It seems like almost every day we read about ISIS parading people in cages, beheading Christians or kidnapping dozens of believers and making threats against shopping malls. No wonder Jesus warned that in the last days we would see “men fainting from fear and expectation of what is coming on the inhabited earth” (Luke 21:16).
Chris Mitchell, Middle East Bureau Chief for CBN News, isn’t surprised by any of it. In his recently released Destination Jerusalem: ISIS, Convert or Die, Christian Persecution and the Coming Days Ahead, Mitchell discusses the rising evil of Islam. In part three of this exclusive interview, Mitchell shared his thoughts on the ISIS ripple effect.
You can still read part one: “When Christians Come Face to Face With ISIS” and part two: “Are We Seeing the New World Order Rising?“
Charisma News: How do the events taking place in the Middle East reverberate to the shores of America?
Mitchell: America is now in the midst of a national debate on how to deal with ISIS. The outcome of that national debate will affect our future, our economy and our way of life.
It will have a direct impact on our service men and women in the armed forces, our sons and daughters. It will likely influence the price of oil and certainly have an impact on our closest ally in the Middle East, Israel.
In addition, we live in a global community now. So when an ISIS sympathizer takes over a café in Sydney, we hear about it. When al-Qaida terrorists rampage through Paris, we watch the drama unfold. When an ISIS follower beheads a co-worker in Oklahoma, we wonder, could we be next?
Suddenly it’s not just “over there”; it’s “over here.” What these Islamic terrorists are doing is sowing fear just as the Quran encourages them to do. We need to resist this fear. We’re facing a dangerous future when fear will be prevalent.
In Destination Jerusalem, I suggest a number of ways to prepare for the days ahead. We need to as Jesus said, “Watch and pray.”
We need to draw close to the Lord, our families and our church family. We need to be informed about the world and, like the Sons of Issachar in the Bible, “understood the times.” The book also includes the gospel, so it’s also a book someone can give to a loved one who doesn’t yet know the Lord.
Click here to check out Mitchell’s book on Amazon.com or visit him online at destinationjerusalembook.com.
