Israel’s Hamas War, Gas-and-Oil, and the Awakening of the Russian Bear

While fighting Hamas in Gaza, on Oct. 29, Israel announced that it was awarding 12 licenses for exploring offshore natural gas fields to six major companies.

This news was overlooked by the major media, but this new development may give us an indication of how close we are to the Rapture and the return of Jesus Christ to claim his own. In a word, very.

These resources have lain more or less dormant. It has been nearly a full quarter-century since British Gas (BG) discovered them, sitting some 20 miles west of Israel under the Mediterranean. BG estimated the find at 1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.

But who owned them? It was then, and is now, a question. The Oslo Accords (1995, first major agreement between Israelis and Palestinians) gave rights to both the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel. The PA attempted development.

Israel consistently blocked that development, however. And then, in December 2008, Israel went one better: it declared sovereignty over the Gaza Marine area.

Soon after, more major nearby oil-gas deposits were discovered:

• The Tamar gas field (2009)
• The even larger Leviathan gas field (2010).

These finds were potential game changers, able to make Israel an oil-and-gas player just like rich Arab neighbors, who had enjoyed that status for many decades.

But progress was slow.

A 2022 global energy crisis brought about by the USA’s destruction of the Nord Stream Pipeline and the sanctions placed on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine re-ignited Israel’s interest.

Following his November 2022 reelection, Netanyahu gave the green light to tap the fields. In 2023, Israeli, U.S., Egyptian, Jordanian, and Palestinian Authority officials met to discuss the project. On June 18, 2023, Israel approved the development of the Gaza field, Netanyahu saying progress would hinge on “preserving the State of Israel’s security and diplomatic needs” and coordination with the Palestinian Authority and neighboring Egypt. At the same time, just this past summer, Hamas official Ismail Rudwan told Reuters: “We reaffirm that our people in Gaza have the rights to their natural resources.” (June 18)

But Israel apparently, in the end, still thought otherwise.

Two months later, Israel’s number one ally jumped in with muscle. In August 2023, two months before Oct. 7, interestingly, the Pentagon began building a $35.8 million troop facility in Israel’s Negev desert, 20 miles from Gaza. This was described as a radar site to monitor for missile attacks on Israel. According to one media report, the base is part of a “secret” U.S. military presence in Israel. (The Intercept, Oct. 27)

But not so secret, really, at least not to rivals. In Moscow, this construction did not go unnoticed. Nor do Uncle Sam’s warships sitting off the coast. Formerly a friend of Israel, Russia now sees Israel as moving even closer to its Ukraine-arming enemy, Washington.

This causes it, in turn, to move closer to Iran and Turkey, sworn enemies of Israel. (Ezekiel predicted an alliance between Russia, Iran, Turkey, and other nations as well – more than five centuries before Jesus appeared in Israel.)

Israel’s enemies are menacing. There is a cold war of words and weapons. Turkey’s head recently compared Netanyahu to Hitler. Iran is racing to finish building its nuclear weapons.

How long before this cold war sentiment becomes hot war carnage?

But for Russia to take the next step and lead a group of nations to seize the oil-and-gas plunder that belongs to another country? As Ezekiel 38 describes?

That is unthinkable to many, possibly because Russia has taken so much provocation from the West without response to date: the encroachment of NATO, the USA and EU arming of Ukraine, and the destruction of the Nord Stream pipeline. Russia made threats but took no action.

So it is that many believe forbearance will continue unabated forever.

But will it? Or will the Russian bear strike back? Against the West and the West’s Middle East ally, Israel, as well?

Prophecy watchers believe one day it will and that that event has the force of destiny about it. Only the timing is unclear.

The Crucial Question: When

Bible scholars who know prophecy agree Russia will invade Israel but differ on timing. Each of the following points in time has its adherents.

• Before Both the Rapture and the Tribulation

Perhaps a majority of modern-day Bible prophecy experts believe the Gog-Magog Battle will occur before both the Rapture of the Church and the seven-year Tribulation, possibly because this will ignite World War III and mass carnage, and the church is protected from this, they reason. Notables have included widely-read authors such as Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins (Left Behind), and Joel Rosenberg (Epicenter).

• After the Rapture But Before the Tribulation

Adherents have included educators Tommy Ice and Ed Hindson. Both have been associated with the Pre-Trib Research Center. Also, Arnold Fruchtenbaum of Ariel Ministries reasons the Russian invasion as taking place “sometime before the Tribulation” because “God will punish Russia for her sins,” for “the key sin is her long history of anti-Semitism, a problem that persists in Russia to this day.”

• In the First Half or Middle of the Tribulation

Supporters of this view include major names like John Walvoord, J. Dwight Pentecost, Charles Ryrie, Herman Hoyt, Charles Dyer, and Mark Hitchcock. As Pentecost explained, “To place the events in the middle of the week is the only position consistent with the chronology of these extended passages (Isaiah 30-35 and Joel 2-3).”

• At the End of the Tribulation (Armageddon)

Supporters of this stance include Louis Bauman and Charles Feinberg. They believe the Gog-Magog Battle and the final battle of Armageddon are the same event.

Prophecy watchers would very much like clarity on such a major element of prophecy, but indeed, we “see through a glass darkly.”

Meanwhile, evangelist and author Nathan Jones (The Mighty Angels of Revelation) packages the matter in an apt metaphor. It seems like Bible prophecy is a 100-piece puzzle, he says, and God has given us 75 pieces. We see the outline of the picture but are without every detail. This calls to mind the scripture: it is the glory of God to conceal a matter, and the honor of kings to search it out.

The believer can surely take comfort in knowing that this search is not forever, and arriving at both the understanding of prophecy and its physical terminus, i.e., the realization of the Kingdom of Christ on planet Earth, is a certainty. Point-by-point progress toward that goal is not linear, is not uniformly clear at the present moment, but always has on it the force of destiny. This is the Real and Final New World Order, and it cannot be stopped.

John Hamilton is the author of False Flags, State Secrets, Government Deceptions:

A Short History of the Modern Era and THE COVID VACCINE: And the silencing of our doctors and scientists.

Sources:

https://iacenter.org/2023/11/15/behind-israels-end-game-for-gaza-theft-of-offshore-gas-reserves/

https://christinprophecy.org/articles/timing-gog-magog/

https://www.cnbc.com/2023/11/08/russia-turns-against-israel-by-taking-sides-in-the-war-with-hamas.html

https://seymourhersh.substack.com/p/how-america-took-out-the-nord-stream

https://unctad.org/publication/economic-costs-israeli-occupation-palestinian-people-unrealized-oil-and-natural-gas

https://jashow.org/articles/who-are-the-nations-in-ezekiel-38-2/

 

Definition of Bae: A person’s boyfriend or girlfriend; an acronym that stands for “before anyone else” or a shortened version of baby or babe.

Hey Celebs, just for the record and for what it’s worth… Satan is NOT your friend, much less your “Bae”!

In fact, Satan is the enemy of every person/soul who has ever lived, and his only wish and desire is to destroy every single one of us! Here is a link to plenty of scripture to prove it, too!

BIBLE VERSES ABOUT SATAN (kingjamesbibleonline.org)

It has been insightfully said that a picture is worth a thousand words, meaning that so much can be conveyed through a single shot or image, which turns out to be true in many ways. For example, certain social media platforms are well known for giving people the opportunity to make a statement. Just by posting extraordinary, profound, or even dull and mundane photographs, videos, and memes online, one can be very influential.

Sharing snapshots is an avenue that is my favorite, by the way, because this is one method that helps to capture memories by freezing them at a certain moment in time. A technique that can enable, validate, and solidify the said experience. An episode that now cannot be so easily forgotten, taken back, or even undone, though someone may want or try to.

A few years ago, while perusing such social media sites, I remember being aghast upon seeing a certain female celebrity’s post of a photo of Satan with a caption down at the bottom, labeling him with an endearment by calling him “Bae.” This type of thing shouldn’t be surprising, though, because we know that many a celebrity by now has conveyed similar sentiments toward this evil being, even while publicly receiving trophies, accolades, and awards on the worldwide stage. Yes, these lost yet famous people will stand there for all to see while proudly and unashamedly vocalizing their props to none other than that old, disgusting serpent himself!

Still, as believers in Yeshua Hamachiach, to see and hear all of this is utterly mortifying, and just speaking for myself, it is inconceivable for someone to have the audacity to give themselves completely over to the enemy of all of mankind like that! Either way, those who are of the world and who have allowed themselves to be spiritually blinded by the devil by giving him control of their lives will now not even have the capacity to think with their right mind, hence the reason I’m writing this today.

Another example, even among non-celebrities, exists as well, such as in the recent news of those involved in a Satanic Temple up north who boldly put up a controversial tree at a public gathering complete with the pentagram and a picture of the gross Baphomet alongside it! When confronted, they acknowledged their right and claim to share in this historically pagan ritual/homage to Sol Invictus and plan on making this an annual holiday practice and hopefully a favorite, too. Once again, here is another individual or group showing their love for Satan.

Although people are spiritually blinded and celebrities the world over proudly pay homage to this ultimate foe, it definitely does not come without a cost. Oftentimes, these lost souls will suffer in many ways for doing this. For instance, through many of their own testimonies, they will explain how they are tormented by demons day and night. Details such as paranormal things happening while they are alone in the privacy of their own homes, to randomly smelling sulfur, to seeing occurrences of apparitions, flies, and things moving around, to waking up to sleep paralysis and other evil and harmful things happening to them during the wee hours of the night!

Sadly, not only do they pay the dear price in the here and now mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and even physically, but the raw truth of the matter is that if they do not repent and turn to true saving faith belief in Jesus Christ before they die, they will also be paying dearly with their soul in fiery torment where the worm dies not for all of eternity as well!

Clearly, any person in their sane and right-thinking mind would see that serving Satan is not a good tradeoff in the least, even for all the shiny things that this world has to offer, or will ever be remotely worth it at all! The fact of the matter, in light of all of this rampantly increasing demon worship throughout our world, is that Jesus is coming back sooner than we can really imagine!

Basically, time is running out! Rapidly running out for that one more chance, for repentance, to be able to go back and make better choices, to change what has been done, and especially to be able to humble oneself and turn to Christ and finally make amends with the Heavenly Father!

When all is said and done, and fates are sealed, it will just simply be woefully too late for the countless millions who chose to be unbelievers. Once again, Satan will not be your friend on that final day… much less your “Bae.” In fact, it will be quite the opposite!

If I could share a final takeaway, it would be this: there is Someone who should be “Before Anyone Else” because He is a friend that sticks closer than a sibling, loves you with an everlasting love, promises never to leave or forsake you, was sent to this earth to be a Sacrifice to pay for all of our sins, and paid that price with His own blood! All you have to do now is to trust in Him and believe in His death, burial, and resurrection on your behalf, and your soul will be gloriously and graciously saved! Here is a link to scriptures proving this fact, too!

BIBLE VERSES ABOUT JESUS LOVE (kingjamesbibleonline.org)

This Someone has a name, too, and His Name is Jesus Christ, Yeshua Hamachiach, Emmanuel (God with us), YHWH, The Great I Am, King of kings and Lord of lords, the Creator of the universe, among many other names and titles that we cannot fully wrap our brains around and fathom!

Bottom line: He is the Ultimate Saviour, and He loves you more than you will ever know this side of eternity. Satan cannot even hold a candle to that or ever be able to compare!

Scripturally, remember this: Satan wants to destroy you, and God wants to restore you. If anything, my plea would be to please wake up and turn from unbelief to belief in Jesus Christ before time runs out! In Jesus Christ’s Sweet, Precious, Holy, and Powerful Name, Amen!

Until next time… Maranatha!

Sincerely & In Christ,

Candy Austin