Het Ezechiëlscenario

The Last Jihad #3

by Joel C. Rosenberg, J. de Greef (Translator)

Nu Saddam Hussein en Yasser Arafat niet langer in het vizier zijn, lijkt in het Midden-Oosten eindelijk een tijdperk van welvaart en veiligheid te zijn aangebroken. Met behulp van een Amerikaanse president die voorstander is van vrijheid en democratie, hebben de Israëliërs en de Palestijnen een vredesverdrag getekend. Er is een einde gekomen aan het geweld en de economie bloeit als nooit tevoren. Achter de horizon dreigt echter een nieuw gevaar.

In Rusland is een dictator opgestaan. Iran doet zijn uiterste best zijn kernwapenarsenaal compleet te maken. Onder leiding van Moskou en Teheran is er een nieuwe as van het kwaad in opkomst.

Twee hoge veiligheidsadviseurs van het Witte Huis, Jon Bennett en Erin McCoy, gaan met gevaar voor hun leven en alles wat hen lief is op zoek naar het ene antwoord: stormt de wereld af op de totale verwoesting die 2500 jaar geleden werd voorzegd?

Genres: Fiction, Christian Fiction, Thriller, Christian, Suspense, Political Thriller, Mystery

408 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2005

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Note: This is a different person than the fantasy author, Joel Rosenberg

Joel C. Rosenberg is the founder of The Joshua Fund and the New York Times best-selling author of THE LAST JIHAD (2002), THE LAST DAYS (2003), THE EZEKIEL OPTION (2005), THE COPPER SCROLL (2006), EPICENTER (2006) and DEAD HEAT (2008) with more than 1.5 million copies in print. THE EZEKIEL OPTION was named by the ECPA as the Gold Medallion winner of the "Best Novel of 2006." Joel, an evangelical Christian whose mother is Gentile and whose father is from an Orthodox Jewish background, previously worked with several U.S. and Israeli leaders, including Steve Forbes, former Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Natan Sharansky, and former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He has been interviewed on hundreds of radio and TV shows.
He and his wife have four sons and live near Washington, DC.

Reviews

[Jerry (Rebel With a Massive Media Library) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joel C. Rosenberg is an amazing author; this series is among the best I've read from anyone.

[Skip · Rating 3 out of 5]

The good news is that Joel Rosenberg is writing quality thrillers, with plots which are so plausible that some of the things he has written about have come to pass. A Russian commercial flight, with one of the oligarchs on board, is hijacked and headed to Washington D.C., forcing the President to make the only call possible. Meanwhile, there is a coup in Russia, with a new leader emerging, who is polished and appeals for peace and prosperity for Europe, eventually causing a U.N. vote to sanction Israel for its possession of nuclear weapons. Now White House advisors, Jon Bennett and Erin McCoy are caught in the middle of the coup and have to rely on their old friend, former head of Mossad, Dr. Eliezer Mordechai, for help and guidance. A bit too much heavy on scripture and Christianity kept this from 4 stars for me.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Joel C Rosenberg. I do wish I had taken the time to read The Last Jihad and The Last Days as they are a continuing story.
First of all I have to say I thought this was going to be another Left Behind story, or more accurately an apocalyptic adventure novel. I was actually very pleasantly surprised.
I could not believe how understandable and exciting he made such a complex prophecy as is found in Ezekiel! I learned SO much about Biblical prophecies and also an extraordinary new understanding of the End Times!! I have to say I'm quite impressed!!
The ending of this book is simply put, POWERFUL! You will get cold chills reading about the the power of God so soon to be revealed to the world!
I would highly recommend this book!! I'm a fan!!

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy Joel Rosenberg's engaging writing style that really immerses the reader into Jon Bennett and Erin McCoy's world. The storyline is fast paced full of danger, espionage, and intrigue! This book is one of the better stories in this series.

[Merv Jersak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picking up from where “The Last Days”, left off, “The Ezekiel Option” begins with a hi-jacked Russian airliner that is about to be flown into the U.S. capitol. The airliner is shot down, and this becomes the source of worldwide propaganda against the U.S. At the same time, the Palestinian Prime Minister and one of the participants in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, Dr. Ibrahim Sa’id, is assassinated. His friend and former Mossad head, Dr. Eliezer Mordechai, uncovers a plot for a major coup in Russia, but his warnings come too late.

Jon Bennett, wealthy investment strategist and now senior advisor to U.S. President James MacPherson, and Erin McCoy, CIA operative, are in Russia for peace treaty related talks with the Russian Prime Minister when the coup happens. The Prime Minister is killed; Bennett is seriously wounded and sent back to the U.S.; McCoy is taken captive by the perpetrators of the coup to obtain CIA encryption codes.

The new government wastes no time in preparing for war against the U.S. and Israel, selling nuclear warheads to Iran and blackmailing Europe into supporting Russia. The new Russian President Gogolov goes to the UN to make his case that Israel be disarmed of its nuclear arsenal.

Bennett is sent to Israel by U.S. President MacPherson to discuss compliance with the UN resolution. Israel is determined that if it comes to war, it will execute the “Samson Option, which is an Israeli last resort defensive posture that would result in mutual destruction ” (based on the historical account of an ancient Jewish judge, Samson, who destroyed the Philistines even as he sacrificed his own life).

Dr. Mordechai has been studying the ancient prophesies in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, which he believes has predicted this whole scenario of an alliance led by Russia and several Arab countries. As the result of his research, he proposes the “Ezekiel Option”, which requests that Israel not launch nuclear defensive strikes, but rather let God fight the battle on its behalf.

A series of fast-paced events then take place, including: a UN resolution from which the U.S. abstains causing Bennett to challenge the President and resign from his senior advisory role; Bennett smuggling himself into Russia to try to rescue McCoy; a Drudge Report leak of the Ezekiel Option to the world; Russia’s launch of a nuclear warhead at Israel; McCoy’s and Bennett’s escape from Russia; a massive earthquake that … well, here you’ll just have to read for yourself how Ezekiel’s prophecy plays out.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too bad, I still can't give this 0 stars and have it register, apparently.

A friend recommended this book because it "had some interesting things to say about the end times." As I am always interested in crazy conspiracy theories, and in particular those folks who are eager to "force the end", I thought I'd pick it up.

Well, I had initial misgivings when I checked the back cover. The blurb had a quote from Rush Limbaugh: "If you only read one novel this year, this is it!". Now I have never seen El Rushbo write any columns in any newspaper or periodical extolling books, so I have a feeling that this was the extent of his 'review'. But, gosh, just because Rush likes the book, doesn't make it bad, does it ?

Well, based on a sample size of one, the answer to that semi-rhetorical question is yes. This is definitely the worst book I've started to read this year. It is certainly not something I am going to finish.

Can you spell 'pot-boiler', boys and girls? Wooden characters ? Gepetto would have been working overtime on this one.
Cheesy romance ? This book has it all, and this is just from the first couple of chapters.

I can say one thing good about the book: you can really read it in your spare time, possibly while you are reading another book. It takes that little brain-power to read this one.

Recommended listening while reading:
Well if you must, try William Shatner's song "What Have You Done", on his latest album Has Been. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001... . I can't recommend either, but at least Shatner's song can give you a few yucks.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a political and spiritual apocalyptic thriller I found this story to be pretty engaging. I don't follow politics and world events as much as I probably should but this book definitely got me wondering if the events portrayed could really come about in the same way.

The pacing of the story starts off incredibly fast with a hijacked plane on target to crash in to the US Capitol building. From there the political back-story begins to take shape (this is a bit slow at times) while mirroring Biblical prophecies about the last days. The final 100 pages of the story fly by and are packaged in small, sculpted mini-chapters that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat.

Being Christian myself I found the Biblical references and subject matter interesting. I enjoyed the spiritual principles brought up and the way certain characters found that they resonated with them while others questioned them. This is true of life in general. Since most religious individuals have probably pictured, at one time or another, what they envision the last days will be like, it was intriguing to see one author's perspective of such. On top of this, the fact that Rosenberg seems to have his finger on the pulse of the current political climate made this story all the more engaging.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellently researched and written piece of fiction that made me feel like it was today’s history based on the prophesies of Ezekiel. I am a secular reader and, at times, was distracted by all the Christian aspects of the novel, but would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone who likes this genre. Thanks to the Author and Tyndall for an e-Galley for an honest review.

[Caleb Gerber. (Right makes Might) · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is a reason I read this book thrice. In my opinion, this is Joe Rosenberg’s all-time classic. It should be a Pulitzer winner. It is extremely well written, and has you hooked from beginning to end. I read this book before I read the other books in the series, and I would recommend not committing the same mistake. After reading this book, Ezekiel 38 makes a ton more sense, and his interpretation of the events in that chapter, are incredibly realistic, and yet horrifyingly apocalyptic. In today’s world, I wouldn’t at all doubt that Russia, Turkey, and Iran would attack the nation of Israel. Rosenbergs characters are vivid, the plot is intricate, and, as I have said, before it leaves, you spell bound. An absolutely necessary read for anyone who loves political, thrillers, or eschatological the rates, or just curious about the future of Israel.

[Sarah · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting story, but way too pro-Christian. I felt like the author was trying to "save" me.

[PDizzle Daggett · Rating 3 out of 5]

The series takes a turn for the worse. Rosenberg’s dispensational eschatology bleeds through the black-and-white letters in the previous books, but not like The Ezekiel Option. Here, there are two chapters back to back with an old ‘end times expert’ laying it out for the protagonist. While it may contribute and partially direct the plot, it felt very out of place, and over emphasized. So much that it made the scenes unrealistic.
While I disagree with Rosenberg’s view of the end times, he can still write fiction without flooding the reader with an end times college class in the middle of an action thriller.
But, this one does have an epic ending. Rosenberg’s normal ending.

[Anna Hargett · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Ezekiel Option covers an interesting concoction of topics: Iran, Russia, Israel, a hostage situation, a coup, spies, kidnappings, brutal interrogations, a love story, an anti-Christ figure, all against the backdrop of the coming End of Days.

This book did have its moments, but a lot of it was a rather slow read for me and sometimes I would space out and not pay too much attention at was happening at the parts I thought were kind of boring.

I will say that most of the reason why I kept going is because I do think that Rosenberg is a very talented writer and knows his stuff. This is probably a book where the well constructed writing kept me going rather than a book that I loved because of the story line.

[Sharon Janzen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was enjoyable and not as Left-Behind-ish as I feared it might be, especially considering the Tim LaHaye review blurb plastered on the front!
I bought it for $1 at the library book sale, but I had never heard of it and didn't know it was part of a series. I'm not compelled to read #1 and #2 (this was #3), but I do feel the need to read #4. So, make of that what you will. :)

[Drew Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding.

[Troy Tucker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I stayed up longer than I should have because the ending was so awesome! haha

[Graeme · Rating 3 out of 5]

That ending.. 😬🤷‍♂️

[Jess (Jessie’s World of Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

My mouth became a fly-trap at the end of this book! 4.5 stars.

[Barbara · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last book in Rosenberg's trilogy reads like a Tom Clancy novel ghostwritten by Oral Roberts. The fact that the book deals with religious subjects should be obvious to anyone who's picked it up; the title includes the title of a biblical book, Ezekiel, parts of which are quoted in several chapters. That the book's luminous back-cover praise comes from Tim LaHaye, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh should also be a clue.

However, the book starts off as a decent political thriller with a terrific opening chapter: the President of the United States (named McPherson) orders two F-16 fighter jets to intercept and then shoot down a Russian Aeroflot 747 jetliner with full crew and passengers that has apparently been hijacked. The repercussions of this event start the plot rolling. Erin McCoy and Jon Bennett have just become engaged while in Russia when they hear the news; shortly thereafter, a new dictator stages a coup and eliminates the sitting Russian president. Iran renews its nuclear weapons program to the consternation of the United States, and Israel is caught in the middle. I will state that while I disagree with the fundamentalist tone the book (and its characters take), there is some good writing here. The opening chapters as well as the speech the new Russian Czar Gogolov (imaginatively named; check Ezekiel chapter 38) gives to the United Nations is good thriller writing.

The book loses its focus when it delves deeply into the prophecies found in Daniel chapter 9 and Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. Fundamentalists believe that the State of Israel, founded in 1948, will apparently be the focal point of the Second Coming of Christ. There is also mention of the city of Babylon being restored, but this belief contradicts what the Bible states about the city of Babylon. When the author attempts to link Babylon the Great in Revelation chapter 18 with the literal city, he misses the fact that in Revelation, Babylon the Great is spoken of as having "immoral intercourse" with the kings of the earth and the merchants of the earth. How would a literal city do that? Revelation is largely symbolic, and it's clear from reading that particular chapter that Babylon the Great has nothing to do with Iran or the literal city of Babylon, which to this day lies in ruins.

The title of the book refers to a political brief given to Jon Bennett by his friend, Israeli spy Dr. Mordechai, who is now a Christian. Dr. Mordechai truly believes that if the world comes to the brink of nuclear war, God will intervene and save his people. If you are not religious, the ending will cause you to roll your eyes. If you are a Christian, it's a decent read but it's not really that spectacular of a thriller.

[R. Riddle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting and enjoyable novel. It was almost prophetic.
Substitute Putin for Gogolov and the story suddenly becomes very current.

Because the story was written in 2005 I at first was correcting history, but as it went forward I realized that while some elements have changed the basic facts remain. Russia is rebuilding its empire and remains an enemy of Israel.

In fact, there is a rising tide of antisemitism around the world. So while names change, the essential truths remain. With that background,I found that Rosenberg weaved a very believable story. And reading it in 2014 proved to be timely as even now we see Russia positioning herself to once again threaten the world.

The thread of Biblical prophecy, danger, and romance made this book an excellent read. It deserved being a best seller and remains current to this day.

I gave it 4 stars and would recommend it to anyone!

[Clyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was intended to be an end of the world apocalyptic continuation of the series. I have not read a lot of these types of books, so I don't have much to compare it to. I found that this book jumped off the mainstream political thriller shelf and onto the religious fanatic shelf. There was way too much religious discussion, argument, and reasoning by characters who I had grown to enjoy. I feel that the publisher's intent with the first two books--which I found interesting and well written--was to evangelize readers with this third book. The quoting of Old Testament scripture to support Christian theology of a literal apocalyptic end of the world event was very tedious, perhaps because I wasn't buying the particular brand of Christianity they were selling. I felt kind of duped by the nature of the first two books into reading this third one which I felt was very disappointing.

[Sandi Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Joel Rosenberg book although he has written many others. A book of fiction based on the prophesy of Ezekiel (37, 38,39). I couldn't put it down. He brings to life how events could actually take place, how political bonds could form between the countries mentioned in Ezekiel in these last days. It has been amazing to actually see some of his ideas as to how it will look politically ...coming true. He takes the time to trace how the lineage of Noah's sons moved across the lands and settled in what is now Russia and where some of the savage behavior originated from. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and learned and understood some complicated prophesy.

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not expect this series to veer off in the direction it did - one minute I was reading a Tom Clancy-esque political thriller, and then I gradually found myself lost in Tim LeHaye's "Left Behind"-land. I am a Christian, and I do believe in biblical prophecies of the last days, but I had a hard time taking "The Ezekiel Option" seriously. I applaud Rosenberg for attempting to write a mainstream novel that incorporated Christian end-of-the-world ideas. My problem with the series was that it started off so normally, and then suddenly took on a new identity. I know Rosenberg wrote a fourth volume, but I doubt I'll read it.

[Brent Soderstrum · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third of the Last Jihad series deals with the War of Gog and Magog which is described in Ezekiel 38 and 39. In this novel Russia, Iran and Germany prepare to attack Israel after Israel ignores a UN proposal that they disarm themselves of nuclear weapons. The US abstains from the vote on the UN resolution. Thus Israel is left alone to face the rest of the world.

I really enjoy Roesnberg combining biblical prophecy of the end of times with what is going on in our world today. He has been uncanny in his predictions that took place in the first two books of the series. You will also learn a lot about Biblical prophecy. A quick enjoyable read.

[Ronda Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I could not stop reading! This book kept me excited and I couldn't put it down. A thrill ride from one page to the next! My mistake was picking it up to read on a work night. I had to finally force myself to go to bed at 2:30am. Joel Rosenberg is my new favorite author cannot wait to read more of his books. Good use of reading time.

[Marlo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This isn't my typical genre. I knew going into the story that it would have many references to prayer and Scripture, so that wasn't a turn-off as it might be for some wishing for a political thriller without a religious message. I found it intriguing, and it definitely has me motivated to study the prophetic passages relating to the End Times. A page-turner!

[Connie M Harkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ezekiel Option

Riveting!!! I was surprised to find Jesus mentioned in this book. Being a believer, I enjoyed it very much. The book of Ezekiel has always been a fascinating mystery for me.

[Jonathan · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you're pro Israeli, like American militarism, and require a fundamentally violent view of God... you'll love this book. However, one dimensional characters, a terrible reading of Scripture, and a shockingly bad ending have me shaking my head. To Rosenberg's credit, it is a page turner.

[Tstultz69 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not a fan of "Wrath of God" books. There was just too much religious "facts" for me to absorb. And it made the book drag on.

[Roger · Rating 1 out of 5]

Christian book never again.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing!