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Dr. Mike Jones

Q: Oil And Israel’s Future?

Q: You indicated in a previous Q&A Post, that the next few posts would come from the Book of Revelation and make reference to the end-time. Could you talk about the ‘OIL” situation in the Middle East, first, and how it relates Israel’s future? Thanks!

A: [Part 1 of 3] If corporate giants in the world’s petroleum industry would be honest, and forthcoming with information about their intentions to control the world’s oil supply, they would also be honest about the battle for the oil rights in the small Middle Eastern Territory, we know as Israel.

Most Bible scholars that speak on end-time events, would acknowledge, that no other factor, other than the oil deposits in Israel, hold the key to the prophetic events, leading up to the future ‘Battle of Armageddon.’

[Jumping forward] A number of end-times authors and speakers have been making reference to “The Psalm 83 War.” Look at verses 1-8, “Keep not Thou silence, O God: hold not Thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, Thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate Thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against Thy people, and consulted against Thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. For they have consulted together with one consent: they are confederate against Thee: The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.”

Whenever this battle takes place, (possibly at the start of the 7-year Tribulation hour and globally economies are fragile and on the verge of collapsing, due to the price of oil skyrocketing, and the oil (and Natural Gas) fields of Israel are rich in these two resources), shortly thereafter, it is believed that Russian and Iran will regroup, after their diabolical plan to destroy Israel backfires. Russia’s primary desire is to obtain the wealth of Israel, with militarily help from Iran and a coalition of nations surrounding Israel.

This portion of the prophecy is vividly explained in Ezekiel 38-39. In Chapter 38:1-6, “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal:  And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords: Persia, Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet: Gomer, and all his bands; the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.”

Gog is a person from the land of Magog and he’s described as the leader of Tubal and Meshech, and a confederacy of other adjoining nations, that simply hates the little nation of Israel. And Magog is a land far north of Israel – and that is why many Bible commentators believe that Russia, and its northern territories will lead the assault (with other Arab countries) on Israel for its vast oil and Natural Gas resources. [Israel is protected because, Jehovah God states in verse 4, “And I will turn thee back …”]

Conclusion: For many serious students of Bible prophecy, when Russia lost its superpower status in the early 1990s, it seemed unlikely that Russia was the nation to fulfill major portions of Ezekiel 38-39. In recent months, under the leadership of President Vladimir Putin, Russia has regain strength, and is looking to restore its dominance in [Southwestern Asia] which is in northern and eastern hemispheres.

Recent worldwide news venues have reported that Russia has signed a long-term agreement with Syria to expand its military presence in the country. The agreed leases would last close to 50 year, with the possibility of renewal. We’ve seen on the national news, lately, that the Russian military has been instrumental in assisting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gain the momentum in regaining control of Aleppo, the largest Syrian city and also known as “the epicenter of the refugee crisis.