Israel Discovers Gas!

Israel Discovers Gas!

(IsraelNN.com) The Houston-based Noble Energy company, drilling for Israel’s Delek fuel company, announced that it has discovered a huge deposit of natural gas under the Mediterranean Sea near Haifa. Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer (Labor) said that the find was of “historic proportions,” and that it could change the face of Israel’s economy. Eighty-seven billion cubic meters, or nearly 3.1 trillion cubic feet, of high-quality gas are estimated to be in three deposits in the Tamar Drilling site, which is named for Delek owner Yitzchak Teshuva’s granddaughter. Teshuva said that the find marks a “historic milestone and a great holiday for Israel,” and that he has no doubt it will “supply Israel’s energy needs for many decades to come.”

Why is this important prophetic news?

Ezekiel chap. 37 & 38 describe a war, commonly named the Gog/Magog War, in which Russia becomes jealous of Israel's new discovery of riches ("spoils"), not named in the bible but widely interpreted as either oil or gas. Russia forms a coalition to come against Israel and grab those riches, but God supernaturally intervenes to protect Israel, thus showing His works in the world and to the world. A revival ensues. That is the short of it.

Ray Gano wrote: "So Why Attack Israel? We read in Ezekiel 38:12 that it is the “spoils” or the “goodies gained” are the driving force behind the attack on Israel.

Eze 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. As I pointed out above Israel is sitting pretty, but they are not sitting pretty enough to call an all out invasion. So what would be the one “spoil” that would drive this attack? Simple…. OIL."

Joel C Rosenberg's scrutiny of the Gog-Magog war as related to Scriptures is click here and worth reading. A short synopsis is below.

FIRST THINGS FIRST
In a moment, I will walk you through the prophecies step-by-step. But first thing, let me note that the predictions found in Ezekiel chapters 36 & 37 have already come true. These are the famous chapters that foretell:

*The rebirth of the State of Israel in the end times (both chapters)
* The return of the Jews to the Holy Land after centuries in exile (36:10-11, 36:24, 36:37-38, 37:12, 37:21)>
* The rebuilding of the ancient ruins in Israel (36:36)
* The re-blossoming of desolate, desert lands to produce abundant food, fruit and foliage (36:8-9 and 36:30-35)
* The creation of an “exceedingly great army” (37:11)

"Such prophecies began to be fulfilled in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, accelerated in 1948 and 1967, and continue to come to pass to this day. This, of course, raises an intriguing question: If Ezekiel 36 and 37 have largely come true in our lifetime, isn’t it possible that Ezekiel 38 and 39 will soon come true as well?"

Is this it? Are the mechanisms for the Gog War underway? Is the rapture imminent, either by day or a few short years? The scriptures are not clear as to whether the Gog-Magog war occurs before or after the Rapture. The scriptures do not say exactly what the 'spoil' of Israel is, so the gas deposit discovery may not be the precipitating event that sparks Russia's jealousy.

But it sure raises my antenna! I am eagerly watching this news. Even if the discovery does not relate to immediate prophecy, it is good news for beloved Israel. As Christians, it is exciting to see so much of God's work come alive in these end of days. We watch, we wait, we work, and we pray. A great menu of submission to Him who is above all things!

Praise the Lord His word is true,
Elizabeth