The day has arrived, and we depart Houston (IAH) on an overnight journey to Israel.

Today we arrive in Israel at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. Time permitting, we will visit the ancient town of Jaffa where Peter had his vision on the roof top of the house of Simon the Tanner. Overnight Tel Aviv area. Daniel Herzliya or similar. D.

Today we travel towards Caesarea Maritima, where we will have a brief visit to this magnificent city with Roman, Byzantine, and Crusader ruins. Here we will elaborate on the story of the baptism of Cornelius, the first gentile convert to Christianity, and on the travels of Paul — those events that led Caesarea Maritima to become a springboard of Christianity to the West. We continue to Mount Carmel and consider the contest between the Prophet Elijah and the false prophets of Baal, discussing the reasons why the Prophet chose that place for the contest, and the lessons we learn from the story. We visit Tel Megiddo, from where we will be able to take in a magnificent view of the Valley of Armageddon. We visit Nazareth where we will climb the Mount of Precipice, the brow of the hill on which the city was built. There we will reflect on the rejection of Jesus by his family and friends in Nazareth. We will depart for the Sea of Galilee area, passing Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle. Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Nof Ginosar or similar. B, D.

After a buffet breakfast, we will visit the ancient boat museum containing a recently-discovered 2000- year-old fishing boat. We will then sail on the Sea of Galilee on a replica of that boat. We visit the Mt. of Beatitudes and discuss the Sermon on the Mount before moving on to Capernaum, Jesus’ Galilean ministry base. Here we will see the ruins of the synagogue and of the house where Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law. At Tabgha we see the Primacy of Peter, where Jesus appeared to the disciples for the third time after the resurrection. We drive to Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene. Our last stop of the day will be to the Jordan River where you will have the opportunity to be baptized in the same river as was Jesus. Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Nof Ginosar or similar. B, D.

This morning we leave the area of Galilee, following the Jordan Valley Road south to Beth Shean, the capital of the Decapolis. There we will see the ruins of the Roman and Byzantine cities. We will also discuss the demise of King Saul and his sons, whose bodies were hanged on the walls of Beth Shean. We continue south until we come to Bet Arabah, where John the Baptist was baptizing on the Jordan River. We visit the Tel of Jericho with its ancient ruins, pointing out what possibly could be the foundations of the ramparts that Joshua and the Israelites brought down. This afternoon we visit Qumran, the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by a Bedouin boy in 1947. There we will see the caves and other buildings where the Essenes, the group of Jews who wrote the scrolls, lived. Overnight Jerusalem. Leonardo Boutique or similar. B, D.

We travel to the Israel Museum, where we will visit the Second Temple Period Model of Jerusalem, a 1:50 scaled model of the city from the 1st century AD, followed by a visit to the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are on exhibit, in addition to the archaeological section where many artifacts are displayed. We will pay special attention to those items that relate to Bible history. We will visit the Shepherds’ Field, where the angels appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of Jesus. These fields are also the setting of some of the events of the Book of Ruth. We enter Bethlehem and visit the Church of the Nativity, where we will see the actual place where, according to ancient tradition, Jesus was born. Overnight Jerusalem. Leonardo Boutique or similar. B, D.

We visit St. Anne’s Church and the nearby Pools of Bethesda where the healing at the pool took place (John 5). We leave Jerusalem and visit Masada, the fortress built by King Herod the Great and made famous by the Zealots in 73/74 AD with their standoff against the Romans. We visit the fortress and see the ruins that are considered a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. We continue to Ein Gedi, the oasis in the desert where the meeting between David and King Saul took place and where many of the psalms were written by David. In the afternoon free time will be given at one of the Dead Sea beaches, and you will have an opportunity to float (conditions permitting). Overnight Jerusalem. Leonardo Boutique or similar. B, D.

After a buffet breakfast we will visit the Temple Mount, discussing its connection to both the Old and New Testaments. We visit the Western Wall, a section of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, and Judaism’s holiest site. We make our way to the Southern Wall Excavations where ruins of the retaining walls of the Temple Mount are still visible. We will then gather at the teaching steps, the main entrance to the Temple where Rabbis met and taught their disciples. We walk the Via Dolorosa, the traditional path that Jesus walked from the Antonia Fortress to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Overnight Jerusalem. Leonardo Boutique or similar. B, D.

After a buffet breakfast, we will begin our day with an orientation over the holy city from the Mount of Olives, pointing out important locations within the Old City, connecting them with Biblical stories and prophecies about the return of Jesus. We will then walk down the Palm Sunday Procession Road to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus agonized on the night before his crucifixion. We continue with a visit to the Upper Room, the traditional place of the Last Supper, followed by a visit to the nearby location of the home of the High Priest, Caiaphas. We will visit the Garden Tomb, where we will worship together and celebrate communion. Whatever remains of the day will be spent at leisure in Jerusalem. Your flight home may depart either tonight or the following day. If the following day and an overnight is required, overnight Jerusalem. Leonardo Boutique or similar. B, D.

Your flight home may depart either the previous night or today. If today and time allows, breakfast is included today. Either way, later today we will arrive back in Houston (IAH).