Weekly World Watch: Putin Patches Relations with Turkey's Erdogan

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s August 7 - 13, 2016 “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 August 7 - 13, 2016 • Putin mends broken relations with Turkey's Erdogan • Ukraine: troops on alert as tensions with Russia spiral • Crimea: Russia sends new air defence missiles • Russia can outgun British troops, report suggests • Syria conflict: Aleppo 'chlorine gas attack' investigated • Israel ups Jerusalem security for Jewish mourning day To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee. Jewish historian Flavius Josephus (37 – c. 100 AD) and the Christian theologians Jerome (c. 347 – 420 AD) and Isidore of Seville (c. 560 – 636 AD) regarded Togarmah as the father of the Phrygians. Phrygia is modern day Turkey! • Putin mends broken relations with Turkey's Erdogan BBC, August 9, 2016 The leaders of Russia and Turkey have patched up a damaging quarrel, pledging to restore close economic relations. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russian trade sanctions on Turkey would be phased out "step by step”. "The priority is to get back to the pre-crisis level of co-operation," he told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in St Petersburg. Their relations soured last November when Turkey shot down a Russian bomber on the Syrian border. It is Mr Erdogan's first foreign visit since an attempted coup last month. He has since launched a far-reaching purge of the armed forces and other state institutions. Speaking in St Petersburg Mr Erdogan thanked Mr Putin, saying a call from the Russian leader after the coup "meant a lot psychologically". He said "the Moscow-Ankara friendship axis will be restored". EVENT Nine months ago the world feared that Russia and Turkey might go to war. This followed the shooting down of a Russian jet by Turkey. However, as we pointed out at the time - the Bible is clear that Turkey would be on the side of Russia at the time of the end. And so we have watched not for a Russia war with Turkey but for a restoration of the relationship. And here it is. Putin of course is very pleased with this. Firstly this is dividing NATO (of which Turkey is a member) and secondly he got the apology he wanted from a humbled Mr. Erdogan. Turkey is back in position. Russia and Turkey do still disagree over Syria. Turkey hates Assad and Russia wants him to stay in power. So events in Syria are still to play out before Russia invades Israel. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:6)

6. At the end of their rule, when their sin is at its height, a fierce king, a master of intrigue, will rise to power. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause a shocking amount of destruction and succeed in everything he does. He will destroy powerful leaders and devastate the holy people.. • Ukraine: troops on alert as tensions with Russia spiral Daily Telegraph, August 11, 2016 Petro Poroshenko, the president of Ukraine, ordered his country’s armed forces onto combat alert on Thursday amid a dramatic escalation of military tensions along the frontier with Russia and Crimea. The order came a day after President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of launching cross border raids into the Russian-controlled peninsula that killed two servicemen. “I ordered a high level alert of all units in the region of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and along the entire contact line in Donbas,” Mr Poroshenko said after meeting with his national security council on Thursday afternoon. Earlier Mr Putin chaired a meeting with Russian security chiefs to discuss "additional measures for ensuring security for citizens and essential infrastructure in Crimea," the Kremlin said in a statement. The United Nations Security Council was to meet to discus the crisis on Thursday evening at the request of Ukraine, a non-permanent member. EVENT We said last week that Russia might use the distraction of the Olympics to launch a military offensive. He has done so in the last two Olympic events! And lo and behold we see Russia sending large military forces this week, including dozens of armoured vehicles, armoured personnel carriers and tanks, to the peninsula that it took over in 2014. It’s not just the WWW saying this. Former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bildt has expressed concern that Putin plans to invade Crimea again, saying that Putin has a pattern of launching military operations when the world's attention is focused on other matters, mainly during major sporting events. We may be very close to another Russian invasion. We are told in Daniel that a latter day Antiochus Epiphanes would be a man of deceit and cause terrible destruction. Putin does both. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 8:23-24 NLT)

7. Son of man, turn and face Gog of the land of Magog, the prince who rules over the nations of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him. 3 Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: Gog, I am your enemy! Crimea: Russia sends new air defence missiles BBC, August 12, 2016 The Russian military has announced the delivery of new air defence missiles to Crimea, in a move scheduled before the latest tension with Ukraine. The S-400 Triumph missile systems were earmarked for troops in Crimea last month, Russian media said at the time. Moscow also announced exercises in Crimea next week to simulate an attack by weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Russia, which annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, said this week it had foiled a Ukrainian sabotage mission. It accused the Ukrainian government in Kiev of trying to send saboteurs into Crimea and reported the deaths of a soldier and a secret police officer in an operation to foil the alleged plot. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Moscow might be forced to cut diplomatic ties with Ukraine if the crisis worsened. EVENT COMMENT As well as sending tanks to the border of Ukraine this week, Putin also sent new air defence missiles to Crimea. In the Guardian newspaper this week it said the following in relation to this new crisis over Crimea..…”At this point there seem to be three possible scenarios. One is that Putin will try to leverage this latest crisis to persuade EU countries to drop the sanctions imposed over the Ukraine conflict. Another is that he is preparing a limited military incursion, possibly to set up a security corridor, which doubtless would include the electricity station in the nearby Ukrainian city of Kherson. A third is that he is planning something bigger.”We wait to see what happens. Interestingly Gog we are told is of the land of Magog…Ancient Magog included the area of Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Putin is taking the whole of Magog back. BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:2 NLT)

8. But Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish will ask, ‘Do you really think the armies you have gathered can rob them of silver and gold? Do you think you can drive away their livestock and seize their goods and carry off plunder?’ • Russia can outgun British troops, report suggests Daily Telegraph, August 10, 2016 EVENT The Russian army can outgun British troops on the battlefield, a leaked report suggests, following military advances by the Kremlin. The assessment by the British Army's warfare branch, seen by The Times newspaper, warned that Russian weapons, including rocket launchers and air defence systems, were more powerful than their British equivalents. The leaked military report added that the UK and its Nato allies were "scrambling to catch up" with Russia's ability to use electronic means to hijack enemy drones and disrupt other military transmissions, which were described as a "real game changer”. “In the unlikely event of a direct confrontation between Nato and RUS [Russia], we must acknowledge that RUS currently has a significant capability edge over UK force elements,” the paper reportedly said. COMMENT Putin has massively upgraded the Russian army over the last few years. It is now a lean mean fighting machine. It has state of the art weapons and is able to project power around the world - certainly into the Middle East. Unlike the US, Russia has no major campaigns around the world. It’s forces are not thinly stretched like US forces are. When Russia descends into Israel, the US cannot stop it happening. And of course it is not just the US. Britain is also mentioned in the same chapter when Russia invades. Britain is Tarshish. We read that Tarshish and the young lions (US, Canada etc) say to Gog (Russian leader) – “have you come to take a spoil”. There doesn’t appear to be any willingness to counter attack. This surely indicates a resurgent and strong Russia. Russia is busy preparing for conflict. In Janes Defence Weekly they wrote “Moscow's military planners are taking advantage of the many distractions in other regions of the world and are quietly preparing to kick off a new wave of hostilities.” BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:13 NLT)

9. Syria conflict: Aleppo 'chlorine gas attack' investigated BBC, August 11, 2016 EVENT The UN is investigating evidence of a toxic gas attack on a rebel-held area of the Syrian city of Aleppo. Rebels said the attack - which reportedly left four people dead and many injured - was carried out by government forces using chlorine gas. The UN special envoy for Syria said a chlorine attack, if confirmed, would amount to a "war crime". Footage obtained by the BBC shows people with breathing difficulties receiving treatment at a hospital. Men, women and children are shown being fitted with oxygen masks by medical staff. The gas is thought to have been chlorine dropped in a barrel bomb, said the Syrian Civil Defence - volunteer emergency response workers who operate in opposition-held areas. Aleppo was attacked this week by chemical weapons. The last doctors in the rebel-held east of the Syrian city of Aleppo have urged US President Barack Obama to come to the aid of the 250,000 civilians there. A letter signed by 15 physicians warns that if attacks on medical facilities continue at their present rate, there could be none left within a month. US inaction against crimes by Syria's government and its ally Russia means it bears equal responsibility, it argues. Fighting has escalated in recent days, with rebels severing the government's main route to the west of the city. This is why Assad has responded with chlorine attacks. We wait to see if Obama responds to this. Either way the situation in Aleppo is reaching a climax. As we have said repeatedly, Aleppo is mentioned in the Bible by its ancient name Arpad. These events therefore must be significant. COMMENT “The towns of Hamath and Arpad are struck with fear, for they have heard the news of their destruction. Their hearts are troubled like a wild sea in a raging storm. Damascus has become feeble, and all her people turn to flee.. BIBLE QUOTE (Jeremiah 49:23 NLT)

10. And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, [3 overturns!] it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him. The first two overturns occurred on the 9th Av. 586BC / AD70. A third overturn is still to happen. • Israel ups Jerusalem security for Jewish mourning day Times of Israel, August 13, 2016 EVENT Hundreds of extra police to be dispatched around the city ahead of Tisha B’Av as advocates for prayer rights on Temple Mount call for mass visits. Israeli police are to boost their presence at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount compound for a Jewish day of mourning commemorating the destruction of ancient temples there, a spokesman said on Friday. “Hundreds of extra police will be carrying out security measures in and around the Old City of Jerusalem” on Tisha B’Av, which begins on Saturday night and ends 25 hours later, Micky Rosenfeld said in a statement. Rosenfeld said thousands of Jews were expected to visit the Western Wall during the day. Advocates for prayer rights for Jews at the esplanade, the holiest site in Judaism and known to Muslims as the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, the third-holiest site in Islam, have called on Jews to visit the sensitive area. COMMENT This evening is the 9th Av. Av is the 11th month on the Jewish calendar. The Jews call this date Tisha B’Av . This date is very significant. Here’s why. The first temple built by Solomon was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. The date of its destruction was the 9th Av. The Jews then returned from exile and rebuilt the temple. This was the second temple. But that too was destroyed. This time by the Romans in AD70. It just so happened the destruction of the second temple occurred on the same day. The 9th Av. Coincidence? The 9th Av starts Saturday night and finishes tomorrow evening. The Jews spend time mourning and remembering the temples that were destroyed. We know that a final destruction of Jerusalem is coming and afterwards a new temple will be built by Christ. BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 21:25-27)

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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. Please take a look at this excellent Christadelphian Prophecy website Just click the image To watch again, click here.