My interest was renewed in the topic of oil in Israel after listening
to the linked interview by Jan Markell with John Brown and Steve
Spillman on
Understanding The Times Radio.
So is this treasure of darkness and
hidden riches of secret places oil in Israel? It appears that it may
be. Oil has been found in Israel, which could change the whole scope
of things. Joel Rosenburg, author of The Ezekiel Option, writes in
his story about Israel discovering oil which causes the economy to
blossom.
I recently received the following study by Terry Hart that I would
like to share. View the original version:
Confirmation of James Spillman’s oil in Israel thesis in the
anatomy of Psalm 108
Written by Terry Hart 8-19-09 & updated 9-5-10 (Scriptures updated to KJV on
2-6-11)
Before delving deep into Psalm 108, I should say a little about interpreting
Bible prophecy in
general. Also, I recommend reading the Spillmans’ “Breaking the Treasure Code”
booki as a way
to better understand this topic. (See my endnotes for a brief summary and the
key Scriptures
used in their bookii.) I’m convinced that most Bible scholars are missing the
key ingredient for
the most accurate interpretation of predictive prophecy, which is a strong faith
that God “is
able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think”.iii In reference
to the last book
of prophecy, it has been well said that “The book of Revelation is not hard to
understand. It’s
just hard to believe. If you will believe it, you will understand it.”iv
Secondly, although this
strength of faith is necessary, it is not normally by itself, sufficient; God
delights in rewarding
diligent effortv. A thorough knowledge of the entire Bible that comes through
countless hours
of study is also a great help in understanding unfulfilled prophecy in
Scripture. The complexity of eschatological passages that remain unfulfilled seems to make this area of
theology even
more dependent on a deep understanding of the wider context outside of the
chapter or book
of the Bible being studied.
Thirdly, the common and usually accurate saying about theology of “If
it’s new, it’s probably not true.” is not so true in eschatology. A
prophetic utterance in Jeremiah 23:20 states “in the latter days ye
shall consider it perfectly.”vi
Also, near the end of the book of Daniel he was told that “the words
[are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end”vii
in answer to his preceding question of “my Lord, what [shall be] the end
of these [things]?”.viii
So, this implies that the revelation to Daniel would be understood near
the end of this age. I believe that things like the miraculous re-birth
of the nation of Israelix,
technological advancesx,
and recent national alliancesxi,
all add to our understanding of “the outcome of these events”. However,
we should be careful to keep searching the Scriptures rather than
leaning too much on our fallible understanding of changeable current
events.
I’ve read and listened through the Bible many times, but the last
time listening through the Psalms I noticed something new. I was
starting to notice that many more of these Psalms are prophetic, than I
had previously realized; I mean here (and in this entire paper)
prophetic in the sense of foretelling the future. With this in my mind,
I noticed something in Psalm 108:7-9 that made me slow down and take a
closer look. In the past I probably figured that these verses were just
another generic reference to the oft repeated truth that the land in and
around modern-day Israel is unconditionally promised by God to be the
everlasting possession of
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and their descendants.xii
The Jews are called God’s inheritance, and their land is His landxiii,
so the repeated references to this land as God’s special possession in
Psalm 108:7-9 don’t seem too unusual, although repetition in Scripture
always seems to highlight especially important truths. This may be
another reason why this passage stood out; it is repeated almost word
for word in Psalm 60:6-8. The only discrepancy is the final phrase “Over
Philistia I will triumph”, and these look like the most important
words in this Psalm because they fit so perfectly with the prophetic
geographic anatomyxiv
explained by James Spillman.
Spillman shows that the “head” of Joseph is outlined by the tribal
lands of the two sons of Joseph (see the outline of Ephraim and West
Manasseh). He argues that the crown (top) of Joseph’s head will be
anointed with oil (petroleum) in the last days. Genesis 49:1, 25-26
foretells that “which shall befall you in the last days” are “blessings
of the deep that lieth under” that “shall be on the head of…and on the
crown” of Joseph. You can see on this map what very much looks like the
profile of his head with a kingly crown on top, which faces toward the
Great (Mediterranean) Sea. I contend that the “mouth” of Joseph (on the
Western border of Ephraim) is perfectly positioned to shout in “triumph”
over Philistia, which stretches along the coastline from North of Ashdod
to South of Gaza. This word “triumph” in Psalm 108:9 most likely means
to “shout a war-cry” or to “shout in triumph” over enemies.
Not surprisingly, the two sons of “him that was separate from his
brethren”xv are the
center of attention here, just as they are in Spillman’s book. They are
the central tribes geographically, they pinpoint the location of the
oil, and they are the anchor about which the geographic anatomy clues
revolve.
So, if you’re thinking critically, as you should, and as I was, then
you might ask: Couldn’t this shout of “triumph” over Philistia that
follows a verse about the sons of Joseph, just be coincidental? Why
should we think they’re connected with Spillman’s interpretation of
several other verses that supposedly point to a major oil discovery in
Israel near the end of this age? And weren’t some of his interpretations
quite a stretch to believe? I agree that the interpretations of some
of the verses in his book are not very certain. However, taken as a
whole, his thesis seems quite convincing, especially in light of the
many geopolitical changes since the first edition of his book nearly
three decades ago.
Also, besides the clear support that I contend is in Psalm 108, there
is other tangential Biblical support for his theory that he did not
mention. He did mention that a major oil discovery could explain the
“great spoil”xvi
that will someday soon entice Russia, Iran, and their allies to attack
Israel. He did not mention that this oil could also be the
trigger for the
preceding war foretold in Psalm 83.
Isaiah 17:14 speaks of a multitude of nations that come to “spoil” and
“rob” Israel, and although I have not heard this from any other Bible
teacher, Isaiah 17:12-14 seems like an obvious description of the same
war detailed in Psalm 83.xvii
Also, it is likely that a fight for oil could be a strong motive for the
following and final world war on the plain of Megiddoxviii
(which is on the “crown” of Joseph’s head!!—see map above). There are
many reasons to believe that Megiddo is ground zero for this enormous
oil find, but I will list just three neglected ones here:
- One definition for Megiddo is: “his precious fruit; declaring
a message”xix
- Another definition for Megiddo is: “place of crowns”!!xx
- The geographic center point of the Scriptures that detail the
location of the oil is within a few miles of Megiddo. (The border of
Zebulun and Issachar meets the crown of Joseph very near Megiddo.
Also, the “foot” of Asher who dips “his foot in oil” is very
nearbyxxi.) Do you
think that maybe the soon to be discovered “precious fruit” on the crown
of Joseph’s head might then be “declaring a message”? Truly, it takes
more faith to believe all of this is just coincidence, than to believe
that God is able to orchestrate history.xxii
In fact, it looks like this idea of wars for Israel’s oil is being
foreshadowed by the massive discovery of natural gas by Nobel Energy off
the N. coast of Israel in January 2009, since there is now increased
animosity between Israel and Lebanon to the North because of this
valuable discovery.
I believe that there is some evidence in Psalm 108 that indeed oil is
the likely catalyst for the soon coming Psalm 83 war. The primary
reasons are that Psalm 108 has many of the prophetic geographic anatomy
clues explained by James Spillman, and this Psalm seems to be yet
another description of the Psalm 83 war.
Interestingly, it looks like the three wars against Israel on the
horizon (beginning as soon as weeks, or probably at most a decade awayxxiii)
are each successively bigger along with drawing in more nations from
further away. Also, it looks like God’s intervention on behalf of Israel
becomes increasingly more obvious with each of these three wars. We know
that there are strong non-material motives for the coming attacks on
Israel, but greed is clearly a motive in the first two wars (see Ezekiel
38:12-13, Psalm 83:12, Isaiah 17:14), and as of right now, Israel is
poorer than many of these currently oil rich nations that will come to
“take to ourselves the houses of God in possession” (Psalm 83:12) and
capture “great spoil” (Ezekiel 38:12-13).
The motive of greed is also implied by the mention of the “envy” of
Edom in Ezekiel 35:11, and Ezekiel 35-36 looks like a close parallel to
the Psalm 83 war. One reason is that both passages mention the judging
of Edom due to their behavior toward Israel. Another reason is that
Psalm 83 occurs not long before the Ezekiel 38-39 war,
and I believe that all the chapters from Ezekiel 33 to Ezekiel 48 are
largely chronologically ordered prophecy to be fulfilled at the end of
this age.xxiv
Lastly, and most clearly, the theme and purpose of God is the same in
Psalm 83, Ezekiel 35, and Ezekiel 36. Something similar to the
declaration of “they shall know that I [am] the LORD”xxv
repeats throughout these chapters, and amazingly it is in the last verse
of all three chapters.
So, other than oil being a good explanation for greed inspired wars,
and the shout in “triumph” over Philistia phrase that fits nicely with
Spillman’s geographic clues, what other evidence might there be in Psalm
108 for a last days oil discovery in Israel? I can see four more reasons
why Psalm 108 either ties in with Spillman’s argument or points to the
time when Israel’s fortunes will be restored leading up to and during
the soon coming wars against Israel.
- Starting with Ephraim and Manasseh as the “head” (vs. 8), all
other anatomical references in Psalm 108 are in their appropriate
places (refer again to the map on page 2). The other anatomical
clues are :
- “Moab…my washbowl” is about where you would expect Joseph’s
“hands” to be, and is bordered by the “washbowl” water of the
Dead Sea.
- “Over Edom I shall throw my shoe”—Edom is the most Southerly
part of the Promised Landxxvi,
so it makes sense as the place for the lowest part of the
anatomy (the shoe or foot).
- “Over Philistia I will triumph”—again, the “mouth” of Joseph
(on the Western border of Ephraim) is perfectly positioned to
shout a war-cry of “triumph” over Philistia.
- “Judah [is] my lawgiver”--Other than Deuteronomy 33, I
believe the most important Scriptures in Spillman’s book are in
Genesis 49 where Jacob blesses his 12 sons and foretells what
will befall them “in the last days”.xxvii
Other than in Psalm 108 and the parallel passage in Psalm 60,
there exists only one other reference to Judah as a lawgiver,
and that is in this Genesis 49 blessing! Genesis 49:10- “The
sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between
his feet”. The sceptre here is parallel and synonymous with
“lawgiver” which is the tool of the ruler physically resting
between his feet. On the map above, you can see that Judah is
appropriately centered where the “chest” of Joseph would be. If
the king sits on a throne and has a long sceptre (lawgiver)
between his feet, then the top of the sceptre would be centered
in front of his chest.
- The phrase “God hath spoken in his holiness” is unique to this
Psalm (vs. 7) and Psalm 60. There is only one similar phrase in the
Bible and that is “Once have I sworn by my holiness”, and this
occurs just twice. The first instance is in Psalm 89:35. This entire
52 verse Psalm is about God’s covenant with David; that his seed and
his throne would endure forever. The fulfillment of this promise
awaits the return of the king, David’s son (seed), who “shall send
the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine
enemies.”xxviii
I think it will become clearer in the words that follow, that Psalm
108 refers to the time of the restoration of Israel at the end of
this age that begins to foreshadow the fulfillment of the promise of
Psalm 89. The one other instance of God swearing by His holiness is
in Amos 4:2, which is about God judging His enemies.
- Psalm 108:9-13 closely parallels Psalm 83, which foretells the
coming war on Israel that is at least partly motivated by greed for
Israel’s “spoil”.xxix
The three territories in vs. 9 of Moab, Edom, and Philistia are
prominently listed amongst the allies in Psalm 83, as they are in
Psalm 108. Also, assuming the prayers for the defeat of these
enemies in Psalm 83 are answered positively, then this could result
in the fulfillment of God’s declaration of His ownership of these
territories in Psalm 108, as Israel moves in to control the
territory of attacking enemies, like they have done in recent
history. So, just as in the following war against the Russian army
and allies, it may be said that Israel “shall spoil those that
spoiled them” (Ezekiel 39:10) and become the “greater Israel” that
Bill Salus speaks of. I believe the world will soon
witness the rapid rise of Israel to superpower status, both
economically and militarily. In fact, the notion of a suddenly
powerful and prosperous Israel that is at least temporarily secure
is found in Deuteronomy 33, which is the other passage loaded with
clues foretelling oil in Israel.xxx
Additionally, Psalm 108:11-13 lists declarations and
requests to God for victory in battle, much like we see in Psalm
83:9-16.
- The Psalm that is almost identical to Psalm 108 (other than the
first few verses), Psalm 60, is in those few verses loaded with
language that the prophets use for the end of this age judgment and
restoration. Compare Psalm 60:1 to Hosea 6:1-2, and Psalm 60:2-3 to Isaiah
24:19-23.
The idea that there will soon be too little oil to meet world demand
is a hotly debated topic, but even if it’s true that oil and natural gas
reserves are plentiful, we have much recent experience to prove that the
supply is easily disrupted by wars, embargos, natural disasters,
environmentalism, and intentional restriction of supply by those who
profit from it. In addition to this, it seems like recent wars, as well
as business and political alliances are often motivated by the
assumption that oil will continue to be a valuable and scarce commodity.xxxi
If oil and natural gas are truly abundant as some argue, then
obviously there are forces at work preventing a flood of supply on the
market, and a massive oil discovery in Israel might disrupt
that kind of control. If there is a global conspiracy to limit oil
supply, this could be thwarted by the one nation in the world (Israel)
that seems to be increasingly isolated and immune to the one-world
movement.
Many prophecies clearly explain that two centers of economic
prosperity in the last days will be Babylon and Israel. The question is
why? As Joel Rosenberg pointed out at a recent event I attended, the
last two cities mentioned in the Bible and the two centers of world
attention at the end of this age are Jerusalem and Babylon. Many Bible
scholars believe that the headquarters of the Antichrist will be in
Babylon, Iraq. Many believe that the “king of Babylon” (Isaiah 14:4) is
a title for the Antichrist. I believe the Bible details that Babylon,
Iraq will soon be the economic center of the world. It looks like Iraq
will soon be at the geographic center of the world’s oil productionxxxii,
so it makes good sense as a headquarters for the Antichrist and his
forces. However, Daniel 11:45 says that he will also have some kind of
base of operations in Israel, in or near the tribe of Ephraim or
Manasseh, and possibly near Megiddo. Could it be that these two
headquarters are strategically placed for the same reason, to be near
the most easily exploitable and valuable oil reserves in the last days?
The “Breaking the Treasure Code” book by James & Steven Spillman is
by itself enough to convince us of a last days oil discovery in Israel,
and I believe my explanation of Psalm 108 should make skeptics of this
thesis uneasy. Considering both together should give us great confidence
that God will indeed fulfill all of His good promises to powerfully
restore Israel (and the rest of the world), as well as judge the
unrepentant, just as He has said. He will do all of this, that all may
know that He alone is the Lord.
i “Breaking the Treasure Code” by James R.
Spillman and Steven M. Spillman 2007
ii “Breaking the Treasure Code” key Scriptures
(All Scripture references in this paper are from the KJV): Deuteronomy
33:12-19, 24, 28 / Genesis 49:1, 22, 25-26 / Genesis 27:28, 39 / Ezekiel
38-39 (especially in 38:12-13) / Deuteronomy 32:13 / Some of these
verses by themselves are enough to make one consider the possibility of
oil yet to be discovered in Israel. However, taken as a group they
become especially convincing. Most of these verses appear in just two
passages, so the interpretation of those ones are strengthened by
context. Add to this the fact that the geographical anatomy fits like
pieces of a puzzle, you then have very long odds that this is all
coincidental. For example, the tribes of Joseph’s sons form what looks
just like the profile of a head with a kingly crown on top. Joseph’s
blessing is said to be on the crown of his head. (Genesis 49:26) Asher,
who is to “dip his foot (Southern tip) in oil”, borders the crown of
Joseph’s head. (Deuteronomy 33:24) Also, the other two tribes blessed
with oil (Deuteronomy 33:18-19) are on this crown. On top of all of
this, you have the fact that all of these regions are close to joining
together on or near the plain of Megiddo (see page 3 above for an
explanation as to why this is important). Another piece of the puzzle is
Benjamin, who “shall dwell between his shoulders”. This tribe makes its
dwelling exactly between where you would expect Joseph’s “shoulders” to
be.
iii Ephesians 3:20
iv Revelation commentary by Dr. Henry Morris
v Proverbs 2:2-6
vi See Jeremiah 30:24 as well
vii Daniel 12:9 / 12:4
viii Daniel 12:8
ix Isaiah 66:7-9
x Daniel 12:4, Rev 13:16,17
xi Ezekiel 38:2-6
xii Genesis 13:14,15 / 15:18 / 35:12
xiii Joel 2:16-18
xiv “Every map agrees with the general
geographic location and shape of the tribal boundaries.”--- “Breaking
the Treasure Code” by James R. Spillman and Steven M. Spillman pg. 71
xv Genesis 49:26
xvi Ezekiel 38:12-13
xvii In just these 3 verses, Isaiah 17:12-14,
there are at least 13 parallels to Psalm 83. In Isaiah 17:12 compare: a.
“Woe” (warning of judgment) to the entirety of Psalm 83 b. “multitude of
many people” and c. “nations” with Psalm 83:6-8 d. “noise”, occurring
twice, is the same Hebrew word as “tumult” in Psalm 83:2. In Is 17:13
compare: e. “nations” with Psalm 83:6-8 again f. “rebuke” (judgment) to
the entirety of Psalm 83 g. “chased” is the same in Hebrew as
“persecute” in Psalm 83:15 h. “chaff” to “stubble” in Psalm 83:13 i.
“mountains” also in Psalm 83:14 j. “before the wind” also in Psalm 83:13
k. “rolling thing” is the same in Hebrew as “wheel” in Psalm 83:13 l.
“whirlwind” is the same in Hebrew as “storm” in Psalm 83:15. Lastly, in
Is 17:14 “trouble” means calamity or destruction, which is the theme of
Psalm 83.
xviii Zechariah 14:1 &
http://bible-prophecy-today.blogspot.com/2009/08/oil-thirsty-red-dragon.html
xix Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary
xx Smith’s Bible Dictionary--(place of crowns)
was in a very marked position on the southern rim of the Plain of
Esdraelon, on the frontier line of the territories of the tribes of
Issachar and Manasseh, 6 miles from Mount Carmel and 11 from Nazareth.
It commanded one of those passes from the north into the hill country
which were of such critical importance on various occasions in the
history of Judea.
xxi Deuteronomy 33:24
xxii Acts 17:26
xxiii Lord willing, in the future I will
write much more about the timing of the return of Jesus. For now, I will
just say that like the prophets of old, I desire very much to be
searching for “what manner of time…the glory that should follow” (1
Peter 1:10, 11 / Daniel 12:6). Of course nobody can know the exact day
or hour Jesus’ return for His church, but the past blunders of date
setters do not mean that we can’t know the season of the Lord’s return.
In fact we are exhorted to be alert to the signs of His coming and “ye,
brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a
thief.” (1Thessalonians 5 :4)
xxiv I might write more on this sometime in
the future.
xxv Ezekiel 35:15
xxvi Genesis 15:18
xxvii Genesis 49:1
xxviii Psalm 110:2
xxix Isaiah 17:14
xxx Deuteronomy 33:17--“push the people
together, to the ends of the earth”. In the Hebrew the word “together”
can include the idea of “all at once”, which implies a sudden exertion
of great power. Also, see Deuteronomy 33:28, 29. Vs.28--“Israel then
shall dwell in safety alone”, which may describe that after (“then”)
Israel discovers oil (vss. 13, 15, 19), they will have a time of peace
after the Psalm 83 war. In fact this is a necessary condition before the
Gog invasion (see Ezekiel 38:8). The word “fountain” in vs. 28, is the
same Hebrew word as “well” in Genesis 49:28, which is said to be a part
of the blessing of Joseph’s (Manasseh’s) land “in the last days” Genesis
49:1. Maybe this is a fountain of oil and not water? Vs. 29—After the
Lord wins the battle of Psalm 83 (“saved by the Lord, the shield of thy
help, and…the sword of thy excellency!”) Israel “shalt tread upon” their
enemies’ “high places”. This might be the Golan Heights/East Manasseh
(Psalm 108:8) and the “mountains of Israel” in Ezekiel 33-39 (note that
these look like mountains to the North in Ezekiel 39:2).
xxxi
http://bible-prophecy-today.blogspot.com/2009/08/oil-thirsty-red-dragon.html
xxxii
http://bible-prophecy-today.blogspot.com/2009/08/oil-supplies-are-running-out-fast.html
Contact: tandm333@gmail.com
