March 29 – April 4, 2009

“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)

Weekly World Watch

Andy Walton’s

To skip the introductory slides and go straight to this weeks developments click here.

What is a Weekly World Watch?

• 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.

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.

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.

• Increasing natural disasters: including earthquake, famine etc

The following six themes will appear repeatedly in WWW:

HEADLINE

EVENT

COMMENT

News Photo

The source of the headline and the date are included.

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.

What is in a Weekly World Watch?

BIBLEQUOTE

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)

This is straight from a news report that caught my eye because it looked significant from a Biblical perspective, usually that of prophecy.

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.

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. 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).

This Week’s Developments

To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right

• Gordon Brown announces 'new world order'

• Russia warns US on Georgia

• World Bank warns of social discontent in Russia

• Netanyahu to Obama: Stop Iran—Or I Will

• Israel risks being seen as main obstacle to peace

March 29 – April 4, 2009

• More natural gas discovered off Israeli coast

Gordon Brown announces 'new world order'

Britain is mentioned in the Bible. It is known by the ancient name of Tarshish. There are a number of verses that speak of judgement coming on Tarshish. In Isaiah 2:12 we read about judgement coming on everyone that is “proud and lofty” and “upon everyone that is lifted up.” A few verses later we read that this judgement comes on Tarshish. Interesting that the largest nations (by economic standards) have gathered in Tarshish. Interesting that the prime minister of Tarshish speaks of a “new world order” and “the day the world came together to fight back” etc. These proud and lofty words will amount to nothing. In fact they precede the coming judgements not only on Tarshish but all nations of the world.This meeting also highlighted the differences between Anglo-Saxon (English speaking) nations and European. France and Germany wanted more regulation. US / UK wanted more cash injected. Most say that Europe won. This may well be a turning point.

Gordon Brown announced the creation of a "new world order" after the conclusion of the G20 summit of world leaders in London. The Prime Minister claimed to have struck a "historic" deal to end the global recession as he unveiled plans to plough more than $1 trillion into the world economy. "This is the day that the world came together to fight back against the global recession," he said. "Not with words but with a plan for global recovery and reform." Barack Obama, the US President, hailed the deal as a "turning point" for the global economy which would put it on the path to recovery. Mr Sarkozy, who had threatened to walk out of the talks unless he got action on tax havens, said a "page has been turned" on the old financial model, the "Anglo-Saxon model".

Daily Telegraph, April 3, 2009

EVENT

COMMENT

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 ships of TarshishBIBLE

QUOTE (Isaiah 2:12,16)

Russia warns US on Georgia

At the G20 meeting this week in Britain the president of Russia and president of America met. We are watching in scriptural terms the king of the north meeting the king of the south. Despite handshakes and smiles they both took opportunity to send warnings to each other concerning Georgia. America is helping Georgia rebuild its military. America also affirmed it would never recognise South Ossetia that Russia now controls following the war last year. We see the tensions remain – as expected.

Russia sent a strong warning to the United States Thursday about supporting Georgia in the U.S. ally's efforts to rebuild its military following last year's war.The Foreign Ministry said helping arm Georgia would be "extremely dangerous" and would amount to "nothing but the encouragement of the aggressor."The warning comes days after Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili stridently vowed to rebuild and prepare his armed forces for missions other than peacekeeping comments made alongside a top U.S. general.It also follows Wednesday's first meeting between Presidents Barack Obama and Dmitry Medvedev, where the two leaders tried to mend serious differences that have plagued ties in recent years including over last year's war in Georgia.The brief war helped send relations between Moscow and Washington to Cold War lows, as the Russians routed the Georgian army and humiliated Saakashvili.At their first meeting in London Wednesday, Obama and Medvedev discussed the situation in the South Caucasus. U.S. officials said Obama told Medvedev that the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia both of which are backed by Russia would never be recognized as independent by the United States.

Associated Press, April 2, 2009

EVENT

COMMENT

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 whirlwindBIBLE

QUOTE (Daniel 11:40)

World Bank warns of social discontent in Russia

Money talks. The reason everyone wants to talk to Obama is that America is the world’s largest economy which enables it to influence nations around the globe.Russia wants to increase its influence around the globe but it needs money. Over the past decade they have made huge amounts of money on the back of their only real industry – energy. With the price of oil and gas a third of what it was at its peak, Russia is in trouble. Unrest is very likely and has already been seen in some Russian cities. If there is one thing the Russian leadership will not tolerate is revolution and people marching through the streets demanding change. God says he will put a hook in Russia’s jaws and bring them into the Middle East – this may be part of it…

The World Bank has given warning of serious social discontent in Russia after delivering a bleak assessment of the country's economy. Scotching optimism that the world's largest country may already be in recovery, the bank predicted that Russia's economy is contracting far more sharply than the Kremlin has acknowledged.According to revised government forecasts, the Russian economy will shrink by 2.2pc this year. But it its latest economic report on Russia, the World Bank predicts that Gross Domestic Product will actually contract by 4.5pc.Mr Bogetic also warned the Kremlin that it faced popular discontent, especially among Russia's large working class, if social spending was not dramatically increased."The social situation has worsened so rapidly and so unexpectedly that it is important to shift the focus of the anti-crisis policy to the population," he said. "Since there is a threat of significant social pressure, it would have been clever to pay attention and assign funds for social protection."

Daily Telegraph, March 30, 2009

EVENT

COMMENT

When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. When money runs out people do desperate things!

BIBLEQUOTE (Acts 16:19 NIV)

Netanyahu to Obama: Stop Iran—Or I Will

As the nations gathered in Britain to discuss the world’s economic crisis a small nation thousands of miles away swore in a new prime minister. Benjamin Netanyahu. He also spoke in historic terms saying things like “the hinge of history”. Another turning point.Conflict with Iran has moved a step nearer with this new Israeli government.The world’s attention is mainly focused on their money worries but before long their attention will switch to Israel and the conflict over the land and Jerusalem.In terms of Iran versus Israel – the Bible makes clear there is this situation at the time of the end. Ezekiel 38 speaks of Iran (Persia) attacking Israel with Russia. We also read in Isaiah 13 of the Medes (Iranians) being stirred up. Whether Israel strikes Iran first is not clear. But the fact we see growing tension between the two is significant.

In an interview conducted shortly before he was sworn in today as prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu laid down a challenge for Barack Obama. The American president, he said, must stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons—and quickly—or an imperiled Israel may be forced to attack Iran’s nuclear facilities itself. “The Obama presidency has two great missions: fixing the economy, and preventing Iran from gaining nuclear weapons,” Netanyahu told me. He said the Iranian nuclear challenge represents a “hinge of history” and added that “Western civilization” will have failed if Iran is allowed to develop nuclear weapons. In unusually blunt language, Netanyahu said of the Iranian leadership, “You don’t want a messianic apocalyptic cult controlling atomic bombs. When the wide-eyed believer gets hold of the reins of power and the weapons of mass death, then the entire world should start worrying, and that is what is happening in Iran.”

The Atlantic, March 31, 2009

EVENT

COMMENT

Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it. Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces

BIBLEQUOTE

(Isaiah 13:17)

Israel risks being seen as main obstacle to peace

Avigdor Lieberman's remarks on his first full day as foreign minister show how Israel's new government risks being seen as the central obstacle to peace. By casually disowning the American-sponsored peace process, Mr Lieberman is trampling on diplomatic niceties and goading President Barack Obama.The central question is whether America will come to see the Israeli government as part of the problem. If so, Mr Obama will have to decide whether to respond by exerting direct pressure on his ally.America and the entire international community have endorsed the two-state solution as the route to peace. In practice, this means the birth of a Palestinian state based on the West Bank and Gaza.But Benjamin Netanyahu, the new Israeli prime minister, and his Right-wing coalition allies have never shared this goal. Israel and America profoundly disagree over the aim of the peace process. Mr Lieberman has brought this rift into the open.

Daily Telegraph, April 1, 2009

EVENT

COMMENT

Bitterly she weeps at night, tears are upon her cheeks. Among all her lovers there is none to comfort her. All her friends have betrayed her; they have become her enemies.BIBLE

QUOTE (Lamentations 1:2 NIV)

Israel’s new foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman publicly rejected the Annapolis peace process this week. On his first day at the Foreign Ministry, he said the U.S.-sponsored Annapolis declaration of 2007 "has no validity." The Annapolis peace conference affirmed that the only way forward was for two states to be created. Many now predict a rift (a major rift) between America and Israel. Israel will feel ever more isolated but determined to take on her enemies eg Iran, Syria etc on her own.It does appear from many passages that at the every end Israel will be friendless, unloved and unwanted. The verse below speaks of this situation. Even her friends become her enemies. God is bringing this about so that finally Israel has no choice but to turn to him – and His Son whom he sends to rescue them from destruction.

More natural gas discovered off Israeli coast

A US energy exploration company announced on Sunday that it had discovered yet another substantial deposit of natural gas off the Israeli coast. Noble Energy said exploratory drilling at the Dalit-1 site about 37 miles off the coast of the Israeli city of Hadera had yielded results far sooner than expected, raising speculations that the deposit could be far larger than hoped. Earlier this year, one of Noble Energy's exploratory wells off the coast of Haifa discovered three enormous underwater gas reservoirs. One of Noble's Israeli partners said the earlier find could be the largest natural gas find in history, and would transform the Israeli economy for the better for decades to come.

Israel Today, March 29, 2009

EVENT

COMMENT

To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods,

BIBLEQUOTE (Ezekiel 38:12)

More gas is found off Israel’s coast!This comes on top of one of the largest natural gas finds in history off Israel’s coast earlier this year. As the article says, these finds could “transform the Israeli economy”.How remarkable that at this stage - at the very time of the end - Israel should discover such wealth and prosperity.Ezekiel 38 speaks of Gog (the Russian leader) having an evil thought. He thinks to go down to Israel to take a spoil and to take a prey.He looks at Israel who dwell in the “midst of the land” who have got possessions and goods and he wants them.We saw on a previous slide how precarious Russia’s own financial situation is and also how dependent on energy she is.How attractive Israel must look when she has one of the world’s largest gas reserves.The hook might soon be placed in Russia’s jaws to pull them down to Israel.

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Weekly World Watch

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