Dear Friends:

Our Lord, in Matthew 24, gave a dramatic discourse after the disciples asked, “What will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” It’s a simple question, and He answered in plain terms. He began by saying it would be an age of false christs, then wars and rumors of wars, and finally power rising against power. He said all of these are just the beginning of sorrows, the “labor pains.”

I’d say we’re having these labor pains now. And what’s going to be delivered is the Tribulation Period. In verse 9, Jesus warned that Israel would be hated of all nations — which is just what we’re seeing now. With its “Road Map,” the USA is positioning itself with all other nations in opposing a peaceful Israel, as far as I can see.

And we also have the other signs He gave: famine, pestilence, earthquakes, the betrayals, the lack of love — all of the prophecies of Matthew 24 are being fulfilled. It should come as no surprise to any Bible reader that the Lord may be coming right away. I believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture (that the Lord will remove Christians from the Earth before the real trouble sets in). But we are now feeling the birth pangs. When we start to feel those pangs, we need to be alert to the fact that we live in the world the Lord described in Matthew 24. It’s a time for Christians really to be very alert, aware of the Bible passages, and watching and waiting.

Ironically a recent issue of Time magazine headlined its letters column: “No End in Sight,” which was referring to the situation in Israel (now called “The Middle East” in order to avoid the ugly, outmoded named of “Israel”). I’m afraid the editors at Time don’t follow prophecies very well.

The end is easily in sight for those who have read the Biblical imperatives. The only Biblical answer to what’s going on in the Middle East, and the rest of the world for that matter, is of course salvation in the Messiah. We who have it know how wonderful, how soothing, how peaceful it is; how well we get along with our neighbor once we have it. But failing that, half-hearted, non-Biblical tries won’t work.

Recently a USA Today advertisement featured an open letter to Christians, Jews, and Muslims. It said that people have failed to emphasize that all three religions share a common belief in the Supreme Being known as “Allah-God-Yahweh.”

That’s not true. There is not one Supreme Being who is known by three names. There is only one Supreme Being and that is God, the creator God. Allah is a Muslim god. Yahweh is the same God as the Christian God but called “Yahweh” in the Old Testament. Allah and the real God have nothing at all in common. The idea that everybody prays to the same God is false.

This same advertisement asked us to pray to Allah-God-Yahweh for peace, unity and justice. “Pray to the three for the grace of love for each other in all religions.” And then it quotes our Lord, out of context, “All things are possible.” Of course what Jesus really said was that with God all things are possible.

When someone takes half a verse or half a line and distorts it like this, it reminds me of the United Nations where they quote half of Isaiah 2:4 on the building: “They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks…” But they omit the first clause: “And He shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people.” No wonder they left it off. They are the nations and they’re in trouble with God and they know it.

This brings us back to the way we see Biblical prophecy coming to fruition today. As 1 Thessalonians 5:3 says, “When they cry peace, peace, then sudden destruction will come upon them.” And, “They say peace when there is no peace” (Jeremiah 6:14). That’s just what’s going on here.

The current Road Map that is supposed to take Israel to peace and safety is, on paper, a good idea. It would be a great idea if we all had peace, unity, and justice. It would be a great idea if the Israelis and Palestinians would live side by side in unity and peace in Israel. But it’s only an idea. It can’t be made to happen. It can’t happen by force and it sure can’t happen by 2005 unless there is a huge reversal from the Arab hatred of the Jews (as well as almost everyone else).

Let’s just take one scenario that could result from this Road Map. Suppose we force the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank. We just make it happen, and we could do it, with soldiers, with cash, with whatever when these backroom deals are made. (And, by the way, the Antichrist will be a backroom dealer who is going to come up with a peace treaty just as we are doing now.) The idea of one peace process after another, first Madrid and then Oslo, then the offer by Israeli Prime Minister Barak (turned down by Arafat) of a whole separate country in the West Bank and Gaza, and finally this Road Map — just sets the stage for the final act where the Antichrist will enter and declare, “I have a seven-year plan.”

Suppose we force a Palestinian state in the West Bank by 2005. That would be long before the Palestinians are ready to run a nation or the Israelis willing to back up to the Mediterranean coast. If we establish a country that fast, the likelihood is there will be more hostilities and perhaps the Arabs in the West Bank will decide it would be a nice idea just to push the Israelis on into the sea, something they have openly wanted to do for some time. They’ll simply charge down the hills and attack.

If that happens, Israel will not pull any punches. It’s not going to worry about its reputation in the UN or anywhere else. It gets nothing but criticism no matter what it does anyway. (It is so bad that if Israel brings out a new flavor of ice cream then it’s portrayed as some hostile act.) In the end, the Israelis are going to use their weapons. They will really come down on the people who are attacking them.

It’s going to be a resounding victory. If Israelis are backed up against the sea and have only this one land in the whole world in which to survive, I don’t think they’re going to lose that war. They’re going to win it big. That, in turn, will provoke the invasion of Gog and Magog (Ezekiel 38-39).

That is one scenario. Let me note that I’m not dictating what the End Times process will be, other than to note that what we’re seeing may well be leading up to it.

Our effort to bring democracy to Iraq is not going well either. We have only a few thousand US soldiers there who are trying to occupy a nation of 25 million disgruntled Iraqis. It’s hard to say whether this will work in Baghdad, even though it appears to be working in outlying cities. It’s very iffy.

And this is only the starting point, because if we are to bring democracy to the Middle East, we will also have to continue with regime changes in places that really need it, including Iran, Syria, and most especially Saudi Arabia. It’s a terrible responsibility, but as with Iraq a few months ago; we can’t just wait. If we wait for regimes like Saudi Arabia, then eventually they will send their people just as they did in their attack on the World Trade Center.

Excuse me for not being politically correct, but 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi Arabian. They trained there, and were financed by Saudi Arabia. That seems awfully Saudi Arabian to me, no matter how many Saudi princes get on TV and talk about being peacemakers. The Saudi royal family is 30,000 millionaires strong. That translates into a lot of money that they can use to influence a lot of people (including US government officials).

The result of our actions thus far, as I have noted before, has been to “wound the lion” that consists of the nations that will take part in the invasion of Gog and Magog. We’ve provoked each of the allies listed in Ezekiel 38: Persia, Ethiopia and Libya, Gomer, and the house of Togarmah, which correspond to modern-day Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Uzbekistan, Turkistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan (Persia); Ethiopia; Libya; Kosovo, Serbia, and Bosnia (Gomer); and Turkey (Togarmah). God says that these nations will invade Israel and (in verse 19) that they will feel “the fire of my wrath.”

Facing such a massive attack, I think Israel will feel justified in using its nuclear weapons. In verse 22 we see that the Lord “will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone.” That could refer to nuclear weapons, or even a judgment by God in the form of fire from Heaven itself.

In the meantime the Christians will be out of here before that and watching all this from Heaven (which is the place to watch it from if you have to watch it). After that invasion, the Antichrist will ride up and say to Israel, “Look, you were lucky this time. You need protection.” As I noted last issue, a huge army will be waiting in the wings to attack the Antichrist in Jerusalem. This enormous force will come from China with a two hundred million-man army. The King of the East will send them, triggering one of the worst calamities of the whole book of Revelation. This enormous army will rob and rape as it marches across the Eastern hemisphere, crossing a dried-up Euphrates to attack Israel at the Battle of Armageddon.

Another conglomeration of nations involving the King of the North, and the King of the South — Syria and Egypt — and also the Antichrist’s forces from western Europe, will all ultimately fight over Jerusalem. But they’ll lose still again because as the Lord said, “Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened” (Matthew 24:22).

In His Second Coming, Jesus will ride out of Heaven on a white horse, His Hebrew title written on His thigh: Melekh haMelakhim, Adonai haAdonim (“King of Kings, Lord of Lords” — Revelation 19:16). The Jewish people “shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.” (Zechariah 12:10) and they will receive their Messiah. As Paul exults, “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins” (Romans 11:26-27).

With all of that said, I can only add, “Look up, your redemption draweth nigh!”


Our upcoming Feast of Trumpets/Israel Solidarity Day celebration is going to be very special this year. We’re in touch with Anatot in Israel and are planning to have two West Bank settlers speak that day. And the Biblical Arts Center will have a new exhibit of the famous Dead Sea Scrolls — with real Bible passages from these ancient texts. The Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah), is traditionally the Jewish New Year and a day of celebration and merriment; it’s also a time that the seriousness of sin begins to weigh on the hearts of the Jewish people. Many Bible scholars feel that in some upcoming year the Feast of Trumpets will be the day of the Rapture, so take this opportunity seriously as this may be our last Feast of Trumpets unless the Lord tarries. Come join us in Dallas at the Biblical Arts Center on September 27 — the actual date of the Feast of Trumpets. Contact Tony at (214) 696-9760 for more information.

Our fall Holy Land tour is scheduled a little later than usual, allowing us to pass the savings on to you. The Deluxe Tour, touring Israel only, will depart on November 2nd and will return on the 12th. Our Grand Petra Tour, visiting both Israel and Petra, will depart on the 2nd and return on the 16th. The Grand Athens Tour, cruising the Greek Isles and touring Israel, extends from October 29 through November 12. Finally, our Ultra-Grand Tour, with everything — the Greek Isles, Israel and Petra — will begin on October 29 and end on November 16.

You really need to sign up early for this tour. It has been my experience in the past that following the initiation of a peace process in Israel, there is a pent-up demand for traveling to the Holy Land. We have a maximum number we will take on our tours, so this means that those who put off scheduling their trip are likely to miss out.

Regardless of the tour package, you can be sure that the memories will last a lifetime. 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 on this or any of our other tours.

And please remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Your Messenger,

Zola

P.S. The Road Map has led to major developments that occurred after we had finished taping our “Voices from Israel” TV programs. We simply have no recourse but to thoroughly cover this momentous “peace” effort in a second new series, but it has strained our budget for the moment. This would be a good time to lend us some support if you can. I’m always satisfied with whatever the Lord would lead you to do on that. Thanks.

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

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