ISIS: Prelude to Apocalypse - By Elwood McQuaid - http://www.christianpost.com/news/isis-prelude-to-apocalypse-131130/
Standing atop a mountain plateau in the stark Judean wilderness, one can look down at the remains of Roman siege camps that eventually trapped some 960 Jewish men, women and children who had fled Jerusalem to Masada while the Romans slaughtered Jews by the thousands in the Holy City in A.D. 70.
Masada stands as a stark testimonial to a chapter in history most thought would never happen again. The scope of Roman savagery is a study in the fallen nature of godless, corrupt tyrants who have no regard for human life.
However, almost 2,000 years later, Christians and an estimated 40,000 people of the Yazidi sect sat trapped last summer on another mountain, awaiting death by starvation, exposure or execution while praying for deliverance. The United Nations estimated that 5,000 Yazidi men were executed and bulldozed into mass graves, while 7,000 women were being kept as slaves. This horror involves the annihilation of Christians and others who refuse to submit to the demands of the jihadist ISIS hordes running rampant through Iraq and Syria.
ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria) is a barbaric terrorist group bent on establishing an Islamic caliphate throughout the Middle East. It then plans to move west to create a global Islamic empire. Christians and Jews are marked for annihilation unless they convert to Islam, as are dissenting Muslims and anyone else refusing to submit to ISIS' outrageous demands.
ISIS' stunning barbarism has been displayed in the beheadings of five Western hostages including three Americans. The executions are reminiscent of the slaying of Wall Street Journal journalist Daniel Pearl by Pakistani terrorists linked to al-Qaeda in 2002.
Beyond this reprehensible savagery is an inflexible ideology. There is no appealing to these people. They will not cede to Western demands. Establishing a triumphant, global Islamist caliphate is their goal, and spreading fear among their enemies is their tactic to silence opposition, as is making their enemies believe concessions equivalent to surrender will bring peace.
ISIS' satanically motivated mass murderers demand acceptance of their concept of Islam. Failing to comply brings death. Being killed for refusing to renounce one's faith in Christ means decapitation, crucifixion or an assortment of demonically concocted horrors designed to inflict the most appalling torture achievable.
In the pagan world of the ancients, watching ravenous beasts tear the innocent limb by limb was a blood sport that entertained the masses. People who delight in murdering, raping and ravishing the helpless, as ISIS does, are driven by the same passion as their ancient counterparts: they love to kill. Their lust for carnage, however, is disguised as a commitment to religion. They do it in the name of their god. Early Christians assembled in small groups on the floors of pagan theaters and arenas because they would not trade their faith for freedom, and they were murdered as a result. The same was true of believers who were bound to stakes, waiting for flames to consume them because they refused to forsake their Savior.
No one anticipated that the most egregious crimes against Christians would be perpetrated in our lifetime. The evil equals or exceeds that of previous eras. Open Doors USA serves the worldwide persecuted church. Each year it compiles its World Watch List. In no fewer than 50 countries, Christians suffer extreme to moderate persecution. In Nigeria, the Islamic Boko Haram terrorists' brutal abductions and assaults on schools, churches and entire Christian communities have forced even the silent mainstream liberal media to report on them.
If the secular media's silence is due to its ideological prejudice or animosity toward Christianity, how does one explain the muteness of the majority of American Christians? Christians should be speaking out because the jihadists who now seem far away proclaim their intent daily for America. There is no better statement on the perils of apathy than that of German Protestant Pastor Martin Niemöller, whose outspoken opposition to Adolf Hitler earned him seven years in a fetid Nazi concentration camp:
First they came for the Socialists,
and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Socialist.
Then they came for the Trade Unionists,
and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
Then they came for the Jews,
and I did not speak out-
Because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me-
and there was no one left to speak for me.
ISIS Tightening Noose on Jordan - Lonnie C. Mings - www.cfijerusalem.org
According to recent news, ISIS is losing momentum in Iraq, and in fact no longer controls as much of the country as it formerly did. On the other hand, according to a CBN article, the tiny state of Jordan is starting to face a growing threat from the Islamic State. ISIS forces are making inroads in tribal towns like Ma-an, where posters of Jordanian Salafi fighters, who support the jihadist army, and pro-Islamic-State banners are flying high.
According to the Huffington Post, some analysts say the Hashemite Kingdom may be the next target of this radical Sunni militant group. This could be the case, but it will likely have limited impact and could even present Jordan with an opportunity to strengthen its strategic position, according to some analysts. A possible starting point to take over Jordan might be the southern Jordanian city of Ma'an, which has long been a hotbed of discontent and instability due to unemployment, poor infrastructure and few socioeconomic opportunities. ISIS could influence a disgruntled Palestinian population by championing itself as the liberator of Jerusalem. However, Jordan has a long history of being able to quell discontent among aggrieved populations - it could likely defend this vulnerability more easily than the Islamic State could exploit it.
Economic problems in Jordan have led to growing support for the terrorist group. Jihadi Salafi activists say the US-led coalition campaign against ISIS has also fueled sympathy. Jordan is also vulnerable because of its shared borders with Syria and Iraq, where ISIS is on the move. The mayor of Ma-an, Majed al-Sharari, is worried. He says, "If this situation continues I think a catastrophe will occur in Jordan. I think it will not take long, and it may start in 2015."
However, the government of Jordan says the threat of ISIS there is exaggerated. "We do have a small group of Jordanians who express their sympathy for terrorism and terrorist organizations, but we think this phenomenon is under control," Muhammad Al-Momani, Jordan minister for media said. Still, the King Abdullah of Jordan recently met with President Obama to discuss the fight against ISIS in the region. The King told CBS's Charlie Rose that Muslims must take ownership of the problem.
"Nations in the Arab and Islamic world have to stand up and say, 'We're against this' and explain to our people that there is a right and a wrong to this. People have to make a decision," the King said.
Meanwhile, in the town of Ma-an, the mayor has ordered workers to whitewash Islamic State graffiti. Also, since summer, the government of Jordan has arrested more than 100 people for supporting the militants. It's also tightening the border, hoping to slow the flow of volunteer fighters headed to help ISIS in Syria and Iraq. The World Post, in partnership with the Huffington Post, suggests several routes or strategies ISIS might utilize in order to take over Jordan. One of them is a slow, piecemeal infiltration of Jordan.
A more dangerous one the World Post article calls "Rush to Amman." Just as the Islamic State rolled through central Iraq, it could attempt to seize border crossings, mass troops near Jordan and move quickly on to Amman. In fact, last month the Islamic State attempted to occupy Tarbil (Iraq's only border crossing with Jordan) but Jordan was able to beat off the attack on the Iraqi side of the border with about a hundred Special Forces and Air Force personnel. Jordan has also been able to successfully defend its Iraqi and Syrian border crossings, keeping the fight outside its own territory.
The World Post does not believe ISIS can easily take Jordan. Still, with a diverse population, a weak economy, chaotic civil wars on two borders, and a large refugee population, a major misstep by the Jordanian government could provide the Islamic State with an opening to a successful attack and might also drag Jordan's allies Israel, the United States and the Gulf States into the conflict.
Our prayers are with King Abdullah, who is a major ally of the US and Israel, and also with his family.
"For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness"
2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
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