Pastor Vinnie invites his long-term friend Peter Thomas to join Vinnie and Jon on a two-part episode exploring the connection between the Historical Jesus and the history of the city called Jerusalem or Salem.  In this two-part series, we focus on the ancient historical origins of the city and why it was important to Abraham, David, and Jesus. In part one we explore particularly the ironic nature of its origins as it passes hands from Melchizedek to Abraham and then from David to Jesus. As we watch Jerusalem rise in the Old Testament as the beloved city of Peace and Righteousness it becomes a symbol of hope and communion with Heaven which is what makes it shocking when in the New Testament Jesus declares its destruction! Listen now! And find out why and city of hope, peace, and righteousness is cast down and destroyed. Are there lessons we can learn to prevent this from happening to us?  Complete show notes, including additional materials, will be found @ SimplyVinnie.com/JerusalemRises Jonathan graciously agreed to join Vinnie as of Season 2 of Simply Devotion. Jonathan is a full-time follower of Jesus, committed to helping people discover a deep, passionate, and spirited relationship with the Savior. He is currently a Bible teacher at a private school in the Orlando area but has also served as an ordained minister for almost a decade in local churches. Jonathan completed his undergraduate degree at Southern Adventist University and holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Seventh-Day Adventist Theological Seminary on the campus of Andrews University. He is currently completing a Doctor of Ministry degree with an emphasis in Ministry to Emerging Generations from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Jonathan is married to the love of his life, Raisel Martin, and has two elementary-aged children, Railyn and Josiah. In his spare time, Jonathan enjoys reading, writing, painting, globetrotting, and instigating arguments on social media.Twitter: pastor_jmartinTik Tok @DoctorProfessorPJ  About Seasons Two: While season 1 is still in the archives, for those who want to review it, each season of this podcast is a little bit different than the last. Last season I (Pastor Vinnie) focused on mostly stand-alone topics.I had occasional guests yet, I was the main presenter. This season we are changing things up. Our focus for this full season is the historical Jesus; including his culture, people, political situation, and geographical footprint. I am joined by Jonathan Martin who is my new co-host for the season! It is all about seeking Jesus on deeper theological levels.  Social Media Connections: Find us @  Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Blogs | TikTok Check out my blogs, articles, and spiritual growth material @ www.SimplyVinnie.com  All background music is used with permission from the following sources:  purple-planet.com  soundstripe.com