In what appears to be another critical foreign policy misjudgment, President Obama admits that the United States underestimated the rise of ISIS, and overestimated the ability and willingness of the Iraqi military to fight the battle.

Confirmed by congressional testimony, intelligence officials tracking al-Qaeda and its spinoff, ISIS, knew of troubling events as early as 2012, when they reported enlarged ISIS operations in Iraq and Syria, seizure of an oil-rich province, and the increase of thousands of new fighters who infiltrated Syria through Turkey.  That congressional testimony garnered very little media attention, but was evidence that ISIS planned to set up shop in Syria and operate throughout the region.

By November 2013, with Syria mired in a messy civil war, ISIS established control of large parts of Syria.  By mid-2014, ISIS had moved into Iraq and captured major cities such as Fallujah, Mosul, and Tikrit.  In addition, they tortured and killed thousands of Christians and others who disagreed with them theologically, and they began beheading American and British journalists.  America had virtually little response, and as recently as September 4, Obama announced that “We don’t have a strategy yet” regarding ISIS.

The Obama administration quickly sent Secretary of State John Kerry out to drum up allies to help stop the terrorist advance of ISIS, and US and allied forces began making limited airstrikes on ISIS positions.  Too little, too late.  ISIS moved boldly into Iraq in huge caravans on wide open highways in broad daylight.  Airstrikes at that point might have saved thousands of lives and at least slowed (if not stopped) the advance of ISIS.

Now entrenched and setting up shop in various cities in Syria and Iraq, President Obama’s adamant commitment to put “no boots on the ground,” and now the admission that ISIS is a more formidable opponent than thought, ISIS knows they have the upper hand.  Expect them to exploit that fact, and anticipate that allies will run into the same issues we just witnessed in Gaza: civilians being used as human shields, making airstrikes virtually impossible without putting civilian lives in danger.

This is the latest in troubling conditions.  Terrorist organizations and evil regimes are becoming more and more emboldened as they see the world’s greatest superpower respond poorly to major events.  Here is a very short list of fairly recent foreign policy missteps:

• April 25, 2012: President Obama sets a clear “red line” regarding Syria’s use of chemical weapons on their citizens or transfer of those chemical weapons to terrorist groups. Yet Syria continued to use chemical weapons with no real consequences from the US.
• September 11, 2012: Despite repeated calls for additional security, ambassadors and staff inside the US embassy in Benghazi Libya were attacked and killed by terrorists.
• Early-2014: Russian President Vladimir Putin mobilized troops, artillery and aircraft on Ukraine’s borders. The American administration talked tough, but did virtually nothing.  In return, Russia seemed to overtly mock America’s weakness.  For example, Russian’s deputy prime minister (Dmitry Rogozin) took to social media to belittle President Obama.

So, here is the point: We are blessed to live in a free country where democracy grants us the right to elect our government officials.  Believers, it is our responsibility and obligation to vote our values in order to elect officials that stand on the side of righteousness.  When we fail collectively to do that, we reap the consequences.

On the other hand, we must know that God is sovereign.  In the end, there will be turmoil and chaos.  There will be leaders with no moral foundation.  Israel will stand alone and evil will come against her.  As Americans, we need to understand that though God has blessed us and has used America in mighty ways to spread the Gospel, we will cease to be a world power in the end.

Maybe, just maybe, God is answering our prayer of “Maranatha, Lord come quickly!”