May 9 - 22, 2010

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s May 9 - 22, 2010 “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) 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). 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 May 9 - 22, 2010 • New British PM Cameron builds coalition • City fears of 'Great Depression Mark II' • U.S. envoy and Abbas discuss final-status issues • Hezbollah deploys forces ahead of IDF drill • BP's containment problem is unprecedented • Scientists create artificial life in US lab To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right

5. And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot. New British PM Cameron builds coalition CNN, May 12, 2010 Within hours of his appointment, Britain's new prime minister, David Cameron, immediately began forming his coalition government overnight, appointing several Liberal Democrat leaders to Cabinet posts along with members of his own Conservative Party. Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg, who was named deputy prime minister, announced early Wednesday his party's agreement into entering such a partnership, saying, "I hope this is the start of the new politics I have always believed in: diverse, plural; where politicians of different persuasions come together to overcome their differences in order to deliver good government for the sake of the whole country." EVENT Britain has a new coalition government. The first liberal coalition in 70 years. The Conservative Party (who won most seats) are naturally anti Europe. Their coalition partners, the Liberal Democrats are naturally pro Europe. “Liberal” comes from the cry of “Liberty” in the French Revolution. Liberals believe in human rights and secularism. The ideology therefore of the Liberal Democrats is European based. Forinstance the Conservatives wanted to scrap the European Human Rights Act in Britain but now they cannot as the Liberal Democrats in the coalition will not accept this. At anytime the Liberals could bring the government down by not voting with the Conservatives. All this is fascinating because the Bible says that Britain would become like a harlot before the final judgements are poured out on the world. One senior politician said "Can we trust the Liberal Democrats? They’re behaving like every harlot in history." Whatever we think about this one thing is certain. Britain has been politically weakened and therefore in the final conflict over Israel will not be able to act as she once did. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Isaiah 23:15)

6. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potters’ clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron, forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. …, so the kingdom shall be partly strong, and partly broken. City fears of 'Great Depression Mark II' Daily Telegraph, May 21, 2010 Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel'if the euro fails, then Europe too will fail' Markets on both sides of the Atlantic dipped to fresh lows as fears surrounding the fate of the euro project transmuted into worries about the wider global economic system. Bill Gross of bond fund Pimco said that hedge funds were starting to liquidate their positions in a bid to preserve their capital a worrying "mini relapse" towards 2008 territory. Andrew Roberts, head of European rates strategy at RBS, said "Great Depression II" could now be approaching, adding: "It now has potential to speed toward its conclusion; a European $1trn package which does little and political panic tells you we are about to reach the end of the road. The world should be discussing deflation, not inflation." The global stock market sell-off continued for a third day on Friday in Europe and Asia and world equities are heading for the biggest monthly fall since October 2008. EVENT Europe is now the epicentre of the current financial turmoil. So what is happening? The credit crunch began in the US when banks started to fail because over lending. To stop financial meltdown governments stepped in and poured trillions into the system. This has left nations with enormous debts. Some weaker nations have debts so large that in effect they are bankrupt. Europe has several nations in this position. The worst is Greece but Spain and Portugal are also in a precarious position. Germany which has its own problems but more cash has had to step in to bail out Greece. Why? Well of course they have the same currency – the Euro. If Greece fails, the Euro could fail. So strong nations in Europe are trying to prop up weak nations! This is precisely the picture painted by God in the vision he gave to Nebuchadnezzar – 2500 years ago! COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 2:41,42)

7. 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. U.S. envoy and Abbas discuss final-status issues Reuters, May 19, 2010 U.S. President Barack Obama's Middle East envoy and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas discussed possible outlines of a future Palestinian state on Wednesday, a Palestinian official said. "We are focusing on final-status issues like borders and security," Saeb Erekat told reporters after the meeting between Abbas and George Mitchell, who is mediating indirect peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. "We hope that in the next four months we can achieve the two-state solution on the 1967 borders," said Erekat, reiterating a Palestinian demand that Israel withdraws from Palestinian territory it captured in the 1967 Middle East war. Mitchell will shuttle between Israel and the West Bank for the second substantive sessions since the Palestinians agreed to the indirect "proximity" talks, which have been given a maximum of four months to produce results. Israeli leaders have said the Palestinians can raise core issues like the status of Jerusalem, final borders and the plight of Palestinian refugees in the indirect talks, but only direct negotiations can resolve them. Palestinians say they could hold direct talks if Israel halts all settlement activities on occupied land. Both Israel and the Palestinians seem to be taking trust-building steps. EVENT COMMENT While the world’s attention is focussed on the financial turmoil of the nations, behind the scenes peace talk continue between Israel and the Palestinians. These talks are significant as they cover “final status” issues. These are the most difficult to resolve. The most difficult of all final status issues is the future status of Jerusalem. Within four months they hope to resolve all issues and create two nations. Conflict could be close. BIBLE QUOTE (Zechariah 12:3)

8. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the LORD, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them. Hezbollah deploys forces ahead of IDF drill Haaretz, May 20, 2010 The Israel Defence Forces Home Front Command is putting together a plan for the mass evacuation of civilians in the event of missile and rocket attacks. Hezbollah's rockets can currently hit practically everywhere in the country. The plan will be studied as part of next week's nationwide Home Front Command exercise. Defence officials are preparing for war scenarios including massive missile strikes on the home front. The authorities are assuming that many rockets would be fired at the northern border, rockets with heavier warheads would be aimed at the greater Tel Aviv area, and some IDF bases might be the first targets. During the 1991 Gulf War, the authorities had a mixed reaction to people leaving their homes. “In '91, people went to work during the day, and at night wanted to get their families out of the centre of the country, because the Dan Region was considered a high-risk area," the senior officer said. "But at that time, 42 missiles fell. This time the scenarios are talking about thousands of missiles and rockets." EVENT Israel National News reports today that Hezbollah has deployed thousands of its fighters in southern Lebanon ahead of a national home front drill which will be launched by the Israel Defence Forces on Sunday. According to an official source in the organization, the fighters are prepared "for any possible scenario". The "Turning Point 4" exercise will take several days and is aimed at preparing the Israel for a possible military confrontation. As the peace talks proceed the preparation for conflict continues. We know that two thirds living in the land of Israel will die in the final war. We also know only the intervention of Christ when he returns will save Israel. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Zechariah 13:8,9)

9. and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth…. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. BP's containment problem is unprecedented Los Angeles Times, May 19, 2010 The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico presents BP Exploration and Production with a problem of unprecedented severity — a limitless gush in very deep waters — forcing the London-based company to grasp for fixes that have never been tried before. The problem with the April 20 spill is that it isn't really a spill: It‘s a gush, like an underwater oil volcano. A hot column of oil and gas is spurting into freezing, black waters nearly a mile down, where the pressure nears a ton per inch, impossible for divers to endure. Experts call it a continuous, round-the-clock calamity, unlike a leaking tanker, which might empty in hours or days. "Everything about it is unprecedented," said geochemist Christopher Reddy, an oil-spill expert and head of the Coastal Ocean Institute at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. "All our knowledge is based on a one-shot event…. With this, we don't know when it's going to stop." Accidents have occurred before in which oil has gushed from damaged wells, he said. But he knew of none in water so deep. EVENT This crisis has the potential to be catastrophic. Basically BP have punched a hole in the ocean floor. The trouble is it is mile down. The pressure was so great that the safety valves burst and the rig above exploded and sank. So how do they plug the hole? Some estimates say that 1 million gallons of crude oil are pouring into the sea each week! Everything that has been tried so far to stop the oil “volcano” has failed. Man has caused the problem and has no idea how to solve it. How perplexed they are! We are surely reminded of Christ’s words below. Jesus says nations will be perplexed. Perplexity is not knowing how to solve a problem. His return will solve ALL problems. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Luke 21:25-27)

10. Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. Mankind will wail as their worldly beliefs are shattered when Christ returns Scientists create artificial life in US lab The Times, May 22, 2010 A simple cell A team of scientists in the United States, including three researchers of Indian origin, has created life in the laboratory. In a profound - and some would say provocative - work, the 24-member team at the privately-held J Craig Venter Institute has created bacterial cells that are completely controlled by genes manufactured in the lab. The cells can multiply. The successful construction of the first self-replicating bacterial cells opens the way for making and manipulating life on a previously unattainable scale, calling into question some of the very basis of creation. Previously, scientists have altered and manipulated DNA piecemeal to produce a variety of genetically engineered plants and animals. But the ability to artificially design an entire genome - the `book of life' that controls an organism's functions - puts a different spin on the meaning of terms such as creation, evolution and life. EVENT So has man created life from nothing?! The answer is absolutely - NO. A scientist on BBC radio yesterday said that this development now completely undermines any belief in God. Mankind he said had finally proved he can create life where life did not exist. Therefore evolution could happen. What the scientists (and many reports) fail to tell you is this - The building block of all life is the cell. The cell is, if you like, the factory that produces life. The DNA is the specific instructions for the factory to tell it what to produce. What the scientists did this week was give a complete DNA instruction to the factory – and it worked. But they did not create the factory – the cell itself. Mankind will never accomplish this. It wont be long until all these proud godless men will have to eat their words – they will wail. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Revelation 1:7)

11. Weekly World Watch The end of this week’s WWW will be e-mailed to you each week. Please forward the e-mail addresses of others who may be interested. I will include them in the list of recipients. Comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome. E-MAIL ANDY Click here (Move the mouse until the cursor appears.) To watch again, click here.