April 12 - 18, 2009

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s April 12 - 18, 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 April 12 - 18, 2009 • Israel stands ready to bomb Iran's nuclear sites • IDF map confirms every Israeli under missile threat • Netanyahu calls for Israel recognition • Quake felt in north Israel - 4.2 on Richter scale • Russia demands Nato call off exercises in Georgia • Russia rearms – Time report To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right

5. Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. Persia = modern Iran Israel stands ready to bomb Iran's nuclear sites The Times, April 18, 2009 The Israeli military is preparing itself to launch a massive aerial assault on Iran's nuclear facilities within days of being given the go-ahead by its new government. Among the steps taken to ready Israeli forces for what would be a risky raid requiring pinpoint aerial strikes are the acquisition of three Airborne Warning and Control (AWAC) aircraft and regional missions to simulate the attack. Two nationwide civil defence drills will help to prepare the public for the retaliation that Israel could face. “Israel wants to know that if its forces were given the green light they could strike at Iran in a matter of days, even hours. They are making preparations on every level for this eventuality. The message to Iran is that the threat is not just words,” one senior defence official told The Times. EVENT It seems clear that the new Israeli government is preparing for action against Iran. Iran supports Hamas, Hezbollah and Syria. All people who want Israel destroyed. Iran (it has been discovered in the last week) have also setup Hezbollah cells in Sinai – therefore surrounding Israel. On top of this Iran is pressing ahead with its own nuclear program which could certainly produce a nuclear bomb. Will Israel attack Iran before the Gogian invasion? Perhaps. Daniel 10:20 might have a latter day fulfilment. It speaks of a man of God “returning to fight against the Prince of Persia (Iran)”. Verse 14 tells us this concerns “the latter days” it is for “many days”! It is when this fight has begun (gone forth) that the prince of Grecia shall come. In a latter context this refers to the King of the North who came from the northern part of the Greek Empire-Seleucus. A latter day war against the Prince of Persia could be coming. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 10:20)

6. in the latter years thou shalt come into the land .., against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely(betach) IDF map confirms every Israeli under missile threat Israel National News, April 17, 2009 The IDF’s Home Front Command has begun distribution of a color-coded map that divides Israel into regions based on the residents’ distance from the nearest terror army. The map provides graphic confirmation of the fact that every Israeli is under missile threat from either Hezbollah in the north or Hamas in Gaza, or from both. The Home Front Command launched a public campaign centering on the map and the slogan “protect yourself right on time.” The campaign will culminate in the largest-ever nation - wide emergency drill, dubbed “Turning Point 3,” which is scheduled for late May. The campaign includes TV and radio spots, and information on the Command's website. The map divides Israel into 27 regions that are grouped into five ‘belts,’ based on the distance from Hezbollah's missile array. EVENT The whole of Israel is now under threat from missile attack. The longest time they will have to attempt to protect themselves is just 3 minutes! Many have less than 60 seconds. This is the largest ever nationwide drill scheduled for May. With talk of a military attack on Iran the leaders of Israel are preparing the country for retaliation. Despite this Israel is confident. Overly confident. One official said this week “We would not threaten Iran without the force to back it”. Israel believes in its weapons systems. And though preparing the country for a retaliatory attack it IS over confidence. The Hebrew word “betach” can mean this. Over confidence. It is Israel’s undoing. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:8)

7. The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up. Netanyahu calls for Israel recognition BBConline, April 16, 2009 Israel's new PM says he will discuss a Palestinian state only if Palestinians recognise Israel as a Jewish state. Benjamin Netanyahu was speaking to US President Barack Obama's envoy to the Middle East about prospects for peace. Mr Netanyahu, of the right-wing Likud party, has not previously endorsed the creation of a Palestinian state. The envoy, George Mitchell, reiterated US support for a Palestinian state alongside Israel, in talks with the Israeli president and foreign minister. But Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the diplomatic process was at a "dead end" and a new approach was needed. A senior official in Mr Netanyahu's office quoted the new prime minister as telling Mr Mitchell: "Israel expects the Palestinians to first recognise Israel as a Jewish state before talking about two states for two peoples." EVENT COMMENT Mr George Mitchell is the new special envoy to the Middle East appointed by the new US president. Mr Mitchell was the man behind the eventual peace agreement in Northern Ireland for which he received an honorary knighthood. This week he has been in Israel but has found a very different political landscape. The new PM in Israel insists that the Palestinians recognise Israel as a Jewish state while the Palestinians say Israel must recognise a 2 state solution. On Thursday Mr Mitchell said “We are committed to two states for two peoples living alongside each other in security and peace”. We see the focus now shifting to Israel. The Palestinian language is closer to the Americans than Israel’s language. Israel could soon be very isolated. There will be “none to raise her up” save the Lord Jesus when he returns. BIBLE QUOTE (Amos 5:2)

8. O inhabitant of Lebanon, that makest thy nest in the cedars, how gracious shalt thou be when pangs come upon thee, the pain as of a woman in travail! Quake felt in north Israel - 4.2 on Richter scale Ynet News, April 18, 2009 A mild earthquake registering 3.5 on the Richter scale hit northern Israel Friday evening. The European Mediterranean Seismological Center said the quake's epicenter was 19 kilometers (about 12 miles) east of the Lebanese city of Tyre. There were no reports of injury or damage in Israel. Earlier Friday another earthquake was felt in northern Israel. Many Ynet readers – from Haifa to Kibbutz Kfar Blum – reported feeling the earth move for several seconds. There were no reports of injuries. The Geophysical Institute of Israel (GII) confirmed that a series of 10 mild earthquakes hit southern Lebanon Friday afternoon. The strongest tremor, which was felt in northern Israel, erupted at 2:04 pm and measured 4.2 on the Richter scale. Liat of Kfar Blum told Ynet, "I felt something move under the bed, as if there was a monster under the ground moving it. It's simply amazing. I've experienced an earthquake before, but not like this. My sister who lives in Kiryat Shmona told me that everyone came out of the building because the quake was so strong." EVENT Everything is getting ready for the final judgment. The nations are lining up as we expect. Israel is becoming the centre of the world’s attention. Even the ground itself is getting ready. These minor earthquakes are the prelude to the great earthquake centred on Israel. The apostle Paul speaks of the world being in pain like a woman in labour. The contractions of labour are softening up the cervix so she can give birth. The labour pains get more and more painful and get closer together. Last year (2008) in the WWW we reported of earthquakes in Israel in February and June – the birth is near! COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Jeremiah 22:23)

9. And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him [king of the north]: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, the word push = military provocation Russia demands Nato call off exercises in Georgia Daily Telegraph, April 16, 2009 Russia has threatened to ignite a new spat with the West by demanding the cancellation of a Nato military exercise in Georgia next month. Senior officials denounced the manoeuvres as an act of "provocation" against Russia and gave warning that Washington's hopes for restoring normal relations with Moscow could founder if they went ahead. Dmitry Rogozin, Russia's ambassador to Nato, hinted that Moscow could walk away from an agreement to resume full cooperation with the alliance if its concerns were not heeded. Nato suspended military relations with Russia after last year's war in Georgia but is now seeking reconciliation, a move backed by Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state. EVENT Apparently these military exercises by NATO in Georgia were announced over a year ago. A spokesman for NATO appeared to be taken aback by the vitriol of Russia’s response to them. The exercises are part of Nato's Partnership for Peace programme meant to boost cooperation between the alliance and former Warsaw pact and Soviet countries. Russia is a member. Georgia remains a serious and unresolved fault line between not east and west but Russia and America. The Georgian president remains pro USA and Russia is not happy with this at all. Hence the war last year between Georgia and Russia. These tensions have not gone away and any US or UK troops in the area are unwelcome from a Russian point of view. Last week we reported on the tensions in Moldova and now this week it is Georgia. The pushing of the king of the south against the king of the north continues. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Daniel 11:40)

10. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Russia rearms Time Magazine, April 16, 2009 With the economy sputtering, Moscow plans to spend big on weapons production – to boost its own armed forces and exports. Russia's leaders are getting used to cutting budgets this year. As the country sinks deeper into recession — unemployment, according to some estimates, is as high as 12% and the economy is predicted to shrink by about 4.5% in 2009 — the government is slashing spending at most of its ministries. The Energy Ministry's budget is down by 33%, and that of the Transport Ministry by 30%. But there is one hugely expensive project on which President Dmitri Medvedev has vowed to actually increase spending: transforming Russia's creaking Soviet-era defence industry into a modern technological power, and turning the 1.1-million-man Russian army into a leaner but more effective fighting force. To get there Medvedev has increased government military spending this year by nearly 26% to about $37 billion, and given military producers of strategic weapons like missile systems and aircraft an extra $1.9 billion in 2009. EVENT In Revelation 16 we read of 3 unclean spirits coming out of a dragon, a beast and a false prophet. The beast = Europe (Western Roman Empire). The dragon = secular military power in the eastern half of the Roman Empire (now Russia). Prophet = Rome. Unclean spirits refer to the crazy philosophies (teachings) that come out of these areas. The crazy philosophy of Russia is communism. Communism promises EQUALITY. In actual fact is brings AUTHORITARIANISM and a military focus. Though communism has all but died in name its “unclean spirit” continues to pervade Russia. It is part of what brings all nations to Armageddon. The beast promises LIBERTY (freedom, human rights), the dragon promises EQUALITY and the false prophet promises FRATERNITY. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Revelation 16:16)

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.