A Threat to America: Hamas Is Coming

As we continue navigating the straits, the developing news continues to advertise that we are living in precarious times. So, it seems appropriate to read what Paul wrote to Timothy so long ago:

He went on to liken these type of people to the two Egyptian magicians who resisted Moses -- men of corrupt minds who deceived people (including Pharaoh) into thinking that they possessed some God-like power. Paul also went on to say that, in the last days, people would “turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” -- which is to say, people would believe things that simply are not true; things that are conceived in the wicked imaginations of men. 

This past week we have seen just how easy it is for some, motivated by a lust for power and control, and who knows what else, to simply lie -- to say things that are not so. These headstrong, haughty lovers of money and themselves work feverishly to rewrite history and expect that people will believe them instead of they lying eyes. Sadly, it works. So many people -- perhaps for their own selfish reasons -- will believe a lie at the drop of a hat. In another of his letters, Paul reveals that this readiness to believe falsehoods is the result of strong delusion sent by God because, in the last days, people would rather believe a lie than embrace the truth. As Paul said, “They did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

In Gay Paris this past week, things got really gay, and the world got a shocking glimpse of what those who take pleasure in unrighteousness think the world should look like. In my view, it was an example of the unholiness Paul warned us about. People without self control blasphemed the God of Heaven by parading flagrant wickedness before the eyes of the world. I'm referring specifically to the horrific display that was part of the opening ceremonies of the Olympics in Paris. During the opening ceremony, in what appeared to resemble a depiction of the Last Supper, drag queens, a transgender model and a naked singer made to resemble the Greek god Dionysus, put on a drag show, all in the name of “community tolerance.” In addition, among the different torch bearers was a drag queen who, elated at the controversy, said, “To the ones that had their feathers ruffled seeing queerness on their screen: WE AIN’T GOING NOWHERE.” 

It is claimed by Olympic officials that this was not intended to be a depiction of Da Vinci's Last Supper but the feast of Dionysius. It doesn't matter: the point was obviously to force millions, maybe billions of people, to look upon blatant rebellion and perversion as something to be admired and celebrated. Furthermore, they did this knowing that many of those watching would be children. That really shouldn't surprise us though, seeing that these people go into American schools and libraries to read inappropriate material to children on so-called Drag Days. Mainstream Media was, of course, thrilled with the display. The AP described it as an “unprecedented display of inclusivity.” NBC described it as an “unabashed performance” (unabashed means “not ashamed,” i.e. “having no shame”) that “captivated the world.” And get this: First Lady Jill Biden had nothing but praise for the opening ceremonies calling it “spectacular.” She was quoted as saying that the U.S. would have to work hard to best Paris' opening ceremony when the games are held in Los Angeles in 2028. She is quoted as saying, “How are we going to top this?” How indeed?

On a related note, this past week Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, (who hails from San Francisco) appeared with men in drag and LGBTQ+ activists on a popular reality show called “Drag Race.” While on set, she had this to say: “Each day we are seeing our rights and freedoms under attack, including the right of everyone to be who they are, love who they love, openly and with pride.” As a footnote, other notable politicians have appeared on the program including Nancy Pelosi (also from San Francisco) and the infamous AOC. Here is the point: blatant immorality is celebrated and validated by those in positions of power, both in this nation and the world; they proudly take positions that are in direct opposition to the Almighty. In his letter to the Galatians, Paul warned:

All of this leads me to this conclusion: if this is where we are headed as a nation -- and it certainly seems to be the trend -- we are in big trouble. If this kind of rebellion is embraced,  tolerated, validated and defended by the people, including those who seek high office, we are opening ourselves up to God's wrath. Some will scoff at that statement, but blowing it off as fantasy will not change the reality of the situation. If this kind of rebellion is to be protected by those in government, and at the expense of morality as God defines it, we are only a hop, skip and a jump from the culture described in Genesis 19 -- one in which it was dangerous to be outside after dark lest one be assaulted by men who practiced perversity. And we know how that turned out.

This brings us to the main point of our discussion this week -- the events that transpired in D.C. as Benjamin Netanyahu addressed Congress. Okay -- what does that have to do with what we've been discussing so far? Simply put: if we sow rebellion, we will reap the whirlwind.

On the eve of Netanyahu's address, about 200 people described by the U.S. Capitol Police as “peaceful demonstrators” invaded the Capitol building. Some of these peaceful protestors forced at least one congressman and his staff to barricade themselves in their offices. The protesters reportedly began “violently beating on all three of the doors.” (See if you can detect the irony in this). Meanwhile at the Watergate Hotel, where the Israeli Prime Minister was staying, “peaceful demonstrators” released maggots, crickets and mealworms throughout the hotel in an attempt to disrupt Netanyahu's stay. Ironically, the stated goal of the peaceful protest was to “manufacture chaos” so that the Israeli delegation would have “no peace.”The most alarming demonstration, however, took place in the streets of D.C. outside the Capitol and at Union Station. Time magazine described it this way:

One news reporter described it as a scene one might see in the streets of Teheran or some other third world city. But it wasn't -- it was in the U.S. capital. Think of it: in our nation's capital, supporters of Hamas were burning American flags, and replacing our flag with that of the mythical state of Palestine. In our nation's capital, people were carrying the banner of Hamas and crying for the destruction of Israel and America. They chased counter-protestors and threatened them to the point that one man had to find shelter in a building and lock the doors behind him. Scenes we've only viewed on television, from other lands, are now in the streets of our cities.

There's another troubling component to this: when it came to the address itself, over 100 congressmen and women, all Democrat, decided to skip the message entirely as a show of protest. But I would suggest that it was also a show of solidarity with the anarchists who were, at that moment, preaching violence and Israel's destruction. We should also note that the Vice President, who also functions as President of the Senate, decided not to attend, opting instead to speak at a sorority function in Indiana. It should further be noted that the Vice President was strangely slow to condemn the riots. She eventually did, but for the record, she has voiced support for protests such as this in times past, even those that turned to rioting.

Upon her return to D.C., she met briefly with Netanyahu and almost immediately pressed him to reach a cease fire agreement with Hamas, reportedly agitating Netanyahu. She had no comment when asked if she intended to press Hamas leadership to do the same. Of course we know that others in her party consider Netanyahu to be a war criminal and Israel an apartheid state. And it should also be pointed out that, some of the most active and outspoken anti-Israel groups in America are backed, financially, by some of the largest donors to the current administration

So what am I getting at? This -- Hamas is coming; and its coming to destroy, consume and devour. Sadly, it seems that far too many people are either indifferent to this threat, or worse, encouraging it. I'd go so far as to say that some in positions of power are sympathetic to Hamas and other such terror organizations. That being said, these people are not the only culprits; the nation as a whole has played a role in getting us to where we are. Whether consciously or unwittingly, our attitude and actions that are in opposition to God's standards have opened the door to an invasion -- not just of immigrants but of militants and those who seek our destruction.

Make no mistake about it; what happened in D.C. is connected to what happened in Paris and the rebellion it represents. How? Because when we sow rebellion, we will reap the whirlwind. Actually, there were, in fact, Gays for Gaza among the protestors in D.C., which is quite odd when you think about it. Because, as Netanyahu rightly pointed out, gays in Gaza would be dead gays in Gaza. They certainly would not be tolerated but, then again, it would seem that both entities hold to the ancient proverb which says, “The enemy of my enemy is my friend.” In short, both are determined to stand against the people of God thus fulfilling prophecy:

In Genesis 6, the Bible says that, in the days leading up to the flood, God looked upon the earth and saw that is was corrupt and “filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11). The Hebrew word translated as violence is חמס hamas. I don't believe this is a coincidence. In fact, I believe that it is God's way of telling us what to expect if we behave as those in the pre-diluvian world. If we are determined to be thoroughly corrupt, then Hamas is our fortune.

Israel may yet defeat Hamas in Gaza, but it will pop up somewhere else in the world because the Bible, prophesying of the last days, said the earth was “filled with hamas.” Until the Messiah returns, trying to eradicate Hamas and other such groups will be like playing whack-a-mole; as soon as it is put down in one place, it is bound to show up in another. And when it shows up, it may not take on the name Hamas; it might be called Code Pink or IfNotNow or some other name that defines organizations who have taken up the so-called cause of hamas. If we don't take a stand against the rebellion sweeping through the land, Hamas is most certainly coming to America. In some respects, it's already here.

To be clear, by taking a stand, I don't just mean in a political or judicial way; I certainly don't mean in a violent way. As God's people, we don't use evil to advance good; our warfare is not carnal and our enemies are not flesh and blood. So by taking a stand, I mean that we are resist the societal trends and the pressure to acquiesce to the demands of the culture. We need to stand fast in the truth; we need to repent of our national sins and reject the rebellious deeds that are being celebrated in our cities and, unfortunately, in the halls of government. We must stand against the perversion and lawlessness that permeates this world. And so, how do we do that?

In the book of Joel, God told the people that an invasion was coming; an invasion that would swarm, chew, consume and lay waste to everything in its path. The invaders were allowed to have free rein because God's people had turned their back to their Creator. According to the prophet, this invasion was a precursor to the Day of the Lord, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day unlike anything the world had seen. Yet, the Lord did not leave them hopeless. He challenged them to repent, fast, pray, and to intercede and petition Heaven for mercy. He told them:

“Turn to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning. So rend your heart, and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness; and He relents from doing harm. Who knows if He will turn and relent, and leave a blessing behind Him.” (Joel 2:12-14)

Who knows what will happen if we turn from our evil? Maybe God will relent. We do know, however, that if we do nothing, Hamas is coming! And so let us do what must be done according to the Word of God because as Paul said:

“He who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And so let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” (Galatians 6:8-9)

Let's not lose heart. It may be that Hamas is coming, but for the faithful of God, keep in mind that someone far more powerful than Hamas is coming -- Yeshua the Messiah is coming! And when He comes, He will put down all of His enemies.

Bill Cloud was raised in a traditional Christian home in South Georgia. Yet it was a trip to Israel to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, in 1990, that truly provoked him to become more interested in his faith. It was during this “appointed time” that God gave him a deep love for the land, the people and the language.

Soon thereafter, Bill began learning Hebrew under the tutelage of a local rabbi and has since spent many hours studying, not only the Hebrew text, but the Hebraic roots of Christianity as well. This interest in the language is tied to Bill’s desire to unlock the hidden treasures within the Word of God and to teach them, along with our Hebraic roots, to believers in Messiah. Furthermore, this insight has allowed Bill to better understand the prophetic element of Scripture. As a result of this study, Bill has developed a variety of media resources dealing with prophetic themes as well as teachings related to our lost Hebraic heritage.

Bill is a featured speaker in venues throughout the country and has appeared with notable teachers such as Perry Stone, Jonathan Cahn, Joel Richardson and Hal Lindsay. He has also made several appearances on a variety of television broadcasts seen on different Christian networks throughout the world. Recently Bill, along with his wife, Beth, and their children started a fellowship in the Cleveland TN area.

Through Shoreshim Ministries, Bill and his family strive to re-introduce Christians to the Jewish Yeshua and to educate believers in the Hebraic roots of their faith. As a result of this information, disciples of the Messiah can more accurately interpret end-time events and better discern our role in these last days.
Bill and his family reside in Cleveland, Tennessee.