January 26 – February 1, 2014

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s January 26 – February 1, 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 January 26 – February 1, 2014 • Israeli jets suspected of attacking Syrian missile store • Syria talks end in recrimination • US presses Russia on Syria weapons • Russia criticises West for supporting Ukraine protests • Is Netanyahu about to make “painful concessions” • Israel wages 'war between wars' as threats simmer To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. The fortified towns of Israel[a] will also be destroyed and the royal power of Damascus will end. All that remains of Syria[b] will share the fate of Israel’s departed glory,” declares the Lord of Hosts. “In that day Israel’s[c] glory will grow dim; its robust body will waste away.”[a] = Ephraim [b] = Aram [c] = Jacob….in the original Hebrew language Israeli jets suspected of attacking Syrian missile store Daily Telegraph, January 27, 2014 Israel is suspected of being behind an attack on a Syrian military base that targeted a stock of Russian-made missiles. Storerooms holding the missiles near the port city of Latakia were hit by Israeli war planes late on Sunday, according to a Syrian opposition source talking to Israel Radio. No confirmed details of the strike had emerged last night. Official Israeli government and military sources declined to comment on the attack. But former Israeli Defence Forces intelligence chief Amos Yadlin said any such airstrike would be in keeping with Israeli policy to intercept the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah or to Syria. "Israel has declared four weapons system as a red line: advanced air defences, advanced and accurate ballistic missiles, surface-to-sea advanced missiles like Yakhont, and chemical weapons. Residents of Latakia reported hearing loud explosions just around midnight and there were also reports of Israeli planes heard breaking the sound barrier. EVENT If true this would be the fourth Israeli strike on Syria over the past 12 months. Israel is trying to stop the movement of missiles around Syria. They are concerned they will fall into Hezbollah’s hands. On Friday, Jan. 24, an Israeli intelligence officer disclosed that Israel’s government was “rethinking” its neutrality policy in the Syrian war owing to the massing of 30,000 al Qaeda fighters on its Syrian border. The Obama administration announced Tuesday, Jan. 28, that selected Syrian rebel militias would receive American light weapons including anti-tank rockets. As the Syrian “peace” conference drew to a close on Friday it appears that America and Israel are shifting towards more intervention in Syria. The Bible says that there will be conflict between Syria and Israel.. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Isaiah 17:3-4 NLT)

6. The burden of Damascus. Behold, Damascus is taken away from being a city, and it shall be a ruinous heap. The cities of Aroer are forsaken: they shall be for flocks, which shall lie down, and none shall make them afraid. The burden of Damascus is one of 10 burdens in Isaiah all playing out NOW…. Syria talks end in recrimination Daily Telegraph, January 31, 2014 The Syrian peace talks at Geneva ended in recrimination last night as the government and opposition blamed each other for the failure to come to any agreement. The week-long conference, which foreign diplomats spent more than a year trying to convene, achieved no tangible results, and the Syrian government has refused to commit to continuing the talks. In the closing speeches, Walid Muallem, Syria’s foreign minister accused the opposition of being childish, whilst the opposition said Geneva II had felt like “drinking poison”, blaming the government’s “time wasting”. Mr Brahimi proposed setting February 10 as a date for restarting the talks but the disgruntled Syrian government delegation deferred to decision of whether to return to President Bashar al-Assad. At least 1,870 people died across Syria during the first nine days Geneva II, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday. EVENT Nothing was achieved at the week long peace conference about Syria. It had been hoped as a minimum that the two sides might come together on the subject of civilian suffering. Surely they would find a way of securing aid corridors to areas, such as in the Old City of Homs where thousands are starving to death. But by Friday there was still no agreement, and the aid trucks remained parked outside the besieged area. This week Human Rights Watch issued a new report showing how the Assad regime had razed thousands of homes to the ground in Damascus as collective punishment of communities that backed the opposition. The group accused Syria's government of "wiping entire neighbourhoods off the map" by means of bulldozers and explosives. And so the “burden of Damascus” continues. The word burden in Isaiah 17v1 means a great tribulation. A national nightmare which cannot be resolved. It’s happening now… COMMENT he BIBLE QUOTE (Isaiah 17:1)

7. Damascus has become feeble, and all her people turn to flee. Fear, anguish, and pain have gripped her as they grip a woman in labor. 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 US presses Russia on Syria weapons BBConline, February 1, 2014 EVENT US Secretary of State John Kerry has asked Russia to press its ally Syria into speeding up the removal of chemical weapons. The US says only about 4% of chemical weapons declared by the Syrian government have so far been removed. Mr Kerry raised the issue with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, officials said. Syria's chemical weapons are due to be removed and destroyed by 30 June. Under the terms of the UN-backed plan, Syrian authorities are responsible for packing and safely transporting the chemical weapons to the Mediterranean port of Latakia. "Secretary Kerry pressed Foreign Minister Lavrov to push the regime for more progress on moving the remaining chemical weapons within Syria to the port in Latakia," the US State Department official said. Washington considered progress so far to be "unacceptable", the official added. So peace talks have failed. The violence continues and will almost certainly escalate. Only 4% of Syria’s chemical weapons have been removed. Earlier this week, the US ambassador to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), Robert Mikulak, said "the effort to remove chemical agent and key precursor chemicals from Syria has seriously languished and stalled". Everything has stalled. The peace agreement, the chemical weapons agreement and the cooperation between America and Russia. America once more is starting to “push” Russia into pushing the Syrian regime. Once more Russia will refuse to budge. The burden of Damascus and Syria will NOT end peacefully and with resolution. The Bible could not be clearer. It will end with the complete destruction of Damascus and the ending of Syria as a nation. We don’t know when …but it will happen… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Jeremiah 49:24-26 NLT)

8. 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. Russia criticises West for supporting Ukraine protests Daily Telegraph, February 1, 2014 The Russian foreign minister has strongly criticised the West for backing Ukraine's protesters, accusing European and American leaders of inciting "increasingly violent" protests. Sergei Lavrov said that Western support was causing an escalation in the demonstrations, which first started two months ago when President Victor Yanukovych failed to sign an agreement to deepen ties with the European Union – preferring to forge stronger links with Russia. Why is no one condemning those who seize administration buildings, attack policemen and chant racist and anti-Semitic slogans?" said Mr Lavrov. "How would the European Union react if the Russian government openly supported street riots in London, Paris or Hamburg, and sent its ministers to these cities to encourage the protesters?" he asked. Describing the situation in Ukraine as raising "fundamental questions" about EU-Russia relations, he said that in this case "a choice is being imposed." EVENT COMMENT The Ukraine is being torn in two. The majority of the population want to move away from Russian influence and come under Europe’s influence. But Russia is not about to let the Ukraine do this. This is a tug of war between East and West. Between Russia and Europe / America. US Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States and European Union "stand with the people of Ukraine”. "Nowhere is the fight for a democratic, European future more important today than in Ukraine," Kerry told political, diplomatic and military leaders at a Munich conference.” The United States and EU stand with the people of Ukraine in that fight.” So we see how yet another uprising and revolution is bringing Russia and America into potential conflict… BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 11:40)

9. At the time of those events,” says the Lord, “when I restore the prosperity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather the armies of the world into the valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will judge them for harming my people, my special possession, for scattering my people among the nations, and for dividing up my land. Is Netanyahu about to make “painful concessions” Joel Rosenberg Blog, January 31, 2014 The very fact that Israeli leaders on the centre-right of the political spectrum are getting so anxious, even angry, strongly suggests rumours are true: The Obama administration and the Europeans are putting enormous pressure on the Netanyahu government behind the scenes to say “yes” on to an American-crafted peace plan; and Netanyahu is seriously contemplating agreeing to deeply painful and enormously controversial concessions, possibly even dividing Jerusalem and rolling Israel back to her pre-1967 borders. Many analysts have felt for the past year that Secretary Kerry’s frenetic efforts to jump-start the Israeli-Palestinian peace process were going nowhere and doomed to failure. Now there is rapidly growing evidence that Kerry has driven the two parties into the corner, and that he appears to be putting the most pressure on the Israeli side to make the deepest concessions. EVENT Joel Rosenberg is a former adviser to the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Here’s some of the indications that Netanyahu might be about to give away land for peace. In his address to the U.N. General Assembly last October, Netanyahu signalled he was preparing to make “painful concessions” for peace. Two weeks ago, Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon lashed out at the American plan, describing it as worthless, naïve, “messianic,” and dangerous. This week, Israeli Economic Minister Naftali Bennett lashed out at the American plan and harshly warned Netanyahu not to give away Judea & Samaria and put Jewish settlers under Palestinian sovereignty. Such tensions would not be flaring this intensely if they weren’t so worried Netanyahu was about to agree to far-reaching concessions. We may be reaching a point when there is an agreement to divide the land – then God’s judgment will fall on Israel… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Joel 3:1-2)

10. And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates, The phrase “unwalled VILLAGES” has led to confusion. Israel when it was established lived in walled villages – they no longer do. All elements of Ezekiel 38 are in place. Israel wages 'war between wars' as threats simmer Reuters, January 31, 2014 EVENT Watching old Arab enemies reel with sectarian insurgencies and international diplomacy capping the Iranian nuclear drive, Israel's military is confounded by a new challenge: quiet. The relative tranquillity, for Israel at least, poses its own dilemma for commanders tasked with preparing for an array of potentially unpredictable future adversaries while trying to stave off steep cuts to their budget. With no hostile armies massing nearby, Israel's strategic position is "one of the best it has ever been", military chief Lieutenant-General Benny Gantz told the IDC Herzliya college, venue for one of several security conferences held this week. But Islamist guerrillas abound on its borders and the internal strife in neighboring Syria and Lebanon often spills over, raising tinderbox incidents every few days, Gantz said. Israel is a tinderbox that could go up anytime and yet they feel confident. Israel enjoys economic and democratic vigour rare for the region and in past conflicts public opinion has quickly mobilized in favour of big, even outsized retaliation. It’s a paradox – Israel feeling confident and safe in its own abilities to defeat its enemies. And yet at the same time seeing all around them people who want their destruction. It has immense wealth and military prowess compared to other nations nearby. It also counts to some extent on the support of the world’s greatest superpower. This is exactly the situation described in Ezekiel 38. Ezekiel says Israel will be “at rest” and “dwelling safely” and “without bars and gates”. All these things are there NOW. The word rest means “to be quiet”. Exactly what the report says above. “Dwelling safely” means over confidently – a false sense of security. This is exactly what the report above describes. Finally they no longer dwell in walled villages as they once did! COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:11)

11. 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.