Dear Friends,
Evil spelled backward is “live,” and devil reversed is “lived.”
The way language twists that way reminds me of how the Evil One has a way of distorting ideas and people, obscuring facts and truth.
“Truth” in Hebrew is emet.
While English requires four letters to spell this, the Hebrew alphabet needs only three: an aleph, a mem, and a tav. In the Hebrew alphabet, aleph is the first letter, mem is the middle letter, and tav is the last.
Symbolically, then, “truth” in Hebrew can be summed up as the ethical employment of all sound, language, and image, conveying authentic reality—in the beginning, the middle, and the end.
With truth and deceit in mind, look at the photos below and see if you can guess where they were taken.
So, what location do you think you see? When I
saw these photos, I thought: “Wow! I’d like to live there.”
No, I’m not planning to relocate. I could have written pages about truth versus lies, but each of these pictures is worth a thousand words: you have just surveyed properties in Gaza!
Gaza is most often portrayed in our national media—and the world’s—as a desolate, war-torn parcel of scorched earth. I thought you’d be as fascinated as I was to see that the perennially deceptive depiction of Gaza is a sham.
Rather than tour Gaza, I take our Israel pilgrims through other Arab Muslim towns where they are amazed to see the impressive caliber of housing. Combining the medical care, education, and earnings of average Arab Muslims in Israel yields a standard of living that is much higher than anywhere else in the Arab Muslim world.
Isn’t it funny how that story of relative prosperity never makes it to press? Instead, the media show outsiders images and video snippets of suffering Palestinians, reduced to an abysmal state “through Israeli land theft and political mismanagement.” Such renderings are not only misleading, they flagrantly ignore the obvious facts on the ground. Why overstate the Palestinians’ miseries? Why conceal that Arab Muslim abandonment of their own is the cause of Gazan misfortunes?
As you recall, “devil” is “lived” spelled backward. The word devil comes from the Greek diabolos which means “slanderer.” The devil lives up to his name “slanderer” in the way he maligns Jews.
Another name for this evil personality, “Satan,” comes down to us from the Greek satanas, though it was used before that in Aramaic and Hebrew. It means to “accuse,” and like “slanderer,” it denotes the wrecking of someone’s reputation.
The purpose of the word study above is to underscore that this Personality is living up to his diabolical names and reputation. He does this in the way he:
Who or what stands against this dishonest, anti-Semitic crusade? Zola Levitt Ministries does!
It is a blessing that some churches also combat this relentless smear campaign, but way too few, I believe. The sheer scale of the problem demands an outreach that extends far beyond the local church’s capabilities. A church can reach a few hundred local listeners; but a television ministry such as ours delivers Bible teaching to millions of households around the globe. Our ministry’s message counterbalances the secular media on nationally syndicated television, via the Internet, and through print media. If you’re watching our weekly TV program, Zola Levitt Presents, then you see that we’re exposing the nature of the devil himself in The Dark Prince: When The Devil Has His Day, offered with this letter.
I’m not eager to give much airtime to evil, but we theologians must continue to shed light on the Deceiver and his deceit, showing what they really are.
The Evil One is also called “Lucifer,” which betrays the fundamental problem with him and with the task at hand.
Calling him Lucifer (from the Latin meaning “light bearer”) stems from Paul’s once saying that Satan appears as “an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
Words like “lucid” derive from the same root. We say: “She seemed lucid when I spoke to her today” or: “The lawyer made a lucid argument in court.” In both cases, we convey that a person or concept comes across clearly.
That Lucifer means “light” and “clear” is misleading, for Lucifer is dark and murky. The “reality” championed by Lucifer and his minions is anything but clear and truthful.
The Scriptures offer a vision and bring much-needed light. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” It saddens me how many churches and denominations disregard the Scriptures entirely. Or they offer murky teaching when it comes to Jesus, Jews, Israel, or God’s plan in history as spelled out in prophecy.
The New Testament amply states God’s love for the Jewish people and His plan for them. He clearly beckons God fearers to support them. It seems diabolical the way churches obscure such a crystal-clear message—and that pattern throughout Church history is personally disheartening.
The popular media and many Christian pastors in pulpits lambaste Jews as Arab-haters. This is disturbing. They characterize Jews as merciless despoilers of Arab peoples and lands. Some call Israelis modern-day Nazis (imagine!) who have piled poor, helpless, displaced Palestinians into Gaza where, except for relief food staples from humanitarian flotillas, the residents would wither. This is madness!
Closer scrutiny makes it obvious that repeating this nonsense doesn’t make it true. But who takes time to discern the facts? Because facts get in the way of the anti-Jewish dispositions that the Deceiver looks to inflame, he twists the truth to support his deceit.
Your prayers and support help this ministry offset the deceit on America’s airwaves and computer screens the world over. We open up the Bible and teach it from Hebraic perspectives. We challenge people with its message and impress Scripture’s implications upon societies that are malnourished when it comes to truth.
Our recent series, Esther: For Such A Time As This, underscores how the devil who turns things around can, himself, get turned around and upside down, because a hero—Esther, in this story—takes a stand.
See on this page the photo of Sharon Wilbur who sang for our Esther series. She and her husband, Joel, are standing with Sarah Palin. Sharon recently headlined with Palin at a right-to-life gathering in Florida. Joel told me that they may appear together at similar events, with Sharon singing and Palin speaking.
Though I don’t necessarily agree with Palin’s politics, I find her an example of a courageous woman who’s made her voice heard. She illustrates that one person can make a difference.
You and I together can make a difference by standing against the deceit that prevails in our media. A dollar sent our way helps us defeat anti-biblical propaganda. Will you prayerfully consider lending a hand?
Speaking of sending, let me encourage you to send yourself—or someone you love—to the Land of the Bible. Your investing a dollar in Zola Levitt Ministries would encourage me. Investing a dollar in making a pilgrimage to Israel would encourage you and galvanize your faith. Please pray about that possibility today.
Our Spring Tour departs March 13, 2011 with two return dates—either March
24 for the 10-day Israel Tour, or March 28 if you wish to include Petra. Our Summer
Discovery Tour will travel June 12–22 and offers a chance to dig with archaeologists.
We have four options for our Fall 2011 Israel Tour, including extensions to Petra
and/or Athens, departing October 18 and 23.
Below are the television segments that we’ll feature each week on Zola Levitt Presents. During the first two weeks of October, you’ll see programs 7 and 8 of The Dark Prince TV series. Then we’ll begin our four-program television series about the modern Messianic Jewish Revival. We begin by showing the Revival in America and Israel, and then look at the Messianic Jewish Congregational Movement. We’ll close the month by looking at the Messianic Jewish Revival’s effect on Christianity today.
Please join us for this uplifting collection of programs on television and at www.levitt.tv. Thanks for staying tuned in. And “pray for the peace of Jerusalem.”
Your messenger,
Jeff
Dear Jeff,
The astonishing Gaza pictures indicate relative prosperity there and cause me to question the secular media’s credibility in general.
“Here is my gift for October. You must continue your efforts to offset the deception in the mainstream media.”
Dr. Jeffrey Seif takes readers through Bible texts that speak about the devil. Introductory in nature, The Dark Prince gives individuals a behind-the-scenes look at Evil’s workings at the ragged edge of human history, and its ultimate uprooting when Christ returns.
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.
