Tovia Luskin, a professional petroleum geo-physicist found 44 million barrels of oil at a test site somewhere in Samaria and is planning a second well that is estimated to contain one billion barrels of oil and four trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Luskin, who immigrated to Israel from the former Soviet Union, said he got the idea for the location during the Sukkot holiday one year while reading the blessing that Moses gave the tribe of Joseph. It says that Joseph would have the "blessings of the deep", leading him to explore the region of land allotted to Joseph.
The discovery of this oil could change the face of oil exportation in the world. Israel could become one of the largest oil suppliers. Because this petroleum find is geologically from the same petroleum pool that is located under Syria, Saudi Arabia and Algeria, Israel's drilling could cause further Arab-Israeli dissension. In fact, it could be the fuel that sparks war.
Arutz Sheva (7) News Service released the following report on Wednesday, May 5, 1999:
"Rumors of flowing water from the Foundation Stone on the Temple Mount have cost at least one man a few hours of freedom. Rabbi Yosef Elbaum, who regularly takes visitors on tours to permitted areas of the Temple Mount, was arrested yesterday when he attempted to verify the rumors of the flowing water. He took his usual route, and when a policeman ordered him to veer off the path and walk in a...forbidden area, Rabbi Elbaum refused. The policeman arrested him, and he was released only a few hours later. Rabbi Elbaum was unable to verify the truth of the rumors."
Speaking with Arutz-7 today, Rabbi Elbaum said, 'The Book of Ezekiel mentions that water will begin flowing from the Foundation Rock...' [Ezekiel 47 describes this phenomenon.] 'We have heard rumors of foreign press reports over the past week that waters have started to flow from the Rock, and that it is impossible to locate the source or to stop the flow.' Rabbi Elbaum said that from the answers to his inquiries on the topic during his walk yesterday, and from the fact that he was arrested on 'such a baseless charge,' he suspects that the policemen and the Waqf [Muslim religious leader] personnel were attempting to hide something from him."
The prophetic implications of the discovery of oil and the water flowing from the Foundation Stone are enormous. The Scriptures state that the natural comes first, then the spiritual (1 Cor. 15:46). Jesus said:
"He who believes in Me..out of his heart will flow rivers living water...He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive..." (John 7:38,39)
When Jesus was handed the scroll of Isaiah in the synagogue on the Sabbath, He read only verse 1 and the first sentence of verse 2 of chapter 61 (Luke 4:18-19). Many Bible commentators believe that He did not read the rest of chapter 61 because it refers to the end-of-the-age. What He didn't read from Isaiah follows:
"...and the day of vengeance of our G-d; to comfort all who mourn, to console those who mourn in Zion, to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the L-rd, that He may be glorified." (Isaiah 61:2b-3)