Andy Waltons Weekly World Watch January 12 18

Andy Walton’s Weekly World Watch January 12 - 18, 2020 “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.

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 Power. Point can be ordered as audio/visual CDs by clicking here. Move your mouse to place the cursor on the blue link and click.

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. HEADLINE This is straight from a news report that caught my eye because it looked significant from a Biblical perspective, usually that of prophecy. The source of the headline and the date are included. EVENT News Photo 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. This is my comment on why the event is interesting to a Bible student. COMMENT 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. This is normally one verse which backs up why the event that has occurred BIBLE is interesting from a Biblical perspective. Please read in its context. QUOTE Unless stated otherwise, all quotes are from the King James Version. (Book, chapter, and verse)

This Week’s Developments January 12 - 18, 2020 • Hezbollah’s Nasrallah vows retaliation against Israel • How Vladimir Putin is preparing to rule for ever • Putin’s game in the Middle East • Israel starts exporting natural gas to Egypt • Britain's Monarchy facing biggest crisis since 1990 s • One in four countries beset by civil strife as global unrest soars To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

Hezbollah’s Nasrallah threatens US troops, vows retaliation against Israel The Times of Israel, January 12, 2020 EVENT After recovering from the fallout of the Ukrainian jet disaster, Tehran will revert to its plan of assault on US bases across the Middle East, starting in Iraq. That was one of the deductions made by DEBKAfile’s military and intelligence sources from the synchronized threats coming on Sunday, Jan. 12 from Revolutionary Guards chief Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami and Hizballah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. Gen. Salami, speaking at a closed session of the Iranian parliament, said: “Our operations against the United States are not over. ” Nasrallah: “The response to Soleimani’s killing is not a single operation [the missile attack on two US bases in Iraq] but rather a long course that leads to the ouster of American forces from the region. ” The Hizballah leader, reflecting his Iranian master’s voice, added that the attacks on the US military in Iraq should be taken by Israel as a serious warning of what lies ahead if attacks on Iranian targets continue. COMMENT The fallout from the assassination of Soleimani is not over according to the head of the terrorist organisation Hezbollah. According to Debkafile, Iranian militias were ordered to hold back from participating in Iran’s strikes against US bases in Iraq. This was mistaken for Iranian restraint, when, in fact, their sources report, Tehran is only taking time – two or three weeks at most – to replenish the militias’ stocks of weaponry and prepare the fighting strength for the next, escalating stage of its campaign. The Bible says that escalation is coming. It will eventually involve Israel’s “nearby” tribes – Palestinians, Hezbollah with Syria - all backed by Iran. But this initial inner ring war will fail. Psalm 83 says it will end for them as it ended for Sisera! BIBLE QUOTE 1. the Philistines [Hamas] with the inhabitants of Tyre [Hezbollah]; Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah. Do unto them as unto the Midianites; as to Sisera 2. She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen’s hammer; and with the (Psalm 83: 7 -9 + Judges 5: 26) hammer she smote Sisera, she smote off his head

How Vladimir Putin is preparing to rule for ever The Economist, January 16, 2020 EVENT On January 15 th Russia’s president took Kremlin-watchers by surprise. In his state-ofthe-union speech, he announced a radical overhaul of the Russian constitution and a referendum on its proposed (still very unclear) terms. This bombshell was immediately followed by another. The prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, resigned along with the entire cabinet. As The Economist went to press, the reasons for Mr Medvedev’s ejection and replacement by an obscure technocrat remained a riddle wrapped in a mystery. To understand what might be going on, start with a simple fact. In the past 20 years Mr Putin’s regime has killed too many people, and misappropriated too many billions, to make it plausible that he would ever voluntarily give up effective power. Under the current constitution he cannot run again for president when his term expires in 2024, since no one is allowed more than two consecutive terms. So everyone has always assumed that one way or another he would game the rules to remain top dog. COMMENT Putin came to power in the year 2000. Russian law said the president could only be president for 2 consecutive periods of 4 years. This took Putin up to 2008. He then put in power his prime minister Medvedev. Then Putin changed the Russian law to say that the president could rule for 2 consecutive periods of 6 years. As technically he had been out of power for the 4 years Medvedev was president, Putin was able to reassume the presidency in 2012. He could then rule for a total of 12 years up to 2024. But even this is not enough. This week he announced the constitution would be changed again. No doubt extending again his grip on power. It is God that will remove Gog from power… BIBLE QUOTE And I will plead against him [Gog] with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him [Gog], and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 38: 22 -23)

Putin’s game in the Middle East Politico, January 18, 2020 EVENT COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE The Middle East has a new kingmaker. For a quarter-century after the breakup of the Soviet Union, Russia was almost entirely absent from the region. Today, it has become a top player, with a formidable military footprint and good relations with all the major opposing protagonists, from Israel to Saudi Arabia. Things certainly seem to be going Vladimir Putin’s way. The Russian leader celebrated Orthodox Christmas on January 7 with his first visit to Damascus since his air force began bombing rebel targets in 2015, to take full stock of Russia's success in changing the course of the conflict. Putin then travelled to Turkey, where he and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced they had agreed a cease-fire between the two main warring groups in Libya, the leaders of which then came to Moscow for negotiations meant to solidify the truce. Russian mercenaries are already reportedly guarding several Libyan oil fields, and once the black gold starts flowing again, Tripoli could become a major buyer of Russian arms just as it was under Gaddafi. This article in Politico continues to show Putin is motivated not only by wanting more influence but also more money - or as they wrote… “For Putin, political and economic interests are closely intertwined in the Middle East. ” Russia is looking to capitalise on Libya’s turmoil by gaining control of the oil there. Russia has quietly invested $10 billion into Iraq’s energy sector in the past decade and is developing several promising oil and gas fields. On top of this Russia is signing military arms deals with Iran, Turkey and Iraq. The Bible says that Gog (Putin) will succeed in all he does. It tells us he worships the god of the military and also of wealth. It also tells us that he invades Israel to take a spoil. Money is the main motivation for his invasion of Israel. 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: for that is determined shall be done. . for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: (Daniel 11: 36 -37)

Israel starts exporting natural gas to Egypt under landmark deal Reuters, January 15, 2020 EVENT Israel began exporting natural gas to Egypt on Wednesday under one of the most important deals to have been signed by the neighbours since they made peace four decades ago. Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said the deal was “just the start” of cooperation with Egypt. Yossi Abu, CEO of Israel’s Delek Drilling, one of the partners in Leviathan and Tamar, said the arrangement “marks a new era in the Middle East energy sector”. Israel will initially export 200 million cubic feet of gas per day to Egypt, two Egyptian industry sources said. Gas from Leviathon will be supplied to Dolphinus at a rate of 2. 1 bcm per year, rising to 4. 7 bcm per year by the second half of 2022, according to Delek. The gas is being supplied via a subsea pipeline connecting Israel and Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, which Steinitz said had sufficient capacity for current volumes, though the option of building a second pipeline was being considered if demand from Egypt grew. Exports of Tamar gas to Dolphinus are expected to start later this year. COMMENT At the same time Gog is looking into the Middle East for wealth, Israel has discovered some of the world’s largest gas finds in the last few decades. For the first time Israel is now an exporter of gas! Amazingly Israel has begun exporting this week to Egypt in an historic energy deal. Israeli officials have called the export of gas to Egypt the most significant deal to emerge since the countries signed a historic peace treaty in 1979. Putin will be watching this lucrative deal with interest – and wondering how he could be part of it. When Russia (under Gog’s leadership) comes down into Israel to take a spoil we are told they also continue down into another country – EGYPT. Russia takes control of the wealth of Egypt at that point. Surely we see all this coming together now. BIBLE QUOTE He [Gog] shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown. . . He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps. (Daniel 11: 41 -43)

Britain's Monarchy facing biggest crisis since 1990 s CNN, January 13, 2020 EVENT It has been a tumultuous and unsettling year for Britain's royals. Feuds were exposed, family members withdrew from public life and the Queen was even dragged into the heart of the country's political crisis. Taken together, the headlines paint a picture of a monarchy in crisis. The first shock of the year came in January when the Duke of Edinburgh was involved in a car crash near Sandringham. In November, Prince Andrew, the Queen's second son agreed to an extended interview with the BBC in an effort to clear up speculation about his association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. It had the opposite effect. The Queen was also tested professionally when Prime Minister Boris Johnson asked her to shut down Parliament for five weeks at the height of the Brexit debacle. And 2020 begins with Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, stepping down from their roles as senior members of the British royal family. COMMENT Britain’s royalty have a role to play when Christ returns so it is extremely interesting that they are going through so much turmoil now… Psalm 72: 10 says that “the kings of Tarshish shall bring presents. ” or decoded “the royal rulers of Britain will bring gifts” – to Jesus who has returned to earth at the point. On the one hand we have this worldly monarchy going dark with scandal, dissatisfaction and crisis. This will give way to the rightful king of the entire earth – Jesus Christ. There are many who believe that Queen Elizabeth will lay her crown at Christ’s feet. The Hebrew for Elizabeth is “Eli. Sheba”. The original Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon with gifts. Elizabeth (Eli. Sheba) may also give gifts to Christ. Her greatest gift (she has treasured) is her crown… BIBLE QUOTE He [Jesus Christ] shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. (Psalm 72: 8 -11)

One in four countries beset by civil strife as global unrest soars Guardian, January 16, 2020 EVENT COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE A quarter of all countries experienced a dramatic surge in civil unrest last year in a worrying trend that is likely to continue into 2020, researchers have found. Verisk Maplecroft, a leading risk analysis and strategic forecasting company, said in a report published on Thursday that 47 countries experienced a significant rise in the number of protests over the course of the past year. Hong Kong, Chile, Nigeria, Sudan, Haiti and Lebanon were among the states affected. Sudan, where the 30 -year presidency of Omar al-Bashir ended last year, overtook war-stricken Yemen to rank top in Verisk Maplecroft’s civil unrest index. Hong Kong and Chile were deemed the world’s “riskiest locations” in terms of the severity and frequency of protests, said the report, which predicted that the situation was unlikely to improve in either country over the next two years. North Korea was identified as the most dangerous place to be a protestor. The research is based on a range of the company’s risk indices, including those charting civil unrest, security forces and human rights. The researchers predicted continued turmoil in 2020 for “a host of governments illprepared to handle ongoing bursts of public discontent”. They said protests are likely to increase in 75 countries over the next six months, including China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Thailand. “With protests continuing to rage across the globe, we expect both the intensity of civil unrest, as well as the total number of countries experiencing disruption, to rise over the coming 12 months, ” the study says. Jesus said multitudes of people would rise up against multitudes of people and nation against nation. In other words revolutions and uprisings will lead to Armageddon… Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: The Greek word translated “nation” really means multitudes of gentile people. The Greek word translated “kingdom” means a nation. So Jesus is telling us that initially there is ”internal” uprising of people against people which leads to nation fighting nation. We see this happening. (Luke 21: 10)

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