The Apocalyptic Prophecy Fuelling Islamic State Militants

October 8, 2014 — Sky News reports: “An ancient prophecy that sees an ‘infidel horde’ in a monumental battle with an Islamic army in the Syrian town of Dabiq has apparently been seized upon by IS fundamentalists.

The Sunni Muslim tale dates back more than 1,300 years and tells of the ‘horde’ flying 80 banners before an Islamic triumph that triggers the end of days.

It has become a fundamental part of the philosophy that drives Islamic State militants.

Having captured Dabiq in August, the town’s symbolic significance far outweighs its relatively minor strategic importance to the group, compared with cities it controls such as Raqqa in Syria and Mosul in Iraq.

But as the militants come under heavy bombardment from the air by the US and allies seeking to halt their march, Dabiq is increasingly becoming a rallying call.

Shadi Hamid, a fellow at the Brookings Institute, said: ‘It raises morale.

‘It is fair to assume that the vast majority of (IS) fighters believe in this type of talk.’

The prophecy itself was made by the Prophet Mohammed, according to his companion Abu Hurayrah’s report, or hadith.

Abu Hurayrah is described as the most prolific narrator of hadith – accounts of the Prophet Mohammed’s deeds, teachings and sayings – in Sunni Islam, adding to the importance of the prophecy in the eyes of IS.

Among IS supporters on social media, Dabiq has become a byword for a struggle against the West, with the US-led coalition portrayed as modern-day Crusaders. IS has even named its official magazine Dabiq…” (“Then shall they cry unto the Lord, but he will not hear them: he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace; and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him. Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips; for there is no answer of God” – Micah 3:5 – 7.)

Report: Merger of ISIS and al-Qaeda Could Cripple Civilized World

October 12, 2014 — Breitbart.com reports: “As ISIS continues to advance on the Syrian town of Kobani and close in on Turkey’s border, experts in Islamic radical movements think the terror group may merge with its al-Qaeda mother organization soon. Together, the group would represent the greatest terror threat to the civilized world.

‘I think Britain, Germany and France will witness significant attacks in their territories by the Islamic State. Al-Baghdadi [the leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, otherwise known as ISIS] may reconcile with al-Zawhiri [the leader of the al-Qaeda central organization] to fight the crusader enemy. The attacks by the United States and her allies will unite the two groups,’ said Hisham al-Hashimi, an Iraqi researcher who just finished writing a book about ISIS based on his unique access to the organization’s documents and years of research and advising Iraqi security forces.

‘I have been monitoring al-Qaeda’s leaders’ rhetoric towards Baghdadi. They are getting softer and softer….The Islamic State, regardless of how big or small it becomes, will come back to its mother: al-Qaeda,’ he added…” (This headline might produce great damage in the world, but Armageddon, Revelation 16:16, is the war that produces ‘hell on earth’. “Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths” – Revelation 9:14 – 18. Ezekiel 38 & 39; and Revelation 16:12 pictures this war with Russia and China in two separate invasions against Israel. This produces mass devastation globally as Russia [Ezekiel 38:1, 2, 8, 16; Ezekiel 39:1, 2, 12, 13] and China [Revelation 16:12] heads up World War III accompanied by Islamic nations but controlled by Russia and China.)

How ISIS could change the world forever

October 2, 2014 — SpaceWar.com reports: “Make no mistake: in taking the fight to the Islamic State — aka IS, aka the Enemies of Islam — President Barack Obama is at a defining moment for his presidency and probably the future.

Perhaps less spectacular than the fall of the Berlin Wall and the implosion of the Soviet Union a quarter of a century ago or September 11th, the decision to catalyze a global fight against Islamic extremism and terrorism could be as far reaching in consequence. Consider the grounds for this conclusion.

The accumulating grievances dating back to well before the Sykes-Picot secret treaty of 1916 sliced Mesopotamia into indigestible parts have become irreversible thus forcing religious, ethnic, regional, political and ideological schisms to the breaking point. This breaking point has been exacerbated by centuries old Arab and Muslim animosity over Western imperialism and dominance. Turkey and Egypt of course are part of this imbroglio. And the long-standing Arab-Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains a ticking time bomb.

As a result, at least four consequences have arisen. First, IS has become Frankenstein’s monster of the Four New Horsemen of the Apocalypse that threaten mankind. The first rider is failed or failing government. The second is economic despair, disparity and dislocation. Third is radical ideology in this case predominantly religious fanaticism. Fourth is environmental calamity…” (This interpretation is completely erroneous – “And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer. And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword. And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine. And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth” – Revelation 6:1-8.)

Military analyst: ISIS ‘will never be destroyed’

September 28, 2014 — WND.com reports: “Retired U.S. Navy Capt. Chuck Nash says radical groups like the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, can never be completely eradicated, and any meaningful degrading of the terrorist army will only come with competent ground forces working in tandem with powerful airstrikes like Americans saw Monday night.

Nonetheless, Nash is impressed by the performance of U.S. forces this week in the first airstrikes conducted in Syria and is pleased to see Arab allies, particularly Sunnis, joining the fight.

Late Monday, the Pentagon confirmed that the U.S. was carrying out the first wave of airstrikes inside Syria. War planes with precision-guided munitions and multiple U.S. Navy vessels firing a variety of missiles took part, with varying levels of assistance from Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

By all accounts, the strikes were on target and avoided civilian casualties. However, Nash said Americans should have no illusions about what U.S. military efforts can and cannot accomplish in taking the fight to ISIS.

‘It will never be destroyed. The violent element is in the DNA of Islam. It’s in their documents. Moderates and radicals read the same documents and draw their inspiration from the same religious texts. It will never disappear. It can only be degraded,’ said Nash, who is also a military analyst for the Fox News Channel…” (When Christ returns He destroys those who destroyed the earth – Revelation 11:18. Then as the kingdom of this world becomes the Kingdom of our Lord, He reigns forever and ever and the wicked are sent to everlasting fire – Revelation 11:15 and Matthew 25:41.)