The Twelfth Imam by Joel C. Rosenberg - Reviewed

About the Book: (from the publisher)
As the apocalyptic leaders of Iran call for the annihilation of Israel and the U.S., CIA operative David Shirazi is sent into Tehran with one objective: use all means necessary to disrupt Iran’s nuclear weapons program, without leaving American fingerprints and without triggering a regional war. At extreme personal risk, Shirazi executes his plan.


A native Farsi speaker whose family escaped from Iran in 1979, he couldn’t be better prepared for the mission. But none of his training has prepared Shirazi for what will happen next. An obscure religious cleric is suddenly hailed throughout the region as the Islamic messiah known as the Mahdi or the Twelfth Imam. News of his miracles, healings, signs, and wonders spreads like wildfire, as do rumors of a new and horrific war.

With the prophecy of the Twelfth Imam seemingly fulfilled, Iran’s military prepares to strike Israel and bring about the End of Days. Shirazi must take action to save his country and the world, but the clock is ticking.

My Thoughts:

No one can successfully weave a tale that includes end time prophecy more convincingly than Joel C. Rosenberg! The Twelfth Imam is as thrilling, and disturbing, a tale as I expected it would be, and I’m happy to recommend it to my readers!

I’ve always enjoyed stories that included events that the Bible tells us will be fulfilled as Christ’s return approaches. Because Rosenberg is so knowledgeable about Bible prophecy as well as current world events, his story reads as though it was ripped from the headlines. The events that unfold are chilling in their plausibility. I particularly thought that he was very effective in quoting the Quran’s teachings. The story leaves no doubt of the intent and motivation behind Muslim actions as they pertain to Christianity. We only deceive ourselves if we ignore the obvious and just tell everyone to “get along.”

The Twelfth Imam builds in intensity throughout the story, and you find yourself sort of holding your breath as the main characters stay only moments ahead of life or death action. I don’t want to take anything away from the story line, but I truly believe the events in this book are taking place to some degree in reality. I’m not totally convinced this is fiction! That’s what makes this such a thrilling read!

The only thing I found slightly distracting was the first part of the story that included all of the history of the main characters. I felt that the information could have been shared amid the “meat” of the story, because quite frankly, I skimmed over most of it and understood the heart of the story just fine. My seventeen-year-old read this before I did, and he made the same comment.

But that is just a personal preference of mine. I am happy to recommend this book to anyone that enjoys a suspenseful, thrilling read that trumpets reality and truth. The ending indicates there is more to come in this saga, and I hope I am right!! The Twelfth Imam is excellent!

About the Author:

Joel C. Rosenberg

Joel C. Rosenberg is the New York Times best-selling author of five novels—The Last Jihad, The Last Days, The Ezekiel Option, The Copper Scroll, and Dead Heat—and two nonfiction books, Epicenter and Inside the Revolution, with some 2 million total copies in print. The Ezekiel Option received the Gold Medallion award as the "Best Novel of 2006" from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Joel is the producer of two documentary films based on his nonfiction books. He is also the founder of The Joshua Fund, a nonprofit educational and charitable organization to mobilize Christians to "bless Israel and her neighbors in the name of Jesus" with food, clothing, medical supplies, and other humanitarian relief.

As a communications advisor, Joel has worked with a number of U.S. and Israeli leaders, including Steve Forbes, Rush Limbaugh, Natan Sharansky, and Benjamin Netanyahu. As an author, 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, The Sean Hannity Show, and The Glenn Beck Show. He has been profiled by the New York Times, the Washington Times, the Jerusalem Post, and World magazine. He has addressed audiences all over the world, including those in Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Russia, and the Philippines. He has also spoken at the White House, the Pentagon, and to members of Congress.

In 2008, Joel designed and hosted the first Epicenter Conference in Jerusalem. The event drew two thousand Christians who wanted to "learn, pray, give, and go" to the Lord's work in Israel and the Middle East. Subsequent Epicenter Conferences have been held in San Diego (2009); Manila, Philippines (2010); and Philadelphia (2010). The live webcast of the Philadelphia conference drew some thirty-four thousand people from more than ninety countries to listen to speakers such as Israeli Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon; pastors from the U.S., Israel, and Iran; Lt. General (ret.) Jerry Boykin; Kay Arthur; Janet Parshall; Tony Perkins; and Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of one of the founders of Hamas who has renounced Islam and terrorism and become a follower of Jesus Christ and a friend of both Israelis and Palestinians.

The son of a Jewish father and a Gentile mother, Joel is an evangelical Christian with a passion to make disciples of all nations and teach Bible prophecy. A graduate of Syracuse University with a BFA in filmmaking, he is married, has four sons, and lives near Washington, D.C.

To visit Joel's weblog—or sign up for his free weekly "Flash Traffic" e-mails—please visit www.joelrosenberg.com.

Please also visit these others Web sites:

www.joshuafund.net

www.epicenterconference.com

and Joel's "Epicenter Team" and the Joel C. Rosenberg public profile page on Facebook.