Dear Friends,
As you and I approach the Second Coming of the Lord, prophetic scriptures become increasingly applicable to everyone everywhere. I am grateful to forerunners like Zola who taught the centrality of Israel decades ago. I also appreciate those who continue to preach that message, and that Katharine and I have the privilege of adding to this work.
It is exciting to watch churches grow in their awareness of the Messianic movement. This ministry is a powerful “full-service” organization with many outlets—Holy Land tours, biblical books, pro-Israel newsletters, Messiah-based website with Internet TV—to keep “the main thing the main thing.”
Yeshua is the most important “main thing.” Beyond that, God is greatly concerned with how we treat His natural family, the Jewish people (Genesis 12:1–3). For years, Katharine and I have ministered at our local congregation, Beth Shalom, in northern California. We began as a small home gathering, which kept expanding and eventually needed to meet at the local church where I was an associate pastor. Today, Beth Shalom—comprising 100+ souls—has grown in understanding their Jewish roots while remaining connected to local churches. We made a conscious decision to teach the Jewish message while honoring and respecting people’s “home” congregations.
This year, Katharine and I
noted an increase in this model
of Jewish ministry in the midst
of traditional church settings. A
favorite church of ours, The
Father’s House, brought us on
staff as pastors of Jewish ministries. We meet as “Beit Abba”
(Dad’s House) on their Napa
campus. The excitement about
this new work has rippled through the congregation.
I tell you this because the model they are implementing is a template for churches around the world. This congregation of 5,000 (a megachurch in northern California) has determined to support Israeli ministries with the first fruits of their offerings. Each month, the first check they write is to vibrant works that are preaching and teaching in the Holy Land. Can you imagine what would happen if churches around America (and the world!) placed such an emphasis on the Gospel going “to the Jew first” (Romans 1:16)? The Body of Messiah in Israel would have the resources they need to significantly impact their Land and also send the Word forth from Zion (Isaiah 2:3 / Acts 19:20).
Believers would also be exposed to the truth of Messianic ministry
within the context of their beloved home fellowships. The pastors and
elders at The Father’s House have opened their hearts to Katharine and
me. They are expressing the humility of the Lord that forerunners like
Zola dreamed about: churches understanding God’s protocols, His value
for the “one new man” of Ephesians (2:14ff). We believe that this unity
of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3)—Jews and gentiles
working together—is very dear to God’s heart. He doesn’t stop there,
but desires His bride to be made up of His chosen Jewish people and His
called-out international Believers. For a fresh view of this subject,
read An Epic Love
Story. 
This short study booklet just
may connect some important dots for you.
I spent years laboring with local pastors, ultimately hosting a group
of them in Israel. Imagine the delight of the Lord as 40 pastors and
leaders—from 20 different denominations— personally encountered
the Jewish Messiah in His homeland. It was life changing for them
all.
That is why I encourage church leaders to bring their congregations to
Israel with Zola Tours. A shared
experience like 10 days in Israel encourages and commits pilgrims more
firmly to their work together. The bond with the Land and God’s People
also increases the bond between pastors and their people.
Zola’s Spring Tour travels from March 3 to 12 or 15, depending on whether you add the extension to Petra. If that is too soon to make arrangements, please consider joining us in the fall for the three-part tour that offers the best value: Athens, Israel, and Petra, traveling between September 24 and October 11, again depending on whether you choose Israel only or opt to add the Mediterranean cruise and/or Petra. I strongly urge you to contact our Travel Manager, Tracie, at either 214-696-9760 or for specifics. Please see our Q&As at www.levitt.com/tourinfo. You’ll enjoy the slideshow.
As the day of the Lord approaches, tiny Israel
remains the hottest news spot in the world. The Muslims of the
Middle East, with the "Palestinians'" recent elevation in the UN to
“non-member observer state,” solidified the next move in their planned
phases of creating a “Palestinian” state that is “Judenrein”
(Jew-free).
There are no plans for two nations living side by side in peace: The
charters of the Muslim nations and near-nations call for a Jew-free
Middle East (and planet Earth).
Popular radio songs blare in Arabic:
“From the river to the sea, Palestine will soon be free.” Note that the
song is not a prayer for peace between two states. It is a cry for the
displacement of the Jews by a Muslims-only land. From Mt. Hermon to
Eilat, from Tel Aviv to the Jordanian border, Jews will be
unwelcome!
These lyrics are essentially a Koranic doctrinal statement: wherever and whenever there has been a Muslim presence, Islam must rule that land again. Denying a 4,000-year-old Jewish presence is just one of the tools of this triumphalism. Statements like, “The most important Palestinian since Jesus was Yasser Arafat” are diabolically designed to erase the Jewish identity of Yeshua and transform Him into a Muslim. (Of course, Islam didn’t exist until 600 years after Jesus, but in a world free from facts …) Oy!
This month on Zola Levitt Presents, we continue to refute such
disinformation with our update of The Stones Cry Out TV series
in which Zola and Dr. Tom McCall explore the phenomenal verification of
Bible truths that archaeology has yielded over the past hundred years.
Thousands of years of history lie below the surface in Israel. As
archaeologists remove layers of earth, the history of Israel, the
Jewish people, and the Messiah Himself surfaces for our television
viewers and the world. These remarkable programs air throughout
February:
I strongly recommend that you gather your “pre-faith” friends and family for a viewing of these well-crafted programs. God is using this whole series of Bible lessons to answer questions about the historicity of the Bible as well as draw hungry souls to Himself. Stay with this 12-part series. By the time you get to program 11, “A Man Crucified,” you won’t have a dry eye in the house. When we unveil details of the Romans’ horrible means of execution, the price that Jesus paid for us all is gruesomely revealed. It is a multi-faceted experience. Viewers like you will have questions answered and hearts deeply touched at the same time.
Immediately following the UN vote, Palestinian Authority president
Mahmoud Abbas (right) renamed the PA; it is now to be
called the State of Palestine (SOP). This offers us a painful irony:
not only will Hamas in Gaza have fits about Abbas’s self-crowning, but
it reminds us of Yeshua at His last Seder, prophesying that betrayal
would be signified by the one who ate the “sop” with Him (John 13:26
KJV). Perhaps our Arab cousins need to drop the SOP and come into life
through the door of Yeshua and the “one new man” of Ephesians chapter
2.
Remember: Sha’alu Shalom Yerushalayim—Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem. Until we meet here, there, or in the air, I am
Your brother in Messiah,
P.S. As the world hurtles forward, with the light and darkness increasing simultaneously, it is good to be able to stand with Yeshua and His people. Thanks again for supporting our important mission through your prayers and financial contributions. The best is yet to come!
Dear Myles,
Believers in Jesus would dramatically improve the world if all our churches carried Israel at the center of their theological heart.
“Here’s my donation for February. Please mobilize it to show the real Jesus and refute those who portray him as a Muslim or Palestinian prophet.”
We follow the famous love story verse by verse, and watch as Israeli actors re-enact it in their native Hebrew language. Myles and Katharine Weiss explain the biblical characters’ journey from darkness to destiny.
The God of love is a matchmaker who desires a Bride for His Son, the Bridegroom of Heaven. This Bride, the Church, will consist of both Jews and gentiles. Yeshua’s sacrifice enables gentiles to be grafted into the life of Israel and share in the promises of God. Understanding the role of Israel, God’s timepiece, is crucial to preparing for the Lord’s return.
Various theories of the Lord’s return and the Kingdom examined in detail. The return of the Lord and the establishment of His Kingdom on Earth. Exact scriptural information contrasting the Second Coming and the Rapture of the Church.
