June 11 - 18, 2017

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s June 11 - 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 June 11 - 18, 2017 • Jewish vote denies Corbyn opportunity to govern • UK governing coalition could be ‘good news for Israel’ • U.S. moves rocket launchers into southern Syria • US Senate overwhelmingly backs Russia sanctions • Qatar buys F-15 fighter planes in billion-dollar US deal • Hamas warns of explosion as electricity crisis deepens To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men. Jewish vote denies Corbyn opportunity to govern Algemeiner, June 9, 2017 Voters in four London districts with significant Jewish populations have likely made it much easier for embattled British Prime Minister Theresa May to form a coalition government, a leading UK political analyst told The Algemeiner on Friday. May’s decision to call an early election after just a year at the helm of the ruling Conservative Party backfired spectacularly at the polls yesterday, with the opposition Labour Party, under far left leader Jeremy Corbyn, gaining an additional 29 parliamentary seats to bring its total number to 261. Meanwhile May – having hoped to secure a stronger electoral majority in advance of the forthcoming Brexit negotiations with the European Union – ended up eight seats short of an absolute majority. Significantly, four parliamentary constituencies in London with a significant Jewish vote may have made all the difference to Corbyn’s attempt to block May from forming a government. EVENT Jeremy Corbyn leads the UK opposition party. He came very close to stopping Theresa May forming a government. Almost all the UK press depict him as anti Semitic. He has spoken at Hamas and Hezbollah rallies. He is a socialist and as one newspaper put it he has “hosted, promoted and vigorously defended vicious anti-Semites and racists.” This is why the Jews in London on mass voted against him. Across northern London there were massive swings to Corbyn’s Labour party apart from in the areas of Harrow East, Chipping Barnet, Finchley and Golders Green, and Hendon. In all these areas Labour was very close to winning but fell short in each area by a few votes. Jewish support in these areas was 77% in favour of Theresa May. So the Jewish vote stopped Corbyn getting 4 or 5 more seats. If he had Theresa May would be out of power… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 4:17)

6. Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? • UK governing coalition could be ‘good news for Israel’ Algemeiner, June 10, 2017 A potential Conservative-led governing coalition in the UK that includes the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) could be “good news for Israel,” a British Jewish activist said on Friday, following the surprising parliamentary election results that saw Prime Minister Theresa May lose her majority in the House of Commons. In remarks she made outside of 10 Downing Street after returning from a meeting at Buckingham Palace with Queen Elizabeth II on Friday, May vowed to form a government with the Northern Ireland-based right-wing nationalist DUP that would “provide certainty and lead Britain forward at this critical time for our country.” Steven Jaffe — a consultant to the Board of Deputies of British Jews — wrote in the Jewish News on Friday that on Middle Eastern-related issues, the DUP — which won 10 parliamentary seats in Thursday’s election — would be a “friendly and positive influence for Israel.” EVENT Theresa May’s Conservative Party lost their majority and now has to form a coalition to survive. She has turned to the DUP. The DUP are a very small party of northern Ireland. They only have 10 seats in the House of Commons but Theresa May now needs these seats to get a wafer thin majority. So the DUP suddenly have enormous influence in politics in the UK. DUP members are staunch protestants and they draw parallels between Northern Ireland’s experience of terrorism and Israel’s and feel that both Ulster unionists and Israeli Jews get an unfair hearing in the world’s press. They therefore are highly sympathetic to the Jewish cause. So amazingly this election has given Britain a weaker government but one that could be more pro Jewish. This is exactly what Ezekiel 38 would lead us to expect to be the situation…. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:13)

7. I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. 3 On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. All the nations will gather against it to try to move it, but they will only hurt themselves. • U.S. moves long-range rocket launchers into southern Syria Reuters, June 14, 2017 The U.S. military has moved a new truck-mounted, long-range rocket launcher from Jordan to a U.S. base in Tanf, Syria, near the Iraqi and Jordanian borders, stepping up its presence in the area, two regional intelligence sources said on Wednesday. They said the (High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems - HIMARS - had moved into the desert garrison, which has seen a buildup in recent weeks as tensions escalate after the U.S.-led coalition struck Iranian-backed forces to prevent them advancing toward the Tanf base.” They have arrived now in Tanf and they are a significant boost to the U.S. military presence there," one senior intelligence source said, without elaborating. The HIMARS had already been deployed in northern Syria with U.S.-backed forces battling Islamic State militants, he added. Washington deployed the HIMARS on the Turkish border to strike at Islamic State outposts. They were used several times from the Jordanian border to hit militants who had a foothold in the southeastern desert. EVENT Syria may not be on the news quite so much in recent weeks but as this article says the tension is increasing in the region between the US and Russia. Russia said on Saturday it had told the United States it was unacceptable for Washington to strike pro-government forces in Syria after the U.S. military carried out an air strike on pro-Assad militia last month. Russia said at the time that the U.S. action would hamper efforts to find a political solution to the conflict and had violated the sovereignty of Syria. We know with Bible in hand that the situation in Syria is not over. There is to be a total destruction of Damascus. Israel will be involved at this point. We know this is stage 1 of an inner ring war that Israel wins – all this is detailed in Zechariah 12. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Zechariah 12:2-3 NLT)

8. Then at the time of the end, the king of the south will push the king of the north. 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. • US Senate overwhelmingly backs Russia sanctions BBC, June 15, 2017 US senators have voted overwhelmingly to impose fresh sanctions on Russia over its alleged interference in last year's election. They also agreed, by 97-2, to set up a process by which Congress can block any attempt by President Trump to scale back those sanctions. The White House said that existing sanctions against Russia were sufficient. The legislation was filed as an amendment to an Iran sanctions bill. It comes amid investigations into whether members of Mr Trump's campaign team colluded with Russia over the election. President Trump and Moscow have always denied any collusion. A number of inquiries into the allegations have been opened in Washington, including a Justice Department probe led by former FBI director Robert Mueller. The new sanctions will target: Individuals involved in corruption and human rights abuses Anyone supplying weapons to the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad EVENT COMMENT The Senate vote was welcomed by both Republicans and Democrats. "It's time to respond to Russia's attack on American democracy with strength, with resolve, with common purpose, and with action," said Republican Senator John McCain. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday that the new sanctions will damage ties between the two countries. Surely we see (despite president Trump’s efforts otherwise) the deterioration continue in relations between the US and Russia. The king of the south (US/UK) and the king of the north (Russia) are still a loggerheads and the tensions continue to mount. At some point we will see the king of the south “push” and goad President Putin. When this happens Putin will send his armies into the Middle East. BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 11:40 NLT)

9. Qatar buys F-15 fighter planes in billion-dollar US deal BBC, June 15, 2017 EVENT Qatar has signed a $12bn deal to buy F-15 fighters jets from the US. The sale was finalised at a meeting in Washington between US defence chief Jim Mattis and his Qatari counterpart. It comes days after US President Donald Trump accused Qatar - a major US ally - of funding terrorism "at a very high level" - a charge Qatar denies. Other Gulf countries recently cut ties with Doha, accusing it of destabilising the region through its alleged support of extremist groups and links to Iran. UK Prime Minister Theresa May spoke to the kings of Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, as well as the emir of Qatar, on Thursday, urging them to "urgently de-escalate the situation" and "engage meaningfully in dialogue", according to a statement from Downing Street. Qatar is home to the biggest US air base in the Middle East, Al-Udeid. It houses around 10,000 troops and plays a key role in the US-led operations against the so-called Islamic State (IS) group in Syria and Iraq. Mr Trump's comments appeared at odds with the US Department of Defence, which had praised Qatar's "enduring commitment to regional security" just days earlier. Qatar is under huge pressure to distance itself from Iran and Hamas. Despite a continued blockade on the country the US has signed this enormous military deal with Qatar this week. Qatar would fall into the area of Sheba mentioned in Ezekiel 38. Sheba is allied with Tarshish (UK) and the young lions (US). So we would expect the US despite its misgivings over Qatar’s associations to remain supportive overall. We see this happening in this deal. A Qatari official said the deal for the fighter planes was "proof that US institutions are with us but we have never doubted that. Our militaries are like brothers.” Reuters news agency reported. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? (Ezekiel 38:13)

10. Hamas warns of explosion as electricity crisis deepens Jerusalem Post, June 12, 2017 EVENT Hamas warned of an “explosion” in the Gaza Strip after Israel’s security cabinet decided on Sunday to cut the amount of electricity the country provides to Gaza by 40%. Last month, the Palestinian Authority told Israel that it would only pay NIS 25 million of the NIS 40m. monthly bill for 125 megawatts. Late Sunday night, Israel ceded to that request, according to security sources. "The Israeli occupation’s decision to reduce electricity to the strip at the behest of PA President Mahmoud Abbas is catastrophic and dangerous,” Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanou said in an official statement. “It will hasten the deterioration of the situation and its explosion in the Strip.” The 2 million people in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip will now have only two to three hours of power a day, down from the four hours of electricity they have lived on since April. In 2007. The impact on the blockade of Qatar is starting to effect other areas in the region. Hamas (terror group that wants Israel destroyed) controls the Gaza Strip and Qatar is accused of siding with Hamas – hence the blockade. Trump believes pressure on Qatar will ultimately isolate Hamas and Hamas may be removed if it has no backing. It is no coincidence therefore that Israel is cutting electricity to the Gaza Strip at this time. It is doing so because the Palestinian Authority under Abbas has said they will no longer pay for electricity for Gaza. As it simultaneously confronts a domestic crisis in Gaza and an international one over Qatar, Hamas is living in “a perilous time,” a leading expert on the Palestinian Islamist terrorist organization said on Tuesday. Hamas is warning of an explosion from these events. We know a time is coming when Israel surrounding neighbours launch a war against Israel – we maybe heading closer to this… COMMENT On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a flame that sets a woodpile ablaze or like a burning torch among sheaves of grain. They will burn up all the neighbouring nations right and left, while the people living in Jerusalem remain secure. BIBLE QUOTE (Zechariah 12:6 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.