March 12 - 18, 2017

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s March 12 - 18, 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 March 12 - 18, 2017 • Syria fires missiles at Israeli jets following airstrikes • US officials warn Russia could be interfering in Libya • UK troops arrive in Estonia to deter Russia aggression • Moscow to absorb rebel Georgian region's military • Turkey blocks some cooperation with NATO partners • Britain's Brexit bill receives royal assent, becomes law To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. The fortified towns of Israel will also be destroyed, and the royal power of Damascus will end. All that remains of Syria will share the fate of Israel’s departed glory,” declares the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “In that day Israel’s glory will grow dim; its robust body will waste away. • Syria fires missiles at Israeli jets following airstrikes Associated Press, March 17, 2017 Syria fired missiles at Israeli warplanes early Friday after a series of Israeli airstrikes inside Syria — a rare military exchange between the two hostile neighbours that was confirmed by both sides. The Israeli military said its aircraft struck several targets in Syria and were back in Israeli-controlled airspace when several antiaircraft missiles were launched from Syria toward the Israeli jets. Israeli aerial-defence systems intercepted one of the missiles, the army said, without elaborating. It would not say whether any other missiles struck Israeli-held territory but said the safety of Israeli civilians and Israeli aircraft was "not compromised.” The army said the incident set off sirens in Jewish settlement communities in the Jordan Valley, part of the West Bank. Damascus said Syrian antiaircraft systems confronted the planes and claimed that one of the jets was shot down in Israeli-controlled territory and that another was hit. EVENT We reported last week about the meeting between Netanyahu and Putin. Netanyahu told Putin how concerned he was about Hezbollah and Iran in Syria. Yesterday (Friday) Israel launched several airstrikes in Syria. However for the first time Syria struck back. Syria fired anti aircraft missiles at the Israeli planes and claimed to have shot one down. Israeli TV reported that Israel deployed its Arrow defence system for the first time against a real threat and hit an incoming missile, intercepting it before it exploded in Israel. The enormous blast from this explosion was actually heard 150km away in Jerusalem! The Bible says that when Damascus ceases to be a city Israel will be greatly weakened. For this reason we have long been saying that Israel will get drawn into the war in Syria. Could events this week be the start of this? We wait to see… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Isaiah 17:3-4 NLT)

6. Persia (Iran), Cush (Ethiopia), and Put (Libya) with them, all of them with shield and helmet; Gomer and all its troops; Beth-Togarmah from the remote parts of the north and all its troops—many peoples with you. You [Gog; Russian leader] be prepared; prepare yourself, you and all your hordes that are assembled around you, • US officials warn Russia could be interfering in Libya CNN, March 15, 2017 US aerial reconnaissance assets have recently noticed both Russian transport aircraft and a large Russian drone at an airbase in far western Egypt close to the Libyan border, CNN has learned. It is not clear if the Russian equipment and personnel are military or contractors, but US officials believe it's all part of the growing signs that Russia is interfering in Libya, according to this official and another US official. There was some open discussion of this at the Senate Armed Services Committee last week, when the four-star head of Africa Command acknowledged the US believes Russia is trying to manipulate the political outcome in Libya. General Thomas D. Waldhauser testified: "Russia is trying to exert influence on the ultimate decision of who becomes and what entity becomes in charge of the government inside Libya. They're working to influence that -- that the decision." EVENT COMMENT The Arab Spring began in 2011. It overturned the rulers of Egypt and Tunisia. It then spread to Libya. Muammar Gaddafi put up much more resistance but he was killed in October 2011 after 40 years being in power. Since then Libya has been torn among numerous rival, armed militias affiliated with distinct regions, cities and tribes, while the central government has been weak and unable effectively to exert its authority over the country. For 5 years the US and other western powers have tried to unite Libya’s rebels – but they have failed.. And it now appears that Russia has decided to enter the Libyan fray by sending in dozens of armed Russian security contractors who almost certainly are Russian forces. The Bible says that Libya will join forces with Russia when it invades Israel. Surely the article above then is a significant move in this direction. BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:6-7 Amplified Bible)

7. At the time of the end the king of the South [US/UK] will push [militarily provoke] him [Gog / Russian leader], and the king of the North [Russian army] will storm out against him [king of the south] with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood. • British troops arrive in Estonia to deter Russian aggression in one of biggest deployments to region in decades Daily Telegraph, March 18, 2017 British troops have arrived in Estonia as part of a major Nato mission in the Baltic states to deter Russian aggression. Around 120 soldiers from the 5th Battalion The Rifles landed at the Amari airbase on Friday, 25 miles south-west of the capital Tallinn. They were welcomed by Estonia's defence minister Margus Tsahkna on their arrival from RAF Brize Norton. Eight hundred British troops are due to be stationed in the country as part of one of the biggest deployments to Eastern Europe in decades. The first batch will set up a UK headquarters in the country before the rest arrive next month. They will work alongside French and Danish forces to "provide a proportionate, defensive, and combat capable force to defend our Nato ally and deter any form of hostile activity against the Alliance", the Ministry of Defence said. Britain is taking a leading role in the Estonia Battlegroup, while other nations are deploying troops to Latvia, Lithuania and Poland as part of Nato's Enhanced Forward Presence battalion. EVENT This week around 300 UK vehicles have also left the UK by ferry and headed for Estonia, including Challenger 2 tanks, Warrior infantry fighting vehicles, and AS90 self-propelled artillery pieces. Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon said this week that it was the biggest UK military deployment in Europe since the end of the Cold War and formed part of a long-term, open-ended commitment to deter Russia. Other Nato armies are sending forces to Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, where 150 UK personnel will also be sent as part of a rotating deployment. Estonia and Latvia border Russia. Britain therefore is sending troops right up to Russia’s border. Putin may well see this as a military provocation. At some point he will be provoked into action… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 11:40)

8. “In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. Interesting that it says when REBELS have become wicked. We have rebels in Syria, Libya, Georgia, Ukraine etc. The fierce looking king is none other than Gog! Moscow to absorb rebel Georgian region's military Reuters, March 14, 2017 Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday ordered his officials to seal an agreement which will, in effect, incorporate the armed forces of Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia region into the Russian military's command structure. Georgia condemned the move, which is likely to spark accusations from its Western allies that the Kremlin is absorbing the breakaway region into Russia by stealth, even though under international law it is part of Georgia's sovereign territory. Moscow has de facto controlled South Ossetia, a sliver of mainly mountainous land in the northeast of Georgia, for years. But it has, on paper at least, treated South Ossetia as a separate state, not part of Russia. According to the text of the draft agreement that Putin ordered his officials to conclude, the separatists will adopt new operating procedures for their armed forces which will be subject to approval by Moscow, and the forces' structure and objectives will be determined in agreement with Russia. EVENT In August 2008 Russia launched a war against Georgia. Russia accused Georgia of "aggression against South Ossetia”. South Ossetia declared independence from the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991. It is a region that wants to be closer to Russia. All this is similar to Crimea. During the 2008 war Russian forces gained full de facto control of South Ossetia. South Ossetia relies heavily on military, political and financial aid from Russia. But now Putin is upping the anti. He is bringing the “rebels” in South Ossetia into Russia’s command and control structure. The reason this area is interesting is that it is through this area that Russia will descend. It is also the very southern part of Magog. It is interesting therefore that Putin (Gog) wants this area. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 8:23-24 NIV)

9. Turkey blocks some cooperation with NATO partners Reuters, March 15, 2017 EVENT Turkey has blocked some military training and other work with NATO "partner countries" in an apparent escalation of a diplomatic dispute with EU states, officials and sources said on Wednesday. Turkey was not immediately available to comment, but sources said it had blocked NATO's 2017 rolling programme of cooperation with non-EU countries, including political events, civilian projects and military training. Turkey is angry at several western European countries for stopping it holding political rallies to promote an April 16 referendum granting President Tayyip Erdogan sweeping new powers. Erdogan has compared Germany and the Netherlands to fascists and Nazis, but as fellow NATO members, Turkey is unable to block cooperation with them. A NATO official said Turkey's action was ostensibly aimed at Austria, which is not a member of the alliance but is a partner country. COMMENT The political feud between Turkey and Europe has escalated with NATO and EU chiefs pleading for calm. The unrest has led to members of the European parliament to call for a halt to accession talks with Turkey, still a formal candidate for EU membership. Austria, last year led calls for the European Union to end Turkey's EU accession talks, criticising its response to a failed coup when it jailed tens of thousands of people. Turkish referendum rallies have been cancelled in Austria. Turkey's action blocking some military training potentially affects all 22 NATO partner states, including Sweden and Georgia. Turkey of course is part of NATO but events are pushing Turkey further and further away. We expect this of course. Turkey is Togarmah of Ezekiel 38 and Togarmah joins forces with Russia. The nations are lining up as God said they would. BIBLE QUOTE Gomer and all its armies will also join you, along with the armies of Beth-Togarmah from the distant north, and many others. Ancient Gomer and Togarmah cover the area of modern day Turkey. Turkey therefore joins Gog in invading Israel. (Ezekiel 38:6 NLT)

10. The western kings of Tarshish and other distant lands will bring him tribute. The eastern kings of Sheba and Seba will bring him gifts. Psalm 72 is a picture of the coming kingdom. Tarshish (Britain) is a power that brings Christ tribute. Another indication Britain is separate from the EU beast of Revelation 17. • Britain's Brexit bill receives royal assent, becomes law Fox News, March 16, 2017 EVENT British Prime Minister Theresa May is free to officially notify the EU that the UK intends to leave after the Queen granted the Brexit bill royal assent. Following a turbulent passage through both houses and a drawn out court battle, May is expected to take the historic step of starting the process of leaving the 40-year union. Speaking in the House of Commons at the beginning of the week, May said she would trigger Article 50 "before the end of the month" and it is expected she will do so in the last week of March. The prime minister has described it as a "defining moment" for the country but the negotiations that will take place with the EU over the next two years promise to be bitter and bloody. Key players on both sides will now need to set to work thrashing out a Brexit deal alongside a free trade deal that will govern the UK's future relationship with the remaining 27 members of the EU. There are now no barriers or hurdles left for Britain to trigger article 50 and will do so very soon. Article 50 is basically the formal announcement that Britain will leave the EU. Britain leaving the EU is like a marriage divorce. To begin a divorce you have to find a valid reason to divorce. Britain has done this by having a referendum. The next step in a divorce is filing a divorce petition to the court. This is equivalent to article 50 being invoked. But of course the most problematic part of any divorce is dividing the assets and liabilities. In other words who gets what. And this is what comes next for Britain and the EU. Which deals remain, which change. Most divorces end in acrimony – this may well be the case with this divorce. Britain is a power that is not allied to the Holy Roman Empire that will emerge – so therefore Britain was destined to leave. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Psalm 72:10 NLT)

11. Weekly World Watch YouTube Videos

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.