Israel's Dangerous NeighborhoodColumnist for the Washington Post On one day Palestinian violence is said to have been provoked by the opening of a tunnel. On another day the provocation is said to be the beginning of construction of apartments.
Indeed, in the eyes of the "international community," Palestinian violence is self-legitimizing: It is proof of Israeli provocation. No Israeli government could allow Arafat to veto the construction of apartments on unoccupied land in East Jerusalem owned by the Israeli state. To allow that would be to make a de facto territorial concession, conceding that Jerusalem is redivided, with Arafat sovereign in part of it. Arafat released terrorists. Israeli intelligence says he authorized attacks and that the head of the Palestinian Preventive Security organized the Hebron riots. Last Friday, at a rally of 10,000 in Nablus, a speaker announced the "good news" of the terrorist's suicide attack in Tel Aviv, and the crowd cried "God is great." An Arafat aide said, "The terror of bulldozers led to the terror of explosives." Arafat's recurring resort to violence refutes the premise of the Oslo accords, which was that land was being traded for peace. Something tangible — territory — has indeed been traded for something intangible — promises, a liar's promises. Everything about Arafat's repertoire — the violence, the rhetoric to Arabic-speaking audiences about "combat" and "jihad" and capturing all of Jerusalem, the refusal to fulfill the obligation to remove from the Palestinian Charter references to the illegitimacy and destruction of Israel — is consistent with the strategy adopted in 1974. That is the "phased" strategy of founding a Palestinian state from which will be launched the final attack on a diminished Israel. American diplomats who soothingly refer to Arafat as Israel's "partner in the peace process" visit Arafat's Ramallah office with its wall map of Palestine with Israel's borders erased. Such maps are frequent ornaments of political and cultural programming on Palestinian Authority television. Such maps are used in Palestinian commercial advertising and as jewelry. On the main Bethlehem-Hebron road there is a monument to the Palestinian "martyrs of the Intifada" in the shape of a map of Palestine, including all the land of Israel. The diplomats probably wonder about the "real" meaning of such maps, just as diplomats wondered what Nazis "really" meant when they spoke of the "destruction" of European Jewry. Israel lives in a bad neighborhood. One reason it is bad is that the Palestinian people have had a long run of execrable leaders, leaders who supported Hitler in World War II, the Soviet Union during the Cold War and Saddam Hussein in the Gulf War. Perhaps things will get better. Perhaps when a full-fledged Palestinian state exists on the West Bank, that 22nd Arab state will be the first Arab democracy. But would those who are asking Israel to bet its life on that be willing to bet theirs? Former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, when asked if Israel could safely consent to be again, as before 1967, 10 miles wide at the waist, blandly said that Israel would still be, in effect, 40 miles deep strategically because "all the land we give back must be demilitarized."
It is said that the people hope vaguely but dread precisely. Modern history has provided Israelis a dread that is the premise of their statecraft: No calamity is impossible.
So while the "international community" will continue to criticize Israel
for the provocations inherent in its existence, Israel's riposte will be
Golda Meir's words: Jews are used to collective eulogies, but Israel
will not die so that the world will speak well of it.
It's Time to Visit IsraelExcerpt from Pre-Trib Perspectives
Contrary to popular opinion, it is safe for Americans to travel and tour
the Holy Land inasmuch as the current problems are primarily limited to
areas where tourists rarely go. We were as safe as one can be on this
planet. In fact, I have been told that not one single American tourist
has ever been killed in the whole history of modern Israel. Because of
the false perception that it is dangerous to travel in Israel, we had
the whole land almost to ourselves. That was nice, in a way. But it was
not nice to realize that many who would like to visit the place where
our Savior walked, lived, died, rose again, and ascended to heaven are
staying away because they think it is not safe. Many who would benefit
from seeing the sites where dozens of future events are prophesized to
occur are not coming because of the false notion that their life may be
endangered and are choosing to stay at home.
Itamar Marcus, who has appeared on our program, is a Palestinian media watcher. He is presently occupied with the problem of Palestinian Authority radio and television inciting their people to hatred and violence against the Israelis. The Oslo peace process specifically requires the PA to stop all such incitement. Palestinian Affairs...After all, for Marcus, the answer to whether or not the incitement has stopped can never be a simple yes or no. The blatant "bursts" of incitement — the video clips glorified martyrdom, along with hours of bloody intifada broadcasts — may indeed be petering out. But what remains, he says, is a subtler and, long-term, more worrying form of incitement whose damage will take years to repair.
The underlying ideology being peddled by the PA media (he claims) paints Israel as an illegitimate foreign implant in the region, and as a temporary entity that will one day disappear. Historians and Islamic clerics who have regular slots on PA TV continually convey the message that the Jews have no history in Israel. One "house" ideologue and historian, Abdallah al-Hourani, recently described Israel as "like a tree planted on someone else's land that won't take root." When the tree stops getting "fertilizer," he went on, apparently referring to foreign aid, "it will wither and die."
"The first pillar of the ideology is that the Jews were never here,
absurd as it may sound," says Marcus. "One historian stated that not a
single ancient Hebrew coin had ever been found here."
[Our tourists find them constantly, not only in the ground, but in every
jewelry store. — Zola]
Even in newspaper crossword puzzles, Marcus argues, the line between Israel and historic Palestine is continually erased. The clues for Jaffa and Haifa, for example, are always "a Palestinian port." This, he says, is "what people are growing up on. And this is the tragedy." Ironically, Marcus rejects the calls by Israeli right-wingers for the army to bomb the PA's TV and radio transmitters into the world to come. Israel's first helicopter gun-ship raid in the PA territories following the October lynching of two army reservists in Ramallah targeted the radio, putting VOP briefly out of action. "I say no way," says Marcus. "It's such a controlled media that it gives us a valuable window into what's going on. I'm waiting for the day when I can report that the Palestinian TV says they're hoping for peace with Israel"
In the meantime, states Marcus, the deep-level incitement he perceives
is "not a light switch to be turned on and off." Palestinians have been
exposed, he says, to years of ideology that "the Jews have no right to
be here, and are not going to be here. And we'll be paying for that for
years to come."
Zola's Bulletin Board
For more information, please call Tony at (214) 696-9760 during office hours. You may also call 1-800-WONDERS (966-3377) anytime to request a full-color brochure.
One of our subscribers wanted to sponsor an Israeli child's financial assistance through World Vision. When her package arrived, she learned that they had assigned her a Palestinian child in the West Bank. She objected, saying that she did not want to sponsor a child who was being raised to hate Israeli Jews. World Vision responded that some of the Palestinian children were "Christian Arabs" but would not guarantee they could find her one. Bottom line: World Vision offers no support to non-Palestinian children, though some Israeli children are Christians, of course!
For the first time in our twenty-year history you can select any combination of fifty of our $3 study booklets and, so long as you order fifty, share a tremendous value with your friends. There are 11 titles, so you could bless four people with the complete collection. Then, in addition, you could order two extra of each of Zola's favorite three — The Miracle of Passover, The Seven Feasts of Israel and A Christian Love Story — for several younger Christians.
Sometimes it is more convenient to contribute cars, stock, land and fine jewelry to tax-exempt organizations than it is to sell them. When required, we are happy to furnish an appraisal to go with the IRS Form 8283. Please direct any questions in this regard to Mark's attention at our P.O. Box. Thanks.
FAM: Both coasts — 1:00 AM Monday morning (midnight Sunday, CT) TBN: 7:00 AM Monday, Central Time INSP: 9:00 PM Friday, Central Time
From an advertisement in the Religion section of the Dallas Morning News:
The North Texas Church of Freethought A Fellowship of Unbelievers
Services on the First Sunday of Every Month Freethought Weddings,
Memorials, Naming Ceremonies....
A Note From ZolaDear Friends, A great many of you have written in to tell us that our newest airtimes are inconvenient for you. We certainly know that. They're inconvenient for us, too.
This is to be expected in the End Times. After all, our Lord said to his Israeli disciples, "Ye shall be hated of all nations." And the Bible is becoming a rarity these days, even in churches and seminaries. On Christian television, it's really hard to find serious Bible teaching. Make no mistake about it, television works like any other business, and the popularity of a subject decides its prominence in the lineup. If you look at the tripe that the networks serve up in primetime, I'm afraid you have a good example of where the unbelieving world's tastes lie. And if you look at primetime on religious channels, there is the same appeal to the largest crowd, rather than a serious quest for Scriptural truth. My purpose here is to tell you that we have to fight tooth-and-nail for even the bad times that we're getting, and for that reason we offer you videotapes, computerized showings of our program, etc. On the FOX family channel, which is a totally secular network, you have to give credit for the fact that they've kept our program, even after other Christian programs were taken off. Competing in a program lineup where infomercials, movies, and the like bring quite a bit of commercial revenue to the network, Zola Levitt Presents is still considered valuable enough to be shown, even if the airtime is inconvenient. There's something to be said for our production values and the relevance, even to unbelievers, of what we are saying. Commentary that is positive about Israel is welcome almost nowhere but in Israel itself these days. Precious few newspapers and television broadcasts are ever complimentary to this sister democracy, and our program must seem very odd indeed when we hold Israel blameless in the present situation, even as we have all along. What is relevant to us is not the world's criticism or the Palestinian animosity or even general anti-Semitism, but the mere fact that the Chosen People are back in the Promised Land, and now End Times prophecy can happen. That, frankly, is the most important fact to any believer (or unbeliever) in the world today. I've grown totally weary of having to repeat that Israel is safe for pilgrims. We have had three totally peaceful tours, absolutely routine and the same as the 67 before them over the past 30 years, during this present unrest. Obviously the problems are localized in Palestinian areas, which we don't even go close to in our tours of Biblical sites. Despite your many letters to the contrary, I'm still here telling you that I have been an eyewitness to the fact that Israel is perfectly peaceful, probably more peaceful than your town or mine. To that end, in place of our usual tour paragraph, here is my wife's impression of the tour she led June 5th — 15th:
Please see the tour schedule on our bulletin board page. I hope you can attend. The tours are just wonderful these days, in a nearly empty land. Despite the fact that Jerusalem is perfectly peaceful, I always ask you, with the Psalmist, to "pray for the peace of Jerusalem."
The Coming Quake
Zech. 14:4-5, "And his feet shall stand in that day upon
the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the
east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst
thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there
shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain
shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the
south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains;
for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal:
yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled as from before the earthquake
in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the Lord
my God shall come, and all the saints with thee."
Tales from the Arabian Nights —Recent Egyptian study "Reveals" Western Wall not JewishAn Egyptian study uncovered that the western wall of Al-Harem Al-Sharif is the Buraq Wall, not the Wailing as the Jews allege to justify establishment of their state in Palestine. Contained in a book issued recently by the Ain Shams University's Middle East Research Center, the study says 95% of Jews are not Israelites but rather foreigners of mixed races as referred to by British anthropologist James Fenton's 1966 paper. It is illogical that there are any antiquities belonging to Prophets beneath Al-Aqsa Mosque, said the study, noting that Al Aqsa Mosque was built 2,000 years before Prophet Solomon and remained so until this day. Prophets act according to heavenly revelations and hence it is unacceptable to claim that one Prophet had destroyed a place built by another before him in order to build a temple. Resolutions of the international Shaw Committee, issued in the aftermath of the Buraq Intifada in 1928 under the Swedish Foreign Minister then, pointed out that no traces of stones remaining from the Temple of Solomon were found in the Western Wall.
Surprisingly enough, the Jews did not claim possession
of this wall as all that they demanded is the recognition
of their rights to have access to the wall to pray before it
according to their rituals, added the study.
Presbyterians Ask: Is Belief in Jesus Necessary?The General Assembly [is] the annual gathering of the governing body of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Over the next week, the denomination will consider proposals on issues such as domestic violence, campus ministry and whether belief in Jesus is necessary for salvation. An answer to the article excerpted above was published a few days later in the Dallas Morning News Letters to the Editor:
Thankfully, neither I nor the General Assembly have the
authority to speak for the Presbyterian Church, USA — we
can speak to it. The authority that does speak for the
Presbyterian Church, USA is our Book of Confessions —
a collection of orthodox, evangelical and Reformed faith
statements based upon the Word of God — that unequivocally
declares that Jesus Christ is the only path to salvation.
One more baby step: Read the Word of God itself!
Cornering ArafatSince Arafat declared a cease-fire, the easiest thing to stop — the vicious incitement over official Palestinian airwaves — continues almost unabated. On June 8, Palestinian television broadcast a sermon by Sheikh Ibrahim Madhi calling for suicide bombings: "Blessings to whoever put a belt of explosives on his body or on his sons' and plunged into the midst of the Jews, crying 'praise to Allah.'" [translation by Middle East Media Research Institute].
For now, however, the Sharon government has backed Arafat into a corner, because he can no longer shift the responsibility for the violence on to anyone else. It is critical that Israel, the US, and Europe not let Arafat out of his corner until absolute quiet ensues for some time. Arafat will try to argue that he cannot bring the violence down to zero without Israeli concessions. This is nonsense: What he really means is that he has not decided to end the violence completely, or he is unwilling to make the arrests necessary to do so. The idea that a settlement freeze or any other Israeli concession will help Arafat end the Palestinians is a red herring if there ever was one. According to a just-released poll by Bir Zeit University, 71 percent of Palestinians oppose ending the Intifada in exchange for a settlement freeze. The same poll found that 74 percent of Palestinians support suicide bombings against "civilians in Israeli cities" and 62 percent support "military training" of children in summer camps.
The lesson from these shocking figures is that peace with the
Palestinians cannot be bought by throwing them diplomatic bones; it must
be won by closing off all other alternatives. The process of lowering
Palestinian expectations and proving that violence fails will be a long
one. Refusing to budge from the demand for absolute quiet is only the
beginning.
Deflating IsraelThe Jerusalem Report The news is that the Palestinian Authority has started taking a public stance for the first time in favor of suicide bombings. Full military funerals have been given to the bombers who recently exploded themselves at Netzarim, Haderah and Netanyah — sometimes with coffins that lacked even the tattered remains of the bomber's corpse. Arafat's official radio and TV now refer to the suicide bombers as "martyrs." And most significantly, the mufti of Palestine, Sheikh Ekrima Sabri, an Arafat appointee who sits on the Temple Mount, declared in his Friday sermon on May 25 in the Al-Aqsa Mosque that Islamic authorities should remember in their rulings that going to one's death against the enemy with open eyes should in no way be considered "suicide" but, rather, a "martyr's death." To illustrate, Sabri cited the tale of the Muslim hero Ja'afar Ibn Abi-Taleb, who rode into the ranks of the Byzantine enemy at the battle of Mu'ta in 630 CE, after both his arms had been slashed off by swords. After death he became known as the "flying one," for the angel's wings Allah gave him in Paradise to replace his amputated arms. So the suicide bombers of today are going in the path of the legendary Ja'afar, whose purity of faith is above question.... Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the charismatic leader of Hizballah, has now come out vigorously against this line. His advice to Arafat is to stop broadcasting images of dead Palestinian children, of Israeli tanks flattening orchards, of helicopters launching missiles. In short, to stop presenting the Israelis as invincible supermen.
What is the alternative? Nasrallah's answer can be seen almost every
evening on Hizballah's satellite TV channel. One example: quiz shows in
which the questions focus each time on a different Israeli personality
played by an actor. Recently the subject was Shaul Mofaz. Throughout the
quiz — while viewers from all over the Arab world phoned in with
solutions to the riddles — "Mofaz" hid behind his stand, bursting
out crying and making a general fool of himself. In another satirical
program filmed meters away from the Israeli-Lebanese border, a few
clowns pretended to storm the fence while on the other side, a
frightened virtual Sharon sought refuge under the bed in a house on the
Israeli side. Instead of showing Israeli artillery pointing menacingly
at Lebanon, they make a point of inviting crews to film their Katyusha
and anti-tank rocket launchers that sit, uncamouflaged, opposite the
communities of the Galilee. "A million Jews are exposed to our fire,"
boasts Nasrallah.
 Dear Zola, Although I share your love for Israel and your dismay over media distortions of the situation there, I am finding it increasingly difficult to accept your rather blithe reassurances that tourists there are still "perfectly safe." I have just received a message from a friend of mine, a ten-year Jerusalem resident, asking me to postpone my summer visit with her because, according to her, the city has become so dangerous. She describes Jerusalem as "a city under siege," where "we barely leave our neighborhood, we avoid going to the center of the city, the mall, the market, the zoo, the theatre," and "the Old City is no longer a place to visit peacefully." In addition to my friend's view of the situation there, I understand that several summer archaeological digs have been cancelled. I do not receive the kind of daily reports that you get, and it has been four years since my last visit to Israel. Still, I wonder if perhaps your love for Israel and your distrust of the media are hindering your acknowledgement of the grave dangers currently developing there. After all, your advertised video special Is This the End...Or Just the Beginning? "discusses Biblical and secular implications of a coming cataclysm." RN
Dear RN,
While I do love Israel and I do distrust the media, my
advice about touring is gained from experience and eye-witness
evidence. I really don't know what your friend is
talking about. Please compare my wife's impression of
the city (Note from Zola) as of a week before
this writing. An archaeological dig is included in her
impressions. And as for Is this the End...or Just the
Beginning, know that the Tribulation period will follow
the Rapture, and we won't be on earth for those catastrophes.
— Zola
Dear Zola, I have been using R.B. Theime, Jr., ministry teaching model and material for some time. Suddenly, while using his booklet "Victorious Proclamation," on page 37, #2a "Israel is replaced by the church in the Church Age (Eph. 1:22) ...and by the 144,000 Jews in the Tribulation (Rev. 7:4)." How does this reconcile with the rest of his apparent accurate methodology? PJP
Dear PJP,
Unless this is quoted sharply out of context, Theime has made a popular
but grave mistake. Not only is Israel not replaced by the Church in the
Church Age ("Hath God cast away his people? God forbid." Rom. 11:1a),
but the 144,000 Jews are identified as Israelis by tribe. How Israelis
can replace Israel is unclear to me, and shows what sort of gibberish
one gets into trying to improvise on a doctrine false in the first
place.
— Zola
Dear Zola, I appreciate what you are doing and thank you for what you think is good. But the truth, I am afraid, is that you are shooting yourself in the foot. You will not be satisfied until all those poor Christians in the Holy Land are wiped out and all the sacred places destroyed. They are there for you too! There was someone here from the Palestinian Prelate and he said those Pilgrims that come from the U.S. are causing them much suffering. Jesus said the Kingdom is within you. The Catholic Church is very Jewish, go to a Mass and see for yourself. Scott Hahn says that is part of the revelation from the Bible. Check it out for yourself. Mary is our Jewish Mother in Heaven. Someone said, "Who are the Anti-Christs? Probably those Jewish High Priests that have fought or rejected Christ for 2,000 years." When the Pope was there the Israelites kept the Christian Catholics from going there and kept them from attending the Church in Jerusalem for Christmas and Easter, or from worship in general. And they were the Faithful that stayed there since Jesus' time. God is not pleased with animal blood sacrifices — he wants our hearts. Not the Jews from Israel but the Pilgrim tourists — they are not Christian. They don't go to any of those churches to pray that were built over the sacred places — if they hadn't, they would be covered by mosques — but just do sightseeing. They are supporting the European Zionist expansion movement, by also denying the Pilgrims' access to Palestinian hotels and businesses, taking away their livelihood — forcing them to immigrate and bringing in Russian Jews that are not Christian. When Jesus comes back will He find the Faithful? No — you wiped them all out. Maybe if these are so then the Jews will be given credit for proclaiming the Gospel, which they refused to accept. Until then and they want to get credit for it. Dear Zola, your plan is out and God knows everything that goes on because there are plenty of Saints in Heaven to testify to that. Even the magazine Israel Today said the Palestinians have been badly treated by the Israeli government. Zola, I like to hear the truth from both sides of the problem; you do not live over there so you don't know what it's like. Neither do I — that is why I like to hear both sides. I still love you and God bless you! P.S. The Pope is your Shepherd, too — if you like it or not! MT Enclosures: 2 issues of Catholic Near East magazine (Sep.-Oct. 2000, Cover story: "Jerusalem — injustice in the Holy City" and Nov.-Dec. 2000, "Religion, Politics and Jerusalem: Believers of three great faith traditions look upon Jerusalem as a Holy City."
Dear MT,
Your letter and the publications you enclosed are so
hostile to the Chosen People that I wonder why you say
that you love me. Believe me, I am used to Catholic anti-Jewish
attitudes, which I have seen since I was a little
child, and I know that they exist in the Holy Land. If
Mary is indeed your Jewish Mother in Heaven, all I can
tell you is, "What would your mother say?!"
— Zola
To Zola Levitt, You might not be Jewish. There are true Jews and they deserve to be called God's Chosen People. The rest of them are just mockers. They only glorified God so they could be called better Gentiles. Please print this and talk about it in your newsletter and TV show. IF P.S. You probably don't like the Catholic Church because in the Church we're all equal.
Dear IF
Are you really all equal in the Catholic Church? What
about the fellows who get to wear the bright red costumes?
And how about the king over there in the palace
in Rome? Isn't he higher than you? After all, there are
reverend fellows, and more-reverend fellows, and
most-high-reverend fellows, to my knowledge, and even some
fellows more reverend than those. Why don't you try a
Bible-teaching church, and see if the believers are not
really more equal there.
— Zola
Dear Zola, When I hear the expression "Christ killers," or "they killed our Lord" — do these people realize the alternative? Apparently they would prefer that Jesus live to a ripe old age — say 100 years — and die very quietly in bed. Then what? If His death was planned by God, could anything or anyone have changed it? Didn't Jesus say, "Let Thy Will be done?" What kind of preaching did the clergy of Christianity do all the years up to this time? I like the things you say. I like reading the things you send to me. Keep up the good work. I have friends in High Places and I will put in a good word for you. Thanks. — JW
Dear JW,
Thank you for speaking to your Friend in high places on
my behalf. Indeed our Lord pointed out, "To this end
was I born" ( Jn. 18:37b). The expression "Christ killers"
comes from the sort of people who say, "The rest of them
are just mockers," or refer to the Chosen People as "the
European Zionist expansion movement," as in the preceding
letters.
— Zola
Email to ZLM Staff on June 12 from our Kibbutz tour in Israel — Very peaceful. The passengers cannot believe this is the Israel of CNN. They are so mad at the media. Most of them want to stay here. One lady said she was sending a postcard saying, "sell everything, send money. We're staying." It is such a blessing to see! — TEI Tour Leader
Staff Suggestion Memo to Mark Levitt, General Manager: Yesterday I wrote an explanation letter to one of our elderly subscribers after receiving a note from her literally pleading for us not to "ever, ever" take her off the mailing list. She is in her eighties and unable any longer to contribute. This is typical of letters we get from our elderly, long-time supporters. Most of them are a little panicked at being dropped from Zola's mailing list, and reassure us that the Levitt Letter it is a bright spot in their lives that they also share with others. Perhaps the explanation of the purge system in the letter below would be helpful to many of our good friends and supporters. — D
Dear M,
We received your recent note asking that you not be removed from the
mailing list ever. We certainly want you to know that it is our blessing
to send Zola's newsletters to you, but let me make a brief explanation
of how our computerized mailing list works.
From time to time, our mailing lists are purged of accounts that have
been "inactive" for over a year. By "inactive" I mean that although we
have sent the usual materials, our partner has not ordered any of Zola's
materials, nor made any donations to the ministry. This is really the
only way we have to gauge subscriber interest. This is the only activity
from subscribers that is entered into the computer system, which in turn
generates the mailing list.
The reason we purge accounts that are inactive for over a year is due to
the tremendous volume of mail we send out daily. We are trying to be
good stewards of our resources by not sending newsletters to people who
have lost interest and no longer do more than carry our mailings from
the mailbox to the garbage can!
We realize that many committed subscribers are unable to contribute or
to buy materials, so we will always resubscribe anyone who gets purged
if they tell us they still desire to receive the Levitt Letter. We
certainly don't want to cut anyone off from Zola's mailing list who
wants to be included! We just have no other way to eliminate wasted
mailings to those who have moved or lost interest.
When you receive the notice that we mail out asking if subscribers want
to remain on Zola's mailing list, all you need to do is fill out the
card indicating your desire to remain a subscriber. We will gladly
re-subscribe you. This is the best system we have found to enable us to
be good stewards of the resources God has granted to this ministry.
Thank you for your prayers and support of Zola's ministry and for the
Jewish people. Keep praying for the peace of Jerusalem!
In the Lord's service,
Dear Zola, At a Bible college I attended about six years ago, I became friends with a young lady whose parents are missionaries to the Jewish people. I was able to meet them when I visited Israel in 1995. Concerning the safety of Israel and the media distortions, the young lady told me that her grandparents would watch the news here in the States and see the reports of all the violence and bloodshed in Israel. They would call their children in Israel to see if they had escaped the tragedy and to see if they were harmed. The family in Israel, however, would be unaware of any incident and would have to watch or hear the outside news to find out what they were speaking of. Often it would only be a local stabbing, not politically motivated, that the media distorted into more Israeli violence and murder. If someone gets stabbed in a bad part of Dallas, the people of Tulsa, Oklahoma, do not stay indoors and fear for their lives, as the media tries to tell us happens in Israel. — PM
Dear Zola, My wife and I have been appalled by some of the letters we read in your monthly newsletter — sent by so-called Christians. Their tones are not that of love, but show strong tones of hateful attack. If they are truly following Jesus and His teachings, it surely doesn't show. Indeed Israel is a part of End Times prophecy. If one will read their Bible, it's so obvious that Israel is a part of End Time prophecy. What Bible are they reading? You know, I never met you personally and probably never will here on earth, but my wife and I indeed love you with the love of Yeshua. We need to hear the truth and that's what you for sure are giving the people. Nobody has a monopoly on God as some so-called Christians may think. We thank God we were grafted into the olive tree.
B'Shem Yeshua P & G V P.S. We love your music tapes. The voices are so incredibly anointed. Will be ordering more. If you could, please publish our letter in your monthly paper. Our donation is small but it's from the heart. Much love to you and your ministry.
Dear P & G V,
Thanks for the heartening remarks. The love of Yeshua
shines through you. As for our singers, they are ordinary
church soloists from around town. The anointing
they have is very real, and I'm not surprised that you
can perceive it.
— Zola
Dear Zola, Honestly, I really got tired of all the articles you had in the Levitt Letter about Replacement Theology. Yet, I did read the articles, thinking, all the time I will not need this information. I am just a member of a small country church in the "Bible Belt." Oh! Was I ever wrong! Our minister at our church resigned. My husband was elected chairman of the pulpit committee. The first application he received from a candidate stated, "I believe that the Church is the New Israel." I was shocked. I gathered all the back issues of the Letter Letter I had, searched your web site, and was able to give my husband the information in a nutshell — with Bible references about Israel and the Church. Thank you, Please do not print my name since the selection of a new minister is not complete. — GS
Dear GS,
I think you'd be amazed at the number of pastors who
have fallen into this error these days. My book Broken
Branches was written specifically for such a church
leader, who was insulted when invited to a Passover
Seder by one of his flock!
— Zola
Movie Stars Contribute to Co-existence
Paul Newman is among the VIPs who donated $4 million to finance a
holiday camp in the Galilee for seriously ill children. The Nahar
Ha'Yarden camp, to be located in the Lavi forest by the Sea of Galilee,
will include a sports center, swimming pool, bridle paths, activity
center and other facilities. Jewish, Christian and Moslem children from
Israel and neighboring Arab countries will be able to enjoy a one-week
holiday there, along with their parents and siblings.
Israel compared to DallasThe odd terrorist action in Israel is so celebrated by CNN and company that we forget how things are in the United States. Here's a letter (edited for space) from my hometown newspaper. Believe me, Jerusalem was never like this! — Zola
"Old East Dallas"Recently a 2-year-old boy in his grandmothers' home a few blocks away—was shot and killed in what is believed to be a random shooting. And anyone who has lived very long in Old East Dallas is familiar with the borderline psychotics who get roaring drunk and drive around shooting at people's homes just for the heck of it. A few such assaults I recorded in my journal.... In all those shooting sprees, few houses in our block escaped being shot at....we are rather used to that, and don't bother to report it. However, Sunday, May 13, at 2 a.m., weirdos we're firing what sounded like a machine gun! Even a relative, who worked as a police officer in the past, sprang into action as that gun riddled several homes so violently that all our doors and windows rattled. It was like World War III had begun; and neighbors ran outside, and/or called the police, but the gunmen were not apprehended. I'm a native Chicagoan and...even though many big-time Mafia gangsters lived in our middleclass neighborhood....I recall hearing about only two or three burglaries, one murder involving a burglar, and no drive-by shootings, or hold-ups.... and God help anyone who molested a little kid!
— D.A.K., Dallas
Calling Evil "Good" and Good "Evil"Some United Methodist readers have chastised me when I pointed out how supportive their church is of the Palestinians and how critical of Israel. The following anti-Semitism is drawn from the "Resolution on the Middle East: Council of Bishops, United Methodist Church" (April 29-May 4, 2001). — Zola We therefore call upon the United States government through the Congress, to use all measures possible, including the cutting off of all funding to the Israeli government, to insure that the following conditions are met:
Furthermore, we call upon all United Methodists to become educated on the issues, pray for all people of the region, and provide financial support to the Palestinian people through contributions to the General Board of Global Ministries.
And Furthermore, we call upon all United Methodist communities and
churches to invite religious leaders (Jewish, Christians, and Muslim)
into conversations in order to foster deeper understanding of the
issues.
Hath God cast away His people? God forbid (Romans 11:1).
Furred & Feathered Frequent Flyers
Israel's El Al airlines announced a frequent flyer offer they hope will
draw more passengers than the competition. Dogs, cats and birds logging
three round-trip flights will receive a fourth flight free, as long as
it takes place within three years. A round-trip flight from the United
States to Israel costs pet owners between $89 and $98.
Quote-Unquote"If I had 20 children, I would send them to commit suicide in Israel and kill Israelis." Hassan Hotari, father of Sa'id, the suicide bomber who killed 20 Israelis outside a Tel Aviv nightclub. The Jerusalem Report
USA Today excerpt by Jack Kelly:
"Arafat isn't the problem. The Palestinian people is the
problem." Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, at a Labor
party gathering. The Jerusalem Report
Personally, I think it is the other way around, but then,
I generally disagree with "peace process" fan and former
Prime Minister Shimon Peres.
Conclusion: Two Witnesses in IsraelBy Todd Baker, ThM
One evening Kevin and I noticed an elderly woman with a walking cane badly limping along in pain. We went back down the stairs and greeted her. Her name was Naomi and she had multiple sclerosis. Kevin gave his personal testimony about the intense struggle he and his wife Leighanne went through during her time of illness. Through it all, he told Naomi, God sustained and strengthened them, transforming a tragedy into a triumph.
But the Lord saved His best for last. While on the plane coming back to the States, the Lord gave us the opportunity to share with a Russian Jewish lady from New York City. Her name was Nadia. She had stayed in Jerusalem for three weeks visiting her relatives on her first trip to the Holy Land. We shared with her how God sent us over there to comfort and encourage the Jewish people with the good news of Y'shua the Messiah. Surprisingly, she responded by telling us that an Israeli tour guide who was a Messianic Jew said the same things to her in Jerusalem. We went over the Gospel with her via a Messianic Jewish tract. After she carefully read it we asked if she would like to receive Y'shua the Jewish Messiah in her heart. She gladly prayed with us and was born again on the spot! After she did this she exclaimed with visible relief and joy on her face, "Now I feel such a peace." Yes, that is because the Prince of Peace lives in Nadia now. We cannot thank the Lord, Zola, and the Shalom, Shalom congregation enough for allowing us the inestimable privilege of sharing the Gospel of Y'shua the Messiah with His Chosen People.
We do not desire this to be a one-time event. Therefore we humbly ask
for the continued support (in prayer and finances) from believers all
over that we may endeavor to go twice a year to Israel to boldly and
lovingly share the Gospel "to the Jew first and then to the Gentile." If
we as a Church do not evangelize the Jewish people then we simply fail
to carry out the Great Commission properly. The heart of every
born-again believer should be that Jews, the brethren of Jesus, come to
faith in Y'shua as Messiah here and now. This was Paul's heart cry
(Rom. 10:1-3),
for it is the heart cry of God concerning the Jews and
Jerusalem
(Matt. 23:37).
Todd and Kevin are planning a return mission trip to Israel in September
or October. Please mark your contributions, "To the Jew first." This
fund will send them.
(Rom. 10:15)
The "Battle" is the Lord's
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Copyright © 2001 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.
"Israel's critics, who are legion and live in safe neighborhoods, say
Israel is being provocative. Actually, Israel's being is provocative."
But the real reasons for the violence are: Violence has always been a
part of the warp and woof of Yasser Arafat's politics (remember, he once
wore a pistol to the U.N. podium), and there is no penalty for it.
But although this Palestinian state does not yet fully exist, it already
is militarized with at least 30,000 well-armed soldier-policemen. Will
the fully emerged state accept the restrictions on its sovereignty that
no other nation accepts?
Return to Index
Please know that we do not choose these airtimes, but simply take the
best that is offered to us. Neither the FOX network, which is secular,
nor TBN, which is Christian, values our program very much, and therefore
we have a bad choice of times. Obviously, if we could be in primetime we
would do that, but frankly, even if we had the money for a very
expensive time like that, they probably wouldn't sell it to us. The fact
is, our two major emphases, the Bible and Israel, are not very popular
these days.
A Knesset committee has asked the government to create a commission to
prepare for earthquakes. Committee members called for implementing the
recommendations of geological experts, such as changing the building
codes and reinforcing buildings in high-risk areas. Based on today's
standards of construction, experts predict that a strong earthquake
could result in 5,000 to 10,000 deaths and 20,000 injuries, as well as
catastrophic damage to buildings and infrastructure.
The truth is that, even if Arafat were to stop broadcasting such
incitement, shut down the terrorism, and round up Islamicist militants
as he did in 1996, it is not clear what basis for discussion there is
with this man. At this point, offering what Arafat turned down at Camp
David and Taba would be out of the question, both because a price must
be paid for violence and because such extreme territorial concessions
were based on a level of trust that no longer exists. It would also make
no sense to return to Oslo's salami tactics of buying short periods of
quiet with territorial withdrawals.
In Galilee, the Lord gave us several witnessing opportunities. The
people there were generally receptive, grateful, and some very moved as
we told them how God is bound to the Jewish people through the eternal,
immutable and unconditional covenants (namely, the Abahamic, Davidic,
and New Covenants).
We told her the only way that could have happened is the fact that
Y'shua the Messiah came and took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses
(
We got a nice surprise today when an old friend dropped by the office to pick up
a few copies of Battles with Seminaries for a Men's Bible study class he is teaching.
An excellent Bible teacher, who has taught many times at Shalom, Shalom congregation,
our friend brought some very interesting and exciting news concerning the
church he attends and where Dr. Darrell Bock also serves as an elder. Bock is
the co-author of a Progressive Dispensationalism book and is one of the faculty we
confronted at Dallas Theological Seminary. It seems our friend went to the church
leaders and told them he was going to resign his membership because of the doctrines
being taught. So, they told him that he was free to teach in the men's class
whatever he chose. Well, this is where Battles with Seminaries comes in because
he chose to take on the errors of Progressive Dispensationalism. We know this
man to be a fine Bible-based teacher, both entertaining and thorough. This is
exactly the spin-off from our book that we hoped to see! — Zola