Overwhelmed by God’s Word? Then read Understand Your Bible, and see how the historical, geographic, literary, and other contexts of scripture can clarify what you study. This brand-new guide from Barbour—following in the footsteps of the popular How to Study Your Bible and Know Your Bible—is designed to remove obstacles to understanding, giving you a greater desire for and success in daily Bible reading. Author John A. Beck, a 2010 ECPA Christian Book Award final...

The authors of the Bible routinely employed mention of manners and customs from the ancient world in their inspired writing, fully intending that the Lord would change readers with these images. But modern readers often miss the full literal and figurative meaning of biblical imagery due to the distance in time and experience between the world of today and the world of the Bible. This fully illustrated guide aims to restore clarity and vitality to these portions of God's Word in order to h...

From Genesis to Revelation, God revealed Himself and His story of redemption. He used people and animals in backdrops of mountains and valleys, rivers and seas, empires and villages. But how much do we really know about the places and customs where these stories happened? In The Lands of the Bible, Dr. John Beck engages us in the fascinating geography of Scripture and shows how we can discover new and exciting insights into the stories we thought we already knew.

"Wilderness is not just an ecosystem—it's a season of life." John BeckModern readers can miss the impact of a Bible story when they don't take its physical setting into account. Comprehending how dry and barren a wilderness setting actually is adds a new dimension to your Scripture reading as you can begin to relate to the people in the stories.In Land without Borders, John Beck combines his passion for God's Word and his love of geography to bring ...

If you found yourself walking through ancient Israel with Jesus by your side, what might prompt a conversation? An oasis in the distance. A pasture where sheep quietly graze. A valley where armies once clashed.Holy Land expert John Beck understands how culture and geography play a big part in interpreting the Scriptures. In Along the Road, Beck uses vibrant details of ancient society and the characteristics of the countryside to relate biblical lessons that we might otherw...

Learning the meaning and significance of biblical images will revolutionize your grasp of the Bible as a whole.Scripture is packed with symbolic imagery and metaphors: looms, donkeys, water cisterns, grapes, sackcloth—all carry symbolic or emotional weight that sharpens the broader picture of the passage.The biblical authors used their reality to enhance the impact of their message on the audience around them, and the language they used is rich with meaning...

Derived from the Zondervan Dictionary of Biblical Imagery, this digital short contains dozens of illustrated entries on aspects of everyday life in Bible times—covering everything from food and housing to tools and transportation. Useful for better understanding the cultural context of Scripture passages and fascinating in its own right, this handy reference tool will find a place in the digital shelves of Bible students and teachers alike.

Can you really trust the Bible? And if so, and you really understand it? The answer to both questions is yes—as this book makes plain. Here, under one cover, are two powerful titles that make God’s Word accessible to any reader: Answers to Your Bible Questions, providing clear, concise, encouraging responses to 75 questions skeptics raise about scripture; and Understand Your Bible, which explains just how to read God’s Word—from the perspective of its historic, g...

Do you ever feel like Bible stories took place in a whole different world? Well, they did. And the settings in which they occurred provide clues to our better understanding of each. When you comprehend, for example, how dry and barren the wilderness actually is, you get a new dimension in your Scripture reading. John Beck combines his passion for God’s Word and his love of geography to share deep insights into how wilderness extremes factor into familiar Bible stories. By recognizing these...

Jesus’s teaching gains fresh relevance through this fascinating study of Bible stories separated by centuries, but related by shared geography. In Along the Road, John Beck delves into the conversations that would naturally occur if you had walked with Jesus along a first-century road. Journey with Beck as he weaves the Old Testament context of each locale into Jesus’s experience there, and discover how these easily overlooked geographical and cultural details can enhance your understandin...

There are times when eternity presses in and we feel drawn to know more about the place we or our loved ones will be going when this life ends. We don't want guesses or pious platitudes; we want specifics. We want certainty. There has to be real, solid information in the pages of Scripture that paints the full picture, right?In a word, yes. And What We'll See in Heaven was written to bring these biblical pictures of our heavenly home together in one book. Drawing on his de...