October 17, 2026

October, 17, 2026
October 17, 2026

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World news biblically understood

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Israel Must Decisively Crush Hamas Once And For All. The Big Question Is, Will It Open A Multi-Front War?

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Israel’s war against Hamas has entered the next phase. It appears that Israel’s broader offensive by air, land, and sea against Hamas in Gaza has begun today, Friday, October 27th.

Reportedly, all lines of communication in Gaza have been cut, and Israeli tanks are entering Gaza and engaging Hamas gunmen. Israel has stepped up the air strikes as well in recent hours.

This comes nearly three weeks to the day of the most horrific massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Israel is now all in, and the ground invasion has begun.

We don’t know if it’s going to be a massive amount of troops right away pouring over the border into Gaza or if there will be more limited incursions, as we’ve seen over the past two days. We will see in the hours to come.

Going into Gaza is not going to be easy. Keep the IDF in your prayers right now. I have good friends of mine who are on the front lines. My thoughts are with them constantly, but they’re doing what needs to be done.

Israel must decisively crush Hamas once and for all. This demonic entity can no longer exist in any shape or form and pose any threat to Israel ever again when this offensive in Gaza is finished.

untitled artwork 418

In Your Inbox

The big question is, what will the Iranian regime and Hezbollah do? Will a multi-front war open?

Iran’s ‘Finger On The Trigger’

Iran’s Foreign Minister was in New York City last night, speaking at the UN General Assembly as they were debating their response to what’s going on in Gaza. They rolled out the red carpet for a man who is a top official of the government that is financing Hamas and making all this possible.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Iranian Foreign Minister, boasted at the UN saying that their proxies, the Palestinian and Lebanese groupsโ€”meaning Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollahโ€” have “their finger on the trigger.”

Essentially, the Iranian regime is holding a gun to the head of not only Israel but the world. Iran is saying that if the world is not careful, they may just have to expand this into a broader bloody regional war, and there’s no telling whether they may activate their most lethal proxy, Hezbollah’s some 150,000 at least rockets pointed at every inch of the world’s one and only Jewish state.

Iran’s Foreign Minister was before the world at the UN General Assembly saying that their finger is on the trigger, and it’s no surprise.

October 7th would not have happened without the Iranian regime. We have reports emerging, in case you had any doubt of that, that at least 500 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists were trained in Iran last month. I’m sure they were just there for sightseeingโ€”or not.

Call me crazy, but do you really think it’s any coincidence that Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists were training inside Iran in the weeks leading up to October 7th? I think not.

It’s also no coincidence that Iran’s foreign minister, among other Iranian officials, including from the IRGC, were in Beirut on a frequent basis in the run-up to October 7th, meeting with leaders from, you guessed it, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah.

The more details emerge, the more the Iranian regime’s fingerprints are all over what happened on October 7th. The question is, as the Gaza ground offensive begins and this really kicks into overdrive, will Iran make good on its threats and activate other fronts?

Furthermore, when and how will the Iranian regime finally be held accountable? After the 44 years of terror and mayhem that it has sown across the region, the main victims being the Iranian people who’ve had to live under the jackboot of this wicked regime, when will Iran be held to account?

We saw maybe a glimmer of that last night with the US carrying out air strikes along the Syria-Iraq border, targeting those Iranian militias that have been taking aim at US troops in over a dozen attacks over the past two weeks. Remember, there are US bases throughout those two countries.

The Biden Administration saw it fit to respond, which is sadly a rare occurrence despite over 80 Iranian-backed attacks against US forces since January 2021. They responded last night, reportedly striking weapons and depots along that Syria-Iraq border, which is their usual move. I don’t know that that’s enough to truly deter the Iranian regime and Hezbollah.

I would say that clearly, it’s not. The Biden Administration, over the past two and a half years, has carried out sporadic air strikes against Iran’s proxies on that border, and yet the proxies continue to attack.

Russia Embracing Hamas

Russia is also now embracing Hamas. That is not an overstatement

or exaggeration to say. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister yesterday hosted two delegations in Moscow, including Iran’s Deputy foreign minister and a Hamas delegation.

We’ve seen Russia be very slow to condemn Hamas since October 7th, and that’s no coincidence. Russia is very cozy right now, having a formal military alliance with the Iranian regime, and it’s growing.

Hamas is an Iranian proxy, so, of course Russia would be open to embracing Hamas. Israel was obviously outraged by Russia hosting a Nazi organization.

Interestingly, Russia is always talking about Nazis in Ukraine; meanwhile, they roll out the red carpet for Hamas, who are the epitome of modern-day Nazis, only wearing different uniforms.

Turkey Defends Hamas

Earlier this week, Turkey’s President Recep ErdoฤŸan called Hamas “mujahideen” holy Warriors liberating their land. He said Hamas members are not terrorists. That is the leader of a NATO member Nation saying that.

Prophetic Times

Look for Russia to cleave closer to Israel’s enemies in the days to come. I believe that the war of Gog and Magog is shaping up slowly, as foretold in the Book of Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39. Look for that alliance between Russia, Iran, and Turkey to grow. Look for their hostility to Israel to grow as well.

These are perilous times in the Middle East and prophetic times. We are seeing that unfold right now in Gaza with this ground, air, and sea invasion. Keep the IDF in your prayers right now for such a time as this.


Erick Stakelbeck is an author, analyst, host of โ€œThe Watchmanโ€ program, and the Director of Christians United for Israelโ€™s CUFI Watchman Project.

‘They Want Us To Shut Our Mouths’: Large Banks Debanked, Discriminated Against Customers For Christian Views

Nine of the nationโ€™s largest banks relied on subjective decision-making and the opinions of advocacy organizations to terminate customer accounts or deny service to potential customersโ€”often because of Biblical beliefs on key moral issuesโ€”between 2020 and September 2025. The findings, released Wednesday, were part of a report from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury that charters, regulates, and supervises banks and federal savings associations.

No More Excuses Or Theological Gymnastics: Christians Are Called To Love The Jewish People

I love all my brothers and sisters in Christ, but Iโ€™m wounded when I hear fellow believers dismiss or attack Israel and the Jewish people. The laundry list of excuses for this behavior includes many acrobatic contortions of Scripture that distance Christians from Jewish people. Antisemitic tropes also play a part in these condemnations. So does misinformation about the Jewish nation, as many Christians understand little of the State of Israelโ€™s history of fighting for its life in defensive wars. They look at the nationโ€™s activity in Gaza and Iran as an unforgivable sin because of the negative optics of military conflict, and they refuse to honor Scriptureโ€™s call to bless His Chosen Peopleโ€”even those who have never set foot in Israeli land.

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In A Culture Of Trendy Lies, It Is Time To Speak Up More Clearly In Support Of Israel And The Jewish People

We must remember our friends and our allies around the worldโ€”particularly Israel and the Jewish people, the one distinct ethnic group of people about which God tells us in His Word to bless and to support. In Genesis 12:3, what did God say to Abraham? โ€œI will bless those who bless you.โ€ Yet many people these days, including a lot of Christians, think that it is trendy, intellectual-sounding, or will garner clicks to oppose things all related to the Jews. Anti-Semitism is on the rise around the world. 2025 was designated by the Anti-Defamation League as the deadliest year of anti-Semitism. Three months after October 7th in 2023, anti-Semitism had risen 360%.

ABC's of Salvation

Decision

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Decision

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Israel My Glory

untitled artwork 7662

Israel’s war against Hamas has entered the next phase. It appears that Israel’s broader offensive by air, land, and sea against Hamas in Gaza has begun today, Friday, October 27th.

Reportedly, all lines of communication in Gaza have been cut, and Israeli tanks are entering Gaza and engaging Hamas gunmen. Israel has stepped up the air strikes as well in recent hours.

This comes nearly three weeks to the day of the most horrific massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Israel is now all in, and the ground invasion has begun.

We don’t know if it’s going to be a massive amount of troops right away pouring over the border into Gaza or if there will be more limited incursions, as we’ve seen over the past two days. We will see in the hours to come.

Going into Gaza is not going to be easy. Keep the IDF in your prayers right now. I have good friends of mine who are on the front lines. My thoughts are with them constantly, but they’re doing what needs to be done.

Israel must decisively crush Hamas once and for all. This demonic entity can no longer exist in any shape or form and pose any threat to Israel ever again when this offensive in Gaza is finished.

untitled artwork 418

In Your Inbox

The big question is, what will the Iranian regime and Hezbollah do? Will a multi-front war open?

Iran’s ‘Finger On The Trigger’

Iran’s Foreign Minister was in New York City last night, speaking at the UN General Assembly as they were debating their response to what’s going on in Gaza. They rolled out the red carpet for a man who is a top official of the government that is financing Hamas and making all this possible.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the Iranian Foreign Minister, boasted at the UN saying that their proxies, the Palestinian and Lebanese groupsโ€”meaning Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollahโ€” have “their finger on the trigger.”

Essentially, the Iranian regime is holding a gun to the head of not only Israel but the world. Iran is saying that if the world is not careful, they may just have to expand this into a broader bloody regional war, and there’s no telling whether they may activate their most lethal proxy, Hezbollah’s some 150,000 at least rockets pointed at every inch of the world’s one and only Jewish state.

Iran’s Foreign Minister was before the world at the UN General Assembly saying that their finger is on the trigger, and it’s no surprise.

October 7th would not have happened without the Iranian regime. We have reports emerging, in case you had any doubt of that, that at least 500 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terrorists were trained in Iran last month. I’m sure they were just there for sightseeingโ€”or not.

Call me crazy, but do you really think it’s any coincidence that Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists were training inside Iran in the weeks leading up to October 7th? I think not.

It’s also no coincidence that Iran’s foreign minister, among other Iranian officials, including from the IRGC, were in Beirut on a frequent basis in the run-up to October 7th, meeting with leaders from, you guessed it, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah.

The more details emerge, the more the Iranian regime’s fingerprints are all over what happened on October 7th. The question is, as the Gaza ground offensive begins and this really kicks into overdrive, will Iran make good on its threats and activate other fronts?

Furthermore, when and how will the Iranian regime finally be held accountable? After the 44 years of terror and mayhem that it has sown across the region, the main victims being the Iranian people who’ve had to live under the jackboot of this wicked regime, when will Iran be held to account?

We saw maybe a glimmer of that last night with the US carrying out air strikes along the Syria-Iraq border, targeting those Iranian militias that have been taking aim at US troops in over a dozen attacks over the past two weeks. Remember, there are US bases throughout those two countries.

The Biden Administration saw it fit to respond, which is sadly a rare occurrence despite over 80 Iranian-backed attacks against US forces since January 2021. They responded last night, reportedly striking weapons and depots along that Syria-Iraq border, which is their usual move. I don’t know that that’s enough to truly deter the Iranian regime and Hezbollah.

I would say that clearly, it’s not. The Biden Administration, over the past two and a half years, has carried out sporadic air strikes against Iran’s proxies on that border, and yet the proxies continue to attack.

Russia Embracing Hamas

Russia is also now embracing Hamas. That is not an overstatement

or exaggeration to say. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister yesterday hosted two delegations in Moscow, including Iran’s Deputy foreign minister and a Hamas delegation.

We’ve seen Russia be very slow to condemn Hamas since October 7th, and that’s no coincidence. Russia is very cozy right now, having a formal military alliance with the Iranian regime, and it’s growing.

Hamas is an Iranian proxy, so, of course Russia would be open to embracing Hamas. Israel was obviously outraged by Russia hosting a Nazi organization.

Interestingly, Russia is always talking about Nazis in Ukraine; meanwhile, they roll out the red carpet for Hamas, who are the epitome of modern-day Nazis, only wearing different uniforms.

Turkey Defends Hamas

Earlier this week, Turkey’s President Recep ErdoฤŸan called Hamas “mujahideen” holy Warriors liberating their land. He said Hamas members are not terrorists. That is the leader of a NATO member Nation saying that.

Prophetic Times

Look for Russia to cleave closer to Israel’s enemies in the days to come. I believe that the war of Gog and Magog is shaping up slowly, as foretold in the Book of Ezekiel, chapters 38 and 39. Look for that alliance between Russia, Iran, and Turkey to grow. Look for their hostility to Israel to grow as well.

These are perilous times in the Middle East and prophetic times. We are seeing that unfold right now in Gaza with this ground, air, and sea invasion. Keep the IDF in your prayers right now for such a time as this.


Erick Stakelbeck is an author, analyst, host of โ€œThe Watchmanโ€ program, and the Director of Christians United for Israelโ€™s CUFI Watchman Project.

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Help reach the lost and equip the church with the living and active truth of God's Word in our world today.

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Of News Events Around The World.

‘They Want Us To Shut Our Mouths’: Large Banks Debanked, Discriminated Against Customers For Christian Views

Nine of the nationโ€™s largest banks relied on subjective decision-making and the opinions of advocacy organizations to terminate customer accounts or deny service to potential customersโ€”often because of Biblical beliefs on key moral issuesโ€”between 2020 and September 2025. The findings, released Wednesday, were part of a report from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), the bureau of the U.S. Department of the Treasury that charters, regulates, and supervises banks and federal savings associations.

No More Excuses Or Theological Gymnastics: Christians Are Called To Love The Jewish People

I love all my brothers and sisters in Christ, but Iโ€™m wounded when I hear fellow believers dismiss or attack Israel and the Jewish people. The laundry list of excuses for this behavior includes many acrobatic contortions of Scripture that distance Christians from Jewish people. Antisemitic tropes also play a part in these condemnations. So does misinformation about the Jewish nation, as many Christians understand little of the State of Israelโ€™s history of fighting for its life in defensive wars. They look at the nationโ€™s activity in Gaza and Iran as an unforgivable sin because of the negative optics of military conflict, and they refuse to honor Scriptureโ€™s call to bless His Chosen Peopleโ€”even those who have never set foot in Israeli land.

untitled artwork 6391

In A Culture Of Trendy Lies, It Is Time To Speak Up More Clearly In Support Of Israel And The Jewish People

We must remember our friends and our allies around the worldโ€”particularly Israel and the Jewish people, the one distinct ethnic group of people about which God tells us in His Word to bless and to support. In Genesis 12:3, what did God say to Abraham? โ€œI will bless those who bless you.โ€ Yet many people these days, including a lot of Christians, think that it is trendy, intellectual-sounding, or will garner clicks to oppose things all related to the Jews. Anti-Semitism is on the rise around the world. 2025 was designated by the Anti-Defamation League as the deadliest year of anti-Semitism. Three months after October 7th in 2023, anti-Semitism had risen 360%.

ABC's of Salvation

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Decision

Jan Markell

Israel My Glory

Erick Stakelbeck

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YOU CARE ABOUT

BIBLICAL TRUTH.

SO DO WE.

Together, We Can Deliver A Biblical Understanding Of News Events Around The World And Equip The Church To Stand With A Biblical Worldview.

untitled artwork

Israel My Glory

YOU CARE ABOUT

BIBLICAL TRUTH.

SO DO WE.

ย 

Together, We Can Deliver A Biblical Understanding Of News Events Around The World And Equip The Church To Stand With A Biblical Worldview.