From one of my favorite musicals, "Fiddler On The Roof"
this beautiful song centers around the traditional
marriage ceremony of Tzeitel, the oldest of the five
daughters of poor Jewish milkman, Tevye,
to her childhood sweetheart, the equally
impoverished village tailor, Motel.
A fitting tribute to the end of the month of June.
A powerful teaching from Messianic Rabbi Zev Porat in Israel.
Continuing with this classic teaching on the End Times
from beloved Bible teacher Zola Levitt (1938-2006)
founder of Zola Levitt Ministries
"For God is King of all the earth; sing praises in a skillful psalm
and with understanding. God reigns over the nations; God sits upon
His holy throne. The princes and nobles of the people are gathered
together, a united people for the God of Abraham, for the shields
of the earth belong to God: He is highly exalted."
(Psalm 47:7-9)
To what new fates, my country, far
And unforeseen of foe or friend,
Beneath what unexpected star,
Compelled to what unchosen end,
Across the sea that knows no beach
The Admiral of the Nations guides
Thy blind obedient keels to reach
The harbor where thy future rides!
The guns that spoke at Lexington
Knew not that God was planning then
The trumpet word of Jefferson
To bugle forth the rights of men.
To them that wept and cursed Bull Run,
What was it but despair and shame?
Who saw behind the cloud the sun?
Who knew that God was in the flame?
Had not defeat upon defeat
Disaster on disaster come,
The slave's emancipated feet
Had never marched behind the drum.
There is a Hand that bends our deeds
To mightier issues than we planned;
Each son that triumphs, each that bleeds,
My country, serves Its dark command.
I do not know beneath what sky
Nor on what seas shall be thy fate;
I only know it shall be high,
I only know it shall be great.
"UnManifest Destiny"*
(1898)
From "Along The Trail"
By Richard Hovey
(1864-1900)
American poet
* This poem was written during the Spanish-American War in 1898,
which brought into use the phrase, "Manifest Destiny" referring to
the new world policy of nations.
"Let the little children come to Me and do not hinder them!
For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."
(Matthew 19:14)
52, 250 Christians. This is not an estimate of those murdered for their
faith worldwide this year, but in the African nation of Nigeria alone.
According to a recent report from the American Center for Law
and Justice, 90% of all Christians killed worldwide are in Nigeria.
Believers there live in a constant state of terror, fearing abduction,
torture, and murder by the adherents of radical Islam.
Chief Counsel for the ACLJ Jay Sekulow warns, "Islamic extremists pose an
existential threat to Christians. Defenseless believers have been gunned down
as they worship. Christian pastors have been beheaded or burned alive."
The ACLJ further reports that Boko Haram, the jihadist army
and Nigerian arm of ISIS, has slaughtered innocent Christians
and burned down Christian churches. One survivor stated,
"I saw bodies in the street. Children and women, some
were crying for help."
Some members of these terrorists groups actually pose as
preachers in order to murder Christians and kidnap their children.
Other jihadist groups like the Fulani herdsmen, embolden by the
lack of response from the Nigerian government, are increasing
their barbaric persecution of the Christian population and are
mercilessly slaughtering thousands of men, women, and children.
Also, according to the ACLJ, President Biden astonishingly removed
Nigeria from a vital persecution watchlist in the face of this bloodshed
and the death toll went up. In fact, the ACLJ's FOIA (Freedom of
Information Act) lawsuit uncovered the Biden State Department
willfully ignoring the grim facts to instead protect their political agenda.
Could the reason behind Biden's "punishment" of Nigeria be due to the
fact that this west African nation is a deeply religious country where
many of the people reject homosexuality as an abomination to God,
and who regard the current administration's worldwide
pushing of the LGBTQ+ political agenda as evil?
Joe Biden has sent millions and millions of US tax payer dollars
to fund the war in the Ukraine, a conflict which most Americans,
despite the intense media focus, know very little about.
The genocide in Nigeria has been going on for years and is
only getting worse with each passing day.
It is often hard for me to comprehend such evil being allowed
to flourish in this world, especially the suffering of little children,
due to the greed and selfishness of those wielding a "political agenda".
Nigeria is only one of many nations where believers in Jesus Christ
are persecuted for their faith. In other African nations, and in
parts of the Middle East and Asia, Christians are often regarded
as second class citizens and many face the risk of imprisonment,
torture, and too often, death on a daily basis.
I believe that the most effective weapon that Christians have in
this lost and fallen world is the power of prayer. My most fervent
prayer for Nigeria is that despite the satanic and human darkness
plaguing that nation, God's justice will prevail there. That despite
the intense opposition, the powerful saving message of the Gospel
will continue to move forward- straight into the heart of the enemy.
Psalm 35
A Psalm of David
Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me;
fight against those who fight against me!
Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for my help!
Draw out also the spear and javelin and close up the way
of those who pursue and persecute me.
Say to me, I am your deliverance!
Let them be put to shame and dishonor who seek and require my life:
let them be turned back and confounded who plan my hurt!
Let them be as chaff before the wind,
with the Angel of the Lord driving them on!
Let their way be through dark and slippery places,
with the Angel of the Lord pursuing and afflicting them.
For without cause they hid for me their net;
a pit of destruction, without cause they dug for my life.
Let destruction befall my foe unawares; let the net laid for me
catch him; let him fall into that very destruction.
Then I shall be joyful in the Lord; I shall rejoice in His deliverance.
All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like You,
You Who deliver the poor and afflicted from him
who is too strong for him, yes, the poor and needy,
from him who snatches away his goods?
Malicious and unrighteous witnesses rise up; and they ask
me of things that I know not.
They reward me evil for good to my personal bereavement.
But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth;
I afflicted myself with fasting, and prayed with head bowed on my breast.
I behaved as if grieving for my friend or my brother;
I bowed down in sorrow, as one who bewails his mother.
But in my stumbling and limping they rejoiced and gathered
against me, the smiters-slanderers and revilers- gathered against me,
and I knew them not; they ceased not to slander and revile me.
Like profane mockers at feasts, making sport for the price of cake,
they gnashed at me with their teeth.
Lord, how long will You look on without action? Rescue my life
from their destructions, my dear and only life from the lions!
I will give You thanks in the great assembly;
I will praise You among the mighty throng,
Let not those who are wrongfully my foes rejoice over me;
neither let them wink with the eye who hate me without cause.
For they do not speak peace, but devise deceitful matters
against those who are quiet in the land.
Yes, they open their mouths wide against me; they say,
"Aha! Aha! Our eyes have seen it!"
You have seen this, O Lord; keep not silence!
O Lord, be not far from me!
Arouse Yourself, awake to the justice due me, even to
my cause, my God and my Lord!
Judge and vindicate me, O Lord, my God, according to
Your righteousness and let not my foes rejoice over me!
Let them not say in their hearts, Aha, that is what we wanted!
Let them not say, We have swallowed him up and utterly destroyed him.
Let them be put to shame and confusion together who rejoice at
my calamity! Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who
magnify and exalt themselves over me!
Let those who favor my righteous cause and have pleasure in
my uprightness shout for joy and be glad and continually say,
Let the Lord be magnified, Who takes pleasure in the
prosperity of His servant.
And my tongue shall talk of Your righteousness, rightness,
and justice, and of my reasons for Your praise all day long.
Amen.
Maranatha!
In this episode of The Watchman Newscast, host Erick Stakelbeck brings
us an update on the growing diplomatic madness against Israel and
the call for an international boycott against the biblical heartland
of Judea and Samaria, and of course, Jerusalem.
Also, Bibi goes to Beijing...what message does this send
to the Biden Administration?
"So let us seize and hold fast and retain without wavering
the hope we cherish and confess our acknowledgement of it,
for He Who promised is reliable and faithful to His Word."
(Hebrews 10:23)
"You cannot perhaps hinder the suggestion of doubt from coming to you
any more than you can hinder someone in the street swearing as you go by;
consequently you are not sinning in the one case any more than in the other.
Just as you can refuse to listen to them or join in their oaths, so can you
also refuse to listen to the doubts and join in with them. They are not
your doubts until you consent to them and adopt them as true.
When they come you must at once turn from them.
Give up your liberty to doubt forever. Put your will in this matter
over on the Lord's side and trust Him to keep you from falling.
Tell Him all about your weakness and your long-encouraged
habits of doubt and how helpless you are before them.
Then commit the whole battle to Him.
Tell Him you will not doubt again, putting forth all your will
power on His side and against His enemy and yours.
Then, "keep your eyes on Jesus" (Hebrews 12:2),
looking away from yourself and away from your doubts,
holding fast the profession of your faith without wavering,
because, "He who promised is faithful."
Rely on His faithfulness, not on your own.
You have committed the keeping of your soul to Him as the faithful Creator,
and you must never again admit the possibility of His being unfaithful.
Cultivate a continuous habit of believing, and sooner or later all of
your doubts will vanish in the glory of the absolute faithfulness of God."
In 1870, Hannah Whitall Smith wrote the book, "The Christian's Secret Of A Happy Life"
which has since become a classic in Christian literature. In her book, Hannah declares
that the only way for a believer to experience true joy and happiness in their life
is through total abandonment to God. In the chapter entitled, "The Joy of Obedience"
Hannah wrote: "Joy comes through obedience to Christ and joy results from
obedience to Christ. Without obedience, joy is hollow and artificial."
In this classic presentation from 1987, Messianic Bible teacher
Zola Levitt (1938-2006) the founder of Zola Levitt Ministries,
explains how a restored nation of Israel is the key to
understanding End Times prophecy.
"Who shall ever separate us from Christ's love? Shall suffering and
affliction and tribulation? Or calamity and distress? Or persecution or
hunger or destitution or peril or sword? Even as it is written, For Thy
sake we are put to death all the day long; we are regarded and counted
as sheep for the slaughter. Yet, amid all these things we are more than
conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.
(Romans 8:35-37)
Is it truly the last Sunday in June?
Today is very special to me as it would have been
my parents' 63rd wedding anniversary. While I
am not certain my Dad and Mom actually met
on a Sunday in the summertime, no one sings
better about love and romance year round
than the incomparable Nat "King" Cole.
"Give to the Lord the glory due His name;
bring an offering and come before Him into His courts.
O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness;
tremble before and reverently fear Him, all earth.'
(Psalm 96:8-9)
"Call the Sabbath Day delight, the holy of the Lord."
(Isaiah 58:13)
What A friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry
Everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer.
Have we trials and temptations?
Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged:
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
Can we find a friend so faithful,
Who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows are every weakness-
Take it to the Lord in prayer.
Are we weak and heavy laden,
Is there trouble anywhere?
Precious Savior, still our Refuge-
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
Do thy friends despise, forsake thee?
Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He'll take and shield thee,
Thou wilt find a solace there.
Amen.
"What A Friend We Have In Jesus"
(1855)
Joseph Medlicott Scriven
(1819-1886)
Irish-Canadian poet
and hymn writer
In this new and exciting three part series on the Dead Sea Scrolls,
Zola Levitt presents English author Michael Baigent, who lectures
in Qumran about the Scrolls. Dr. James Tabor discusses the various
approaches to excavation and how they pertain to the Scrolls, and
Dr. Robert Eisenman, professor of Middle Eastern Religions at
California State University at Long Beach discusses
the fascinating history of the Scrolls.
Many a June bride and groom has danced to this catchy
little wedding tune which was at the top of the record
charts in America this third week of June in 1964.
"Keep and guard me as a pupil of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings."
(Psalm 17:8)
All night the crickets chirp,
Like little stars of twinkling sound
In the dark silence.
They sparkle through the summer stillness
With a crisp rhythm:
They lift the shadows on their tiny voices.
But at the shining note of birds that wake,
Flashing from tree to tree till all the wood is lit-
O golden coloratura of dawn!
The cricket-stars fade slowly,
One by one.
"Crickets At Dawn"
Leonora Speyer
(1872-1956)
American poet
Is anger actually a mask for fear?
Joshua and Caleb explain how the key to
dealing with unrighteous anger is love.
An insightful teaching from Rabbi Zev Porat in Israel.
PSALM 92
Although this song is for the Sabbath Day
I think the theme applies for every day of our lives.
It is a good and delightful thing to give thanks to the Lord, to sing
praises with musical accompaniment, to Your name, O Most High.
To show forth Your loving-kindness in the morning
and Your faithfulness by night.
With an instrument of ten strings and with the lute,
with a solemn sound upon the lyre.
For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your works;
at the deeds of Your hands I joyfully sing.
How great are Your doings, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep.
A man in his rude and uncultivated state knows not,
neither does a self-confident fool understand this:
That though the wicked spring up like grass and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to be destroyed forever.
But You, Lord, are on high forever.
For behold, Your adversaries, O Lord, for behold, Your enemies
shall perish; all the evildoers shall be scattered.
But my horn, emblem of excessive strength and grace, You have
exalted like that of a wild ox; I am anointed with fresh oil.
My eye looks upon those who lie in wait for me; my ears hear
the evildoers that rise up against me.
The uncompromisingly righteous shall flourish like the palm tree,
be long-lived, stately, upright, useful, and fruitful; they shall grow
like a cedar in Lebanon, majestic, stable, durable, and incorruptible.
Planted in the house of the Lord, they shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Growing in grace, they shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be full
of sap, of spiritual vitality and rich in the verdure of trust, love, and contentment.
They are living memorials to show that the Lord is upright and faithful
to His promises; He is my Rock and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
"Therefore then, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
who have borne testimony to the Truth, let us strip off and throw aside
every encumbrance, and that sin, which so readily clings to and entangles
us, and let us run with patient endurance and steady and active persistence
that appointed course of the race that is set before us.
Looking away from all that will distract to Jesus, Who is the Leader and
the Source of our faith, giving the first incentive for our belief, and is also
the Finisher, bringing it to maturity and perfection. He, for the joy of obtaining
the prize that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring
the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and
bitter hostility against Himself, reckon up and consider it all, in comparison
with your trials, so that you may not grow weary or exhausted,
losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.
Let your character or moral disposition be free from love of money,
including greed, avarice, lust, and craving for earthly possessions
and be satisfied with your present circumstances and with what
you have; for God Himself has said, "I will not in any way fail
you, nor give you up nor leave you without support.
I will not in any degree leave you helpless or forsake
nor let you down, nor relax My hold on you. Assuredly not!
Jesus Christ the Messiah is always the same, yesterday,
today, and forever, to the ages."
(Hebrews 12:1-3, Hebrews 13: 5,8)
"But those who wait for the Lord and hope in Him shall renew their strength
and power; they shall lift up their wings and mount up close to God as eagles
mount up to the sun; they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."
(Isaiah 40:31)
Live all thy sweet life through.
Sweet Rose, dew-sprent,
Drop down thine evening dew
To gather it anew
When day is bright:
I fancy thou wast meant
Chiefly to give delight.
Sing in the silent sky,
Glad soaring bird;
Sing out thy notes on high
To sunbeam straying by
Or passing cloud;
Heedless if thou art heard
Sing thy full song aloud.
Oh that it were with me
As with the flower;
Blooming on its own tree
For butterfly and bee
Its summer morns:
That I might bloom mine hour
A rose in spite of thorns.
Oh that my work were done
As birds' that soar
Rejoicing in the sun:
That when my time is run
And daylight too,
I so might rest once more
Cool with refreshing dew.
A Summer Wish
Christina Georgina Rossetti
(1830-1894)
English Christian poetess
Although Enoch is mentioned in the Bible and was taken
up to heaven by God without experiencing physical death,
what is the mystery surrounding the Book of Enoch?
Should it be considered a reliable source of information?
What the word, "repentance" really means!
"Woe (judgment is coming) to those who call evil good, and good, evil;
Who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness,
Who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."
(Isaiah 5:20)
Beloved Messianic Bible teacher Zola Levitt, founder of Zola Levitt Ministries
continues his fascinating series on the mysterious Dead Sea Scrolls, with
commentary from Dr. James Tabor of the University of North Carolina.
"You are my portion, O Lord; I have promised to keep Your words.
I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; be merciful and gracious
to me according to Your promise."
(Psalm 119:57-58)
My father was definitely one of those "tough little boys".
He was a complex man but a good and loving father and husband.
Thinking of and missing you today, Daddy!
"My son, hear the instruction of your father;
reject not nor forsake the teaching of your mother.
For they are a victor's chaplet, garland of grace
upon your head and chains and pendants of
gold worn for kings around your neck."
(Proverbs 1:8-9)
O Lord, I humbly come to You
With this my earnest plea:
Lord, help me to become the man
That You would have me to be.
Purge me from sin, cleanse me within;
And fill my life with You, O Lord,
Your love and pow'r to know.
Help me each day, along life's way,
To keep You first in all I do,
And by Your grace to grow.
O God my Father, full of love,
Your grace abounds in me.
Lord, through my life may You alone
Be all my children see.
Purge us from sin, cleanse us within;
And fill our lives with You, O Lord,
Your love and pow'r to know.
Help us each day, along life's way,
To keep You first in all we do,
And by Your grace, to grow.
And Lord, when all our days are done,
When life on earth is through,
When then will know life's greatest joy:
Eternal life with You.
There we shall sing, loud anthems ring;
As we gather 'round Your throne,
We'll praise our Lord and King:
"Thanks be to God! Praise Him alone!"
But until then, O Lord, we pray,
To You the lost we'll bring.
"A Father's Prayer"
(1992)
Scott Werdebaugh
(1951-)
American hymn writer
The 1980's saw the decline of the disco fever of the previous decade
and the emergence of electronic dance music and the New Wave sound.
But in 1983, American singer Linda Ronstadt's beautiful voice paired
with the legendary Nelson Riddle Orchestra dominated the nation's
air waves with the release of her album, "What's New".
Featuring nine classic songs of the pre-Swing and Swing era,
which Linda called, "little jewels of artistic expression"
proves that great music never goes out of style.
Please pray for the ministry outreach of dear brother in the Lord
Rabbi Zev Porat as he boldly witnesses the good news of the Gospel
to his fellow Jews in Israel.
In this episode of "Today's Wild West" host Mark Bedor
presents a fascinating look at the beautiful bead work
of award-winning Native American artist Birdie Real Bird.
Beloved Bible teacher and the founder of Zola Levitt Ministries,
Zola Levitt (1938-2006) conducts an interview with Professor James Tabor
of the University of North Carolina to discuss "the slain Messiah" text
found within the Dead Sea Scrolls. This program originally aired
in 1993 so some of the material discussed is dated to that time.
