The Science of God
I was amazed and gratified by all the response to the two appearances of Prof. Gerald Schroeder on our TV program. Although I am not a scientist, I seem to feel a real spiritual truth in what he said. For those of you who quibbled about evolution, he does not support it; he is a strict literal Bible reader. He also does not argue with the flood, or any other Biblical fact. What Dr. Schroeder said in plain words was that the six days of creation and the 15 billion years of scientific history are the same time period! If that sounds farfetched, please see him in our upcoming Covenants of God series. Here's a selection of letters we had on that subject. Dear Zola, Gerald's time dilation doesn't solve the problem with dinosaurs. Time dilation caused by God stretching out the heavens doesn't add time to the earth clock, it would only effect perceived time from distant stars and radioactive decay rates. Dinosaurs being created on day six, with man, wouldn't allow for their extinction when a day on earth would still be a day. Time was created for man to show us a model of our work week (Ex. 20:11). Fossils are hard to form. To have fossilization occur one needs very precise conditions, rapid burial by water borne sediments. Thus the bulk of all the fossils could only have formed by the only world wide flood — Noah's. R.R.
Hello, I usually get a blessing from watching your program, but the program featuring Prof. Gerald Schroeder was a double blessing. Finally I can make sense of the Creation Story in light of science. It was as if someone had turned on a light and now I can see how science and the Bible can fit together without breaching my faith. I am curious what version of the Bible Prof. Schroeder was using? Thanks so much and God bless. — B.M.
I very much enjoyed Gerald's theory on the creation and believe that it is possibly the explanation we have been needing to reconcile the accounts of the Bible and science on creation. Thank you for the good show. — A.C.P.
Dear Levitt Ministries: Thanks for having Dr. Schroeder on last week and this week. His explanation of how science and the Bible say the same thing regarding the days of creation was very interesting. It really makes a lot of sense now that Dr. Schroeder explained it and Albert Einstein's contribution to the way it works. I wonder why the Evolutionists haven't gotten the message yet? Anyway, we heard in on Zola Levitt Presents. Sincerely, M.J.R.
Dear Zola, My husband and I have been watching you on TV for a long time. We love your approach to the Bible and really get a blessing from you. Saturday evening as we were watching, you had Gerald Schroeder on and I was absolutely amazed and blessed. I was able to grasp what he had to say and my husband couldn't. I've tried for two days to find his book but not one store here in Ft. Wayne has it. Any suggestions on how I can obtain a copy? Thank you. Jesus is Lord! S.S.
Shalom. Just wanted to express my appreciation for Zola's programs with Gerald Schroeder. I made up my mind to accept the Bible's version of creation year's ago, but I was always a little uncomfortable about it. Now it makes sense. Toda raba. — L.A.H.W.
Hi! My husband just told me about a show he just saw on the Biblical time line with Dr. Gerald Schroeder. He enjoyed it so much he wouldn't even leave it long enough to come to another part of the house to tell me it was on! (Shame on him!) By chance, will the show be repeated in the Mobile, AL area, or is it available on videotape? He was very enthusiastic about it. I want to see it myself. Fortunately, he did catch the address of your web page, which he remembered long enough for me to find you. I enjoyed looking at your web site. Nicely done. (I found the discussion of forgiveness of those responsible for the Holocaust especially thought-provoking. I have often wondered about how Jewish believers in Jesus felt about that.) I'm looking forward to hearing from you. — C.B.F.
Zola, I hope you will pardon the E-mail but I happened to catch part of your program I believe on Sunday morning march the 15th. You had a guest who was explaining his belief on time and space and how the theory of relativity works with a 15 million+ year time line. Sir, would you be so kind as to provide me with the name of the books that went along with the discussion that you had on your show. I found it very informative and educational. Thanks, D.
Dear friends, Thanks for your many comments about the appearance of Dr. Gerald Schroeder. It was one of the most thought provoking programs we have ever showed. In a brief answer to the above letters I can say that we have made copies of the videotapes of those two programs and we very much encourage anyone interested in the Bible to purchase these tapes ($22 including shipping. See page 22 to order). Maybe the lady's husband and the rest who have questions can solve them in this way. But please know that Gerald will also be our guest on the first program of our upcoming series on The Covenants of God. The translation of toda raba is thank you very much. Gerald's book titles are Genesis and the Big Bang and The Science of God. The latter book should be in most any bookstore. The translation Gerald was using was from the Hebrew Bible and runs very close to the King James. Please know that I am going to plan to make transcripts of the programs available in book form very shortly. Thanks for all your interest.
— Zola
This Jerusalem Post commentator has a clear-eyed view of the problems with the peace process. We have run his columns in this letter previously. Truth HatersIs it sheer hatred of Jews that prevents so many Arabs from seeing the point? Or are they so blinded by self-pity that they cannot see it? Or is it due simply to what some Arab scholars call a virtually congenital inability to face reality? For example, Prof. Hisham Sharabi, a member of the Palestinian National Council, has written that among Arabs, "distortion of fact to suit one's ends is almost a habit." Years earlier, an Arab sociologist, Dr. Sanya Hamady, wrote: "The Arab has no scruples about lying if by it he obtains his objective... He attributes the ills of his society, his mistakes and failures, either to fate, to the devil, or to imperialism" (Temperament and Character of the Arabs, N.Y., Twayne, 1960). Even a distinguished Arab American intellectual like Prof. Edward Said fails to see the point. The point I refer to is the obscenity of equating the horrors that Germany under Hitler inflicted on the Jews and the tragedy and misery that the Arabs of Eretz Yisrael inflicted on themselves. "The Holocaust is one of the greatest catastrophes in human history," Said told an Israeli journalist during a week's visit to Israel last month. "As Palestinians and as Arabs we ... have to persuade the Israelis and the Jews that we are aware of the Holocaust, of the horror and pain they suffered, though this does not justify what the state of Israel inflicted on the Palestinians." Criticizing the widespread tendency of Arabs to deny the Holocaust, and categorically rejecting the notion that there is any equation between the Holocaust and the plight of the Arabs of Eretz Yisrael, he went on to implicitly make such an equation. Referring to an article he published in the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Khiat three months ago, he said: "I told my Arab readers that if we want to change things, we have to acknowledge the suffering of the Jews and ask them to understand our suffering. Let me emphasize that there in no room for any comparison whatever between the suffering of the Jews and that of the Palestinians." However, "There is no readiness whatsoever on the part of the Israeli establishment to acknowledge the Palestinian tragedy and the wrongs it [the Israeli establishment] has perpetrated... It is shocking that the Jews, who have suffered and been persecuted, are not one bit sensitive to the wrongs they have perpetrated on others." It is true of all people, including Jews, that our own suffering does not necessarily sensitize us to the suffering of others. Indeed, it even makes some of us crueler than we might otherwise have been. It is also true, as Said said, that since 1948 the Israeli establishment and many ordinary citizens have wronged our Arab citizens in several ways. What is not true is Said's generalization about "the Jews." I don't know of another people that has produced proportionately as many individuals, movements and institutions fostering sympathetic treatment of "the others" in their midst. As for "the Palestinian tragedy" — the only places where "there is no readiness whatever to acknowledge" and alleviate it is among the elites of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and perhaps several others. It is they — and in 1948 also Jordan and the local Palestinian elite — who brought on the tragedy. It is they who have perpetuated the tragedy, in order to use it as a political weapon against Israel. It is they who have thereby compounded the tragedy — by encouraging Arabs of Mandatory Western Palestine to leave their homes in 1948; by keeping most of the 420,000 Arabs thus displaced in miserable camps and denying them basic human rights; by rejecting Israeli overtures to help resolve the refugee problem on the grounds that this would "change the status quo" — that is, remove the problem as an anti-Israel political weapon and imply recognition of Israel. Said was once Yasser Arafat's spokesman in the US, and a candidate for a cabinet seat in Arafat's "Provisional Government of Palestine." But after the PLO and Israel signed the Declaration of Principles in Washington, Said said: "Arafat has turned his back on Palestinian history." (Ha'aretz, December 7, 1993). Now Said says that "Opposite the ... increasingly reactionary ... Israeli government stands the Palestinian Authority manifesting super-concessions with the idea of one day achieving some sort of entity." This statement, too, doesn't jibe with reality. The "super-concessionist" has been Israel: relinquishing large areas of Judea and Samaria; releasing hundreds of convicted terrorists and other criminals; turning a blind eye to Arafat's building of a war-sized army; ignoring Arafat's failure to amend the PLO Charter, provide information about Israeli soldiers missing in action, and vigorously fight terrorism within the areas under this control. Edward Said ought to heed an
admonition of his own: "Palestinians should be the first to describe
things as they are, avoiding euphemism and servility, requiring
accountability and seriousness of purpose from the leaders and each
other alike..."
Dear Friends, It has certainly been a month of confusing news. We are living in a most complex world that is suggestive of the End Times. As we go to press, the Vatican has issued another one of its halfway apologies for its inactivity during the Holocaust. The present Pope has exonerated the Pope of the time, and the document — too little too late — lightly chastises the Church of Rome for not taking steps to save its Jewish neighbors in that awful time. In reality, that Church was worse than inactive, I'm afraid. In Poland, virtually a Roman Catholic country, three million Jewish people including more than a million children were murdered. Poland outstripped the rest of Europe for its bloodthirstiness. As far as Catholic apologies go, let the Vatican recognize the State of Israel and we'll begin to make progress toward a reconciliation. In recent times, the Vatican had the Cuban government completely close down Cuba's "house churches" (where true believers meet to study Scripture) during the Pope's recent visit. The media, an organization of thrills and adventure, informed us one day that an asteroid was going to hit the earth and destroy us all. The next day they took it back. So goes life with our reporters, who seldom check out a story. The Dallas Morning News, my hometown paper, takes a back seat to no one in its constant criticism of Israel, and probably had the funniest anti-Israel story of the past month. Rather than write about one of the worst problems in Israel since the beginning of what some are still calling the peace process — rampant car theft by Palestinians, the Morning News chose to run a story titled "Jewish Settlers Vandalize Palestinian Cars." If they even began to understand the situation in Israel, the newspaper would have known that there was a good chance those cars were originally Israeli anyway. Israel, clinging to one-fifth of one percent of the Arab land holdings, is still abused daily in the American media by 90% of our newspapers and T.V. stations. In the March 5 New York Times there were stories side-by-side about Palestinian "security services" and Israeli "spies." While the spooks on both sides are in the same business, the Israelis get the derogatory name. Add to that the fact that the initial story was about the C.I.A. training true Palestinian spies and the Israeli story was simply about a change in the government head of security services. The comedian Henny Youngman died last month. The rabbi at his funeral looked heavenward and said, "Dear God, take Henny ... please!" It was nostalgic and funny, but I'm glad that at my funeral, should that event arise before the Lord comes for me, no one will have to say "please" in terms of my going to heaven. Assurance is a wonderful thing (I John 5:13)! The actor Robert DeNiro had a similar experience to mine in France. He was arrested and questioned for nine hours, and then released on a suspicion of nothing much. I cannot warn people enough to stay away from this hostile country, and I am pledged to do it for my lifetime because of what happened to me there. Tune in now for The Covenants of God, our newest teaching series explaining the meaning and significance of God's various covenants with man over time. The Covenants are all reviewed with a goal toward uncovering new insights and offering a deeper understanding of our relationship with God. We appreciate your faithful support in making this series a reality. TOUR TIP: This year our Pentecost Tour of Israel (May 24 to June 3) is considerably cheaper than ever before because we will be using Lufthansa, a premium airline providing a number of gateway cities for your U.S. departure. Our price is the same as always, but there will be virtually no domestic airfare added on. Savings will range as high as $500-600, depending on where you live. We'll cover Israel from the lovely, green countryside of the Galilee to the stark desert fortress of Masada by the Dead Sea. We'll visit the famous tunnel in Jerusalem, as well as our Lord's empty tomb, the Upper Room, the Temple Mount, the Western Wall, and many other sites. Our Grand Tour (May 20 to June 2) explores the New Testament sites of Corinth, Ephesus, and Athens, with its famous Acropolis and Mars Hill. This extension also includes a leisurely Mediterranean cruise to the Greek islands of Mykonos, Patmos and Rhodes. This is the only time that we'll go to Greece in 1998, so this is the time to jump on board! Our free tour brochure illustrates our daily itinerary in full color, and is yours for the asking by calling our answering service at 1-800-WONDERS (966-3377) or writing to our office. I hope you can join us for this breathtaking excursion!
Your messenger,
Following is an abbreviated
version of an exchange I had recently with a Jewish man over the
Internet. Please pray that the Lord will open his eyes and his heart.
E-Mail WitnessI love your T.V. Programs. I am Jewish (Sephardic) and feel that you act as a bridge between these two great faiths. Though not accepting of Jesus because there is simply not enough known of Him to prove any divinity for sure, I really respect your beliefs. For whatever reasons you hang on to the thread of Jewishness, I find it perplexing. Why not just give it up — after all, it is the New Covenant you are practicing under, not the old! —V.B.
I'm glad you enjoy my television programs. The New Covenant that I practice is perfectly Jewish. The prophet Jeremiah announced it in Jeremiah 31:31-35. Christianity is not a separate religion or faith from Judaism. I believe in the Jewish Messiah, who came to the Jewish nation to fulfill the covenants God made with Abraham and Moses and David. My belief in Jesus does not make me any less Jewish, nor have I lost anything by living under the New Covenant. On the contrary, I have gained everything. I hope that you will come to know the Messiah as I know Him. —Zola
It was not my intention to judge your acceptance of Jesus as your Messiah. I simply thought that, in light of your talk of "the Church" so frequently — which by itself, alienates you from the Jews — you would simply better serve your constituents by exemplifying the fact that you simply are a "Jew" who has accepted both Christ and the Church. Therefore, I still find it interesting that you hold on to your Judaism. Again, to me, the two simply do not blend. If you really want to reach the mass of the Jews, it is more appropriate to compare Jesus to a great man (which I do). Furthermore, Christianity has failed in that it comes on to the Jews like gangbusters. It should simply make a statement that Jesus, whether a Son of G-D or a son of man, was a darn good fellow. His teachings and sermons preached love and acceptance. The fact that I do not believe that he rose from the tomb means that I can never accept him as the Messiah. However, his teachings, if expounded on by the likes of you, will make him appear to be the "great man" that he was. We, as Jews, honor many men. Christianity has simply missed the boat for 2,000 years. They (you) need to preach the premise of "honor the man — not the resurrection." Then, if Jews and other non-Christians come to know him, it will be out of his goodness and not necessarily his g-dliness. —V.B.
If I believe in Jesus, I have to believe in His entire story. If it's hard to believe in His miracles or His resurrection, well it was hard to believe that the Jews could rise from nearly 2,000 years of persecution and be restored to their land — but the Bible also teaches that. I cannot be halfway with the Messiah. I cannot call Him "a darn good fellow," as you do. A "great man" cannot say, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6) unless he is insane' and then he would not be great. I believe Christians "honor the man" as well as His resurrection, and I sincerely believe that people come to know Him out of his goodness indeed. But He was so much more than a very good man. I believe He was truly the Messiah of Israel, and I urge you to think about that very carefully. If He was the Messiah, it's you who are missing the boat. And keep in mind that the Jewish Bible is predicting a flood. —Zola
Your comments on my referring to Jesus as a "darn good fellow" must have offended you and for that I am truly sorry. Your convictions and beliefs must be so very strong that I find it very refreshing. Some who preach the Gospel seem to be charlatans and I do not know how you as a Jewish believer with great integrity deal with them. I am quite certain that some of our rabbis are less than ethical and some are, without doubt, unbelieving in any higher being. In any case, the bottom line is that I really respect you. I believe you to be a biblical scholar. Whether or not I accept Jesus as my Messiah is not relevant to your soul, it would have meaning only to me. Thank you again for listening. I
am, with kindest regards, most sincerely, V.B.
Arab Double StandardsBy Gerald SteinbergWhile most of the world hoped that the latest crisis would finally force Saddam Hussein to give up his weapons of mass destruction, Arab leaders tried to divert attention to Israel. In a series of interviews, President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and Palestinian spokesmen attacked Israel for violating agreements to which it is not a party, while defending Iraq for violating agreements that it did sign. This propaganda campaign was another depressing setback for the effort to create an environment to further peace and security in the region. The Arabs claim that US policy is based on a "double standard" because it demands that Iraq destroy its nuclear, chemical, biological, and missile programs, "while allowing Israel to arm itself with nuclear weapons." This may score some points with people who do not know the details, but most diplomats and political leaders are tired of hearing this old tune. The central element of the confrontation with Iraq is the threat posed by Saddam's arsenal. In the past two decades, Iraq has invaded both Iran and Kuwait, and has produced and used weapons of mass destruction. In Halabja and other Kurdish areas within Iraq, Saddam's army bombed unprotected civilians with chemical weapons. In this environment, in which not only Iraq, but also Syria, Egypt and Libya have massive stockpiles of chemical weapons, and in which Iran and other countries are attempting to develop nuclear weapons, few serious people doubt Israel's need for a strategic deterrent. In the 1950s, David Ben-Gurion decided to create a nuclear option in case the survival of Israel is threatened by the overwhelming armies of the neighboring states. However, Israel remains a reluctant nuclear power with a minimum and ambiguous capability. As demonstrated by the history of wars and the continued calls from Teheran for our destruction, the threat is not theoretical. In addition, recent events have shown that this deterrence policy is successful. In the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq launched over 40 Scud missiles at us, but not one contained chemical weapons. The reason was the threat of devastating retaliation. The differences between the cases of Iraq and Israel also extend to commitments under international law. Iraq signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and as a result, was allowed to import nuclear technology for "peaceful purposes." However, the Iraqis blatantly violated the terms of the NPT, secretly constructing a number of military facilities for the manufacture of nuclear weapons. In contrast, Israel is not a party to the NPT agreement, and cannot be accused of violations. After the war that followed its 1990 invasion and annexation of Kuwait, the Iraqi government accepted a cease-fire and specific terms for the disposal and monitoring of its weapons of mass destruction. The terms of the agreement were incorporated into UN Security Council Resolution 687. However, after the US troops left the area, Iraq began to violate this agreement systematically. Although Iraq agreed to turn over all the details of its weapons programs to the UN, the nuclear program was exposed only after the defection of a key scientist. Similarly, it hid the manufacturing and testing of biological agents until 1995, when Saddam's late brother-in-law revealed the details. Since then, evidence was uncovered showing that Iraq still possesses deadly stockpiles of anthrax and other biological agents, and has converted aircraft to spray these agents on populated areas. The latest series of standoffs are the result of Saddam's desperate attempts to hold on to these weapons. In all of these actions, there is no analogy with the Israeli situation, and no basis for the claims of Arab propagandists. Furthermore, in contrast to Syria and Egypt, the Israeli government signed the Chemical Weapons Convention, and is likely to ratify it soon. As an open and democratic society, once Israel is a party to this treaty, there is no question of hiding an illegal program. Similarly, if a verifiable ban on biological weapons can be negotiated, Israel is likely to sign and honor its terms. Israel has endorsed the establishment of a nuclear weapons free zone in the region, once a stable peace is established. Thus, it is clear that the accusations of a "double standard" repeated by Arab leaders are entirely unsupported by the facts. For the past decade, the Arabs have
campaigned in every possible forum in an effort to force Israel to give
up its "deterrent of last resort," while attempting to protect their own
weapons programs. Outside the Middle East, this campaign has resulted in
greater understanding and acceptance of the Israeli position, including
the need to maintain this deterrent until a genuine peace is reached. By
attempting to save Saddam's murderous arsenal, the Arab leaders are
delaying this process.
The following letter is most
heartening and describes a span of some twenty years during which an
entire family has followed our ministry with fine spiritual results. We
run it here not in a spirit of self-congratulations, but rather to
demonstrate how a ministry can work together with a family. Your support
makes this happy story and so many others possible, and we very much
thank you for it.
Keep in mind that you help us to
produce not merely television programs, but books, tapes, music,
teaching materials of all sorts, and tours of the Holy Land. We are one
of the few ministries whose every offer of materials is produced by us
alone. We are able to do this with your prayers and your help. Thank you
for a wonderful twenty years!
A Family and Our MinistryDear Mr. Levitt, We feel you are almost a member of our family. As you read on you will begin to see why. Also, enclosed you will find a photocopy of a photograph of yourself and a 2-1/2 year-old little girl named Mary-Elizabeth taken in 1979 in Laredo, Texas. You will also find a family photo Christmas card taken in December 1997. I wanted to write this letter by Christmas but time and my energy conflicted. Mary-Elizabeth is second from the right, now 21 years old. The significance of this will become clear as I explain further. My husband and I have been following your ministry for about the last 23 years. We became fascinated with your books on Bible prophecy as a young couple, attending your lecture in Laredo in 1979, and continued reading many of your other books. We also started watching your television program. Through the years as we grew in the Lord, in our family and in our ministry to the church, we followed your ministry not constantly but faithfully. We shared your ministry with our children. We spoke to them about God's plan for the Jews, His entrusting the Scriptures to them so that we may have them also today, God's merciful plan to make salvation available to all people through Jesus Christ, their role in the world now and in the last days of the Great Tribulation as part of our children's Christian education. All three children received Jesus as their personal Savior when they were seven years old and made their public confession of faith and baptism at age 8, Mary in a Baptist Church and the two younger ones (Nick now 17 and Camille now 16) in our backyard pool. They have followed all their lives and still are devoted, loving and submissive Christians today. Your teachings have been an integral part of this, especially influencing Mary-Elizabeth. I came to this conclusion, not only because this is obviously God's calling, but because when Mary, who always loved studying ancient history, entered college she began a plan of studies that have led her to pursue a career involving the Middle East. Her course of study is a major in Archaeology and a minor in Anthropology, also minors in Art History and Middle Eastern Studies. She will graduate from the University of Texas at Austin next year. She is investigating a graduate program at Berkley in Near Eastern Archaeology. During the summer of 1996 Mary went to Israel with a group from the Israel Archaeology Society and had the opportunity to be a volunteer in a dig on the Western Wall of the Temple. We hope to see the Holy Land on one of your tours one day. She is studying second semester Arabic and will complete four by graduation. During her graduate work she hopes to have the opportunity to study Hebrew or Greek. Throughout her life and especially during her college years Mary has come to share God's deep love and admiration for the Jewish people. I cannot believe, with her first lecture attended at the age of two by Zola Levitt, that her choice for her life's work being her love of the Lord, the Holy Land and understanding its people and culture, is a mere coincidence. No, I believe your television ministry, your influence on her parents' lives and your wonderful wit was a contribution to the kind of Godly woman Mary-Elizabeth is today. Humor is also a very important part of our family. We want to thank you for your enduring ministry and the legacy it has left in our daughter's life. Sincerely, Mike & Linda G.
I was surprised to find a very
relevant and credible letter to the editor of
The Jerusalem Post
from a Texas Christian. His views are so reasonable and his scriptural
applications so wise, that I thought we should share it with you.
Leech's DaughtersSir, Let's consider what real and tangible fruits of the "peace process" Israelis and Palestinians hold in their hands. First, let's consider the Palestinians. They hold much territory, including five major cities, which Israel has given them. They have a "police force" that is three times the size of that allowed by the Oslo Accords. These "police" are armed, as agreed upon in the process. They receive real Israeli tax funds, employment and many other tangible benefits. What tangibles do the Israelis have? Do they have a printed, readable copy of an amended PLO covenant? No. Can they point to a single person who has been extradited by the PA for crimes committed in Israel? No. Can they regularly hear, via the news, Palestinian leaders expressing goodwill toward Israel and urging Palestinians to live at peace with their Jewish neighbors in exchange for all the real and tangible concessions Israel has given them? No. Do Israelis possess an unwavering commitment from the PA to stop terrorism that is coupled with proven action? No. And despite this, the Palestinians demand more. Proverbs 30:15 says: "The leech has two daughters: Give and Give." There are many Christians around the world who stand with you. We wholeheartedly agree that you should never be expected to commit national suicide. Matthew Chapman, Hearne, Texas
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Copyright © 1998 by Zola Levitt Ministries, Inc., a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. All rights reserved. Brief passages may be quoted in reviews or other article. For all other use, please get our written approval.
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