Levitt Letter Extra News

By Wayne Stewart, www.PalestineHerald.com

I had every intention to continue to look at the personage of the Antichrist this week, but a strong urging by the Holy Spirit has made me have to put it off for a week. Instead, I feel called to make a call for repentance, not just personal repentance, but for national repentance before the hour gets too late.

Before I jump into this, there is something about which we as Americans must be very sober — there is not even a hint of us being an end-time player on the Day of the Lord. There are some who will debate this point, but they cannot prove America will be there (at least in strong national force sense.)

There may be many reasons for that; one could be a large chunk of the Bible believing Christians in the world call the U.S.A. home; and after the rapture this country could see millions of its people gone in an instant.

Even if America is not in scripture, it doesn’t mean there are not warnings for a people such as us that cannot be found in Scripture.

“Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: In the pride of your heart you say, I am a god; I sit on a throne of a god in the heart of the seas. But you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god. Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you? By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries. By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud.’” — Ezekiel 28:2-5

This prophecy was written about the city of Tyre, the great Phoenician city and merchant class of people that made fortunes trading with other countries.

In Israel’s early days, Tyre was a friend of the nation and paid tribute to David and to Solomon and provided much of the materials that were used to build the Temple and Solomon’s palace.
Greed spelled doom as the people of the great trading nation desired possessions and material over anything else. The Lord said the sword would come against Tyre in Ezekiel 28:6-10 as God promised to bring the country low and humble them.

Those prophecies came true as Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, laid siege to Tyre for 13 years. Alexander the Great finished the job in 332 B.C. when he destroyed the island city.
God’s word is true, but could this warning for an ancient city also be a warning for another great country of traders and business people? Has America forsaken God in the chase for wealth and possessions? As a whole, you bet it has.

Pay attention to Ezekiel’s lament for Tyre.
“Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub from the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.” — Ezekiel 28:12-18

We must first ask ourselves an honest question as Americans; what nation in the world has ever been as materially blessed as the U.S.? We have been given every advantage imaginable, in large part due to our dedication to God.

Here is an emphatic declaration of Christian principles from the great Patrick Henry: “It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists but by Christians, not on religion but on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We shall not fight alone. God presides over the destinies of nations. The battle is not to the strong alone. Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God? Give me liberty or give me death!”

Whether or not you want to admit it, the U.S. was founded on the principles of God and our forefathers put the gospel of Jesus Christ ahead of all things.

Now, if you want to get chills, think about this, God surely allowed us to become a great nation for two specific purposes, to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the entire world, and to be the midwife at the rebirth of Israel.

It is America, over the last century, that has sent Christian missionaries throughout the world to spread the Good News of Christ; and it was America that was there at the birth of Israel, who helped free Jews from Nazi concentration camps, and up until recently, was a somewhat reliable friend of Israel.

I am afraid those days are gone.

Instead we pressure Israel to give up lands to an enemy bent on her destruction. In our incessant lust for wealth and material, the country has mortgaged itself to other nations in order to satiate its ungodly passion and has spread our love of money above all things to other countries.

We have set up commerce as the national god and all knees of this country must bow before it. What heretics we have become.

Now, we know from the gospels that Christ spent some of his ministry on earth in the region of Tyre. For those in Tyre, there could be repentance and forgiveness, so it can be for us.
“Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent. ‘Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.” — Matthew 11:20-22

America will not escape judgment, but we can repent and if we present the true Word of God to people then there will be some who will be saved from the coming judgment.

Christ desires that all people repent and come to him and acknowledge him as God. We all must acknowledge that God created us, just as God created and blessed America.

Remember, all the U.S. has obtained was gained through God’s blessing. Now, we are in decline, morally, economically and in terms of our strength.

Now, we must ask ourselves another question, are we Americans, or are we Christians?
I hope the answer is Christian, because there will not be an America without the protecting hand of Christ. It seems, though, we have forsaken Christ. We have kicked him out of our schools, government, homes; and in some cases we have kicked Christ out of our churches.
There will be a penalty for this, now let’s finish up our look at Ezekiel 28.
“All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.” — Ezekiel 28:19

I pray that all repent before this becomes our fate. We have fallen so far from the principles men like Patrick Henry and George Washington once espoused. It may be too late to save America from judgment and the terrible Day of the Lord, but it doesn’t have to be for us personally.

Repent, confess your sins to Christ. “For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:9

Don’t throw your lot in with the world. Don’t rely on the worthless pursuit of wealth to save you. Salvation only comes through Christ.

There is only one message of the day. Repent!

By Hal Lindsey, author of Late Great Planet Earth

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isaiah 9:6)

The prophet Isaiah lived some 500 years before the birth of Christ. When the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered, among the rich library of documents discovered to be preserved was the complete book of Isaiah.

What makes this significant is that the book itself was buried by the Essenes in A.D. 70 and remained unseen, untouched (and unedited) for almost 2000 years until it was unearthed in 1947 at Qumran. The Isaiah Scroll itself was dated at 100 B.C., so it was already 170 years old when it was buried.

Comparisons between this ancient document and our modern book of Isaiah show that after all the variations in spelling, dialectical differences, Aramaic environment, etc. are taken into account, the Isaiah Scroll is essentially the same text we read today in our English Bible.

The Prophet Isaiah is the Old Testament’s major messianic prophet. Five hundred years before Christ, Isaiah predicted the Messiah would come as a “son,” born a male human being. Isaiah said that He would be born of a virgin and named Immanuel, meaning, “God with us.” (Isaiah 7:14) Isaiah predicted the “son” born of a virgin would be God in the flesh, both truly God and truly man.

“Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:7)

He will be born of the seed of David, but His kingdom will be perfect and will be eternal. Perfection and eternal existence are both attributes possessed only by God.

Isaiah 11:1 says the Messiah will come as “a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of His roots.” Even more amazing, considering Isaiah was a Jewish prophet, was the prediction that the Messiah would become “an ensign to the Gentiles” FIRST, and that AFTER that, God would “assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” (Isaiah 11:10-12)

Isaiah 53 describes the purpose, method and manner of His death with eyewitness precision 500 years in advance.

Purpose: “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5)

Isaiah predicted He would be spat upon, beaten and His face “marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.” (Isaiah 52:14)

The Gospels record that Jesus was beaten, slapped, punched, His beard was plucked from His face by the roots, and he was given 39 strokes with a cat o’ nine-tails.

Isaiah 49:7 says He was hated without cause. Jesus was guiltless of any sin. Pilate himself could find no cause to pronounce judgment. Pilate ordered the crime for which He was condemned posted above His head in the four working languages of the day – “Jesus, King of the Jews.”

He was executed for the sins of His people, exactly as Isaiah prophesied.

“He made His grave with the wicked” (He was executed between two thieves) “and with the rich in death.” (Isaiah 53:9)

His body was claimed by the wealthy Joseph of Arimathea and buried in a rich man’s tomb.

I chose the prophecies of Isaiah in part because they were so literally fulfilled in the life of Jesus Christ. But also because the book of Isaiah’s historical perspective is unassailable by the skeptics. It is impossible to argue Isaiah was edited after the fact to conform prophecy to history. The Isaiah Scroll predates Jesus by more than a century.

Every year at Christmas, Christians the world over celebrate the fulfillment of the ancient Isaiah prophecies fulfilled at the First Advent of Christ. It is a good time to remember that the same God who inspired Isaiah’s incredibly accurate prophecies about Christ’s First Coming also inspired Isaiah’s prophecies about His Second Coming.

Which means they will be fulfilled with equal precision and attention to detail. And I believe all the signs are pointing to the fulfillment of those remaining prophecies in the very near future.

As you celebrate the Christmas holiday, remember that keeping “Christ” within “Christmas” is more than just a slogan. It is a reminder that He is alive, His Spirit is still with us, and He will come again.

And that is the greatest Christmas gift of all. Merry Christmas!

Pastor and Jewish Activist to Debate on BBC
By Hillel Fendel www.IsraelNationalNews.com

Inspired by an IsraelNationalRadio program, some 30 Christians protested at a Florida church against its pastor’s national call for a Palestinian state in the Land of Israel.

Holding signs imprinted with Biblical verses, including one from the Book of Joel against “scattering My people and dividing My land,” the demonstrators were responding to an open letter to President Bush favoring a Palestinian state. The letter equates Israelis with Palestinians, stating, “Both Israelis and Palestinians have legitimate rights stretching back for millennia to the lands of Israel/Palestine. Both Israelis and Palestinians have committed violence and injustice against each other.”

The signatories numbered more than 30 evangelical leaders, and among the leading names was that of Pastor Joel Hunter of Northland Church in Longwood, Florida.

The Sunday protestors were outraged at the pastor’s stance so blatantly against the Bible whose message he preaches. John Hellein, of a church just two miles away, told Arutz-7, “I heard the news while riding my bicycle and listening to an Ipod radio broadcast - and I nearly fell off my bicycle. I was amazed that the pastor of a church so close to home would say something so opposed to the Bible. I knew right then that I wanted to organize some kind of protest.”

Hellein said that many of the church members were unaware of the controversial stance their pastor had taken, and “thanked us for informing them of it and protesting. This is not to say that everyone agreed; there were also other opinions.”

Light Unto the Nations
The radio broadcast he was referring to was that of Ari Abramowitz and Jeremy Gimpel, hosts of Arutz-7-IsraelNationalRadio’s “Light Unto The Nations” program. They issued a call to the pastor to explain his position, from a religious standpoint, on their show. Hunter declined, however, with his assistant explaining that it “just isn’t the best forum for Dr. Hunter to explain his position on this issue.”

Gimpel and Abramowitz noted Hunter’s refusal, evoking many emails in protest of Hunter’s position. They issued another call to debate the issue with him when Gimpel arrives in Florida this week for a speaking tour. Facing strong pressure within his own constituency, this time Hunter agreed - and National Public Radio was contacted to be the host.

Once again, however, the event did not materialize, because of scheduling problems at NPR. Both Hunter and Gimpel have now agreed to debate the issue on BBC Radio this Thursday, Aug. 30, at 10:20 AM EST.

The radio hosts say they have received dozens of irate listeners’ emails in response to the call for yet another Arab state. “I am deeply distressed about this misguided pastor who advocates a Palestinian state in the Heart of Israel,” wrote one.

Gimpel and Abramowitz say, “Pastor Hunter would be wise to heed the warning issued by his namesake, the prophet Joel, who prophesized, ‘…there will I deal with and execute judgment upon them for their treatment of My people and of My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations and because they have divided My land.’”

“It is one thing for Pastor Hunter to stand against G-d on his own,” they aver, “but to lead his congregation into such error is tragic indeed.”

Abramowitz told Arutz-7 he is happy to be able to debate the issue in purely religious terms. “There are many truth-seekers in the Christian community who are willing to stand with Israel even if they have to defy their own leaders,” he said. “Truth resonates. As the Jewish people, we are not seeking allies; we have a responsibility to share the truth and clarify it to a world that may not want to hear it.”

By Wayne Stewart, The Palestine (Tx) Herald-Press

In many churches today the significance of prophecy and the role Israel plays in God’s plan is not taught. End-times prophecy is thought of as scary and cryptic by many people. The truth of the matter is, if you have not accepted Christ as your personal savior, then end-times prophecy should scare you. The fear people feel when it is discussed is the Holy Spirit’s way of saying Christ’s return is imminent and it’s time to get affairs in order.

There are some who feel Israel no longer plays a part in God’s plan. They will cite certain verses in the New Testament they say point to this. For every verse they single out, there’s an entire Bible screaming it isn’t true; even the apostle Paul said it isn’t the case.

I ask then, Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah — how he appealed to God against Israel: “’Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left and they are trying to kill me?” And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal” Romans 11:1-4.

Paul said God has reserved a remnant from Israel that he will rescue in the end. We gentiles have been grafted into the root of Israel by acceptance of Christ; we have been given the Gospel. We are a part of Israel, but we are not the apple of God’s eye. Still, our fate is tied with Israel.

“Shout and be glad, O Daughter of Zion. For I am coming, and I will live among you,’ declares the Lord. ‘Many nations will be joined with the Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. The Lord will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land and will again choose Jerusalem. Be still before the Lord, all mankind because he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.” Zechariah 2:10-13.

Even though we are a part of God’s redemptive plan, the language is clear: He is choosing Judah as His portion and Jerusalem will serve as His throne.
The prophecy at the end still center’s around Israel and its final battle, the rest of the world is arrayed against it, and through God’s intervention, Judah and Jerusalem prevail in the final battle, Armageddon.

“The Lord will save the dwellings of Judah first, so that the honor of the house of David and of Jerusalem’s inhabitants may not be greater that that of Judah. On that day the Lord will shield those who live in Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the Lord going before them. On that day I will set out to destroy all the nations that attack Jerusalem.” Zechariah 12:7-9.

Then, our Blessed Hope returns.
“And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.” Zechariah 12:10.

Read this passage and understand, this is Christ (God) talking to Zechariah 400-plus years before his advent here on earth. At the moment of Christ’s return and Israel’s salvation, those left in Israel will know He is the Messiah and they will grieve because they denied Him and put Him to death.

Before his return, after the church is Raptured, those left behind who come to accept Christ will be refined by fire through the tribulation. Most of the people of Israel will have been killed and most of those who have come to believe in Christ during that time will have been put to death. There will be very few Believers left and the Jews will be few in number, but they are God’s Chosen People just as they have been since Abraham found favor with God. God’s promises are binding for eternity.

“This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God.” Zechariah 8:7-8.

Then again, God says he is singling them out.
“Though I scatter them among the peoples, yet in distant lands they will remember me. They and their children will survive, and they will return.” Zechariah 10:9.

Israel is the key. As Paul said, in Israel’s rejection of Christ the gentiles were able to have the Word given to them.
“Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness brings!” Romans 11:11-12.

What’s Paul saying here? Let’s look at the American example. This country was founded on Christian principles (don’t let anybody deceive you into believing it was not.) Ours was a country dedicated to living a life pleasing to God and we were richly blessed for it, though we have now rejected God and those blessings are quickly being removed.

Who are we descended from? God’s enemies, yet because we believed that His Son’s death paid for our sins and His resurrection gives us the promise of eternal life, we were blessed mightily.

Then what of God’s chosen people who turn to Christ? To them will be given the keys of the kingdom, so to speak. Remember, they are God’s Chosen People. Again and again Israel is the center of God’s end-times prophecies. We are arrogant above all things if we believe we are chosen by God before the Jews. We live in the period of grace. It is by faith that we are saved, faith in Christ, that he bore the penalty for our sins. This period of grace is quickly coming to a close and the time of the gentiles will be over.

In Revelations, Israel is chosen as God’s People and Jerusalem, His city; the names of the twelve tribes of Israel will be placed on the gates around the New Jerusalem.

Don’t fall for replacement theology. It is not the gentiles’ destiny to replace the Jews, but to share with them Christ’s redemption which we received through them.

We are blessed because we have been given the opportunity to take part in God’s redemptive plan, but we must share our glory with Israel. Here I will share two passages of Scripture from Romans chapter 11, verses 25-26 and verses 28-31 that deal with this subject.
“I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.’

“As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they to have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you.”

What are we to do? Let others know about the salvation Christ offers. Let people know He is coming soon. Show them the prophecies in the Bible and let them see those signs being fulfilled in the world. Let them pray for Israel and pray that the Jews will come to know Christ. Then look up for Christ’s return.