Russia's Putin Unveils 'Invincible' Nuclear Weapons

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s February 25 – March 3, 2018 “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 February 25 – March 3, 2018 • Russia's Putin unveils 'invincible' nuclear weapons • Trump extends Russia sanctions for another year • NATO: Russian warnings against allies "unacceptable" • Satellite shows 'new Iranian base' outside Damascus • N. Korea war could 'kill 10,000 US troops within days' • Israel’s mission creep in Syria raises nightmare scenario of wider war To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. A king shall arise, Having fierce features, Who understands sinister schemes….. Through his cunning He shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity. He shall even rise against the Prince of princes; But he shall be broken without human means. This is a latter day Antiochus Epiphanes – Gog – Putin. Russia's Putin unveils 'invincible' nuclear weapons BBC, March 1, 2018 Russia has developed a new array of nuclear weapons that are invincible, according to President Vladimir Putin. Mr Putin made the claims as he laid out his key policies for a fourth presidential term, ahead of an election he is expected to win in 17 days' time. The weapons he boasted of included a cruise missile that he said could "reach anywhere in the world". He said of the West: "They need to take account of a new reality and understand ... [this]... is not a bluff.” Giving his annual state of the nation speech, Mr Putin used video presentations to showcase the development of two new nuclear delivery systems that he said could evade detection. One video graphic appeared to show missiles raining down on the US state of Florida. One system Mr Putin described included a "low-flying, difficult-to-spot cruise missile... with a practically unlimited range and an unpredictable flight path, which can bypass lines of interception and is invincible in the face of all existing and future systems of both missile defence and air defence". EVENT Putin had delivered 13 state of the nation addresses. The 14th given this week was very different to any that had come before. He wowed his audience as he stood in front of a giant screen showcasing Russia’s latest strategic weapons. Gog has been preparing for war and he has decided now is the time to show what Russia is capable of. Gog (Putin) is the king of Daniel 11 verse 36 – 39. The latter day Antiochus Epiphanes. We are told that this king rules at the “time of the end”. We are told he honours the god of forces – or strength. His weapons give him this strength and he clearly does worship them. Daniel 8 verse 23 – 25 speaks of Gog as well. We are told he has a fierce countenance and that one day he will destroy many in their prosperity. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 8:23+25 NKJV)

6. At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him [Gog]; and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through. Trump extends Russia sanctions for another year Russia Today, March 2, 2018 President Donald Trump has extended the sanctions against Russia and Russian individuals by another year. The sanctions were imposed by former President Barack Obama in March 2014, in response to the political crisis in Ukraine. In a letter required under the National Emergencies Act, Trump notified Congress that the White House will continue treating the situation in Ukraine as “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” as defined by Obama’s Executive Order 13660, dated March 6, 2014.The US has been gradually expanding the list of people and entities under its Russia sanctions over the years. The latest addition of 21 individuals and nine companies was announced in January 2016. This is the second time this week that policy decisions made by the Trump administration were aimed at Russia. On Thursday, the State Department approved the sale of Javelin anti-tank missiles to Kiev, pending approval by Congress. EVENT Trump promised to reset relations with Russia. But he has not been able to do so. In fact the relationship between these two super powers has declined even further since Trump came to power. Trump has extended sanctions again this week on some of the Russian elite – many of whom are close allies to Putin. More significantly the U.S. has announced this week that it will sell Ukraine 210 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 37 launchers, worth $47 million. The sale marks a significant increase in U.S. military support for Ukraine — the first lethal weapons sale of its kind since Russian-backed separatists launched a war against the central government in Ukraine's eastern provinces. We see the king of the south pushing at the king of the north. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 11:40 NKJV)

7. NATO: Russian warnings against allies "unacceptable" Reuters, March 2, 2018 President Vladimir Putin’s warnings to NATO allies are “unacceptable” and do not help efforts to calm tensions, the alliance said on Friday, a day after the Russian leader announced an array of new nuclear weapons. Already angry at NATO’s expansion eastwards into its old Soviet sphere of influence, Putin said in a speech on Thursday that any attack on Moscow’s allies would be regarded as an attack on Russia itself and draw an immediate response. While it was unclear which ally Putin had in mind, the U.S.-led NATO said the speech, one of the Russian leader’s most bellicose in years, did not help calm tensions that have surged since Russia seized Ukraine’s Crimea four years ago. “Russian statements threatening to target allies are unacceptable and counterproductive,” NATO spokesperson Oana Lungescu said in a statement. EVENT COMMENT Moscow has been angered by NATO's expansion into former Soviet satellite states in eastern Europe. Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were once in the Soviet Union. Now these three countries are in the EU and also NATO. And so Russian influence has waned. Ukraine which is not in the EU (but would like to be) is on the front line now of EU expansion east. It is because of EU expansion into Russia’s territory that Putin sent in his troops into Eastern Ukraine and annexed Crimea. Putin believes the collapse of the USSR was the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th Century. This is why this week Putin warned that Russia would respond to any attack on one of its allies. He is basically saying don’t push any further east. The Bible talks about the Roman Empire splitting into West and East. This division (depicted by the two iron legs of Nebuchadnezzar’s image) still exist today. This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs[c] of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 2:32-34)

8. Satellite shows 'new Iranian base' outside Damascus Daily Telegraph, February 28, 2018 EVENT Satellite images reportedly show Iran has established a base outside of Damascus to house missiles capable of hitting Israel, crossing a “red line” for the Israeli government as it struggles to stop Iranian entrenchment in Syria. Images from the Israeli satellite firm ImageSat International appear to show a pair of newly built missile hangars on the base, which strongly resemble hangars at another Iranian compound that Israel bombed last year. The new base, located around eight miles north-west of Damascus, is being run by the Quds Force, the expeditionary arm of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which has spearheaded Iran’s involvement in Syria, according to Fox News. If the base is confirmed to hold Iranian missiles, its presence will likely increase the tensions between arch rivals Israel and Iran over Syria, which have been growing sharply in recent months. Those tensions erupted in early February when Israel shot down an Iranian drone that entered its airspace from Syria and in turn lost one of its F-16 fighter jets to a Syrian regime anti-aircraft missiles. Iran denies owning the drone. COMMENT Israel has largely stayed out of the war that has raged in Syria for the past seven years, but it has laid down a series of what it calls “red lines” aimed mainly at limiting the presence in Syria of both Iran and its proxy group Hezbollah. One of those red lines is to prevent Iran from using its alliance with the Assad regime to establish any permanent military bases in Syria. If this new base is confirmed then Israel will almost certainly strike it. The Bible says that when Damascus is destroyed completely northern Israel is greatly weakened. We can say with certainty therefore that Israel is one day drawn into the Syrian conflict. That could surely happen at anytime… BIBLE QUOTE The fortress also will cease from Ephraim, The kingdom from Damascus, And the remnant of Syria; They will be as the glory of the children of Israel,” Says the Lord of hosts. “In that day it shall come to pass That the glory of Jacob will wane, And the fatness of his flesh grow lean. (Isaiah 17:3-4 NKJV)

9. N. Korea war could 'kill 10,000 US troops within days' Daily Telegraph, March 2, 2018 EVENT A war with North Korea could result in about 10,000 American combat-related casualties in the first few days alone, according to US military planners. A classified military exercise last week, attended by Army chief of staff General Mark Milley and head of Special Operations Command General Tony Thomas, tested hypothetical scenarios of how US troops would mobilise and strike if ordered to into a potential war, reported the New York Times. The “tabletop exercise”, held over a few days in Hawaii, thrashed out the challenges that could hamper a US assault on North Korea’s sizeable military. It determined that US casualties could be amplified by the Pentagon’s limited ability to evacuate injured troops daily, and by the possibility that Pyongyang could retaliate with chemical weapons. Civilian casualties would far outweigh the initial toll on US troops, and could potentially reach hundreds of thousands, commanders were told. COMMENT North Korea remains a highly unpredictable situation. There are fears in the US military of a “ladder of escalation”, where a stray incident could cause a military crisis to spiral out of control. Among the plans discussed last week was the redeployment of a large numbers of surveillance aircraft from the Middle East and Africa to the Pacific to support ground troops. We don’t know if a war will happen in North Korea but we do know that America is in a weakened position when Russia invades the Middle East. If war did break out America would have to move much of its strategic military equipment out of the Middle East into the Korean area. This in itself would cause the US difficulties. The stand off between the two Korea’s is effectively a stand off between Russia and the US. Communism in the north and capitalism in the south. Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.  Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.  In Ezekiel 38 the “young lion” is a reference to the USA. Here we read of the young lions having their teeth broken when they shoot their arrows BIBLE QUOTE (Psalm 58:6-7)

10. Israel’s mission creep in Syria raises nightmare scenario of wider war Globe and Mail, March 2, 2018 EVENT Israel's involvement in Syria's war has, up to now, been low-key, often covert. But analysts and officials here say that Israel may soon join the conflict in a more overt manner to keep Iran and its proxies from establishing military positions on Israel's doorstep. The regional turmoil is unfolding at the same time as a domestic political scandal that could see Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu charged with corruption in the weeks ahead, leading many Israelis to wonder aloud whether Mr. Netanyahu – who has warned for years of the threat posed by Iran – is too distracted to lead the country in a time of growing crisis. The possibility of Israel and Iran regularly trading fire in Syria raises the nightmare scenario of a wider war. In addition to Iran and the various Syrian factions, the United States, Russia and Turkey all have forces on the ground in Syria.” The potential for friction and escalation – if Iran continues to do this – grows. I think there's no doubt about that," Chagai Tzuriel, the director-general of Israel's Ministry of Intelligence, told The Globe in an interview in Tel Aviv. Mr. Tzuriel said the growing Iranian presence in Syria was getting very close to crossing a "red line" for Israel. COMMENT For decades – even as Israel and Syria remained in a technical state of war, and despite vows by both Mr. Assad and his father, Hafez, to retake the Golan (which Israel seized and annexed in a 1967 war) – this was Israel's quietest frontier. Israel and Syria fought proxy wars in Lebanon, but the United Nations-monitored ceasefire here largely held. Today, the 20,000 people who live in four Golan villages feel the peace they've enjoyed is disappearing. War between Israel and Syria / Iran / Hezbollah could start anytime. This will be the Zechariah 12 / Psalm 83 initial war… Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of drunkenness to all the surrounding peoples, when they lay siege against Judah and Jerusalem. And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples Notice the nearby people are made drunk (mad) by Jerusalem. Jerusalem is a heavy stone (an unsolvable problem) for everyone else. BIBLE QUOTE (Zechariah 12:2-3)

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