Take a Drive to the Mount of Olives
Tour members meet at the airport for flights to Israel. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the on-board entertainment to prepare for this exciting adventure of a lifetime. Consider: Why does God want you to go to Israel? What do you need to learn from God on this trip? In Tel Aviv, we proceed through customs, security and meet our guide who assists us to our motor coach. We drive to the Mount of Olives for a quick view of the Kidron Valley, the Temple Mount and Jerusalem. We continue to our hotel for dinner and several nights in Jerusalem. We begin our day at the Israel Museum to see the fascinating 1:50 scale model of Jerusalem as it would have appeared in Jesus’ time. Next, we worship on the beautiful Mt. of Olives and behold the breathtaking panorama of the Holy City. Our pilgrimage will proceed down the Old Palm Sunday Road to the Garden of Gethsemane with its ancient olive grove, and the Church of Agony, where tradition holds that Jesus prayed. We walk to and pray at the holiest site in the whole Jewish world: the Western (Wailing) Wall of Herod’s temple. We make our way to St. Stephen’s Gate and walk the Via Dolorosa, including St. Anne’s Crusader Church, Pools of Bethesda, the Pavement (where Jesus stood while being tried by Pilate), Ecce Homo Arch, and the ancient Cardo. We continue to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Dinner and overnight are at our Jerusalem hotel. After breakfast, we drive to the Wilderness. The road from Jerusalem to the Dead Sea is a decent of 4,000 feet in 13 miles. Our first stop will be at Masada, where we take a cable car up to the fortress built by King Herod. Here we survey the ruins of fortifications, waterworks, the synagogue, temples, and palaces. Next, we drive to Ein Gedi where David hid from King Saul. A short drive takes us to Qumran and the settlement of the first century sect known as the Essenes, authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Afterwards, we continue to the Dead Sea (the lowest spot on earth) where we will stop for a short swim. Dinner and overnight are at our Jerusalem hotel.
Visit the Israel Museum
Our day begins with a visit to Bethlehem. We pass by Rachel’s Tomb, then visit the Church of the Nativity and Shepherds’ Field. We drive to Beit Shean, one of the best-preserved Decapolis Roman cities, where the bodies of King Saul and his sons were hung by the Philistines on the city walls (1 Samuel 31:8-12). Here we visit the ruins of the Roman Theatre, the main street, and the bathhouse. Next, we see the Herodium. This “palace-fortress” built by King Herod (Matt. 2) is located on the edge of the Judean Desert, where he would be eventually buried. Afterwards, we drive through Bethany back to Jerusalem to visit and stand on the 35-acre Temple Mount purchased by King David (2 Samuel 24:18-25). On this site now stands Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock (the third holiest shrine in Islam). Afterwards, we stand on the Southern Steps – the original steps that Jesus walked on as He entered the Temple area. Dinner and overnight are at our Jerusalem hotel. This morning we visit the ancient City of David, an incredible archaeological find. We take a short walk to Hezekiah’s Tunnel (conditions permitting). Bring a flashlight and water shoes to walk through the wet tunnel OR stay dry and walk through Hezekiah’s Shaft. Next, we have a quick visit to the newly excavated Pool of Siloam, followed by the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, then the Upper Room. We return to the Israel Museum, this time to see the Shrine of the Book Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, followed by a visit to Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center. We end our day with worship and communion at Golgotha & the Garden Tomb. Dinner and overnight are at our Jerusalem hotel. After breakfast and check out of the hotel, we drive north to Gideon Springs where the chosen 300 drank, and we’ll read from Judges 7. We are reminded that any minority with God is an overwhelming majority. Next, we visit Nazareth Village, an authentic first-century farm and archaeologically accurate re-creation of the hometown of Jesus. After lunch, we drive by the Church of the Annunciation (Luke 1 & 2) and stop in Cana, where anyone who wants to may renew their wedding vows. We continue to Tiberias for dinner and overnight on the Sea of Galilee.
Worship and Reflect at the Mt. of Beatitudes
There is nothing like watching a sunrise on the Sea of Galilee from our hotel. After breakfast, we travel north to the Mt. of Beatitudes (Matthew 5-7), with time for reflection and worship. We visit Capernaum, Jesus’ home base for His early ministry, miracles, and home of Peter. At Tabgha, we visit the Church of St. Peter’s Primacy & the Church of the Multiplication of Loaves & Fish, to reflect on the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. Next, we board a modern day wooden “Jesus Boat” for our sailing on the Sea of Galilee. After that, we visit to the new Magdala archaeological site, which is rich in cultural history for both Jews and Christians. We finish our day with baptisms in the Jordan River. Dinner and overnight are at our hotel in Tiberias. On the way to the airport, we drive through the famous Jezreel Valley where the Battle of Armageddon will occur and visit ancient Megiddo (Armageddon, Rev. 16:16). At Caesarea Maritima, we see the ancient Roman aqueduct, Roman theater and the Crusader ruins. This is where the first Gentile, Cornelius, became a Christian (Acts 10). It was also where St. Paul defended himself in front Felix (Acts 23:23) and was imprisoned for two years before he sailed to Rome. At the end of the day, we transfer from Tel Aviv to Ben Gurion Airport for our flight home. While we await our flight, dinner (not included) is at our own leisure in our terminal. We arrive home today at the close of an unforgettable journey through the Holy Land.