December 4 - 10, 2016

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s December 4 - 10, 2016 “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 December 4 - 10, 2016 • Israel hits Damascus airport. 2nd Syria strike in a week • Pillar of cloud defends Israel's border with Syria • Iran, Russia reaffirm Middle Eastern Axis • UK: 'fundamental threat to sovereignty from Russia’ • Britain plans to deepen security cooperation with Gulf • Global Peace Index 2016: Only 10 countries free from conflict To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. Damascus has become feeble, and all her people turn to flee. Fear, anguish, and pain have gripped her as they grip a woman in labour. That famous city, a city of joy, will be forsaken! Her young men will fall in the streets and die. Her soldiers will all be killed,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “And I will set fire to the walls of Damascus that will burn up the palaces of Ben-hadad.” • Israel targets Damascus airport in second Syria strike in a week Financial Times, December 7, 2016 Israel’s military attacked an airport in Damascus near Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s palace early on Wednesday morning, Arab media reported, in what appeared to be the second air strike by Israel inside Syrian territory in less than a week. Arab-language websites in Lebanon and Syria reported what they said was an Israeli strike on the Mezzeh military airport in Damascus in the early hours of Wednesday. Social media channels recorded a series of explosions in the area of varying intensity, which then led to fires. Al-Mayadeen, the pan-Arab television channel, reported that explosions and columns of fire erupted at about 4am at the airport on Wednesday, and blamed the Israeli military for the attack. “It appears that a Zionist rocket attack struck military positions inside the airport, which caused massive and intermittent explosions for approximately half an hour while ambulances and fire trucks rushed to the scene,” Al-Mayadeen reported. It said the attack was “almost certainly” a rocket strike originating from the airspace over neighbouring Lebanon. EVENT We reported last week that Israel had struck the outskirts of Damascus with missiles. This week there are more reports of another large missile attack on a military airport in Damascus. Syria’s ANA news agency, citing a military source, said the airport was attacked by surface-to-surface missiles fired from inside Israel. It is likely the attack was against weapon movements to Hezbollah. Hezbollah are fighting alongside the Syrian army and are therefore on the side of Russia who is fighting for Assad. But Hezbollah want to destroy Israel. So these attacks bring Russia and Israel against each other. The Bible says the conflict in Syria will get even worse than it is now…. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Jeremiah 49:24-27 NLT)

6. And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: • Pillar of cloud defends Israel's border with Syria Israel Today, December 5, 2016 Amidst increasing ISIS activity on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights, Israeli soldiers stationed there reported that over the weekend a literal pillar of cloud descended on the border. The bizarre storm completely engulfed the Syrian side of the border, but stopped just at the boundary and did not enter Israel. A number of soldiers are seen in the following video capturing the phenomenon on their cellphones. The video went viral on Facebook, where not a few Israelis labelled the storm as “divine intervention.” “Huge miracle! Notice how God stopped this enormous storm exactly on the border,” wrote Yifat Romano. “Thank you, Father!” Netanel Tanaami wondered, “What more do you need to believe?” “The Creator of the world is protecting us,” proclaimed Nissim Nahoum. EVENT This is quite remarkable footage when you watch the storm that rages all along the border of Israel and Syria at the Golan Heights. To view the article and the video (taken by an Israeli soldier) CLICK HERE. There is increasing tension along the Golan Heights border. Hezbollah and ISIS have increased their control of the area. A recent attack launched into northern Israel from Syria by militants affiliated with IS has heightened fears in Israel and stirred concerns that IS may try to lure Israel into the broader Middle East conflict. Israel News Online wrote: "A weather phenomenon occurred at 8am Thursday on the other side of the Syrian border, in the same place where ISIS attacked Israel.’ We know that God used a pillar of cloud back in the days of the Exodus. It is God who controls the weather. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Exodus 14:19-20)

7. Persia [Iran], Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them. • Iran, Russia reaffirm Middle Eastern Axis Washington Times, December 4, 2016 The big story out of the Middle East in 2016 is not necessarily the Syrian Civil War, but the emerging axis of Russia and Shia Islam, which includes Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, and other militias backed by Iran. On Saturday, the Iranian News Service reported that Russia and Iran will continue their military alliance until the ‘terrorists’ are defeated. Of course terrorism is in the eye of the beholder, and in this case, Tehran means anyone that opposes the brutal dictatorship of Syrian President Assad. Iranian president Hassan Rouhani says Tehran and Moscow will continue to cooperate in the Syrian war “until the ultimate goal of eradicating terrorism and restoring peace and full security to the region is achieved,” reported ABC News. The comment was made after a meeting between Rouhani and Russia’s representative to Syria. Perhaps the declaration was made for the benefit of the Donald Trump administration who before even in power seems to be shaping U.S. foreign policy. Mr. Trump’s position on the Syrian conflict and relations with Iran remains to be seen. However, Mr. Trump has made very public his desire to quickly defeat the Islamic State. EVENT Russia and Iran are close allies. They have joined forces to help Assad and defeat the rebels in Syria. Donald Trump has said he will tear up the Iranian nuclear agreement that Obama made last year. If he did it would mean the return of sanctions to Iran. Russia is probably sending a message to Trump which says they will continue to stand by Iran. The Bible talks about Russia protecting Iran before they join together to invade Israel. Ezekiel 38 says Russia acts as a guard to Iran. The word guard means to guard as a bodyguard guards a VIP. In other words Russia will protect Iran. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:5-7)

8. He will cause a shocking amount of destruction and succeed in everything he does. He will destroy powerful leaders and devastate the holy people. He will be a master of deception and will become arrogant; he will destroy many without warning This man is none other than Gog – the Russian ruler – master of deception Head of MI6: Britain faces 'fundamental threat to sovereignty from Russian meddling' Daily Telegraph, December 8, 2016 Cyber attacks and attempts to subvert democracy by states like Russia pose a fundamental threat to British sovereignty the head of MI6 has warned. Alex Younger used his first major public speech as head of the Secret Intelligence Service to attack the Kremlin for creating a human tragedy in Syria and to warn of the threat to the UK from high tech subversion by Moscow. The security chief known as C also paid tribute to MI6 agents risking their lives to infiltrate the heart of a “murderously efficient” Islamic State which he said is still planning murderous attacks in Britain. The technique of using tools such as cyber attacks, provocation and propaganda to disrupt countries is alleged to be a hallmark of Russian activity in its standoff with the West and became notorious after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. EVENT COMMENT On the same day that the head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service – commonly known as MI6 – accused Russia of threatening UK sovereignty with cyber attacks, US officials went public with the same sort of statement. US intelligence agencies believe Russia acted covertly to boost Donald Trump in the election race, US officials told leading US newspapers. A report in the New York Times says the agencies had "high confidence" about Russian involvement in hacking. A CIA assessment reported by the Washington Post made similar findings. On Friday, US President Barack Obama ordered an investigation into a series of cyber-attacks, blamed on Russia, during the US election season. Britain and the US are both accusing Russia of meddling in internal politics of both countries. We see Britain and America lining up against Russia exactly as Ezekiel 38 said they would. BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 8:24 -25 NLT)

9. Britain plans to deepen security cooperation with Gulf Reuters, December 7, 2016 EVENT Britain plans to deepen security cooperation with Gulf Arab countries and work with them to counter Iranian actions in the region, Prime Minister Theresa May said on Wednesday. Addressing a meeting on the sidelines of the Gulf Cooperation Summit in Bahrain, May said Britain would invest more than 3 billion pounds in defence spending in the region over the next decade. "Gulf security is our security," May said. Britain is trying to build on traditionally strong ties with conservative, oil-wealthy Gulf Arab monarchies before its planned departure from the European Union. In a joint communique, the two sides said they intended to build on trade between Britain and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, which stood at 30 billion pounds in 2015. "We will make it a priority, when the UK leaves the European Union, to build the closest possible commercial and economic relationship," the statement said. COMMENT It wasn’t just the British prime minster talking this week of the strong security links between the UK and the Gulf region. British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson emphasized two days later that any crisis erupts in the Gulf region it is a crisis for his country, and the Gulf security is linked to Britain’s. There are up to 1,500 British sliders and four warships in the region, Johnson said in a speech late Friday. We know that the latter day king of the south is Sheba and Dedan, Tarshish and the young lions. They oppose Russia and Iran etc. Sheba and Dedan shown on ancient maps cover the gulf Arab states like Bahrain. The UK and US have bases in the region and many warships. This is why they are the king of the south. The gulf states are south of Israel. It is remarkable to see how these ties are being strengthened. 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? BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:13)

10. Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong….. but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. • Global Peace Index 2016: There are now only 10 countries in the world that are actually free from conflict Independent, December 7, 2016 EVENT The world is becoming a more dangerous place and there are now just 10 countries which can be considered completely free from conflict, according to authors of the 10th annual Global Peace Index. The worsening conflict in the Middle East, the lack of a solution to the refugee crisis and an increase in deaths from major terrorist incidents have all contributed to the world being less peaceful in 2016 than it was in 2015. And there are now fewer countries in the world which can be considered truly at peace – in other words, not engaged in any conflicts either internally or externally – than there were in 2014. According to the Institute for Economics and Peace, a think tank which has produced the index for the past 10 years, only Botswana, Chile, Costa Rica, Japan, Mauritius, Panama, Qatar, Switzerland, Uruguay and Vietnam are free from conflict. But perhaps the most remarkable result from this year’s peace index, he said, was the extent to which the situation in the Middle East drags down the rest of the world when it comes to peacefulness. This report shows the impact on world peace the turmoil in the Middle East is having. “The conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq have been going for well over a decade, then it spilled into Syria in 2011, and afterwards into Libya and Yemen. That [failure] is really the key to the problem. If we take battlefield deaths for example, they are up at 112,000 – a 20-year high. But again, if you took out Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, they count for 75 per cent of those deaths.”The world is destabilising. Men are beating ploughshares into swords and pruning hooks into spears. The world is crying out peace but it wont find it until Jesus Christ returns and establishes the long awaited kingdom of God. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Joel 3:9-10+16)

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.