Dear Friends:

Since this is our “Back to School Issue,” it seems appropriate that we should be returning to the subject of the Moody Bible Institute and the other failing seminaries. During our summer speaking tour, we served Chicago, and stopped to visit the Moody bookstore; we got there just in time since Moody has recently sold two of its remaining three bookstores! We discovered that, just as I had been told, they had almost no books on prophecy. When Sandra went to the counter and asked if they had any books by Zola Levitt, the clerk replied, “Oh, no. He bashes Moody.” So much for dissenting views, enlightened debate, other perspectives, etc.

They claimed that the store carried one title by Hal Lindsey — but that it was sold out. Of course, Lindsey has written some twenty books about Bible prophecy. His titles have sold far better than those of any other author in this field. But none of his books were available on the Moody bookshelves.

They did have a little booklet of instruction, How to Relate to Jesus, by Moody president Dr. Joseph Stowell, the leader who apparently has been responsible for Moody having to close so many of its ministries.

There was a big stack of Progressive Dispensationalism books, including Blaising and Bock’s “classic” in which the authors questioned whether we should support Israel in view of the “injustices” (as the authors see them) that Israel commits. So these theologians consider themselves competent to make such conclusions and to accuse the Chosen People. For my part, I have no problem understanding the verse “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee” (Genesis 12:3).

In the churches we visited all around Chicago, there were many people skeptical of Moody. We had five or six speaking engagements, and we found people were aware, even without reading our newsletter, that Moody had greatly deteriorated. One man did defend the radio ministry (and I have heard this before); perhaps that ministry has broken ranks with the seminary ministry. But in any case, an informed source has told us that Moody is closing one ministry after another, as we have reported.

I met a fellow from Tyndale House, a rival of Moody’s, and he reports their publishing ministry is doing fine. Likewise, as I recently noted, our ministry is prospering this year and that it is unnecessary to give to us at this time. We prosper because, or perhaps in spite of, providing funds to our dear friends in Israel who have fallen behind for obvious reasons. I am very grateful for your gifts to the “Good News from a Far Country Fund,” the “Anatot Fund,” the new “Our Man in Jerusalem Fund,” and the like. (By the way, Tyndale House also gives tithes to our ministry. We have never received anything from Moody despite the string of best sellers Dr. Thomas S. McCall and I wrote for them.) God’s blessing has apparently been withdrawn from Moody under its present administration. Moody is a very unhappy and unsuccessful place right now, and I understand that perfectly. I think that the Moody Bible Institute’s utter lack of valid End Times prophecy teaching, and its indifference to Israel, has decimated the place.

Please know that I corresponded with President Stowell for five years, culminating in a personal interview with Dr. McCall, our senior theologian, attending. We three talked for over an hour and Tom and I reached the same conclusions about Moody and its problems. Needless to say Dallas Theological Seminary won’t see us at all, even though Tom received his doctor’s degree there and was president of the alumni association.

As Zondervan and other Christian publishing houses have been sold over the years to unbelievers, who only want to make money, I suppose this will happen with Moody Bible as well if they keep going the way they are and the Lord tarries.

As for the other seminaries, our Dr. McCall, who holds graduate degrees from both Talbot and Dallas Theological Seminaries, is uniquely qualified to deal with those, and will do so in upcoming issues. Smaller seminaries, we are aware, do sometimes better or sometimes worse than the “big three.” We just can’t cover them all.


According to the newsletter, Jerusalem On the Line, “In response to Israel’s announcement of the prisoner release, Arafat made the following derisive statement, ‘They say they are going to release 400, and then they turn around and arrest 800. What is this? Deception? Are they laughing at us? Is this the implementation of the Roadmap?’ What 800 recent arrests was Arafat referring to? No reports recently indicate any arrests of that magnitude (scattered IDF anti-terror raids have included some 50 arrests).”

Even in a nation of lawyers, Arafat would be world-class. He sets up a straw man and says, “They turned around and arrested 800” and then, having said that, he can go on and complain about the “typical Jewish behavior” and so forth.

This same issue of the newsletter also noted that “Saudi Arabia continues to transfer money to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, providing up to 70 percent of the group’s funding. The funding, which is transferred via banks, constitutes between $12 and $14 million per year, according to The Jerusalem Post [and the Middle East Newsline puts the figure for Saudi funding of Hamas at $50 million a year]. The Senate Governmental Affairs Committee heard testimony from Bush administration officials who said that the government of Saudi Arabia has contributed to the rise and support of Islamic terrorist organizations by funneling money through charities. Treasury General Counsel told the committee that a Saudi charity headed by a Saudi government official was ‘underwriting the murder of innocents.’ Also, a terrorism expert added: ‘The Saudi government has refused to rein in these groups or acknowledge the flow of funds to terrorist movements.’”


Further on that subject, almost no one has pointed out that Afghanistan and Iraq, both of which we have taken over in the “War on Terrorism,” each have a long border with Iran. In addition, Pakistan, on Iran’s eastern border, is already working with us, and the northern border runs along the Russian republics, which also have cooperated with us. To the south of Iran is the Indian Ocean, which our navy has access to. In effect, we have Iran surrounded.

Many believe Iran will have a nuclear weapon in 2005. It is one of the most dangerous nations in the area (Saudi Arabia is the sleaziest, but Iran is the most hostile). Given that fact, our plan may be to simply call Iran on the phone and say, “Do you really want to see a replay of Iraq in your land?” With the US being in such a posture of strength, it looks as if (in a worldly way at least) we may be positioning ourselves to do this.

This would again place us on one of the prophecy options leading to the Tribulation: It would put the West, under the Antichrist, in control of the oil fields and the rest of the Middle East, ready to fight the Chinese, the “King of the East” in Revelation (our newest TV series, to be aired shortly, will be called “Roadmap to Armageddon”). The Biblically recommended option takes believers to Heaven so we won’t have to worry about any of this. But it is faith-building to see the preparations underway, bringing the coming of our Lord ever closer.


With each issue of the Levitt Letter, there are a few stories that we don’t include, not so much because they lack importance, but rather because we lack room (even with our occasional double issue). Some had “zingers” that were too precious not to share, so here are a few:

In accepting for the first time a timetable for the creation of an independent Palestinian state, the Israeli cabinet may have sealed the fate of modern Israel. If Israel dismantles so-called “settlements” while Yasser Arafat and his crony, Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, add to their long list of broken promises the promise to end terrorism, the establishment of a Palestinian state will serve as a launching pad for the final assault on Israel and the elimination of that nation as a Jewish homeland and a beacon of democracy in the region…. Nothing has changed, except the “peace process” is being rushed and the “Roadmap” has not been widely accepted. — Cal Thomas, “Terrorism Pays,” Jewish World Review

Muslims, media pundits and even other evangelicals have taken evangelist Franklin Graham to task for saying he thinks Islam is a “wicked and evil religion.” …Franklin Graham may never deliver a sermon peppered with fashionable language about interfaith tolerance, but in his work you’ll find a parable or two about interfaith understanding. Platitudes are easy; delivering humanitarian aid in difficult circumstances is hard and sacrificial work that can build bridges across seemingly irreconcilable differences. Graham’s words may be abrasive, but his record defies the stereotype of a Muslim-baiting crusader, and it reinforces the truth that oftentimes the things we do are more significant than the things we say. — Van Kornegay, “Graham’s Works Defy Anti-Muslim Image,” The State (Columbia, SC)

In its first major campaign since fighting flared in September 2000, the Israeli Ministry of Tourism is reaching out to evangelical Christians in hopes they will help bring in more than a million international visitors to Israel this year. At an announcement, officials said the campaign would start July 1, and include spots on Christian radio as well as visits to churches. The ads feature the line “Don’t put your soul on hold,” and focus on Jesus Christ’s historical ties to the area. Tourism Minister Benny Elon said visits from Christian groups kept Israel’s tourism industry from collapsing in the wake of years of fighting between Israelis and Palestinians. “They were not afraid,” he said. “They saved the industry.” — Deepti Hajela, “Israel to Start Tourism Campaign Among Christians,” Associated Press

The United States and Britain had an entirely different approach to terrorism when dealing with Iraq [than with Israel]. There they attempted to uproot the basic infrastructure of terrorism, and mercilessly went after the leaders, who they realized were an integral part of that terrorism. With regard to Israel their approach is the opposite. Here they will ignore the loss of life and maimings of Jews which have resulted from Arab terrorism. They will engage in appeasement of the Arabs, at the total and costly expense to Israel and its Jewish populace. Beware! As the Bible clearly states: The God of Israel will repay those who are responsible for such immoral and reprehensible behavior! — “Just Delaying Annihilation,” Women In Green

Here’s what too many of our leaders still don’t get: The US soldier being picked off every few days by “foreign fighters” in Iraq, the dead Israelis killed by teenage Palestinian bombers, the shocked relatives in Indonesia who were laughed at by the murderer of their sons and daughters are not isolated tragedies. In each case, the murderers are fundamentalist Islamists who have embraced jihad. They celebrated our pain on September 11th. They cannot be bought off, appeased, reasoned with, or soothed by State Department bureaucrats. Neither Israel nor the United States will ever be able to make enough concessions to satisfy them. Their aim is to destroy western civilization. Nothing short of their total defeat on the field of battle will work. — Gary L. Bauer, American Values


On August 20, our tour department celebrated its 20th anniversary — and not a single Israel tour canceled in twenty years! In spite of terrorism fears, Israel is still an eminently safe place to visit. We have taken ten thousand passengers without so much as a stubbed finger. (I take that back. Dr. Tom McCall once broke an ankle at Caesarea Phillipi — on that very rock on which Christ established his church!)

Our fall Holy Land tour is scheduled a little later than usual, allowing us to pass the savings on to you. The Deluxe Tour, visiting Israel only, will depart on November 2nd and will return on the 12th. Our Grand Petra Tour, visiting both Israel and Petra, will depart on the 2nd and return on the 16th. The Grand Athens Tour, cruising the Greek Isles and touring Israel, extends from October 29th through November 12th. Finally, our Ultra-Grand Tour, with everything — the Greek Isles, Israel and Petra — will begin on October 29th and end on November 16th.

You really need to sign up early for this tour. It has been my experience in the past that following a war, a peace process, or other major event in the Middle East, there is a pent-up demand for traveling to Israel. We already have about half a bus-load toward the November tour. Since the airlines are limiting international flights, those who put off scheduling their trip may miss out.

Regardless of the tour package you choose, you can be sure that the memories will last a lifetime. For more information or the confirmation of tour dates, check with Tony at (214) 696-9760 during business hours. You can also call 1-800-WONDERS (1-800-966-3377) anytime for a brochure on this or any of our other tours.

And try to attend our Israel Solidarity/Feast of Trumpets celebration which will actually take place on the day of the Feast of Trumpets this year (this may be the last one!) We’d sincerely enjoy meeting you in Dallas. Speakers will include settlers from Anatot, the settlement in Israel that our ministry supports. This program will take place at the Biblical Arts Center on September 27th. Contact Tony at (214) 696-9760 for more information.

Finally, please remember to pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Your Messenger,

Zola

P.S. You can view Zola Levitt Presents on your computer any time of the day by visiting www.levitt.com and clicking on the “Zola on Internet TV” link or by simply going to www.levitt.tv.

Zola Levitt Ministries is ECFA approved and has Charity Navigator’s top rating of 4 stars.

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