Weekly World Watch: Russia Supports Syria, Iran Backs Hezbollah

1. Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s October 21 - 27, 2018 “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 October 21 - 27, 2018 • Russia supports Syria, Iran ups support for Hezbollah • Israel says Syria and Iran behind Gaza rocket attacks • Israel’s Netanyahu pays surprise visit to Oman • Russia: US led drones toward Russian base in Syria • Abdullah cuts down Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel • NATO's biggest peacetime drill angers Moscow To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right PRESS SPACE BAR TO CONTINUE

5. They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!” Yea, they conspire with one accord; against thee they make a covenant the tents of Edom and the Ish′maelites, Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal and Ammon and Am′alek, Philistia with the inhabitants of Tyre; Or in modern language the Palestinians and Hezbollah! Russia supports Syria, Iran ups support for Hezbollah Jerusalem Post, October 22, 2018 Iran reportedly delivered GPS components to Hezbollah in Lebanon that will allow the group to transform rudimentary projectiles into precision-guided missiles, thereby increasing the threat to Israel. Western intelligence services believe Tehran has shifted its strategy by increasingly shipping weaponry directly to its proxy in Beirut, with a view to evading Israeli air strikes. The Israel Defense Forces has over the past two years conducted hundreds of attacks in Syria to prevent such arms deliveries. Meanwhile, Russia last week upped its military support to the Assad regime with the transfer of three S-300PM-2 missile batteries whose radar and communication technologies are more sophisticated than those of the model deployed to Syria at the beginning of the month. “The increased Russian presence in Syria and the mounting threats from Lebanon indicate a significant level of danger from a diplomatic point of view,” Jonathan Spyer, a Fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies, conveyed to The Media Line. “The consolidation of Iranian power in Syria is becoming Israel’s number one priority in the region.” EVENT Russia’s delivery of advanced air defence systems to Syria a few weeks ago has emboldened Iran to upgrade Hezbollah’s weapons. Hezbollah have 100,000 rockets aimed at Israel. With new GPS components they will be able to target Israel much more effectively. They would represent a significant risk to Israeli airports, power stations, the Dimona nuclear reactor, and more. The Bible says that the surrounding nations will rise up against Israel. Specifically the “inhabitants of Tyre” are mentioned. This city is the stronghold of Hezbollah in Lebanon. God told us 3000 years ago what would happen. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE (Psalm 83:4-7)

6. I will make Jerusalem like an intoxicating drink that makes the nearby nations stagger when they send their armies to besiege Jerusalem and Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock. Israel says Syria and Iran behind Gaza rocket attacks Aljazeera, October 27, 2018 The Israeli army has accused the Syrian government of instructing a Palestinian group to fire dozens of rockets at Israel from Gaza with Iran's support, and vowed to respond where it chose. "The rockets that were launched against Israel... we know that the orders, incentives were given from Damascus with the clear involvement of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' Quds Force," army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said on Saturday, referring to Iran' foreign operations unit. Conricus told reporters Israel's response would not be "limited geographically". Israeli fighter jets struck dozens of sites across the Gaza Strip early on Saturday as fighters fired about 30 rockets into Israel, in the heaviest exchange of fire in several weeks. The Israeli military said it had struck about 80 sites across Gaza by early Saturday morning, including a security headquarters building. Air raid sirens sounded throughout the night in southern Israel, with firing some 30 rockets, the military said. EVENT COMMENT Since the marches began six months ago, at least 160 Palestinians present or taking part in the protests have been killed. On Friday, thousands of Palestinians gathered at five locations along the boundary, burning tires and throwing rocks, grenades and firebombs at Israeli troops. On top of this militants fired 30 rockets at Israel. Israel blames Syria and Iran for encouraging and orchestrating these attacks. It opens up the possibility of Israel not only attacking Gaza but also those they hold responsible – Syria and Iran. We may be close to the initial inner ring war – where Israel’s immediate neighbours attack Israel – but Israel overcomes – only for Russia to invade. BIBLE QUOTE (Zechariah 12:2 NLT)

7. Israel’s Netanyahu pays surprise visit to Oman Washington Post, October 26, 2018 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday returned from an unannounced visit to Oman, the two countries confirmed, meeting the Gulf state’s leader in the first visit of its kind in over 20 years. The surprise visit was an important accomplishment for the Israeli leader, who frequently boasts of warming behind-the-scenes contacts with Gulf Arab states. But there were few concrete details on his talks with Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said. The sultanate has long had a low-key role in fostering negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians. Days before Netanyahu’s visit, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also visited Oman, raising the possibility that Oman might be trying to help revive negotiations or push forward a troubled U.S. peace plan. Oman, which sits on the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, with Saudi Arabia to its north and Iran to its east, also has a long record of being a quiet broker in the region, opting to stay on the sidelines of the rivalry between the two regional powerhouses. EVENT COMMENT After the meeting Netanyahu and Sultan Qaboos issued a joint statement saying the two sides “discussed ways to advance the Middle East peace process and discussed a number of issues of mutual interest to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East.” It is interesting that Israel is turning to Oman to possibly help with the ongoing Palestinian conflict. Israel and the Gulf Arab states have been drawn together. They have done so because they both have a common enemy – Iran. The Bible says that when Russia and Iran invade Israel there will be a block of nations that oppose them. That block of nations includes the Gulf Arab nations – at the time Ezekiel wrote the area was called Sheba and Dedan. We see this area working with Israel now… BIBLE QUOTE 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?’ (Ezekiel 38:13 NLT)

8. Russia claims US led drones toward Russian base in Syria Washington Post, October 25, 2018 EVENT Russia’s deputy defense minister claimed Thursday that a U.S. military aircraft took control of 13 drones over Syria and attempted to have them attack a Russian military base there, but the drones were downed before they could reach their target. Alexander Fomin said the drones were heading toward Hemeimeem air base in Latakia province when a U.S. Boeing P-8 Poseidon flying over the Mediterranean “took control” of them. He didn’t say who the drones belonged to or when the alleged incident happened. Fomin, speaking at a security conference in Beijing in remarks carried by Russian news agencies, said the drones were destroyed before they could reach the base. There was no U.S. comment on the claim. Fomin’s comments marked the first time Moscow has directly accused the United States of coordinating an attack on Russian assets in Syria. Asked about Fomin’s statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said the information was “very troubling.” When we read reports like this it is easy to see how the Syrian conflict has the ability to suddenly and unexpectedly become a wider and far more serious war. Both the US and Israel will want to test the new missile defence system that Russia has set up in Syria. We know that Russia is the king of the north and America is part of the king of the south – both mentioned in Daniel 11:40. The ancient king of the north were the Seleucids based in Syria. We may ask why Russia is the new king of the north. The answer is that Syria as a nation will completely fail when Damascus is destroyed. At that time Russia (already in Syria) will assume the mantle of the king of the north. Daniel says that the king of the south will militarily provoke the king of the north. COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE “Then at the time of the end, the king of the south will attack the king of the north. 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. (Daniel 11:40 NLT)

9. Abdullah cuts down Jordan’s peace treaty with Israel Debkafile, October 21, 2018 EVENT Jordan’s King Abdullah notified Israel on Sunday, Oct. 21, that he will not renew two annexes of the peace treaty which his father King Hussein signed with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin in 1994. They granted Israel ownership rights for 25 years under Jordanian sovereignty in the Naharayim/Baqura and the Zofar/Al Ghamr areas of the Arava region of southern Israel, which Israeli farmers have been working. While the announcement came two days after a big anti-Israeli demonstration in Amman, DEBKAfile’s sources disclose that it is part of a calculated move by the Jordanian monarch to bring his kingdom into alignment with Turkey, Syria and Qatar. In recent days, his prime minister, Dr. Omar al-Razzaz, has been holding intensive talks with Turkish ministers in an effort to persuade Ankara to stop routing its export goods to the Gulf via Haifa port and send them instead through Syria and Jordan. We don’t think much about Jordan in relation to Bible prophecy but it is definitely there throughout the Bible. Jordan made a peace treaty with Israel in 1994 but which side will Jordan be on when the initial inner ring war against Israel begins? In Isaiah 17 we read that when Damascus is destroyed (which is part of the inner ring war) there is another city mentioned that is deserted. That city is Aroer. Aroer was an ancient Moabite settlement in what we now know as Jordan. So something will cause a city in Jordan to be deserted when Damascus is destroyed. Jordan therefore must be involved in this initial conflict. Edom and Moab (both in Jordan) are mentioned in Psalm 83 as part of the confederacy against Israel. Jordan is realigning against Israel COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE They say, “Come, let us wipe them out as a nation; let the name of Israel be remembered no more!” Yea, they conspire with one accord; against thee they make a covenant the tents of Edom and the Ish′maelites, Moab and the Hagrites, Gebal and Ammon and Am′alek, (Psalm 83:4-7)

10. NATO's biggest peacetime drill angers Moscow ABC News, October 25, 2018 EVENT NATO's biggest military maneuvers since the Cold War kicked off Thursday in Norway in a hypothetical scenario that involves restoring the Scandinavian country's sovereignty after an attack by a "fictitious aggressor. "Russia, which shares a border with Norway, was briefed by NATO on the Trident Juncture 2018 drill and invited to monitor it, but Moscow is still angered by the exercise. Russia's defense minister had warned that Moscow could be forced to respond to increased NATO activity close to its western border. "NATO's military activities near our borders have reached the highest level since the Cold War times," Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Wednesday, noting that the war games will be "simulating offensive military action. "The wargames bring together around 50,000 personnel from all 29 NATO allies, plus partners Finland and Sweden. Around 65 vessels, 150 aircraft and 10,000 vehicles will participate. COMMENT The gentiles are preparing for war. This week a Russian diplomat has confirmed what US war hawks have been saying for a while. Moscow is indeed preparing for war, he said – just in case the US starts one. Speaking at the UN on Friday, Andrey Belousov, deputy director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Department of Non-proliferation and Arms Control, said that Russia is indeed readying itself for war, so it can defend its people against American aggression. "We are preparing to defend our homeland, our territorial integrity, our principles, our values, our people.” This is exactly what the Bible says would happen. It says the Russia would prepare for war before it invades Israel. The preparation for war has been underway for some time – but this week Russia has confirmed this is exactly what it is doing! “‘Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel, which had long been desolate. BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:7-8 NIV)

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