The Ezekiel 38 and Psalm 83 Prophecies/Part 8
| By: John G Weldon, PhD; ©2011 |
| In Ezekiel 38 God says he will place a “hook” in the mouth of the leader of Magog and draw him and his coalition down to Israel. While such a “hook” could involve any number of things, as noted above, one obvious possibility would be vast oil and gas deposits in Israel. |
The Ezekiel 38/Psalm 83 Prophecies: Russia, Iran and Muslim Nations in Biblical Prophecy
Vast Oil and Gas Deposits as ‘The Hook’?
In Ezekiel 38 God says he will place a “hook” in the mouth of the leader of Magog and draw him and his coalition down to Israel. While such a “hook” could involve any number of things, as noted above, one obvious possibility would be vast oil and gas deposits in Israel.
The first explorers for oil in Israel were Christians who based their exploration upon biblical passages. Today, there are a number of companies searching for oil and gas and massive finds have been made.
But let’s back up a bit. We remember that the Bible teaches that Damascus will be destroyed in a day (Isaiah 17:1-3). Israel’s destruction of Damascus through a likely nuclear and/or pulse attack apparently precedes the war of Gog and Magog in Ezekiel 38, because Israel is said to be dwelling in general peace and safety.
Israel’s destruction of Damascus would, one assumes, at least temporarily end the hostility of Israel’s Arab neighbors, out of sheer fear if nothing else. Further, should Israel bring to market vast oil and gas deposits, Israel could become a literal mini-superpower in the world, and through war, possibly expand her borders significantly. Again, this is the thesis of the book by Bill Salus called Isralestine. The idea is that the war of Psalm 83 involves the defeat of Israel’s Muslim Arab neighbors that vastly expands Israel’s borders, making her a mini-superpower. Israel then lives in general peace and security until the war in Ezekiel 38. With God destroying the armies that come against Israel, Israel’s borders may expand yet more prior to the Antichrist’s armies being assembled against Israel at the war of Armageddon.
Regardless, the Bible seems to do more than just hint that in the latter days oil will be discovered in Israel. Zion Oil and Gas founder John M. Brown has written a book on the subject, The Oil of Israel: Prophecy Being Fulfilled. Brown founded Zion Oil and Gas using only the Bible to discover oil and gas in Israel when almost everyone else thought this was crazy or impossible. It took him 15 years merely to secure a license and after 29 years there was still no oil. But today even the Israeli government is involved and major oil reserves are proven.[1]
Genesis 49:2, 25 refers to “blessings of the deep that lies beneath.” Deuteronomy 33:24 prophesies that the tribe of Asher will dip “his foot in oil.” The Asher oil company is named after this particular Scripture. Deuteronomy 32:13 refers to “oil from the flinty rock.” (Cf. Deuteronomy 33:13-17). Genesis 14:10 says the Valley of Siddam “was full of bitumen pits,” which is equal to oil and tar. (See also: Genesis 49:1, Deuteronomy 33:13, 19, Isaiah 45:3 Ezekiel 38:8-13.)
There seems to be little doubt that massive oil and gas production in Israel would significantly alter the balance of power in the Middle East. Israel could offer stable oil supplies to the European Union, America, and other nations. It could force the EU and America to take a more proactive role in the protection of Israel against terrorist attack for self-interest, if no other reason. Israel as a mini-superpower could also explain why the Antichrist would make a pact with Israel guaranteeing its security because of the oil and gas treasure (Daniel 9:27). Russia’s massive loss of income would perhaps cause her to become furious at Israel, sufficiently so to cause Russia to join a Muslim coalition against Israel as predicted in Ezekiel 38. For example, the EU is Russia’s most important trading partner and in harmony with Russian goals, the EU is dependent upon Russian gas; the EU gets most of its oil from Arab Muslim nations and most of its gas from Russia, whom it does not trust. As a result, it would probably prefer securing its energy supplies from a more stable and friendly Israel. This isn’t something that Russia would appreciate and it could become one of the reasons that Russia would be drawn down into Israel in an attempt to secure her energy supplies.
Notes
- ↑ “History,” Zion Oil Company; Cf., Breaking the Treasure Code: The Hunt for Israel’s Oil.
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