Group Leader
Horizon Christian Fellowship
Worship Leaders
Today we board our coach bus at Calvary Chapel City and drive to Miami International Airport (MIA). Upon arrival at MIA we check in for our flight and begin our overnight journey to Israel.
We arrive in Israel at Tel Avivs Ben Gurion Airport. We meet our guide and board our coach bus. Time permitting, we visit Joppa, where Peter had his vision on the roof top on the house of Simon the Tanner. We transfer to our hotel and spend the remainder of the day at leisure. You may choose to take time to rest up or to explore the local area. We will gather together for dinner this evening. Overnight Tel Aviv Area.
This morning we drive north to Caesarea Maritima. Acts 10 tells us that the Gentile Cornelius received a vision at Caesarea, which prompted him to send for the Apostle Peter, who then came to Caesarea and preached the Gospel to Cornelius and those assembled at his house. All those who heard the message received the Holy Spirit! In Caesarea, we visit the Roman Amphitheatre, hippodrome, and an ancient aqueduct. Then we head to the Jezreel Valley, to Megiddo, the Armageddon Battlefield of Revelation 16. We drive through the area of Cana and Nazareth the hometown of Jesus. In Nazareth we visit Nazareth Village, which is a recreation of Nazareth during biblical times. We enjoy lunch here before traveling on to the Sea of Galilee area. En route we pass Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle. We will have dinner and spend the night in the Sea of Galilee area. B, L, D.
We begin our day at the Mount of Beatitudes, a potential site for Jesus Sermon on the Mount. We visit Capernaum, where we see the remains of the village, including the home of Peter. We enjoy a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee before making our way to Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene, which also boasts the remains of a First Century synagogue. We conclude the day at the Yardenit Baptismal site on the Jordan River, where there will be an opportunity to be baptized. (Please note that Yardenit charges approximately $15 to rent baptismal gowns and for access to changing rooms). Overnight Sea of Galilee area. B, L, D.
This morning we travel to the Golan Heights, an area which was captured by Israel from Syria during the Six Days War. We visit Caesarea Philippi, where Peter made his famous confession, recorded in Matthew 16, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. We visit nearby Tel Dan, which is the site of headwaters of the Jordan River, as well as the site of an ancient city with important biblical connections. Today we will drive by Nimrods Castle (crusade-era) as well as Mount Hermon, which marked the northern boundary of the Promised Land conquered by Joshua. Overnight Sea of Galilee area. B, D.
This morning we leave the Sea of Galilee area heading south. We stop to visit Beth Shean, or Scythopolis as it was called by the Romans. 1 Samuel 31 tells us that King Saul was defeated by the Philistines and died on nearby Mount Gilboa. When the Philistines found Sauls 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 at Matthew 4:25, Mark 5:20, and Mark 7:31. We move on to Gideons Spring, where Gideon chose 300 men for battle. Driving to the south, we come to Qasr al Yahud on the Jordan River, the area where the Israelites entered the Promised Land and where Jesus was baptized. We proceed to the Dead Sea, where the remainder of the day is spent at leisure. Overnight at the Dead Sea. B, L (prepacked), D.
After a buffet breakfast, 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 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 En 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 that the Essenes, the group of Jews who wrote the scrolls, lived. Overnight Jerusalem. B, L (prepacked), D.
This morning we ascend the Temple Mount, where the Jewish Temple once stood. We visit St. Annes, a well persevered crusader-era church that is noteworthy for its acoustics. We see the nearby Pool of Bethesda, where, John 5 recounts, Jesus healed a disabled man. Then its on to the Mount of Olives where we take in an incredible view of Jerusalem, Mount Moriah, and the Dome of the Rock. We walk along the Palm Sunday Road, stopping at Dominus Flevit, where Jesus wept over the city. We visit the Garden of Gethsemane, where amid 2,000 year old olive trees we see the rock of agony where Jesus, according to tradition, prayed. We visit the Southern Steps, where we walk on the very stones walked upon by Jesus as he made his way to the temple. At the City of David we visit Jeremiahs Cistern, Hezekiahs Tunnel, and the Pool of Siloam. We also experience the Western Wall tunnels. Overnight Jerusalem. B, D.
This morning we visit Yad Vashem, Israels Holocaust Museum, along with the Israel Museum where we see an impressive model of Jerusalem during the Second Temple period. We travel to the Elah Valley, the site of Davids confrontation with Goliath. We visit Beth Shemesh and Philistine Country before making our way to the Shepherds Fields, where the birth of Jesus was announced to the shepherds and where events from the book of Ruth took place. We take in a view of Bethlehem before returning to Jerusalem. Overnight Jerusalem. B, D.
We visit Mount Zion, including the Cenacle, the traditional sight of the Last Supper, King Davids Tomb, and Gallicantu, where Peter is believed to have denied Christ three times. We visit Jerusalems Jewish Quarter, including the Herodian Mansion. We see the Western Wall, the a portion of the Temples Western retaining Wall, as well as the Antonia Fortress, which had been identified as the site of Jesus trial. We walk the traditional Via Dolorosa toward the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, before seeing Calvary and visiting the Garden Tomb, where we share communion together. Your flight home may depart either tonight or tomorrow. If tomorrow, overnight Jerusalem. B, D.
Your flight home may depart either the previous night or today. If today and time allows, breakfast is included today. Today we arrive back at MIA, and are taken by coach back to Calvary Chapel Palm City.