Ezekiel 38 And Oil In Israel

Q. I really enjoy your teachings. My question is this…what do you think of those that say Israel will strike oil soon and this will be the catalyst or hook that God puts in the jaw of Magog (Russia) to attack Israel?

A. There are several things happening that make this a likely possibility.  First the origin of the idea.  In Ezekiel 38:13 those who aren’t involved in the battle question Magog about attacking Israel to “seize much plunder”.

Today Israel doesn’t have much wealth to seize, but a major oil strike would change that, especially since Russia’s oil production has peaked and they’ll soon need more capacity to meet their energy needs.  Also there’s a real push on currently to find the oil many believe lies under Israel’s land, based on a prophecy in Deut. 33:24.   And finally,  recent multi-billion dollar natural gas discovery just off shore has “fueled” expectations of finding more.