The True Easter Story

Explore 2,000-year-old tombs much like the one that held Jesus and experience the vibrant history and culture of Israel. Teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan reveals the fascinating truths surrounding the death and resurrection of Jesus in this v...

The True Christmas Story

Tiny Bethlehem lay in the shadow of the Herodian, the magnificent home of Herod the Great. In this remarkable program, Ray Vander Laan leads a tour through the palace ruins, the modest dwellings of Bethlehem, and other historical sites in Israel. ...

Volume 1

Travel to Israel and radically change your understanding of the Scriptures. Wet your feet in the Jordan River and impact the culture with life-giving water. Show your trust in the Lord's provision by offering up first fruits at Jericho. And cleans...

Volume 2

Filmed on location in Israel, Faith Lessons is a unique video series that brings God's Word to life with astounding relevance. By weaving together the Bible's fascinating historical, cultural, religious, and geographical contexts, teacher and hist...

Volume 3

Pack your bags. We're going on a journey. A quest to uncover Scripture and its meaning across history. Filmed on location in Israel and throughout the Middle East, the Faith Lessons DVD series is an adventure in biblical learning. You will discove...

Volume 4

Pack your bags. We're going on a journey. A quest to uncover Scripture and its meaning across history. Filmed on location in Israel and throughout the Middle East, the Faith Lessons DVD series is an adventure in biblical learning. You will discove...

Volume 5

Experience the Bible for yourself! This in-depth video Bible study-shot on location and featuring teacher and historian Ray Vander Laan-will help you understand the New Testament better by giving you abetter understanding of the Old Testament.

Volume 6

During his ministry in Israel, Jesus called and trained disciples, His "talmidim." Their job would eventually be to bring His message of redemption to all the nations, Jew and Gentile. What would happen when they began to make disciples ...

Volume 7

Becoming a disciple of Jesus demands more than merely a deep commitment to the text and complete devotion to Christian community. The Messiah is king, and believers are called to pick up their crosses in daily pursuit after becoming like Him. Come...

Volume 8

This five-session small group Bible study, God Heard Their Cry, by noted teacher and historian, Ray Vander Laan, is volume eight of the 12-part Faith Lessons series. In this volume, Vander Laan illustrates how God answered the cry of the Israelite...

Volume 9

When the Israelites left Egypt, they were finally free. Free from persecution, free from oppression, and free to worship their own God. But with that freedom comes a new challenge - learning how to live together the way God intends. In this ninth ...

Volume 10

Ray Vander Laan takes us on a journey through Sinai and Israel, a region that is still largely desert but at times filled with lush, bountiful places. We will discover how Jesus called people to live in the Promised land. What can we learn during ...

Volume 11

God's story culminates with the intense devotion of his people in this 11th volume of the Faith Lessons series. Discover how their passionate faith prepares the way for Jesus and his ultimate act of obedience and sacrifice at the cross. Then, be c...

Volume 12

Throughout the Bible, the desert functions as an image of discord, of loss of control, and of separation from the safety of society. Barren and deadly, the wasteland places of the text meant certain death without access to resources. Many times Go...

Volume 13

As they stood at the foot of Mount Sinai, the Israelites not only agreed to partner with God by worshipping Him as king, they also took on a mission: become a kingdom of priests in a prodigal world. This had been God's plan for His people from the...

Volume 14

It’s easy to think of the Bible as a collection of short stories, but each one makes up a greater story – one story of a God who created the universe and entrusted it to His human partners to care for it. They were unfai...

Volume 15

Like the Roman Empire, today’s governments or organizations can become centered on power and believe their messages are the “good news.” As Christians, we’re called to proclaim God’s name in all the earth (1 Chronicle...

Volume 16

How do you live in a culture where the worldview conflicts with Christianity? Learn from Paul as he presents his beliefs to the most powerful court in Athens and settles among the Greco-Romans of Corinth, who valued wealth and class, worship of mu...

Lesson 1.1

Lesson 2.1

Lesson 3.1

Lesson 4.1

Lesson 5.1

Lesson 6.1

For a first century Jew, to follow a rabbi meant to "be covered with the dust of his feet." When Jesus called His disciples, it was implied that they would begin this process of becoming like Him by following closely in His footsteps. Tr...

Be Salt

Salt was very valuable during Jesus' day. It aided in the preservation of meat and enhanced the taste of food. But another less commonly known use of salt plays a key role in our understanding of what it means to be "salt" on our world.D...

Beatitude Definition

Any of the declarations of blessedness pronounced by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount.

Bedouins Definition

Nomads who live mainly in the wilderness areas of the Middle East. They speak Arabic and are generally Muslim. They retain a lifestyle much like that of the early biblical characters Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Beelzebub

Who is Beelzebub?Baal-Zebul was the god of the Philistines; the name means "Exalted Baal" or "Prince Baal."In the Greek language of the New Testament, the name becomes Beelzebub. Jesus used the name Beelzebub for Satan, the pri...

Beelzebub Definition

Corruption of the word "Beelzebul," meaning "lord of the flies." It was used by Jesus to refer to the prince of demons, the devil.

Beelzebul

Philistine god worshiped at Ekron. It means "Prince Baal."

Beersheba Definition

City in the central Negev. It was settled before 3000 BC. Abraham and Isaac lived here. Abraham gave it the name Beersheba, which means "well of the oath" or "well of the seven." Often used to refer to the southern end of the P...

Belial Definition

Hebrew meaning "useless." Came to be applied to the devil by the Essenes and the early Christians (2 Cor. 6).

Belvoir Fortress

The fortress of Belvior has both an outer fortification and an inner castle. A moat, hewn out of the same bedrock quarried to build the castle, encircles the structure on three sides. Towers stood in each corner and in the center of the outer wall...

Bema Definition

Raised platform; the Seat of judgment. Also, place from which scripture is read in the synagogue.

Bernice Definition

The great-granddaughter of Herod the Great. She accompanied Agrippa ll and heard Paul's conversion testimony (Acts 25:13,23; 26:1).

Beth Horon Definition

Two cities (Upper and Lower Beth Horon) guarding the Beth Horon pass. The main west-east road from the coastal plain to the mountains to Jericho went through this pass. Here God made the sun stand still for Joshua.

Beth Shean

This view from the Old Testament city of Beth Shean shows the magnitude of the archaeological project and the glory that was Beth Shean in Jesus' time.Note the remains of a theater that seated approximately 7,000 spectators. Jesus is the only pers...

Beth Shean Definition

City at the eastern entrance to the Valley of Jezreel. The Philistines hung Saul's and Jonathan's bodies from its walls.

Beth Shemesh

Beth Shemesh, meaning "house of the sun," ' was a small town on the border between Judah and the Philistines. This is the place where the ark of the covenant came when it was returned by the Philistines (1 Sam. 6).Beth Shemesh stands in...

Beth Shemesh Definition

City in the Soreq Valley near where Samson lived. The Philistines returned the ark of the covenant here.

Bethlehem - Jesus' Birthplace

Today the town of Bethlehem is much larger than it was in Jesus' day. But despite its small size in biblical times, Bethlehem was the location of significant historical events. Discovering its history helps us appreciate why the town was the perf...

Bethlehem Definition

Located at the border between the mountains and the wilderness, its inhabitants benefited from the fertile mountain valleys and pastures the wilderness provided for the shepherds' flock.Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, Micah prophesied t...

Bethsaida Definition

One of the three main towns of Jesus' ministry in Galilee. This small, prosperous fishing village on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee was renamed Julias and rebuilt by Herod Philip. Home of apostles Peter, Philip, and Andrew. Near this villag...

Biblical Covenants

Biblical CovenantsSimilar to a business agreement or contract made today, in the ancient Near East, there was a special covenant form in which a greater party (usually a king), established a relationship with a lesser party (a vassal). The greater...

Biblical Names

In biblical times, a good name meant more than a good reputation. People understood that a name expressed the essence or identity of a person.In the Near East, a person's name identified something about their character or circumstances, such as bi...

Bless, blessing Definition

When God blesses someone, he makes things go well for him or her. A blessing is a gift from God. When people bless, they ask God to bring good to someone.

Boule Definition

City council.

Bouleuterion Definition

Meeting place of the Boule.