Dear Friends:

Recently I was speaking at a church about Israel and End Times prophecy. My experience there is becoming all too common. The other churches in the city don’t even allow teaching of prophecy, it seems. It’s too controversial. It’s a phenomenon I would call the “Church of the Nice Guys.” Big smiles. Nice decorum. Nothing negative. Don’t step on toes. Can’t mention names like Moody or Dallas or Biola. Certainly not Israel.

But then I think: “Wait a minute! This is the Titanic we’re on.” And as far as current Bible training is concerned, the icebergs around us are already doing their damage to the Church. Too many pastors today don’t know prophecy, and so they can’t teach their people about what’s ahead. “My mind’s made up, don’t confuse me with the facts,” is the attitude I find. Bible Study Fellowships (BSF), for example, in order to cater to its varied crowd, does not teach the book of Revelation.

We are also investigating an issue relayed to us by Joan Peters, author of From Time Immemorial: The Origins of the Arab-Jewish Conflict over Palestine, whom we recently interviewed. Apparently she was asked to speak at the University of Chicago, as long as she did not use the term “Israel.” We’ll keep you informed. It seems that if you’re in Chicago, you shouldn’t expect to hear about Israel either at the university or at Moody Bible Institute.

And then some churches, far from teaching prophecy, have abandoned their ministry to human beings altogether. I found this ad on the “Church Services” page of the Portland Oregonian:

The 3rd annual Blessing of the Animals at Unity Church will start at 10:00 am on Saturday, August 17, in the Peace Garden behind the church, 4525 East Stark Street. Any animal may be brought to the non-denominational service. Each animal will be blessed and will receive a special treat and a Certificate of Blessing. Photos of pets that are unable to attend will be displayed. Please have pets on a leash or in cages or carriers. Call (503) 234-7441.

If no one is calling attention to the spiritual deficit in pastoral training and ministry today, and, yes, naming names, then it won’t be corrected.

Frankly, I believe God has called me to speak up and let people know the truth, especially concerning Israel. And I think I remain in good company. Renowned prophecy expert Dr. Dwight Pentecost, though now advanced in years, was scheduled to speak at the same church. Unfortunately, there don’t seem to be many of us left who are holding forth the prophetic Scriptures. And neither are there many speaking out about the Promised Land, which is a vital piece of the prophetic puzzle.

Don’t forget these four immutable principles about the land of Israel:

  1. The land belongs to the Jews according to the covenant made by God, including the “Palestinian territories.” And yet the boy king, Abdullah of Jordan, with a Western wife and a motorcycle, both even more beautiful than his father’s, is rushing over to the White House now to urge President Bush to help establish peace by essentially offering the murderers a bigger haven (aka the Palestinian state). Maybe he’s just eager to get rid of the Palestinians in his own land; they are a pariah everywhere in the Arab world, to tell the truth.

    Did you know that in Jordan, as in other Arab nations, it is a written law that you risk execution for selling land to a Jewish person? The Chosen People may own property anywhere in the world, including other dictatorships, but never in Arab countries. Does the boy king seek to exile the Jews from part of their Promised Land as well?

  2. The real Arab motive in this entire conflict is to chase the Jews out of the land or kill every one of them. Just as we went to press, another homicide bomber exploded himself, killing at least seven, including five Americans, and wounding nearly 100 in the cafeteria of Hebrew University in Jerusalem. This is noteworthy not only because of the tragic loss of life, but because typically, college students lean to the left in politics there just as they do here. Many of those attending Hebrew University support a Palestinian state. And now we have Palestinians killing those who support them. Why? Because they’re Jewish.

    President Bush commented that he was “furious” over the attack, but cautioned that in spite of the murders, peace was still possible with the Palestinians. Recently, Bush outlined his “vision” for a Palestinian nation made up of just such murderers.

    Mortimer Zuckerman of US News and World Report writes of Yasser Arafat’s true intentions: “Instead of focusing on the development of his own nation, Arafat focuses on the destruction of the Israeli nation.” When the Indonesian president asked Arafat why he rejected Barak’s offer for a Palestinian state at Camp David, Arafat replied, “Look, we’ve got 150 years and we’ll throw them into the sea.” Murdering the Israelis would be preferable to getting a state.

  3. The Arabs are enemies of the United States. This is particularly clear since September 11, and they have successfully muddled American foreign policy decision making (like our own war on terror, the invasion of Iraq, etc.) with the issue of Israel’s right to exist.
  4. Those who hate God, hate God’s people and God’s land. This is true in Europe, at the U.N., the State Department, etc. Any plan to establish a Palestinian nation is obviously at enmity with God’s plan.

If Bible-believing Christians aren’t talking about this — in churches and in seminaries — then it’s not being discussed in the proper Biblical context.

God is sovereign, and He lives outside of time as we know it. In the Old Testament God commands us to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem,” and yet He has already written the future of that eternal city. But in response to prayer, God Himself “repented” of His plans 1) to destroy mankind at the time of Noah, 2) to destroy all of Sodom and Gomorrah (Lot and his family were saved), and 3) to destroy the Chosen People in Exodus (because of their disobedience). On each occasion, God’s compassion was moved by one individual through prayer. Think of it! The Designer of the universe changed His plans! The book of James says, “you have not because you ask not.”

The decimation of this city is already determined, but what we’re praying for is a mitigation of casualties as in Noah’s time or in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah, until God executes His final plan to exalt the nation with Jerusalem as its eternal capital.

How many lives would be saved if you could pray to move up the moment of the Second Coming by just a few hours? 1,000 lives? 100,000 lives? Keep in mind these will be saved souls (see Zech. 12:10). If you could save just one life, wouldn’t it be worth the prayer? The most ordinary believer sitting in the back of the church can pray — even a little child — and God can make that change.

We are made in God’s image, and that means He’s like us, moved by the pleadings of His own children, even their tiniest cries. The quietest member of the church can prevail upon His heavenly Father to move mountains. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father….” And His possessions are “the kingdom and the power and the glory… forever!”

“And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matt. 24:22). So, let us pray that indeed the time should be shortened. “Even so, come Lord Jesus!”

So how do you get your church excited about God’s truth? Talk to your pastor concerning the need for teaching about the Chosen People and the future of Jews and Christians in the End Times. I stand up week after week speaking to audiences who feel powerless. Caring pastors need to encourage and enliven their congregations with sound Bible teaching that includes End Times prophecy, which in turn motivates believers to make good use of every opportunity to live for the Lord and spread the Good News of salvation to a lost and dying world.

But above all, we must pray. It’s the most effective tool we have. How God longs for His people to call on Him to do great and mighty deeds! In Mark 4:38 we read that when the disciples of Jesus thought they were about to die in the midst of the storm, they cried out to Him, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” Jesus stood and calmed the storm instantly. God does care and He wants us to call on Him in the storms of life.

When you yearn for the salvation of a friend or family member, you are praying to a God who doesn’t live in time. That means God can answer that prayer before He makes the universe in order to create subtle changes in people’s destinies. If the hairs on our heads are all numbered, He can certainly bring your loved ones to salvation. Remember, He is not willing that any perish. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:16).

So, along my travels I try to bring the whole counsel of God’s Word to hungry Christians who long for spiritual refreshment and hope for the future. Thank you for interceding on my behalf (those prayers are very important to a heart patient) as I speak and as I lead pilgrims on various Israel tours. I’d love to meet you and say “Thanks!” Consider taking advantage of these upcoming opportunities:

Fall Tour to Israel: October 19–November 1
Choose from five exciting itineraries with optional excursions to Greece and Petra. In celebration of our 75th Israel tour, receive a 7.5% discount on your tour package if you sign up by Rosh Ha-Shanah (Sept. 6).
Bless Israel — Solidarity Tour: Saturday, November 16
Come and share a day with us in Dallas for this ever-popular tour at the Biblical Arts Center with its Israel sites and the dramatic “Miracle at Pentecost” sight and sound show. Enjoy teaching, worship and touring. Only $49.
Holy Land Experience: Three tours beginning November 29
Truly one of America’s greatest Christian venues, Orlando, Florida’s newest theme park is a spiritually uplifting experience for the entire family. Tour dates are November 29–December 1, December 6–8, and December 27–29. Let us lead you through the Holy Land without you leaving the country.

For information on any or all of these tours, please contact Tony at (214) 696-9760 or call 1-800-WONDERS anytime.

Bringing you the truth from Scripture and from events happening in our world right now is our calling at this ministry. The media routinely skirts the truth in their “reporting,” especially when it concerns Israel. And now, unfortunately, an alarming number of “evangelical” seminaries, and thus churches, are fiddling with God’s Word to make it fit their worldview. It’s time for you to join me in standing up and speaking out for the sake of the Bible and God’s Chosen People. Let’s commit ourselves to fervent, effectual prayer on behalf of the Church, the seminaries and the peace of Jerusalem!

Your Messenger,

Zola

Zola Levitt Ministries is ECFA approved and has Charity Navigator’s top rating of 4 stars.

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