Weekly World Watch: January 18-24, 2009

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s January 18 – 24, 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) 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). 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 18 – 24, 2009 • Huge gas reserves discovered off Haifa • Russians hoard cash as fear of crisis takes hold • Barack Obama takes oath of office • Obama calls Middle East leaders on first day • Israel defends use of phosphorus • EU states monitor spread of civil unrest To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right

5. and thou shalt think an evil thought:…. 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, To take a spoil Huge gas reserves discovered off Haifa Jerusalem Post, January 18, 2009 Three massive gas reservoirs have been discovered 80 km off the Haifa coast, Noble Energy Inc. announced on Sunday. Charles D. Davidson, Noble Energy's chairman, president and CEO, said in an announcement that his company was "extremely excited by the results. This is one of the most significant prospects that we have ever tested and appears to be the largest discovery in the company's history." Speaking on Army Radio Sunday morning, an exhilarated Yitzhak Tshuva, owner of the Delek Group Ltd, one of the owners of the well, called the discovery "one of the biggest in the world," promising that the find would present a historic land mark in the economic independence of Israel. "I have no doubt that this is a holiday for the State of Israel. We will no longer be dependent [on foreign sources] for our gas, and will even export. We are dealing with inconceivably huge quantities; Israel now has a solution for the future generations," Tshuva added. An ecstatic Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said before the weekly cabinet meeting that the discovery was a "historic" one and could "change the face of Israeli industry.“ Click here to go to full article and video. EVENT COMMENT This could be very significant indeed. For a long time now we have wondered what the spoil might be that Russia wants to take when it invades Israel. The Bible says clearly that Gog has an evil thought to invade Israel and TAKE A SPOIL. Some have thought that perhaps Israel would strike oil. However this gas find off the coast of Israel would be just as significant as an oil find. Russia is very interested in gas. In fact Russian production of natural gas is the largest in the whole world. This gas find is huge. It could be one of the largest in the world. Surely Russia would see this as a SPOIL. BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:10-12)

6. And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour. Russians hoard cash as fear of crisis takes hold The Observer, January 18, 2009 Graph shows falling Russian stock market, oil price and currency Muscovites are hoarding thousands of dollars in safety deposit boxes, as fears intensify that Russia is teetering on the brink of a full-blown economic crisis, after the government devalued the rouble five times in six days. World oil prices have plunged from almost $150 (£102) a barrel to below $35, pushing the country to the brink of recession. "Russia is a volatile economy at the best of times: it's heavily dependent on commodity prices - on oil and gas," said Nigel Rendell, senior emerging markets analyst at RBC capital markets. As the public frets about a repeat of the 1998 financial crisis, when the government defaulted on its debts, sending shockwaves through the world financial system, banks are reporting a surge in use of safety deposit boxes in the capital. "Russians have a massive distrust of high finance even at the best of times," said Neil Shearing, of consultancy Capital Economics. "At the first sign of trouble, they pull their money out and stick it under the bed." EVENT Russia is in trouble. It is totally dependent on cash coming in from it’s oil and gas exports. The price has come down to around $35 a barrel. Russia needs $70 a barrel to balance its books. The rouble (currency of Russia) is therefore losing value as investors worry about how Russia will get through this financial crisis. Moscow has blown over a quarter of its foreign currency reserves over the last five months in a desperate bid to ensure that depreciation is gradual. Dealers estimate the central bank spent $26bn on interventions this week alone. If we link this slide with the previous one (Israeli gas find) we can see how Russia under pressure might indeed think an evil thought and want to take a spoil…. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:4)

7. Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Barack Obama takes oath of office Daily Telegraph, January 21, 2009 Two million people turned out to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama in Washington DC. The roar of adulation swept across the National Mall and echoed off the granite walls of the Smithsonian museums on each side. For a day, at least, their mighty collections were eclipsed by the momentous history taking place outside. America finally got its first black president on Tuesday, and the country's usually staid capital was engulfed in a contagious party spirit. Two million people covered almost every square foot of Washington's two-mile grass runway from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial to watch the inauguration of Barack Obama – a restless sea of red, white and blue flags that barely stopped waving from freezing dawn to chilly dusk.. EVENT COMMENT “The levels of emotion that has built up in advance of the 2009 presidential inauguration ceremony were so high that some wept, some fainted and some were paralysed by fear.” So wrote Ann Applebaum in the Daily Telegraph. The tears and joy were over the hope that this man might sort out America’s and even the world’s deep problems. The fear was over the concern that something might go wrong. Obama in his speech to the nation said “Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often, the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms.” He is right. There are gathering clouds and raging storms. Jesus says when he returns “the powers of heaven will be shaken”. The word shaken literally means great wind or storm. The world does need a saviour. But Jesus not Obama. BIBLE QUOTE (Luke 21:26-27)

8. 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? Obama calls Middle East leaders on first day The Times January 22, 2009 President Obama placed the Middle East at the forefront of his first hours in office yesterday as he sought to make good on his promise of “ushering in a new era of peace”. In a flurry of telephone calls from the Oval Office, he reached out to leaders in the region and vowed to engage immediately in pursuit of a permanent Arab-Israeli settlement. The spokesman for President Abbas revealed that Mr Obama had told the Palestinian leader that their conversation was his first with a foreign statesman since taking office. Mr Obama also spoke to President Mubarak of Egypt, Ehud Olmert, the Israeli Prime Minister, and King Abdullah of Jordan. EVENT COMMENT It appears that the Middle East (this really means Israel and the Palestinians) is going to be a priority for this new president. A spokesman for the Palestinian leader said Mr Obama told Mr Abbas that he was the recipient of his first call as the 44th president. Interesting that his first call was to the Palestinians and not the Israelis. Many think that Obama will lean much further towards the Palestinians that George Bush did. Obama said yesterday “it will be the policy of my administration to actively and aggressively seek a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians as well as Israel and its Arab neighbours”. And so what might we expect with Bible in hand. We might expect the USA to remain on Israel’s side when push comes to shove BUT to be less pro Israel than before. Ezekiel speaks of the USA standing on the side lines when Israel is invaded. We might also expect some “aggressive” moves towards peace which will lead to destruction. BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:13)

9. Although you have been forsaken and hated, with no one travelling through, I will make you the everlasting pride and the joy of all generations. Israel defends use of phosphorus Daily Telegraph, January 14, 2009 Israel insists its use of white phosphorus shells during its three-week campaign in Gaza was not illegal. Foreign ministry spokesman Ygal Palmor said an internal investigation so far had found no evidence to support claims it was illegally fired near civilians. White phosphorus is legal for making smokescreens in open battleground. But rights groups and journalists say it was used in crowded civilian areas. The weapon sticks to human skin and will burn through to the bone. It can cause death or leave survivors with painful wounds which are slow to heal. Its ingestion or inhalation can also be fatal. EVENT COMMENT The war has come to an uneasy end. Hamas is weakened but still in power. Israel has destroyed many rockets but not all of them. What this war has done is turned many more against Israel. Over 1300 Palestinians were killed and many were children. This of course is mainly due to the tactics of the terrorists by placing arm and weapons in schools etc. The fact Israel did use phosphorus could well be used to prove that they committed war crimes. The UN has already used this phrase in relation Israel’s conduct in the war. The UN said its headquarters were hit by three white phosphorus shells during the offensive, causing a fire destroying much of its aid supplies. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and foreign journalists who have gone into Gaza since the operation ended say they have found evidence of its use in crowded residential areas. Israel has now fought 2 wars in just 2 years. Each one is inconclusive and the terrorists remain in control. How long before it sparks again – possibly not long at all. Iran is trying to rearm Hamas and the USA is patrolling the Med to stop this happening. BIBLE QUOTE (Isaiah 60:15 NIV)

10. Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people. EU states monitor spread of civil unrest EUObserver, January 22, 2009 EU member states are "intensively" monitoring the risk of spreading civil unrest in Europe, as riots over the economic crisis erupt in Iceland following street clashes in Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Greece. The worst street disturbances for 50 years struck Reykjavik on Thursday (22 January), as police streamed a hardcore of a few hundred anti-government protesters in the early morning with pepper spray and then tear gas after an earlier crowd of around 2,000 gathered outside the Althingi, the country's parliament, to demand the government resign. Iceland is not an EU member, but the protests could result in it being the first European country to see its government brought down by the economic crisis. The events in Iceland come hot on the heels of anti-government clashes in Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria in recent days, where economic discontent mixed with local issues erupted in violence. Concern about the spreading unrest is high on the EU agenda, as governments find it increasingly more expensive to borrow money, putting pressure on social programmes. In a Wednesday interview with the BBC, the head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, predicted that the economic downturn will cause more unrest. Asked which countries were most at risk, Mr Strauss-Kahn mentioned Hungary, Ukraine, Latvia and Belarus. "It can be my own country [France], the UK, it can be eastern Europe," he said. "The situation is really, really serious," he added. EVENT The time of trouble such has never was has not yet begun. We can see though with the financial crisis affecting the whole world how such a time could come. Jesus spoke of the sea and waves roaring when he gets back. The sea and waves are symbolic of people and nations. They will be crashing against each other. As the verse says below – only God can still the tumult of the people. He will send his Son to do it… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Psalm 65:7)

11. Weekly World Watch The end of this week’s WWW will be e-mailed to you each week. Please forward the e-mail addresses of others who may be interested. I will include them in the list of recipients. Comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome. E-MAIL ANDY Click here (Move the mouse until the cursor appears.) To watch again, click here.