TRAWDADDY: 10/11/25

Saturday, October 11, 2025

As we prepare for the release of Israel’s hostages, we can be grateful to God for bringing peace to a troubled land while also remaining shrewd about what happens next—for Israel, for the Palestinians, and for the rest of the Middle East.

God knew this was going to happen. He put the leaders in place to negotiate. I am thankful for peace and I know you are, too. I am thankful for our leaders. I am thankful for the families of hostages who will soon be reunited.

At the same time, we also know that achieving lasting peace is impossible. The clash between Israel and its Arab neighbors, or Israel and Hamas, isn’t one about disputed land but about Israel’s existence.

Remember, the charter of Hamas advocates for eliminating Israel entirely, which means no conditions or concessions can satisfy them. These extremists are unwilling to accept Jewish sovereignty—period.

That’s one reason I believe peace is always temporary. The other reason is that Bible prophecy says Israel, someday soon, will be the center of a war to end all wars as all the nations of the earth gather against her.

So today, and every day, we pray for Israel’s peace and salvation. God remains sovereign over human affairs. Peace will not last until Jesus returns in power. Until then, we shine His light as our redemption draws near.

Here are seven things to be thinking about this weekend.

1. Wisdom from Scripture

You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear Him, and keep His commandments and obey His voice; you shall serve Him and hold fast to Him.—Deuteronomy 13:4 (NKJV)

2. Quote to Consider

“While international organizations and other countries attempt to convince Israel to concede some of their land for peace, God laid out Israel’s boundaries in Genesis 15.

Not only does it include what’s in Israel today but also the West Bank, Gaza, the Golan Heights, Lebanon, Syria, and a substantial portion of Iraq. We think of Israel as a tiny sliver of land today, but to Abraham God promised a massive swath.

Palestinians and others may assert historical or political claims to the land, but they can’t make a biblical claim. God gave it to Abraham and his descendants forever.” —from our book, What’s Next? Israel-Gaza War

3. Pay Attention to This News

We haven’t spoken about bird flu for several weeks, because it fell out of the headlines over the summer. That’s good. After the virus spiked early this year, health authorities have been surprised that it didn’t spread like they expected.

Egg prices even fell slightly in recent weeks. But that may be changing now as we enter the fall. Rates of bird flu are currently rising in several parts of the world as birds migrate, raising concerns about its spread and potential mutation. The disease is not going away, this article says.

In fact, the virus is becoming embedded in the global bird population: “This is the fourth fall in which bird flu infections have risen, a sign the virus is becoming endemic in wild birds and could be a continual threat to poultry.” More than 175 million birds have been culled or killed in the U.S. alone since 2022, and at least 70 humans have been infected.

4. Comment of the Week

“As part of my morning study, I read a bit in Revelation every day. When I get to the end of the book, I just start again. What is interesting to me, is that I think I’ve been through Revelation about 15 times in the last 3-4 years. AND it never gets boring, I always find a new piece of understanding, sometimes just encouragement, sometimes insight, and always HOPE!”

—Tipping Point subscriber Eileen in the comments after my interview with Mark Hitchcock about his new book

5. Praying for Israel

“I will make each of My mountains a road, And My highways shall be elevated.” —Isaiah 49:11 (NKJV)

Efficient transportation throughout Israel helps fulfill prophecies about Israel’s restoration, and will become crucial during challenging times ahead: Lord, we pray for safety and efficiency in Israel’s transportation infrastructure.

Protect every road, railway, airport, and seaport. Give wisdom to transportation planners and engineers. We ask for accident-free highways and safe public transit systems.

Bless the expansion of rail networks and public transportation. Guard against any attempts to disrupt transportation systems. Provide resources for infrastructure maintenance and improvement.

We pray for peaceful solutions to traffic challenges in urban areas. Let transportation development unite communities rather than divide them. Grant safe travels to all who move throughout the land. May Israel’s transportation networks facilitate peace and prosperity. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

6. Link of the Week

Conservation scientists are arguing right now about whether genetic engineering of wildlife is ethical or not. The International Union for Conservation of Nature meets next week to discuss what they call “synthetic biology” and whether countries should fund it.

This applies to the organizations trying to rescue endangered species and resurrect extinct species. Some, of course, see nature as sacred and believe genetic modification to be a bad idea.

Others say we should plan for a future in which fish or elephants start to go extinct, and figure out ways to genetically engineer them to survive.

For instance: If lions are being wiped out by a disease but we can edit their genes to help them survive, should we? Or if the New World Screwworm is killing livestock in Texas, should we create a population of sterile flies to combat it?

(That’s actually what the federal government is spending millions of dollars doing right now.) We have the genetic engineering technology to tamper with creation. Or, in other words, to rewrite what God has declared “very good.”

7. Headline of the Week

Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites are falling to earth at an alarming rate

TRAWDADDY