The Bible – Road Map to Israel’s Oil

December 3, 2006

Bible-Believing Oil Prospectors
Israel has been a target for oil prospectors over many years. Enthusiasts have come inspired by their faith, and just as many have walked away empty-handed. Some dogmatically remain.

On September 27, Zion Oil & Gas announced plans to explore deep oil targets in Israel “on the biblical lands of Asher and Manasseh” (two of Joseph’s sons and tribes of Israel). I met John Brown, the Chairman and Founder of Zion Oil & Gas, when he visited Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles this fall. He continues a long and impressive line of Christian pioneers, who have followed the Bible to seek the treasure of black gold in the Holy Land.

Brown gushed with Scriptures as he described his belief that God is about to unleash an abundance of oil to bless His people, Israel. He is excited about the Dead Sea discovery, but believes strongly this is just the beginning. He delights to talk about science confirming the Scriptures as one scientist after another confirms the probability of Brown’s expectations.

Zion Oil & Gas holds petroleum exploration rights onshore in Israel on about 219,000 acres (88,626 hectares) located between Tel Aviv and Haifa, in the territories of Manasseh and Asher of Bible times. In a recent publication, the company said, “Zion drilled its initial well, known as the Ma’anit #1, to a depth of 4,829 meters (15,842 feet). This exploratory well stands waiting for additional completion activity. The company also intends to drill a second appraisal well on a nearby location.”

I did my homework on John Brown before we met at his hotel. In the book Breaking the Treasure Code by James R. Spillman and Steven M. Spillman (True Potential Publishing), I found some of the John Brown story. He had a startling conversion from a background of commercial success, booze and what the Spillmans call a “rip-tearing lifestyle.” John Brown resigned from the company he had founded, and began his faith walk toward what he believes is his divine destiny. He has a vision for oil discovery in Israel that has burned in his heart since December 1985. Brown has visited Israel 57 times.

A Bible-Directed Search
In another book Epicenter by Joel C. Rosenberg (Tyndale), I learned that John Brown heard a sermon by Rev. James Spillman in 1981. Spillman authored The Great Treasure Hunt, where he wrote: “Biblical prophecy describes an event in which the armies of the world, led by Gog and Magog, would invade Israel `to take a spoil’ [Ezek.38:13]. What could Israel possibly possess in the last days that would make it such a prize for conquest that the world’s armies would meet there to fight for the spoils? Countries don’t invade their neighbors for pomegranates and olive oil, but they do go to war over another kind of oil, petroleum.”

Brown absorbed this information. He began a concerted study of the Bible and the promises recorded in Genesis 49:1, 25; Deut. 32:12–13; 33:13, 19, 24, and Isaiah 45:3 among others. Asher, for instance, “dips his foot in oil” (Deut.33:24). He named the oil search activities in Israel “The Joseph Project” in deference to blessings God promised to the sons of Joseph. An in-depth Bible study convinced John Brown and others that this was an indicator for them to follow.

The reference to Gog and Magog indicates some activity from the north. In October, Carolyn Glick wrote an article in The Jerusalem Post, headlined “As the Storm of War Approaches.” She said, “The Russian bear has awakened after 15 years of hibernation. Under the leadership of former KGB commander Vladimir Putin, Russia is reasserting its traditional hostility towards Israel.” Glick analyzed the Russian-Iran connection and their intelligence support for Hizbullah in the recent war. She wrote, “Whether or not Russia is interested in fomenting the next war, its intentions are less relevant than how Russia’s extreme positions are interpreted by the Arabs. Judging by Syrian President Bashar Assad’s recent bellicose speeches, it appears that Damascus believes that Russia will support Syria if it goes to war with Israel.” What an interesting stage these thoughts suggest!

In Epicenter, Rosenberg wrote: “Philip Mandelker, Zion Oil’s lawyer, told me that their company is one of six whose founders were originally inspired to start drilling because of Old Testament passages. And several of them are beginning to see promising results. Will one of these companies hit the big one? Will they all? Will someone else? The truth is we cannot know exactly who will tap into the oil reserves believed to be waiting beneath Israel’s soil or exactly when it will happen, because the Bible does not tell us. But the Bible does make it clear that Israel will be wealthy before the Russian-Iranian coalition attacks. That much we can take to the bank. And I believe the Bible’s hints about the existence of oil in Israel present a viable means for the fulfillment of that prophecy. Thus, expect to read future headlines like this one: ‘Israel Discovers Massive Reserves of Oil, Gas.’”

John Brown told me archaeologists in Israel are constantly proving the accuracy of the Bible by their discoveries. He firmly believes that now scientists and geologists will join them in confirming the Bible.

 

By Ron Ross

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