Israel, Hamas, and the End Times

Israel is central to the story of the Bible. The Bible records Israel’s past and prophecies about it’s future. The Jews are God’s chosen people through whom He provided a Savior to rescue mankind from their sins. This Savior, Jesus, was born in Israel, died in Israel, rose from the dead in Israel, and is coming again to Israel. So we need to keep our eye on Jesus.

On Saturday October 7, 2023, 1500 of the terrorist organization Hamas broke through the security fence separating Israel from Gaza, came in on motorcycles, gliders and jeeps, and brutally and savagely murdered music festival attenders and then went on to murder Jewish men, women and children all the while raping women and children before killing them who were living in Kibutz along the border. It was more brutal than any of us who have not experienced it can even imagine. It was pure evil.

Pic of Hadar and Itai Berdichevsky and their twon babies. Kafar Azai Kibutz. When they heard the terrorist coming they hid their babies and then engaged the terrorist. They were brutally Murdered. Hours later the IDF found the 2 babies who are now orphans.

For the first time in 50 years, Israel has officially declared war against Hamas. The event has been referred to as Israel’s 9/11. Proportionally the populations of Israel is 7.1 million compared to over 300 million in the US, and Proportionally, the loss is actually 30 times worse that what the United States endured on September 11, 2001 in terms of population and casualties. Think about it.

I want you to know that we stand with Israel without hesitation. I also want to say, that just like in the 1930s and 40s, there were some sensible Germans, today there are some sensible Palestinians who are opposed to Hamas and Islamic Terrorism and who believe in Israels right to exist. To those Palestinians, we stand with you as well.

So for the rest of today we want to answer these 5 questions.

Who or what is Hamas? Why is Hamas so intent on destroying Israel and the Jewish people? What is the history of the Palestinians and the land of Israel? Why are so many American youth and young adults supporting the Palestinian cause today? How might any of this fit into Bible Prophecy about the end times?

Pray -

1. Who or what is Hamas?

Hamas is a terrorist organization comprised of Sunni Muslims.

The name is an acronym which in English translates to Islamic Resistance Movement.

In Arabic the word translates to strength or zeal.

In Hebrew it translates to violence. This is a more appropriate definition of what they are really about.

The organization, Hamas, intent is to destroy the nation of Israel.

Hamas does not care about the Palestinians people but uses them as human shields.

Hamas is preventing the Palestinians from leaving Gaza City before Israel invades, despite Israel’s repeated warnings for the people to evacuate.

When Hamas came to control Gaza, they used all their money and the money given to them by the world’s nations to build underground tunnels and purchase munitions instead of developing Gaza for the Palestinian people.

Hamas is to blame for the Palestinian people’s poor living conditions and isolation… not Israel.

Look at their organizing documents.

The Hamas Covenant 1988

Opening Paragraph - Israel will exist and continue to exist until Islam will obliterate it, just as it obliterated others before it.

Article 7 - The Day of Judgement would not come until the Muslims fight and kill the Jews.

Hamas doesn’t care about Palestinians either. That’s why they set up rocket launchers in schools and hospitals. They know that when Israel retaliates, it gives them good optics so they can cry about how horrible Israel is.

What nation at war drops leaflets to warn civilians to flee. No one, but Israel did. Hamas attacks civilians and children. Israel even told them where to evacuate to but Hamas prevented the people from leaving.

At the music festival where so many were killed and kidnapped, it was attended by Jews and Arab Israeli’s. Both were killed. Hamas doesn’t care.

In Israel, you don’t just have Jews living there. There are are Arab Israeli citizens. Some of them are Muslim and some are Christians. These Arab Israelis live in peace in Israel with Jews.

Hamas is an evil demonic ideology that needs to be defeated.

Hamas Time Line -

1987 - Hamas was founded in Gaza by Sheikh Almed Yassin, a Palestinian cleric, as an offshoot of the Egyptian based Muslim Brotherhood.

1988 - Hamas published it’s charter calling for the destruction of Israel and the establishment of an Islamic state in it’s place.

1991 - It’s military wing, the Izzedine al-Qassam Brigades, was established.

1993 - Hamas began suicide bombings in Israel just prior to the Oslo Accords, which gave the Palestinian Authority autonomy and limited authority in Gaza and the Westbank.

Oslo accords were supposed to bring peace to the area, but Hamas was opposed to the aoccrds and to peace because they do not recognize Israel’s right to exist.

1997 - Hamas was designated a terrorist organization by the US and dozens of other countries in response to the groups Iran supported use of explosives and rockets, along with suicide bombings and kidnappings used to target Israel.

2000 - Deadly intifada (uprising) of Palestinian's against Israelis.

This is actually the 2nd intifada. Israel put a fence up at this time for their protection.

2005 - Israel evacuated all their troops and settlers from Gaza and built a security fence around Gaza for national security.

So Gaza has not been occupied by Israel since 2005. They left Gaza to themselves and here is what they did…

2006 - Hamas won a surprise victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections and then seized full control of Gaza, overthrowing forces loyal the PA president Mahmoud Abbas.

As a result, much of the international community cut off aid to Gaza because they did not want to finance a terrorist sponsored territory.

The Palestinian people now suffering due to Hamas activities. Israel gets blamed for this too often.

Until this war began, Israel supplied Gaza with electricity, food, water, and allowed people to come to work.

The reason the world cut them off is because they recognized that you cannot financially support a terror organization which is what Hamas in Gaza is.

Oct 7, 2023 - Hamas terrorists penetrate the security fence around Gaza and 1500 terrorist enter Israel and attack, slaughter, rape and abduct Jews in the worst mass murdering of Jews since the Holocaust.

The Palestinian people in Gaza have no one to blame for their poor living conditions, and the war being waged on them now but Hamas. It’s not Israel’s fault, the fault lies on Hamas.

Hamas is responsible.

The protesters in the US that are holding up signs saying free Palestine are wrong. The signs should say free Palestine from Hamas. They are responsible for their suffering.

In 2006 wen Hamas took power, instead of taking all the finances they had to build infrastructure, factories, homes, jobs, hospitals etc. They took the money and built Tunnels underground and purchased weapons so they could carry out their mission to destroy Israel.

They took all of their resources and devoted them to the destruction of Israel instead of helping the Palestinian people that supposedly represent.

2. Why is Hamas so intent on destroying Israel and the Jewish people?

There are ideological, political answers but let’s look at the spiritual answer.

The Spiritual Element

You can trace it back to Genesis. Outside of the will of God, Abraham slept with Hagar, Sarah’s servant who birth Ishmael. Isaac was born to Sarah.

1. Both Jewish and Islamic people are from the line of Abraham.

The Jewish people are descendants of Abraham’s son Isaac, and the Islamic people are descendants of Abraham’s son Ishmael. These two people groups have been against each other since conflict arose between the two brothers. It is basically caused by jealousy over the promise. The descendants of Ishmael don’t have it and the descendants of Isaac do.

Look at this prophesy for the descendants of Ishmael in Gen 16:12

Genesis 16:12 NLT

12 This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.”

2. Satan incites antisemitism.

To be more specific, the hatred of Hamas and others like Iran towards Israel is inspired by Satan and is in fact Satanism. Anti-sementism is Satanism. The hatred of Jewish people is something that Satan inspires.

Look at…

Revelation 12:4 NIV

4 Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.

The dragon is Satan; the Woman is Israel; and the child is Jesus.

3. Satan has always tried to destroy the redemptive plan of God.

He has done everything he can to thwart the redemptive plan o fGod. God chose to set apart the Jewish people as the means through which he would bring Jesus into the world to be Savior who could rescue people from their sins.

God chose Abram who became Abraham. Abram was living in Iraq but God chose him to be the father of the Nation of Israel and through these people would come the Messiah, not just for Jews, but for the whole world.

Satan hates the redemptive plan of god and because the redemptive plan is centered in Israel. That’s where our Savior was born, lived, died, was resurrected and will return to. Because of that Satan hates Israel. Satan is doing everything he can to bring the hatred of the whole world against this one location because it represents the redemptive plan of God.

God said he will bless those who bless Israel and cruse those who curse Israel.

Genesis 12:3 NLT

3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

His eye is on this land because this is where he chose to reveal His redemptive plan for the world.

4. Antisemitism is satanism.

This is a spiritual war.

The Populist Element

The common narrative that you hear is that Hamas believes Israel and Jews are occupying lans that belongs to the Palestinians. So you may hear the protesters calling Israel the Occupiers… Colonialist.

This leads us to the next question we will address.

3. What is the history of the Palestinians in the land of Israel?

The Jews are not occupiers. If you know history,

The Jews are the indigenous people in Israel.

The Jews lived in the land for 2100 years before the term Palestine or Palestinian existed.

2100 hundred years before anyone was called a Palestinian.

The Jews lived in the land for 2600 years before the religion of Islam existed.

2600 years before Islam was a religion, the Nation of Israel or the Jews were living in the land.

For those who don’t want to believe the Bible, let’s look at the archeological evidence.

A 13th Century BC Egyptian Stele mentioned the nation of Israel.

(stone slab used to record information)

It speaks of Israel by name.

A 9th Century BC Canaanite stele mentioned King David of Israel.

It referred to David as King of Israel in this area.

So the Bible and Archeology show that the Jews are the indigenous people of this land.

Here is what happened that has caused the Palestinians to think it’s their land.

The Jews were displaced, oppressed and murdered from the time of their conquer by Babylon in 586 BC until they reclaimed their homeland in 1948

Many were dispersed to the conquering nations.

However, many Jews remained in their homeland during the displacement but were ruled by other empires. First it was the Babylonians, then the Persians, then the Greeks, then the Romans, then the Byzantines, then the Arab Islamic empire, the the Catholic Crusaders, then the Mamalouks, then the Ottomans then the British Empire. So because of all the empires coming in and controlling the land after the Jews were dispersed, it’s no wonder that all these folks want to claim it as their land.

But you have to remember, the Jews were here 2000 years before any of these people.

So where did the Palestinian people come from? Where is the Word come from?

In AD 135, the Roman Emperor Hadrian overcame a Jewish revolt, dispersed the Jews from Jerusalem and renamed Israel Palestina as a nod to the Philistines, the Biblical enemy of Israel. so Hadrian, as a way to dishonor the Jewish people after the revolt, changed the name of the area to the name of their enemy.

So from 135 AD to 1948, the area was called Palestine until the Jewish nation was re-established and gave the land back it’s rightful name.

So when Hadrian renamed the land to Palestina, the Arabs living there became known as Palestinians. But, so were the Jews that were living in the Land. If you were born in that land before 1948, whether you were Jew or Arab, your birth certificate said, Palestinian. There are Jews still living there whose birth certificate says Palestinian. Why? Because the Roman Emperor Hadrian renamed it to Palestina in 135 AD.

So the Arab people living there are living under the false name of Palestinian because Hadrian renamed the land.

God gave the title deed of Israel to the Jews.

Genesis 15:18 NLT

18 So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, “I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River—

4000 years ago. This was 300,000 square miles.

The Jews have never fully occupied the full amount of land God intended for them to have.

map

The closest Israel ever came to possessing all God intended for them was during the reign of King David.

Israel during the Reign of King David

Following Britain’s defeat of the Ottoman Turks in WW1, the British decided to return a portion of the land back to Israel through the Balfour Declaration in 1917.

In 1917 the British return some land to Israel in the Balfour Declaration.

They understood that the Jews needed to be able to return to their homeland.

Land Britain intended to give Israel

In 1922 the Hussein family objected to the Balfour Declaration and Winston Churchill of Great Britain rescinded the offer to Israel and split the territory into Transjordan and Palestine. In 1946 Transjordan became Jordan, and in 1948, the land called Palestine was returned to Israel and became the nation of Israel.

In 1948, Israel became a nation once again.

Israel in 1948

It’s Israel’s land, they are not colonialist or occupiers. It’s just a fraction of what God intended.

The Jews are not occupiers or colonialist. This is their land, not just because GB said they could but because God deeded it to them thousands of years ago.

4. Why are so many American youth and young adults supporting the Palestinian cause today?

Many younger people are compassionate toward the disadvantaged.

Much of the younger generation has a compassionate heart toward the disadvantaged; they come against injustices such as human trafficking, world hunger, environment, etc.

Don’t stop caring for people. Here is the challenge, Know why you are part of that cause.

Compassion is vital but must be balanced with a correct understanding of facts.

When you don’t get the facts straight you end up looking silly. So make sure to get your facts straight and know why and what you are supporting.

Most people, especially young people do not know this history I have just given you, so they believe this false narrative thats out there… that the Jews are the occupiers, etc. Listen, you can have compassion for the Palestinian people but don’t forget what happened on Oct 7, 2023. Stop trying to accuse the Israeli’s of being bullies. Look,

There are 22 Arab states today.

There are more than 52 Islamic states today.

There is one Jewish State and that’s Israel.

Who is the bully?

We do not have to defend every action taken by Israel in their history to understand that they are entitled to the land of Israel. The return to their homeland was messy. There have been several wars fought right from the beginning. They way they repossessed the land was messy and Palestinian families were displaced which caused conflict. Unfortunately, many of the Palestinian teachers teach the children to hate the Jews and they chant Death to Israel on the Temple Mount. That will continue to happen until someone wakes up and says this is wrong.

Suggesting that Israel took back land that was not their own is intellectually dishonest.

What feeds many young people’s your desire to jump on the bandwagon is that it makes you feel good. We all have a guilty conscience. But the only way to clear your guilty conscience, is to receive forgiveness through Jesus. But many try to clear their conscience by taking on causes.

This is called Moralistic Therapeutic Deism. 2005 a Harvard teacher coined the phrase to describe the generation that is making a god out of humanitarian causes. The moralistic part is you want to do good. Great. The the therapeutic part is that you feel good when you do. But then you make a god out of it. That’s the deism part and it’s a dangerous place to be. Why? Because you jump on the latest bandwagon without doing your homework and you can’t defend why so you end up looking silly.

Get a relationship with Jesus and get your feel good from him and then you will know what’s good and right to jump onto.

5. How might any of this fit into Bible prophecy about the End times?

Anytime something like this is going on, we need to look to the Bible.

Ezekiel 38:1–6 NLT

1 This is another message that came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of man, turn and face Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him. 3 Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: Gog, I am your enemy! 4 I will turn you around and put hooks in your jaws to lead you out with your whole army—your horses and charioteers in full armor and a great horde armed with shields and swords. 5 Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya will join you, too, with all their weapons. 6 Gomer and all its armies will also join you, along with the armies of Beth-togarmah from the distant north, and many others.

Gog is a title. He is the prince of Magog.

Is this happening now?

Magog which represents Russia, will join forces with 5 other nations from the North to come against Israel.

One of those nations is Persia, which today is Iran. Hamas is financed and suppled all of their arms by Iran. Iran used be an ally of the US and Israel. They sold oil to Israel until the Islamic revolution in 1979. Iran is behind all of this. Hamas and Hezbollah have both said Iran was behind Oct 7th.

I have no idea why our government has struggled to place the blame on Iran is mind boggling. I do want to state that Biden and SOS Blinkin have supported Israel.

Ezekiel said that No other nations will come to Israel’s aid. We are helping Israel right now. We are giving them munitions.

Israel’s conflict with Hamas came from the South, and Israel presently has the support of the United States in it’s efforts to defend itself, indicating that we are not yet in the events described in Ezekiel 38.

Here is where Ezekiel begins to take place. If the Northern nations begin to engage in the conflict and the US backs out of the conflict, those events in Ezekiel 38 may be coming to pass.

Here is a scenerio that the US might stop it’s support.

The language of world leaders towards Israel is changing. They are telling Israel to be nice. Don’t be so overpowering. If we think Israel is too harsh, we might pull out.

The UN refuses to call Hamas a terror group and is putting pressure on Israel to not be too harsh in their response to the Hamas attacks.

As the US faces other threats from within and without, it may be stretched too thin to continue supporting Israel. Ukraine, China, North Korea, Terrorist coming across the Southern border. If this happens we might say good bye to Israel because we can only do so much.

That would make this Ex 38. Here is what’s next.

The next event in Biblical prophecy happens between Ezekiel 38 and 39 and it’s the rapture.

The rapture of the church happens between 38 and 39 so be ready.

Look up for your redemption draweth nigh

Luke 21:28 NLT

28 So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

What can we do today?

Pray for Israel… Palestinians… our young people to know the truth… for grieving families… Israeli troops…