp=ygUUcGFya2VyIG1jY29sbHVtIGxpdmU%3D