Your pilgrimage begins as you depart the USA on an overnight flight.

Once you arrive, you will be welcomed at the Tel Aviv airport by our representative and transferred to your hotel to enjoy dinner and overnight.

Journey to Caesarea Philippi, where Peter proclaimed, “You are the Christ” (Matt. 16). Visit the ancient remains of Migdal, home of Mary Magdalene. Close by is the Chapel of the Primacy, where the Lord asked Peter three times if he loved Him after the resurrection. Visit Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee, and visit the synagogue built on the site where Jesus taught (Matt. 4:13, 23). On the Mount of Beatitudes, contemplate the text of the Sermon on the Mount that Jesus preached there (Matt. 5-7). Cross the waters of the Sea of Galilee on a very special boat ride, complete with an onboard worship service.

Visit Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus (Matt. 2:23) and Mount Precipice, where an angry crowd from the synagogue attempted to throw Jesus off a cliff (Luke 5:28-30). Travel the ancient caravan route to Tel Megiddo, an exciting archaeological dig with its layers of twenty different cities built on top of each other. Look out over the Valley of Jezreel from the heights of Mount Carmel, where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). Wander through the Roman aqueduct and theater at Caesarea, a center of early Christianity. Here, Cornelius became the first Gentile convert to the new covenant (Acts 10), and Paul was imprisoned before being taken to Rome for trial (Acts 23). Remember your baptism at the Yardenit Baptismal site, where the Jordan River exits the Sea of Galilee on its journey southward (Matt. 3).

Explore the massive excavations at Beth Shean, a city continuously inhabited for over 5,000 years, including when the Philistines hung the bodies of King Saul and his sons from its walls (1 Sam. 31). Later known as Scythopolis, the ruins of this once-opulent Roman city still impress visitors with its city streets, marble sidewalks, Roman public baths, and theater. Stand atop the Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascended into Heaven 40 days after His resurrection (Acts 1). The Chapel of the Ascension marks the traditional site. Pray in the Garden of Gethsemane and envision the scenes of the night before Jesus’ crucifixion (Matt. 26: 36-44).

This morning, we will look out over Shepherds’ Field, where angels proclaimed the Good News. Meditate on the events of the Last Supper as you visit the traditional location of the Upper Room (Mark 14:12-26). Continue to Mount Zion to visit the House of the High Priest Caiaphas, where some say Jesus was questioned the night of His betrayal (Matt. 26:57). Spend time at the Western or
“Wailing” Wall, a section of Herod’s Temple Mount retaining wall adjacent to the former Holy of Holies. View the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-31), where Jesus performed the Sabbath miracle. Take time to reflect on the agony of the cross at Gordon’s Calvary and the miraculous reality of the resurrection at the Garden Tomb.

Drive south along the Jordan Valley and cross the border at King Hussein Bridge, where you will transfer to your Jordanian bus to meet your driver and guide. We will drive up to the top of Pisgah (Mount Nebo), where Moses viewed the promised land before he died. Travel past Amman, capital of Jordan, on the King’s Highway all the way to Petra, where you will check into your hotel for dinner and a restful night.

The entire morning will be dedicated to the site of the rose-red city of Petra. Originally built by the Nabateans, Petra was hidden away for centuries until it was rediscovered in the early 1800’s. Tombs and temples are carved into the sandstone cliffs, and Petra could well have been a place where the wise men from the east stopped for supplies on their way to visit Joseph, Mary and the young child, Jesus. After our completion of the visit of Petra, we travel the King’s
Highway on the way to the Dead Sea, where we will check into our lovely hotel for dinner and overnight.

Enjoy a free morning at the Dead Sea. Then, we will make our way down to the Jordan River and the Baptismal site where the children of Israel crossed the Jordan, where Elijah and Elisha crossed from Israel into Jordan, and where John baptized the Lord before He began His ministry. Return to the hotel for those who are returning home. For those who chose to enjoy the optional extension, there will be a transfer to the Amman airport for the flight to Egypt.

Take your return flight to the USA. Meals are served in flight.