The Rise of ISIS: Preparing for the Days Ahead

JERUSALEM, Israel -- From American aid worker Kayla Meuller to a Jordanian pilot, the Islamic State continues to horrify the world.

ISIS burst onto the world stage during the summer of 2014 when it captured Iraq's second largest city, Mosul, and left thousands of devastated lives in its wake.

Since then, Islamic State threatens the Middle East and vows to fly its flag over the White House.

Following the Islamic blitzkrieg by the Islamic State, CBN News Middle East Bureau Chief Chris Mitchell traveled to the front lines of ISIS.

***For more on the Islamic State crisis, watch CBN News's roundtable below:

Mitchell sat down with the Peshmerga, the Kurdish military, heard horrific stories from Yazidi families, and met Christian refugees who came face to face with ISIS and shared their heart-gripping accounts.

"They take everything from the house, from the store, everything. They hate Christians especially. We don't know why," one refugee explained. "Jesus save me. Forgive them. Forgive them because they didn't know what they want, what they ask."

Mitchell describes these experiences in his new best-seller, Destination Jerusalem: ISIS, Convert or Die, Christian Persecution and Preparing for the Days Ahead.

In the book, he chronicles the rise of ISIS, the threat it poses to Western civilization and the tragic persecution - some say ethnic cleansing - of Christians in the Middle East. The book also addresses how we can prepare ourselves for the dangerous days that lie ahead.

***Chris Mitchell will talk more about his new book on The 700 Club, Feb. 18. Check your local listings or check CBNNews.com after 11 a.m. ET for that interview.