Islamic Terrorism
Hidden Treasures: Israel’s Future Energy and Wealth
The Bible foretells of nations invading Israel in the last days to take a spoil (Ezekiel 38:12), so it stands to reason the in the not-so-distant future, Israel will come become much wealthier than today. There are scriptures that some believe hint at Israel discovering oil in the last days.
An explosion at a natural gas terminal in North Sinai shut down the flow of natural gas from Egypt to Israel almost a week ago, and in the long run, this could turn out to be a positive thing for Israel. Details of what caused the blast are still unclear, but the World Tribune reports that the Al-Qaida aligned Army of Islam is likely responsible for the February 5 explosion. Similar reports of planned attacks from Islamic militants have come forth. “The SITE intelligence group, which monitors Al Qaida and other Islamist websites, said some groups had been urging Islamic militants to attack the pipeline to Israel. “Jihadists suggested that Muslims in Sinai take advantage of the Egyptian unrest and strike the Arish-Ashkelon gas pipeline, arguing that it would have a major impact on Israel,” SITE said.” source: Haaretz
A natural gas pipeline that runs through Egypt’s North Sinai exploded Saturday, February 5, disrupting flows to Israel and Jordan.
What the enemies of Israel intended for harm, might turn out to be the push that Israel needs to take charge of it’s own energy needs, and no longer rely upon other nations.
Before the natural gas pipelines stopped flowing, Israel was receiving 40 percent of its natural gas from Egypt at a cheap rate, as provided by the 1979 peace treaty. Since the pipelines were shut off, it is costing Israel $1.5 million per day for alternative fuel sources. Because Israel has been able to get such cheap gas from Egypt, there has not been much incentive to invest in the infrastructure needed to produce its own gas that is now available. Israel has recently discovered two huge natural gas fields named Tamar and Leviathan. If it takes the necessary steps to produce the gas and get it to market, Israel would not only become more energy independent, but could even become a natural gas exporter. This prospect does not please Israel’s Arab neighbors, and some speak of the discoveries as though they are intended to be a provocation. Immediately, the validity of Israel’s rights to the gas fields comes into question by the Arabs, and will no doubt be a source of future contention.
“Scientists recently discovered a massive offshore reserve of an estimated 122 trillion cubic feet of natural gas called the Levant Basin Province. While it is one of the world’s richest natural gas reserves, the Levant Basin Province is located between countries with endless amounts of mutual hatred. It straddles the sea borders of Israel, Lebanon, Palestine, the Republic of Cyprus and the Occupied Cyprus.” source: Cyprus Now
“…for they shall suck [of] the abundance of the seas, and [of] treasures hid in the sand.” (Deuteronomy 33:19)
The Leviathan gas field is located in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Israel.
Al Arabiyah News views Israel’s discoveries of 2 large gas fields as adding a new twist in the Arab-Israeli conflict: “The discovery of the Tamar and Leviathan fields in the last two years has effectively altered the Israeli energy balance…these discoveries have added a new, hitherto unseen dimension to the Arab-Israeli conflict, a fact that can no longer be avoided. This geopolitical dimension is not only limited to the Israeli-Palestinian or Israeli-Lebanese disputes, as is the situation at present, but will also encompass several other Arab countries, particularly those that export natural gas, and especially in the event Israel intends to export to European markets.”
The Bible foretells of nations invading Israel in the last days to take a spoil (Ezekiel 38:12), so it stands to reason the in the not-so-distant future, Israel will come become much wealthier than today. There are scriptures that some believe hint at Israel discovering oil in the last days. In Genesis 49:1, Jacob says to his sons that he will tell them what shall befall them in the last days and in Genesis 49:25 he describes for Joseph “blessings of the deep that lieth under.” When Moses blessed the children of Israel he made mention of Asher dipping his foot in oil (Deuteronomy 33:24). The specific scriptures pertaining to Asher and Joseph are what have led Zion Oil and Gas to explore in very specific areas, believing that these are prophetic messages hidden in the Bible for these days.
Psalm 104 mentions “leviathan” and some have connected those verses to the huge Leviathan natural gas field in the Levant Basin Province. The scripture says, “There go the ships: [there is] that leviathan, [whom] thou hast made to play therein. These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give [them] their meat in due season.” (Psalm 104:26-27) . In addition to mass amounts of natural gas that Leviathan contains, it is estimated that it could also hold 4.2 billion barrels of oil. No one knows for certain if any of these scriptures have a direct prophetic connection to oil and gas being discovered in these times, but it is exciting to think about, and to watch and see what the Lord will do to bring blessings to Israel.
