January 2002 Personal Letter

Dear Friends:

“And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 12:3)

I don’t believe there’s a greater promise for the peoples of the world than that verse. Enjoy the rich blessings of God when you bless the people of God. Endure the relentless wrath of God when you curse them. It’s as simple as that.

David Wilkerson, pastor of Times Square Church in New York, recently made this point: “It doesn’t matter what our politics may be, or what we may think of Israel. God will judge any people who touch that nation or its borders. If any country dares to, it does so at the cost of its own future.” And history is replete with examples of nations that have crumbled after attempting to crush the Chosen People. Biblically, we could mention the demise of mighty empires such as Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome, which attacked Israel through the centuries. Although each one came to naught, Israel still stands.

We may very well be watching history repeat itself. Yasser Arafat and his terrorist organizations in the Palestinian Authority have pushed Israel to strike back hard at those who would murder innocent men, women, and children through ongoing suicide bombings. The world community, already appalled by the terrorist attacks in the U.S. on 9-11, is no longer tolerant of Arafat’s duplicity in the peace process. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has called Israel’s counter-offensive a “war on terrorism,” and Arafat, Israel’s “bin Laden.” If anybody can tell any difference between Arafat and bin Laden, please let me know.

Former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated recently, “Arafat doesn’t give a damn about the Israeli people and doesn’t give a damn about his own people,” caring only for himself and his regime. Netanyahu lives there. He knows Arafat. He speaks the truth.

Now the White House is turning a corner in U.S.-Israeli relations and putting the onus on the Palestinians. “If Chairman Arafat is going to be a leader, it’s time to step up,” said spokesman Sean McCormick.

“The president’s point of view is that Israel is a sovereign government,” White House spokesman Ari Fleischer reiterated. “Israel has the right to defend herself,” he stated, abandoning the word “restraint” which had previously been the byword of U.S.-Israeli relations. State Department and congressional leaders have added their calls for Arafat to “put up or shut up.” In December, President Bush froze the assets of The Holy Land Foundation, which is located near our ministry offices in Richardson, Texas, and whose recipients of “charity” include Hamas, the terrorist network protected by Arafat.

Is this a shift in world opinion against those who “curse” Israel? Not necessarily. Although the geo-political landscape may change for or against Israel from time to time, the fact is that we know from Scripture that it will get worse for the Chosen People before it gets better. So, what is our hope for “the peace of Jerusalem”?

Our hope lies in the promises of God, who will continue to bless His beloved people by bringing them back to the Land, by protecting them from utter destruction, and by establishing among them His rule and reign when the Messiah returns to Jerusalem with might and justice. And those promises affect us even today.

If you want to accomplish something significant this New Year or make resolutions that you’ll be proud of, then do so in order to bless the people of God. Let me encourage you to act in the following four ways:

Pray. Follow the Lord’s command in Psalm 122:6: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.” When you pray, intercede on behalf of the people of Israel to turn to God and their Messiah, Yeshua. Pray for the missionaries evangelizing “the Jew first,” as our own two envoys have been doing, and for the witness to Jews throughout the world. Very few organizations see this as a real need; the majority of mission agencies fail to include the Jewish people on their list of evangelistic fields. Pray for the leaders of Israel to seek God’s divine protection, wisdom, and guidance. And ask God to thwart the plans of the enemies of the Chosen People, whether they be Palestinian terrorists, the biased media, or Bible schools touting anti-Israel doctrines like Progressive Dispensationalism, Amillennialism, Replacement Theology, etc.

Write. We receive volumes of mail from many of you who offer support to the nation of Israel. Next time you write us, send a letter also to the editor of your local paper, to your representative in Congress, and especially to President Bush, who must make tough decisions regarding the fight against terrorism, including that which exists within Israel’s borders.

The media, in particular, needs to be reprimanded by the public for its insistence on promoting the views of Israel’s enemies under the guise of “balanced reporting.” One example was a recent USA Today piece that reported on the suicide bombings of Hamas in Israel. Not once in the article did the writer use the word “terrorist,” stating that “bombs” set off by “militants” killed the innocent Israelis.

CNN’s blood-soaked, wall-to-wall coverage of Israel’s retaliatory strikes went way out of proportion. It’s a classic case of majoring on the minors. It would take 300 such incidents in Israel to equal the tragedy of the World Trade Center attacks, and yet this network gave it round-the-clock reporting, offering interviews with terrorist spokespersons whose lies leave even the reporters groping for words.

Your accurate, well-written letters need to be read by these news outlets that continue to equate the Israelis’ defense of their own land with the suicide bombings of Arafat’s terrorist organizations by using terms like “moral equivalence” and “ratcheting up the cycle of violence.” You need to remind them of the difference between an arsonist and a firefighter! If you want more balanced reporting, watch FOX News rather than CNN.

By the way, when will Peter Jennings receive his anthrax letter from terrorists (his friends, no doubt) like Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw have?

Send. Each year we take our film crew to Israel to tape our TV program Zola Levitt Presents. This March, not only will they be filming our teaching on location in the Holy Land, but also on our Biblical Greek tour. In fact, this may be your chance to “make it on the big screen,” as it were, because we’re filming our pilgrims all along our journey this spring. Romans 10:15 says: “And how shall they preach, except they be sent?”

Will you consider sending us and underwriting this vital arm of our ministry, broadcasting the Good News of Christ and the sound teaching of the Word on television for millions to receive around the world? I guarantee your partnership with us in this effort will involve eternal rewards. Paul teaches that when you support a ministry, some of its accomplishments are reckoned to you.

Also, consider beginning the New Year by investing in the eternal destiny of the Chosen People through our missionary outreach to Israel called “To the Jew First.” This year, we’re recruiting additional missionary personnel to reach Israel with the message of Messiah. For this extended outreach, we need some of you to bless God’s people with your gifts to this ministry.

Go. In the past 30 years I’ve led over 70 tours to Israel and the Middle East in order to teach people the magnificent work of God among His Chosen People and in the Land He promised to them. If you’ve not come with me before, come now. If you’ve gone before, bless the people of God by going again and marveling at the way God is preparing for the soon coming of Messiah. Be assured that we never take our pilgrims into areas of conflict, including the Ben Yehuda Street shopping district. Many years of experience have taught us that the land is quiet for months after any kind of terrorist incident. March would be a safe time to go, especially since we’re flying El Al Airlines the entire journey.

Now, here are some specific opportunities for you to get involved in blessing Israel:

On Saturday, February 23, I will host a virtual Israel tour at the Biblical Arts Center. Travel to first-century Israel, sit in the Garden Tomb and see the famous Miracle at Pentecost painting with its sound and light show, an oil-on-canvas masterpiece, 124 feet long and 20 feet high, portraying the coming of the Holy Spirit. “Visit” Bethlehem, the Sea of Galilee and the Upper Room and witness the events of Pentecost via exhibits, etc. This tour, including lunch, is only $49. Please call Tony at (214) 696-9760 or write “Attn: Tony” on your envelope. Thanks.

March 3 begins your opportunity to join me on two exciting Biblical teaching tours: Greece and Israel. A Biblical Greek tour has been added to our normal itinerary and will take you to Thessalonica, Philippi, Berea, and other first-century sites, ending with a delightful Mediterranean cruise. The dates for this package are March 3–12. Take this tour separately or combine it with our Deluxe Holy Land Tour which follows right after. Contact Tony for tour details.

Finally, if you have received this letter before the end of 2001, please consider a generous tax-deductible year-end investment into our work for the Lord, for His Chosen People, and for the nations of the earth. Truly this is the time that we have to prepare for the upcoming year, and it will be a critical year indeed. We will need to go to the Holy Land and make a considerable amount of new programming to cover this war on terrorism. I anticipate our spending much more than in 2001 and I would simply ask you to help us. Thanks.

And thank you again for your love and support for Israel. As you bless them, God will continue to bless you.

Happy New Year!
Your Messenger,

P.S. Please tell everyone you know to watch my New Year’s Eve one-hour special that will air on FAM (ABC-FAM) at midnight on both coasts, 11:00 PM Central Time and at either 10:00 PM or 1:00 AM Mountain Time. It will be called, “Zola Levitt Presents: Upon This Rock.” This program will bless Israel (and you) more than you can imagine!