Truth Be Told

Trip to Israel: Day 7: The Sabbath and Magdala

On this day in Israel we balanced resting on the Sabbath day (seeing what that looked like on a national scale) and still seeing some incredible sites. Specifically, we visited the town of Magdala, home of Mary Magdalene, where we strolled through the ruins and learned about the first century synagogue uncovered there. It's likely that Jesus Himself would have taught at this synagogue at some point.

The most important biblical/historical/archeological find here is known as the Magdala Stone which depicts temple instruments as they would have looked prior to its destruction in 70AD. This is one of the earliest and most well preserved proofs we have of temple practices in the first century and before. 

 

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

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

Logo: Matt Hernandez

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

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

Trip to Israel: Day 6a, b, c, d, and e: Hazor, Mt. of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Jesus Boat, Boat Ride on the Galilee

Friday, just prior to the Sabbath, we had a full day of touring in Israel. The biblical site of Hazor was first on the agenda. This is one of the largest archeological sites in all of Israel and is also one of the earliest, in-tact sites. 

The Mt. of Beatitudes, though less certain that Jesus would have actually spoken at exactly this location, is home to a beautiful church overlooking the sea of Galilee. It's a nice place to reflect on Jesus' words and, if it isn't the place Jesus spoke His famous sermon, it's reminiscent of it.

Capernaum might have been my favorite place in all of Israel. Authentic, well preserved, concrete ties to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ - what else could a Bible nerd want in an archeological site?

The "Jesus Boat" has no concrete ties to Jesus but is a first century fishing boat dug up from the sea of Galilee. It really was a cool connection to the past.

The boat ride on the sea of Galilee wasn't terribly impressive from a storytelling point of view, but there was beautiful scenery and it was nice to be able to orient ourselves around the lake.

 

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

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

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

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

Trip to Israel: Day 5a, b, and c: Caesarea Maritime, Mt. Carmel, and Megiddo

The rest of our group joined us on this day for our touring and trip up to the Galilee region. First, we stopped at Caesarea Maritime to see another of Herod's constructions. Paul was on trial in this area and was, presumably, sent to Rome from here. This was also the site of Rabbi Akiva's death in the 130s A.D.

On Mt. Carmel we got a panoramic view of the various mountains in Israel and a lesson in the story of Elijah and the prophets of Ba'al. 

Our last stop of the day was Megiddo where many believe the final gathering of the armies of mankind will take place. In this episode I outline a few reasons that some scholars have seen this as a misreading of the text and offer up a potential solution to the problem.

The end of our day was spent driving to Tiberias and checking into our hotel overlooking the Sea of Galilee.

 

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

 

Email: truthbetoldbiblepodcast@gmail.com

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

Logo: Matt Hernandez

Music: Acoustic Indie Folk Years By MarkJuly

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