The Jewish roots of Christianity

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Bible teaching with an emphasis on Israel, prophecy and the Jewish roots of Christianity

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Episode: “The Incarnation”
Perhaps the most magnificent of all the miracles in the Bible was the birth of the Messiah, the prophesied, yet unexpected Child, the Prince of Peace. Jeff teaches us from Manger Square, Shepherd’s Field, and the Shepherd’s cave near Bethlehem.
Series: “The God of Miracles”
We can’t go far in the Bible without encountering a miracle. When the universe was created, the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters (Genesis 1:2). When all seemed hopeless, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day (Matthew 28:6). In this nine-part series, we show our miraculous God at work from Genesis to Revelation, with teachings from the Holy Land by Dr. Jeffrey Seif. We also hear testimonials from those who have experienced the Lord’s supernatural hand in their own lives.

Caption transcript for The God of Miracles: “The Incarnation” (5/9)

  • 00:01 David Hart: Today we continue our series "The God of Miracles," with the biggest one of all. You think you know
  • 00:07 which one it is? Find out next on "Our Jewish Roots" with Bible teaching
  • 00:10 from Israel with Dr. Jeffrey Seif.
  • 00:13 ♪♪♪
  • 00:18 male announcer: To believe in the Bible
  • 00:19 is to believe in miracles.
  • 00:22 From Genesis to Revelation, the impossible became possible.
  • 00:26 As God's hand moved across space and time, land and seas were
  • 00:31 created, graves opened, water turned to wine, the sick and
  • 00:37 lame healed, the land of Israel completely restored.
  • 00:43 Past, present, and future, he's the Alpha and Omega.
  • 00:47 He is the God of miracles.
  • 00:51 ♪♪♪
  • 00:57 David: We're so glad you've joined us today.
  • 00:58 I am David Hart.
  • 00:59 Kirsten Hart: I'm Kirsten Hart.
  • 01:01 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Jeffrey Seif.
  • 01:02 David: Well, there's so many places that we take
  • 01:03 you both on tours and on our programs.
  • 01:06 I've gotta say that today's program was
  • 01:08 life-changing for me, Dr. Seif.
  • 01:10 Where you stood and taught at Bethlehem
  • 01:13 and Shepherds' Field-- life-changing for us, yes?
  • 01:16 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Why?
  • 01:18 David: I mean, we sing about it
  • 01:19 at Christmastime where Yeshua was born.
  • 01:22 Come on, that's probably--
  • 01:23 Kirsten: And stand there, yeah.
  • 01:24 David: The biggest miracle of all, wouldn't you say?
  • 01:26 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Yes, I would.
  • 01:27 I just wanted to hear what it was that tapped
  • 01:30 into your heart, and, certainly, you know,
  • 01:32 people debate about when Jesus was born.
  • 01:34 The Bible says he was born, and to take some time to reconstruct
  • 01:38 that and invite people to revisit the story is a good
  • 01:41 thing, but to your point, to go to Israel and do it, hey, it
  • 01:45 doesn't get any better than that.
  • 01:46 Kirsten: Right, that had never happened before.
  • 01:48 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Yeah.
  • 01:49 Kirsten: And, I mean, many miracles in the Bible,
  • 01:51 obviously, it never happened, but this was the big one, the
  • 01:54 Messiah being born of a virgin, and that's what
  • 01:57 you're teaching on in this next segment.
  • 01:59 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Yes, and his arrival, the
  • 02:01 implications for humankind are profound.
  • 02:05 His birth is a miracle, and what he can
  • 02:07 do in our lives is miraculous.
  • 02:10 David: Right now, we take you to that wonderful spot,
  • 02:12 Bethlehem, for Dr. Seif's teaching.
  • 02:15 Let's go there now.
  • 02:16 ♪♪♪
  • 02:25 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: For good reasons, this is one of the most
  • 02:28 famous pilgrim spots in the world.
  • 02:32 For over a millennia and a half, people have been visiting here,
  • 02:37 and you're gonna see people in the background, no doubt, as
  • 02:40 they are making their way into the church that marks the spot
  • 02:45 inside where Jesus Christ was born and, with that,
  • 02:51 arguably, the greatest miracle in history.
  • 02:56 It's hard to say "greatest," of course.
  • 02:57 His resurrection from the dead is quite significant in
  • 03:01 and of itself, but certainly, his birth, and
  • 03:04 with his birth came hope for the world.
  • 03:08 The story is told here in the Matthean gospel.
  • 03:11 Actually, I'll read it from the English, but Matthew, of all the
  • 03:14 gospels, was known to have had a Semitic original.
  • 03:19 Starts off, "[speaking in Hebrew]."
  • 03:23 Translates, "The book of the genealogy of Jesus, the Christ,
  • 03:27 the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham."
  • 03:31 Inarguably, he was born here in Bethlehem.
  • 03:37 The story is told here in the Matthean
  • 03:41 gospel, chapter 2, verse 1.
  • 03:43 We're told "Jesus was born in Bethlehem of
  • 03:48 Judea," and it was a miracle birth.
  • 03:51 The author here, in verse 6, goes on to quote a text in Micah
  • 03:55 that predicted that the Savior would come from Bethlehem.
  • 04:00 We're told that individuals alighted upon that.
  • 04:03 A few, in particular, make their way to Bethlehem bearing
  • 04:07 gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
  • 04:10 It never says there were three wise men.
  • 04:13 It just says wise men came.
  • 04:14 The reason why we say three is because there
  • 04:16 are three commodities that are noted.
  • 04:19 These are valuables, gold, of course, frankincense,
  • 04:22 and myrrh, very small, very valuable.
  • 04:25 These commodities were presented to Jesus, and the family would
  • 04:28 need the money, by the way, because in short order,
  • 04:31 a decree from the king, Herod, who's not
  • 04:34 kindly disposed is going to beckon them.
  • 04:37 An angel will beckon them to take leave, to go to Egypt, and,
  • 04:40 of course, they'll be supported, among other things,
  • 04:43 by the revenue associated with that.
  • 04:46 It's a wonderful story, and it's a story about hope
  • 04:50 that made its way into the world through the person
  • 04:53 of Israel's Messiah who came into the world.
  • 04:56 He came into the world miraculously,
  • 04:59 and he came into the world here.
  • 05:04 People frequent the site, to visit the miracle.
  • 05:06 I wish they remembered miracle when they left it because the
  • 05:09 same God who brought a miracle with bringing Jesus into the
  • 05:13 world similarly does miracles with his being in the world.
  • 05:18 Certainly, it's noted in biblical literature.
  • 05:20 You can't be a believer in the Bible without just stumbling
  • 05:24 into miracles every time you turn the page.
  • 05:26 I mean, that's true in the Old Testament.
  • 05:27 It's very manifest in the new as well.
  • 05:30 And it's not just that miracles belong in the pages.
  • 05:32 They belong through the ages, and miracle things have been
  • 05:36 happening ever since Jesus made his way out of his mother's womb
  • 05:41 and as he made his way into the hearts of people, like me and
  • 05:45 you, and I hope he's done that for you, by the way,
  • 05:48 because miracles can happen for you.
  • 05:51 If you look at the story of a virgin
  • 05:53 birth, who can explain it, really?
  • 05:55 It defies the laws of nature, but that's what God does.
  • 05:59 A miracle is defined as a suspension of a law of nature,
  • 06:02 and God does that because he's greater than nature, that God is
  • 06:05 greater than nature, is greater than your circumstances.
  • 06:08 He's greater than your problems, and he brings solutions to those
  • 06:12 problems, and he brought the solution to the world's problems
  • 06:15 here at a place called Bethlehem.
  • 06:19 ♪♪♪
  • 06:29 ♪♪♪
  • 06:32 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Harking back to the Matthew text,
  • 06:34 therein, he's on record citing Micah, who had
  • 06:38 predicted, in the 5th chapter, that the Messiah
  • 06:41 would be a shepherd for all people.
  • 06:44 It's interesting, by the way, that the first of the people to
  • 06:48 acknowledge him were shepherds, and I'm coming to
  • 06:51 you from a place right now where those shepherds
  • 06:54 were located, the Shepherds' Fields.
  • 06:57 Here we are in Bethlehem, Israel.
  • 07:00 Well, here I am, but I'm taking you there.
  • 07:03 The hills behind me don't look like they support sheep,
  • 07:05 but it's rather warm right now.
  • 07:07 The grass comes later, and the grazing follows in short order,
  • 07:10 but here we are to graze on the biblical text.
  • 07:13 In Luke chapter 2, the author gives voice to the fact there
  • 07:16 were shepherds living out on the fields.
  • 07:19 The fact that they were out in the fields at the
  • 07:21 time argues against a December Christmas, by
  • 07:26 the way, but that's an aside here.
  • 07:28 We're told in verse 9, "Suddenly an angel
  • 07:31 of the Lord stood before them."
  • 07:34 And here again, we're looking at a miraculous, not just the
  • 07:36 miraculous birth of Jesus, but there's miraculous associated
  • 07:41 with it, angelic visitation with words to speak
  • 07:45 about things to come, prophetic words.
  • 07:48 It's fascinating.
  • 07:49 And the word that's fascinating, among other
  • 07:51 things, he says of the Messiah, in verse 10, that
  • 07:55 he will bring great joy to all people.
  • 08:01 There's a kind of universalism in the message.
  • 08:03 It's not just to Jewish people.
  • 08:05 Jewish people are waiting for a Messiah.
  • 08:08 That didn't exist beyond a Hebrew culture, but God exists
  • 08:13 beyond Jewish culture and Hebrew culture, beyond all things, and
  • 08:17 his purpose was for the restoration of all things.
  • 08:21 And so, you know, there's a starburst of energy.
  • 08:24 There's appearances in the heaven.
  • 08:26 In verse 14, you have the angelic choir that's mentioned
  • 08:31 just before, saying, "Glory to God in the highest,
  • 08:35 and on earth shalom to men of good will."
  • 08:38 Now, note, "to men on earth, shalom, peace," in other words,
  • 08:44 not just men of Judea, not just men of Bethlehem.
  • 08:48 That's all peoples, all nations, all tongues, all tribes.
  • 08:53 In fact, the point there is even noted elsewhere as we make our
  • 08:59 way through the text in the second chapter.
  • 09:02 We're pivoting from the shepherds now, and this fellow,
  • 09:06 Simeon, who has a prophetic unction--
  • 09:09 we can speak about spiritual gifts.
  • 09:11 We can talk about proddings of God, to give voice
  • 09:15 to the things of God, and there he is.
  • 09:17 We're told in verse 25 that "the Ruach ha-Kodesh
  • 09:23 was upon him," the Holy Spirit.
  • 09:25 "And it was revealed to him," it says, "by the Ruach ha-Kodesh
  • 09:28 that he would see the Anointed One," the Mashiach.
  • 09:32 And we're told that he gives a prophetic word in verse 32
  • 09:37 that this Messiah of the Jews wasn't just for the Jews.
  • 09:42 He's for you, as I mentioned that, because he's described
  • 09:45 with a starburst of prophecy, and, again, to speak of
  • 09:49 prophecy, we're speaking of miracle.
  • 09:52 We're speaking of supernatural.
  • 09:54 And it says of him that he's gonna be
  • 09:56 "'A light for revelation to the nations' and
  • 10:00 the glory of Your people Israel."
  • 10:04 You see that "first in Israel" reminds me of the Acts text
  • 10:08 beginning in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria
  • 10:12 and going out throughout the world.
  • 10:15 The plan all along was that to use the language of the text, "A
  • 10:20 light for revelation to the nations, to the people."
  • 10:25 And I sure hope that light has shined on you.
  • 10:30 There was a starburst of light in the heavens, some shepherds
  • 10:34 saw it here some 2,000 years ago, and
  • 10:38 this really is an "X marks the spot."
  • 10:40 We're in Bethlehem.
  • 10:42 We're by the shepherds' fields here.
  • 10:45 I hope that same light that appeared to them,
  • 10:47 in some sense, has also appeared to you.
  • 10:51 ♪♪♪
  • 11:00 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: You ever heard of the Holiday Inn?
  • 11:03 Well, this is the Holy Day Inn, heh-heh.
  • 11:06 It's the hotel where the shepherds stayed.
  • 11:09 "What shepherds are you talking about, Jeffrey?"
  • 11:11 I'm coming to you from Bethlehem, Israel.
  • 11:13 What other shepherds would I be talking about?
  • 11:16 The shepherds who had sheep, and they had a marvelous visitation.
  • 11:24 I mentioned that a moment ago in the previous segment.
  • 11:27 What I wanna do here is come from a cave, shepherds' cave,
  • 11:33 that, for obvious reasons, was transformed into a chapel.
  • 11:37 People to visit the site wanna come and have some
  • 11:41 devotional reflection, and that's what I
  • 11:44 wanna do in this segment, by the way.
  • 11:46 Oftentimes, the way that I minister is I will speak about
  • 11:52 the history and the background and all of that,
  • 11:55 but if you'll permit for three minutes, I wanna be
  • 11:57 a bit more pastoral than historical.
  • 12:01 Now, there's novelty associated with taking you vis-a-vis the
  • 12:05 miracle that is television to Holy Land sites, but I wanna
  • 12:09 take you to a text in the scripture I've mentioned
  • 12:11 earlier, but I wanna unpack it because there's something in
  • 12:14 here that is in very high demand but in very short supply, and
  • 12:20 that is the angelic choir that's noted in the Lukan text
  • 12:27 in announcing Jesus says, "Glory to God in the highest, and on
  • 12:33 earth peace to men of good will."
  • 12:39 Now, peace that comes to men of good will.
  • 12:44 To those that are not of good will, whatever their pangs of
  • 12:46 conscience are, they have it coming.
  • 12:48 But I wanna talk to you about peace.
  • 12:51 It's that which is in very high demand and very short supply.
  • 12:55 Jesus came to bring peace.
  • 12:59 The reason why we bring you to these Holy Land sites is in the
  • 13:07 hopes of bringing the hero of the site into your living room,
  • 13:11 not just your living room but into your own heart that lives
  • 13:15 in that room that you call a living room.
  • 13:18 Lot of people live in living rooms, but
  • 13:20 they're dying in their living rooms.
  • 13:21 Why is that? Because they don't have peace.
  • 13:26 In the gospel of John, Yeshua said, "Shalom."
  • 13:29 He said, "Peace I give unto you."
  • 13:33 And I hope that, as a result of your exploring the supernatural
  • 13:37 with us, miracle with us as we're looking
  • 13:40 at it in the biblical text in this series,
  • 13:43 I want you to know there's miracles.
  • 13:46 I want you to know there's biblical
  • 13:48 medicine for life's assorted hurts.
  • 13:51 I want you to know there's help from heaven,
  • 13:54 and that's the principal point in this program on miracles.
  • 13:59 ♪♪♪
  • 14:06 Kirsten: The prophesied yet very unexpected Prince of Peace
  • 14:11 was born, and we say, peace, but that's shalom in Hebrew.
  • 14:16 It's more than just peace, isn't it?
  • 14:17 That's a deep word that we really don't have in English.
  • 14:21 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Well, shalom for Jews is hello
  • 14:23 and goodbye, but the word peace is
  • 14:26 associated with the Word, and, you know, peace
  • 14:29 is in such high demand and short supply.
  • 14:32 Isn't it great the Lord came to give peace?
  • 14:34 People need peace.
  • 14:35 They need a piece of peace in their life.
  • 14:37 Kirsten: That's good. It's true.
  • 14:39 We need peace, and I love how you were in the Shepherds'
  • 14:43 Field, and we go there on tour every time that we go.
  • 14:47 It's such a beautiful, peaceful spot in the middle of a city.
  • 14:51 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Yes.
  • 14:52 Kirsten: And that, I mean, it was a busy
  • 14:53 city even when he was born.
  • 14:55 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: And the city Bethlehem is in the
  • 14:57 middle of an area that really needs peace.
  • 14:59 Kirsten: Mm-hmm.
  • 15:00 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: You know, it's, like I say,
  • 15:02 it's in such short supply.
  • 15:05 You know, it's in such high demand,
  • 15:06 but the Lord delivers it.
  • 15:07 That's why he came.
  • 15:09 Kirsten: And-- David: But it's--
  • 15:10 Kirsten: Go ahead, yeah.
  • 15:11 David: I was just gonna say, it's also preserved right there,
  • 15:13 so when you--when we go there and sing these songs about our
  • 15:15 Prince of Peace, it's like we were there 2,000 years ago.
  • 15:18 I just picture that miracle time when God spoke.
  • 15:22 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: You know, and people wanna go to Israel
  • 15:24 today, but they're afraid to go there.
  • 15:26 They're afraid they're gonna be upended, and in
  • 15:28 particular to go to Bethlehem because it's
  • 15:30 part of the Palestinian Authority there.
  • 15:33 People are afraid that "If I go, I'm gonna get hurt."
  • 15:36 But actually, everyone there, the Palestinian Authority and
  • 15:39 the Israeli authorities, everybody wants to keep it safe
  • 15:42 for pilgrims to go to the Holy Land in general and Bethlehem
  • 15:46 in particular, because so much of the economy
  • 15:49 there is based on tourist traffic.
  • 15:51 It's a great place to visit.
  • 15:52 Kirsten: It is, and, like, you just said, there's something
  • 15:56 special about that Shepherds' Field where you were, and we get
  • 16:00 to go in there as a group when we bring tours, and we sing
  • 16:04 "Silent Night," and you like to sing "Angels--"
  • 16:07 or, no, "Go Tell It On the Mountain."
  • 16:08 David: Yes.
  • 16:10 Kirsten: But tell the world about this peace, and that's
  • 16:12 what we're trying to do through our program.
  • 16:14 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Yes, sometimes, within the Messianic
  • 16:16 Jewish world, some people that love things
  • 16:19 Jewish are down on things Christmas.
  • 16:23 But Messianic Jews don't disparage Christmas on the
  • 16:25 whole, while there's some question about December 25, and
  • 16:29 I'm not altogether convinced, nevertheless, just to celebrate
  • 16:34 that his arrival onto the stage of the human drama,
  • 16:37 it's beautiful, and we support it.
  • 16:40 Kirsten: One of the most amazing miracles
  • 16:42 in the Bible, and thank you for teaching us
  • 16:44 from a beautiful spot as well.
  • 16:46 David: More to come about our Prince of Peace.
  • 16:48 We'll be right back.
  • 16:51 David: Our resource this week, the series
  • 16:53 "The God of Miracles," on DVD.
  • 16:55 In this nine-part series, we show our miraculous God at work,
  • 16:59 from Genesis to Revelation, with teaching from
  • 17:02 the Holy Land by Dr. Jeffrey Seif.
  • 17:05 We also hear testimonials from those who have experienced the
  • 17:08 Lord's supernatural hand in their own lives.
  • 17:11 Contact us and ask for "The God of Miracles" series on DVD.
  • 17:16 Remember to connect with us on social media
  • 17:19 for so much extra content.
  • 17:21 Find us at Our Jewish Roots.
  • 17:24 David: We do hope that you're receiving the "Levitt Letter."
  • 17:27 It's full of insightful information.
  • 17:29 It's free, and I've just gotta say one thing to that.
  • 17:33 I'm kind of proud of Kirsten over here.
  • 17:34 She's part of writing monthly for the "Levitt Letter."
  • 17:38 It's great.
  • 17:39 Kirsten: Thank you.
  • 17:41 I enjoy it, part of my job, should I say, under
  • 17:44 the umbrella of our whole ministry.
  • 17:46 Also, I get to edit every periodical monthly, and it's an
  • 17:50 honor to bring you the "Levitt Letter" and the personal letter.
  • 17:54 It's also an honor to hear stories of what people have
  • 17:58 walked through, and our own Caleb Colson from the "Bearded
  • 18:03 Bible Brothers" had the opportunity to chat with a woman
  • 18:07 that has walked through infertility.
  • 18:10 Here's her story now.
  • 18:13 Caleb Colson: Hello, Brittni, long time no see.
  • 18:15 Brittni Greenberg: Yeah, happy to be back.
  • 18:16 Caleb: You are no stranger to the ministry,
  • 18:19 Zola Levitt Ministries.
  • 18:20 You were around--was it, like, a decade ago?
  • 18:23 Brittni: Yeah.
  • 18:24 Caleb: How were you involved with us?
  • 18:25 Brittni: I was a social media marketer for a few years.
  • 18:27 Caleb: That's right, and you helped us
  • 18:29 get started on social media.
  • 18:30 Brittni: I did.
  • 18:32 So I took over the Facebook page and all our social media when
  • 18:34 they had about 500 likes, and in the span of 2 years,
  • 18:39 we grew it to over 100,000 likes.
  • 18:41 So it was probably the most fun I
  • 18:44 ever had on social media, honestly.
  • 18:46 Caleb: You got paid for having fun.
  • 18:47 Brittni: I did, I did.
  • 18:48 Caleb: Jobs shouldn't be like that, I hear.
  • 18:50 Brittni: Yeah.
  • 18:51 Caleb: Amazing--you have an amazing testimony
  • 18:52 that you're here to tell me today.
  • 18:54 Brittni: Yeah.
  • 18:55 Caleb: And I just wanna jump into it because doctors give bad
  • 18:58 reports all the time, but God's report supersedes
  • 19:01 the bad reports and the doctors.
  • 19:02 Yes. What happened?
  • 19:04 Brittni: By the time I was 12 years old, I had went to the
  • 19:07 doctor, and they told me that I have this condition that's
  • 19:11 pretty--it's pretty common in women but to never expect to
  • 19:15 have children, and every doctor I've seen after
  • 19:18 that up until, you know, in my late 20s,
  • 19:22 they all told me never expect to have children.
  • 19:25 Make other plans.
  • 19:26 Caleb: You don't have to tell me what the condition is.
  • 19:27 Do you want to--just for the women.
  • 19:29 Brittni: It's called PCOS, polycystic ovarian syndrome.
  • 19:31 Caleb: Okay, my wife probably knows what it is.
  • 19:32 She's a nurse.
  • 19:33 She works with high-risk pregnancies and stuff like that,
  • 19:36 but, yeah, never tell a woman she can't do
  • 19:38 something or she can't have something.
  • 19:39 That's tough.
  • 19:41 Brittni: Yeah, yeah, that was really tough.
  • 19:42 Caleb: And that either breaks your heart or makes
  • 19:43 you more determined to get what you want.
  • 19:45 Brittni: Absolutely.
  • 19:46 I had decided to really just invest my entire life
  • 19:49 in, you know, in my career, in ministry.
  • 19:51 You know, if I can't have my own family,
  • 19:53 I'm going to serve God no matter what.
  • 19:56 To any capacity that he wants me to do, I'm here to do it.
  • 20:00 And so I came to Bible college, and my first semester, I had a
  • 20:04 dream that I was standing in the kitchen, and I was looking--so
  • 20:10 there was a man cooking breakfast, you know, and I
  • 20:13 knew--in the dream, I didn't know who this person was, but I
  • 20:16 knew in the dream that this is, you know, a future husband.
  • 20:19 And so I knew that I was going to get married
  • 20:21 again, so he was, you know, cooking eggs.
  • 20:24 I could only see the back of his head, and sitting at the bar,
  • 20:27 like, the island, rather, sitting at the island were two
  • 20:30 little children, and they were eating their breakfast, and I
  • 20:32 could just see the backs of their heads, and just that image
  • 20:37 forever just, you know, stuck in my mind, and I know that God
  • 20:41 said, "Brittni, you're going to have a
  • 20:43 family, and these are your children."
  • 20:45 And so I was like--
  • 20:47 Caleb: Not a lot of people get that kind of vision or
  • 20:48 dream, that foreknowing of something.
  • 20:50 That's a big thing.
  • 20:51 Brittni: Yeah, and so it just--I mean, that was a promise
  • 20:54 from God that I held onto for years and--but, you know, going
  • 20:58 through Bible college, I just kept saying, you know,
  • 21:01 "I don't know what this looks like."
  • 21:03 You know, these could be adopted children.
  • 21:04 These could be foster children.
  • 21:06 Like, whatever children God gives me,
  • 21:08 they're going to be mine, you know?
  • 21:10 And so, you know, I continue on in ministry.
  • 21:13 You know, I devote myself to God's calling,
  • 21:16 and I'll do whatever he wants me to do.
  • 21:19 And so, you know, couple years later, I graduate from Bible
  • 21:22 college, and, you know, I meet a nice Jewish boy.
  • 21:25 Caleb: And you told him, "Hey, turn around so
  • 21:26 I look at the back of your head.
  • 21:27 "Was that the same guy I saw in my dream?
  • 21:29 Yes, he was."
  • 21:31 I get you, I get you.
  • 21:32 Brittni: So, you know, we end up getting married.
  • 21:35 His name is Joseph.
  • 21:36 And a few years later, we are, you know, going to synagogue.
  • 21:40 His dad was a rabbi, so we were going to synagogue, and there
  • 21:44 was an elder there who's a nutritionist, and so we were
  • 21:47 talking to the elder, and I told him, you know, "I have PCOS.
  • 21:51 I was told I could never have children, and, you know, that's
  • 21:53 not just something I really ever counted on."
  • 21:57 And so he said--he looked me right in the face, and he said,
  • 21:59 "Brittni, you know that's not true.
  • 22:02 We serve a God who is so much bigger
  • 22:05 than that doctor's diagnosis."
  • 22:07 He's like, "You have no idea what's going to happen.
  • 22:10 You have no idea what God has in store for you,
  • 22:12 but you have to believe and choose life, that God
  • 22:15 has a plan and a purpose for you."
  • 22:18 And so I went into his office the next day, and, you know, we
  • 22:22 started on, you know, kind of, like, a holistic regimen because
  • 22:25 he was very well acquainted with PCOS.
  • 22:27 Caleb: Well, that's a blessing right there.
  • 22:28 He knew what to do.
  • 22:30 Brittni: Yeah, yeah, it was just God who was aligning
  • 22:31 people, you know, in my paths to come along and help me in ways
  • 22:36 that I need--didn't know I needed.
  • 22:38 And so, you know, I'm on this regimen at least, you know, a
  • 22:41 year, and I'm still thinking, "I'm probably
  • 22:44 not gonna get pregnant," you know?
  • 22:45 'Cause there's--it's a very emotional thing for women.
  • 22:48 Caleb: Oh, I understand.
  • 22:49 Brittni: That's what we were created to do.
  • 22:51 Caleb: That's right.
  • 22:52 Brittni: And so I just kept it in the
  • 22:53 back of my mind like, "You know what?
  • 22:55 This probably isn't gonna happen, but I trust you, God."
  • 22:56 And so, you know, six months later, I woke
  • 22:59 up sick one morning, and I took a pregnancy test,
  • 23:03 and sure enough, it was positive.
  • 23:04 And I was shocked, you know?
  • 23:08 This is just not a moment I ever thought I was going to have.
  • 23:11 I had a wonderful birth.
  • 23:13 I had a beautiful, healthy baby girl and--
  • 23:16 Caleb: Thank you, Jesus.
  • 23:17 Brittni: And, you know, God was just--God's hand was on us
  • 23:20 every step of the way, and I have this wonderful husband, and
  • 23:23 I had a beautiful baby girl, and I'm, like,
  • 23:26 I'm sitting here, going, "Oh, my goodness."
  • 23:28 Like, I had no idea this is what my
  • 23:29 life was gonna turn out to be.
  • 23:31 And a year later, you know, I'm still takin'
  • 23:34 this regimen from this nutritionist--
  • 23:35 Caleb: Baby number two?
  • 23:36 Brittni: I had baby number two.
  • 23:38 Caleb: Baby number two, yes.
  • 23:39 Brittni: I had another little girl.
  • 23:40 Brittni: And so God has been tremendously,
  • 23:43 tremendously faithful to his promises.
  • 23:46 Just like there are two trees in the garden of Eden, there's a
  • 23:48 tree of knowledge and evil, and there's the tree of life.
  • 23:52 Choose life every single time.
  • 23:55 Choose God every single time.
  • 23:57 You know, don't choose the other tree
  • 23:58 where you think you know better.
  • 24:00 The other tree could be a doctor's diagnosis.
  • 24:02 It could be someone full of doubt.
  • 24:03 It could be someone saying, "Wasn't in the cards for you.
  • 24:06 It's not gonna work out."
  • 24:07 Always choose the tree of life because God has a peace and a
  • 24:11 shalom that surpasses all understanding, and
  • 24:14 he has his hand on your family always.
  • 24:19 David: Such a powerful testimony that you just heard.
  • 24:21 I have a feeling, as we sit here today, that, as you're watching,
  • 24:26 you may have a maybe similar testimony that someone maybe not
  • 24:30 around the world but next door needs to hear.
  • 24:33 Share your story, your testimony that--the miracle
  • 24:36 that God has given to you in your life.
  • 24:38 What a great story Brittni has for us today.
  • 24:40 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Yeah, it's a great woman.
  • 24:42 David: Yes.
  • 24:43 Kirsten: And you know her from school.
  • 24:44 You wear many, many hats, but a professor is one of them.
  • 24:48 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: I've been a Bible college seminary professor
  • 24:50 for about 33 years, had about 20,000 students.
  • 24:53 I was lecturing 209 of them this morning, and once upon a time,
  • 24:58 years ago, Brittni was in the crowd.
  • 25:00 Actually, she went to Bible college
  • 25:03 because she came to faith in Jesus.
  • 25:04 She came to faith through watching
  • 25:05 this television program.
  • 25:08 She showed up at school, and then she goes, "Oh, goodness, I
  • 25:11 think I know that guy," this professor that's thrown in front
  • 25:14 of her, and so we became friends, and then, you know, I
  • 25:18 was pastoring a messianic congregation.
  • 25:19 She was very much involved, so I knew her well.
  • 25:22 Kirsten: I bet some of those students were surprised to see
  • 25:24 you at school because people probably think you live in
  • 25:27 Israel 'cause that's where we see you.
  • 25:29 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Yeah, people are surprised.
  • 25:30 They think I live in Israel.
  • 25:32 They see me on TV, and then they bump into me there,
  • 25:34 and, yeah, you get into--that happens.
  • 25:38 Kirsten: I know what she walked through.
  • 25:40 Infertility is something that isn't just a situation now.
  • 25:45 I mean, Hannah in the Old Testament was infertile,
  • 25:48 and God gave her a miracle also.
  • 25:50 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: And so, as not to overstated it, in
  • 25:51 Brittni's case, it wasn't quite a virgin birth.
  • 25:54 Actually, I introduced her to her
  • 25:56 husband and helped set that up.
  • 25:59 Kirsten: Did they name any children after you?
  • 26:00 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: No, but, you know,
  • 26:01 I'm waiting, I'm waiting.
  • 26:03 I still want them to, you know, keep on goin',
  • 26:04 and you never know, but not yet.
  • 26:06 No, but just a wonderful story.
  • 26:08 And, by the way, sometimes, for the miracle in your life,
  • 26:12 sometimes there's a friend behind the
  • 26:13 scene that nudges it into existence.
  • 26:16 David: I was gonna say also, people may be
  • 26:17 praying for her behind the scenes that she
  • 26:19 didn't even know about in her life.
  • 26:21 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: That's true, that's true.
  • 26:22 You never know, you never know.
  • 26:24 But, you know, everyone's rootin' for her.
  • 26:26 She married into a great family.
  • 26:28 A great ministry she has, and it's a miraculous story.
  • 26:32 Kirsten: I mentioned Hannah and her miracle
  • 26:34 story at Shiloh, the ancient site.
  • 26:37 You might call it Shiloh, where the
  • 26:39 tabernacle stood for hundreds of years.
  • 26:42 We get to visit that site on tour, and there have been many
  • 26:46 women, I've heard, that go to that site and pray Hannah's
  • 26:49 prayer for a miracle to come out of infertility
  • 26:53 and to have the gift of a child.
  • 26:55 We go up multiple times a year.
  • 26:57 Levitt.com, you can find information about our tours.
  • 27:00 David: Life-changing. Kirsten: Yes, it is.
  • 27:02 David: Can't believe it's time to go.
  • 27:04 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Where does time go?
  • 27:06 Kirsten: It flies.
  • 27:07 Dr. Jeffrey Seif: Hey, we'll be back next week if you will,
  • 27:09 but until then, Sha'alu Shalom Yerushalayim.
  • 27:12 Kirsten: Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
  • 27:17 David: Join us right now for additional content that is only
  • 27:20 available on our social media sites.
  • 27:22 Visit our website, levitt.com, for the current and past
  • 27:26 programs, the television schedule, tour information, and
  • 27:30 our free monthly newsletter, which is full of
  • 27:33 insightful articles and news commentary.
  • 27:36 View it online, or we can ship it
  • 27:37 directly to your mailbox every month.
  • 27:40 Also on our website is the online store.
  • 27:43 There you can order this week's resource, or you can always
  • 27:46 give us a call at 1-800-WONDERS.
  • 27:49 Your donations to Zola Levitt Ministries helps us to support
  • 27:53 these organizations as they bless Israel.
  • 27:56 Please remember, we depend on tax-deductible
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  • 28:25 male announcer: This has been a paid program brought
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Episodes in this series

  1. The Holy Spirit
  2. The Exodus
  3. Death and Life
  4. Exile and Return
  5. The Incarnation
  6. Our Daily Bread
  7. The Physical Realm
  8. Our Greatest Need
  9. Bonus interviews

Guest organizations and links