What is Hamas?
Notes
Transcript
What is Hamas?
What is Hamas?
According to the Director of National Intelligence’s site, here is what the term Hamas stands for...
HAMAS - the acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya (Islamic Resistance Movement)
source: dni.gov
But for the Christian, woo boy…Hamas and Gaza have very different meanings...
Here are a few screen captures I made of a few videos that are floating around out there...
***Video Slide Show***
Here is what one ‘prophet’ said...
Randy Kay: The depth and gravity of this message could not be overstated in terms of its importance. God spoke several words to Randy Kay in response to the attacks on Israel. Those words are shared toward the end of this message. These are words of comfort, challenge, and correction - and of peace and comfort. They are prophetic and scripturally validated. Hear now the rhema words of the Holy Spirit...
Now, when things like this happen anywhere in the middle east, prophecy people come out and we start to see videos and messages like these.
Then, drop CNN, Fox, etc., on top of that, and it won’t take long for you to think that we are at some inflection point that we need to pay attention too.
Why? Since Israel has been in the land, many, including myself in the past, believed that a prophetic clock started.
We started to put all kinds of passages together that made no sense before, which made total sense now.
What happens to you when you are flooded with all this information alongside stirring stories and images?
Your brain is primed to receive information in a powerful way
And it creates, if you are a Christian, a form of cognitive dissonance
Cognitive dissonance is a mental conflict that occurs when your beliefs don't line up with your actions. It's an uncomfortable state of mind when someone has contradictory values, attitudes, or perspectives about the same thing.
CD occurs on all sides when we are presented with information.
Proverbs 4:27 “Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”
- I saw someone post this verse on Twitter and a response agreed it was best to be libertarian or independent and not be a Democrat or Republican.
- As if there were Democrats and Republicans in the days the proverbs were recorded.
- But, it can be good advice anyway!
A little background that might help you...
Yes...
- Gaza appears in scripture
- Hamas appears in scripture
They are semitic (Hebrew) words that describe something.
***Hamas Images***
*gen 6:11*
Genesis 6:11 “Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.”
*gen 6:13*
Genesis 6:13 “And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.”
Now all of this seems interesting, but hamas is not a people group.
- It is a thing that humans do to themselves and each other.
*gen 49:5*
Genesis 49:5 ““Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.”
Are we saying that Simeon and Levi (the tribe of the priests) are Hamas? These are two tribes of Israel?
Of course not!!!
But they can do hamas to others, just as all humans can.
Did you know that the Messiah (who would be Jesus) and hamas appear together?
*Is 53:9*
Isaiah 53:9 “And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.”
Ezekiel speaks of the end and uses the term hamas...
*Ezek 7:23*
Ezekiel 7:23 ““Forge a chain! For the land is full of bloody crimes and the city is full of violence.”
Here is an interesting one…there is a passage in Ezekiel that many think speaks of the serpent in the garden. It is a lengthy description and here is a portion of it...
*Ezek 28:16*
Ezekiel 28:16 “In the abundance of your trade you were filled with violence in your midst, and you sinned; so I cast you as a profane thing from the mountain of God, and I destroyed you, O guardian cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.”
What does God think about violence (if Gen 6 was not enough)
*Ps 11:5*
Psalm 11:5 “The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.”
I hope you are seeing that Hamas, as far as scripture is concerned, is not a people group. It is an attribute of a wicked heart that is bent on violence.
And you can see what God thinks about this.
Anyone can be hamas towards another, you need to be aware of that.
- You and I are not immune, we can be caught up in the FRENZY!
- Don’t be caught up.
What about Gaza...
*Gen 10:19*
Genesis 10:19 “And the territory of the Canaanites extended from Sidon in the direction of Gerar as far as Gaza, and in the direction of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.”
Joshua led campaigns to eliminate the nephilim in the land, and that land included Gaza
*Josh 10:14*
Joshua 10:14 “There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded the voice of a man, for the Lord fought for Israel.”
Moreover, there were other nephilim in the land...
*Josh 11:22*
Joshua 11:22 “There was none of the Anakim left in the land of the people of Israel. Only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Ashdod did some remain.”
Notice in there the city name Ashdod. We will see that Ashkelon will be in the neighborhood too.
*Zeph 2:4*
Zephaniah 2:4 “For Gaza shall be deserted, and Ashkelon shall become a desolation; Ashdod’s people shall be driven out at noon, and Ekron shall be uprooted.”
What are you learning about this piece of land?
It is a location on earth.
*Gaza Map*
It has been associated with intelligent evil for multiple Millenia.
- We are Christians.
- We believe in the supernatural
- Why would we think otherwise today?
Now, for the prophecy buffs out there…here is my question.
If Hamas and Gaza are in scriptural prophecy, then we should expect to see the two terms near each other, right?
*Image of search results*
Nope. Nada. Nothing.
But what about the Amos 1 Prophecy!!!???
Yeah, I read that too, let’s see what it says.
Thus says the Lord: “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment, because they carried into exile a whole people to deliver them up to Edom. So I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, and it shall devour her strongholds.
Sounds like what we are seeing today huh...
Let’s keep reading...
(That is great advice…KEEP READING…)
I will cut off the inhabitants from Ashdod, and him who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will turn my hand against Ekron, and the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,” says the Lord God.
Interesting, sounds like this Amos prophecy includes Ashdod and Ashkelon, which are in Israel today.
Oh, and it speaks of the Philistines, which are no longer there.
But Jeremy, these two verses are not connected.
Ah, but they are. 1:6 opens with Thus says the LORD and verse 8 closes with ‘says the Lord GOD.’
Do you see how selective readings of scripture placed in the hands and mouths of those who have an agenda can confuse you to think things that are not true?
Let us hear the words of Jesus when his disciples asked about what will happen near the end, when he would return a second time.
As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately.
‘Tell us,’ they said, ‘when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that you are going to appear as king, and that the end of the age is upon us?’
‘Watch out,’ replied Jesus. ‘Don’t let anyone deceive you. You see, there will be several who will come along, using my name, telling you “I’m the Messiah!” They will fool lots of people. You’re going to hear about wars, actual wars and rumoured ones; make sure you don’t get alarmed. This has got to happen, but it doesn’t mean the end is coming yet. Nations will rise against one another, and kingdoms against each other. There will be famines and earthquakes here and there. All this is just the start of the birthpangs.
‘Then they will hand you over to be tortured, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. Then several will find the going too hard, and they will betray each other and hate each other. Many false prophets will arise, and they will deceive plenty of people. And because lawlessness will be on the increase, many will find their love growing cold.
What do we hear in these verses?
People will come in the name of Jesus
They will fool many people.
You are going to hear about war
Don’t let that guide you.
You will hear about natural disasters
Yes, these will happen
You will find it too hard to believe
you will betray and hate each other
False prophets will rise
Many will be deceived
Because of lawlessness
Love will grow cold
What was the command?
‘Watch out,’ replied Jesus. ‘Don’t let anyone deceive you.’