August 24 - 30, 2014

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s August 24 - 30, 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 August 24 - 30, 2014 • CNN: Russian Invasion of Ukraine The ‘Real Deal’ • Vladimir Putin: Don't mess with nuclear-armed Russia • Britain facing 'greatest terrorist threat' in history • Egypt ‘launched air strikes against Libyan Islamists’ • Iran arming terrorists in Judea and Samaria • California hit by biggest earthquake in 25 years To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. This is what the Lord of Hosts says: My love for Jerusalem and Mount Zion is passionate and strong. But I am very angry with the other nations that are now enjoying peace and security. I was only a little angry with my people, but the nations inflicted harm on them far beyond my intentions. v12 explains that this period of peace and rest had lasted 70 years. CNN: Russian Invasion of Ukraine The ‘Real Deal’ CNN, August 28, 2014 EVENT CNN said Thursday that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is “the real deal,” with 1,000 Russian troops in Ukraine’s southern area and around 2,000 throughout the country. “These are regular Russian forces. No separatists, no rebels,” said CNN’s Barbara Starr. “This is the real deal. Russian troops with Russian weapons.” Starr added that Russia has brought long-range anti-air equipment into Ukraine. Satellite imagery from NATO appears to prove the presence of Russian troops in an area where Ukraine’s military does not operate. “This couldn’t come perhaps at a more awkward time for President Obama,” said Starr, ahead of the NATIO summit in Wales. COMMENT Ukraine's president said today that his country is "close to a point of no return - full scale-war”. Petro Poroshenko was speaking in Brussels, where he said a meeting of EU leaders had agreed to prepare more sanctions against Russia. Europe’s foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton accused Russia of "direct aggression" in east Ukraine. Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said that Russia is "practically in a war against Europe”. Over 2500 people have been killed in Ukraine since mid-April. The 70 year period of peace prophesied in Zechariah chapter 1 is coming to an end. That prophecy has two fulfilments. Initially when Babylon destroyed Jerusalem and took the Jews captive. God then waited 70 years until he punished Babylon for what they had done. See Jeremiah 50:18. In the same way the 2nd World War came to an end in 1945 and there has been relative in peace in Europe since then. But now 70 years later God is about to punish those nations that destroyed so many Jews. Following this punishment Israel will be regathered and a new temple built in Jerusalem BIBLE QUOTE (Zechariah 1:14-15 NLT)

6. Son of man, set thy face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal: Vladimir Putin: Don't mess with nuclear-armed Russia Daily Telegraph, August 29, 2014 EVENT Vladimir Putin raised the spectre of nuclear war with the West on Friday as he defied international condemnation over his decision to send thousands of Russian troops and heavy armour into Ukraine. Accused by Europe and Nato of launching a full-scale invasion of eastern Ukraine, the Russian leader boasted to a group of Russian youngsters that "It's best not to mess with us.” In language not seen since the height of the Cold War, he told his audience: "Thank God, I think no one is thinking of unleashing a large-scale conflict with Russia. I want to remind you that Russia is one of the leading nuclear powers.” Mr Putin's comments, made during a visit to a pro-Kremlin youth camp outside Moscow, will horrify Western governments as they try to bring Russia into check. Even during the height of Cold War hostilities, few Kremlin leaders ever resorted to the direct mentions of Russia's nuclear arsenal. COMMENT Eastern Europe and Western Europe are divided precisely as prophesied in the Bible. The two legs of Nebuchadnezzar’s image never become one. They are divided forever. The Eastern leg (Russia) is the military side of Europe. The Western leg (EU) is the religious side of Europe. Daniel 7 tracks the Western leg and the little horn power of Rome – ie the Pope. Daniel 8 tracks the Eastern leg of the little horn power THAT GROWS which is latter day Antiochus Ephanses – king of the north – ie Putin. We are told all about the king of the north and exactly who is he is Ezekiel 38. It is Gog. The ancient title for the leader of the Magogites. The Magogites controlled (at the time of Ezekiel) all of what we now call Russia AND (amazingly) EASTERN UKRAINE. We therefore see latter day Gog (Putin) taking back the exact area of Magog. This is why we are told to look for Gog OF THE LAND OF MAGOG – Ukraine is part of Magog! BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:2-3)

7. Terror and traps and snares will be your lot, you people of the earth. Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap, and those who escape the trap will be caught in a snare. Destruction falls like rain from the heavens; the foundations of the earth shake. The earth has broken up. It has utterly collapsed; it is violently shaken. • Britain facing 'greatest terrorist threat' in history Daily Telegraph, August 29, 2014 Britain faces the “greatest and deepest” terror threat in the country’s history, David Cameron warned as he pledged emergency measures to tackle extremists. The UK threat level was raised to “severe” — its second highest — meaning that a terrorist attack is “highly likely” in light of the growing danger from British jihadists returning from Iraq and Syria. The Prime Minister said that the risk posed by Isil (the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) will last for “decades” and raised the prospect of an expanding terrorist nation “on the shores of the Mediterranean”. He disclosed that Isil had made “specific” threats against the UK and did not rule out military action to tackle the growing problem. More than 500 Britons are believed to have gone to Iraq and Syria and at least half have returned, with some feared to be planning attacks here. One major plot has been foiled. EVENT COMMENT The raised alert will lead to an increase in the number of armed police on the streets, especially around landmark sites and airports. The Prime Minister said: “It was clear evidence that this is not some foreign conflict thousands of miles from home that we can hope to ignore. The ambition to create an extremist caliphate in the heart of Iraq and Syria is a threat to our own security here in the UK.” The increase in alert status comes less than a week before a Nato summit in south Wales, which will be the biggest gathering of heads of state in the UK. Britain may well be facing the greatest terrorist threat in history – but the world is about to face is greatest time of tribulation EVER. We are told in Daniel 12:1 that there will be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation. Jesus quotes this in Matthew 24:21 when he says there will be trouble such as never was. The world is on the brink of trouble which is beyond imagination… he BIBLE QUOTE (Isaiah 25:17-19 NLT)

8. and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Egypt ‘launched air strikes against Libyan Islamists’ Daily Telegraph, August 25, 2014 Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have been accused of launching air strikes against Islamist targets in Libya – a move which would prove to be a major regional escalation in what is fast becoming a battle between the Arab old guard and the rampant forces of political Islam. A day after Islamist militias captured Tripoli airport and set up a confrontation with the new secular-leaning parliament, reports emerged that fighter jets dispatched by Egypt and the UAE had launched at least two strikes in the Libyan capital over the past week. Militiamen from the port city of Misurata, who now appear to be firmly in control of the Libyan capital, accused Cairo of launching the air strikes against their positions before they seized control of Tripoli airport. Meanwhile there were allegations that Egypt and the UAE carried out the strikes without the consent of the United States – despite both countries being firm allies of the White House. EVENT COMMENT Last weekend Islamist militias seized Libya’s international airport, amid chaotic scenes that marked a major victory in their increasingly violent struggle to take political and military control of the country. The Libyan capital has in recent months become the battleground of a brutal contest for power between a myriad armed factions from rival cities and tribes, but which can be broadly divided between Islamists and those of more secular and nationalist bent. The Islamists appear to be winning. It’s yet another country falling into the hand of extremist Islamists. Egypt and UAE have launched their own airstrikes this week – which in itself is highly unusual. Especially to act without reference to America. The Bible speaks of Libya joining forces with Russia and Iran and invading Israel. We can see events in Libya moving towards this outcome… BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:4-5)

9. I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock….They will burn up all the neighboring nations right and left, while the people living in Jerusalem remain secure. Iran arming terrorists in Judea and Samaria Israel National News, August 29, 2014 Iranian military leaders have openly boasted that they have begun to send weapons to Palestinian Arab terrorists in Judea and Samaria and elsewhere in the region, the Washington Free Beacon reported Thursday. The report quoted a top Iranian military commander who confirmed that weapon shipments to Judea and Samaria have already begun and that more will be sent to other “Palestinian resistance groups.” “Arming the West Bank has started and weapons will be supplied to the people of this region,” Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the commander of Iran’s volunteer Basij force, told the state-run Fars news agency on Wednesday. The announcement was made after weeks of inflammatory statements from Iranian leaders threatening war on Israel and promising to rearm groups such as Hamas so that they can continue their war on the Jewish state. EVENT COMMENT There is a temporary truce between Hamas and Israel. The fighting lasted 50 days but despite Israel announcing a victory it is clear Hamas is intact and ready to continue the war. We know for certain that the war will continue. Possibly very soon. As in a boxing match both sides want time to recover and rethink strategy. But will they reengage the fight? – of course. There are more talks set and Hamas has a list of demands. Meanwhile Iran is busy restocking Hamas’s depleted rockets as well as arming factions in the West Bank. Up to the last minute, Hamas kept up heavy rocket and mortar fire, causing two Israeli deaths and injuring seven people, three seriously, in an Eshkol District kibbutz. We know with Bible in hand that there will be conflict between Israel and Hamas, Hezbollah etc. We know that Israel will suffer greatly in this conflict but will utterly defeat their immediate neighbours. Into the vacuum left will pour Russia and co.. he BIBLE QUOTE (Zechariah 12:2-3,6 NLT)

10. Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. • California hit by biggest earthquake in 25 years Daily Telegraph, August 24, 2014 A strong 6.0-magnitude earthquake jolted California awake early on Sunday morning causing massive damage to the wine region of Napa Valley. Three people were in a critical condition including two adults and a child and a total of 87 people were treated in hospital. Barry Martin, community outreach coordinator for the City of Napa, said there were no reports of any fatalities. The quake struck at 3:20 am (1020 GMT) northwest of American Canyon, California. Jerry Brown, the Governor of California, declared a state of emergency in Napa County. The US Geological Survey said the tremor was located at a depth of just 6.7 miles below the surface. The power was out in Napa, about six miles from the earthquake's epicenter, as well as in other towns and cities nearby, affecting more than 10,000 households, according to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. EVENT Peru, California, Chile and Iceland have all been hit by notable earthquakes in 2014, which has some wondering whether there have been an unusually large amount of strong earthquakes this year. The rate of major earthquakes -- those with a magnitude higher than 7.0 -- more than doubled in the first quarter of 2014 compared with the average since 1979, according to a paper published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters in June by Tom Parsons and Eric L. Geist of the U.S. Geological Survey. Jesus said that we would see nation rise against nation (better translated multitudes against multitudes ie revolutions) and kingdom against kingdom. AND we would see great earthquakes in divers places. We are surely seeing all this happening NOW…. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Luke 21:10-11)

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