Jul 14 – Aug 3, 2019

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s Jul 14 – Aug 3, 2019 “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 July 14 – Aug 3, 2019 • New UK PM Boris Johnson promises Brexit by 31 Oct • US pulls out of Cold War-era pact with Russia • Germany rejects US call to join Gulf taskforce • Israel said to hit Iranian sites in Iraq, expanding strikes  • Russia marks Navy Day with ship parades & demos • The Arctic’s on fire (you can even see it from space). To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low: … And upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted up, And upon every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, And upon all the ships of Tarshish, and upon all pleasant pictures [desirable vessels NLT] Boris Johnson becomes PM with promise of Brexit by 31 October Guardian, July 24, 2019 Boris Johnson has become the UK’s new prime minister, promising to defy “the doubters, the doomsters and the gloomsters” by completing Brexit with a deal by 31 October. Standing outside Downing Street after visiting the Queen, he gave a speech infused with patriotic pronouncements, saying the “people who bet against Britain are going to lose their shirts”. He also tore into Theresa May’s record of failing to deliver Brexit, saying there had been “three years of unfounded self-doubt” under her government and it was “time to change the record to recover our natural and historic role as an enterprising, outward-looking and truly global Britain”. The major focus of Johnson’s speech was his determination to carry out Brexit within the next 99 days. “We are going to fulfil the repeated promises of parliament to the people and come out of the EU on 31 October, no ifs or buts,” he said. EVENT COMMENT Boris Johnson has become Queen Elizabeth II 14th prime minister. Her first prime minister was Sir Winston Churchill. It just so happens that Churchill is Boris Johnson’s hero and he has recently written a biography about him. Johnson has long cast himself in the mould of Churchill believing that Britain needs a Churchill like figure at this time of crisis over the nation of Britain with regards to Brexit. He has promised to deliver Brexit “deal or no deal” by 31st Oct. Trouble is his government has a majority of 1! We expect Britain to be outside the EU because the resurrected Holy Roman Empire will not include the UK. Britain could be heading for a time of crisis though- the Bible says that Tarshish (Britain) will be judged for becoming proud and lofty. Churchill rescued Britain from WW2 – Johnson might see Britain involved in WW3… BIBLE QUOTE (Isaiah 2:12-16)

6. 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.  US pulls out of Cold War-era pact with Russia BBC, August 2, 2018 The US has formally withdrawn from a key nuclear treaty with Russia, raising fears of a new arms race. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was signed by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in 1987. It banned missiles with ranges between 500 and 5,500 km (310-3,400 miles). But earlier this year the US and Nato accused Russia of violating the pact by deploying a new type of cruise missile, which Moscow has denied. The Americans said they had evidence that Russia had deployed a number of 9M729 missiles - known to Nato as SSC-8. This accusation was then put to Washington's Nato allies, which all backed the US claim. "Russia is solely responsible for the treaty's demise," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Friday. EVENT COMMENT The US accuses Russia of breaking the treaty and therefore have withdrawn from it. Analysts fear that the collapse of the historic agreement could lead to a new arms race between the US, Russia and China. "Now that the treaty is over, we will see the development and deployment of new weapons," Pavel Felgenhauer, a Russian military analyst, told AFP news agency. "Russia is already ready.” Trump has said he wants a new treaty with Russia and China. However few think this is likely. There are fears that the whole system of arms control could unravel. Another key treaty which limits long range nuclear weapons expires in 2021. This may not be extended if mistrust grows between Russia and America. The Bible says that the gentile nations would prepare for war before Armageddon. We see the collapse of arms treaties as part of this process. BIBLE QUOTE (Joel 3:9-10)

7. Germany rejects US call to join Gulf taskforce The Telegraph, July 31, 2019 Germany has rejected US pressure to send warships to protect shipping in the Persian Gulf from seizure by Iran. Olaf Scholz, the German vice-chancellor, publicly confirmed on Wednesday that his country would not take part in a US-led naval taskforce. Mr Scholz, who is who is deputising for Angela Merkel while she is on holiday, warned of the danger of the world "sleepwalking into a much larger conflict". “We want to talk about how to address the situation with our French and British partners in Europe, but there is no discussion of a mission as requested,” he said. Calls for the joint taskforce have intensified following the seizure of the British-flagged Stena Impero tanker in the Strait of Hormuz last month. The tanker remains in Iranian hands, with the commander of the British warship that is already accompanying UK-flagged ships on this route saying yesterday that Tehran appeared to be testing the Royal Navy's resolve.  EVENT There is huge tension in the Persian Gulf. Iran has seized a British flagged oil tanker which is still docked at an Iranian port. This came on the back of the UK seizing an Iranian oil tanker bound for Syria. Britain has sent another warship to the Gulf and is now having to accompany all British flagged oil tankers to protect them. This is seriously stretching resources. Meanwhile the United States officially asked Germany to join the United Kingdom and France in a naval coalition to secure these strategic waters where 20% of the world’s oil passes each day. Germany has refused. The Bible speaks of this exact stretch of water coming under a SEIGE from Iran! It is a prelude to the time of trouble such as never was – when the world is in travail as a woman with child. We are very close to these events coming to pass. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE A grievous vision is declared to me; the treacherous one still deals treacherously, and the destroyer still destroys. Go up, O Elam [ south west Iran by Strait of Hormuz!] . Lay siege, O Media. [central Iran] All her sighing I have made to cease. Therefore, my loins are filled with pain; pangs have taken hold of me as the pangs of a woman who travails. (Isaiah 21:2-3 MEV)

8. Israel said to hit Iranian sites in Iraq, expanding strikes on missile shipments The Times of Israel, July 30, 2019 EVENT Israel has expanded its operations against Iranian targets to Iraq, where Air Force jets have struck twice in ten days, a report said Tuesday morning. Israel commonly conducts strikes in Syrian territory, targeting Iranian missile shipments meant for Lebanese terror group Hezbollah to use against the Jewish state, but strikes in Iraq by Israel have not been reported since the 1981 bombing of a nuclear reactor. Asharq Al-Awsat, an Arabic-language newspaper published in London, cited Western diplomatic sources as saying an Israeli F-35 plane was behind a July 19 strike on a rocket depot in a Shiite militia base north of Baghdad. Israel does not usually comment on specific reports of strikes, but insists it has the right to defend itself by targeting positions held by Iran and Hezbollah. COMMENT According to news reports, Israel attacked a base in Ashraf, Iraq northeast of Baghdad on Sunday, targeting Iranian advisers and a shipment of ballistic missiles from Iran. The IAF used its F-35i stealth fighter jets to hit two Iraqi bases that were used by Iranian forces and proxies and for storing ballistic missiles. Tehran on Wednesday, July 31, for the first time began naming Iranians killed in what were called “Israeli and United States attacks” in Iraq. The Iranians have never before identified the men killed in Israeli strikes – either in Syria or Iraq. Clearly Israel is widening its reach in its aim of stopping Iran’s growing military influence in the region. Netanyahu is impatient for Trump to hit back at Iran for launching attacks in the Gulf. Israel is showing they are willing to deal with Iran alone if necessary. Iran may well retaliate by activating its proxy armies of Hezbollah and Hamas. This will lead to the Psalm 83 being fulfilled. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against thee: The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur [Iran?] also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.  BIBLE QUOTE (Psalm 83:4-8)

9. Russia marks Navy Day with ship parades & shore assault demos RT, July 29, 2019 EVENT Russian sailors and Navy officers celebrate their professional holiday on Sunday with dazzling warship parades, aircraft flybys, and simulated amphibious assault operations staged throughout the country and beyond. Navy Day is one of Russia’s major national holidays and is celebrated on the last Sunday of July. While the navy has over three centuries of history under its belt, the holiday in honour of its achievements and strength was established in 1939. St. Petersburg, the former imperial capital that cemented Russia’s claim for dominance in the Baltic Sea in the 18th century, traditionally holds the biggest naval parade. Forty-three ships from all four Russian fleets sailed in front of spectators. Dozens of aircraft operated by the navy, including advanced Su-30SM fighter jets and Be-12 amphibious anti-submarine warfare planes, took part. COMMENT We are interested in the navy of Russia because the Bible says that Russia will descend on Israel with “many ships”. We expect therefore for Russia to have a substantial and highly operational navy at the time of the end. Interestingly the Russian navy has just kicked off large scale drills in the Baltic Sea from Aug 1 – 9. About 70 combat ships and support vessels and 58 aircraft of the Russian Navy and the Aerospace Force are taking part in the Ocean Shield 2019 drills in the Baltic Sea, Russia’s Defence Ministry reported on Thursday. The drills involve 49 warships! They are to apparently check for Russia’s preparedness for defending Russia’s national interests. We read in Ezekiel 38 that Gog (Russian leader) would ensure that Russia is prepared for war. The rebuilding of Russia’s naval forces and their ongoing drills are part of this preparedness spoken of 2500 years ago. BIBLE QUOTE 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.  He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: (Daniel 11:40)

10. The Arctic is ablaze The Economist, August 1, 2018 EVENT The eastern Siberian landscape does not normally resemble hell. In winter it is blanketed in snow; in summer, its forests are lush and its wetlands soggy. This year, however, the region is on fire, as are large parts of the Arctic Circle. Nothing on this scale has been observed since high-resolution satellite records of fires in the globe’s far north began in 2003 (see chart). A study in 2013 suggests that even the amount of burning seen in boreal regions in recent decades was outside the norm for the past 10,000 years. Researchers call this year’s events “unprecedented”. The data this summer are “insane”, says Guillermo Rein, an expert in peat fires at Imperial College in London. On July 31st, after a petition to declare a state of emergency garnered more than 800,000 signatures, President Vladimir Putin ordered the army to help fight the fires. It is likely to be too little too late. Fighting fires that have grown to such colossal sizes in remote regions with few roads is difficult or impossible. Russia is on fire. Smog from the fires is blanketing much of Siberia, from Kazakhstan to the Bering Sea, with carbon monoxide and other nasties. The full scale of the Arctic fires’ impact will not be known for months. The satellite data being used to estimate emissions from the wildfires cannot capture fires that are smouldering below the ground. The fires began in June, spurred by an extremely hot and dry early summer. It was the hottest June on record, globally. The Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. The emissions from this year’s fires make it more likely that the conditions will be met for peat to ignite again in coming summers, producing ever more emissions, and so on. The Bible says there will signs and “vapour of smoke” before Christ comes. COMMENT And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:  BIBLE QUOTE (Acts 2:19-20)

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.