God promised that after their dispersion, their land would become “desolate” and their cities would become “waste” (Leviticus 26:33). Moses put it more graphically when he said, “the foreigner who comes from a distant land…will say, ‘All its land is brimstone and salt, a burning waste, unsown and unproductive, and no grass grows in it'” (Deuteronomy 29:22-23).
Starting in the 1880's this prophetic regathering to Israel picked up speed, and now there are over eight million Jews in Israel who have been gathered from more than 70 countries around the world.
When the Jews began to return from the nations of the world at the end of the last century, the land was barren and sparsely inhabited. In the 1860s, the author, Mark Twain, traveled in what was then a backward region of the Ottoman Turkish Empire, called Palestine and described the land, thusly: "Nowhere in all the waste around was there a foot of shade." He called the land a "blistering, naked, treeless land." Of the Galilee, he said, "There is no dew, nor flowers, nor birds, nor trees. There is a plain and an unshaded lake, and beyond them some barren mountains." His summary of Palestine: "Of all the lands there are for dismal scenery, I think Palestine must be the prince. The hills are barren, they are dull of color, they are unpicturesque in shape. It is a hopeless, dreary, heartbroken land."
Prior to the 1922 British Mandate, a number of key events took place to bring the Jews back to their land. Theodore Herzl, of whom Israel's Declaration of Independence officially refers to as the spiritual father of the Jewish State, convened in 1897 the first Zionist Congress as a symbolic parliament for a tiny minority of Jews who believed the solution to European anti-Semitism was to establish a publicly and legally assured home in Palestine. The year 1897 is considered the beginning of the Zionist movement which ultimately established the State of Israel.
How a Jew and a Christian together changed history, tells the divine intervention that took place between Theodore Herzl and the unknown Anglian Vicar, William Hechler, friend, mentor and legitimizer of Herzl's vision and calling. He is considered the father of Christian Zionism. For years, his greatest pleasure was to study and search—and preach—what the Scriptures say about the promised return. He was convinced this would usher in the Messianic Age and the return of the Messiah. He declared, "It is the duty of every Christian to love the Jews”. He believed the day would come when the Jewish people would accept God's Messiah, but he was convinced that they first had to return home.
He also studied every inch of the physical land of Israel. He collected military maps of Palestine, created charts of ancient locations, and pored over prophetic portions of Scripture as to when the Jews would return to their homeland.
His understanding of the "times of the Gentiles fulfilled" meant when Jerusalem would no longer be trampled by the Gentiles, but returned to the Jews. Hechler was ready to give his life to this cause, but there was one major missing component. Where was the leader? Theodore Herzl was that leader and as the leader of the Zionist movement, Theodore Herzl, spoke prophetically in August 1897 that a new State of Israel would rise again after 1900 years of desolation. In 1947, the United Nations, in one of its very few pro-Israel resolutions, voted the State of Israel into existence. Exactly 50 years later.
The current borders of Israel are disputed by the international community, from the UN to the Arab leadership:
Since those early days, the deserts have been reforested, the rocky fields made fertile, the swamps drained and planted, the ancient terraces rebuilt, and the ruined cities of old re-established. Israel is a food exporting nation that boasts high levels of literacy, health, education and welfare, high technology and agricultural development.
Jerusalem: Before 1967
The armistice line drawn at the end of the 1948 war divided Jerusalem into two. Between 1949 and 1967, Israel controlled the western part of Jerusalem, while Jordan took the eastern part, including the old walled city containing important Jewish, Muslim and Christian religious sites.
Jerusalem: After 1967
Israel captured the whole of Jerusalem in 1967 and extended the city's municipal boundaries, putting both East and West Jerusalem under its sovereignty and civil law. In 1980 Israel passed a law making its annexation of East Jerusalem explicit. The city's status remains disputed, with Israel's occupation of East Jerusalem considered illegal under international law. Israel is determined that Jerusalem be its undivided capital, while Palestinians are seeking to establish their capital in East Jerusalem.
Successive Israeli leaders have rejected return to pre-1967 boundaries
Israel seized all of Jerusalem, West Bank, Golan Heights, Sinai peninsula and Gaza
International community never recognized Israel's claims to territory beyond pre-1967 lines
Netanyahu said after meeting Obama that pre-1967 borders were "indefensible"
Being the Chosen People means being connected to a Chosen Land. God gave the Jews Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel) which is strategically located in the center of the world. “Thus saith the Lord GOD; This is Jerusalem: I have set it in the midst of the nations and countries that are round about her” (Ezekiel 5:5). The Land of Israel is the bridge connecting the continents of Europe, Africa and Asia and because of this central location, the Jewish people had ample exposure to all the nations of the world.
God, speaking to us through the prophet Ezekiel, informs us that this Land is specifically reserved for the Jewish people. “You O mountains of Israel, you will put forth your branches and bear your fruit for My people Israel; for they will soon come. For behold, I am for you, and I will turn to you, and you will be cultivated and sown. I will multiply men on you, all the house of Israel, all of it; and the cities will be inhabited and the waste places will be rebuilt” (Ezekiel 36:8-10). 2500 years ago Ezekiel told us that In the Last Days the Jewish people would be restored to their Land. The Land would begin to prosper and the Jewish population would greatly increase. In the past century these prophetic words have been coming to pass. The Land of Israel, which lay barren for centuries, has seen increasing numbers of the sons of Israel returning to their ancient homeland over the past century.
This description matches the Ezekiel's prophecy of the "barren mountains of Israel" in Ezekiel 36:1-7. However, Ezekiel goes on to say, "But you, O mountains of Israel, will produce branches and fruit for My people Israel, for they will soon come home. I am concerned for you and will look on you with favor; you will be plowed and sown, and I will multiply the number of people upon you, even the whole house of Israel. The towns will be inhabited and the ruins rebuilt. I will increase the number of men and animals upon you, and they will be fruitful and become numerous. I will settle people on you as in the past and will make you prosper more than before. Then, you will know that I am the Lord. I will cause people, My people Israel, to walk upon you. They will possess you, and you will be their inheritance; you will never again deprive them of their children" (Ezekiel 36: 8-12).
A land flowing with milk and honey
Repeatedly in the Old Testament, God describes the Promised Land as “a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:8; Numbers 14:8; Deuteronomy 31:20; Ezekiel 20:15).
In Exodus 3:8, God says to Moses, “I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.”
A couple things to note about this verse: First, before the plagues, the land of Egypt supported Israel and the Egyptians quite well (remember Joseph), yet God called the new land “good and spacious.” The Hebrew word translated “good” means “pleasant, beautiful, and fruitful, with economic benefits”.
The treasures of the Dead Sea
“5 Then you shall see and be radiant, and your heart shall thrill and tremble with joy [at the glorious deliverance] and be enlarged; because the abundant wealth of the [Dead] [a]Sea shall be turned to you, unto you shall the nations come with their treasures.” Isaiah 60:5 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC). The footnote, in relation to this specific scripture, reads as follows:
“[a] Prior to well into the twentieth century, scholars could only speculate as to what Isaiah might have meant here by “the abundant wealth of the [Dead] Sea” that would one day be turned over to Jerusalem. Of course, the Dead Sea, which for ages had been considered only a place of death and desolation, was ruled out as a possible meaning. Then suddenly it was discovered that the waters of the Dead Sea contain important chemicals. In a.d. 1935 G.T.B. Davis wrote, “One is almost staggered by the computed wealth of the chemical salts of the Dead Sea. It is estimated that the potential value of the potash, bromine, and other chemical salts of its waters is... four times the wealth of the United States!” (G.T.B. Davis, Rebuilding Palestine) Isaiah himself did not know this, but the God who caused the Dead Sea to play a part in His program in the last days knew all about it, and He led the prophet to so prophesy here in this verse.”
When the Romans occupied the Middle East they exerted rigid military control over the roads around the Dead Sea because it was such a fertile source of salt - a commodity so valuable then that it was used as a form of currency.
The intense barometric pressure so far below sea level produce atmospheric conditions beneficial for asthmatics and people with the painful skin disease psoriasis also seem to find relief in the combination of mineral-rich water, soothing mud and intense sunlight. In some countries, health agencies and charities pay for people with the condition to come on therapeutic trips.
Extraction of potash, bromine, gypsum, salt and other chemical products is one of the few effective means of utilizing the Dead Sea as a resource. Near the Dead Sea lies Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were found, and the important Israeli national monument of Masada.
As well being famous for the items mentioned below, recently oil was discovered. The Hatrurim oil and gas exploration license in the Dead Sea area contains an oil reservoir worth NIS 1.2 billion, according to a resources report published by the companies holding the license this morning. The report from Dunmore Consulting states that the best estimate is that the reservoir contains 7 million barrels of oil, while the high estimate is 11 million barrels. The estimates are given with 100% geological certainty of oil being found, since oil has already been produced from the reservoir, in the Halamish drilling. Renewed drilling finds oil near Dead Sea (May 3, 2016)
Discovery of Oil in Israel
Discoveries of oil and gas have made outdated the old joke that Moses took the wrong turn from Egypt, leading Israel to sand and leaving oil for the Arabs.
Genesis 49:25 Even by the God of thy father, who shall help thee; and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings of the breasts, and of the womb...
Deuteronomy 32:13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock;
Deuteronomy 33:24 And of Asher he said: “Asher is most blessed of sons; Let him be favored by his brothers, And let him dip his foot in oil. The name “Asher” means “happy.” It also can mean “blessed.”
Isaiah 45:3,4 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel. For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me
The Middle East has been blessed with oil except Israel. Until recently. God promises to Israel that the land he promised them will be blessed is coming to pass much to the horror of the surrounding nations:
Europe’s alternatives to Russian gas (09th April, 2015) - In February, the European Commission published a Communication that describes the rationale for a European Energy Union, which was first proposed by then Polish Prime Minster Donald Tusk, now president of the European Council....Part of the aim of the Energy Union is to diversify the EU’s gas supplies away from Russia, which has already proved to be an unreliable partner, first in 2006 and then in 2009, and which threatened to become one again at the outbreak of the conflict in Ukraine in 2013-2014. With its February 2014 Communication, the Commission acknowledged the foreign policy implications of energy policy and the need for a coordinated energy policy, something that was largely under-emphasised in previous discussions about the future of EU energy security.
Israel Sees Higher Chance of Gas Export to Europe Via Greece (26 October 2016) - Senior officials from Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Israel agreed to advance talks on a pipeline from Israel to Europe after an EU-sponsored study showed the project would be “very feasible,” Israel’s Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said in an interview.
Discovery of oil in ISRAEL means the Jewish state could soon produce 'significant quantities' of 'black gold'... and potentially change the face of the Middle East (2015) - Breakthrough made in the Golan Heights close to the border with Syria, Layers of oil are thought to be ten times thicker than the global average. Vast oil reserves have been discovered in Israel that could transform the country into world energy power and change the face of the Middle East for years to come. Afek Oil and Gas, an Israeli subsidiary of the U.S. company Genie Energy, said the breakthrough came in the Golan Heights, near the border with Syria. Yuval Bartov, the firm's chief geologist, said there was 'enormous excitement' about the immense wealth it could bring to the Jewish state, which has long yearned for its own resource of 'black gold'.
Note: The Israeli presence in the Golan Heights is in dispute. The region is internationally recognized Syrian territory that has been occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War between Israel and several Arab states. UN Resolution 242 (1967) demands the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from the territories occupied in the conflict. Israel disagrees with the wording of the resolution, saying the territories are disputable
Israel approves development of large offshore Leviathan natgas field (June 2, 2016) - Leviathan, one of the largest offshore discoveries of the past decade, was found off Israel’s Mediterranean coast in 2010. It has an estimated 622 cubic meters of natural gas (BCM) of reserves and is expected to become operational in 2019. Texas-based Noble Energy, which holds a 40 percent stake in Leviathan, said the field would initially start production at 1.2 billion cubic feet a day and expand to 2.1 bcf.
Israel's gas royalties hit new record (August 16, 2016) - The Ministry of National Infrastructures, Energy and Water Resources is expecting a further increase in royalty revenues in the coming years. The increase will follow from an expected rise in Tamar output, the development of the Leviathan gas field, as well as from the future development of fields already discovered, and further fields that might be discovered following the opening of the sea to exploration. More gas offshore Israel than originally thought (July 3, 2017) - An upward revision to the reserve estimate for the Tamar gas field offshore Israel shows the region hasn't yet realized its potential, Delek Drilling said. An independent reviewer, Netherland, Sewell & Associates, Inc., said the volume of natural gas estimated in the Tamar field stands at 11.2 trillion cubic feet, with an additional 14.6 million barrels of condensate, a 13 percent increase from the previous estimate. Condensate is an ultra-light mixture of hydrocarbon liquids
Israel consortium signs ‘historic’ 15-year, $10b gas deal with Jordan (September 26, 2016) - An Israeli gas consortium on Monday signed what Israel called a “historic” $10 billion deal with the Jordan Electric Power Company to supply the Hashemite Kingdom with natural gas for 15 years. Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz (Likud) on Monday praised the deal as “an extremely important national achievement.” “This is an important milestone in strengthening the ties and strategic partnerships between Israel and Jordan and the entire region,” he said, according to Channel 10. Eran Azran, Israel Quietly Begins Exporting Natural Gas to Jordan Amid Political Sensitivities - To keep the Israeli side at arms length, the gas is technically being sold to the Jordanians by an American company, NBL: Eastern Mediterranean Marketing, and not directly by the Tamar partners themselves, which include the Texas company Noble Energy and Israels Delek Group and Isramco.
Steinitz: Israel made NIS 3b from exporting natural gas in 2016 (February 13, 2017) Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said on Thursday that Israel has earned approximately 3 billion shekels ($800 million) from selling natural gas over the past year. Speaking during a briefing to reporters aboard a drilling ship in the area of the Tamar natural gas reservoir, Steinitz said that Israel was advancing the construction of a gas pipeline to Turkey and at the same time constructing a pipeline to Italy, Greece and Cyprus.
Tovah Cohen/Avi Rabinovitch. Leviathan gas field developers approve $3.75 billion investment (February 23, 2017) - Developers of the Leviathan natural gas field have approved a $3.75 billion investment (FID) in the first phase of the largest energy project in Israel’s history, they said on Thursday. The reservoir, located 100 km (62 miles) west of Haifa, was discovered in December 2010. Its $3.75 billion budget follows $1 billion that has already been invested in exploration, appraisal and planning activities. According to a development plan approved by the government in 2016, the project will be completed in less than three years and gas will be available to the Israeli market by the end of 2019.
Christian Drilling Company (Zion Oil) Strikes Oil in Northern Israel (14 Feb 2018) - US-based oil company using science and the Bible to find oil in Israel. During operations to clean the well bore, Zion reports that it encountered "free-flowing" oil while circulating the drilling mud. This is a big breakthrough, and offers more than a little hope that there are, indeed, substantial oil deposits in the Promised Land.
Shoshana Solomon, Delek, Noble sign accords for $15b in sales of Israeli natural gas to Egypt (February 19, 2018) - The partners in Israel’s Tamar and Leviathan natural gas fields, including a unit of US Noble Energy Inc and Delek Drilling LP, have signed $15 billion in deals to export natural gas to Egypt over 10 years. In a filing to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange on Monday, Delek Drilling LP, a partner in the Tamar and Leviathan fields offshore Israel, said Noble Energy Mediterranean and its partners in the fields have signed accords with Egypt’s Dolphinus Holdings Ltd. for the sale of some 64 billion cubic meters of natural gas from the two fields.
Greece's Energean lists in London, raises $460 mln for Israeli gas project (March 16, 2018) - Greece’s Energean Oil & Gas listed on the London Stock Exchange on Friday, raising $460 million to develop two Israeli offshore gas fields in the latest milestone for the rapidly expanding eastern Mediterranean energy sector. The funds, together with a credit facility signed earlier this month, will go towards the $1.6 billion development of its Israeli offshore gas fields Karish and Tanin, which have potential reserves of up to 2.4 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 32.8 million barrels of light oil and condensate.
Prepare for Gas and Oil Wars
As Israel is set to become a major exporter of gas and some oil, expect major conflicts in the Middle East. Everybody and his brother wants a piece of the pie. As usual, war is a strategy for getting it. It is all about who has it, who owns it, who sells it, who buys it, and who sets the price.
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