1. Andy Walton’s Weekly World Watch “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 June 25 – July 1 2006

2. What is this world watch all about? I decided each week to look at key events that had happened in that week and look at them with the Bible in hand. I hope to build up a picture of Gods hand working in the affairs of this world bringing about that day when all nations will be gathered to Jerusalem to battle which will be brought to end when the Lord Jesus Christ physically returns from heaven to set up Gods kingdom. The key areas which will crop up time and again will be 1.Israel – Middle East the growing conflict 2.Europe – the developing union / political and religious 3.Russia – continued turning back to anti west ways 4.The development of King of South – US & UK 5.Declining moral standards and increasing violence. Please email me with any thoughts, questions or anything I may have missed! On last page there is a red button – if you click it an email will open up pre addressed to me so you can send an email comments etc

3. Weekly Developments These are just a few of the events that have caught my eye in the previous week. It is in no way meant to be exhaustive – just a look at those events I saw as significant from a Bible viewpoint. Headlines These are always headlines printed in the newspaper – the date is always given and which paper. Normally the Daily Telegraph. (DT) Event This is usually the newspapers take on the events that have happened. It will always be a direct quote from the newspaper. Comment This is my take on why it is interesting from a Bible point of view. The idea of this weekly world watch is to give a quick Biblical perspective without going into detail. If more detail is needed please email me. Bible Quote 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.

4. Weekly Developments Hamas U-turn on Israel’s right to exist Israel strikes Gaza targets Major Pacific exercise underway Russia’s true intentions? Worst floods in US for decades Resurgent Russia and the Rouble June 25 – July 1 2006 TO PRINT ANY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING SLIDES JUST CLICK ON THE PICTURE ON EACH SLIDE

5. Hamas U-turn on Israel’s right to exist Headline Hamas U-turn on Israel's right to exist Headline Daily Telegraph June 28 Event With Israel threatening to re-invade Gaza, Hamas, the militant Palestinian movement, made a historic policy reversal yesterday when it signed up to an agreement implicitly recognising the right of the Jewish state to exist. Hamas hailed the policy U-turn as ending weeks of tense negotiations with the other main Palestinian political force, Fatah, which had spilt over into violent clashes on the streets. 'It is the beginning of a new era in common and united work on all political questions, the resistance and the internal situation,' Ghazi Hamad, a Hamas spokesman, said. Comment And so the day before (see next slide) Israel launched air strikes on Gaza, Hamas signs up to an agreement that (in so many words) recognises Israel. In the Weekly World Watch April 2 nd – 8 th it says “Now suppose under this mounting pressure Hamas does in some way recognise Israel.” It then goes on to say could this lead to a “peace and safety” cry? Three months later Hamas has indeed found a form of words to recognise Israel. But the pressure on Hamas will continue. How much further it will concede to Israel is uncertain. It is not just the Hamas leadership that is under pressure. Israeli warplanes flew over the Syrian president's summer residence this week. As we have seen this week – talks of peace soon lead to destruction. Bible Quote 1 Thessalonians 5 3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, DOCUMENT KEY QUOTES "[Palestinians aim ] to establish an independent state with holy Jerusalem as its capital on all the territories occupied in 1967" "[Signatories commit to] resistance through various means, and confining resistance in the territories occupied in 1967, in addition to political, negotiating and diplomatic action"

6. Israel strikes Gaza targets Headline Israel strikes new Gaza targets Headline BBC Online June 30 Event Israeli aircraft have launched a fresh wave of air strikes on Gaza, intensifying pressure on Palestinian militants to free a captured soldier. The Palestinian interior ministry was hit, while a militant was reported killed in an air strike - the first fatality since the offensive began. Meanwhile the UN has warned of an imminent humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Israel is continuing to hold dozens of officials from the ruling Hamas party, including at least eight cabinet members and at least 20 MPs detained on Thursday. Comment The whole world’s attention has suddenly been focussed on Israel this week with the capture of an Israeli soldier by the Palestinians. There have been statements from Russia, Pope Benedict, the EU, the UN, the G8 etc. They all voice concern over the escalation. They all are telling Israel to show restraint. It is amazing how quickly Israel can become the centre of world attention. In this case over one captured man! The Israeli operation in Gaza and the West Bank is called Operation Summer Rains. Strange to call air strikes – summer rains. However perhaps the true summer rain is nearly here. The Bible talks of Jesus being like rain on mown grass (summer rain) when he returns. He is the only man that can solve this millennia old conflict. There will only be peace when he returns – until then it will develop into war. Bible Quote Psalm 72 6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth.7 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He = Jesus Psalm 72 is a Messianic Psalm

7. Major Pacific exercise underway Headline Major Pacific exercise underway with N. Korea in background - Headline World Tribune.com June 29 Event Eight Pacific naval powers opened a month of exercises around the Hawaiian Islands this week in one of the biggest displays of allied naval strength since World War II. The number of vessels participating in the show of force — and some of the specific war games they played — were fine-tuned to train for countering long-range missiles even though the exercises were scheduled long before the current threat from North Korea. Led by the U.S. Navy, the countries participating included Japan, South Korea, Chile, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Great Britain — the last still viewed as a Pacific naval power in view of its colonial legacy and strong ties to other participants. Comment More war preparations. Note some of the nations involved in this maritime operation. US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Great Britain. Britain is spoken of in the Bible as Tarshish. Tarshish was one of the sons of Javan from whom the “isles of the Gentiles” came from. (see below) The word “isle” means an island or a maritime land. Tarshish is almost always associated in the Bible with ships. Tarshish is also associated with “young lions” in Ezekiel 38. Britain is the only nation that fulfils both aspects. In World War I Britain was depicted as an old lion with those English speaking nations depicted as “young lions”. In these war games the old lion and young lions (and their ships) are coming together again. Bible Quote Genesis 10 4 And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.5 By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands

8. Russia’s true intentions? Headline Israel Needs A Pre-emptive Nuclear Strike Against Iran - Headline Israelnewsagency.com June 24 Event This week new and highly disturbing evidence came to light. According to a western intelligence report published earlier this week, satellite images showed large volumes of heavy Russian weaponry heading towards Iran. The weapons belonged to Russian military units evacuating Georgia, as part of the Russian-Georgian agreement signed in March, which calls for all Russian troops to be withdrawn. The Russians were evacuating their two big Soviet-era military bases in Georgia on the shores of the Black Sea. The images revealed the retreating Russian units moving along not one but two routes. The first showed small groups of Russian officers and soldiers heading out of Georgia carrying only their personal kits, the second was jammed with convoys of trucks loaded with weapons and logistical systems etc A Russian military spokesman explained this relocation by stating that “the property of the 62nd (Akhalkalaki), Georgia, would be reassigned to replenish Russia’s 102nd base in Gyumri, Armenia.” He added: “The transfer of this property to any other party is not envisioned.” However Armenia was not the “the property’s” last stop. The close watch on the Russian supplies convoys continued and, lo and behold, a third route surfaced, this one heading out Armenia and into Iran. Comment This report, if true, shows Russia’s true intentions. It has been spotted moving men and equipment out of Georgia, into Armenia and then into Iran. The preparations for Russia to move into the Middle East may have begun. Bible Quote Daniel 11 40 and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, Russia’s descent will be to Israel

9. Worst floods in US for decades Headline Thousands ordered to leave home as US flooding kills nine - Headline BBC Online June 29 Event Hundreds of thousands of people across the eastern United States were evacuated yesterday after the worst floods in decades - triggered by days of torrential downpours - killed at least nine people and water levels continued to rise. Authorities declared emergencies across large swathes of New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania as roads were under water. Across the region, rescue helicopters plucked residents from rooftops as rivers broke their banks, in scenes reminiscent of New Orleans last year. Comment More extreme weather conditions. This time major floods in the US, the worst in decades. This world we live in is built on sand. Its ideals, its morals, its teachings are all built on sand. Why? Because they are mans ideas, mans morals, mans teachings and they will all fail. Everything the world relies on at the moment, eg businesses, bank balances, share prices, pensions, property etc etc etc are about to come to an end. Just as these great floods come and sweep all before them so too will all the godless world we live in be swept away. All that will remain will be those things built on Truth. i.e. the Word of God. For these things are built on a rock and will not pass away.. Bible Quote Matthew 7 26 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: 27 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.28 And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

10. Resurgent Russia and the Rouble Headline Resurgent Russia prepares for convertible rouble Headline Financial Times June 30 Event Memories of Russia's default on $40bn of domestic debt eight years ago, when people queued outside banks to withdraw roubles that were plummeting in value, have barely faded from the national psyche. Yet, remarkably, with coffers swollen by oil selling at $70 a barrel, Russia will tomorrow lift all currency controls on the rouble and make it fully convertible. Everyone will be able to move roubles freely out of and into the country, foreign and offshore investors will be able to open rouble bank accounts, and restrictions on rouble fixed- income investments will disappear. It is a highly political and symbolic step. Brought forward by six months from the original deadline, it comes two weeks before Russia hosts the Group of Eight summit in St Petersburg, and days after the country reached agreement to pay off, ahead of time, its remaining $22bn (€17.5bn, £12.2bn) debt to the Paris Club of creditor nations. The move will announce "that Russia is a serious global player," says Al Breach, research director at UBS in Moscow. "It has now graduated to being a normal, if not developed, at least upwardly developing, country." Comment A highly symbolic and political step. Russia takes another step forward onto the world stage. It clammers after respect and super power status. It is this driving ambition that will lead it into a desire to control the Middle East. The evil thought is….. Bible Quote Ezekiel 38 12 To take a spoil, and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.

11. THE END WORLD WATCH WILL BE EMAILED TO YOU EACH WEEK. PLEASE LET ME KNOW OF ANY OTHER PEOPLE WHO MAY BE INTERESTED. PLEASE SEND ME THEIR EMAIL ADDRESS AND I WILL PUT THEM ON THE REGULAR WEEKLY EMAIL ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS OR COMMENTS WELCOME. EMAIL ANDY Click Here Move your cursor around until it appears To watch again click here