February 2014 Personal Letter

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Myles & Katharine Weiss

Dear Friend,

Authenticating the history of an enduring Jewish presence in Israel interests our ministry as a subject of serious study because we focus on the Person and work of Messiah. The old idea of a tiny Israel (“David”) facing a tremendous Muslim foe (“Goliath”) has been reversed. The media convince politicians and civilians alike that a huge, weapons-heavy, Israeli military boot is crushing poor Arab and Muslim rock-throwing youth. As beautiful Israeli homes arise on ancient Jewish land, Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas calls them the “cancer of settlement growth.”

Of course, if one speaks privately to Arab-Israeli citizens, as I do, they freely admit that they much prefer being free citizens of a Jewish Israel than captives of a society run by the PA, Hamas, or Hezbollah.

Unfortunately, these Arab-Israeli citizens cannot safely voice their opinion publicly to residents in the surrounding theocracies. So they quietly enjoy the benefits of a cash-heavy grey market, huge real estate holdings, and optional military service. They watch and wait, caught between the benefits they enjoy in Jewish Israel and pressure to speak against Israel in the public square.

Determined to counter the media’s inaccurate assertions, this ministry adds our voice to those speaking the truth about Israel, the Jewish people, the Church, Islam, and of course, our beloved Messiah—Yeshua.

One of those strong voices belongs to science. Scientific discoveries are supporting the Bible’s narrative. Or as I like to say, “The headlines are catching up to the Bible.” Scientific research recently verified another truth in the Tanakh (the Hebrew scriptures). The mysterious verses in Leviticus that instruct Jews to make fringes on our prayer shawls (Tallit) have undergone some unique scrutiny.

This nearly 2,000-year-old textile appears to contain
a mysterious blue color described in the Bible.

Numbers 15:38–39 read: “Speak unto the children of Israel, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a ribbon of blue: And it shall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them…”

WND.com reports that Naama Sukenik of the Israel Antiquities Authority recently examined a small, woolen textile that was discovered in the 1950s. She found that the textile was colored with a dye from the Murex trunculus, a snail researchers believe was the source of the biblical blue or purple.

The Hebrew term tekhelet refers to the unique blue color. After the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the dispersion of the Jewish people, the blue dye’s source and manufacturing process were lost. Interestingly, the Talmud mentions two Jews captured by the Romans for the crime of having “items made in Luz,” the Israeli city identified with the manufacture of tekhelet. Roman rulers, such as Julius Caesar, banned the general public wearing “royal” colors. But the Jewish people insisted on using the biblically mandated, though banned, color as a reminder of the only truly royal One—the King of Heaven!

Just the way that scientific and religious scholars are verifying biblical facts, so our ministry trumpets the Bible’s revelation of Yeshua’s true Jewish nature. His true identity points all people of faith to the historical, spiritual, and prophetic significance of Israel. In a mortal blow to anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist propaganda, the recognition of Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah will rally the Church universal to stand with our Jewish brothers and sisters, the natural family of Jesus.

To keep you current on ministry news and concerns, we are working on an especially hard-hitting series of television programs. The ones filmed at the recent Pre-Tribulation prophecy conference in Dallas are already “in the can.” They include interviews with controversial but extremely well-informed speakers, theologians, and prophecy scholars.

“Hot topics” series—to be filmed this spring in Israel—address issues such as turmoil at the Temple Mount, the most contentious real estate on the planet. What is the true history of the area? Who legitimately holds the title deed to the parcel? When was it bought? By whom, and who authorized the transaction? Answers to these questions inform the truth of the hotly contested area.

The Pool of Siloam

At the City of David, one of the most carefully excavated areas of Israel in recent history, Katharine and I led one of the first groups to see the unearthed Pool of Siloam at the City’s base. The pool is the site of amazing Temple ceremonies that characterized Yeshua’s identity in His day.

These TV programs support our mission to retrieve and trumpet the Jewish connection to the Gospel. Of course we need your partnership to uphold our calling. If you benefit from these newsletters, our television teaching, or our website features, I invite you to join us by dedicating a portion of your prayers and charitable donations to support this ministry. Moreover, if you appreciate the seeds we plant and the harvest we cultivate among your fellow viewers and readers, please pray and contribute on their behalf. Thanks in advance for your gifts of funds, which assist us in our mission.

Recently, Katherine and I sat with a pre-Jesus Jewish couple and explained our Levitt Letter to them. Their eyes brightened as they made the connection with us, our obvious love for our people and the Land, and the quality of the Levitt Letter’s message. They took a copy with them, determined to look into our claims about Jesus, the Jewish Messiah.

Believers can all grow in understanding the issues in Israel and the theological implications of its existence. That is why I always invite you to join us on a life-changing pilgrimage. Zola often said, “A trip to Israel is worth more than ten years of Sunday School.” That claim has proven true for the thousands of pilgrims who have journeyed with us. Zola Tours offers several options to customize your experience.

The 2014 tours begin a new season of “signs in the heavens,” including the four “blood moons” due to coincide with the Hebrew calendar. The Spring Tour travels when the flowers are blooming and the whole country awakens from winter—during one of the most beautiful times of the year. The Fall Tour occurs near the excitement of holy day feasts, with nearly everyone acknowledging God’s calendar.

If you act immediately, you may still be able to join our Spring 2014 Tour—Israel only (March 16–25) or Israel & Petra (March 16–28).

The Fall Tour offers four options, detailed in our free, colorful brochure:

Deluxe Tour of Israel	October 19–28
Greece and Israel	October 13–28
Israel and Petra	October 19–31
Greece, Israel, Petra	October 13–31

Please contact Sandra at Zola Tours: 214-696-9760. She will joyfully assist you in selecting the journey of a lifetime. You can also email her at travel@levitt.com and visit www.levitt.com/tours for more details.

Series available for purchase mid-March

This month, our TV broadcasts continue the Journey of Restoration in which Katharine and I lead viewers to accompany a group of pilgrims on a Zola Tour of the Holy Land. If you can’t physically make the trip, we enable you to walk vicariously in the footsteps of our Lord and learn firsthand the Jewish history of the Land. Please watch in February for these inspiring programs:

Up to Jerusalem: From Beit She’an, the pagan gateway city, we go to Qumran, site of the Essenes and the Dead Sea Scrolls. We learn of God’s perfect timing in the Scrolls’ discovery. On Mount Scopus in Jerusalem, Myles welcomes our pilgrims to the Holy City with a Hebrew blessing.
Resistance and Rest: At Masada, after Yuval (our native Israeli guide, a Jewish Believer in Yeshua) presents an overview of the fortress’s history, Myles and Katharine appeal for increasing support and defense of the Jewish people. Back in Jerusalem for a Shabbat dinner, we learn the significance of Shabbat as our pilgrims partake of the bread and wine.
Holy Places, Holy Moments: We walk from the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane where our pilgrims meditate on the sacrifice of Yeshua. In the Upper Room, we learn the site’s history and then worship the Lord together.
In the Footsteps of History: We pray at the Temple’s Western Wall after hearing Yuval’s historical overview. At the Southern Steps, Myles teaches about that site’s authenticity. The Garden Tomb provides a serene setting for discussing the connection between Passover and Holy Communion. Pilgrims’ testimonies relate blessings encountered on the tour.
The Tabernacle in the Wilderness: Beside a life-size replica of the Tabernacle at Timna Park in Israel’s Negev desert, our guide Yuval tells us about the wonderful representations of Yeshua/Jesus throughout the Tabernacle.

The new programs described above will not only enrich your faith, they also would make excellent witnessing tools. Please gather your family and friends and introduce them to the truths we teach about Israel and the Jewish Messiah. As you know, your donations keep us going—we depend on your gifts of funds. We especially need your contributions and prayer to create timely TV programs like these.

Until I see you, Sha’alu Shalom Yerushalayim… “Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem!” (Ps. 122:6)