Your Host
The day has arrived and we depart CVG on an overnight journey to Israel.
Today we arrive at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. Upon arrival we will be met by our guide. Time permitting, we visist the ancient town of Jaffa where Peter had his vision on the roof top of Simon the Tanner.
Overnight Tel Aviv area. Daniel Herzliya or similar. D.
Today we travel towards Caesarea Maritima (entrance included), 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 convert to Christianity, and on the travels of Paul — those events that led Caesarea Maritima to become the springboard of Christianity to the West. We continue to Mount Carmel (entrance 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 before traveling on to Nazareth where we 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. We visit Nazareth Village, a re-creation of life in Nazareth in the 1st Century A.D. We depart to Sea of Galilee passing Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle.
Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Ron Beach or similar. B, L, D.
This morning we visit the ancient boat museum containing a recently-discovered 2000-year-old fishing boat (entrance included). We then sail on the Sea of Galilee on a replica of that boat (included). Afterwards, we drive to Magdala (entrance included) the hometown of Miriam Magdalena. We visit the Mt. of Beatitudes and discuss the Sermon on the Mount before moving on to Capernaum (entrance 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. Our last stop of the day will be to the Jordan River where you will get a chance to renew baptismal vows before we return to our hotel.
Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Ron Beach or similar. B, L, D.
We leave the area of Galilee, following the Jordan Valley Road to Beth Shean (entrance included), 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 traveling south to Bet Arabah where John the Baptist was baptizing on the Jordan River. We visit the Tel of Jericho (entrance included) with its ancient ruins, pointing out what possibly could be the foundations of the ramparts that Joshua and the Israelites brought down.
Overnight Jerusalem. Grand Court or similar. B, L, D.
We begin our day at 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 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. This afternoon we visit Qumran (entrance included), 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. You will also be able to experience floating in the Dead Sea (entrance included; weather permitting).
Overnight Jerusalem. Grand Court or similar. B, L, D.
We begin our day with a panoramic view 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. We will then visit the Southern Wall excavations (entrance included) 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 then travel to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. 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 some of the events of the Book of Ruth. We travel to the Church of the Nativity and view the actual place where, according to ancient tradition, Our Lord was born.
Overnight in Jerusalem. Grand Court or similar. B, L, D.
We begin our day with a visit to the City of David (entrance included) where we will visit the Pool of Siloam. Then we enter the Old City and visit the Western Wall, a section of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, and Judaism’s holiest site. (Please note that the Temple Mount will likely not be accessible on these dates due to Ramadan. If something changes and it become possible to ascend the Temple Mount on these dates, we will do so). We move on to visit St Anne’s church (entrance included) and the nearby Pools of Bethesda where the healing at the pool took place. This afternoon we travel to the Israel Museum (entrance included), where we 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 pay special attention to those items that relate to Bible history.
Overnight in Jerusalem. Grand Court or similar. B, L, D.
We begin our day with a visit to the Upper Room, the traditional place of the Last Supper followed by a visit to nearby location of the home of the High Priest, Caiaphas (entrance included). We visit the Antonia Fortress (entrance included), where Jesus was condemned to die by Pontius Pilate. We walk the Via Dolorosa, and visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We visit the Garden Tomb (entrance included), where we worship together and celebrate communion. The balance 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. Grand Court or similar. B, L, D.
Your flight home may depart either the previous night or today. If today and time allows, breakfast is included today. Either way, today we arrive back at CVG.