Greetings, Friend—
Katharine and I are back in the States with memories of our recent trip to Israel still brightening our days.
Passover really blessed us; I hope it did you as well. We held an intimate Seder for 120 (did I say “intimate?”) at our Napa-based Beit Abba congregation. Several “pre-Yeshua” Jewish people attended and remarked on how interesting they found the experience. Likewise, many Believers were stunned anew at the seamless connection between the lamb’s blood of Israel’s Egyptian bondage and the “Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.” Of course, Katharine and I saw it as another opportunity to witness the Jewishness of the Gospel go forth. Very satisfying.
Our spring tour to Israel and Petra was a smashing success. Believe it or not, even after twenty trips across more than fifteen years, Katharine and I had never been to Petra! We wish that experience for everyone, at least once. However, we noticed that after only a day in Jordan, one of our pilgrims literally kissed the ground of Israel when we returned! Truly, Islam affects nations and their people negatively.
Jordan’s Hashemites and native Bedouins make up only 30% of the population. “Palestinian” Arabs from the surrounding nations constitute the other 70%. They live in tension with each other, and the government of Jordan privately depends on Israeli intelligence in order to keep the scene quiet.
Historically, the Jordanians have resisted incursion by “Palestinians.” The crisis came to a head in the 1970 Black September military action. King Hussein of Jordan declared military rule in response to a Palestinian attempt to seize his kingdom. This resulted in the deaths or expulsion of thousands of Palestinians from Jordan. Since then, there has been an uneasy “truce” between the Palestinians and the Hashemite rulers. As usual, the net effect on the “regular” people of the nation has been difficult. Islam has a way of thwarting initiative, forward thinking, and equality.
Petra (rt.) has a rich history. Its future is left to conjecture, but many scholars believe that Petra may play a part in the transition between the Tribulation and the Millennial Kingdom. We shall see.
In contrast to the stagnant feeling in Petra, Israel bustled with spring hope and preparations for Passover.
We documented this tour on video for television and were pleased that, like each Zola Tour, this one included the most mature, flexible, spiritually hungry Believers we could ever hope to host in the Promised Land. They enhance each other’s experience!
Imagine our delight when we saw Judy and her daughter, Stephanie, return after their summer tour last year. Their profound experience led them to bring along Judy’s sister and her friend Katie. That speaks volumes to us as the host pastors. We strive to make each tour rich with Bible teaching, history, Messianic insight, and unique encounters with Israelis. You may want to consider joining us for the Fall 2013 30th Anniversary Tour. We have some very special plans to make it a life-changing experience for you and your family.
Our Fall Tour offers four options for experiencing the Holy Land and the footsteps of the Apostle Paul. Our staff would be glad to discuss them with you.
Remember, we have 30 years of experience, and our ground office in Israel, Immanuel Tours, is a Messianic organization that provides the highest quality care for our pilgrims. Call 214-696-9760 today and let us give you the custom tour of a lifetime. You can choose from the options below. Learn more at our website, www.levitt.com/tour.
We always look forward to going “home” to Israel, a testimony our pilgrims share. They come away from Israel saying, “I may live in ______, but Israel is my true home!” When His children recognize their familial connection with the Land and people of Israel, I believe this encourages the heart of the Lord. I know it encourages the Israelis. As the world’s nations rage against God, His Word, and His Jewish people, Christians who stand up for Israel become a precious find for the Jews. We consider it a privilege to introduce visitors to Israel because Christians who make the pilgrimage grow spiritual roots. They walk where Jesus walked, and they become connected to the “organic” nature of God in His creation and in the choice of His tiny Land.
Several years ago while leading a group through the Land, we came to Neot Kedumim, the Biblical Landscape Reserve in Samaria. Remember, Samaria is the heartland of Israel, falsely called the “West Bank.” It is the central mountain range where our patriarchs walked, built altars, and lived the stories that we read about in Scripture.
As we walked through the gardens learning about the flora and fauna of the Bible, we came upon a small, Jewish, grey-haired man quietly working under a lean-to. We approached softly, as he was hunched over intently, caught up in his labors, humming Israeli folk tunes to himself and to God’s creation. He looked up and smiled at the “notzrim”—which translates as Christians, shoots of the old olive tree, Nazarites,followers of the Nazarene, watchmen on the walls—and returned to his work. And his work? He was a scribe, copying the Bible!
He demonstrated his methods to us. He took beige and grey powders made from the surrounding plants, and before our eyes, mixed them together to become black ink! Taking a wild- turkey quill in hand, he dipped its tip into the newly formed ink and scratched out perfect Hebrew letters on parchment. And the parchment? Made from a local animal’s dried skin. We watched in amazement as Zacharias (he had introduced himself) copied the Bible and explained in heavily accented broken English. He was a third-generation scribe. If he made a mistake, he had to pray, then cut out and bury the error. If the mistake was made in writing God’s name, the whole scroll would be buried!
Here was Zacharias — an indigenous man, a Sabra (native Israeli) sitting in His ancestral Land, using the gifts from the land to create the Word that is heard around the world, positively affecting every nation where it goes. We took in the whole scene: a picture of God’s blessing on the Jewish people and the Land of Israel, and through the Jews to the entire planet. We rejoiced as Zacharias told us he was married to a “Weiss,” making us family on an even closer level … and again when he revealed that he was copying the Book of Esther (my given Hebrew name is Mordecai!).
The Creator of Heaven and Earth is invested in the tiny nation and people that the whole world eschews. Our mission is to proclaim who He is and to overtly love what He loves, even over the din of media-driven slander and anti-God antics. We plan to continue doing so, hoping to increase the quality and the scope of how we do it! With your help we can keep shouting from the housetops all the good news of Yeshua and His love for His natural brethren and His bride, the Church.
With your support we can uphold our benevolence ministries, some of which are described in our Sons of Promise TV series,
airing this month on Zola Levitt Presents (please see the program
descriptions below). Katharine and I
had the opportunity to connect the
modern fruits of Israel to the Covenant
promises, which came to the patriarchs.
The blessings continue, and these pro-
grams beautifully illustrate that. This
series will enlighten and encourage
you. You may want to show it to friends
and family, especially those who are
vulnerable to the spell of anti-Semitism.
The final episodes of our eight-part Sons of Promise series air in May:
Let’s please work together to lift up the Name above all names and right the wrongs being done to Yeshua’s natural family, the Jewish people. Would you prayerfully consider helping us expand and improve all that we do?
Until next time, please remember, “Sha’alu shalom Yerushalayim—Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem!”
Your brother,
Myles
P.S. We emphasize God’s plan to include the gentiles in His family to help prepare for Messiah’s return. Your organic connection to Him includes a great destiny with Jews who believe. These are the signs: Israel’s restoration AND the Gospel going to all nations. Both are meant to increase as His return approaches!
Dear Myles,
My “grafting in” to the tree of Israel by faith represents a literal adoption into the Lord’s family.
“Enclosed is my gift for May. Please connect Jews and gentiles in Yeshua and teach that God is invested in tiny Israel.”
In this thought-provoking Bible study, Zola turns the tables by asking, “How can a Gentile be saved?” An interesting, unique look at the grafting in of the Gentiles to God’s plan.
A very special map of modern Israel, which also provides sites of Biblical importance. Scriptures are given right on the map so that the reader can locate the cities and towns of Biblical significance. Hours of spiritual pleasure. Imported from Israel.
The most important city map in the world! A marvelous and complete display with over 1,000 names of streets, neighborhoods, etc., with color pictures, churches, Biblical sites, and all the rest, beautifully presented. Imported from Israel.
This collection combines all of the music television that our ministry used to offer on three separately packaged VHS tapes. Our production team made a special effort to pair on-location video footage with Zola’s favorite music selections presented here uninterrupted.
