June 23 - 29, 2019

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s June 23 - 29, 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 June 23 - 29, 2019 • New US sanctions target Supreme Leader Khamenei • US Middle East peace plan greeted with scepticism • Russia reportedly interfered with air navigation in Israel • Russia resurrects mass mobilization • Putin: Russian president says liberalism 'obsolete' • No pupil will leave school without lessons on same-sex relationships To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. See, I will stir up against them the Medes,  who do not care for silver and have no delight in gold. Their bows will strike down the young men;  they will have no mercy on infants, nor will they look with compassion on children. The Medes are modern day Iranians Iran: New US sanctions target Supreme Leader Khamenei BBC, June 24, 2019 US President Donald Trump has said he is imposing hard-hitting new sanctions on Iran, including on the office of the country's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Mr Trump said the additional sanctions were in response to the shooting down of a US drone and "many other things". Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran's highest authority, was singled out because he was "ultimately responsible for the hostile conduct of the regime". Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif said the Americans "despise diplomacy". In a tweet sent after the announcement, Mr Zarif also accused the Trump administration of having a "thirst for war". Tensions between the two countries have been escalating in recent weeks. However, US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said Mr Trump's executive order - which would lock up "billions" of dollars in Iranian assets - was in the works before Tehran shot down an unmanned US drone in the Gulf last week. EVENT COMMENT Putting sanctions on Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is significant. He is indeed the Supreme Leader, with the ultimate say in Iran's politics and military - and he has enormous economic power. He controls an organisation with $75 billion of holdings. This is used to fund terrorist organisations like Hezbollah and Hamas. It is highly unusual though for a world leader (however corrupt) to be targeted like this. Even Putin has escaped direct personal sanctions. So how will Iran react? Well the Bible tells us that Iran (Medes) care nothing for silver or gold – their motivation is not economics – it is an ideology – one that first and foremost hates Israel and wants its destruction. Iran will precipitate this destruction by lashing out at its greatest enemy using Hezbollah and its other allies in the region. This will lead to Psalm 83 and Isaiah 17 being fulfilled… BIBLE QUOTE (Isaiah 13:17-18 NIV)

6. Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan [Golan Heights]; for the forest of the vintage is come down. There is a voice of the howling of the shepherds; for their glory is spoiled: a voice of the roaring of young lions; for the pride of Jordan is spoiled.  Phase one of US Middle East peace plan greeted with scepticism Guardian, June 25, 2018 The first phase of the Trump administration’s long-awaited peace plan for Israel and Palestine has been rolled out to scepticism, anger and outright derision. A conference hall of regional officials – with no Israelis or Palestinians present – was the first to hear details of the US-brokered deal, an economic blueprint that shreds decades of diplomacy and which even its mooted financial backers seemed reluctant to embrace. The centrepiece appears to be a call for donors to contribute $50bn to kickstart the Palestinian economy and win the buy-in of neighbouring Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon, which would eventually open direct trade links with the West Bank and Gaza. There has been no sign of a political dimension to the proposal, hailed as the brainchild of Donald Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner. Critics across the region suggested the US was replacing the long-agreed “land for peace” formula with a blunt new “money for peace” that attempted to buy off the Palestinian cause. EVENT Just as Iran is not motivated by money neither are Hamas. They are also driven by an ideology that wants Israel destroyed. They will settle for nothing less than a 2 state solution with half of Jerusalem as their capital. The reality of course is even this would never be enough and they would continue their struggle until Israel no longer existed. Trump’s son in law effectively announced the end of the US support for the 2 state solution. There are fears this will soon cause trouble in Lebanon and Jordan both of whom house Palestinian refugees. Lebanon and Jordan are both mentioned in Zechariah 11 as being in great trouble – the next chapter is about the inner ring war. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Zechariah 11:2-3)

7. Russia reportedly interfered with air navigation in Israel Jerusalem Post, June 28, 2019 Senior Israeli officials say they believe that Russia has been disrupting civilian aircraft navigation systems for the past three weeks, according to reports released Thursday morning. Army Radio called the move a “hostile attack.” The Airports Authority announced on Wednesday that pilots were having difficulty landing, experiencing mysterious disruptions. To resolve the issue, Israel has sent a defence official to Russia to discuss the disruption, Army Radio reported. Russia has denied the report. Despite the interference, the Airports Authority was able to ensure safe landings for its incoming planes. "As a result of the disturbances, changes were made in some of the entry procedures for landing to ensure safety; these are procedures used daily in airports around the world,” the authority said in a statement. “At no stage was there a safety incident related to GPS interference in connection with the accuracy of navigation and flight routes. From the first day that the disturbance appeared, all of the elements in Israel have been working to solve the problem and find the source of the problem.” EVENT A few weeks ago pilots started reporting navigation problems during take-off and landing in Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport. Using a series of sensors onboard the International Space Station, US researchers have been tracking the phenomenon for several months. They were able to identify the geographic source of the signal: the Khmeimim Air Base in Syria, which was built by Russia in 2015. Russia has deployed jamming transmitters to block GPS signals or feed false GPS information. Israel may be collateral damage in this as Russia continues to take control over Syria but we can see how Russia has the ability of impacting Israel. One day Russia will invade Israel… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE I will turn you around and drive you toward the mountains of Israel, bringing you from the distant north. I will knock the bow from your left hand and the arrows from your right hand, and I will leave you helpless. You and your army and your allies will all die on the mountains..  (Ezekiel 39:2-3 NLT)

8. Russia resurrects mass mobilization Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies, June 25, 2019 EVENT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Mass mobilization saved the Russian state on many occasions in past centuries, proving effective against Charles XII, Napoleon I, and Hitler. The Russians are still inclined toward mass mobilization, even though modern wars tend to be more short-term. The large-scale military spending required to sustain mass mobilization will create additional problems for the already embattled Russian economy. Hints in the Russian media over the past year show that the Russians are set to return once again to mass mobilization. According to this concept, which is threaded throughout Russian history, almost the entire population as well as every sector of the state economy is geared toward an all-out military conflict. Unlike in most other countries, where mass mobilization generally takes place only when a military situation requires it, it is almost a state policy in Russia. It is considered a tradition that, if not upheld, would show weakness to the world. Russia is moving back towards the USSR stance of mass mobilisation. According to Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov, the Russian Armed Forces have tested mobilizing reservists for the first time. Also for the first time since the end of the Soviet Union, Russia’s industrial enterprises were checked to see how they would operate in times of military emergency. Interestingly Stalin pursued total militarization of Russian society ahead of WWII. Putin might be doing the same prior to WWIII. The Bible says Russia will be like a cloud that covers the land. This tells us that the number of troops involved when they invade Israel will be off the scale… an army never seen before… COMMENT Sound the trumpet in Jerusalem. Raise the alarm on my holy mountain! Let everyone tremble in fear because the day of the Lord is upon us. It is a day of darkness and gloom, a day of thick clouds and deep blackness. Suddenly, like dawn spreading across the mountains, a great and mighty army appears. Nothing like it has been seen before or will ever be seen again. BIBLE QUOTE (Joel 2:1-2 NLT)

9. Putin: Russian president says liberalism 'obsolete' BBC, June 28, 2019 EVENT Vladimir Putin has said liberalism is "obsolete" in an interview before he left for the G20 summit. The Russian president said the ideology that has underpinned Western democracies for decades had "outlived its purpose". The Russian leader also praised the rise of populism in Europe and America, saying ideas like multiculturalism were "no longer tenable". But EU President Donald Tusk lashed out at Mr Putin on Friday, telling reporters he "strongly [disagreed]" with his sentiments on liberalism. "What I find really obsolete are authoritarianism, personality cults, the rule of oligarchs, even if sometimes they may seem effective," he added. What does Putin mean when he talks about liberalism? Liberalism comes from the idea of Liberty - the false cry of Freedom in the French Revolution. Liberalism is about being free to do whatever you like as long as you don’t harm someone else. It is about being free to worship whatever you like. It is about freedom of speech. All this freedom has led to rights – human rights, gay rights etc. Western Europe adopted Liberty as it’s main driver. It hasn’t led to freedom but to enslavery to sin. Eastern Europe (Russia) however adopted Equality as its main goal. Equality was also a false promise during the French Revolution. Equality led to communism. But this false promise led to authoritarianism, totalitarianism and dictatorships. Notice how the EU president rebuffs Putin’s comments talking about these things! He also said that the EU would continue to embrace FREEDOM’S! We are listening here to the frog like spirits of Revelation 16 that lead the nations to Armageddon. The beast in this chapter is the EU. The dragon is Russia. The continue to argue about their beliefs even today and it will lead to war. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE And I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs leap from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet. They are demonic spirits who work miracles and go out to all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great judgment day of God the Almighty. (Revelation 16:13-14 NLT)

10. No pupil will leave school without lessons on same-sex relationships, says UK education secretary The Times, June 26, 2018 EVENT Every child must learn about gay relationships before leaving school and they are better discussed in the classroom than the playground, the education secretary said yesterday. Schools will be “strongly encouraged” to talk about same-sex parents with children and teach them about different types of “loving, healthy relationships”, the Department for Education said. The announcement came as a Labour MP apologised in the Commons for offence caused to the LGBT community by backing protests against gay equality lessons outside a Birmingham school. The government issued final guidance before lessons become compulsory from next year, which it said underlined the importance of children learning to respect each other from the earliest age. It had been criticised for not doing enough to stick up for head teachers during furious protests by activists in Birmingham against what they dubbed “LGBT lessons”. COMMENT One of the godless, immoral teachings that has spawned out of the French Revolution and its cry of FREEDOM (Liberty) was the Declaration of Human Rights. This declaration said (amongst other things) that humans have the right to do whatever they like (there are no limits or boundaries at all) as long as no other human is hurt. This false doctrine has led directly to the rise in the promotion of homosexuality in schools and in the media. Posters are put up around young children at school declaring “It is OK to be gay.” But is this what the Bible teaches? Does God endorse LBGT relationships. The answer is NO. It is an abomination to God. God designed male and female to have sexual relationships together- not for male and male or female and female. This is a huge sign will live at the very time of the end – judgement is coming. They traded the truth about God for a lie. …That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.  And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved. BIBLE QUOTE (Romans 1:25-27 NLT)

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.