February 12 - 18, 2017

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s February 12 - 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 February 12 - 18, 2017 • Defence Secretary warns Russia is interfering in Libya • With silver and lead Britain woos new allies in the Gulf • Kremlin tells Russian media 'no more Trump’ news • Putin ‘testing’ Trump: Russia deploys cruise missile • Trump & Netanyahu agree: Israel-Gulf peace first • Russia's foreign minister calls for ‘post-West world order’ To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. 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: • Defence Secretary warns Russia is interfering in Libya Daily Telegraph, February 17, 2017 The UK Defence Secretary has warned Russia against interfering in Libya, as Britain and its Nato allies consider sending more aid to help the fragmented country rebuild its armed forces. Sir Michael Fallon said Russia was “testing” the military alliance with overtures to a Libyan strongman in competition with the UN-backed Tripoli government. “We don’t need the bear sticking his paws in,” he said as defence and foreign ministers gathered at the Munich Security Conference. The Tripoli government led by Fayez Seraj this week called on the military alliance for help to rebuild its forces, which were shattered by the Western campaign to oust Col Muammar Gaddafi followed by six years of instability. But the country remains split between rival militia, with Khalifa Haftar overseeing an alliance of armed groups around the eastern port of Benghazi and shunning the government in the capital. EVENT This headline has 3 players - Britain, Russia and Libya. When you look at this headline again from a Biblical perspective you can see the exact same 3 nations mentioned in Ezekiel 38. Russia is mentioned. Libya is mentioned. Britain is mentioned. All in the same chapter. The nations are mentioned by their ancient names in Ezekiel. Russia was known as Magog, Meshech and Tubal. Britain was known as Tarshish. Libya is interesting. The AV says Libya but the original word is not Libya it is Phut or Put. But the translators were so convinced it was the modern day nation of Libya they translated it as such – and correctly so. When you read the chapter you will see that Libya is on the side of Russia when it invades Israel and not on the side of Britain. Therefore Britain’s accusation this week against Russia who is interfering in Libya is significant. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:4-5)

6. Tarshish was thy merchant by reason of the multitude of all kind of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded in thy fairs. Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, • With silver and lead Britain woos new allies in the Gulf The Economist, February 18, 2017 Forty-five years after a withdrawal that the foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, describes as mistaken, Britain is back in the Gulf. The union flag flutters over the new Juffair naval base in Bahrain. More military installations are sprouting in Dubai and Oman. Bahrain’s rulers have covered their island in posters lauding “200 years of friendship and peace” with Britain. So copious are Gulf investments in London that Britain’s capital is the “eighth emirate”, says Mr Johnson. Brexit has given added impetus to Britain’s renewed interest in the region. Just as it ended colonial rule of the Gulf on the eve of its accession in 1973 to the EEC, so now Britain is wooing old partners with a succession of visits. British forces will redeploy to Oman after they pull out of Germany in 2019. Merchants offering everything from weapons to sand for golf bunkers have made the Gulf Britain’s largest export market after the EU and America. London fund managers play on jitters over Gulf stability to attract locals’ wealth. Such landmarks as the Shard, the Olympic Village and Harrods—all Qatari-owned—are testaments to their success. Even City Hall, the seat of London’s mayor, belongs to Kuwait. EVENT Another remarkable headline with overtones of Ezekiel 38 and also Ezekiel 27. One of the key verses that help identify Britain as ancient Tarshish is in Ezekiel 27:12. We are told the Phoenicians traded with Tarshish. Tarshish was renowned for trading in, “silver, iron, tin and lead” we are told. Notice how silver and lead are mentioned in the headline. Tin though was very rare in the ancient world when Ezekiel wrote and only Britain was trading in that metal at that time. Ezekiel 38 tells us that Tarshish is allied with Sheba and Dedan. These areas cover what we now call the Gulf States and some of Saudi Arabia. The very nations Britain is creating military and trade alliances! COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 27:11) (Ezekiel 38:13)

7. And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. • Kremlin tells Russian media 'no more Trump’ news Daily Telegraph, February 17, 2017 The Kremlin believes it is too soon to determine the course of Russia-US relations but that Moscow is not disappointed with recent statements from the Trump team because “we never wore rose-tinted glasses, never had any illusions”, according to Dmitry Peskov, Vladimir Putin’s spokesman. The statement adds to mounting evidence that the Kremlin is quickly losing its initial faith in Donald Trump’s administration to usher in a period of detente between the two nations. Since the US election in November, Russian state media has featured relentless coverage of Mr Trump, whose mentions on the news were said last month to have even eclipsed those of Mr Putin. But on Thursday, news surfaced that the editorial team at Russia’s largest state-owned television media company, VGTRK, had been ordered by management - widely understood to abide by Kremlin instructions - to halt all coverage of Mr Trump, a move that appears to reflect Moscow’s frustration with the White House’s hardening line on Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine and its annexation of Crimea. EVENT COMMENT Donald Trump promised to build a new relationship with Russia. But every way Trump turns he is foiled in his attempts to get the relationship back on track. The trouble is Trump is up against many agencies in the US governmental machinery that are not happy with making overtures to Putin. The US national security adviser, Michael Flynn, resigned late Monday amid a flow of intelligence leaks that he had secretly discussed sanctions with the Russian ambassador to Washington and then tried to cover up the conversations. Flynn was a major part of Trump’s strategy to mend ties with Russia as he was friendly with Putin personally. This is king of south (US) v king of north (Russia) BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 11:40 NLT)

8. This is what the Lord says: “Look, an army is coming from the land of the north; a great nation is being stirred up from the ends of the earth. They are armed with bow and spear; they are cruel and show no mercy. They sound like the roaring sea as they ride on their horses they come like men in battle formation to attack you, Daughter Zion.” Another northern army (Russia) will fulfil these words again when it invades. Putin ‘testing’ Trump: Russia deploys cruise missile Daily Telegraph, February 9, 2017 Russia has deployed a cruise missile in violation of a Cold War-era arms control treaty, a Trump administration official says, a development that complicates the outlook for U.S.-Russia relations amid turmoil on the White House national security team. The Obama administration three years ago accused the Russians of violating the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty by developing and testing the prohibited cruise missile, and officials had anticipated that Moscow eventually would deploy it. Russia denies that it has violated the INF treaty. “Russia’s deployment of nuclear-tipped ground-launched cruise missiles in violation of the INF treaty is a significant military threat to U.S. forces in Europe and our NATO allies,” John McCain, the Senate Armed Services Committee chairman, said in a statement Tuesday. He said Russian President Vladimir Putin was “testing” Trump. EVENT Not only has Russia deployed a cruise missile but Russia has also sent a spy ship to the America eastern seaboard and it is now 30 miles south of New London, Connecticut, where a U.S. Navy submarine base is located. The move is one of several incidents involving the Russian military and the United States that came to light on Tuesday. The Pentagon said that Russian planes flew low and fast above an American destroyer in the Black Sea last week in an "unsafe and unprofessional" manner. Clearly things are not working out between Trump and Putin. Back in November following the election of Trump I did a presentation on this exact scenario. You may like to view it as it explains why we could see beforehand where this was going. CLICK HERE to view. The explanation comes 23 minutes into the video. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Jeremiah 6:22-23 NIV)

9. Trump & Netanyahu agree: Israel-Gulf peace first Debkafile, February 15, 2017 EVENT “One state, two states, I like this state,” Donald Trump joked, turning to visiting Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu when they addressed a wide-ranging, friendly news conference Wednesday, Feb.15, at the White House, ahead of their face-to-face talks. Trump reacted positively to Netanyahu’s proposal to broaden the Israeli-Palestinian peace process to a regional effort as a “very important” new idea “on a broader canvas” which he believed could succeed. Netanyahu said that the regional fears of Iran also presented an opportunity for cooperation against the Islamic State and radical Islamic terror. DEBKAfile reports that these sentiments reflected agreement in principle between Trump and Netanyahu to seek an Israeli peace accord with Saudi Arabia and the Gulf emirates as the lead-in to negotiations for an accord with the Palestinians. Egypt, Jordan and Turkey with whom Israel already has normal relations would jump in later. This deal fits in with the US plan reported more than once on these pages for a regional peace between the Sunni Arab nations and the Jewish State. Donald Trump said this week that he was open to a “one-state solution” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, appearing to casually back away from a decades-long US commitment to supporting a separate Palestinian state alongside Israel. This immediately brought condemnation from the Palestinians who are striving for their own state – Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We may well see a peace agreement between Israel and the Sunni Arab states but only after an initial war that removes the pricking briers of Hamas, Hezbollah, Syria and other peoples living around Israel. It maybe the attempt to make peace with Sunni Arabs that provokes the war. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE And there shall be no more a pricking brier unto the house of Israel, nor any grieving thorn of all that are round about them, that despised them; and they shall know that I am the Lord GOD. The pricking briers are the people living around Israel that constantly cause them pain. See Psalm 83 for a full list of the people involved. (Ezekiel 28:24)

10. and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. • Russia's foreign minister calls for ‘post-West world order’ in speech to global leaders The Independent, February 18, 2017 EVENT Russia’s foreign minister has called for a “post-West world order” while addressing global leaders at an international security conference. Sergey Lavrov accused Nato of being a Cold War institution and accused its “expansion” of sparking unprecedented tensions in Europe as both sides expand military deployments and drills. He said he hoped “responsible leaders” will choose to create a “just world order – if you want you can call it a post-West world order”. Mr Lavrov also denied allegations of attempted interference in elections in US and Germany, telling delegates: “Whenever Russia gets blamed, there are no facts … I’ve seen no facts, only accusations.” In a speech watched by the US Vice President, he said the Kremlin wants to have a “pragmatic” relationship with the Trump administration. The Russian minister said his country wants “mutual respect, understanding our special responsibility for global stability”. Russia wants a new and different relationship with the West. Europe has crept up to the very borders of the old USSR. NATO is a military alliance that was created during the Cold War to stop Russian aggression. Russia wants to see the end of NATO. It wants the EU to back away from countries like Ukraine. Russia wants respect. But instead of accepting Russia’s solution, the US (which effectively is the power of NATO) has said that NATO should be strengthened. This week Mike Pence (US Vice President) pledged America’s “unwavering commitment” to Nato. He also said the US would “hold Russia accountable” on issues including the Ukrainian conflict and the Syrian war. Trump actually raised the spectre of nuclear war with Russia if things deteriorated further. The time of trouble such as never was could be at hand… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 12:1)

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.