Today, you will depart from the USA to Tel Aviv, Israel. Meals served in flight.

Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and be transferred to your hotel for check-in, dinner, and a good night's sleep.

Wander through the Roman Aqueduct and Theatre at Caesarea, a center of the early Christians. Here, Cornelius became the first Gentile convert to the new covenant (Acts 10), and where Paul was imprisoned before being taken to Rome for trial (Acts 23). Travel the ancient caravan route to Tel Megiddo, where 20 different cities lie superimposed upon each other. View Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus (Matthew 2:23) from the Mount of Precipice, where Luke describes how Jesus was rejected by those in the synagogue after He taught them. Filled with anger they “led Him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong” (Luke 4). Check into your hotel in Tiberias, and enjoy dinner and overnight.

Drive along the shores of the Sea of Galilee, Passing the area of Magdala, home of Mary Magdalene. See the remains of the synagogue that stands on the site where Jesus taught. Travel to Capernaum. the center of Jesus's ministry in the Galilee. Recall His teachings and preachings the gospel of the kingdom. (Matt 4). Visit the peaceful Mount of Beatitudes that overlooks the Sea of Galilee. In this area, Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7).  Stop at Tabgha, where the feeding of the 5,000 is remembered at the Church of the Loaves and Fish  (Luke 9). Cross the waters of the Sea of Galilee aboard a Kinneret Sailing Company boat. Along the way, you will enjoy a special on-board worship service.  Disembark at Kibbutz Nof Ginnosar, home of the remains of an ancient 2,000 year old boat that sailed the Kinneret just like we did!. We will end the day with shabbat of a lifetime at the hotel.

We leave the Galilee and travel to Beit Shean, a city continuously inhabited for over 5,000 years.  Here Saul and his sons' bodies were hung from the walls of the city (1 Samuel 31).  The uncovered ruins date back to the Greek / Roman city that was part of the Decapolis of Jesus' day.  See colonnaded streets with marble sidewalks, Roman public baths, and a theater.  Entering the ancient area of Samaria, we stop in Shiloh which housed the ark of the covenant prior to its resting place in the Temple in Jerusalem.  Pass through the Judean Wilderness paralleling the ancient Roman road to view the Valley of the Shadow.  From here, you can see St. George’s Monastery across the gorge.  Visit Bethany, the home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha.  Here Jesus overnighted during His visits to Jerusalem, and it was here that He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11). Check in your hotel in Jerusalem. 

 Stand atop the Mount of Olives as Jesus did and enjoy a remarkable view of the "Golden City" of Jerusalem. Forty days after His resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives (Acts 1).  Enter the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus went to pray after the Last Supper, and was arrested (Matthew 26).  You will also have the opportunity to find ancient treasure from dirt taken from the Temple Mount at the Sifting Project. Cross the border into Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus (Luke 2).  Look out on the Shepherd's Fields, where angels spread the Good News.

 Travel to Qumran, site of the Dead Sea Scroll discovery, to discuss the mysterious community of the Essenes who once lived on the shores of the Dead Sea.Enjoy a visit to Masada, the spectacular mountaintop fortress built by Herod and famous as the last stronghold of the Jewish rebellion against the Romans. Ride the cable car to the top to explore the fortress. Peer down upon the remains of the Roman camps and siege ramp below. On our way to Jerusalem, stop at the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on earth, where those who desire may take a quick dip in the mineral-laden waters.

See the 3,000 year old remains of what was the City of David on the southern slope of the city of Jerusalem.  This leads down to Hezekiah's Tunnel, built by King Hezekiah to provide water to the city in time of seige.  Water from the Spring of Gihon is still flowing in this tunnel today.  Hezekiah's Tunnel was an amazing engineering feat that was dug from either end and met in the middle!  (Note:  Those who are claustrophobic may want to meet the group at the other end of the tunnel!). In this same area, the Pool of Siloam was located - site of the healing of the man born blind as referenced in John 9.  We can walk on the 2,000 year old Southern Steps that lead into the southern entrance of the Temple platform compound.  Many ancient Mikvahs are located at the foot of the steps. See the Temple Mount, once the site of the Temple of Solomon.  Finally, visit the Western Wall and pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Continue to modern Jerusalem and visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and be touched by its poignant images. 

Stand in the Upper Room, revered as the place of the Last Supper (Mark 14). View the site of King David’s Tomb.  Walk through some of the ancient rooms of Caiaphas' the High Priest's house beneath the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu.  Here, it is believed by many, Jesus was held overnight before His crucifixion (Luke 22).  Walk through the Old City and enjoy the preserved, ancient culture found in the narrow streets as well as the modernized Cardo in the Jewish Quarter.  Walk the Via Dolorosa, "the Way of the Cross."  View the Pool of Bethesda (John 5) where Jesus performed the Sabbath miracle. Visit Herod’s Antonia Fortress where Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate (Luke 23).  Take time to reflect on the agony of the cross at Gordon’s Calvary and the exhilaration of the resurrection at the Garden Tomb.  At the end of your time in the Holy Land, we prepare for our return journey to the USA.

Arrive in the USA with a lifetime of memories to cherish.