November 28 – December 4, 2010 “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) Weekly World Watch Andy Walton’s To skip the introductory slides and go straight to this weeks developments click here.

What is a Weekly World Watch? 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. 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.clicking here 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. Increasing natural disasters: including earthquake, famine etc The following six themes will appear repeatedly in WWW:

HEADLINE EVENT COMMENT News Photo The source of the headline and the date are included. 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. What is in a Weekly World Watch? 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. Unless stated otherwise, all quotes are from the King James Version. (Book, chapter, and verse) This is straight from a news report that caught my eye because it looked significant from a Biblical perspective, usually that of prophecy. 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. 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. 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 me:

This Week’s Developments To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right Brazil says it recognizes Palestinian state Abbas threatens to dissolve PA WikiLeaks sparks worldwide diplomatic crisis Israel, Gulf states conducted secret diplomacy Dmitry Medvedev warns of Cold War-style arms race November 28 – December 4, 2010 Israel battles biggest wildfire in its history

Brazil says it recognizes Palestinian state Brazil says it has recognized the state of Palestine based on borders at the time of Israel's 1967 conquest of the West Bank. The Foreign Ministry says the recognition is in response to a request made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas last month to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Silva sent a letter to Abbas on Dec. 1, saying Brazil recognizes Palestine and hopes that the recognition will help lead to states of Israel and Palestine "that will coexist peacefully and in security.“ The foreign ministry says that the recognition is "in line with Brazil's historic willingness to contribute to peace between Israel and Palestine.“ The announcement was posted Friday on the Foreign Ministry's website. Earlier this week, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said in an interview that Palestinians will be ready for statehood by August, as promised in a two-year action plan, and dismissed a host of steep obstacles to independence. Jerusalem Post, December 4, 2010 EVENT COMMENT I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. Parted = divided BIBLE QUOTE Brazil has become the first country to officially recognize a Palestinian State based on the 1967 “borders”. By this they mean East Jerusalem and the West Bank are (in their view) the new Palestinian State. In fact there was only one border in 1967 and that was the Jordan river. The lines of demarcation in existence between the State of Israel, on the one hand, and Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, on the other, prior to the Six Day War were armistice lines, that is, merely a line that military combatants agree to draw to separate their forces. They were NOT borders! This is why the UN resolution 242 calls for boundaries to be created precisely because there were no internal boundaries. We see the first step to nations declaring God’s land a divided land. The words of the prophet Joel are being fulfilled in front of us. Judgement on the nations is coming… (Joel 3:2)

Abbas threatens to dissolve PA Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, has said that if no peace deal can be agreed with Israel and the international community cannot approve a Palestinian state, he may dissolve his governing body. Abbas said in a television interview on Friday that if Israel continued to build settlements on occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank, leading to the beakdown of peace talks, the Palestinian Authority (PA), that provides limited autonomy for the territory, would be disbanded. "I cannot accept to remain the president of an authority that doesn't exist," Abbas said. Pressed on whether he would dissolve the PA, he said: "I am telling them so. I say to them welcome... you are occupiers. "You are here, stay here, I cannot accept the situation will remain as is.“ The US has called for Israel to suspend settlement building for three months. Aljazeera, December 4, 2010 EVENT COMMENT Yes, and what are you to Me, O Tyre and Sidon and all the [five small] divisions of Philistia? Will you pay Me back for something? Even if you pay Me back, swiftly and speedily I will return your deed [of retaliation] upon your own head BIBLE QUOTE The Palestinians are racheting up the pressure on Israel. Abbas wrote to the President of Brazil and has this week won his backing on recognition of a Palestinian State. Then we see Abbas threaten to resign if Israel continues to build in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Some may ask – do the Palestinians have any right to the land at all? In fact this question is asked by God himself - and answered. It comes in the very same chapter already quoted in Joel 3 which speaks of “the land” being “parted”. Note carefully what God says. WHAT ARE YOU TO ME O PHILISTIA? I WILL RETURN YOUR DEED UPON YOUR OWN HEAD. Inhabitants of Philistia were the Philistines = Palestinians! (Joel 3:4 Amplified Version)

WikiLeaks sparks worldwide diplomatic crisis The first tranche of more than 250,000 classified cables released by the WikiLeaks site says American officials were also told to spy on the United Nations’ leadership and get biometric information on its secretary general Ban Ki-moon. The cables detail claims of inappropriate behaviour by a member of the Royal family and criticism of Britain’s military operations in Afghanistan and David Cameron. The cables include requests for “specific intelligence” about British MPs. The communiqués last night threatened a global diplomatic crisis and put America’s relations with Europe and the Middle East under a cloud. The leaked memos also disclose how American diplomats compared Iran’s President Ahmadinejad with Adolf Hitler and labelled France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy as the “emperor with no clothes”. The German Chancellor Angela Merkel was depicted as “risk aversive”, while the Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin was an “alpha dog”. Afghanistan’s president Hamid Karzai was “driven by paranoia”. The unguarded comments were contained in the classified cables from US embassies, details of which were published by several newspapers on the internet last night. Daily Telegraph, November 25, 2010 EVENT COMMENT Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed,.... He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, This has final fulfilment when Christ is ruling as king BIBLE QUOTE (Psalm 2:1-4) This is just amazing. This week thousands of secret classified US documents have been leaked and published. Private memos, conversations and discussions covering some incredibly sensitive topics – from Iran to Korea, from Israel to Europe. Heads of government have been ridiculed and others scorned. This truly is a worldwide diplomatic crisis. The leaders are not laughing. They are furious. But there is one who is laughing. He that sits in the heavens - the LORD God himself is laughing. It is He who has the world leaders in derision. Next comes his wrath….

Israel, Gulf states conducted secret diplomacy Israel and its adversaries in the Persian Gulf in recent years carried out extensive secret diplomacy to coordinate policy and exchange information on the threat posed by Iran, despite both sides' public posture of mutual hostility. A classified 2009 diplomatic cable disclosed this week provides a rare glimpse into the secret and often high-level diplomacy between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, all countries that officially do not recognize the Jewish state. Contrary to the condemnatory rhetoric opposing Israel in public, Arab diplomats behind the scenes have asked Israel to carry messages to the U.S. government and urged tougher action on Iran. The March 19, 2009, cable quotes Yacov Hadas, deputy director of Israel's Foreign Ministry, as telling an American diplomat: "The Gulf Arabs believe in Israel's role because of their perception of Israel's close relationship with the U.S., but also due to their sense that they can count on Israel against Iran." Aaron David Miller, who has been a senior Middle East adviser to six secretaries of state, said every Arab country with the exception of Iraq under Saddam Hussein and Libya has had some diplomatic channel to Israel. Washington Post, December 1, 2010 EVENT COMMENT Sheba, and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish, with all the young lions thereof, shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil? One of the most interesting leaks that has been revealed this week is the strong link between Israel and certain Arab nations. It has indeed been a rare glimpse into the truth of the relationship between these nations. High level diplomacy exists between Israel and Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman and the UAE. All nations that are in ancient Sheba and Dedan. The very nations that do NOT attack Israel when Gog invades. The Gogian invasion is NOT Arab v Jew. It is Russia, Iran, Libya, Turkey v Israel with Saudi Arabia, Britain, America trying to defend Israel. Here is confirmation we are right. BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:13)

Dmitry Medvedev warns of Cold War-style arms race Dmitry Medvedev has warned the world will be plunged into a new Cold War-style arms race within a decade unless Moscow and the West can strike a deal on a new missile defence system. Mr Medvedev, the Russian president, who was giving his annual state-of-the-nation speech in the Kremlin, issued the stark warning in an apparent attempt to strong-arm Nato into caving in on the sensitive issue. He is reported to have presented his own blueprint for a joint Nato-Russia missile defence shield at the Nato summit in Lisbon earlier this month but to have got only a lukewarm response. Analysts said his blunt message to the West on Tuesday appeared to be: embrace us as a fully-fledged partner or have us as a potential foe. "In the coming 10 years, we are facing the following alternative," he told an audience of Russia's top decision makers including Vladimir Putin, the prime minister. Daily Telegraph, November 30, 2010 EVENT COMMENT And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: The Wikileaks disclosures have made an instant impact on American / Russian relations. In a combative interview with CNN, the Russian prime minister dropped diplomatic protocol to lash out at US criticism of him and his country. Vladimir Putin told America to stay out of Russia's internal affairs and angrily derided a leaked US diplomatic cable that dubbed him 'Batman' and President Dmitry Medvedev 'Robin' as rude and unethical. Mr Putin dismissed US defence secretary Robert Gates' views on Russia as "deeply misled," said that a US decision not to ratify a key US-Russia nuclear arms reduction pact would be "very dumb.” He also warned of a new arms race. Gog is being “turned back” to anti west ways and will be pulled down to Israel. BIBLE QUOTE (Ezekiel 38:4)

Israel battles biggest wildfire in its history At least 40 people were killed and dozen were injured as the deadliest forest fire in Israel's history swept through the north of the country. A large number of the dead were believed to be Israeli prison wardens on board a bus who had been sent to evacuate prisoners from a local jail as a wall of flame advanced across the forested slopes of the Biblically fabled Carmel Mountains. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has appealed for international assistance as his attempted to come to grips with one of the deadliest disasters in its 62-year history. "This is a disaster of unprecedented proportions," he said. Strong winds helped to spread the fire, which was able to take hold with greater ease following a prolonged drought that further dried out the already desiccated undergrowth. Israel is experiencing one of its hottest and driest winters since records began, with temperatures regularly reaching over 30c. Daily Telegraph, December 2, 2010 EVENT COMMENT BIBLE QUOTE A few weeks ago on the 16 th November we reported in the WWW that the chief rabbis had called for a special day of prayer to call on God to send rain. They said that the land was dry due to the people’s many sins. Less than 2 weeks later the deadliest forest fire in Israel’s modern history kills 40 on the Carmel mountains. I can’t help but link some of this to ancient Bible history. Back in the days of Elijah there was no rain (1 Kings 17:7). God tells Elijah to go to mount Carmel and he would then send rain. (1 Kings 18:1). The false prophets pray to their God and nothing happens. Elijah prays and God sends fire upon Mount Carmel to prove He exists.(1 Kings 18:24) Some of the people repent and realise God is the only God.(1 Kings 18:39). Finally after the wicked prophets are destroyed the rain finally comes. The rain will come… And Elijah said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. See Psalm 72:6 – When Jesus returns he will be like rain on a parched earth (1 Kings 18:43-44)

ANDY Click here (Move the mouse until the cursor appears.) To watch again, click here. WWW will be ed to you each week. Please forward the addresses of others who may be interested. I will include them in the list of recipients. Comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome. Weekly World Watch The end of this week’s