Biblical History of Israel.
Carl was my instructor on my first trip to the Holy Land. So, I do have a bias here, but I’m not getting anything out of this recommendation. When I showed up on day one of my 3-week course, I didn’t know anything about Carl. Nor did I know that a few of the other students and travelers had picked that class on those dates because of Carl.
Needless to say, Carl is a Yoda of sorts. Hence the reason why Zondervan hired him to do this video series. As my 3-week course with Carl progressed I heard more and more about him and how that class was better than any other Holy Land trip some people had been on. In fact, a couple of the pastors in my class were taking the class because they, themselves, lead trips to the Holy Land.
The Zondervan video series, Encountering the Holy Land with Carl Rasmussen is a great crash course in Biblical history and geography.
It’s filled with beautiful aerial photography of the land and many of the archaeological sites as Carl narrates. In my 3-week course I was given six maps I had to mark up with tribe boundaries, water flow patterns and travel routes. Zondervan does a wonderful job of depicting these things graphically.
The cost of the series is $39.99 on Amazon Prime Video or $49.99 for a DVD. Or you can subscribe to Zondervan’s video streaming service for $19.99 a month at zondervanacademic.com. Which ever way you go, it is well worth the money.
Check out the trailer for the video series on YouTube above.
Note: These links go straight to the websites mentioned. I do not have affiliate accounts with either Zondervan. I do not get commissions for sending you to their site.
Know the environment.
If you want to find more information about something, You can probably find it on YouTube. This is the upside. The downside, is that there is so much to sift through, its difficult to figure out who’s giving you the best info. Well, I’m here to help. I conducted my own search and found a few videos and Channels that I liked. So far, one of them stands out above the rest. I’m still vetting the others.
Sergio and Rhoda are a married couple that live in Israel. Their YouTube channel, Sergio and Rhoda in Israel, states that they lived in the U.S. for 7 years before returning to Israel.
From what I gather, they are Christians and have taken interest in providing travel tips for Israel. They also provide information on many of the sites you will visit on a tour of the Holy Land.
I’m recommending their site because they are really good at providing visuals of tourist sites. Sergio is a drone enthusiast and gets a lot of fantastic aerial video.
At this time I do not have the money or capability to provide you with the visuals that they have been able to get. Hence the reason I’m sending you to their channel. If you are thinking about or have already booked your tour, their videos are a great way to familiarize yourself with what will soon be your surroundings.
Here’s a sample of their work.
