May 2001 Personal Letter

Dear Friends,

I was just finishing up the last edits on our book Battles with Seminaries, and it occurred to me that it might be good to share a certain point made during our adventures with the “powers that be” in Christian education. After all, there is a reason why these schools have dropped Israel, and why churches all over America believe that Israel is too controversial to talk about.

I well remember my first try at setting up a Messianic congregation about ten years ago in Dallas. I thought it would be quite easy to call some churches where I had spoken and ask them if they would take in a small group on Friday nights or Saturday mornings that would do “the Jewish Gospel,” as it is known (the real Gospel as it appears in the New Testament). But we could find no home because church after church said, “Well, Zola’s a little controversial, and he’ll always be talking about Israel…” Well, I don’t know where it’s written that the Gospel is supposed to be uncontroversial or that Christians are supposed to ignore Israel. If God is working there every day, why aren’t we at least excited about it?

But more to the point, people’s reasons for staying away from Israel have to do with the religion called “Church-ianity,” or American-style Christian faith. Our seminaries teach between the lines that “we are the true Christians in this world, and that God is working in the United States. After all, don’t we send the missionaries to all countries, and don’t we have the most churches, etc., etc?” And indeed, this is a great country, and its Christianity is robust and productive, but with that said, God works constantly in Israel as He has from the beginning, and that’s all there is to that. Those not watching Israel today are simply missing the outworking of God’s plans for the End Times.

When you boil “Church-ianity” down to its essentials, you simply end up with Replacement Theology, and her ugly daughter anti-Semitism. It was predictable that Moody Bible Institute, Dallas Theological Seminary, etc., would drift in this direction once they turned their backs on Israel some fifteen or twenty years ago.

Another more subtle reason that the churches and seminaries turn away from Israel is that they think God will not work with that nation when it is in unbelief. It’s certainly news to me that God doesn’t work with unbelievers, but in the course of reading through Battles with Seminaries, I found our Dr. McCall, the senior theologian of this ministry, instructing professors at Dallas Theological Seminary in basic prophecy, and he was majoring in why Israel must return to the land in unbelief.

People who belong to “Church-ianity” have little tolerance for unbelievers around them, seldom witness and don’t particularly favor Jews or their homeland. They primarily make up the huge liberal denominations and the Roman Catholic churches in this country. Their Bible knowledge is next to nothing, and they don’t realize that prophecy is marching on to a drastic and soon conclusion. Now it’s not that the professors of Dallas Seminary are really involved with this liberal religion, but that things are tending that way. Dr. McCall, for example, began by emphasizing the dry bones vision of Ezekiel, a Sunday School lesson taught in almost any church. The very point of Ezekiel’s vision is that Israel returns to its land in stages: first the dry bones, then flesh, and finally breath (the spirit) when they become believers at last.

And there are other points in prophecy that urge us to understand that the Israelites originally return in unbelief. First of all they will sign a treaty with the Antichrist. Certainly believers would never do that. They won’t even be here at that point in history, since the Rapture will have taken place preceding that event. Secondly, they build a Temple with blood sacrifices. Surely believers would never do that either. And then when the two witnesses come, the Israelites are unimpressed with their testimony — another attitude of unbelievers.

But finally, and most compellingly, when the Messiah comes, “all Israel shall be saved” (Rom. 11:26), and “in that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David” (Zech. 13:1). If “all Israel” is to be saved when the Messiah returns, then obviously all Israel was in unbelief before that time. How can professors at seminaries miss those points?

Then there are the folks who reject Israel because it “behaves so badly.” They support Israel’s enemies. I hear from United Methodists on a regular basis that they are sickened with their church’s support of the Palestinians. This is true of the other Protestant denominations and the Catholics as well. It’s a phenomenon of a lack of Bible knowledge. Those not familiar with the Word do not love the Chosen People or the Promised Land, and that’s been true from the beginning. But I would say that Israel’s behavior is no different from what we would expect from any group of unbelievers. They are neither compassionate toward their irascible foes, nor are they especially brutal, as they are characterized in the media. They simply want to be left alone to live in peace. When the world offered a peace process, they were the first to show up. When Arafat declares an uprising, as at present, they’re the first to show up there too, and to take care of things as gently as they can.

To expect unbelievers to behave other than as unbelievers is unreasonable. What confounds me is when believers behave as unbelievers. Believers in God and in Jesus Christ must somehow find a way to love those whom they love, and that involves loving the Jews. After all, when the Tribulation is over and Jesus holds His judgment of the sheep and goats, He will state unequivocally, “Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me” (Matt. 25:40). We in the Church Age should at least be able to meet the standard of people under the pressure of the Tribulation.

On a related point, folks are badgering me about the occasional terrorist bombing in Israel, and I certainly regret those. I still, however, assure people that the place is safe for tourism. Obviously, if the terrorist bomber picks the spot where you’re standing, then you go to Heaven. But let’s face it, that can happen in America, in a post office or a school, or a whole lot of other places. Tours go only on a prescribed route to see Biblical sites not involving the areas where such unrest occurs.

And then, let’s understand that there are bombs, and then there are other bombs. The typical bombing in Israel kills two or three people, and amounts to what we think of as a large firecracker. If all the bombs that ever went off in Israel since the invention of the bomb were added up and taken together, they would not equal the Oklahoma City disaster (168 deaths).

I’m not belittling the situation, but simply telling you that the place is safer than our country, is unfairly plastered by the media with every small event, and is still basic to living a Christian life. You should go there if you possibly can, as soon as you possibly can.

There’s still time to sign up for our June 5th–15th Israel Kibbutz Tour. This is our most economical tour of Israel and is a good opportunity for students and teachers to experience life on real Israeli cooperative farms. These are the foundation on which the modern state of Israel was built, and the tour provides an up-close view of the communal life that made the land safe to work for early settlers. Our tour pilgrims will lodge in comfortable guesthouses at the Sea of Galilee and in the forests of Israel, but will still enjoy the very same itinerary as our Deluxe Tours, visiting all the major Biblical sites. Among the many spiritually enriching and educational experiences on this unique tour, we also have an added exciting adventure — we are going on an actual archaeological dig! You may call Tony Derrick during office hours at 214-696-9760 for more details, or 1-800-WONDERS anytime.

Our Ultra Grand Tour of Greece, Israel and Petra will occur this coming September with many tour option packages. Depending on the options you choose, tours will run between August 29th and September 16th. While I will be unable to join the tour in June, I will be personally guiding this tour. Our Fall Tour brochure will be coming out around mid-May. Once again, let me say: I can vouch for the safety of all of these tours without reservation.

Also, we will be taping our new series Thy Kingdom Come: The Future of the Believers during our April tour in Israel, and that footage should be ready by the latter part of the summer. This will be a twelve-program series that will present a thorough examination of what will happen to those who are saved after the Rapture, rather than the typical focus on what will happen to the world.

Many of you have written to complain about the new air times. Please know that we have no control over those. Our major subjects are Scripture and Israel, and I’m afraid neither one is that popular anymore. The networks relegate us to bad times and we have to take them. I can only suggest that you set your VCR to tape the program.

I would like to thank you again for your constant and reliable support and for your faithful prayers for this ministry. Please know how much we appreciate you. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!

Your Messenger,

P.S. Please visit our web site, www.levitt.com