May 11 - 17, 2014

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s May 11 - 17, 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 May 11 - 17, 2014 • Insurgents in eastern Ukraine declare independence • US releases satellite images of Russian forces • Turkey vulnerable to Russian power in the Black Sea • Premier, President, Czar – What Putin wants • 'Unprecedented' wildfires in California • 'Biggest dinosaur ever' discovered To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. Insurgents in eastern Ukraine declare independence Associated Press, May 12, 2014 EVENT Pro-Moscow insurgents in eastern Ukraine declared independence Monday and sought to join Russia, undermining upcoming presidential elections, strengthening the Kremlin's hand and putting pressure on Kiev to hold talks with the separatists following a referendum on self-rule. Russia signaled it has no intention of subsuming eastern Ukraine the way it annexed Crimea in March. Instead, Moscow is pushing to include eastern regions in negotiations on Ukraine's future — suggesting that Russia prefers a political rather than a military solution to its worst standoff with the West since the Cold War. Such talks are central to a potential path toward peace outlined Monday by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. But it's up to the Ukrainian government to take the next step. COMMENT When a woman gives birth she goes through contractions. There is severe pain and then respite, severe pain then respite. But each contraction is stronger and the gap between the contractions get closer. The Bible speaks of the world being in pain like a woman in labour just before Christ returns. This week has been a quieter week in the Ukraine – but be assured another contraction is coming. We know that Russia has encouraged weeks of unrest in eastern Ukraine in a possible attempt to grab more land. The Ukrainian government's room to manoeuvre is shrinking. With national presidential elections scheduled for May 25, the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk who declared independence Monday have asked to join their enormous neighbour Russia instead. These areas form Ukraine's industrial heartland. There is so much at stake. On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Ukraine is on the brink of civil war, making it difficult to hold free & fair elections later this month. It is on the brink. BIBLE QUOTE (Isaiah 13:8-9)

6. He will cause a shocking amount of destruction and succeed in everything he does. He will destroy powerful leaders and devastate the holy people. He will be a master of deception and will become arrogant; he will destroy many without warning. The man spoken of here is of the same ilk as the ancient king of the north – Antiochus Ephanese US releases satellite images of Russian forces Daily Telegraph, May 14, 2014 EVENT The US government released new satellite pictures on Tuesday which it said showed Russian forces were still near the Ukrainian border in recent days, contradicting Russian assertions they had been withdrawn. President Vladimir Putin announced last Wednesday that the troops had moved, but Nato and the United States both said they had seen no sign of a Russian withdrawal from the frontier. Nato officials have previously estimated Russia has around 40,000 soldiers close to Ukraine's border, exacerbating the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War. The commercial satellite photos, published by the US State Department and on the US Mission to Nato's Twitter account, showed what appeared to be about 20 Russian helicopters at Belgorod, near the Ukrainian border, on May 9.Alongside it, the US government published another image of the same area on March 26, also showing helicopters. An earlier photograph, from March 22, showed no helicopters in the area Nato is accusing Russia of blatantly lying. Russia says their troops have moved away from Ukraine’s border. America then shows pictures showing they have not moved at all. Colonel Martin Downie, spokesman for Allied Command Operations at Nato, said recent comments by Russia's leadership on a troop withdrawal did not reflect realities on the ground. "The reality is that Russia continues to have 40,000 high readiness troops massed on Ukraine's border and another 25,000 troops in Crimea. The units on the latest satellite pictures show mechanised infantry, armoured vehicles and combat helicopters," he said in a statement. We know from the Bible that Putin (the little horn that grows in Daniel 8) is deceitful. In fact one version says he is “master of deception”. Russia says it has not sent in troops into Ukraine but everyone sees it has. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 8:24-25 NLT)

7. The king of the north will storm out with chariots, charioteers, and a vast navy. He will invade various lands and sweep through them like a flood. He will enter the glorious land of Israel, and many nations will fall, ….He will conquer many countries, and even Egypt will not escape. Turkey vulnerable to Russian power in the Black Sea Jerusalem Post, April 19, 2014 With the annexation of Crimea, Turkey faces a stronger and bolder Russian naval power in the Black Sea. A resurgent Russia may be tempted to exploit its temporary naval dominance to alter current Black Sea energy exploitation and transportation arrangements more in its favor and to the detriment of Turkey and its partners in the Caucasus. With the annexation of Crimea, Turkey faces a stronger and bolder Russian naval power in the Black Sea. Russia now possesses the Ukrainian navy’s submarine and several, if not most, of Ukraine’s 11 major surface combatants. Even without the Ukraine’s naval assets, Russia’s own new additions to its Black Sea Fleet will enable Moscow to dominate the region. Russia recently put to sea the first of its six Admiral Grigorovich-class frigates. All six frigates are designated for service in the Black Sea Fleet. These Russian procurement programs alone will quickly tilt the balance of naval forces in Russia’s favor EVENT This was a very interesting article in the Jerusalem Post a few weeks ago looking at how Turkey could be seriously affected by Russia’s growing power and strength. Turkey has a large military naval force in the Black Sea but now Russia has taken over Crimea this delicate balance has shifted towards Russia. Russia of course captured Ukraine’s naval assets when it annexed Crimea increasing overnight its naval strength. Another even more serious destabilising situation might come with gas pipelines. Currently Russia transports some gas through Turkish waters to avoid Ukraine’s boundaries. Now Crimea is part of Russia it could change the route of the pipeline and bypass Turkey. The Bible speaks of a vast Russian navy coming down into the Middle East. Events in Crimea have positioned Russia in a very strong position to do this… he COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 1140-41)

8. a fierce-looking king, a master of intrigue, will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy those who are mighty, the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper Premier, President, Czar – What Putin wants Time Magazine, May 19, 2014 Putin is an unlikely giant of modern geopolitics. Born to a family of modest means he made a career in the KGB. After the Soviet Union collapsed, Putin worked in the city government of St Petersburg, then joined the Kremlin staff of President Boris Yeltsin. Yeltsin named Putin the head of the FSB which replaced the KGB, and then his Prime Minister. That positioned Putin to become president when Yeltsin resigned. Putin inherited a humbled motherland. He was determined to reverse this and restore Russia’s place in the ranks of great powers. A surge oil prices helped plug holes in an outmoded Russian economy. It also allowed Putin to modernize his military. Putin grew bolder. The shirtless horseback rides, the judo matches and other antics for the camera. The restoration continued. In 2008 Putin defied Western condemnation and sent his army into Georgia. Putin is Russian Orthodox. The Russian czars saw themselves as protectors of the world’s Orthodox people – the 19th century Crimean War was fought largely on those grounds – Putin is increasingly taking up that cause. EVENT This article in Time Magazine made some very interesting points about Putin. He is a very unlikely candidate to be running the world’s second largest superpower. He was almost unknown and had little to no political base. He was literally picked from relative obscurity and handed the keys to the presidency of Russia. I have recently read a book called “The man without a face – the unlikely rise of Vladimir Putin.” It explains how Putin did end up in power and the reasons he was selected. In Daniel 8 we read of a ruler that exists in the latter days. This ruler we are told becomes “very strong” but it goes on to say “but not by his own power”. In other words not by his own strength. Putin was placed in power by those at the time who wanted yes man – a puppet! he COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 8:23-24)

9. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: 'Unprecedented' wildfires in California CNN, May 17, 2014 Firefighters in San Diego County continued their four-day assault Friday evening against several wildfires that so far have scorched more than 31 square miles. Meanwhile, investigators filed an arson charge in one small fire in the county. The fires were extraordinary for their number so early in the year and for how close they came to residential and business areas, even torching several structures. Thousands of firefighters used air tankers, specially equipped DC-10s and military helicopter to douse the flames this week. A more-than-3,000-acre fire in San Marcos was all but out of control with only 10% containment Friday, authorities said. When Elisha Exon saw towers of smoke looming over her San Marcos, California, home, she knew it was time to go. The only problem: All the nearby places she'd normally take her family in an emergency were threatened by fire, too. EVENT This week USA Today had these words to say..”Massive wildfires are on the increase in the Western USA due to rising temperatures and worsening drought from climate change, and the trend could continue in the decades to come, new research suggests. Overall, the number of large wildfires increased by a rate of seven fires a year from 1984 to 2011, while the total area damaged by fire increased at a rate of nearly 90,000 acres per year, according to the study, published this week in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union (AGU). The study comes against the backdrop of what could to be a disastrous year for fires in the West, especially drought-plagued California, which even saw fires in the normally quiet month of January.” The Bible speaks of pillars of smoke and final judgement by fire at the end… COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Joel 2:30-32)

10. Take a look at Behemoth, which I made, just as I made you. It eats grass like an ox. See its powerful loins and the muscles of its belly. Its tail is as strong as a cedar. The sinews of its thighs are knit tightly together. Its bones are tubes of bronze. Its limbs are bars of iron. It is a prime example of God’s handiwork, and only its Creator can threaten it. It goes on to say no one can put a ring on its nose and lead it away – it existed when man existed 'Biggest dinosaur ever' discovered BBC News , May 17, 2014 Behemoth = Brachiosaurus = Dinosaur Fossilised bones of a dinosaur believed to be the largest creature ever to walk the Earth have been unearthed in Argentina, palaeontologists say. Based on its huge thigh bones, it was 40m (130ft) long and 20m (65ft) tall. Weighing in at 77 tonnes, it was as heavy as 14 African elephants, and seven tonnes heavier than the previous record holder, Argentinosaurus. Scientists believe it is a new species of titanosaur - an enormous herbivore dating from the Late Cretaceous period. A local farm worker first stumbled on the remains in the desert near La Flecha, about 250km (135 miles) west of Trelew, Patagonia. The fossils were then excavated by a team of palaeontologists from the Museum of Palaeontology Egidio Feruglio, led by Dr Jose Luis Carballido and Dr Diego Pol. They unearthed the partial skeletons of seven individuals - about 150 bones in total - all in "remarkable condition EVENT Lots of people ask – so when did the dinosaurs live? The answer is simple. After creation. Dinosaurs walked the earth not millions of years ago but at the same time as man – before the flood. The Bible tells you about dinosaurs! The Behemoth in Job 40:15-24. It “eats grass like an ox.” It “moves his tail like a cedar.” (In Hebrew, this literally reads, “he lets hang his tail like a cedar.”).Its “bones are like beams of bronze, His ribs like bars of iron.”“He is the first of the ways of God.”“He lies under the lotus trees, In a covert of reeds and marsh.” This is not an elephant or hippo which have short tails like a pig. It is a dinosaur - a type of Brachiosaurus. Leviathan is another dinosaur. It was a tall creature, raises himself up, makes a big wake in the water. This is not a crocodile. It is probably some type of Elasmosaurus. The clincher is that human footprints have been found alongside dino fossil tracks by the Paluxy River in Texas. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Job 40:15-19 NLT)

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.