Weekly World Watch: December 17-23, 2017

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s December 17 - 23, 2017 “If the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.” (Ezekiel 33:6, New International Version) PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE To skip the introductory slides and go straight to this weeks developments click here.

2. What is a Weekly World Watch? The idea is simple. It is to look at current events and compare them to events spoken of in the Bible. . I hope to build up a picture of God’s hand working in the affairs of this world. God is bringing about a day when all nations will be gathered to Jerusalem to battle. At that time God will send His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, back to this earth. Jesus will then establish God’s kingdom on earth. This kingdom will last for ever. This is our hope and the reason we watch. The following six themes will appear repeatedly in WWW: • Israel: The continuing conflict in the Middle East and focus on Jerusalem. • Europe: Its developing union, both political and religious. • Russia: Its return to anti-Western ways as Bible prophecy’s “king of the north.” • The UK and the US: Bible prophecy’s “king of the south.” • Moral standards in decline and violence on the increase. • Increasing natural disasters: including earthquake, famine etc WWW presentations in PowerPoint can be ordered as audio/visual CDs by clicking here. Move your mouse to place the cursor on the blue link and click.

3. BIBLE QUOTE What is in a Weekly World Watch? Each WWW looks at a few key developments that have happened during the past week. It is in no way meant to be exhaustive – just a look at those events I saw as significant from a Biblical point of view. Every WWW event slide has the following format. To reveal each block of text just left click your mouse or press the space bar. You control when it appears. News Photo This is straight from a news report that caught my eye because it looked significant from a Biblical perspective, usually that of prophecy. HEADLINE The source of the headline and the date are included. This is the reporter’s description of the event. It is always a direct quotation from the news report and reflects the understanding of the reporter and editors. EVENT This is my comment on why the event is interesting to a Bible student. The intention of the WWW is to offer brief Biblical perspectives without going into detail. If more detail is desired, please e-mail me: (andy@weeklyworldwatch.co.uk). Please note that these are personal thoughts and the aim is purely to stimulate Bible study. COMMENT This is normally one verse which backs up why the event that has occurred is interesting from a Biblical perspective. Please read in its context. Unless stated otherwise, all quotes are from the King James Version.(Book, chapter, and verse)

4. This Week’s Developments December 17 - 23, 2017 • US vetoes UN vote on Trump Jerusalem declaration • Jerusalem UN vote: Trump threatens US aid recipients • UN votes 128 to 9 to condemn Jerusalem decision • Abbas refuses to work with US on peace efforts • PA to replace US with China, Russia in peace process • Pope meets Jordan's king amid rising tensions in Jerusalem To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. US vetoes UN vote on Trump Jerusalem declaration Washington Post, December 18, 2017 The United States on Monday vetoed a resolution supported by the 14 other U.N. Security Council members that would have required President Donald Trump to rescind his declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a vote that showed the depth of global opposition to the U.S. move. The United States was certain to veto the Egyptian-sponsored resolution, but its Arab supporters wanted the vote to demonstrate that countries everywhere and even many U.S. allies such as Britain, France and Japan are against Trump’s action. The Palestinians immediately announced that they will seek a resolution with similar demands in the 193-member General Assembly, where there are no vetoes. But unlike the Security Council, the assembly’s resolutions are not legally binding. U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley called the Security Council resolution “an insult” that won’t be forgotten, saying the United Nations forced the U.S. to cast a veto simply because of its right to decide where to put its embassy. EVENT This was the first vote this week on Trump’s Jerusalem announcement. It was at the United Nations Security Council. The Security Council has 15 nations that are members and any votes carried are legally binding. However a few countries have a veto. The US used it’s veto with this vote. The resolution demanded that all countries comply with 10 resolutions on Jerusalem, dating back to 1967, including requirements that the city’s final status be decided in direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. It also said anything that altered Jerusalem’s status were null and void and should be rescinded. Jerusalem is surely becoming the burdensome stone for all people. Jerusalem will become an issue that drags all nations into Armageddon. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Zechariah 12:2)

6. Then the Lord showed me four blacksmiths. “What are these men coming to do?” I asked. The angel replied, “These four horns—these nations—scattered and humbled Judah. Now these blacksmiths have come to terrify those nations and throw them down and destroy them.” UN votes 128 to 9 to condemn Jerusalem decision Business Insider, December 21, 2017 More than 100 countries have voted to defy Donald Trump over his decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. The UN resolution called on America to withdraw its move – but Trump threatened to cut off financial aid to anyone who supported it. Despite the threat, 128 countries voted for it. Nine voted against, and 35 abstained. Trump’s threat appeared to have some impact, with more countries abstaining and rejecting the resolution than usually associated with Palestinian-related resolutions. However, Washington still found itself isolated on the world stage as many of its Western and Arab allies voted for the measure. Ahead of the vote, the United States said it was ‘singled out for attack’ at the United Nations over Jerusalem, which holds Muslim, Jewish and Christian holy sites.‘ The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation,’ US Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said. EVENT Just days after the Security Council voted on Jerusalem it then went to the General Assembly at the United Nations. Votes taken here are not legally binding but they do have an influence. This time every nation on earth has opportunity to vote. The vote was once again in relation to Jerusalem and Trump’s announcement. The US could not use it’s veto here. 128 countries voted in favour of the US rescinding it’s announcement on Jerusalem. In response the US said it would note all the countries that voted against it and begin the process of holding back financial support. We can see how the issue of Jerusalem could well destabilise the whole world. The delicate balance that has been in place for 70 years has been broken. CLICK HERE to watch a new video on this… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Zechariah 1:20 NLT)

7. I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. …On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a flame …They will burn up all the neighboring nations right and left, while the people living in Jerusalem remain secure. Abbas refuses to work with US on peace efforts Fox News, December 21, 2017 Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he'll no longer accept any U.S. plans for Mideast peace because of the Trump administration's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Abbas says the United States is "no longer an honest mediator in the peace process" and that the Palestinians "will no longer accept any plan from the United States because of this partisan spirit.” His comments on Friday in Paris followed the U.N. General Assembly resolution denouncing President Donald Trump's decision. After talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, Abbas urged France and Europe to play a stronger role in peace efforts instead. Macron was careful not to take sides, saying "the American mistake was to want to unilaterally manage from afar a situation whose solution is in the hands of the Israelis and Palestinians." EVENT COMMENT US Vice President Mike Pence was scheduled to make a formal state visit to the Western Wall in Jerusalem during his trip to Israel later this week. The visit would have been exactly three weeks after President Donald Trump declared that the US recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. Pence would have also spoken at the Knesset (the Israeli parliament). He would also have met with the Palestinians during the visit. However at the last minute the visit was cancelled. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas refused point blank to meet with Pence and declared the US involvement in the peace process to be over. And so the backlash against Trump’s Jerusalem decision continues. With Bible in hand we expect the US to side with Israel. We also know that there will be an inner ring war where nearby nations lay siege to Israel. With tensions as high as they are this could start at anytime! BIBLE QUOTE (Zechariah 12:2+6 NLT)

8. PA to replace US with China, Russia in peace process Business Insider, December 21, 2017 EVENT Amid the tensions between the Palestinian Authority and Washington following the American recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Mahmoud Abbas sent envoys to China and Russia to rally support for the Palestinian position. According to reports, Abbas wants Moscow and Beijing to replace the United States in the peace process. Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas sent envoys to China and Russia this week to request that they take on a pivotal role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, the PA's official news site Wafa reported on Wednesday. The PA wants Moscow and Beijing to replace the United States in light of President Donald Trump’s refusal to reverse his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. According to PLO Executive Committee member Saleh Rafat, Moscow has already confirmed that it will continue to support the Palestinian stance and plans to vote against the resolution that criticizes Trump’s decision at the UN General Assembly on Thursday. COMMENT So who would replace the US as the main peace negotiator? The Palestinian answer to that question is….Russia! Palestinian envoys were dispatched to Russia and China this week to get support for their position on Jerusalem. The President of Palestine, Mahmoud Abbas, will visit Russia very soon, his aid Nabil Shaath told reporters Tuesday. The official said that Abbas has “special relationship” with Russia. “We [are] working actively with Russia, China and Europe to form an international forum which will oversee the [Israeli-Palestinian] peace process in the future” he stated. We read in Ezekiel 38 that Gog (Putin) will be visited (sought after) and when he is visited he responds by invading Israel. Abbas will visit Putin …..SOON! BIBLE QUOTE After many days thou [Gog/Putin] shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them. (Ezekiel 38:8)

9. Pope meets Jordan's king amid rising tensions in Jerusalem National Catholic, December 19, 2017 EVENT Pope Francis met with Jordan's King Abdullah II at the Vatican, two weeks after U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital provoked outrage in the Middle East. According to the Vatican, "the cordial conversations focused above all on the theme of the promotion of peace and stability in the Mideast, with particular reference to the question of Jerusalem and the role of the Hashemite Sovereign (the king of Jordan) as custodian of the holy places.” The pope welcomed the king, who was accompanied by Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, in the library of the Apostolic Palace Dec. 19.Abdullah greeted the pope as "My dear friend and brother.” The Vatican supports a "two-state solution" for the Holy Land, with independence, recognition and secure borders for both Israel and Palestine. It has also called for a special status for Jerusalem, particularly its Old City, in order to protect and guarantee access to the holy sites of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. COMMENT The Pope is also getting involved in the status of Jerusalem. In fact the Vatican has always had something to say about this city. The Vatican demanded the internationalisation of Jerusalem during UN debate in 1947. Between 1947-1967 when Jordanian forces occupied Jerusalem the Vatican never once mentioned internationalisation. When Israel captured Jerusalem in 1967 the Vatican renewed its insistence that Jerusalem be internationalised. The Vatican sees Rome as the New Jerusalem. For the millennia that the Jews were scattered and not in control of Jerusalem the Vatican could claim God had cast off the Jews and Rome was the new religious centre. The Pope is desperate to ensure Jerusalem is not the Jewish capital. “Before territorial problems are resolved, we have to find international guarantees to safeguard the uniqueness of the city…and assurances that never again ONE PARTY should claim Jerusalem as its possession” Vatican's Foreign Minister, Jean-Louis Tauran, Amman, Jordan, July 9,1994 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city [Rome], which reigneth over the kings of the earth. BIBLE QUOTE (Revelation 17:18)

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11. Weekly World Watch The end of this week’s WWW will be e-mailed to you each week. If you think others may find the WWW helpful please direct them to the website www.weeklyworldwatch.co.uk They can register on the site PLEASE NOTE: The Weekly World Watch is written and sent by myself – it is my take on events and I accept that on occasions I will miss significant events and also misinterpret them as well. However I will endeavour to be faithful to the scriptures and hope that it will be of benefit to both of us. To watch again please click the green arrow To watch again, click here.