With there having been so much in the news lately about the fighting between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, I have had many people ask me if there are prophetic verses in the Bible that talk about Hamas. Since my book covered so many spiritual topics, from proving God’s existence all the way through discovering what Christianity was truly all about and ending with a look at the future, I was unable to devote much time to Hamas itself, although I did cover it briefly. Quite frankly, though, an entire book could be written about all of the prophetic verses in the Bible that deal with that violent organization. My best guess is that there are at least 68 prophetic verses that deal specifically with Hamas. Today we will look briefly at one of the more specific  prophecies. It is found in the small and seldom read book of Obadiah, a book that contains only 21 verses and is tucked between Amos and Jonah.

        First, we need to know that the name Hamas is an Arabic acronym for Harakat al-Muqawama al-Islamiya, which means “Islamic Resistance Movement.” This terrorist organization took on this long name on purpose, so that it could be shortened to “Hamas,” which in Arabic means “zeal, bravery, or warlike strength.” What is more interesting, though, is that the Hebrew equivalent is “Chamac,” which is pronounced “Hamas”.  According to Strong, that word means “violence, wrong, or unjust gain.”

        Now, let’s look at Obadiah. This short prophetic book is a prophecy against Edom, which was another name for Esau, the brother of Jacob, who God refers to quite strongly by stating firmly in both Malachi 1:3 and Romans 9:13, “I have loved Jacob, but Esau I have hated.”

        God’s hatred against the Edomites, the descendants of Esau, is quite understandable when we realize that throughout time they have been a nation that has tried to destroy His people. A famous Edomite, of course, was King Herod, who did his best to kill Jesus by slaughtering all the baby boys under two years of age. God, of course, saved His Son by having Joseph and Mary flee to Egypt until Herod was dead.

        The entire book of Obadiah is a prophecy against the Edomites, of which we can specifically see Hamas. Not being constrained by time limitations like we humans are, over 2,500 years ago God could see that Hamas would allude to themselves in terms of the eagle. In fact, he knew that their banner would actually be that of an eagle. So, in Obadiah 4, God says to them, “though you soar like the eagle … I will bring you down.”

        The future of Hamas, as prophesied in Obadiah, is plainly stated in the same way that every other prophecy in God’s Word describes that horrible organization’s ultimate fate, for in verse ten God says, “Because of the Hamas (violence) against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed forever.”

        This is an extremely powerful and provocative statement by the God of all creation. But let’s not forget that this entire prophetic book, overlooked by so many, is not only a judgment against Hamas, but against all of the descendents of Esau. The first verse of the book states, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says about Edom.” This includes all of the descendants of Esau. And in verse eighteen God makes what I consider to be the harshest judgmental prophecy ever made in the entire Bible against any nation or group of people. In that chilling verse God Almighty says point blank, “There will be no survivors from the house of Esau.’ The Lord has spoken.”

        In Unlocking God’s Secrets we learned that of the approximately 6,000 prophetic verses that should have come to pass by now, every single one of them has literally been fulfilled exactly as God said they would. Not one has failed to come true. We can be certain that in the end, “There will be no survivors from the house of Esau.’ The Lord has spoken.”

        Hamas can not defeat God. The Palestinians can not defeat God. The entire house of Esau can not defeat God. And Satan can not defeat God. The Sovereign Lord’s purpose will come to pass. And it may be much sooner that the world realizes. History is His story. Stay tuned for the final chapter.