All right, it might not start until 2016, these things can be awfully hard to predict exactly. However, surprising as it may seem, one way or another the end of ISIS is in sight, and it's all resting securely in the hands of Jesus, peace be upon him.
There has been a great deal of mainstream media attention lately, both video and print, regarding the fact that ISIS is recruiting based on the promise that their fighters are actually participating in the rapidly approaching end of the world.
At the same time, mainstream orthodox Muslim websites are already predicting Jesus' return as early as 2022, starting an Islamic prophetic clock set to run over the next 7 years, in the purportedly rapidly approaching run-up to Armageddon.
The good news is that even if they're wrong, those claims ISIS is making about their own role in Islamic end-time prophecy spell their own certain end. Because even though ISIS claims they're fighting on the side of the angels, it's obvious they're not,and it should become progressively clearer to even the most misguided Jihadi that either ISIS is wrong about Armageddon or that they're on the wrong side, because of all the things Muslims know are supposed to happen.
And if it turns out they're right, then we can all rest assured that by the time the dust has finally settled there will be no question left about who's side they are really on, because it's all going to be about Jesus.
Frankly, although I'd like to believe the orthodox predictions are correct, I think they're premature, and that ISIS is crazy-stupid. We had a very informative event up here in Calgary last month hosted by the US State Department, where Dr. Michael Ryan of the Middle East Institute shared his valuable insights into ISIS' recruiting strategy. We learned that ISIS actually complains in their internal communiquÉs about their difficulty recruiting informed Muslims, because "Islam makes them tend towards life and their community". They find more success attracting Muslims they call "losers" -- ignorant about their Islamic faith and marginalized by drugs, alcoholism, crime, mental illness or recent life-changing events. That's not the sort of Muslim you would expect to know much about the religion, or to make good life -- or end-of-life -- choices either. Given that, I think we can discount their validity of their "good-guy" claims, even despite their despicable and deplorable actions which should in themselves be sufficient.
