Weekly World Watch - Current Events Through a Biblical Lens

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s January 1 - 14, 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 January 1 - 14, 2017 • U.S. Election: Putin ordered ‘influence campaign’ • US tanks and troops in Poland a threat, Russia says • Russia deploys anti-aircraft missile systems in Moscow • Syria warns Israel it will respond to Damascus strike • Libyan military chief visits Russian aircraft carrier • Split euro zone in two, says Germany's far-right leader To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. And the king [Gog] shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished….And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: The king of verse 36-39 is Gog – the Russian ruler – Putin. The king of the south will push / provoke HIM. The push / provocation looks like it could be underway… • Russia hacking: Putin 'ordered campaign of influence' in US election New York Times, January 6, 2017 American intelligence officials have concluded that the president of Russia, Vladimir V. Putin, personally “ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the U.S. presidential election,” and turned from seeking to “denigrate” Hillary Clinton to developing “a clear preference for President-elect Trump.” The conclusions were part of a declassified intelligence report, ordered by President Obama, that was released on Friday. Its main determinations were described to Mr. Trump by the nation’s top intelligence officials earlier in the day, and he responded by acknowledging, for the first time, that Russia had sought to hack into the Democratic National Committee’s computer systems. But he insisted that the effort had no effect on the election, and he said nothing about the conclusion that Mr. Putin, at some point last year, decided to aid his candidacy. You can review the report CLICK HERE. See pg 6. EVENT 2017 has begun with high drama in relation to Russia and the US elections. Trump has signalled all through his campaign that he wants better US relations with Russia / Putin. Obama however appears to be trying to scupper any chance of this by accusing Russia of influencing the US elections through hacking. At the end of 2016 Obama expelled 36 Russian diplomats. Then last week an official intelligence report ordered by Obama specifically accused Putin of being the mastermind behind the hacking. In the 25 page report Putin was mentioned personally 31 times. Trump has been forced to acknowledge Russian involvement and has said he probably won’t get on with Putin. What we are possibly seeing here is the start of the push and provocation of the king of the south (US/UK) against the king of Daniel 11 mentioned in verses 36-39…. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 11:36+40)

6. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. • US tanks and troops in Poland a threat, Russia says BBC, January 13, 2017 Russia says it views the arrival of more than 3,000 US soldiers in Poland as a threat to its own security. The troops are part of President Barack Obama's response to reassure Nato allies concerned about a more aggressive Russia. It is the largest US military reinforcement of Europe in decades. President Vladimir Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the BBC that the move "threatens our interests and our security”. "It's a third country that is building up its military presence on our borders in Europe," he said. "It isn't even a European country.” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexei Mechkov called the deployment a "factor destabilising European security”. Poland's Undersecretary of State for Defence Tomasz Szatkowski said the deployment was necessary because of Russia's "large exercises" next to its border and its "aggressive actions in our vicinity - I mean Ukraine and the illegal annexation of Crimea". EVENT And it is not just Russian diplomats being expelled and reports personally accusing Putin of espionage…here we have Obama sending tanks and troops to Poland. Poland of course borders the old USSR and was therefore on the front line of the previous Cold War. As American soldiers rolled into Poland on Thursday, it fulfilled a dream some Poles have had since the fall of communism in 1989 to have U.S. troops on their soil as a deterrent against Russia. This clearly is aggravating Russia and also makes life very difficult for Trump when he enters office next week. Obama’s push at Putin and Russia to weaken Trump may well spark conflict. Obama has done a similar thing with provoking Israel by pushing through a security council resolution calling eastern Jerusalem occupied land. The world is entering an extremely dangerous time. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Zechariah 12:1)

7. “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 • Russia deploys anti-aircraft missile system to protect Moscow The Independent, January 11, 2017 An anti-aircraft missile system has been set up to guard the skies above Moscow. S-400 ‘Growler’ missile systems - used widely in Syria - have been stationed outside the Russian capital. Russia’s defence ministry also confirmed that an air force regiment had been deployed to the region around the city. Another air defence regiment equipped with the S-400 system will be put on combat duty near Moscow soon, officials said. The S-400, known in Russia as the ‘Triumf’ missile system and by Nato as the 'Growler', is the country’s most advanced surface-to-air missile system and can hit a target 250 miles away. The weapon has been sent to the city of Podolsk, 15 miles south of Moscow, local media reported. The deployment will offer protection to the Russian capital at a time of heightened tensions with the West. EVENT Russia has deployed anti-aircraft missile systems around Moscow to protect the capital from attack in the latest sign that Putin is preparing for war. What other reason could there be to put advanced missile systems near your capital city? The news of this deployment came on the same day the US deployed the troops in Poland…. Defence Ministry’s Department of Information and Mass Communication told Interfax: 'The SAM combat squads of the Moscow Region aerospace forces have put the new S-400 Triumph air defence missile system into service, and have gone on combat duty for the air defence of Moscow and the central industrial region of Russia. The main task of the anti-aircraft missile is air defence and protecting vital state, military, industry and energy facilities, as well as the Armed Forces troops and transport communications, from aerospace attacks.’ Russia is preparing for war as God said they would… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:7-8 NLT)

8. “Look, the city of Damascus will disappear! It will become a heap of ruins….The fortified towns of Israel [a] will also be destroyed, and the royal power of Damascus will end….“In that day Israel’s [b] glory will grow dim; its robust body will waste away. [a] is Ephraim in the original it means northern Israel. [b] Israel is Jacob in the original it means the whole land of Israel. Therefore Israel overall is weakened with the north taking the brunt. Syria warns Israel it will respond to Damascus strike RT, January 13, 2017 Syrian state news agency SANA says Israeli jets have bombed the Mezzeh military airport west of Damascus, accusing Tel Aviv of supporting terrorism. The airport was rocked by multiple explosions, with ambulances rushing to the scene. The Syrian Arab Army has warned that there will be repercussions for Israel for the “flagrant attack” on the military base, state TV said, citing a Syrian army command spokesman. It also linked the alleged strike to Israel’s “support of terrorist groups.” The army said several missiles were fired at the Mezzeh airport’s compounds from the Lake Tiberias area in northern Israel at about 12am Friday. The strike reportedly damaged one of the compounds of the crucial military facility. The Mezzeh airport is located west of Damascus, just 5 kilometres from the Presidential Palace, the official residence of Syrian President Bashar Assad. EVENT For the third time in about as many weeks Israel has struck Syria with missiles (according to Syrian news agencies). Israel never confirms these attacks but most commentators do believe Israel is behind these strikes. On Friday, Syria called on the international community on Israel to be “punished” for the missile attack on a major military airport west of Damascus. The Syrian Foreign Ministry also condemned the missile attack in two letters to the UN secretary-general and the president of the UN Security Council. We have said for many years that Israel will one day get involved in the Syrian conflict. We say this because of Isaiah 17 which speaks of Israel being weakened when Damascus is destroyed. This is still to take place. But events could be getting closer now to this happening… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Isaiah 17:1+3-4 NLT)

9. Libyan military chief visits Russian aircraft carrier Associated Press, January 11, 2017 EVENT A Libyan military chief has visited a Russian aircraft carrier off the coast of the troubled North African country. The Russian Defence Ministry says Field Marshal Khalifa Hafter visited the Admiral Kuznetsov carrier Wednesday. The carrier and accompanying ships are coming home from a mission off Syria's coast. The ministry said Hafter was given a tour of the ship and had a video call with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to discuss "acute issues of fighting international terrorist groups in the Middle East.” It is the strongest sign yet of Russian support for Hafter, who is allied with an eastern-based parliament that is at odds with a Western-backed government in the capital, Tripoli. Bloomberg said in the relation to this visit…”Russian Warship Hosts Libya’s Haftar as Putin Courts New Ally”. Putin is indeed courting a new ally. In fact though Putin is seeking to restore some of its Soviet-era influence in Libya after turning the tide in Syria’s war through military intervention in support of President Bashar al-Assad. He is using this momentum to press home his advantage in the region. Haftar visited Moscow twice in the past seven months, meeting with the Russian foreign and defence ministers as well as the national security chief to seek support. Haftar is “a leading political and military figure” in Libya, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov said in an interview last month. The reason this is very interesting is that Ezekiel 38 says that Libya will be allied to Russia when it invades Israel – along with Turkey and Iran and Sudan. Russia has made alliances with all these nations in recent months. COMMENT Persia [Iran], Ethiopia [northern Sudan], and Libya [Libya] with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer [western Turkey], and all his bands; the house of Togarmah [eastern Turkey and Caucasus region] of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:5-6)

10. Five heads are fallen, [these are the 5 stages detailed above] and one is [Papacy which continues to exist], and the other is not yet come [[the EU] ; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. The 8th is of the 7. The 8th is the beast itself. It comes out of the EU – the final beast system of 10 kings - the 4th Reich HRE with the Papacy (the harlot). • Split euro zone in two, says Germany's far-right leader Reuters, January 10, 2017 EVENT The euro zone should be split into two with a strong cluster around Germany and a weak cluster including France, the co-leader of Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party Joerg Meuthen said. "The euro is a seed of discord in Europe that has different currency cultures and different competitiveness levels," Meuthen told Reuters, eight months before the federal election. "The euro is too strong for southern European countries while for Germany and several others it's too weak," he said in a telephone interview. "It's conceivable that the weaker countries leave," he said, mentioning Italy, Spain, Portugal and France. He said Greece is so weak that no country wants to share a currency with it. Germany, Austria, the Netherlands and Finland should remain in the core euro group, he said, even though a stronger currency would hurt exports from those countries. This is very interesting because we have been saying for some time that the EU will divide and break-up but re-emerge as the resurrected Holy Roman Empire (HRE) centred on Germany. This is exactly what this politician is saying. But does this right wing minority party in Germany carry any weight? Maybe not but this week Germany’s Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel said “the euro zone has left Europe more divided than ever and a break-up of the European Union is no longer inconceivable”. Revelation 17 says 10 kings (horns on the 7 heads) will emerge. They are the resurrected HRE. Why 7 heads? These are the 7 stages of the Roman Empire. They are 1) Roman Empire (Pagan), 2) Roman Empire (Christian), 3) Holy Roman Empire (1st Reich), 4) German Empire (2nd Reich), 5) Nazi Germany (3rd Reich), 6) Papacy 7) EU as it is now. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Revelation 17:10-11 )

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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.