Andy Walton’s

Weekly World Watch

August 24 – 30, 2008

“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.
 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.

This is straight from a news report that caught my

HEADLINE
eye because it looked significant from a Biblical News
perspective, usually that of prophecy.
The source of the headline and the date are included.
Photo
EVENT 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.

COMMENT 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).

BIBLE 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.
QUOTE
Unless stated otherwise, all quotes are from the King James Version.
(Book, chapter, and verse)
 This Week’s Developments
August 24 - 30, 2008

• Russia: We are ready for Cold War

• Putin accuses US of provoking Georgia tensions
• Russians may cut flow of oil in show of strength
• Miliband: Russia must face consequences
• Russian warships in Med under new command

To print any of the event slides that follow, click the picture on the upper right
 Russia: We are ready for Cold War
The Daily Telegraph, August 27, 2008

EVENT Russia has said it is prepared for a new Cold War, after President Dmitry Medvedev
defied the West by formally declaring the independence of two Georgian rebel
regions.
Shredding any hope that his offensive in Georgia could be rolled back under an
internationally agreed ceasefire, Mr Medvedev unilaterally redrew the map of the
region by recognising the secession of South Ossetia and Abkhazia after meeting
Vladimir Putin, Russia's prime minister, in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.
Mr Medvedev also gave warning Russia would go to any lengths to defend the
enclaves. "We're not afraid of anything [including] the prospect of a Cold War," he
said. "Russia is a state which has to ensure its interests along the whole length of its
border. This is absolutely clear."
Russia laid a careful trap for the tiny country of Georgia. Russia was infuriated with
COMMENT Europe allowing Kosovo to become independent and began a carefully orchestrated
plan to teach the West a lesson - it would change the borders of its own country.
For at least 2 weeks before the outbreak of war, Russian forces made a series of
provocative moves. Jet fighters entered Georgian airspace, mysterious gun battles
broke out inside South Ossetia. Mr Saakashvili the Georgian president could not
resist the bait. On Aug 7, he ordered his forces to secure South Ossetia. The
Russian trap was then sprung. It was 08/08/08 when Russian tanks rolled south. A
date that we may come to remember as the beginning of Russia’s move south.
A Cold War has begun. The “turning back” is complete. They will come forth.
BIBLE And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and
QUOTE all thine army, horses and horsemen
(Ezekiel 38:4)
 Putin accuses US of provoking Georgia tensions
The Daily Telegraph, August 29, 2008

EVENT The Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin accused the United States of provoking a
war in Georgia to improve Republican prospects in November's presidential election.
In comments designed to inflame tensions between the two countries, Mr Putin told
CNN: "The suspicion arises that someone in the United States especially created this
conflict with the aim of making the situation more tense and creating a competitive
advantage for one of the candidates fighting for the post of US president."
The White House dismissed Mr Putin's suggestion it had orchestrated the conflict as
"not rational".
While fighting has stopped, the ceasefire deal brokered by President Nicolas Sarkozy
is in tatters. Russia defends its continuing heavy troop presence across north and
west Georgia as a necessary barrier to further Georgian aggression.
COMMENT A war of words continues. Vladimir Putin accuses America of being behind the
conflict. The White House dismissed Mr Putin’s suggestion as “not rational” and
“patently false”. At the same time as these allegations were made, Russian President
Dimitry Medvedev claimed to have won a diplomatic victory by securing the backing
of China and key central Asian state. The Shanghai Co-operation Organisation
(SCO) said it “supports Russia’s active role in contributing to peace and co-operation
in the region”. Some ask what role China may have in the future conflict. As all
nations do become involved it is a relevant question. China clearly lines up with
Russia. It is autocratic, totalitarian and militaristic. We can surely see with Putin’s
comments above how the king of the north and south are beginning to square up.
BIBLE At the time of the end the king of the South shall attack him; and the king of the North shall come
QUOTE against him like a whirlwind
(Daniel 11:40 NKJV)
 Russians may cut flow of oil in show of strength
The Times, August 29, 2008

EVENT Fears are mounting that Russia may restrict oil deliveries to Western Europe over
coming days, in response to the threat of EU sanctions and Nato naval actions in the
Black Sea.
Any such move would be a dramatic escalation of the Georgia crisis and play havoc
with the oil markets.
Reports have begun to circulate in Moscow that Russian oil companies are under
orders from the Kremlin to prepare for a supply cut to Germany and Poland through
the Druzhba (Friendship) pipeline. It is believed that executives from lead-producer
LUKoil have been put on weekend alert.
"They have been told to be ready to cut off supplies as soon as Monday," claimed a
high-level business source, speaking to The Daily Telegraph. Any move would be
timed to coincide with an emergency EU summit in Brussels, where possible
sanctions against Russia are on the agenda.

COMMENT Sanctions against Russia over its actions in Georgia would hurt the EU more than
they would hurt Russia, Moscow's ambassador to the UK has said.
We wait to see how Russia responds to any EU sanctions on Monday. It is interesting
that Russia supplies roughly a quarter of the EU's natural gas.
This will surely weigh heavily on Europe’s mind as it debates what to do! Russia
knows this and appears in the driving seat.
Note the verse below speaking of the latter day king of the north. He is deceitful. He
destroys many in their prosperity. Russia is looking to use prosperity as a weapon.
BIBLE Through his cunning he shall cause deceit to prosper under his rule; And he shall exalt himself in
QUOTE his heart. He shall destroy many in their prosperity.He shall even rise against the Prince of
princes (Daniel 8:25 NKJV)
 Miliband warns over Russia crisis
BBConline, August 28, 2008

EVENT The foreign secretary [of Britain] has said Russia's invasion of Georgia marks "a
clear end to the relative... calm" in Europe since the Soviet Union's collapse.
David Miliband told the BBC there was no western "plot" to "encircle" Russia and said
there was "no question of launching an all-out war".
But he said Russia needed to consider the "isolation, the loss of respect and the loss
of trust" from recent events.
He defended his Ukraine trip, denying that it had increased tensions.
Mr Miliband told BBC Radio 4's Today: "Ukraine is a very important country in
thinking about the map of Europe after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

COMMENT The UK is leading the way in criticism of Russia. David Miliband (the very young
Foreign Secretary in Britain) visited the Ukraine this week from where he made his
ground-breaking speech on the new challenges Europe faces from Russia. The fact
that Britain (Tarshish) is leading the way in criticism of Russia and doing so from a
territory designed to wind up Russia is interesting. Tarshish is mentioned in Ezekiel
38 as one of the nations that opposes Russia. Tarshish is leading the way in wanting
to punish Russia for its invasion. His choice of the Ukraine to make the speech is
also interesting. The Ukraine is possibly the next flash point. Ukraine’s post-Soviet
relationship with Moscow has been every bit as fractious as Georgia’s. The
government is pro Western and so is its President Mr Yushchenko. He has said that
he wants to restrict the movements of Russian naval vessels on the Black Sea.
The Ukraine government seems itching for a fight with Moscow.
BIBLE the merchants of Tarshish, and all their young lions will say to you, ‘Have you come to take
QUOTE plunder? Have you gathered your army to take booty?
(Ezekiel 38:13 NKJV)
 Russian Mediterranean warships placed under
Black Sea Fleet command
Debkafile, August 25, 2008

EVENT The Russian Navy chief, Adm. Vladimir Vysotsky

announced Sunday, Aug. 24, that its warships in the
Mediterranean region have been placed under the
command of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
Then on Monday, the Russian general staff took the further step of announcing
regular searches of all cargoes transiting the Georgian port of Poti.
DEBKAfile’s military sources report extreme concern in Israel’s military and navy.
Washington and Jerusalem both regard the link-up of Russian naval operations in the
two waters a further aggressive Russian step in the Cold War spreading out of
Georgia to the Black Sea, the Ukraine, and other parts of the Caucasian region.
Moscow’s Black Sea Fleet headquarters at the Ukrainian port of Sevastopol will
henceforth be in command of the flotilla to be deployed at the Syrian port of Tartus.
We see in the Debkafile report above the fact that the implications of the Georgian
COMMENT invasion can soon reach the Middle East.
In February 2008 a Russian naval task force completed a two-month deployment in
the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic which started on December 4, 2007.
The operation was the first large-scale Russian Navy deployment to the Atlantic and
the Mediterranean in 15 years. We now see Russia placing its warships in the
Mediterranean under the command of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.
It is another step towards Israel.
We read of Russia invading with “many ships” in the verse below.
BIBLE and the king of the North shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, horsemen, and
with many ships; and he shall enter the countries, overwhelm them, and pass through.
QUOTE
(Daniel 11:40 NKJV)
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Weekly World Watch

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