Transcript Weekly World Watch

Andy Walton’s
Weekly World Watch
November 23 - 29, 2014
“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)
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To skip the introductory slides and go straight to this weeks developments click here.
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.
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.
HEADLINE
This is straight from a news report that caught my
eye because it looked significant from a Biblical
perspective, usually that of prophecy.
The source of the headline and the date are included.
EVENT
News
Photo
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.
COMMENT The intention of the WWW is to offer brief Biblical perspectives without
going into detail. If more detail is desired, please e-mail me:
([email protected]). Please note that these are personal
thoughts and the aim is purely to stimulate Bible study.
This is normally one verse which backs up why the event that has occurred
BIBLE
is interesting from a Biblical perspective. Please read in its context.
QUOTE
Unless stated otherwise, all quotes are from the King James Version.
(Book, chapter, and verse)
This Week’s Developments
November 23 - 29, 2014
• Iran nuclear talks end without agreement
• Oil prices plunge after Opec meeting
• Russia: oil crash and sanctions cost economy £90bn
• Nato warns Russia could control whole Black Sea
• EU Parliament considers recognition of Palestine
• Pope Francis tells 'elderly' Europe to lead again
To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right
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Iran nuclear talks end without agreement
Daily Telegraph, November 24, 2014
EVENT
America and Iran failed to settle their confrontation over the latter’s nuclear programme
on Monday when six days of talks in Vienna ended without agreement.
Despite seven separate meetings between John Kerry, the US secretary of state, and
Mohammad Javad Zarif, the Iranian foreign minister, a final agreement that would
constrain Tehran’s nuclear ambitions remained out of reach. The opposing sides did
not even reach a “framework” deal setting out some agreed principles. Instead, they
decided only to renew the existing interim agreement reached in Geneva last
November for another seven months until June 30. In effect, America, Iran and the five
other countries involved in the talks have simply set a new deadline for a deal.
COMMENT It is surely not difficult to see what Iran is doing with these talks. The longer it can string
them out the more time it has to continue moving towards it’s secret (but well known)
push to develop nuclear weapons. There is no reason why Iran would develop inter
continental ballistic missiles (which it has done) without them being used with nuclear
warheads. You don’t fire one missile half way round the world to blow up one building!
You only go to those lengths if mass destruction is your aim.
The Bible says that Medes would be stirred up at the same time Iraq was invaded by
nations from afar. It says they would develop bows (missiles) that destroy man and
child. It also says that money and riches don’t motivate them. Interestingly it would be
helpful if world leaders read the Bible because it is the promise of economic benefits
that they are using to try to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons! It wont work!
The Medes are also part of Daniel’s vision of 4 beasts. The bear “the Medes” is being
played out again in these last days. The Medes we are told “devour much flesh”
BIBLE
QUOTE
Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they
shall not delight in it. Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no
pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.
(Isaiah 13:17-18)
Oil prices plunge after Opec meeting
Independent, November 28, 2014
EVENT
The oil price slumped to its lowest level in more than four years yesterday after Saudi
Arabia defeated attempts by some members of Opec to enforce a cut in the cartel’s
production. The oil producers’ group, meeting in Vienna, announced no change in its
30 million barrels a day quota in order to support the price of the fossil fuel, which is in
the grip of a bear market after plunging more than 30 per cent since June.
“We’re going to produce 30 million for the first half of the year,” said Abdalla Salem elBadri, Opec’s secretary-general. “We have no target price; we are looking for a fair
price”. In response, the price of a barrel of Brent crude, used as a global benchmark,
fell more than 6 per cent to $71.25, the lowest it has been since September 2010,
when the developed world was still emerging from the recession. West Texas
Intermediate, the key US benchmark, fell below $70 a barrel, its lowest since 2010.
COMMENT Something is going on here… Oil is the lifeblood of the world’s economies and one
BIBLE
QUOTE
may think that lower oil prices is good therefore. Well of course it is but not if you are
selling it! Oil prices would go back up if the Arab oil cartel cut back on production. But
after a meeting this week they decided to keep production levels high. The price of oil
plunged on this news. So why is the cartel acting like this. It is very unusual. Well two
nations in the cartel stopped others from reducing production. The main nation was
Saudi Arabia.
But Saudi needs $104 per barrel to balance its budget. It’s now close to $70! So why is
it doing this? There is almost certainly pressure from America on Saudi to do this.
Saudi Arabia has immense reserves and it can survive for some time by eating into
these reserves. So why might America be working with Saudi to reduce the price of oil?
The
answer
Russia
ispush
reallyatfeeling
thethe
pain
see
And
at the
time is
of punishment
the end shall of
theRussia.
king of the
south
him: and
king– of
thenext
north shall
slide…
come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he
shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. Saudi Arabia is part of the king of
(Daniel 11:40)
the south. Part of the push could be this situation with oil. Hurting Russia.
Russia faces recession as oil crash and sanctions
cost economy £90bn
Daily Telegraph, November 24, 2014
EVENT
Anton Siluanov, Russia's finance minister, has warned that
the economy could face a hit from falling oil prices, weeks after Vladimir Putin
claimed that they had been manipulated by political forces.
"We are losing around $40bn [£26bn] per year due to geopolitical sanctions and we are
losing some $90bn [£58bn] to $100bn [£64bn] per year due to oil prices falling 30 pc,"
Mr Siluanov said in a speech in Moscow, reported by RIA Novosti news agency.
Brent - an oil classification which serves as a global benchmark - has already
plummeted by as much as 30pc from a peak of $115 a barrel in June.
If the price of oil fell to $60 a barrel and sanctions intensified, the economy would fall
into a recession in 2015, Mr Siluanov said.
COMMENT We cannot be certain if America is pressuring Saudi Arabia but it has happened
BIBLE
QUOTE
before..
One only has to study how the Cold War came to an end 25 years ago without a shot
being fired. It was the price of oil that did it. It was the collapse in oil prices engineered
by Saudi Arabia in the mid eighties, which literally bankrupted the old Soviet Union.
The Kremlin’s wealth came from oil. The lower oil prices caused the USSR to go
bankrupt, which in turn led to perestroika under Gorbachev and the collapse of the
Soviet Empire. History is repeating itself. Russia today depends on half its budget
revenues from the sale of oil. Once more Saudi Arabia is keeping prices down by
keeping production up. Once more Russia is beginning to feel the pain. But this time is
different. Putin is in control. Will Putin back down and end the Cold War II stand off? Or
will
react?
would push
back up. Putin
will react….
Andhe
in the
latterWar
timeofofcourse
their kingdom,
whenprices
the transgressors
are come
to the full, a king of
fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. And his power shall be
mighty, but not by his own power: and he shall destroy wonderfully, and shall prosper, and
practise, and shall destroy the mighty and the holy people. All this is about Gog (Putin) President
(Daniel 8:23-24)
Reagan did a secret deal with Saudi Arabia CLICK HERE to read more
Nato warns Russia could control whole Black Sea
BBC, November 26, 2014
EVENT
Nato's top military commander, Gen Philip Breedlove, has warned that Russian
"militarisation" of the annexed Crimea Peninsula could be used to exert control over
the whole Black Sea. Speaking in Kiev, Gen Breedlove said Russian military assets
being installed in Crimea would have an effect on "almost the entire Black Sea".
Mr Breedlove is in Ukraine for high-level talks with Ukrainian leaders. Russia annexed
the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014. Russia's defence ministry said on
Wednesday that it had deployed a batch of 14 military jets to Crimea, as part of a
squadron of 30 that will be stationed on the peninsula. An initial batch of fighter jets
were flown to Crimea's Belbek air base "from military air bases in Krasnodar Territory,"
Russian agency Interfax reported.
COMMENT Russia is on the move. It is strengthening its position in and around its borders – and
beyond. This week saw military jets being sent to Crimea. On Monday, Russia
tightened its control over Georgia's breakaway province of Abkhazia with a new treaty
envisaging closer military and economic ties with the lush sliver of land along the Black
Sea. The move drew outrage and cries of "annexation" in Georgia. On Wednesday, a
convoy of Russian warships entered the English Channel to undertake a series of
exercises. The ships are expected to pass through the Channel and head south shortly,
towards the Mediterranean.
It’s as if the pieces are being put in place on a huge chess board. Putin is the grand
master playing this game. And a lot is at stake. The rules of the game are changing.
The Bible says that a ruler of Russia will exist in the last days who comes against Israel
with many ships. The control of the Black Sea is part of this preparation for the invasion
BIBLE
QUOTE
and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen,
and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He
shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown:
(Daniel 11:40-41)
EU Parliament considers recognition of
Palestine
Independent, November 26, 2014
EVENT
The European Parliament has considered formally
recognising a Palestinian state; a wave of support
for independent statehood has swept across Europe
as the peace process remains deadlocked. In an impassioned debate lasting nearly
three hours, many MEPs urged the assembly to follow the lead of Sweden, whose
government passed a resolution in October recognising the existence of a Palestinian
state, despite protests from the Israeli government. The British, Irish and Spanish
parliaments have passed symbolic motions urging their governments to consider a
similar move, and France will debate the question this week. “This parliamentary
initiative can provide extra impetus which can finally bring talks to success and peace to
the Middle East,” said Richard Howitt, Labour MEP for the East of England.
COMMENT More talk this week of dividing the land of Israel. There is hardly a nation on earth that
doesn’t think this is a good idea. A vote was due in Europe on Thursday, but has been
postponed until December – partly because of intense lobbying by Israeli diplomats.
Even if the vote does pass in December, it will be a symbolic rather than a binding
gesture, as formal recognition is up to the 28 governments of the EU. But it is another
step in the direction of recognising a Palestinian State on 50% of the land given to the
Jews by God. We may well see the dividing of the land according to Joel 3.
As an aside – the EU Parliament building in Strasbourg is modelled consciously on the
Tower of Babel! Europe is a Babel project. The Pope who visited this Babel building this
week has symbolically the word BABEL (Babylon) written on his head! See next slide...
BIBLE
QUOTE
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. And they have cast lots for my people; and have given a boy for
an harlot, and sold a girl for wine, that they might drink. Yea, and what have ye to do with me, O
(Joel 3:2-4)
Tyre, and Zidon, and all the coasts of Palestine?
Pope Francis tells 'elderly' Europe to lead again
AFP, November 26, 2014
EVENT
COMMENT
BIBLE
QUOTE
Pope Francis has urged an "elderly" and "haggard" Europe to overcome economic
crises and rising nationalism to reclaim a global leadership role.
In a speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, the pontiff also called on the
European Union (EU) to help migrants fleeing the Middle East and Africa, saying it must
not allow the Mediterranean to become a "vast cemetery".
It was the first papal visit to the French city since John-Paul II in 1988, but where his
predecessor came at the end of the Cold War, Francis faces a more secular and
Eurosceptic continent riven by divisions and fears about the economy. "Europe seems
to give the impression of being somewhat elderly and haggard, feeling less and less a
protagonist in a world which frequently regards it with aloofness," the Pope said.
The Pope calls for Europe to reclaim global leadership. In Bible language this would
read as follows. The woman of Revelation 17 (with Babylon Mother of Harlots written
on her head) is riding (controlling) the scarlet beast with 7 heads and 10 horns. The
woman encouraged the beast to come out of the bottomless pit that it has been in for a
long time. So how do we know the woman is the Papacy and the beast is Europe? Well
that is simple. Revelation 17:9 says that the woman sits on 7 hills. It is within the 7 hills
of Rome that the entire Vatican City is confined. The beast with 10 horns links back to
Daniel 7 – the 4th terrible beast. That beast is the 4th empire after Babylon. The 4th after
Babylon was the Roman Empire – what we would now call Europe. The little horn in
Daniel 7 is the Pope – so Revelation 17 and Daniel 7 are the same story. When Christ
has returned the Papacy and Europe will wage war against him and the saints…
And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman,
and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou
sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition:
(Revelation 17:7-8)
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