Oil In Israel?

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 effort^v. 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 Israel^ix, technological advances^x, and recent national alliances^xi, 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 land^xiii, 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 anatomy^xiv 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 Megiddo^xviii (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 nearby^xxi.) 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 away^xxiii) 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 Land^xxvi, 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.^xxxAdditionally, 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 production^xxxii, 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

Oil In Israel?

Confirmation of James Spillman’s oil in Israel thesis in the anatomy of Psalm 108

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