November 2023 Personal Letter

FROM CALEB &
JOSHUA ON THE
GROUND IN ISRAEL

Dear Friend,

This special edition of the Personal Letter begins with a first-hand report from our ministry’s Bearded Bible Brothers, Josh and Caleb, who were filming in Israel (but are home now) when Hamas began its most recent terror campaign. The letter from Sarah Liberman, which she sent before the attack on Israel, recalls a similar attack 50 years ago and draws truth from God’s Word to help us hear from the Lord. Sarah is safe. She sent a video update from Israel, which you can watch at blog.levitt.com/sarah-liberman-is-ok —Editor

War in Israel!

The crew of Our Jewish Roots (OJR) flew to Israel on October 1 to shoot video for two upcoming series. As we filmed in Jerusalem on Saturday, October 7, sirens sounded and missiles flew over our heads — literally! That surprise attack by Hamas — which missed our group, PTL! — resulted in a substantial loss of life. Our Israeli crew likened it to America’s 9/11. On that day, more Jews were murdered than on any other day since the Holocaust. With no way to leave the country, we filmed daily updates to help our viewers know how to pray. These updates remain on our social media channels, which are listed at the bottom of levitt.com.

Intelligence failure?

As Sarah Liberman explains in her letter, which follows ours, conflicting intelligence led to the horrors of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. That attack surprised many Israelis, but not all. Now, 50 years later, the same may be true. On day three of Israel’s current war with Hamas, we talked with Avi Lipkin, who for many years has aided our ministry’s understanding of Middle East relations. Among other things, he noted similarities between the intelligence failures of 1973 and 2023. Time will tell whether his assertions are correct.

Signs of the times

Before the current war, God directed us to release several Bearded Bible Brothers episodes about potential terrorist assaults during Israel’s political upheaval. We focused on the coming Psalm 83 War, Iran’s role as the prince of Persia, the future destruction of Damascus (Syria) according to Isaiah 17, and the final judgment against Hezbollah with prophetic insights against Tyre and Sidon. Now, we see the horrendous roles these Arab nations have played in assaulting Israel’s sovereignty.

People ask us if the Tribulation has begun. No, it hasn’t. Regarding unfulfilled prophecy, the Beast has yet to ratify a peace treaty between Israel and its enemies. Many others wonder if this military uprising is the beginning of the Psalm 83 War. No one knows for certain. Currently, however, all the coalition players in Psalm 83 have yet to come into alignment. But that doesn’t rule out Israel’s current war amounting to the “baby steps” before that future invasion.

Israel is still the Fig Tree

There is one thing we can tell you with certainty: Yeshua warned in Matthew 24:6–8 that “wars and rumors of wars” are simply the “beginning of birth pains” that precipitate His return. In that same chapter, our Lord said to look at Israel, the Fig Tree, as the sign of the times. Surely, whenever a war like this occurs in Israel, we should pay attention to what God wants us to know.

God’s Son is coming soon to catch away His Bride (all Believers in Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah). The message that God gave us to deliver through our teachings in Israel is the same message we must convey during this warfare: Yeshua is the only way to salvation. Everyone must repent and receive God’s grace and atonement through faith in Yeshua. Eternal life in Heaven is God’s free gift; all we have to do is accept it.

Please continue to pray for all who are suffering because of the war with Hamas. Pray for the God of Israel to show Himself strong. Pray for everyone in this war — even the terrorists — to come to the saving knowledge of Yeshua HaMashiach.

Sha’alu Shalom Yerushalayim —

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem! (Psalm 122:6),

Joshua and Caleb

FROM SARAH, OUR SABRA
ON THE GROUND IN ISRAEL

Dear Friend,

The 1973 Yom Kippur War was one of modern Israel’s most traumatic events — not only in the number of people who died but also in the shock that the Israeli public experienced. Then-Prime Minister Golda Meir was blamed for the intelligence fiasco and vilified for her shortcomings. Recently, however, the Israeli government released archival information that sheds a more favorable light on her decision making, war management, and firm stance on the historic peace agreement with Egypt after the war.

When the war began, Meir was in her fifth year as prime minister, the first and only woman to hold this position. She had an unprecedented 90% approval rating. Her party won 56 seats in the Knesset (parliament) — the most any party has ever achieved. In comparison, Israel’s largest party today — the Likud, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu — holds 32 seats.

Throughout 1973, Meir had received several warnings that Egypt would attack Israel. The newly released documents show that she sought negotiations between Israel and Egypt — at least 15 times — to prevent a war. After losing in 1967’s Six-Day War, however, Egypt wanted to redeem itself by defeating Israel in another war. Thus, the Egyptians involved Syria and began massive military training in the Sinai desert.

We now know that Israel had a spy in Egypt — Ashraf Marwan, code-named “the Angel.” The Mossad, Israel’s intelligence agency, managed him. While the Angel provided detailed information about the planned attack, it contradicted information from military intelligence. No one believed the Angel’s report.

New information reveals that the king of Jordan traveled to Jerusalem days before the assault to warn Meir of an imminent attack. After stepping away to make a call (presumably to her advisors), she returned to tell the king that there was no concern.

Israel’s defense leaders were extremely overconfident. They believed that even if Egypt attacked Israel, the IDF would easily overcome the threat, as they had in 1967. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan declared that the Arabs had learned their lesson and wouldn’t attack again. Military intelligence backed his assertions. Only Mossad head Zvi Zamir stood alone in warning the prime minister and pressing for massive call ups of army reservists before an attack. But his counsel went unheeded.

On Yom Kippur 1973, Israelis were home with TVs and radios silenced. Workplaces and public transportation were shut down in observance of the solemn day. Hospitals and military posts operated at reduced capacity. All was normal until 2:00 p.m., when sirens pierced the quiet in Tel Aviv. Because of ignored warnings, the strikes by Egyptians in the south and Syrians in the north were a complete surprise.

Chaos erupted as the IDF struggled to respond. Over 2,200 Israeli soldiers died — almost three times more than in the Six-Day War — many in the early days of fighting. The war ended 19 days later with Israel’s victory, largely because of U.S. military help. Afterward, many people blamed the deaths on Meir and Dayan because Israeli forces were unprepared and vastly outnumbered — despite warnings.

During a 1974 memorial for the soldiers who died, people yelled at Meir and Dayan: “You murdered them.” This was too much for Meir, who subsequently resigned as prime minister. Already battling lymphoma, Israel’s “Iron Lady” lived out her years with heartache. She later stated: “I should have listened to my heart. I knew something was wrong. But what could I do? My advisors were telling me otherwise.”

In 1 Kings chapter 22, we read how King Ahab of Israel wanted to attack Aram, a longtime enemy, and regain the city of Ramoth Gilead. Ahab asked some advisors if he should proceed. Almost 400 so-called prophets consented: “Go … for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand” (1 Kings 22:6).

At the time, King Yehoshafat of Judah was visiting the Northern Kingdom. King Ahab asked King Yehoshafat to join him in the war. After hearing those “prophets,” Yehoshafat poignantly asked: “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?” (1 Kings 22:7).

Reluctantly, Ahab called for Micaiah son of Imlah, a prophet whom the king despised for speaking against him. The dispatched messenger urged Micaiah to agree with the “prophets” who had predicted the king’s success in battle. But God’s prophet responded, “As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what the Lord tells me” (1 Kings 22:14).

Micaiah initially affirmed the words of the other “prophets.” After Ahab pressed him, however, Micaiah described this scene:

I saw the Lord sitting on His throne with all the multitudes of Heaven standing around Him on His right and on His left. And the Lord said, “Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?” One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, “I will entice him.” “By what means?” the Lord asked. “I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,” he said. “You will succeed in enticing him,” said the Lord. “Go and do it.” So now the Lord has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you. (1 Kings 22:19–23)

After hearing this, King Ahab ordered Micaiah to be imprisoned. Rather than following the voice of truth, King Ahab followed the majority and attacked Aram. Ultimately, Micaiah’s words proved true — King Ahab died in battle and Israel’s army suffered a disastrous defeat.

Often, we Believers today also face major decisions. Whether large or small, however, it is imperative that we hear the Lord’s voice and know His will. We must be discerning about the advice that others offer us. Likewise, we must be determined to stay connected with spiritually healthy, mature Believers. Above all, we must train ourselves to hear God’s voice so we can distinguish it from other voices. We must not be swayed by the majority or fooled by the so-called credibility that the world gives to ideas that oppose God’s will.

One of the principal ways we learn to act wisely is by studying God’s Word. Proverbs 1:7, James 1:5, 1 John 4:1, and Romans 12:2 are some verses you can use in your personal study about wisdom and discernment.

“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:9-10).

Im tirdefu lada-at oto —
“Press on to know HIM!” (Hosea 6:3 NLT),

   
Sarah Liberman

Visit blog.levitt.com/sarah-liberman-is-ok to see Sarah’s 25-minute video “Living Through the War in Israel.”

Our Jewish Roots TV programs in November

This month we continue our series, Dateline Jerusalem. It spotlights the growing movement among religious Jewish people who are preparing to construct a Third Temple in Jerusalem and reinstate the sacrificial system. This series includes teaching from Dr. Jeffrey Seif and Mark Hitchcock, commentary from the Bearded Bible Brothers, and insights from Kirsten and David Hart.

Place for Israel

Despite past failures, the Jewish people’s regathering in their ancestral homeland as a modern nation provides visible proof of God’s presence and providence.

Sacrifices for Sin

Under the Law, sin’s penalty is death that requires a blood sacrifice. Animal sacrifices, however, foreshadow Jesus’ atonement, making sacrifices at a future Temple merely symbolic.

Future of Worship

Sin divides creation from Creator. Eden’s loss didn’t extinguish the hope of restoration. Prophecy foretells Messiah reigning over the entire world from Jerusalem’s Temple.

Ancient Sounds

This program features “Shofar man” Robert Weinger, owner of Shofar So Great. Micah and Shoshanna Harrari design and promote harps for use in the next Temple.

Temple Convention

Efforts to promote the next Temple continue. This program features excerpts from the 2023 Temple Mount Jerusalem Convention, plus an extended interview with Mark Hitchcock.