As readers know, Russia and China have just announced a massive 30-year gas contract where Russia will direct a large portion of its natural gas production to China, starting in 2018 (see first link and second link). This post is intended to give an early indication of who the winners and losers might be in this new Russian-Chinese deal, and document that this deal further implements biblical prophecy.
Russia and China are obvious winners. Russia secures a long-term customer for its natural gas and China secures a long-term supply for its energy needs. China badly needed an alternative source of energy to replace its many coal plants which were poisoning China’s air. The obvious losers are the European nations which had depended on Russian energy shipments from Russia’s Gazprom energy monopoly. They have been served notice that by at least 2018 European nations cannot depend on Russian energy supplies any longer (does the timing of this agreement have anything to do with the recent Euro-Russian spat re: the Ukraine?). Europe may receive some energy shipments from Russia after 2018 or they may not, but their future gas supplies are now at risk. Indeed, while the initial signing indicates this agreement will take full effect in 2018, Russia may start sending more natural gas to China and less to Europe as soon as it wants to do so. The harder Europe pushes vs. Russia re: the Ukrainian crisis, the quicker Russian gas shipments may be redirected from Europe to China.
There will be obvious winners and losers within Europe because of this announcement. Those European nations which have at least some measure of energy independence will become stronger in intra-European relationships and the energy-starved European nations will become weaker in intra-European relationships. The United Kingdom and Norway share the North Sea oil and gas fields so they are in far better positions than most European nations. Romania has its Ploesti oil fields which were so critical in World War II. France is heavily dependent on nuclear-plants for electricity production so France will have an advantage due to this fact. Nations in Europe that have avoided or downsized their nuclear energy production may need to rethink their priorities very quickly. The citizens of Europe, when faced with freezing in winter or adhering to “Green” party oppositions to nuclear power, will choose to not freeze.
Another winner will be the USA, which is producing steadily more oil and gas and which has natural gas supplies available to export to Europe via Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) shipments via merchant tanker ships. The third link reports that the USA now has export permit applications from 31(!) new exporting facilities which want to export LNG to the world. Six applications have received conditional approvals already. The urgent need for Europe to obtain new suppliers for natural gas should expedite the approvals for new export facilities in the USA and the USA could become the world’s largest natural gas exporter in a few years. This development could dramatically turn the USA into a net energy exporter and would also dramatically reduce the US trade deficit.
Surprisingly, another winner will be Israel, which is developing a major new natural gas field off its Mediterranean seacoast. The fourth link wonders if the Israelis will be able to find buyers for their new gas supplies, but that was before this Russian-Chinese gas deal was announced. Israel’s position near Europe’s southeastern region will make Israeli natural gas very precious to European buyers now that Russia’s natural gas supplies to Europe are either in doubt or may end entirely. If Europe comes to depend heavily on Israeli energy, think how this will change the dynamics of European policies on Mideast issues!
Biblically speaking, this new Russian-Chinese gas deal is wholly consistent with the prophecy of Ezekiel 38-39 and will help to fulfill that prophecy. Media articles on this deal have noted that Russia is “turning eastward” in this deal and this will make the Gog-Magog alliance of Russia, China, Iran, etc. as prophesied in Ezekiel 38 even more tightly cohesive. Russia and China were already strategic allies, but this will bind them together even more strongly. European nations will almost certainly need to turn to the USA and Israel for their natural gas supplies, pushing the European nations into a stronger relationship with the USA as the USA becomes a main natural gas supplier to Europe. Israel will be able to press for a more pro-Israeli policy from European nations in order for Europe to receive Israeli natural gas supplies. If Europe has anti-Israeli policies, Israel’s natural gas supplies may be sold instead to India, Japan and other nations. India already enjoys good relationships with Israel, and the recent election of a Hindu nationalist (determined to boost India’s manufacturing industry) to India’s Presidency will make India a likely buyer for Israeli natural gas. The fourth link also names Egypt and Turkey as nations which may benefit from the natural gas finds in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. This fact may lead to European money being invested in those nations to bring their supplies on-line before Russia’s are cut off. The Russian-Chinese gas deal should draw the US and Europe closer together as natural trade partners in natural gas contracts. This will bind the modern nations of the house of Israel closer together as we draw deeper into the latter days of our age. Ezekiel 38 prophesies the Russian-Chinese alliance will eventually militarily attack the western alliance led by the modern nations of the house of Israel–found in Europe, Scandinavia and North America as well as Australia and New Zealand (as my books, articles and audio messages extensively document). I see a Divine hand shepherding the modern nations into precisely the alliances that the Creator God of the Bible prophesied they would be in at the end of our age.
- http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/gazprom-china-russia-sign-30-year-gas-deal/2014/05/21/042442f0-e0cf-11e3-9442-54189bf1a809_story.html
- http://www.bbc.com/news/business-27503017
- http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/04/07/us-natural-gas-exports-to-begin/7204925/
- http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2014/0417/Can-Israel-s-natural-gas-reserves-pump-up-regional-peace
