Putin's Hypersonic Missile Test and Rising Tensions

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s December 23 – January 5, 2019 “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 23 – January 5, 2018 • Putin’s missile boast: 'Excellent New Year's gift' • Israel confirms Syria airstrikes as Russia objects • Russia/Syria threaten to fire missiles into central Israel • Israel’s early elections could trigger new Gaza violence • UK plans rehearsals for no-deal Brexit • Indonesia tsunami kills hundreds after Krakatau eruption To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. Get ready; be prepared! Keep all the armies around you mobilized, and take command of them. A long time from now you will be called into action. In the distant future you will swoop down on the land of Israel, which will be enjoying peace after recovering from war 'Excellent New Year's gift': Putin boasts after testing 'invulnerable' Russian hypersonic missile National Post, December 26, 2018 Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw a test Wednesday of a new hypersonic glide vehicle, declaring that the weapon is impossible to intercept and will ensure Russia’s security for decades to come. Speaking to Russia’s top military brass after watching the live feed of the launch of the Avangard vehicle from the Defence Ministry’s control room, Putin said the successful test was a “great success” and an “excellent New Year’s gift to the nation. "The test comes amid bitter tensions in Russia-U.S. relations, which have sunk to their lowest level since the Cold War times over the conflict in Ukraine, the war in Syria and the allegations of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Putin’s hopes for repairing ties with Washington under President Donald Trump have fizzled amid investigations into allegations of Trump’s campaign ties with Russia, and tensions have escalated as the U.S. administration slapped Russia with new waves of sanctions. EVENT What a way to end 2018! Putin boasting of an invulnerable nuclear missile and saying it is a New Years gift to the nation. This sounds more like a crazed dictator like Kim Jong Un of North Korea - but instead it is the leader of Russia. This missile travels at 20 times the speed of sound – 1 mile every second. No other country on earth has a hypersonic missile. As we end 2018 the relationship between the US and Russia is still in the deep freeze. Despite all Trump’s efforts to try to rebuild the relationship it is still as bad as ever – and possibly even worse. The Bible says that a king of the north v king of the south situation will exist at the time of the end. The king of the north is Russia. The king of the south is US / UK based in Saudi Arabia. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:7-8 NLT)

6. This message came to me concerning Damascus: "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, Israeli official confirms Syria airstrikes as Russia objects Associated Press, December 27, 2018 An Israeli security official on Wednesday confirmed responsibility for overnight airstrikes in Syria, saying the air force had hit a series of targets involved in Iranian arms transfers to the Hezbollah militant group. Russia had criticized the airstrike, saying it endangered civilian flights. The comments highlighted the increasingly tense relations between Israel and Russia, which have grown strained since the September downing of a Russian plane by Syrian forces responding to another Israeli raid. The Israeli official said the air force had attacked several Iranian targets in three main locations late Tuesday and early Wednesday. He said the targets were primarily storage and logistics facilities used by archenemy Iran to ship weapons to Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese group that fought Israel in a 2006 war. The Israeli official said it was Syrian air defenses that endangered the civilian planes, by firing 30 missiles in response to the airstrike. He also claimed that Iranian forces are operating less than 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Israeli border, contrary to Russian assurances. EVENT During 2018 we have seen a continued escalation between Israel and Syria. Before October 2017 Israel had not struck Syria at all during the uprising against Assad. Israel attacked Syria in October 2017 and also in December 2017. In 2018 Israel attacked Syria in February, March, twice in April, 4 times in May, June, July, twice in September, November and December. Almost all occasions have been against Iran and Hezbollah although the latest incident also targeted Syrian positions. The Bible says the total destruction of Damascus is coming. 2019 may well be that year… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Isaiah 17:1-3 NLT)

7. Russia and Syria threaten to fire SA-5 missiles into central Israel if IAF air strikes continue Debkafile, December 27, 2018 A new Russian threat was received in Israel on Wednesday, Dec. 26: Any more air strikes and Syria’s SA-5 air defense missiles will be fired deep into Israel – like the one that shook several towns on Tuesday night in the middle of an IAF attack on Iranian sites in Syria. Israel’s air defense system missed the intruding missile; it exploded harmlessly in an unpopulated part of Mt. Carmel. By issuing this threat, Moscow confirmed that the Syrian missile was aimed deliberately at the Israeli heartland, and was not a stray from the attacks on Israeli aircraft, as some Israeli officials have claimed. The SA-5 (Russian coded S-200) is elderly but it has a very long range, medium-to-high altitude surface-to-air capacity, can function in all weathers and can be used to hit ground targets as well as aircraft and missiles. DEBKAfile’s military sources note that the Russians indicated that Syria would not launch a surface missile offensive against Israel but would employ a tit-for-tat strategy, countering Israeli air strikes over Syrian air space with missile attacks over Israeli air space. EVENT The relationship between Israel and Russia has soured dramatically since the downing of a Russian plane over Syria in September. Russia blames Israel for the loss of its hi tech spy plane and things have not been the same since the incident. In response Russia supplied Syria with their S300 missile defence system. This has not deterred Israel from attacking targets in Syria. The attack in late December by Israel targeted the command centre of Syria’s own army. This was a step too far for Russia who is protecting Assad and his government. According to Debkafile Russia has threatened that Syria will fire defence missiles into central Israel if they attack again. As we enter 2019 we see how Russia and Israel are increasingly enemies as the Bible said. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE Son of man, prophesy against Gog. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: I am your enemy, O Gog, ruler of the nations of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around and drive you toward the mountains of Israel, bringing you from the distant north. (Ezekiel 39:1-2 NLT)

8. Israel’s early elections could trigger new Gaza violence AI Monitor, December 27, 2018 EVENT In Jerusalem Dec. 26, the Knesset voted to disband and the next elections were pushed up from November 2019 to April 9. The Hamas leadership understands that the cease-fire arrangement reached with Israel in November could collapse if a campaigning Netanyahu faces heavy election pressure on the issue. The Israeli political system might not accept Netanyahu conducting business as usual with Hamas. The organization is therefore preparing to challenge Netanyahu so that he does not renege on the deal that has already yielded a series of achievements for them. Israeli defense officials also realize that the relative calm could end at any moment. An Israeli defense source told Al-Monitor that Israel assumes Hamas is gearing up for another round of widespread violence. Indications of such plans were evident at a conference held this week in Gaza with the participation of all the Palestinian factions, who were briefed about the latest developments and asked to prepare in case the demonstrations along the Israeli border fence — curtailed in recent weeks under the cease-fire deal — are resumed in force. COMMENT As we end 2018 Netanyahu announced that elections were being brought forward to April 9th. His government was effectively brought down by the events in Gaza over the summer. His coalition collapsed as a small right wing party left in protest at their frustration over the lack of action against Hamas. But very often violence escalates during the run up to Israel’s elections. Hamas will try to win concessions and Israel will want to act tough. If this happens we may have a perfect storm in Syria and in Gaza in 2019 that leads to the events of Psalm 83, Isaiah 17 and Zechariah 12. All of which describe the initial inner ring war against Israel that Israel wins..then in comes Gog. BIBLE QUOTE “I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.….. “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume all the surrounding peoples right and left, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place. (Zechariah 12:2+6 NIV)

9. UK plans rehearsals for no-deal Brexit amid fears of road, port chaos Reuters, January 4, 2019 EVENT Britain will begin rehearsals for the possible chaos of a no-deal Brexit on Monday by testing how the road network copes with a tailback of around 150 lorries caused by disruption at its most important trading gateway to continental Europe. Prime Minister Theresa May is trying to force her Brexit deal through parliament but if it is rejected then the United Kingdom will either leave without a deal at 2300 GMT on March 29 or have to delay Brexit. May has repeatedly warned that if lawmakers do not approve her deal then the world’s fifth largest economy will leave the EU without one, a nightmare scenario for many big businesses who fear disruption to trade. Britain will hold a trial run on Monday of its plans for dealing with long queues of lorries at the port of Dover caused by disruption to cross-Channel traffic in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the Department for Transport said. COMMENT Facing defeat in parliament last month, May postponed a vote on her deal and pledged to seek further political and legal assurances from the EU. The EU has signalled it may try to allay the fears of May’s critics but will not renegotiate the deal. The parliamentary vote is now due to take place in the week of Jan. 14 and the government has repeatedly tried to underscore the economic dangers of a no-deal Brexit. May suffered a fresh blow on Friday when a survey showed most rank-and-file members of her Conservative Party oppose her Brexit deal and would prefer to leave the EU without one. In 2019 the UK could possibly crash out of the EU which would effectively sever all ties. We know that Tarshish (UK) is not part of the EU beast. BIBLE QUOTE The kings of the earth joined forces and advanced against the city. But when they saw it, they were stunned; they were terrified and ran away. They were gripped with terror and writhed in pain like a woman in labor. You destroyed them like the mighty ships of Tarshish shattered by a powerful east wind. Britain’s power [symbolised by ships] will be destroyed (Psalm 48:4-7 NLT)

10. Indonesia tsunami kills hundreds after Krakatau eruption BBC, December 23, 2018 EVENT At least 222 people have been killed and 843 injured after a tsunami hit coastal towns on Indonesia's Sunda Strait, government officials say. There was no warning of the giant waves which struck at night, destroying hundreds of buildings, sweeping away cars and uprooting trees. It is thought undersea landslides from the Anak Krakatau volcano caused them. President Joko Widodo has expressed his sorrow for the victims and urged people to be patient. Rescue efforts are being hampered by blocked roads but heavy lifting equipment is being transported to badly hit areas to help search for victims. The Sunda Strait, between the islands of Java and Sumatra, connects the Java Sea to the Indian Ocean. Footage shared on social media showed a large wave crashing into a tent in the resort, in which popular Indonesian rock band Seventeen was performing. Members of the band were seen being swept away as the wave destroyed the stage. COMMENT We have seen two tsunami’s in 2018. Both hitting Indonesia. More than 380 people were confirmed dead after a tsunami triggered by a magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit an Indonesian city in September. In December part of the Kratkatau volcano collapsed into the sea following an eruption which caused another tsunami. This has now killed over 350 people. This last tsunami was even more deadly as there was no warning at all. There was no earthquake prior to the waves crashing into the mainland. 2018 has seen some incredible signs and wonders in the heavens above and the earth beneath. Over the summer extreme weather broke records worldwide. We saw the fiercest Pacific hurricane season on record. We saw Paradise (a town in America) completely destroyed by fire. 2019 will surely see more signs that the return of Jesus is SOON… And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.  BIBLE QUOTE (Acts 2:19-21)

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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.