End-Times Prophecy Author Reveals the Essential Thing That the Next U.S. President 'Must Understand

End-times author Joel C. Rosenberg believes that the next U.S. president "must understand" that so-called "apocalyptic Islam" — a dangerous, end times philosophy — is the "greatest challenge facing the Western alliance in the Middle East."

Bible expert Joel Rosenberg (Photo Credit: Facebook/Joel Rosenberg)

Rosenberg, who has repeatedly warned, more broadly, that this radical form of Islamic faith is the gravest threat to America’s security, wrote in a Jan. 6 op-ed for the Jerusalem Post that "the Oval Office is no place for on-the-job training" and that the next president must be ready.

The author, who recently released the book "The First Hostage," said that the next commander-in-chief must be prepared to contend, not only with radical Islam, but with the apocalyptic derivative — something that he believes most candidates and voters fail to understand.

"While adherents of radical Islam (such as al-Qaida, the Taliban, Hamas, etc.,) use violent acts hoping to drive the U.S., Israel and other 'infidels' out of what they regard as their holy lands, adherents of apocalyptic Islam seek to use genocide to annihilate all infidels and establish a global Islamic kingdom known as the caliphate," he said, distinguishing between the two.

Rosenberg said that there's something historic happening in the Middle East that is truly giving him pause and angst about what's to come.

"For the first time in human history, the leaders of two nation states are being driven by eschatology," he wrote. "The rulers of the Islamic Republic of Iran are consumed by ancient Islamic prophecies that predict the end of the world as we know it. So are the rulers of Islamic State (IS). The former are Shi’ite. The latter are Sunni."

The author went on to say that both believe that the Mahdi, or messiah, will appear on Earth to bring about the end of days — and they're bent on helping push that process along, using various strategies to try and make it happen.

But it's not just the Mahdi who they believe will be coming back, according to Rosenberg.

"Likewise, millions of Muslims believe that Jesus is coming back to earth. They don’t believe Jesus is the messiah or the son of God, as Christians do," he continued. "Rather, they believe Jesus is the Mahdi’s deputy who will force all infidels to convert to Islam or be slaughtered."

Here’s how Rosenberg explained that dynamic in a National Review op-ed published last September:

Both believe that any moment now their messiah, the Mahdi, will be revealed on Earth as he establishes his global Islamic kingdom and impose sharia law. Both believe that Jesus will return not as the Savior or Son of God but as a lieutenant to the Mahdi, and that he will force non-Muslims to convert or die. What’s more, both believe that the Mahdi will come only when the world is engulfed in chaos and carnage. They openly vow not simply to attack but to annihilate the United States and Israel. Iran and ISIS are both eager to hasten the coming of the Mahdi.

What’s more, both believe that the Mahdi will come only when the world is engulfed in chaos and carnage. They openly vow not simply to attack but to annihilate the United States and Israel. Iran and ISIS are both eager to hasten the coming of the Mahdi.

Citing concern that leaders simply don't understand what's at stake, Rosenberg called for more education on the matter among voters and the political class, alike.

Islamic State fighters march in Raqqa, Syria, last year. (Image source: AP/Militant Website, File)

When it comes to the presidency, he said that events are "moving too fast for a novice." Read the piece in its entirety here.

As TheBlaze previously reported, Rosenberg is hardly the first expert to warn about the Islamic State’s end times theology, with others cautioning against underestimating and failing to understand the underlying constructs.

Past reports have also claimed that Iran sees itself as having a central role in helping usher in the return of the Mahdi.

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