The Islamic State: What You Need To Know (3 Part Series)
“The Rise of the Caliphate” 1 of 3
April 12, 2015 CFBC, Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
A The “War on Terror” began after 9/11 and in the years between 2001-2014, we’ve funded two wars fighting terrorism, Iraq & Afghanistan.
1 We’ve spent nearly $1.5 trillion in these two wars; lost 4,488 U.S. soldiers in Iraq & 32,226 were wounded.
a In the 14 years being fighting the “War on Terror” against fanatical Islam, are we seeing its demise or its resurgence.
aa For years the only group seen as our primary threat was al-Qaeda and our chief enemy was Osama bin Laden.
bb Last year, in just a matter of weeks, a group calling themselves the Islamic State captured the world headlines. (We don’t even hear about al-Qaeda anymore)
b For the next three weeks we will learn about ISIS from . . .
aa Geo-political view
bb their theological stance (Salafism form of the Sunni branch of Islam)
cc Their history (how they formed, who their leaders are)
dd The goal of ISIS (Establish a global Caliphate that establishes Sharia Law, lead by one Caliph, under the authority of Mahdi)
ee The future of ISIS according to the Scripture
2 Every week for the last 9 years, at least one of my boys have brought home a vocabulary book.
a They learn about 20 words a week, how to use them, what the words mean so they can understand them.
b Over the next three weeks I’ll give you a vocabulary lesson at the front of the message to help understand better what’s going from a Christian’s perspective.
aa My goal is give you the knowledge to watch/read the news, but to understand what it all means.
bb Why? ISIS has vowed to fly their flag over the White House in Washington D.C. . . encouraging our young people to come join them (many have, many are trying) . . .ISIS wants to kill Christians . . . OR make you serve Allah.
c Sermons on loving your neighbor, turning the other cheek, filled with the Spirit, living in the Power of the Holy Ghost are important . . . but this kind of message also has its place and it’s time . . . now is the time.
aa An Islamic State spokesman claims, “We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women. If we do not reach that time, then our children and grandchildren will reach it, and they will see yours sons as slaves at the slave market.”
bb This isn’t a quote from the 7th or 8th century. . . it was spoken in the last 7 or 8 months.
B To understand ISIS we must understand the buzz words that we’re probably unfamiliar with what they mean.
1 Vocabulary List
a Caliphate: A form of an Islamic government that enforces Sharia Law.
aa Sharia Law is based up the Quran & the Sunnah & covers how a Muslim is expected to live out their faith, marriages, economics, military, criminal punishment.
bb The Quran is the infallible word of Allah and was written over a 23 year period by Muhammad, beginning in 609 AD.
cc The Sunnah is a written account of the life & example of Muhammad.
dd Jihad means “struggle”, “Holy War”, it is the responsibility of all Muslims to engage in Jihad, overcome their foes/infidels, and we’re familiar with its manifestations in beheadings, systematic execution of Christians, burying Christian women & children alive, burning of their victims, suicide bombers.
dd Caliph is the man who leads the Caliphate. He is considered to be the political & religious successor to the prophet Muhammad and a leader of the entire Muslim community.
ee Allah is the god of Islam who is considered by Muslims to be the creator of the universe, all powerful, and omnipresent. He is the moon god of ancient pagan Arabs. Allah is NOT the God of the OT & NT.
b IS, ISIS, ISIL: Islamic State, Islamic State of Iraq & Syria, Islamic State of Iraq & Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant respectively. (These names are used for the most part interchangeably.)
aa Levant is the a crescent moon shaped land bridge from Egypt to Turkey (covers parts of/or entirely the nations of Israel, Syria, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Turkey, and Egypt.
bb In my opinion, the reason why the present Administration calls ISIS ISIL is that it is declaring an Islamic State exists from Iran to Egypt, thereby denying Israel even exists and is intentionally positing America as an enemy of Israel.
c People who study end times prophecy have always wondered why there is no mention of America coming to aid of Israel when the Gog & Magog attack The Land (Ezekiel 38/39).
aa No one stands beside Israel, No one comes to Israel’s defense, except God.
bb I believe the reason why America doesn’t stand with Israel is either because we can’t (broken covenant) or because we won’t (we’ve divorced ourselves from Israel, abandoned them when they need us to stand by their side.)
cc On that day when war strikes out in Israel God will demolish the invading armies, it takes Israel 7 years to bury the defeated armies, and they finally coming back to YHWH.
2 ISIS seems like a plausible movement that triggers the Ezekiel 38/39 war that God will use for His Glory.
a With America no longer the dominant influence in the Middle East (and the world), ISIS is building an empire.
b Revelation 16:12 (NASB) The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.
aa There is a growing reason to believe the “kings of the east” are Islamic forces because many times in the Scriptures the groups called the Ishmaelites, Amelekits and Midianites (all from modern Arab territories) are referred to as “the people of the east.”
bb Judges 6:1-3 (NASB) Then the sons of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the LORD; and the LORD gave them into the hands of Midian seven years. 2 The power of Midian prevailed against Israel. Because of Midian the sons of Israel made for themselves the dens which were in the mountains and the caves and the strongholds. 3 For it was when Israel had sown, that the Midianites would come up with the Amalekites and the sons of the east and go against them.
cc Judges 7:12 (NASB) Now the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the sons of the east were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as numerous as the sand on the seashore.
dd I simply show you these verses as examples of Israel’s enemies coming from the east.
c Even in Exodus the “locusts” are brought in from an east wind to devour Egypt. (Ex. 10.13-15)
aa Locusts are frequently used to describe “armies” that desolate a nation.
bb In Joseph’s dream, an event that initiated a seven-year famine, it was an “east wind” that devoured the seven corn ears (Gen. 41.23).
cc I could go on with several other examples, but it is possible that the “Kings of the East”, “People of the East”, “East Wind” are speaking of the area coming from Iraq and Saudi Arabia.
C The east wind has stirred up a group called “ISIS.”
1 The Islamic State began operation in 1999 by the Jordian extremist who had sworn allegiance to Osama bin Laden & aligned his group with Al-Qaeda, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi (who was killed in a U.S. air strike in 2006), al-Zarqawi was succeeded by Abu Omar al-Baghdadi (who was killed in a U.S. air strike in 2010).
a After Abu Omar was killed, a group of religious leaders elected Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi to lead them in 2010.
aa In 2012, civil war broke out in Syria, this group of fighters was sent into to fight in to Syria . . . it was here that we the world was first introduced to “ISIS.”
bb Al-Qaeda didn’t want them there and asked them to leave; by early 2014 ISIS broke away from Al-Qaeda.
cc Al-Qaeda deemed ISIS’ actions to be “too extreme” in some cases. (Coming from a group of terrorists who crashed four planes on U.S. soil, killing nearly 4,000, shaking our nation & our economy . . . for them to say ISIS is too extreme is saying something.)
b On June 9, 2014, ISIS fighters seized the second largest city in Iraq (Mosul) and two days later took control of Tikrit.
aa ISIS has continued to expand its territory and now controls land the size of Great Britain.
bb Later that month, al-Baghadai announced that the lands he controlled in Iraq and Syria were part of the “Islamic State” (Caliphate) and he was the leader (Caliph).
c ISIS now controls more than $2 billion in assets, receives $1.3 million a day from oil revenues.
aa Has a highly sophisticated social media strategy (tweeter, You Tube, Web sites, printed media) to recruit new members.
bb Has between 20,000 & 31,000 active fighters . . . growing daily. (More than a 1,000 Westerners have joined, including 100 Americans and more joining everyday.
cc They have established a way to collect taxes, regulate prices, operate courts, provides health care, education, and media . . . also reproducing the norms of 7th century Islam (slavery, crucifixion, & beheadings).
d ISIS is still growing as militants fly the ISIS flag in Indonesia, across North Africa, Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt and Libya.
aa There are groups emerging in Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Yemen.
bb Use “Gog & Magog Map” here: http://www.trackingbibleprophecy.com/gog_magog.php
2 ISIS has done all of this in 18 months!!!
a Their recent beheadings, rapes, and live burnings are done to intimate and almost paralyze the world into an inability to respond appropriately.
b ISIS represents a brand of Islam that knows no boundaries to its violence.
aa It attracts members from various countries who go to the Middle East to train them to return to their various countries to attack their own communities.
bb Charlie Hebdo Shooting in Paris;
cc A 20-year-old Kansas man, John Booker, allegedly joined the U.S. Army last year so he could launch an ISIS-inspired attack on American soldiers like the deadly strike on Ft. Hood, Texas, in 2009, federal authorities announced today.
dd A U.S. Army National Guard soldier and his cousin have been arrested on charges of conspiring to support Islamic State in a plot that included an attack on a military installation in Illinois, the Department of Justice said on Thursday. The two Chicago-area men, both U.S. citizens, spoke of using army uniforms and military knowledge to get into an Illinois National Guard facility, the department said in a statement.
c The Boston Marathon Bombers attended a Mosque in Cambridge. The mosque has disavowed their actions but...
aa From this same mosque, these people also attend.
* Abdurahman Alamoudi, the mosque’s founder and first president who in 2004 was sentenced to 23 years in prison for plotting terrorism. In 2005, the Treasury Department issued a statement saying Alamoudi raised money for al Qaeda in the US.
* Aafia Siddiqui, an MIT scientist-turned-al Qaeda agent, who in 2010 was sentenced to 86 years in prison for planning a New York chemical attack. Known as “Lady al Qaeda,” she is related to 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed. ISIS has tried to trade her release for journalist hostages.
* Tarek Mehanna, who in 2012 got 17 years in prison for conspiring to use automatic weapons to murder shoppers in a suburban Boston mall.
* Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a mosque trustee and Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood leader banned from the US after issuing a fatwa that called for the killing of US soldiers.
* Jamal Badawi, another former trustee who in 2007 was named an unindicted co-conspirator in a plan to funnel more than $12 million to Palestinian suicide bombers.
bb Now it can be revealed that another regular worshiper at the Islamic Society mosque was Ahmad Abousamra, who is now the top propagandist for ISIS.
cc One crackpot in a congregation I can buy, but not now.
Conclusion:
A ISIS’ end game is to usher in an End Time apocalyptic scenario where a Caliphate government covers the globe and the authority is there messiah, Mahdi. (Much more on this next week).
1 ISIS hates Christians, in fact, the majority of the people they have beheaded, crucified, raped, buried/burned alive have been our fellow brothers & sisters . . . and they want to kill you.
a The recent execution of 21 Coptic Christian sheds light on ISIS’ motivations.
aa On Sunday, February 15, 2015 the phrase “They supplicate what they worship and die upon their paganism,” appears on the screen as the Christian men wearing bright orange jumpsuits are lowered to their knees.
bb For ISIS, the Christians view of the cross is offensive, paganism that is punishable by death . . . beheading.
cc They do this because this is what Muhammad did in the 7th century.
b Jesus is a central figure in the end of days in Islamic theology.
aa However, their Jesus is not my Jesus.
bb They see Jesus role in the end times riding into Jerusalem with the Mahdi (Islamic Messiah) and Jesus puts an end to all religions other than Islam . . . this is not the Jesus of the Bible, it’s the Jesus of Islamic conception.
2 You are going to be armed in this series with the truth that our Bible provides us to combat the lies of the enemy.
a The real battle has nothing to do with bombs, guns, militants, or Jihadists.
b Ephesians 6:12 (NASB) 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.
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Respectfully,
Mike Fogerson
