Israel Expedition

Monday, January 10

Depart the U.S.

The day has arrived and we depart from Los Angeles (LAX) on an overnight journey to Israel.

Tuesday, January 11

Arrive in Israel

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

Dinner included. Overnight Tel Aviv area. Daniel Herzliya or similar.

Wednesday, January 12

Caesarea Maritima, Mount Carmel, Megiddo, Nazareth

Today we travel towards Caesarea Maritima (included), 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 the Gospel’s spread to the West. We continue to Mount Carmel (included) 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 take in a view of the Valley of Armageddon. We make our way to 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 depart for the Sea of Galilee passing Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle.

Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Caesar or similar.

Thursday, January 13

Boat Ride, Boat Museum, Mount of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Tabgha, Peter’s Primacy, Magdala

After a buffet breakfast, we will visit the ancient boat museum containing a recently-discovered 2000-year-old fishing boat (included). We will then sail on the Sea of Galilee on a replica of that boat (included). We visit the Mt. of Beatitudes and discuss the Sermon on the Mount, and Capernaum (included), Jesus’ Galilean ministry base. We drive to Tabgha and see the Primacy of Peter where Jesus appeared to the disciples for the third time after the resurrection. Finally, we visit Magdala (included), the hometown of Mary Magdalene.

Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Caesar or similar.

Friday, January 14

Tel Dan, Banias, Golan Heights

We begin our day at Tel Dan (included), where we walk to the head of the springs that form the main source of the River Jordan. We see the high place of the city, featuring the Israelite 4 horn altar dating back to the time of King Jeroboam I and King Ahab, and the city gates. We proceed to Caesarea Philippi (included), where Peter made his famous confession. As we traverse the rugged terrain of the Golan Heights, we’ll be treated to panoramic views of the landscape, including Paul’s legendary route to Damascus. This region is marked by its tumultuous history and recent conflicts between Israel and Syria.

Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Caesar or similar.

Saturday, January 15

Beth Shean, Bet Arabah, Jericho

This morning we leave the Sea of Galilee area heading south. We stop to visit Beth Shean (included), or Scythopolis as it was called by the Romans. Scripture tells us that King Saul was defeated by the Philistines and died on nearby Mount Gilboa. When the Philistines found Saul’s body, they fastened it to the wall of Beth Shean. Later, during Jesus’ time, Scythopolis was a member of the Decapolis, a group of ten cities sharing Greek culture and government, mentioned in the Gospels. We continue traveling south to Bet Arabah where John the Baptist was baptizing on the Jordan River. We will visit the Tel of Jericho (included) with its ancient ruins, pointing out what possibly could be the foundations of the ramparts that Joshua and the Israelites brought down.

Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Jerusalem. Olive Tree or similar.

Sunday, January 16

Temple Mount, Wailing Wall, Western Wall Tunnels, Bethlehem, Shepherds’ Field

After a buffet breakfast we will ascend the Temple Mount, discussing its connection to both the Old and New Testaments. Visit the Western Wall (Wailing Wall), a section of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, and Judaism’s holiest site. We will also experience the Western Wall Tunnels (included). We travel to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. We begin with a visit to 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 will then travel to the Church of the Nativity and view the actual place where, according to ancient tradition, Jesus was born.

Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Jerusalem. Olive Tree or similar.

Monday, January 17

Masada, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Dead Sea Swim

We begin our day visiting Masada (entrance & cable car included), 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 (lookout / parking included), 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. We visit Qumran (included), the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found by a Bedouin boy back in 1947. There we will see the caves and other buildings where the Essenes, the group of Jews who wrote the scrolls, lived. Finally, you will have the opportunity to experience floating on the Dead Sea (access to the beach included).

Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Jerusalem. Olive Tree or similar.

Tuesday, January 18

Mount of Olives, Upper Room, Jewish Quarter, Davidson Center, Israel Museum

We 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 visit the Upper Room, the traditional place of the Last Supper. We walk through the Jewish Quarter and visit the Southern Wall Excavations (included) where ruins of the retaining walls of the Temple Mount are still visible. We gather at the teaching steps, the main entrance to the Temple where Rabbis met and taught their disciples. We travel to the Israel Museum (included), 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.

Breakfast and dinner included. Overnight Jerusalem. Olive Tree or similar.

Wednesday, January 19

Garden of Gethsemane, Gallicantu, St. Anne’s, Pools of Bethesda, Ecce Homo, Via Dolorosa, Holy Sepulcher, Garden Tomb

This morning we visit the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus agonized on the night before his crucifixion. Then we move on to the home of the High Priest, Caiaphas (included), where we will see a pit where Jesus may have been kept as he awaited his crucifixion. We visit St Anne’s Church (included), from the Crusader-era, as well as the nearby Pools of Bethesda where the healing at the pool took place. We then visit the Antonia Fortress (included), where Jesus was condemned to die by Pontius Pilate. We walk from the Judgement Pavement along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. After lunch, we will visit the Garden Tomb (donation included), where we will worship together and celebrate communion. Your flight home may depart late tonight or the following day. If the following day and an overnight is required, overnight Jerusalem.

Breakfast and dinner included. Olive Tree or similar.

Thursday, January 20

Return Home

Your flight home may depart the previous night or today. If today and time allows, breakfast is included today. Either way, later today we will arrive back in Los Angeles.