Host of The Ben Ferguson Show
The day has arrived and you begin your overnight journey from your local airport to Israel. Flight not included.
Today we arrive in Israel at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. You will make your way from the airport to our first hotel. Transfer not included.
This morning we travel north towards Caesarea Maritima, where we will have a brief visit to the magnificent city with Roman, Byzantine, and Crusader ruins. Here we will elaborate on the story of the baptism of Cornelius, the first gentile converts into Christianity, and on the travels of Paul — those events that led Caesarea Maritima to become the springboard of Christianity to the West. 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. Lunch break on your own. Travel 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 While there overlooking the Armageddon Valley, we will also discuss the reasons why we believe this will be the setting for the final battle between good and evil mentioned in Revelation 16:16. Then we visit Nazareth Village. Depart to Sea of Galilee passing Cana of Galilee where Jesus preformed his first miracle changing water into wine. Afterwards we return to our hotel in Tiberias, dinner and overnight (B, D).
This morning we visit the ancient boat museum containing a recently-discovered 2000-year-old fishing boat. We then sail on the Sea of Galilee on a replica of that boat. We visit the Mount of Beatitudes and discuss the sermon on the Mount before moving on to Capernaum, Jesus’ Galilean ministry base. We continue to Tabgha and see the Primacy of Peter where Jesus appeared to the disciples for the third time after the resurrection. Afterwards, we will drive to Magdala, the hometown of Miriam Magdalena. We return to our hotel. Dinner and overnight (B, D)
After a buffet breakfast, we leave the area of Galilee, following the Jordan Valley Road 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 will then continue traveling south to Bet Arabah where John the Baptist was baptizing on the Jordan River. Lunch on your own at Jericho, then we will 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. Continue to Jerusalem, Check-in at our hotel, dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B, D)
We begin our day driving to Masada (entrance & cable car included); the fortress built by King Herod the Great and made famous by the Zealots in 73/74 AD with the standoff against the Romans. We visit the fortress and see the ruins that are considered a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO. We then continue to Ein Gedi, the oasis in the desert where the meeting between David and King Saul took places and where many of the psalms were written by David. Lunch on your own. This afternoon visits Qumran, 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 that the Essenes, the group of Jews who wrote the scrolls, lived. You will also be able to experience floating in the Dead Sea. Back to the hotel for dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B, D)
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 the passion of Jesus began. Afterwards we travel to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. Lunch break on your own We begin with a visit to the Shepherds fields where the angels appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of Our Lord. These fields are also the setting of the Book of Ruth,. We will then travel to the Church of the Nativity and view the actual place where Our Lord was born. We return to our hotel. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B, D)
After a buffet breakfast, we begin our day with entering the Old City to visit the Western Wall, a section of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, and Judaism’s holiest site. We will ascend the Temple Mount, discussing its connection to both the Old and New Testaments. On to visit St Anne’s church and a visit to nearby Pools of Bethesda where the healing at the pool took place. We will then drive 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 the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are on exhibit, in addition to the archeological section where many artifacts are displayed, we will play special attention to those items that relate to Bible history. We will then visit 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. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B, D)
We begin our day with a visit to the Upper Room, the place of the Last Supper followed by a visit to nearby location of the home of the High Priest, Caiaphas. We then visit the Antonia Fortress, where Jesus was condemned to die by Pontius Pilate. We walk the Via Dolorosa, ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is one of We will visit the Garden Tomb, where we will worship together and celebrate communion. Tonight we will have a farewell dinner which will mark the end of our tour. Your flight home may depart either late tonight or the next day. Flight and overnight not included.
Today you will arrive back home at your local airport.
