Hamas has been shockingly evil and brutal, targeting women and children, even beheading Jewish babies. Any sound-minded person has recoiled in horror at the images and news coming out of Israel.

But many so-called “sophisticated” people in the Western world have turned a blind eye to the violence because they don’t like Israel or because speaking out doesn’t align with their personal worldview.

In nearly every English-speaking democracy, there have been large gatherings in support of Hamas, with people chanting abuse and despicable epithets against the Jews—against the victims. Against murdered Jewish babies. Law enforcement has done little to shut these vile mouths.

In an official video statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, Israeli Maj. Gen. Ghassan Alian called Hamas terrorists “human beasts.” He likely does not know it, but this phrase is prophetic. (Read Trumpet editor in chief Gerald Flurry’s October 2023 Trumpet article “World Leaders Who No Longer Have a Human Mind.”)

This kind of butchery is part of what the Bible describes as the “times of the Gentiles” (Luke 21:24)—the time we are in right now.

Hamas’s shocking gore is a sign we are in the time just before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. This is just one aspect of the spiritual dimension God wants us to see in this larger unfolding story.

To be sure, Hamas is to blame for these events. But it is part of a much bigger effort prophesied in the Bible.

Mr. Flurry has been warning about these trends for over three decades. He has repeatedly said that the events that will unfold in Jerusalem and Israel will leave the whole world trembling.

Why?

First, some important context and history.

Any good map of the State of Israel shows the West Bank and Gaza. To the north is Lebanon, Syria and the strategic Golan Heights.

• The Gaza Strip is controlled by Hamas. Gaza maintains smuggling tunnels on its border with Egypt. These tunnels are used to smuggle Iranian weapons and rockets into Gaza. Hamas is affiliated with Iran and Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.
• The West Bank is controlled by Fatah—the Palestinian Authority—led by Mahmoud Abbas, but we believe Hamas will soon gain control of this territory. From there, Hamas will get control of the eastern half of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:2).
• Lebanon is controlled by Hezbollah, a terrorist group armed and funded by Iran.
• Israel currently maintains control of the Golan Heights.

Israel is surrounded by terrorists ready to devour the nation at any moment.

It has been repeatedly said that Hamas insurgents penetrated Israeli border defenses to the surprise of Israel’s security apparatus and spies. This is hard to believe.

But four trends have led to Hamas’s attack.

The first trend is the weakness of Israel’s will to survive as a nation. This has largely manifested through a sustained attack on its territory through land-for-peace agreements.

During the Six-Day War in 1967, Israel captured Sinai, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and the Golan Heights. God gave the tiny nation a miraculous victory. Then, through a series of peace treaties, Israel ceded control of these territories for an illusory “peace.”

• In the 1993 Oslo Accords, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin ceded control of the West Bank to Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Authority.
• In 2005, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon retreated from the Gaza Strip, ceding control to the Palestinian Authority.
• In 2007, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip and has since launched four wars on Israel from the territory.

Through sham peace accords, Israel’s will to fight has been fatally weakened. Israel has allowed itself to become encircled by bloodthirsty enemies.

In June 2005, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told the Israel Policy Forum in New York, “We are tired of fighting; we are tired of being courageous; we are tired of winning; we are tired of defeating our enemies.”

In the September 2006 Trumpet, Mr. Flurry wrote:

That translates into “we are too tired and weak to survive as a nation”! Abundant evidence is stacking up to show Israel’s policy of concessions and retreat has made its enemies that much bolder and more capable.

The fruits of Israeli appeasement show that is the case. Where is the will to fight and crush its enemies?

The land-for-peace sham has enfeebled the Jews.

Do the citizens of Israel appreciate the underlying cause of what has just happened? Due to restrictive gun control laws, only 2 percent of Israeli citizens own a firearm, though some lawmakers are trying to change this. Its leaders have allowed the nation to be surrounded, sometimes with citizens mere miles from heavily armed and bloodthirsty enemies eager to die for the opportunity to kill a Jew. Clearly, the nation has a false sense of security.

The second trend that has led to this disaster is internal divisions that have distracted and fractured the country.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s judicial reform led to major public protests. According to Fox News on April 9, a leaked Pentagon document claimed Israel’s spy agency, Mossad, encouraged the protests. The government denied the report.

The Times of Israel also reported significant opposition to Netanyahu’s efforts from within Israel’s military. Former Mossad Director Tamir Pardo recently claimed Netanyahu’s government was led by extremists and “horrible racist parties.”

These are troubling signs of internal weakness and division.

This brings us to a third trend: Barack Obama’s clandestine war on Israel.

This war includes ideological division and subversion from the “deep state,” which opposes Netanyahu’s conservative and coalition government. There is a cause for Israel’s recent divisions.

This trend is weakening the nation from within.

For some time, Mr. Flurry has warned of Obama’s deep malice against the Jews. In America Under Attack and other writings, he explains the spiritual roots of Obama’s motivations and behavior.

Obama’s second approach is to destroy the country from without by empowering Iran. This is the fourth trend.

The Trumpet covers Obama’s push to crown Iran king of the Middle East and normalize its nuclear weapons program.

Scholars and Obama apologists soften this by using phrases like “realigning the Middle East.” They may think that is what Obama is doing—but that is not what is happening.

What are the fruits of Obama’s Middle East policy? The Jewish state is being violently devoured. That wouldn’t be happening without his help!

How else can we know this?

Iran has repeatedly and publicly said its goal is to wipe the Jews and the Jewish state off the face of the map.

Does that sound like the language of peaceful realignment of the Middle East?

If we know this is Iran’s goal, Obama also knows it!

For days after Hamas’s attack, Obama remained silent. The New York Post wrote on October 9:

As we write, he’s said nothing. But as thunderous as the silence is, it cannot come as a surprise.

This is the future of the Middle East that Obama, in effect, wanted, fought for and now has achieved: Iran ascendant; nascent normalization between Israel and Arab states in jeopardy; the terrorist group Hamas emboldened and abetted by Tehran to strike viciously against soft targets within Israel.

Why?

More people should be asking this question. They give their reasons, but they don’t match the reality we are seeing.

This is Obama’s war.

In a 2009 Trumpet article titled “How President Obama’s Cairo Speech Will Shake the Nations,” Mr. Flurry made this prophetic statement:

In essence, Mr. Obama said that Hamas terrorists could play a role in Palestinian society—which the White House insists should become its own state. Hamas already controls the Gaza Strip and is also very strong in the West Bank—Samaria and Judea. Its terrorists are going to take over the West Bank and then take half of Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:1-2). When they do, would we not look back and say that America helped them do it?

This is coming to pass right now.

By empowering Iran, Obama is knowingly empowering Hamas and Hezbollah. Unless you understand where his malice comes from, his actions make no sense.

While Iran is the obvious paymaster for Hamas and Hezbollah, it has been using American dollars supplied by Barack Obama’s front man, Joe Biden. First, it was pallets of cash on a tarmac; recently, it was a $6 billion payout.

Mr. Flurry continued:

President Obama’s speech is a great turning point in this world. It is going to play a major role in terrifying prophecies of your Bible being fulfilled. It is beginning because of the broken will of America. God is going to SHAKE this world and start by shaking America, Britain and the Jewish nation for their sins!

Iran wields its power thanks in large part to Barack Obama.

Since he gave that speech, Obama has empowered Iran and its bloody, Jew-hating proxies. He has worked to undermine the Jewish state at every turn.

Israel is in mortal danger. There is no helper for the tiny nation of Israel right now. For now, Israel is alone.

We need to open our eyes and accept what is happening and who is behind the escalating violence against Israel.

Mr. Flurry continued:

Do our minds truly comprehend what all this means? A powerful Iran is far beyond any other nation in sponsoring the most savage terrorism we have ever seen. And now it is about to get nuclear bombs. Then it will give nuclear weapons to its terrorist proxies.

And these are only the beginning of sorrows!

Does anyone think that Hamas, if given the chance, wouldn’t use a nuclear bomb on Israel? Only God is preventing such wild-eyed madness from happening right now.

The storm is coming.

To understand more about where these trends are leading, read America Under Attack and The King of the South.