News that Israel has discovered a mega-gas field off the coast of Haifa has made supporters of the Jewish state quite happy. An Israeli friend recently told me there is the potential for Israel to be energy independent for “the next hundred years.”

It is almost routine, then, for us to expect the Arabs to howl. That is exactly what the Lebanese are doing. The country that borders Israel on the north—and is a puppet state of Syria and her benefactor, Iran—has asked the UN to intervene and “prevent Israel from exploiting Lebanon’s oil and maritime wealth.”

It is said the gas field contains 16 trillion cubit feet of gas, and it’s estimated worth is $45 billion!

Interestingly, the UN won’t publicly back Lebanon’s wishes on the matter. The global body has been Israel’s nemesis for decades, and will no doubt be a thorn in Israel’s side in other ways. For now, though, the UN will not interfere in gas drilling operations in the region.

Lebanon, of course, is accusing the Israelis of drilling into their site, but the Tamar drill site is considerably to the southwest of the Leviathan site discovered by Israel.

I think Christians who believe in Bible prophecy should be cautious about affixing Ezekiel 38,39 to this particular situation. Whenever any geopolitical ripple emerges in the region that bears any resemblance to the scenario outlined by the ancient prophet, prophecy experts go into overdrive.

I advocate a more cautious approach, emphasizing broad outlines and waiting patiently for events to unfold. Besides, in this case, it could be that the reason for invading Israel has little to do with her alleged abundance of natural resources, or her warm-weather ports (it has been long assumed that Gog is the leader of Russia, which has long coveted said ports).

In a new book, Flashpoint 2012 (Icon Publishing Group), Haskell Rycroft offers a more base and plausible reason for an end-times invasion of Israel: pure hatred.

Rycroft makes the case that it is age-old “Ishmael” hatred of his Middle Eastern cousin that spearheads the famous, iconic invasion that will see five-sixths of Gog’s army supernaturally destroyed by the Lord.

I think he may be on to something.

We must also remember what Scripture actually says.

Along with the supposed reasons for this invasion, prophecy watchers have often said that “Gog” carefully plans this invasion for some time. I once heard an evangelist say that there is a legend in Russia that a diabolical leader will plan this invasion and carry it out.

Yet Ezekiel tells us that the Lord puts this idea in Gog’s mind rather suddenly and even puts a “hook” in Gog’s jaw, to turn him around and drag him to this confrontation on the mountains of Israel.

Israel’s gas field could be a boon to her economy and energy independence. There might also be more surprises that would seemingly tip some scales in Israel’s favor for once—some oil reserves, for example.

But unless Gog is right at this moment beginning to feverishly and hastily prepare an invasion of Israel, we cannot assume that he has been licking his lips since the gas field was discovered some time ago.

No, the famous Gog-Magog War seems to be a hurried affair, and the subsequent, lightning victory that God unleashes for Israel will be even more sudden.

It will take more than gas pains for Gog to act.

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Originally published in Rapture Ready, Israel Watch. January 10, 2011

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