Weekly World Watch - November 13-19, 2016

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s November 13 - 19, 2016 “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 November 13 - 19, 2016 • Obama urges Trump to stand up to Russia • US blasts Russia, Syria as new offensive escalates • Russia and Armenia to create joint defence force • Lithuania 'very afraid' of Russian Baltic threat • New Bahrain base enhances UK ability to defend Gulf • Powerful 7.8-earthquake rocks New Zealand To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones. • Obama urges Trump to stand up to Russia BBC, November 17, 2016 US President Barack Obama has urged his successor Donald Trump to stand up to Russia if it deviates from US "values and international norms”. Speaking in Berlin, Mr Obama said he hoped the US president-elect would "not simply take a realpolitik approach" to dealing with Russia. He also warned against a cyber arms race, saying there was clear proof Russia had engaged in cyber attacks. Mr Obama was speaking after talks with the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. The two close allies stressed the need for continued close co-operation between their countries, as well as between the US and EU as a whole.. EVENT President Obama is clearly concerned about what Donald Trump might do in relation to both NATO and Russia when he takes the reins in January 2017. Mr Trump has said he wants to be friends with Putin. He has also said that America shoulders too much of the cost of keeping Europe safe and that he might withdraw support for NATO. Obama said he hoped Mr Trump was "willing to stand up to Russia when they deviate from our values and international norms". Obama decided to make his last foreign visit as President to Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel and Obama forged a strong and warm partnership. She told reporters "the parting is hard for me", while he called her an "outstanding partner". Trump on the other hand was scathing about Merkel during the campaign. Germany is therefore very worried about what comes next. Mrs Merkel's greatest challenge is how to hold her country - indeed the EU - together. Europe may well divide up before re-emerging as a new empire. Trump’s election may destabilise Europe and bring these things about. The destabilisation of the world is coming. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Matthew 24:21-22 NLT)

6. Look, the city of Damascus will disappear! It will become a heap of ruins. The towns of Aroer will be deserted. Flocks will graze in the streets and lie down undisturbed, with no one to chase them away. The fortified towns of Israel will also be destroyed, and the royal power of Damascus will end. • US blasts Russia, Syria as new offensive escalates CBS, November 17, 2016 A Russian airstrike in northern Syria this week killed at least 30 members of an al Qaeda-linked group, including some of its leaders, the Russian military said Thursday. The statement comes amid a new wave of airstrikes in the war-torn country, with the besieged rebel-held part of the city of Aleppo facing its third consecutive day of heavy bombardment by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces. The Russians, who announced the new offensive in Syria this week, have denied bombing the rebel enclave. White House spokesman Josh Earnest renewed the Obama Administration’s sharp condemnation Thursday of both the Syrian and Russian governments, for what he called their “disgraceful” tactics in the grinding civil war. EVENT Russia’s ships have arrived off the coast of Syria. They have begun attacking Aleppo after a few weeks of ceasefire. Trump has given a green light for Putin to pretty much do what he likes in Syria. This has emboldened Putin who is looking to build up a permanent military presence in the Middle East and keen to reassert Russian status as a global power. The outgoing Obama government however is trying desperately to warn Russia not to overstep the mark. Whitehouse spokesman Josh Earnest said “the question really is what can the international community do -- lead by the United States -- to try to bring that violence down, and try to make sure that innocent people are not caught in the crossfire.” He condemned Moscow and said they were “determined to prop up the Assad regime” and willing to “engage in some disgusting tactics to try to make that a reality.” The next few months could be crucial as Putin will seek to press home his advantage with a weak President in power. Syria will come to an end… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Isaiah 17:1-3 NLT)

7. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. After many days thou 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, • Russia and Armenia to create joint defence force Moscow Times, November 14, 2016 The red colour is Armenia President Vladimir Putin has approved a government proposal on creating joint Russian and Armenian military forces, the Interfax news agency reported. One of the joint forces' main tasks will be to cover Russia and Armenia's land borders and work within the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a regional military alliance of post-Soviet states According to a presidential decree, Putin has ordered the Russian Defence Ministry and the Foreign Ministry to hold talks with Armenia on reaching an agreement. The two sides are creating a joint command, whose leader will be appointed by the Supreme Commander of the Armenian Armed Forces in agreement with the Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces. During peacetime, the commander of the joint forces will be subordinate to Armenia's military Chief of Staff. During wartime, he will be subordinate to the commander of Russia's southern military district. EVENT An alliance is being established to ensure the security of Russia and Armenia in the Caucasus. Under the agreement, servicemen of the Russian Federation and Armenia commit themselves to repelling any armed attack against each of the parties, as well as suppressing any attempts at illegal entry across the borders of the two countries. During any period of hostilities, all the leadership in this area will be transferred to the Command of Russia's Southern Military District. The reason we are interested in this is because where Armenia is. Armenia is in the Caucasus region which is almost like a land bridge that connects Russia to the Middle East. Russia will come from the north down south through the Caucasus region. Russia is strengthening its power in the south and is therefore preparing to one day send its army into the Middle East. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:7-8)

8. This mixture of iron and clay also shows that these kingdoms will try to strengthen themselves by forming alliances with each other through intermarriage. But they will not hold together, just as iron and clay do not mix. “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed or conquered. Lithuania 'very afraid' of Russian Baltic threat International Business Times, November 18, 2016 The red colour is Lithuania Lithuania has warned that Russia could attempt to take advantage of the power vacuum in Washington DC as president-elect Donald Trump prepares to take power to test Nato. Speaking to the BBC, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius said he was "very afraid" for the Baltics, as well as the Syrian city of Aleppo during the transition of Donald Trump to the White House. A former member of the Soviet Union, Lithuania joined Nato in 2004, and the EU the same year. For years leaders in the Baltic states have warned that Russia is determined to regain control of the region. "Russia is not a superpower, it's a super problem," said Linkevicius. "The new [US] administration doesn't come in until the second part of January," he said. "I'm very afraid and concerned about this period not just because of the regions which are close to here but let's hope that Aleppo is not smashed from the ground by then." EVENT COMMENT There is concern in many governments about what might happen in the next two months in the dying days of the Obama administration. The Lithuanian foreign minister said "The new [US] administration doesn't come in until the second part of January. I'm very afraid and concerned about this period not just because of the regions which are close to here but let's hope that Aleppo is not smashed from the ground by then.” Lithuania is a member of the European Union, the Council of Europe, a full member of the Schengen Agreement and NATO. Until 1990 Lithuania was a Soviet Social Republic. In 2004 they joined the EU. But ever since Russia invaded Ukraine, Lithuania has got increasingly nervous. Last month the government warned all its people to prepare for war with Russia. Lithuania is on the faultline between East and West. BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 2:43-44 NLT)

9. New Bahrain base enhances UK ability to defend Gulf Daily Telegraph, November 10, 2016 Bahrain EVENT His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales has opened a new Naval Support Facility (NSF) in Bahrain. It is a fitting way to mark the 200th anniversary of Anglo-Bahraini cooperation but, more importantly, it is a reaffirmation of the UK’s commitment to the Gulf, and to Bahrain in particular. With the region continuing to face difficult times, the British return to East of Suez is a reassuring sign that our countries remain steadfast friends and allies, with strong diplomatic, military and trade relations. The NSF is the latest initiative in a long-standing defence relationship that has cemented ties between our kingdoms. It will be the second busiest centre of operations for the Royal Navy after Portsmouth. It will allow the British Navy to re-crew, resupply and undergo repairs in the Gulf without having to return to the UK or other ports, saving time and reducing costs. The facility is just one element of an enduring British presence in Bahrain. Britain has strong links with the Gulf region. And it isn't just trade. Britain has bases in the area. The RAF has had strong links for over 90 years, from its first presence in Bahrain in 1924 and the establishment of a base during World War II, to the critical role played by RAF aircraft operating from the kingdom in the liberation of Kuwait in 1991. The new naval facility is just one element of an enduring British presence in Bahrain. So why is this interesting? The Bible speaks of Sheba, Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish being the opposing force to Russia. Sheba and Dedan are the exact area of modern Bahrain. If you look at the ancient map above you can see where Sheba and Dedan were. Bahrain is in this exact area. Tarshish of course is Britain. Therefore the Bible linked the military power of Bahrain with Britain over 2600 years ago! COMMENT But Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, ‘Do you really think the armies you have gathered can rob them of silver and gold? Do you think you can drive away their livestock and seize their goods and carry off plunder?’ BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:!3 NLT)

10. these things must take place first, but the end won’t follow immediately.” Then he added, “Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven. • Powerful 7.8-earthquake rocks New Zealand The Guardian, November 16, 2016 EVENT The earthquake that rocked New Zealand on Monday has been officially upgraded from magnitude 7.5 to 7.8. Geonet, the country’s geological monitor, said it was one of the most complex earthquakes ever recorded on land. The revised magnitude means the mainshock was in fact nearly twice as big (1.995 times) and 2.818 times stronger, in terms of energy release, than had been thought, and could lead to stronger aftershocks for a longer duration than expected. The evacuation of the South Island coastal town of Kaikoura, without road access since the quake, is almost complete, with nearly 400 people transferred to the navy vessel HMNZS Canterbury, which will leave for Lyttelton, near Christchurch, on Wednesday evening. The US department of defence has deployed the USS Sampson – the first US warship to visit New Zealand for 30 years – to aid the relief effort, and Australia is also sending assistance vessels. COMMENT Yet another earthquake impacting New Zealand. Experts seem to think that it was 2 earthquakes that happened to roll together. In the capital Wellington, a portion of the central district remains cordoned off with a nine-storey office block at risk of collapse. The headquarters of the New Zealand Red Cross, New Zealand Rugby, the Thai embassy and the city’s Anglican cathedral have been evacuated; and the New Zealand defence force HQ is closed and reported to be “uninhabitable” due to quake damage. Jesus warned of earthquakes in divers places. This literally means in many parts of the world. We are also told that at the same time there will be multitudes fighting against multitudes and nations fighting against nations. The return of Jesus must be close. BIBLE QUOTE (Luke 21:10-11 NLT)

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12. 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.