"Is ISIS in America?"

US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel has growing fears ISIS is determined to strike in America. He's calling it an "imminent threat."

And while the White House says there is no evidence of an active plot at this time, Hagel insists, ISIL (or ISIS) poses a threat greater than 9/11."

Hagel warns:

"ISIL is as sophisticated and well-funded as any group we have seen. They're beyond just a terrorist group. They marry ideology with a sophisticated strategic and tactical military prowess and they're tremendously well-funded. This is way beyond anything we have seen. We must prepare for everything and get ready."

According to Governor Rick Perry of Texas, ISIS terrorists may already be in the country. Gov. Perry contends the terrorists' own ambitions will drive them to attack the United States directly. His biggest concern? Our lack of border security.

"And", Perry said, "I think it is a very real possibility that they may have already used that entry point."

A report by the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that only 32 miles of the 4,000 mile border "had reached an acceptable level of security."

And, according to the report, the northern border poses an even higher risk to public safety than the US-Mexico border.

Canada, with its large population centers lining the border, now has more Islamist extremist groups than Mexico does.

And let's not forget Hamas' favorite trick into Israel: Tunnels.

"How Tunnels Along US/Mexican Border Are Built"

Senator Jeff Sessions (R. Ala.) calls plans to provide administrative amnesty to 5 million in the US illegally " a security nightmare." He fears the policy could make it easier for terrorists to carry out an attack on the US.

Senate Armed Services Committee Member, Jim Inhofe said, "Sunni militants are working on the capability to wipe out a city inside the United States. ISIS has long threatened to carry out a catastrophic attack on American soil, boasting that they would fly its flag over the White House."

The senator went on to say, "ISIS members are rapidly developing a method of blowing up a major US city and people just can't believe that's happening."

Maybe it's time we believe...

"This is all the more urgent, for you know how late it is; time is running out. Wake up, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed." Romans 13:11

A wise man once said: "Remain vigilant, always be prepared, and expect the unexpected. We are living in unparalleled times and the threat against Americans is the worst it's ever been." --Strategic intelligence analyst, Skip DeBusk

News:

• The Washington Post: ISIS militants storm Syrian airbase, seize cache of shoulder-to-air missiles similar to the one used to bring down jet airliner in Ukraine.
• Fox News Channel: al Qaeda magazine hints of looming attack; urges bombing of Las Vegas, Times Square and California; implies an attack is imminent.
• Crisis Relief International (CRI) urgent prayer request: "We lost the city of Queragosh, Iraq. It fell to ISIS and they are beheading children systematically. This is the city we have been smuggling food to. ISIS is within 10 minutes of where our CRI team is working." Please pray. 

"Bible Prophecy & The Militarization of Police"

Alarm bells have been going off for a while now warning against the militarization of US police.

This week the American public finally woke up and was outraged by the sight of armored vehicles rolling down the streets of Ferguson, Missouri, while swarms of camo-clad commando-like cops armed to the teeth followed.

The New York Times called Ferguson a "virtual war zone. The police response has shocked America. The escalating tension in this town of 21,000 people between a largely white police department and a majority African-American community is a central part of this crisis, but the militarization of the police is a dimension of the story that has national implications," the paper said.

And The New York Times is right.

The Pentagon is arming local law enforcement agencies with surplus military-grade weapons including:

• grenade launchers
• armored vehicles
• automatic rifles
• military-style helicopters
• bayonets and scabbards (bayonets?!?)

Over kill? Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on what side of the Molotov cocktail you're on (and what you see coming down the pike. Remember, the Bible predicts a time of coming chaos).

The real problem is, of course, human nature. Humans will always be tempted to abuse power. Give them overwhelming power and the temptation to abuse it will be overwhelming.

How Ferguson Made Conservatives Lose Faith in the Police

A wise women once said: "What I fear most is power with impunity. I fear abuse of power and the power to abuse." --Isabel Allende, Chilean journalist

"The city writhes in chaos; every home is locked to keep out looters. Mobs gather in the streets, crying out for wine. Joy has reached its lowest ebb. Gladness has been banished from the land. The city is left in ruins, with its gates battered down. Throughout the earth the story is the same..." (Isaiah 24:10-13 NLT)

News:

• Reuters: Islamic State threat "beyond anything we've seen"; poses a major threat to US says Pentagon.
• The Los Angeles Times: Study finds 63 trillion gallons of groundwater lost in CA drought; farmers warn of higher food costs.
• ABC News: National Guard ordered out of Ferguson 

"Bible Prophecy & Prophetic Labor Pains"

President Obama believes "we can look out on the horizon and feel optimistic because human trend lines are getting progressively better and better."

"We've substantially improved the global tranquility", claims his new press secretary.

Really? Former Secretary of State, under President Clinton, Madeline Albright says "the world is a mess" and current Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel agrees. "The world is exploding all over," he remarked Tuesday.

Current events seem to prove their point. Consider:

• Northern Iraq and Syria, overrun by ISIS, has seen the slaughter of thousands (including the beheading of children, crucifixion of Christians and the kidnapping/rape of women).
• ISIS has become such a threat to the entire Middle East, that the US military has been drawn back in.
• The Gaza conflict is isolating Israel more and more.
• Russia is amassing troops on the Ukraine border while "daring" the West to stop them.
• The risk of a global financial meltdown has many experts nervous. USA Watchdog.com
• The chaos at the US border has become a major security breach.
• The continuing Ebola outbreak has been declared an "international health emergency" by W.H.O.
• Crippling long-term drought in many parts of the world is threatening the food supply. Central American drought
• Other parts of the world, including the eastern US, are experiencing record-breaking floods.
• Suburban St. Louis has had 5 nights of civil unrest after police shoot an unarmed teen. Ferguson, MO militarized police
• And to top it off? There are giant sinkholes appearing all over the globe.  Giant Sinkholes

So can we look out on the horizon and feel optimistic? You betcha.

We are living in the prophetic times detailed throughout Scripture. And though we are not prophets, we can tell you with certainty: You ain't seen nothin' yet. The world is in labor like a woman about to give birth (Romans 8:22).

And because he knows his time is short (Revelation 12:17), Satan has drawn targets on the backs of Christians and Jews and things will not go well for us.

So how in the world can we remain optimistic?

That's just it, our hope is not "in the world."

"And the world with its seductions is passing away..." 1John 2:17

A wise man once said: "To be consumed with this life is to be unprepared for the next." --Len Woods, Th.M.

News:

• Reuters: Central America braces for drought-linked food crisis; widespread crop damage to blame.
• Fox News Channel: Five nights of riots and looting escalates in Ferguson, MO as police meet threat with military-like force. Highway Patrol vows a change in tactics will turn things around.
• Jerusalem Post: Dramatic surge in anti-Semitism during Gaza offensive: violence against Jews, Jewish institutions "metastasized" during military operations in Gaza.

"Expert:"US Hospitals Unprepared for Ebola""

Dr. Betsy McCaughey, Ph.D. is a health policy expert and author of more than 100 scholarly articles. In 2004 she founded the Committee to Reduce Infection Deaths from hospital-acquired infections and proposed health legislation that became the model used in many states today.

She believes US hospitals are unprepared to handle Ebola.

"Many hospitals are poorly prepared to contain any pathogen. That's why at least 75,000 people a year die from hospital infections. If hospitals can't stop common infections like MRSA, C.diff and VRE, they can't handle Ebola," Dr. McCaughey said.

With a death rate ranging from 60 to 90%, the Ebola outbreak has infected over 1700 people and killed close to 1000. And while most health officials claim Ebola poses virtually no risk to Americans, McCaughey begs to differ.

"For example; an estimated 14,000 patients die each year from Clostridium difficile (C.diff), a health care infection spread by diarrhea. Invisibly small fecal particles contaminate bed rails, curtains, nurses' uniforms and other surfaces, carrying the disease from one patient to another. The same could happen with Ebola if precautions are ignored."

McCaughey contends: "Whether Americans die of Ebola will depend largely on what hospitals do when the first victims unknowingly carrying the virus are admitted."

What about the CDC? They're telling us Ebola is nothing to worry about.

"In the last three months," Dr. McCaughey said, "three incidents of the CDC mishandling pathogens--anthrax, avian flu, and smallpox--have come to light. Why assume the agency's ready for Ebola?"

Good question.

/ebolas-spread-us-inevitable-says-cdc-chief-

"Nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other. There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and epidemics in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs in the heavens." --Luke 21: 10 & 11, New Living Translation

A wise man once said: "To believe with certainly we must begin with doubting." - Stanislaus Lescynski, King of Poland (1705)

News:

• CBS Atlanta: CDC raises Ebola alert to the highest level: "The spread in West Africa shows how difficult this outbreak will be to control--but we can control it."
• Breitbart: Lawmakers called back to DC from recess to analyze threat of Ebola; "This is the biggest and most complex Ebola outbreak in history," said CDC Director.
• Wall Street Journal: Pres. Obama weighs airstrikes in Northern Iraq as Christians are slaughtered by ISIS.
• Voice of America: US Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warns Russia could be poised to invade Ukraine; cites Russia troops massed on border. Russia signs pact with Iran to help both countries evade sanctions.