Truth Be Told

Trip to Israel: Day 4a, b, and c: Herodium, Bethlehem, Valley of David and Goliath

We are currently caught up at the rate of 1 episode per day (we'll see how long it lasts)! On Day 4 of touring we ventured into the West Bank for the first time to see one of Herod the Great's most impressive architectural structures: Herodium. This constructed mountain became one of his primary places of rulership within sight of Jerusalem where he would host dignitaries and important people. This also became his Mausoleum after his death until his tomb was raided in later years, most likely by members of Jewish rebellion against Rome.

We also toured the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem with a Christian Palestinian Tour guide who fully believed this to be the site of Jesus' birth, though archeological evidence is slim to none. 

Lastly, we drove a similar route as David would have taken from Bethlehem to the front of Israel's army to the spot between camps where he would have faced off against Goliath.

 

Pictures: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zlyZDyWOWUf8rumN2_YW2jW3FpVOkXXN?usp=drive_link

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDUkiQvCEF8Rc4TzjyBMsxg

 

Trip to Israel: Day 3b, c, and d: Nazareth, Akko, and Haifa

This episode wraps up day 3 in Israel going through the sites of Nazareth, Akko (Acre), and Haifa. 

At this point in the trip we are still in the Northern part of Israel with Nazareth in the land allotted to Zebulun, Akko being in the land allotted to Asher, and Haifa near the border of Asher and Manasseh. 

The primary sites here are the Church of Annunciation, the Hospitaller Fortress, and the Baha'i Gardens on Mt. Carmel.

 

Pictures: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zlyZDyWOWUf8rumN2_YW2jW3FpVOkXXN?usp=drive_link

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDUkiQvCEF8Rc4TzjyBMsxg

 

Saul, the Good Shepherd?

It's widely known that Saul didn't end up being a good king for Israel. However, most people read the stories surrounding his start and miss something pivotal that the biblical author of 1 Samuel is trying to show us. Did you miss it too?

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

Trip to Israel: Day 2 and 3a: Atonement and Tzippori

I think I said the word "interesting" in this episode about 500 times, followed closely by the word "beautiful." If you have grace for that minor annoyance, this episode covers my 2nd day in Israel (first full day), and the first stop of our intentional touring: Tzippori.

While not a site expressly mentioned in Scripture, Tzippori or Sepphoris is an important site for archeologists and historians and it gives a great backdrop to a few really important biblical stories and characters including Jesus Himself. This site was a prime example showing that someone (like me) first coming into Israel, looking for the most prominent sites of the Bible might, mistakenly, skip over this one in favor of something actually mentioned. However, most places in Israel are significant for one thing or another as it has a very high concentration of historical sites, but if it was around in the 1st century, it is definitely important for coloring in the pages of our Bible.

 

Pictures: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zlyZDyWOWUf8rumN2_YW2jW3FpVOkXXN?usp=drive_link

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

Trip to Israel: Day 1; Travel, First Impressions, and Joppa

Since returning from Israel, I've been struggling to know what to do with the information I picked up while there. It seems a waste to have gained so much from such a transformative trip, only to have that gain be for no purpose or benefit to anyone else. 

On the other hand, stories and explanations fall so short of the desired goal and can sometimes end up being boring and self-indulgent. 

After a lot of consideration, it seems to me that I have to AT LEAST try to put "pen to paper," as it were, and do some sort of documentation of this trip with the express purpose of attempting to illuminate the pages of the Bible, give people an a sense of excitement about the land of Israel, potentially motivating people to travel there themselves, and not allow the greatest experience of my life to have no greater benefit than my own enjoyment.

In this episode, I navigate the travel time to Israel, the most notable things I experienced along the way, and a brief, half-day in Israel as I toured the ancient city of Joppa near Tel-Aviv. Home to Simon the Tanner's house, the resurrection site of Tabitha, the place from which Jonah fled his commission, and the port where the cedars of Lebanon came before going to the Temple, Joppa wasn't on the itinerary, but its proximity to Tel-Aviv illustrates the extreme density of historical richness in the land of Israel, as well as the nature of modernity and antiquity to sit side by side throughout the country.

 

Pictures: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1zlyZDyWOWUf8rumN2_YW2jW3FpVOkXXN?usp=drive_link

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

Women Angels?

On this episode we begin an exploration into the enigmatic spiritual realm of angelic beings. Drawing from a bible class conversation, we delve into their multifaceted roles as guardians, messengers, and more. As we navigate through scriptural references and visions, we ponder the intriguing question: Are there women angels?

This discussion centers around divine communication, metaphoric language in prophecy, and gender's significance in the celestial context. Uncover the profound complexities of the angelic nature as we challenge assumptions and embrace the mysteries that lie beyond our comprehension.

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Theology, Christology, Humanology: A Partnership Between God and Man

Most are familiar with Theology, some are familiar with Christology, but in this study we take a look at a term coined specifically for this - humanology. If the Bible is the story of God and man, how do we understand these two major players?

Often we tend to look at humanity (either through ourselves as individuals or through the whole) and gain a very low estimation of ourselves. Sometimes scripture even seems to support this low estimation. Certainly we shouldn't think too highly of ourselves.

However, if we look through the eyes of God and His perfect plan He's chosen to work on the Earth, we have no choice but to either elevate our estimation of humanity or lower our estimation of God's desire to work in partnership with mankind. 

In this message we'll look through 5 areas where God has very clearly shown that He desires to work with man and has outlined to us what the partnership between God and man is supposed to look like.

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Why Should We Be Honest?

Honesty is often thought to be relegated to whether or not we tell the truth. However, whether a person is honest or dishonest has so much more to do with overall character and virtue.

While this is all well and good, it does provoke the question, why are we expected to be good, virtuous, morally upright, and honest people? Is it because being an honest person is the least harmful thing to be? Is it because God said so and that should settle the matter?

In this brief episode we get to the bedrock of why God has the expectation for us to be honest people living honest lives.

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

God Moves. We Don’t Move Him. We Move TO Him.

Odd title, I know. What kind of study could possible come from the "movement" of God? What does the Bible even have to say about something as obscure as this?

Surprisingly, a lot. 

Through this study we'll take a look at Ancient Israel's views on where God is, how He moves, and in what manner He interacts with the physical world to show the slippery slope the human mind can be on when considering the boundlessness of God.

Is there anywhere in your life that you believe God cannot move to? Are there any dark places where you believe God cannot follow? You might have fallen down the same slope that Israel did when they began misunderstanding God's omnipresence and boundless movement.

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk (Years) By MarkJuly

Anger With God Is Sin. Take Comfort.

Anger is a natural part of being human. Knowing this, seeing how often anger is prevalent in godly people written about in scripture, and experiencing the mercy of God when we show anger to Him can start to make us feel like anger against God is okay. 

However, if we look analytically at the topics of sin, root causes of anger, and God's nature, a clear picture begins to emerge showing how unjustified our frustration with God actually is.

If we gain a clearer understanding of God's goodness, the reasons for our anger, and God's response to well-meaning people who DO experience anger towards Him, we can be greatly encouraged. God is not only provoked to anger in response to our sin, He is also provoked to love and mercy. We cannot forget this but we do so often.

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Music: Pop-Rock Beautiful By Twisterium

Logo: Matt Hernandez