FROM SARAH, OUR SABRA
ON THE GROUND IN ISRAEL
Dear Friend,
Greetings from the Holy Land. Since October 7, 2023, many Israelis have felt hopeless, believing that evil has won and there will be no positive outcome for Israel. The ongoing war’s rising death toll results in continual pain and feelings of loss for individual families and our entire nation.
Recently, however, the tide has turned in Israel’s war against Iran’s terrorist proxies: Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Personally, I have been praying that Israel and its enemies will see clearly that the Lord alone brings the victory in this war (Ps. 118:16). This letter is the first of two parts regarding the prophecies in Zechariah chapter 9 and the light they shed on a promising future beyond the current war.
The first verses of Zechariah chapter 9 reveal the defeat of Israel’s enemies in what is today southern Lebanon, currently a Hezbollah stronghold: “… and on Tyre and Sidon, though they are very skillful. Tyre has built herself a stronghold; she has heaped up silver like dust, and gold like the dirt of the streets. But the Lord will take away her possessions and destroy her power on the sea, and she will be consumed by fire” (Zech. 9:2–4).
credit: Iranian Supreme Leader’s Office
Hezbollah’s Lebanon
The most powerful enemy on Israel’s borders (Zech. 9:2) is Hezbollah, which was founded in 1982 as a terrorist organization in Lebanon. Iran invested millions of dollars in arming and training Hezbollah to threaten Israel and deter the Jewish State from attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities. The Iranian leaders believe that Israel must be destroyed before an Islamic messiah can come and initiate the End Times.
Hezbollah gained prominence in the 1990s when it formally became part of the Lebanese government. The organization then began overtaking schools, hospitals, and other infrastructure, weakening the government’s authority.
As Lebanon spiraled into financial decline in the early 2000s, the Iranian-backed group seemed to offer the greatest option for stability and security. Thus, many Lebanese citizens shifted to Hezbollah’s banks, schools, and hospitals — turning to them for social services, employment, and more.
Eventually, Hezbollah became the largest illegal drug distributor and the richest terrorist organization in the region. Avoiding traditional banks, it formed its own banking system, holding its vast fortune of currency notes and gold in bunkers and compounds near its Dahieh headquarters, in southern Beirut (Zech. 9:3).
Hezbollah joined the war against Israel on October 8, 2023 — unprompted by any Israeli action. Those terrorists regularly launched hundreds of rockets toward northern Israeli towns and villages. For a while, Israel refrained from any major response — the priority of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was to deal with Hamas in the south before addressing Hezbollah in the north.
The Great Fake
On September 17, over 4,000 Hezbollah pagers exploded in Lebanon. During funerals in Beirut a day later, dozens of walkie-talkies exploded. Ultimately, the actions killed more than 50 people and injured over 3,000 Hezbollah terrorists.
These attacks were truly extraordinary. Israeli intelligence had infiltrated Hezbollah, planting concerns about exposed communication among their operatives. Thus, Hezbollah’s leadership decided to purchase thousands of sophisticated pagers.
Israeli intelligence had already created fake companies that lured Hezbollah with an attractive price on the communication devices. Israel also designed and manufactured the pagers, which included undetectable explosives. Hezbollah had no concerns even after testing the pagers in airports.
On the day of the attack, all pagers displayed a message that required users to press two buttons simultaneously in order to read it. Pressing these buttons detonated the explosive. This injured not only the operatives’ fingers but also the eyes of many who held up the pager to read the message. Ultimately, the explosions hindered those operatives from being able to fight and/or command Hezbollah’s operations against Israel.
ISRAELI AIR AND GROUND STRIKES
Afterward, Israel began targeted air strikes to destroy the weapons that Hezbollah used to attack Israel. Specifically, Israel bombed major caches of powerful land-based anti-ship missiles, some of Hezbollah’s deadliest weapons (Zech. 9:4).
Ten days after the pager operation, Israel’s air force struck a crippling blow when they bombed Hezbollah’s most secure underground bunker. This eliminated Hasan Nasrallah — the organization’s notorious leader — and another 25 commanders who were hiding with him. Then in October, Israeli air strikes hit Hezbollah’s banks and cash depositories, burning paper notes and leaving gold bricks melted amidst the rubble of collapsed buildings. Those month-long strikes created fires that rose into the Lebanese sky (Zech. 9:4).
Israeli soldiers had already entered southern Lebanon during September to clear the villages on Israel’s border. Hezbollah built these as military fortresses to hide rockets and other weapons, military vehicles, supplies, and food. These strongholds also housed thousands of highly trained operatives. Though the IDF expected stronger resistance on the ground, many terrorists apparently fled the border towns after Nasrallah’s death.
The ground incursion was not without cost — many IDF soldiers have died from hand-to-hand combat and Hezbollah’s guerrilla warfare. While this is a high and painful price to pay, most people in Israel realize that there was no alternative to clearing the strongholds of Hezbollah, which had planned an even greater version of Hamas’s October 7 attack.
The turning tide in the north brings a historic weakening of Hezbollah. Therefore, most Israelis want to keep the pressure on Hezbollah until the terrorist organization is decimated and a new future for Lebanon can be developed. Then, hopefully, other groups in Lebanon will establish a new, responsible government that will bring stability to the country and the region.
A BIBLICAL PERSPECTIVE
Lebanon is within the Promised Land that God gave to Israel (Deut. 1:7; 3:25; 11:24; Josh. 1:4; 12:7). The Bible mentions Lebanon 71 times, praising the country for its beauty and the quality of its trees. King Solomon built his palace (1 Kings 7:1–3) and the First Temple (1 Kings 5:5–6) using cedar wood from Lebanon. After cutting the cedars in Lebanon, workers carted the logs to the Mediterranean, where they floated down to Joppa (today known as Jaffa, in southern Tel Aviv). From there, workers hauled the logs across the lowlands and up to Jerusalem.
According to the Bible, Israel’s northern neighbor has a promising future. Lebanon is connected to the restoration of Jerusalem and Messiah’s Millennial Kingdom. Bible prophecy states that: “The glory of Lebanon will come to you, the juniper, the fir and the cypress together, to adorn My sanctuary; and I will glorify the place for My feet” (Isa. 60:13).
How to Pray
We Believers in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah have a key role in praying for Israel and its neighbors. Here in Israel, we regularly pray for the people in the surrounding countries, including Lebanon. Here are several important prayer points you can employ in your prayer time:
- Pray that the tyranny of Hezbollah and Iran’s hold over the country of Lebanon will end.
- Pray for a peaceful society in Lebanon, with democratic rule and the restoration of its economy.
- Pray for the Christian communities in Lebanon and fruitful evangelism in this nation.
- Pray for the physical restoration of Lebanon’s nature and beauty.
- Pray for peace throughout this region.
Im tirdefu lada-at oto —“Press on to know HIM!” (Hosea 6:3 NLT)
Many blessings from Israel,
Sarah Liberman
P.S. On October 17, the first day of Sukkot, the IDF announced that they had killed Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s powerful leader and mastermind behind the October 7 attack. The prophecy of Zechariah 9:5 foretold Sinwar’s destruction: “Gaza will lose her king.”
In part 2 of this letter, we will consider the remaining prophecies in Zechariah chapter 9 related to Gaza. I will also address Israel’s plans for “the day after” — a civilian, moderate-led governing force that will allow Israel to continue to rid Gaza of Hamas terrorists while using private companies to manage aid distribution, lead education initiatives, provide health care, and more to help the people of Gaza.
In the Meantime
For many children, the wait between sharing their Christmas wish list and Christmas morning is excruciatingly long. They often wonder, how long must we wait? Many of us share the same feelings about waiting for our next tour to Israel. Until then, however, there are things you can do to be prepared when we hear, “Israel is safe, and we’re ready to go!”
Travel To-Do List
- Make sure your passport is up to date.
- Purchase and break in one or two pairs of comfortable walking shoes.
- Watch TV programs and YouTube videos about the Land of Israel, so that when we visit a Biblical site, you’ll be familiar with its history.
- Stay in touch with our tour manager, Sandra, so that when it’s time, you will be on the list of pilgrims! You can reach her at 214-696-9760, travel@levitt.com, or via levitt.com/tours.
We hope to make another Biblical pilgrimage this coming spring!
| Deluxe — Israel | Mar. 24–Apr. 3 | $5,988 |
| Grand Petra — Israel & Petra | Mar. 24–Apr. 6 | $7,688 |
A Note from Joshua and Caleb Colson
For many people, 2024 has felt like a whirlwind. Powers were shaken. Kingdoms attacked kingdoms. Natural disasters brought destruction. War took many lives. As many Americans grapple with bankruptcy, high interest rates, and unaffordable housing, most Israelis struggle economically, emotionally, and physically because of the ongoing war.
Some pastors’ secret sins were exposed, toppling churches and religious “empires.” Several “Christian” denominations voted to support sin rather than honor God. Even the head of the Roman Catholic Church alarmingly declared that “all religions are a path to God.” While evildoers go from bad to worse, apparently even God’s elect are being deceived (2 Tim. 3:12–15).
Our enemy, Satan, shows no signs of slowing in his apocalyptic plans. Though many false prophets declare that this is the end, Scripture says otherwise. Matthew 24:8 explains that these things are merely “the beginning of birth pains.” Therefore, we must study Scripture — being rooted and grounded in God’s Word — so that these signs will not cause us to fear, panic, or follow erroneous interpretations.
Make no mistake, Yeshua is coming soon. Yet, He is giving us Believers an opportunity to make a mark on Earth before we are caught up to meet Him in the clouds (1 Thess. 4:17). The Holy Spirit has imparted this urgency in us over the past few years to preach the Good News unashamedly! But we are also called to teach His truth in love. We know the final wars that Israel will experience in the near future — they’re prophetically noted in Scripture. The current conflicts in Israel don’t fit the bill; they are merely Satan’s futile attempt to trigger prophetic events. We must consider Scripture in context, including events that were fulfilled centuries ago, without deciphering everything through our modern framework.
Thankfully, we believe 2025 offers us Believers the opportunity to leave this planet with a bang instead of a whimper. Certainly, evil will become darker; it will also appear stronger. But as John 1:5 notes, “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” We commemorate this in celebrations of Hanukkah, the Feast of Lights, and in celebrations of the birth of Yeshua, the Light of the world.
Our light should shine brightly before men, so that they will see our good works and glorify our Father in Heaven (Matt. 5:16). As Messiah’s Bride (Rev. 19:7; 21:9; 22:17), we now have our moment to reach the lost with His love. Don’t believe Satan’s headlines — we can, and will, change history … if we choose to do so.
May His blessings and love bring you a victorious new year, despite whatever turmoil and strife you are facing.
Sha’alu shalom Yerushalayim! — “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!” (Psalm 122:6),
Joshua and Caleb
P.S. Please resolve to watch Our Jewish Roots throughout 2025 to discover the new direction that God is leading this ministry. Your contributions to ZLM enable us to continue sharing the Good News of Yeshua’s love, light, and life with spiritually hungry souls everywhere who desperately need to experience it.
Our Jewish Roots TV programs in December
David and Kirsten Hart
We hope you pause during all this month’s activity to watch OJR and receive some solid Bible teaching from Joshua and Caleb Colson. Though the war in Israel has thwarted our tradition of filming in the Holy Land, we have been creative in recording and producing stellar new television programs. Thank you for “going with the flow.” And as always, we appreciate you for making this possible. Your financial gifts will keep our Bible teaching and commentary on the air for another year!
This month, the Bearded Bible Brothers offer you several standalone teaching segments. While these programs originally aired on social media, our production team has developed them into studio programs, where we discuss the topics with them.
From everyone at OJR, we wish you and your family a happy and blessed Hanukkah and Christmas. In this season of light, may you experience peace beyond understanding and joy that overtakes sorrow. Yeshua came to give us life that’s more abundant than we can imagine.
Salvation — The Bearded Bible Brothers examine several questions related to the salvation Yeshua enacted through His sacrificial death and resurrection. Why does a loving God send people to Hell? Does sin really exist? Will Messiah save the remnant of Israel?
The Seven Feasts — Joshua and Caleb join David and Kirsten Hart to look at some viewer-favorite teachings that previously were available only on social media. We will learn about Passover, Shavuot, the Holy Spirit, and the Fall Feasts.
A Hanukkah Hoedown — Joshua and Caleb celebrate their first holiday on Our Jewish Roots by recalling six years of the Bearded Bible Brothers’ most controversial Hanukkah teachings. Also, the brothers honor Yeshua’s birth even though we don’t know its actual date.
Our Bearded Jewish Roots Brothers — In this program, we reflect on how far the Lord has brought Zola Levitt Ministries in 2024. Joshua and Caleb also unveil the future of this television ministry, looking at the new, uncharted direction God is leading our outreach in 2025.
Zola Levitt Ministries is ECFA approved and has Charity Navigator’s top rating of 4 stars, plus Ministry Watch’s Give With Confidence Score of 100.
