SEPTEMBER 2011 “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.”– ROMANS10:1 The fall feasts are upon us–they remind INSIDE ITEMS ▼ us of God’s ways. This issue highlights ■ Todd Baker...........................3-4 that we come to God His way (John 14:6) ■ Myles Weiss............................5 ■ Our Man In Haifa......................6 and the peace sought in the Middle East ■ Classic Zola............................7 comes through Sar Shalom–the Prince ■ A Muslim Turns To Jesus...........8 of Peace. –Myles ■ Shalom From Sandra................9 ■ Israeli Science & Medicine...10,28 ■ Archaeology...........................11 ■ Revisiting The Jordan Option.....12 God’s Love ■ OCD Religion..........................13 ■ Virginity For Sale....................14 ■ Churches Against Israel............15 Is Stronger ■ Hebrew Lesson ......................16 ■ Bulletin Board.......................20 ■ Israel Sitting Pretty.................21 Than Death ■ Letters To ZLM..................22–26 ■ “Gay” Jihadis........................27 By Katharine Weiss ■ Wise As A Serpent..................29 ■ Select Briefs....................30–31 At this 10th anniversary of 9/11, we must not ■ Iranian Pastor Faces Death.......32 let our hearts be troubled (John 14:1). Despite ■ Jewish Humor/TV Schedule.......33 the reality of threats, we trust in our God who ■ Terrorists In Drag....................34 always causes us to triumph (2 Cor. 2:14). This ■ KJV Miracle Bible..................35 same God stopped Saul in his tracks on the way to persecute the Church and revealed Himself (Acts 9). We pray that He will do the Feast of Trumpets/ same for those seeking to destroy the Church and Israel. Rosh Hashanah (continued p. 2) 28 September 2011 (at sunset) By Zola Levitt God seems to have enjoyed the trumpet. Ever since Isaac was spared by virtue of the ram being caught in the thicket by its horn, God has seemed to enjoy hearing “Come in trumpets—or rams’ horns— blown. He used them when to the Joshua conquered Jericho, in His instructions for the Year of Temple” Jubilee (Lev. 25:8–10), and in establishing the Feast of Trumpets when He told Moses on Mount Sinai: “Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, in the seventh month, in the first day of the month, shall ye have a Sabbath, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, an holy (continued p. 3) [CoverStory p.2 GOD’S LOVE IS STRONGER THAN DEATH Recently, I was reminded that love security was a concern. A young never fails, to paraphrase 1 Cor. 13. Middle Eastern-looking woman who Several years ago, we held a confer- attended was unknown to conference ence in California where David and organizers. Her unusual clothing led to Karen Davis from Haifa, Israel told speculation that she might be there to how Jews and Arabs recover together create a disturbance. To our amaze- from drug addiction through their ment and awe, God had brought this ministry Beit Nitzachon, the “House woman to heal her heart. Raised a of Victory.” At the same conference, Muslim in Israel, she was on the spirit- Walid Shoebat, an ex-Palestinian ter- ual journey that leads to the deeper rorist, confessed that he had been like Christian life. At the altar, God touched Saul of Tarsus, seeking to hurt God’s her heart deeply and in a moment people. Then, trying to prove to his healed her of the traumas of an abused Catholic wife the superiority of Islam childhood and of being personally over Christianity, Walid bought a ten- caught in the Middle East conflict. Her dollar Bible and began to read. He testimony now is, “I used to hate ‘the says that he was confronted with Jewish’ and now I love the Jewish peo- God’s overwhelming love toward the ple.” In fact, she has become a friend Jewish people and the Jewish people’s and is very vocal about Jews having imperfect but sincere love for God, the right to the Land of Israel. Our God and struck by the joy and love that he is amazing! found in the pages of the Bible, espe- cially the Old Testament. Raised in I find it important to draw on testi- Bethlehem, he had been taught that monies like these—of people who do Jews only hated, but that is not what not have just a momentary break- he discovered. God’s love began to through of love, but continue to love melt away his blindness and hard and stand with the Jewish people heart so that he could see the grace of (John 15:9). As Myles and I travel back God. His life is a testimony of God’s and forth to Israel, not only do we pray ability to transform the spirit of a for the Jewish people, we continue to man. pray for our Arab “cousins” to find their Savior (John 3:16). Because Walid’s unique voice chal- lenges jihadist ideology, conference See also A Muslim Turns To Jesus on page 8. Myles & Katharine with their neighbors 2 FOR CREDIT CARD ORDERS OR DONATIONS, YOU MAY CALL 1-800-WONDERS (966-3377). TO THE JEW FIRST Jew and Arab United Under love Israel—for giving the gift of Jesus the Messiah! Messiah to the world. “I am deeply touched in my heart at this,” he said. By Todd Baker, ZLM Staff Theologian Both he and his wife expressed effusive Pastor Ralph Conn and I appreciation and thankfulness towards recently completed To The us. They accepted the Scriptures from Jew First’s 21st Gospel us and our presentation of the Gospel. outreach to Israel (June 13–June 29, 2011). Here Soon after this, I was approached by is an example of how the a man and woman, separately, in a Lord worked on this trip. bookstore and had quality ministry time with each of them. At the same On our second day of ministry, at the time, Ralph felt led to sit at a nearby Haifa Mall we talked to Moses, an ice cafe in the mall. Unbelievably, an Arab cream vendor. He agrees that giving man approached him. He was pastor away more land to Palestinians who of a Baptist church in Haifa. When I want to destroy Israel is sheer mad- joined them, the pastor said he had ness. His name gave us an opening to seen us sharing the Gospel with the declare to him that the biblical Moses Jewish couple earlier and was follow- had several prophetic things to say ing us to encourage us. He said some about the Messiah in the Torah (Genesis years ago, after he was saved, he 3:15; Deuteronomy 18:15–19). We repented of his bias against the Jews explained to this modern-day Moses and realized that this Land belongs to that all the evidence points to one them because God gave it to them. He person being Israel’s Messiah—Jesus said “land for peace” is unbiblical and of Nazareth. Moses accepted a com- will never work. He also agreed that plete Jewish Bible (OT and NT) from the Gospel is meant to go to the Jew us and Messianic Gospel tracts first and commended us for doing so. outlining the plan of salvation. He told us that the Holy Spirit is draw- ing Arabs to Jesus and bringing Jews Then, Ralph talked to a married and Arabs together in the Messiah— couple who said that they had the only answer for peace in the seen our Cross and the Star of David Middle East! necklaces (see picture) earlier in the day and decided to ask Ralph what This is the hope for the Middle they mean. The husband became East: Arabs and other Muslims teary-eyed as we told them that the turn to Yeshua and become part design symbolizes Messiah coming of the “one new man” of Ephe- out of Israel from the Jewish people; sians 2:15. For another personal testimony of this transformation, He was crucified for our sins, rose read Katharine’s article on page from death, is coming again to reign 1. —Myles in Israel, and is the main reason we Pastor Ralph Conn Feast of Trumpets/Rosh Hashanah continued from page 1 convocation” (Lev. 23:24). During the Temple periods in Jerusalem, the trumpet was the signal for the field workers to come in to the Temple. The Rapture is clearly associated with the trumpet: “For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16–17). When that great trumpet sounds, the living Believers will rise from the Earth, graves will give up their dead, and all Believers will be mysteriously changed and outfitted for immortality. Sandra reviews the first of the fall feasts on page 9. SEPTEMBER 2011 P.O. BOX 12268 • DALLAS, TX 75225-0268 • (214) 696-8844 • WWW.LEVITT.COM 3 3-IN-1 JEWISH CALENDAR so a 12-month lunar calendar is about Ask The Chaplain 11 days shorter than a solar year and a 13-month lunar is about 19 longer than By Todd Baker a solar year. The months drift around ZLM Staff Theologian the seasons on such a calendar: on a 12-month lunar calendar, the month of How do you figure Nissan, which is supposed to occur in out when the first the spring, would occur 11 days earlier month of the Jew- Q. in the season each year, eventually ish year begins? We were told that ancient occurring in the winter, the fall, the Jews based it on when the barley came summer, and then the spring again.