January 19 - 25, 2014

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s January 19 - 25, 2014 “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 January 19 - 25, 2014 • Palestinian leader turns to Putin for Palestinian state • Russia preparing to develop Gaza gas field • Unrest erupts across west of Ukraine • Four bombs strike central Cairo • Syrian 'peace talks’ are all part of the war • Is our Sun falling silent? To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. After many days thou [Gog / Russian leader / 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. Palestinian leader turns to Putin for Palestinian state Debkafile, January 24, 2014 Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas launched his “diplomatic intifada” against Israel Thursday, January 23, on his visit to Moscow. His meetings with President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev marked his breakaway from the US-led peace process with Israel, four months before it was due to expire, and signaled his bid for Russian backing for a Palestinian state. The Palestinian leader’s defection caught both Secretary of State John Kerry and Prime Minister Binyamin unprepared – and surprised their intelligence agencies. Putin and Abbas almost certainly planned in advance to drop their bombshell on the day both Kerry and Netanyahu were otherwise engaged at two international events in Switzerland, Geneva 2 on Syria and the World Economic Forum. For Putin it was a chance to show the international community that he was several steps ahead of the game on the three hottest Middle East issues – Iran’s nuclear program, the Syrian civil conflict and the Palestinian bid for statehood. EVENT The Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas flew into Moscow this week on a four day visit. During the visit he met the Russian President, Prime minister and Russian religious leaders. He was seeking Russian involvement in the peace process. As the American nine month peace process nears as end, Abbas is seeking help from Russia to advance his cause of a Palestinian State. Russia, with its new Middle East influence is only to happy to oblige. Amazingly the Bible foretold these exact circumstances. In Ezekiel 38 we read that Gog (the Russian leader at the time of the end eg Putin) will be VISITED! The original word “visited” means to be “sought after”. Abbas VISITED Russia this week and sought their help in removing Israel from the land… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 13:1,10-11)

6. thou [Gog / Russian leader] shalt think an evil thought: And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates…To take a spoil, and to take a prey; Russia preparing to develop Gaza gas field AFP, January 23, 2014 In a significant political and economic development, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met Jan. 23 with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meeting came as a prerequisite to officially sign an investment agreement aiming to develop the Gaza offshore gas field in the Mediterranean Sea. It is only logical to assume that this step will raise the ire of Israel. The latter does not appreciate the role Russia plays in the region, especially since Israel has never come to an agreement with Russia. AFP reported that there were talks of investing $1 billion to develop the Palestinian gas field. Clearly taken aback by the news coming in fast from Moscow, Israeli official sources said Thursday night they could not understand how the Russians and Palestinians came to an agreement on Mediterranean waters off the shores of Gaza, when the rights were already owned by British Gas. EVENT Now this really is amazing…. On the visit to Russia this week Abbas discussed with Russia a deal concerning gas fields that lie off the Gaza Strip! Russian natural gas company Gazprom is planning to produce 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas at the site, according to Russian news agency ITAR-TASS. The Russian engineering firm Technopromexport was also considering an oil development project in Ramallah in the West Bank, according to the same report. There are two massively significant things here. Firstly the Palestinian Authority is not a state so is not empowered to establish Special Economic Zones in the Med. Russia appears to not be concerned with this and is treating the PA as a state. Secondly Russia is considering stepping into the West Bank and developing oil there. Ezekiel 38 speaks of Russia coming down to Israel to take a spoil. The oil and gas finds are pulling Russia down – they cannot resist…. COMMENT he BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:10-12)

7. The king of the north will storm out with chariots, charioteers, and a vast navy. He will invade various lands and sweep through them like a flood. He will enter the glorious land of Israel,[h] and many nations will fall Unrest erupts across west of Ukraine Daily Telegraph, January 23, 2014 EVENT Thick black smoke from burning tires engulfed parts of downtown Kiev as an ultimatum issued by the opposition to the president to call early elections or face street rage was set to expire with no sign of a compromise on Thursday. They demanded that Yanukovych dismiss the government, call early elections and scrap harsh anti-protest legislation that triggered the violence. The largely peaceful protest against Yanukovych's decision to shun the EU and turn toward Moscow in November descended into violence Sunday when demonstrators, angered by the passage of repressive laws intended to stifle the protest, marched on official buildings. For days protesters hurled fire bombs and stones at police, which retaliated with stun grenades, tear gas and rubber bullets. The Wednesday deaths of two protesters — the first fatalities in more than two months of protests — fueled fears of more violence. We are very interested in the Ukraine. Why? Because we are told in Ezekiel 38 that Gog is of the land of Magog, chief ruler of Meshech and Tubal. Magog according to ancient historian Josephus was where the Scythians lived. Maps show that the Scythians lived in Southern Russia and Ukraine. See map above. Instead of Scythia read Magog. You can see that Scythia covered mainly southern Russia but also extended to cover much of Ukraine. The violence in the Ukraine is due to half the country wanting to come under Russian influence and half wanting to come under Europe’s influence. Russia is winning this tug of war by doing gas deals and putting massive pressure on the Ukraine government. Russia sees Ukraine as its satellite nation. In fact is main military port on the Black Sea is actually in the Ukraine at Sevastopol. We know Russia will come with many ships – they are based in Magog! COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 11:41 NLT)

8. I will make Egyptian fight against Egyptian— brother against brother, neighbor against neighbor, city against city, province against province The Egyptians will lose heart, and I will confuse their plans. Four bombs strike central Cairo Daily Telegraph, January 23, 2014 Cairo was struck by four blasts including a suicide car bomb on Friday morning, leaving six dead and prompting fears of a descent into prolonged Islamist terror. Angry crowds gathered at the scene of the first explosion, outside the main police headquarters in the city's Downtown, and attacked foreign journalists trying to report on the scene. They chanted anti-Islamist slogans, including "The people call for the execution of the [Muslim] Brotherhood”. The bombers struck despite a security crackdown in advance of protests expected on Saturday to mark the third anniversary of the start of the January 25 revolution in 2011, which led to the downfall of ex-President Hosni Mubarak 18 days later. The first explosion happened shortly before 6.30am, and was loud enough to send shock waves through homes two miles away. Witnesses at the scene said that at least three corpses were immediately taken to the nearby Ahmed Maher hospital, along with scores of injuries. EVENT COMMENT Isaiah 19 speaks of the events we are witnessing right now in Egypt. Egyptian fighting Egyptian. Isaiah 19 is not plucked out of context and applied to modern day events. Isaiah 19 is part of a series of 10 chapters in Isaiah that are specifically about the last days. They deal with 10 burdens (or tribulations) that affect 10 nations at the time of the end. Some of the nations mentioned in these 10 tribulations are Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Palestinians etc. Each nation has its own identified problem that affects not only the nation itself but also the surrounding nations as well. They are tribulations for the world. To find out more about these tribulations and how they applied during 2013 watch a YouTube video produced by the WWW team. CLICK HERE to watch… BIBLE QUOTE (Isaiah 19:2 NLT)

9. That famous city, a city of joy, will be forsaken! Her young men will fall in the streets and die. Her soldiers will all be killed,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “And I will set fire to the walls of Damascus that will burn up the palaces of Ben-hadad. Syrian 'peace talks’ are all part of the war Daily Telegraph comment, January 21, 2014 So that’s it. There were, we now know, secret talks with the Iranians to bring them to the Syrian peace table but they failed. The war is not over. Iranian troops, active across Syria as “advisers”, will continue to fight; their proxies will continue to die. Without Tehran, the only government that has power over the Assad regime, there is no hope of peace, and the talks may as well not take place. These aren’t peace talks; they wouldn’t have led to peace with or without the Iranians; when the two Syrian sides hold their first face-to-face meeting, supposedly on Friday, they will not even come close to discussing concessions that might end the conflict. In fact, the peace talks have every sign of being a reversal of the Roman formula, is vis pacem, para bellum – if you seek peace, prepare for war. Both sides and their sponsors are using the “peace” talks to declare new war goals and seek fresh backing. They are a military advertising campaign. EVENT There are peace talks but no sign of peace. As the comment above in the Daily Telegraph says - there is no chance of peace in Syria. It is leading to even greater conflict and war. UN envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who held talks with both sides on Friday, said they all understood that the conference was trying to "save Syria”. So will they bring peace? Will they save Syria? The Bible says NO. There is cataclysmic and unprecedented destruction coming on Syria. This week there was clear evidence presented that Syria has systematically tortured and executed about 11,000 detainees since the start of the uprising. It is horrific – but there is worse – much worse to come. We do not know when it will come. But it will. It is while people are talking about peace and safety we have to be even more watchful as it is when least expected that destruction comes. Damascus - the oldest inhabited city on earth will cease to exist… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Jeremiah 49:25-27)

10. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved Is our Sun falling silent? BBConline, January 18, 2014 EVENT "I've been a solar physicist for 30 years, and I've never seen anything quite like this," says Richard Harrison, head of space physics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire. He shows me recent footage captured by spacecraft that have their sights trained on our star. The Sun is revealed in exquisite detail, but its face is strangely featureless. "If you want to go back to see when the Sun was this inactive... you've got to go back about 100 years," he says. This solar lull is baffling scientists, because right now the Sun should be awash with activity. It has reached its solar maximum, the point in its 11-year cycle where activity is at a peak. This giant ball of plasma should be peppered with sunspots, exploding with flares and spewing out huge clouds of charged particles into space in the form of coronal mass ejections. Jesus said there would be signs in the sun, moon and stars. Upon the earth distress of nations with perplexity. The sea and waves roaring. These things are both physical and literal. But also symbolic and spiritual. In other words we have seen the literal sea and waves roaring with incredible tsunamis. But we have also seen revolution and war as people symbolically crash against each other like violent waves. The Bible refers to people fighting like waves in a storm. We even use the phrase nowadays a “sea of people”. We have reports this week about the sun acting very strangely. Scientists say that the drop off in the sun’s activity is happening surprisingly quickly. They are now watching closely to see if it will continue to plummet. "It could mean a very, very inactive star, it would feel like the Sun is asleep.” says Dr Lucie Green, from University College London's Mullard Space Science Laboratory. The decline in activity is the fastest that has been seen in 10,000 years. What does this mean? It’s another sign…. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Joel 2:3—32 NIV)

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. Please take a look at this excellent Christadelphian Prophecy website Just click the image To watch again, click here.