We meet today at the airport for our flight to Tel Aviv, Israel.

We arrive at the Ben Gurion Airport and are met by our Israeli guide and driver. We spend our first night in Tel Aviv along the Mediterranean Sea with dinner and overnight at our hotel.Day 2: Arrive in Israel.

We start by traveling to Caesarea Maritima (Acts 10), then venture to Megiddo and Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 18). If time allows, we’ll visit a Druze Village for lunch (not included). Afterwards, we continue to Nazareth (Jesus’ childhood home), then Cana (Jesus’ first miracle - John 2), concluding our day atop Mt. Precipice. Dinner and overnight in Tiberias near the Sea of Galilee.

Following breakfast, we drive to Wadi Zoar, ancient ruins of ‘Sodom and Gomora’. Next, we drive north along the Dead Sea to Ein Gedi, where we relive the story of David hiding in a cave from King Saul (1 Samuel 24). We have a chance to hike into the valley, enjoying the waterfalls as well as soaking our feet in the cool waters. We continue and drive via the Jordan Valley to the Sea of Galilee for dinner and overnight.

We begin the day by hiking up Mt. Berenice and visit the palace of Herod Antipas (Hall of the Dance of the 7 Veils). Capernaum is next, the home center of ministry for Jesus in Galilee. Here, we read from the Gospels about the many things that took place here (Mark 1,2, 9; Luke 7; & John 6) in the 4th-5th century synagogue. In midafternoon, we enjoy a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, with a quiet and peaceful worship service together. We recall the storm narratives (Mark 4 & 6). Upon landing, we also see the “Jesus boat” from the first century, a vessel found here along the shores of Galilee in 1986. We end the day on the Mt. Of Beatitudes. Here, we will sit on the rocks and listen to the reading of Matthew 5. An option will be given to walk down to the water’s edge. Our next site is Beth Shean, a massive Roman city. In the days of the Old Testament, this is also where the body of Saul was hung on the city walls (1 Samuel 31). In the Roman city, we will see bathhouses, mosaics, pillars, the marketplace, and the theater. We return to the hotel for dinner and a free evening.

We begin the day by driving to Nimrod’s Fortress National Park (Qal’at Namrud), which is situated on Mount Hermon’s slopes overlooking the Hula valley and boasts a large and relatively intact 13th century fortress. Enjoy the view of Mt. Hermon (Psalm 133). Enjoy the spectacular view of the region! An option will be given to hike back down the trail to Caesarea Philippi. It was here where Jesus asked His disciples, “Who do you say I am?” (Matthew 16). Nearby is the amazing nature preserve and archaeological site of Dan. We walk through this quiet national park and impressive Old Testament city and hear the stories of disobedience that took place here (Judges 18, 1 Kings 12). On our way back and if time allows, we will visit the border with Lebanon. We drive back to our hotel in Tiberias. After dinner, we again meet together to review the day.

This morning, we head towards the Lower Galilee. Our first stop is Sepporis. This was the largest city in the Lower Galilee during the days of Jesus. Here, we will see impressive mosaics, including the Mona Lisa of the Galilee. Next, we travel towards Nazareth. We view the city in which Jesus grew up from the “precipice.” Here, we enjoy our first full view of the Jezreel Valley. We will talk about Mt. Tabor (Judges 4-5) and the Hill of Moreh (Judges 6-7) among other stories form the OT. We continue into the Jezreel Valley to Megiddo (Har Megiddo in Hebrew), which gave its name to Armageddon (Revelation 16). We see some of the many ruins here, including gate structures, storage rooms, a sacrificial altar, a grain silo, and the water system. Our last site is Caesarea Maritima, to view part of the city initially built by Herod the Great. We visit the theater, palace area, and aqueduct. From here, we drive to Jerusalem. After checking in to the hotel and later dinner, we enjoy an “orientation walk” to the Western Wall within the Old City.

We begin today on the beautiful Mt. of Olives to behold the famous, breathtaking panorama of the Holy City. Our pilgrimage proceeds down the Old Palm Sunday Road to the ancient olive grove at the Garden of Gethsemane. Then, we continue to the Church of the Agony (Church of All Nations) where tradition says Jesus prayed before his arrest. We enter Jerusalem through the Zion Gate and proceed to the Western (Wailing) Wall, the holiest site in Judaism. We continue to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and then conclude our day with a short walk to the original steps that Jesus climbed as he entered the Temple area. We finish off our sightseeing with a visit to Bethlehem as we pass by Rachel’s tomb on the outskirts and then visit the Church of the Nativity and Shepherds’ Field. We have dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

After breakfast, we begin our sightseeing by driving southeast to Herodium. This was one of Herod the Great’s palace-fortresses. The view from the top of this site of Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Tekoa, the Judean Desert, and on a clear day the Dead Sea will be amazing! Herodium is where Herod was buried. Next, we drive to the City of David and then go on a short walk to Hezekiah’s Tunnel to walk the dry shaft. Then we visit the newly excavated Pool of Siloam and the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu. We will view the Temple Mount, which is the 35-acre temple area purchased by King David (2 Samuel 24:18-25). On this site now stands El-Aksa Mosque and the magnificent Dome of the Rock (the third holiest shrine in Islam). We end our day in worship at Golgotha and the Garden Tomb. Dinner and overnight are in Jerusalem.

In the morning, we have leisure time in Jerusalem. Then we visit the Shrine of the Book Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls and the fascinating 1:50 scale model of Jerusalem as it would have appeared in Jesus’ time. Depart the city of Jerusalem early afternoon for the Elah Valley to see the brook where David slew Goliath. From here, we return to Jerusalem for our Farewell Dinner and last overnight.

Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for our flight home. We arrive back in the States. Praise be to God for a life-changing experience!