January 2004 Personal Letter

Tonie Takes on Israel

We went to Israel to bless the people of the Land, and the Lord truly blessed us in return, just as He promises, “I will bless those that bless thee” (Ge. 12:3). During our two-week stay we had many significant contacts with Israelis from all walks of life, from taxi drivers and shopkeepers to postal workers and IDF (Israel Defense Forces) soldiers. Everyone greeted us warmly and expressed genuine happiness that we had come to Israel to express our Christian love and support for them. On our first day in Jaffa, a postal worker asked, “You didn’t have any place better to go than Israel?” He beamed when we replied we were delighted to be in Israel.

A young Jewish actor on a residential street in Jerusalem, after talking to us awhile, finally asked if we were Believers. Then he told us, “Most Christians who come here love the Palestinians, but they don’t love us.” One taxi driver told us much the same thing: “We don’t need your support as much as we need you to understand us.”

We told them that we had come to tell the Jewish people that Christians love and support them. We were surprised at the impression that most Christians coming to Israel love the Palestinians and not the Jews, but in many of the Messianic and Christian hostels where we stayed, we noticed the guests really were there to visit Palestinian-controlled areas and even made comments that the media were wrong about such areas being dangerous. It was shocking to realize that the vast majority of the Christian tourists we encountered in Israel were Arab sympathizers.

The Lord certainly gave us experiences to help us understand regular Israelis who are surely burdened just as Jeremiah said, “Woe is me now, for my soul is weary because of murderers.” The actor we met spoke about the bombing, which had taken place one month earlier, in a restaurant only two blocks from his home; the terrorist had taken the life of a doctor who primarily treated victims of terror attacks. Our young friend told us how it had shaken him to hear the explosion so close to the home his family had lived in for 55 years.

A taxi driver told us, “People in America believe what CNN says about us.” His intense countenance softened when we replied that we knew CNN lies, and that we had come to show our support for Israel and to make prayers of intercession for Israel. This driver had started off the conversation by asking if we were tourists and when we answered “yes,” he said, “I should take a picture of you because there are no tourists in Tel Aviv.” He also took great interest in the place where he dropped us off — in front of a Messianic coffee shop and bookstore. We prayed that he would return sometime on his own to see what it was about.

Inside the coffee shop, we met an Arab Believer who had been held in prison by the Palestinian Authority (PA) at the beginning of the Intifada. Sentenced to death, he had been imprisoned and tortured for two years by the PA. When the Intifada intensified, the Israeli army went into many of the PA-held towns (against worldwide political and media outcry) and liberated those prisoners, who were being held for their Christian faith, including the man we spoke to.

It was such a great blessing from the Lord to meet this gentleman whom we had actually prayed for (because of prayer alerts we received from David and Leah Ortiz in Ariel). We saw the fruit of our prayers in meeting this dear brother who now lives in Israeli-controlled Israel!

We had the great joy of attending a picnic in a forest outside of Tiberias where 700 to 800 Messianic Jewish and Palestinian Christians came together to worship on the Sabbath. It was the second annual gathering of congregations in northern Israel to strengthen the bonds of reconciliation that they have through Jesus, Who is the only “road map for peace” in the Middle East! It was a great privilege to witness such a significant gathering.

We also met with congregational leaders in Haifa and Jaffa who minister to the huge numbers of Russian Jewish Believers. We spoke to a young Jewish pastor who is about to plant a congregation in Haifa that will minister in Hebrew in order to attract native-born Israelis, called sabras [which is a cactus-derived fruit with a very rough, scratchy exterior and a sweet mushy inside — like the native Israelis].

We have been praying for many of the Jews we met in Netanya, a city on the Mediterranean coastline, speaking to the congregational leaders as they gathered together for meetings. And we had a wonderful Shabbat meal with leaders from both a Netanya and a Tel Aviv congregation. It was a great experience to meet so many people we have been praying for over several years.

Our “tour guide” truly was our Heavenly Father and hopefully we saw everything He wanted us to notice. We felt entirely safe throughout our two weeks in Israel, even though we put 1,300 miles on our rental car in 13 days. We were three women traveling through a land that many claim is far too dangerous to even consider visiting, but we understood that if you go in God’s will, there is no safer place in the world for you to be. We did not experience any fear for our safety although the Lord certainly let us see and understand the dangers that really do exist in Israel.

While returning to Tel Aviv from a trip down to Ein Gedi along the Dead Sea, we took a wrong turn to a secondary highway off the major highway in Jerusalem to Tel Aviv. We no sooner got onto the secondary highway than we hit a total stoppage of traffic. We watched as army vehicles began to come in along the right shoulder of the road — three or four, including one large truck that resembled an ambulance.

People were getting out of their cars and peering into the distance to see what was going on, and traffic on the other side was stopped as well. When the traffic finally started again, we passed an abandoned car on the left shoulder guarded by a handful of young IDF soldiers with rifles. Then we spotted the ambulance-like van that now had a bomb-detecting robot standing alongside.

We learned that in Israel it’s illegal to leave your car on the side of the road unattended because it can be mistaken for a car bomb. I realized that what we had mistaken for impatience in some of those dealing with the stopped traffic was more likely fear of an impending car bombing. Such concerns are daily occurrences in Israel — far more pressure than we can comprehend.

But the opportunity to go and tell Israelis that God loves them is certainly within God’s will. And even with the terrorism, there was no safer place for us to be. Again, I sincerely thank you, partners. This was a wonderful and memorable opportunity for which I’ll be forever grateful. May the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob be glorified.

Alan Takes on the Methodists

Millions of honest, decent, Christian Americans attend services every Sunday at the “mainline” Protestant churches such as The United Methodist Church, The Presbyterian Church USA, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, The Episcopal Church USA, and The United Church of Christ. Little do most in attendance realize that there has been a concerted effort over many decades to subvert these once great religious institutions, so that today, portions of their tithes support abortion, homosexuality, same-sex “marriage,” socialism, and opposition to the State of Israel.

As is well known, various senior figures at some of these theologically bankrupt (but financially wealthy) churches preach that: 1. Jesus was the biological son of Joseph, 2. Jesus never performed any miracles, and 3. Jesus was never raised from the dead. Politically, they view George W. Bush and Ariel Sharon as misguided leaders, and Fidel Castro and Yasser Arafat as heroic men.

Many churches are also enemies of Israel — because its very existence is a threat to their liberal theology. That millions of Jews from around the world have gathered there is proof that the Holy Bible is the revealed word of God — and not a book of myths, fables, and fairy tales as these churches contend.

All of this is best seen in the anti-Israel agenda of the largest mainline Protestant denomination, The United Methodist Church, keeping in mind that the others are similar (and that the anti-Israelism of the Catholic Church goes without saying). The United Methodist Church presently has five “missionaries” in the areas of historical Israel known as Judea and Samaria (commonly called the “West Bank”). This region is now populated predominantly by the so-called “Palestinians” (a group of Arabs who drifted in over the years and came to occupy land that God promised to Abraham and his Hebrew descendants). The modern State of Israel recaptured this land from Jordan in 1967 as a result of its miraculous victory in the “Six Day War” against the Arab dictatorships which had sworn to use their overwhelming numerical superiority to “drive the Jews into the sea.” Unfortunately for the dictators, God had other ideas.

The United Methodist Church, however, does not see fit to recognize God’s covenant with Abraham. According to the United Methodist Board of Church and Society (in the minutes of its meeting March 13-17, 2002), Israel must end its “illegal occupation of Palestinian and Arab territories.” Moreover, to the United Methodists, the lands of Judea and Samaria, settled by the Jews thousands of years ago, which contain the burial places of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Leah, Rachel, Joseph, etc., are not the only “Palestinian territories.”

The opinion leader and de facto spokesperson for the United Methodist Church on Israeli/Palestinian issues is missionary Sandra Olewine.

Although totally opposed to any efforts by Israel to protect innocent men, women and children from brainwashed Palestinian suicide bombers, Reverend Olewine (in an article published by The United Methodist Church General Board of Global Ministries) has called US and Israeli insistence that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat arrest members of terrorist groups “an almost absurd request.” She has suggested that traditional Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land should be replaced by pro-Palestinian “solidarity” tours. As she put it: “Don’t come to have a personal spiritual experience. You must share in the sufferings of the people or don’t come at all.”

This virulently anti-Israel propagandist has also stated that the “West Bank and Gaza comprise only 22 percent of Palestinian land.” What constitutes the other 78 percent of “Palestinian land,” according to Olewine? The pre-1967 borders of the State of Israel, which are recognized internationally, even by some of Israel’s bitterest enemies!

One of Olewine’s fellow United Methodist missionaries is the Reverend Alex Awad, a “Palestinian,” who has stated that Yasser Arafat is “an honest peacemaker” and that Arafat’s “land and home were stolen from him” by the Israelis. Awad’s description of Arafat would be one hundred percent accurate — if Arafat were not the Egyptian-born, mass-murdering dictator who is the father of modern terrorism, and who also has stolen billions of dollars of foreign aid intended for the people that he brutally rules.

In an official “United Methodist News Service Commentary” on American attitudes towards Islam in the aftermath of September 11, Awad wrote: “If we want to find the enemy, we must look within us rather than at Islam and Muslims. The enemies of the United States and the Western world are found mainly within the United States and the Western world. Greed, pride, hypocrisy, racism, moral corruption, xenophobia, and social injustices are our worst enemies. These are the sins that make us hate, humiliate, kill, starve whole nations, and pollute our planet.”

The other three United Methodist missionaries in this region are Brenda Awad (Alex Awad’s wife), Bob May and Janet Lahr Lewis — all of whose statements and writings agree wholeheartedly with the viewpoints expressed by their two comrades. At the United Methodist website (gbgm-umc.org) Mrs. Awad has written that the Israelis are “the champions of terrorism” and are guilty of “atrocities.” She mocks reasonable requests by Israel and the US that Arafat live up to his “peace agreements” by writing (at www.indymedia.org): “It is not up to the Palestinians to provide Israel with security.”

May, an American citizen, refers to himself as an “internationalist.” At his Internet site (www.bobmay.info), he has called Palestinian suicide bombings “freedom fighting activity” and has written “I don’t ask everyone I meet if they are members of Hamas or Fatah. As far as I’m concerned, that’s their business.” He also stated that the two thousand year old “Western Wall” of the Jewish Second Temple in Jerusalem, built seven centuries before Islam even existed, “is owned by the Muslims, although they allow Jews to pray in front of it.” A map on May’s website has the designation: “Israel (Palestine).”

Janet Lahr Lewis works out of the “Sabeel Ecumenical Liberation Theology Center” in Jerusalem, an institution whose ultimate goal is the promotion of an anti-Biblical agenda.

If these United Methodist Church workers are missionaries, what is their mission? Are they telling anyone about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and inviting them to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior? Or are they simply there to promote anti-Israel politics?

God promised to Abraham and his Hebrew descendants: “I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee” (Ge. 12:3). And that seems to be reflected in the rate these churches are losing members. In 1960, the mainline Protestant denominations in the United States had over 29 million members. Today that number has declined to fewer than 21 million during a period when overall church membership in the US has increased by over one-third.

Tourism to Israel is back up and violence is “embarrassingly” low, so much so as to ruin the media’s favorite piñata, Israel. So I’m hoping you’ll take this opportunity to join us for our tour of Israel in March.

The Deluxe Tour, visiting Israel only, will depart on March 14th and will return on the 24th. Our Grand Petra Tour, visiting both Israel and Petra, will depart on March 14th and return on the 28th. The Grand Athens Tour, cruising the Greek Isles and touring Israel, extends from March 9th through the 24th. Finally, our Ultra-Grand Tour, with everything — the Greek Isles, Israel and Petra — will begin on March 9th and end on the 28th. We’re also planning a tour for teachers and students in June.

For more information or the confirmation of tour dates, check with Tony at (214) 696-9760 during business hours. You can also call 1-800-WONDERS (1-800-966-3377) anytime for a brochure about any of our tours.

Finally, I want to remind you that today is our “H-Hour.” Now that we have gone on PAX, we have taken a leap of faith. We have made such leaps before, and our supporters have come through for us and the Lord. We’re therefore requesting that all of you please ask the Lord what He would have you do in this situation. We are invariably perfectly satisfied with whatever He tells you.

Thanks for your prayers and support, and know that we intend to stay at our post and do what we can until the Lord arrives.

At a time when many churches are now aligning with the ungodly, I hope you will continue to remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Your Messenger,

P.S. Regarding PAX on Thursday mornings, cable viewers can tune Zola in at 9:30 am on both coasts and at 8:30 Central and Mountain Time. Both Dish’s Channel 181 and DirecTV’s Channel 255 will carry Zola at 9:30 ET, 8:30 CT, 7:30 MT and 6:30 PT. Local broadcast viewers should check these times with their local PAX affiliates. For our complete airing schedule, please refer to pages 18-23 of the December and January Levitt Letters and visit www.levitt.com.