John Brown, founder of the Dallas-based Zion, quotes the Bible about his latest drilling venture in Israel, where his company has an oil and gas exploration licence covering about 40,000 hectares.

"Most blessed of sons be Asher," Moses says in the book of Deuteronomy. "Let him be favoured by his brothers and let him dip his foot in oil."

Brown said that passage indicated there was oil lying beneath the land of the Old Testament Tribe of Asher. He was led to the new drillsite at Kibbutz Maanit in northern Israel, by previous geological surveys and an attempt by an Israeli-based company to find oil at the site 10 years ago.

Recent scientific studies had shown a “high probability” of a commercial oil find of up to 500 million barrels. Zion Oil’s 54-metre drilling derrick is in place and is due to soon start drilling down to 4500m TD.

Brown raised money for The Joseph Project from fellow evangelical Christians in the US.

The investors hoped to get a positive return on their investments, and obtain God’s blessing for themselves and Israel, as God promised in the book of Genesis, to shower blessings on those who bless the “great nation" sired by Hebrew patriarch Abraham.