A Note From Zola
Dear Friends,
A few odds and ends of news caught my attention recently,
and I'd like to share some commentary with you. Some current
events have a bearing on prophecy and the approaching End
Times.
Campaign funding has been an issue again lately. The
point here is not whether the officials of either
political party are untrustworthy. The real issue
in prophetic terms is the crisis of leadership in
this country and so many others that will pave the
way for the entrance of a new world leader. Americans,
Western Europeans, Arabs and other Islamics, and
virtually all of the third-world countries
(including Russia) will possibly turn to the
Antichrist out of utter frustration. His leadership
will seem reasonable, spiritual, and peaceful compared
to the borderline criminal leaders we are putting up
with today in the majority of the nations of the world.
On the subject of criminal leaders, it is costing us
$40-50 billion a year simply to watch Iraq. The presence
of one lunatic Arab dictator, Saddam Hussein, requires
more money than it would take to solve the entire poverty
problem of the U.S. Somebody estimated that relieving the
former Ethiopian famine would have cost $40 million. So
for the price of watching Saddam, we could solve 1,000
such famines.
A terrorist group in Spain called the ETA has killed 876
people over the past several years. This is far worse
than the Intifada in Israel, which took place over a like
period of time, and yet we haven't foisted a phony peace
process on Spain. If Israel requires it, what does Spain
call for? And across the Straits from Spain, 60,000 have
been murdered in Algeria by Islamic terrorists with barely
any censure from Washington or the UN. Surely such carnage
merits some protest, if Israel is to be saddled with the
terrible liability of a fake peace process over far fewer
casualties.
Israel has had less than ten homicides so far this year,
counting the Arab real estate dealers murdered by Arafat's
thugs. The U.S. has 22,000 homicides in an average year.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu said recently, "Real
progress toward peace would require the democratization of
the Arab states." The fact is that all of the Palestinians,
virtually all other Arabs, most of the American and Western
European governments, and the United Nations are trying to
force Netanyahu out of office. Could it be for such reasonable
ideas as the one stated above that this intelligent and sensible
man must be sacrificed?
The C-SPAN television network travelled all the way to Israel
to cover a doomed no-confidence vote brought against Netanyahu
in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. All they caught on tape
were some officials arguing with each other. In Israel, as in
America, legislators argue daily without the government toppling,
and more than 99% of the people go to work and come home without
incident. Crime rates are down, poverty levels are down, the
abortion rate is down. I could go on and on through a hundred
such pieces of good news that are unreported by the profit-making
media, which spends all of its time on murders in Florida, trials on
sexy subjects, and, of course, ceaselessly pushing beer, psychic
hotlines, and endless commodities of questionable worth. Days of
coverage are devoted to such earth-shattering news as one boxer
biting the ear of another boxer.
When I worked in the media, our excuse was "we don't make
the news, we just report it." Since "reporting"
has become mere pushing of sensationalist news and mediocre products,
that rationalization won't work any more. We are only a small step
away from the media starting its own wars, which it comes close to
doing in its coverage of Israel, in order to charge more for commercials
(or to gratify its chief source of revenue ads for the
petroleum-based products supplied by our Arab masters).
CNN featured a long story on Israel's "anti-missionary law,"
which has not even passed. (We included an article on it in last month's
newsletter.) America has many Congressmen proposing many strange bills
that never see the light of day, but they are not covered. Why was this
Israeli legislation singled out?
The American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee has attacked the new
Jackie Chan film Operation Condor for its alleged stereotyping of Arab
individuals. A recent news report stated, "Mr. Chan expels the two
[Arab] men from a woman's house they are robbing. As they leave, the
two shout, `Soldiers of the Faith will not give up the holy battle!'"
The complaint is that Arabs don't make such inflammatory statements,
but the July 26 Jerusalem Post International Edition contained
the following quote: "Allah shall take revenge on behalf of his Prophet
against the colonialist settlers [the Israelis], who are sons of monkeys
and pigs." This was said by Mufti Sabri during an address to
worshippers at the Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The article also quoted
him as calling for the destruction of America.
Sixty Minutes ran a story on the World War II cave
killings in Italy, in which 335 Italians were shot in cold blood
by German soldiers. The report dwelt on the horrific nature of
this crime. If you multiply that number by ten, and by ten
again, and by ten again, and by ten again, and then double
the sum, you will arrive at the six million Jews killed by
the Germans in the Holocaust. But of course, most were not
shot in the back of the head by a single bullet. They rode
in train box cars for a thousand miles, were worked nearly to death,
and were finally gassed and burned. But somehow this doesn't merit
the same outrage in the media as the deaths of the 335 innocent
Italians.
There was a great hoopla this summer over the UFOs that supposedly
crash-landed in Roswell, New Mexico several decades ago. Many people
are convinced that there has been an ongoing government cover-up of
the incident. As the End Times progress, more and more individuals
believe in extraterrestrial sightings, and even seek contact with
"visitors" from outer space. My book,Encounters with
UFOs, explores this situation and how it is connected with
the occult. You might be surprised to find out what is really
going on.
Interestingly, scientists have theorized that Mars underwent a
great flood and is now lifeless. Was there no Martian Noah?
We will soon be bringing you our new Champions of Faith series.
The post-production work is progressing, and I know that you
will be pleased with its quality and content. We look forward
to blessing you and our other viewers with our studies on the
heroes of faith of Hebrews 11. Look for them to begin next month.
We are now taking registrations for our 1997 Fall Festival Tour.
The deluxe Israel Tour will take place October 7 - 17. Our Grand
Tour will be October 4 - 17, and for the first time we are offering
an additional extension through October 24 for those who wish to
stay in Jerusalem throughout the entire eight-day Feast of Tabernacles.
October is a perfect time to visit Israel, after the heat of summer
and before the rains of winter. Our Israel Tour offers you the major
biblical sites in Israel. We have shown them to you on our program,
but nothing can compare with seeing them yourself. How can mere
words describe how it feels to stand on the Mount of Beatitudes as
the Sea of Galilee sparkles beneath you, feeling the wind on your
face as you listen to the stirring words of the Sermon on the Mount?
Or climbing for yourself the very steps Jesus and His disciples used
on their way into the Temple? Or pausing on the Mount of Olives to
reflect on our Savior's agony as He faced the crucifixion?
Those who come on our Grand Tour will experience southern Israel,
with a stay in the Red Sea resort city of Eilat, as well as Mount
Nebo and ancient Petra in Jordan. To register or receive your free
tour brochure, please call Cynthia at 214-696-9760.
Your messenger,
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Our ministry frequently receives requests from the faithful
for advice on writing and publishing articles or poetry. Due
to our limited staff, it is impossible to answer each query
we receive. The multi-talented Charlynn Johns, a free-lance
writer and lyricist whose work has appeared on our TV program
and in these pages, offered the following encouragement and
response to a recent personal request. (Charlynn has
established the Sunshine After Rain Ministry. If you want
to know more about it, you can write to her at our ministry.
She also accompanies our tours as worship leader. And believe
it or not, she does a very convincing, very professional, and
very spiritual clown act in full costume. Look for the lady
with the big red nose on our Fall Tour!)
Forged in the Furnace (Is. 48:10)
by Charlynn Johns
Whenever I am "graced" with the privilege of encouraging
a fellow believer, I feel the brush of angels' wings. Often it is
as if I were reading what I might have chanced to write only a
few short years ago. Discouragement and feelings of inadequacy
over qualifications are hard to dispel.
To that, I respond by saying that I myself have little college
experience or formal training, and I, too, experience the attacks
of the adversary as to my "qualifications" for doing
and pursuing a career in writing. However, our faithful Lord
assures us He has equipped us fully for what He has purposed
in each of our lives. He is able to bring it to pass. Our part
is to trust, to move forward, and to press on.
So, you may be asking, "How do I do that?" I will
share my experience and testimony to illustrate just what
the Lord can do.
I have been working with Zola Levitt Ministries for the past
five years. I first went to their office in response to an ad
for a desktop publisher for their newsletter. I was heavily
involved in a business venture and was not in need of a
full-time position. I went in and merely stated that I felt
the Lord had led me there to explain my skills (in desktopping)
and to offer help when and where I could. Because they needed a
full-time staff member, they were not really interested; however
they assured me they would keep in touch.
Through no small coincidence, a short time later they called me
in to train their new employee on the software package they were
using. I kept in touch doing various odd jobs, filling in on the
newsletter where needed over the first year, and training several
others in various computer programs. I developed a working
relationship with Zola and in conversations mentioned that I
"wrote." My thought for ministry writing opportunities
was the monthly newsletter. While I had lofty intentions, I had
never written one thing with a spiritual focus, not to mention
lyrics. Zola, of course, diplomatically encouraged me but made
no immediate offers to give me an opportunity to write anything.
Then my world began to fall apart. I have long held fast to
Romans 8:28 that all things work together for the good. I was
just beginning to see and understand that reality.
Not a day passed that I did not cry out to the Lord for understanding
and insight. Not a breath was taken of my own strength. And for the
most part, my voice was used to utter prayers of anguish and despair
(and if you have heard any of my lyrics, you will know — and smile).
But, in the midst of my heartbreak I received a call from Zola that
a song for his series Tell it On the Mountains needed lyrics. The
invitation finally came: would I listen to it and see what I could
come up with?
Astounded, broken and in disbelief, I said, "I am NO song
writer!" But Zola encouraged me just to listen to the Lord,
and if I "got something" it would be from Him. So just
listen.
And I have been listening ever since.
My life hasn't gotten any easier. I am still, after ten years
of single life, raising my three children on my own (with Him).
From that first song, "The Thief," to now over 50,
and a book of poetry on the Holy Land Sunshine After Rain:
Promised Land Poetry and Prose, God has kept me listening
and leaning on Him.
I have shed many tears. I have asked many questions. I have prayed
non-stop for relief. But I have also been given a "voice"
for all of the above; and as I have learned to faithfully turn each
over to Him, I write a new song, or poem, or word of encouragement
to a fellow soldier in the battle.
I would urge you to share what you write often. Gifts from the Lord
are for sharing. I frequently use the analogy that not sharing your
gift is like receiving a diamond ring from the love of your life and
keeping it in a jewelry box and never showing it to anyone! The gift
reflects the heart of the Giver, and also what He thinks of His love.
Share it, show it, and practice. You will get better at the skills
He has blessed you with, and there are hearts that need to be touched
and edified by the experiences that you have gone through — your
heartaches as well as your joys.
One of the greatest blessings and testimonies of how an awesome God
uses all things, occurred on my last trip to Israel. While we stood
on the Mount of Olives, one of the passengers approached me shyly
and shared that she had watched the Pilgrim's Journey video over
and over until she had written down all the words to the song
"Teach Me To Walk on Water." She wanted to share them with her
Sunday School class. I recalled the bittersweet day that I sat down,
broken again, crying still, looking up at the sky asking the Lord
if through all the storms I was experiencing, He would just teach me
to walk on water.
He has.
My greatest gift is not the ability to write, but the heart to listen.
Fight the good fight
Even when it takes your ear off.
Finish the race
Even though you cannot see the finish line.
And keep the faith,
For one day you may find yourself writing
an assurance such as this, to one who will
come after you.
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