A Unique and Thorough Book for Studying at Home and Traveling Abroad to the Holy Land

The Christian Traveler's Guide to the Holy Land 

by Charles Dyer and Gregory Hatteberg
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Some day I hope to see the Holy Land.  I don't wish to wait until the Lord returns but hope to experience it on this side of eternity. This book is the right kind of resource for such a trip.  

It is a unique book that will aid one's trip to Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey and even Greece.  Travel safety guidelines are included, from the obvious preparations for tightened airport security in the region to easing one's mind to the odds of a terrorist attack on you and your group while in the region. 

Tips for travelers on what to wear, aided by a temperature and climate guide for key months of travel can be found in its pages.  These are specified to each place/country of interest.  Added to these are advice on overcoming jet lag and a guide for the mobile-impaired.  

If the reader hasn't yet obtained a U.S. passport, there is guidance provided.  The volume tells where to get one, whether in person or even online. The steps in the process are given, including what is needed to verify one's identity.  

Something unexpected in this travel guide is a biblical background study.  There is a four week suggested Bible reading program and prayer guide.  A supplemental study seeks to prepare travelers spiritually for the trip.  

The book has historical data on places and times.  For example, for Egypt, there's a section on the gods of Egypt.  For Turkey, there is a guide to Asia Minor's history. 

Helpful charts, pictures and maps review Israel's history, the allocation of the 12 tribes in the land, the Herods of the Bible and a comparison of biblical periods with their correlating archaeological periods.  For example, the Patriarchal Period is identified as the Middle Bronze Age.  The United Kingdom is correlated to the Iron Age.  

Key cities and villages from the Bible are highlighted.  This makes a fantastic study resource whether in the land or at home in a private or group study.  For instance, Bethel's section shows how the village appears in Scripture from Genesis to Nehemiah, through the Patriarchal Period and the conquest of the land through the judges, the kingdom division and the return as recorded in Ezra and Nehemiah.  

Whether you are going to the Holy Land soon, interested in doing so at some point in the future, or even if you think that it will never happen, this book is for you.  As you can see from my review, there are all kinds of uses for it.  It will aid your Bible study, give you insights and hopefully inspire and strengthen your faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of Creation, our Redeemer and Sovereign.  

This book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review by Moody Publishers.