Discovery at Magdala

So, while I was in Israel in 2017, I learned something very interesting about the land itself.

Because there are so many unexplored archaeological sites (and many that no one knows about because they are buried so deep), people will just randomly stumble on ancient artifacts. When that happens, everything shuts down and they need to call in officials. When people buy property, they can build on the land, but anything found in the land (or under the earth) belongs to Israel. It's like how in Texas you can buy property and own land, but not own the mineral rights (so if you find oil, it's not yours').

In fact, my tour guide had a friend in that very predicament. He bought property to build a house, and when they started, the remains of a Philistine settlement were found. So the friend had to stop construction while archaeologists moved in. Fast forward many years later and everything has been excavated and the friend finally has his house—on top of a museum of Philistine artifacts. 😂

Something similar happened at Magdala a few years ago. In 2009, Fr Juan Solana purchased land in Magdala, Israel, in order to build a guesthouse for pilgrims. During the mandatory archaeological testing, they discovered something amazing—the remains of "the only first century synagogue on the Sea of Galilee – one of only seven synagogues from this period in the world – along with the archaeological remains of the 2,000 year-old city of Magdala" (quote and photo from here).

In Israel, there are 4 kinds of places: places with no official record of Jesus officially being there, places where Jesus was in the area so it likely could be where you were standing, places where we know it happened either "here" or "there", and places where we know without a fact that Jesus was there.

The discovery of the synagogue is the latter—with a certainty we can say that Jesus was here, and likely taught in this very synagogue. WOW!

When I was there in 2017, this location wasn't available for me to visit. It is, however, open to the public. Needless to say, it's now on my list! Maybe on my trip in March? That would be awesome!

They Turned the World Upside Down

AHHHHH!!!!

So, last Saturday was my birthday and I just found out that Charles Martin has a sequel to What If It's True? coming out! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME! It's called:

 They Turned the World Upside Down: A storyteller's journey with those who dared to follow Jesus

3 guesses as to who this is about (*ahem* Early Church *ahem*)!

I'm SO EXCITED! And wondering how I'll be able to wait an entire year to get my hands on this book, because its release date is January 5, 2021. (Yes, I've already purchased it; no I do not need to calm down!).

So, go check it out and even pre-order it... you can bet we'll have a series on it next year! WHY IS IT SO FAR AWAY?!? This is almost as hard as waiting for my Israel trip... which is a little over 2 months away! AHH!!! I'm so excited!!!

Behold Israel: The state of modern day Israel

So, in the last post, I talked about a ministry I recently discovered called Behold Israel.

He's been fascinating to listen to, because in addition to his deep knowledge of the Bible, he has an invaluable perspective as a Messianic Jew.

In addition to learning more about God and deeper cultural/Eastern meanings, I've also learned a lot about Israel along the way, just by listening to Amir.

Here are a few of the things I've learned:

Since Israel's independence on May 14, 1948 (just 72 years!), Israel has:

• seen an never-before-witnessed return to Israel by Jews from around the world
• the 8th largest economy in the world
• is top in the world for defense (the IDF) and security (cyber-security)
• a top manufacturer of arms (and diamonds!)
• seen not only a return of its people but also a return of the land as even the desert is blooming
• more varieties of fruits and vegetables than any other country in the world
• the world's most productive cows
• invented the drip irrigation technique, and between this and other incredible inventions, is literally able to harvest water from the air
• discovered the Leviathan oil field (2010 and began exporting it in 2019; now they have enough oil to last for 40 years—and are exporting it to Europe, making it the largest energy project in the nation's history.

Wow! Did you know all of this? What in this list was a surprise to you?

That's it for now for my posts on Behold Israel, but I know I'll come back to discuss more... there's some amazing teachings on things like Jewish holidays, the menorah, and so much more that I can't wait to share!

Behold Israel

So, recently I discovered this amazing ministry called Behold Israel. Have you ever heard of it?

When a friend told me about Amir Tsarfarti and his ministry, I was in a season where I had some free time on my hands. So I took the time to listen to many of his teachings on youtube. Soon, I'd signed up for his newsletters and social media. The things I've learned from him are incredible! 

What I love about Amir's teachings is how he really knows the Bible and teaches from it—and his perspective as a Messianic Jew is invaluable. I love it when I hear a Bible teacher who encourages me not to take his word for it, but to go to the Word of God. Any teacher whose teachings make me want to study the Bible is worth listening to, in my book!

I'll talk some more about things I've learned from Amir Tsarfarti in future posts; this week I just wanted to introduce him and his ministry because of how cool it is. If you have a few moments, definitely check out his videos!

BIG NEWS!!!

Hi, Everyone! I'm starting the year off with AMAZING NEWS!!!!

I'm going back to Israel! I'll be there March 31-April 13, 2020, and to say that I'm excited is a HUGE understatement. I CAN'T WAIT!!!

And it's so fun, because not only will I arrive 3 years to the day that I left Israel in 2017, but this time I'll be able to spend Passover in Jerusalem! Y'all know exactly where I'll be on Easter Sunday!

And... since the Saturday of Passover weekend is the Sabbath, and all the big sites will be closed... I'm going to take a day trip to Jordan to explore Petra! AHHH!!! That's something I didn't get to do last time and I am SOOOOOOOOO EXCITED!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hey, Everyone!

I'm taking this week and next week off to celebrate Christmas and New Year. I hope you have a great few weeks and that this season of light brings you peace and joy.

See you in 2020!

The Sisters of Sinai

After reading Where We Belong by Lynn Austin and realizing it was loosely based on the real-life stories of Scottish twin sisters Agnes and Margaret Smith, I wanted to check out the biography of these larger-than-life ladies themselves.

The Sisters of Sinai by Janet Soskice was a very different read for me, since I don't usually read biographies. So it was a different voice, purpose, etc. But I enjoyed traveling with these ladies and their unique challenges of journeying multiple times to the Middle East to explore Bible lands and to uncover ancient manuscripts. Being that women could not earn university degrees at this point, their scholarship was all the more remarkable—and paved the way for women today.

If you like biographies, then this is definitely worth the read. You can buy this book here on Amazon!

Where We Belong by Lynn Austin

So, the last few posts got me thinking of another book I read a few years ago, and I had to go hunt it down on my bookshelves: Where We Belong by Lynn Austin

I've said before that I don't love historical fiction. I will read them only if they are set in ancient Rome/Greece and/or Bible times. This one is very obviously set in the 1800s; 1860-1890 to be exact.

But, I love this book.

Where We Belong follows wealthy sisters Rebecca and Flora Hawes on their adventures throughout the Middle East, Europe, and Chicago. They live through the American Civil War and the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, and also go on incredible adventures. Raised by their widower father who believed in the value of education of women and the importance of discovering one's purpose for use in God's kingdom, both of these women, though different, live out their faith and callings in a way that wasn't typical for women in that time—as historians, authors, scholars, archeologists, hands-on, philanthropists, and so much more.

And their adventures, from being stranded in the Sinai desert by a bedouin sheik who wants to marry their head-strong handmaid to discovering an ancient codex of the Bible dating to AD 500, are quite a ride! They see so many incredible sites, from touring Jerusalem and Galilee to the pyramids of Cairo. In fact, the sisters even spend time at the traditional site of Mount Sinai—Mount St. Catherine's monastery in Jordan.

The author's note at the back says that the inspiration of this book was Agnes and Margaret Smith of Scotland, twin sisters who did in fact discover an ancient copy of the Gospels from AD 500 at the same monastery in Jordan, as well as a collection of 300,000 ancient manuscript fragments in Egypt. Now I want to know more about these 2 ladies who actually lived an amazing adventure, because their story sounds fascinating!

You can get it on Amazon here!

The Livingstone Chronicles: Hidden in Time

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

I  just finished reading book 2 in Michael Phillips' The Livingstone Chronicles, and again, his book came alive for me in a new way.

In Hidden in Time, once again we travel with British explorer and archeologist Adam Livingstone, Juliet Halsey, Scott Jordan, Rocky McCondy, and a few others as they pursue another major Biblical artifact. Again, it's not a secret because it's on the cover: the Ark of the Covenant!

This time, they travel in Europe, Ethiopia, and finally, Jerusalem, where they end up mere steps from my favorite place in the entire world *ahem* spoiler alert *ahem*.

I probably first read this book 15 years before I ever went to Israel. So I had no idea of so many of the locations and their importance; at least, not to the understanding that I have now. So as Adam and his team are racing around the city and exploring the tunnels underneath it, I could literally see these locations in my mind... which made the final chapters all the more incredible!

This fictional series is definitely worth a read, especially if you love Biblical history and archeology!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'll be taking this week off to rest, give thanks, eat amazing food, and continue reading Michael Phillip's Hidden in Time!

You can come back next week for the conclusion to this series. Until then, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

The Livingstone Chronicles: Rift in Time

After learning about Jebel El Lawz and all of the historical findings there, I remembered a set of books I read years ago—that were still on my bookshelf: The Livingstone Chronicles by Michael Phillips.

This series follows world-renowned British archeologist and explorer Adam Livingstone on some daring discoveries and adventures. In fact, the first book, Rift in Time, opens with his discovery of Noah's Ark in Turkey's Ararat region (this isn't a spoiler... it says so on the cover, haha).

Published in 1997, I probably first read this book and its successor (see next post) in the early 2000s. So I didn't remember all of the details; just that it was about an archeologist looking for ancient Biblical things. 

Imagine my shock when I re-read the book and realize that Livingstone and his crew travel to the Red Sea from Cairo, cross over by boat at the underwater land bridge of Nuweiba and head toward the mountain with the burned peak. They are in search of something other than Mount Sinai (I won't say what), but acknowledge that this is likely the place (even after acknowledging and glimpsing the traditional site of Mount St. Catherine's in Jordan), noting things of interest like a plain where people could camp, the fence keeping people out, the many caves in the area, and a split rock. 

Now that I have seen this documentary, I can see Livingstone, Rocky McCondy, and Juliet Halsey climbing to the peak of Mount Sinai and it's pretty cool. And throughout the books are drawings and maps - check this one out:

Wow!

Reading this books as a teen, I loved them because I love archeology, especially Biblical history, and adventure. I kept these books for almost 20 years for this reason, having read them at least 3 other times. But only just now was I able to "see" what the author was talking about. Pretty cool!

I definitely recommend this series (and hope to re-read and review book 2 next week), but I will say that it is written in the "Christian literature style of the 90s", so it's definitely different than the books out there today (pre-internet and shorter attention spans). I love it, even with all the commentary... that's why it's going BACK on my bookshelf!

Underwater Land Bridge for the Red Sea Crossing

For the last few weeks, we've been talking about the site of Jebel El Lawz in Saudi Arabia, and how it is likely the location for Mount Sinai instead of the traditional Mount St. Catherine's in Jordan.

Last week, I shared an INCREDIBLE DOCUMENTARY of this site that has been hidden from public eye from the government of Saudi Arabia. In the middle of this documentary was something so fascinating that I wanted to come back to it.

One of the proofs Ryan Mauro mentions is an underwater land bridge called Nuweiba Land Path from Egypt to Saudi Arabia. The video shows the beach there of the Red Sea, and mentions the stories of interesting coral reefs... shaped like wagon wheels or parts of chariots... almost as if coral had formed around these objects, which had then disintegrated over the course of several millenia.

I actually don't know where this image above came from, because Mauro says that, this being a popular diving location, they wanted to dive and record these images themselves. But they weren't allowed to—the Saudi police showed up and didn't leave until Mauro and his crew left.

What do you think? This evidence contributes to the case of Mount Sinai being at Jebel El Lawz, as it is near this site. I'm fascinated and would love to learn more about this!

*Edited March 29, 2020: Last week, Amir Tsarfarti had a special update during this coronavirus quarantine. At minute 21:35, Tsarfarti actually speaks about this land bridge as the location for the Red Sea Crossing!

Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia: MIND BLOWN

This series on Mount Sinai possibly being in Saudi Arabia is too fascinating (for me) to want to move on just yet.

So, I have one more goody to share with you, and it's a doozy!

Ryan Mauro—I have no idea who he is, but he has the official journalist's voice (do you take a class to learn that in school?) did a 25 minute documentary on it that I found on Fox News. It's amazing! Besides getting amazing footage, he shares more evidence than I shared yesterday, all evidence that lines up with the Biblical account, like:

• from conversations with locals
• to the possibly site of the Red Sea Crossing (where coral reefs grow in some pretty interesting shapes... as if they are around wheels or something, AND where there is an underground path from the other side in Egypt), 
• to Elim, the oasis which still has 12 wells today
• to the possible site of the altar with the golden calf
• a massive ancient burial ground near the camp where all the graves were dug all at once (3,000 people were killed for worshipping the calf and would have needed to have been buried)
• a structure that looks like an ancient altar (that Moses built with uncut stones and also placed 12 pillars). It leads to the place where it's believed animals would have been slaughtered for sacrifice... and remains of animals have been found below these rocks.
• evidence of a stream that would have flowed down the mountain and near where the altar to the golden calf was (Moses threw its remains into the river), as well as a place where there were burnt sacrifices.
• evidence of wells, where a pool of water would have formed... proving a large population once lived there.
• The cave of Elijah, where he spoke with God, which is above where the altar was
• The split rock, which Josephus said was still visible in his day (1st century AD) and was so big it could not have been moved.
• The rocks underneath the split rock are smooth, as if water passed over them.
• Hebrew inscriptions nearby with pretty strong evidence (too much for me to type here)

This Bible nerd is like 😱😱😱😱😱😱! Literally... in the middle of this, I went, "Holy cow"... and then realized what I said. 😂 My mind is completely blown, and I'm going to have to watch this like 20 more times.

Watch it for yourself—you won't regret it!

(A screenshot from the video. The 2 arrows - that I drew -  in the photo point to people. One is almost impossible to see because he's wearing khaki. The other is standing and wearing black by the side of a rock. That's how massive this rock is. It sits on a hill that is 100feet high, and the rock itself is between 40-50 feet, which a crack big enough for a grown man to fit inside).

MIND BLOWN