Your Host
The day has arrived, and we begin our overnight journey from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Israel.
Today we arrive at Tel Aviv – Ben Gurion Airport, where we meet our guide and driver. 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.
Overnight Tel Aviv area. Daniel or similar. D.
Today we travel 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 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 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 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. We depart to Sea of Galilee passing Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle.
Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Leonardo Club or similar. B, L, D.
After a buffet breakfast, we begin our day visiting the Gospel Triangle and the location where Jesus spent two of his three years of public ministry. We will begin on the Mount of Beatitudes and discuss the Sermon on the Mount; we then visit the Primacy of Peter where Jesus appeared to the disciples for the third time after the resurrection. We visit Capernaum, Jesus’ Galilean ministry base. There we will see the house of Peter’s mother-in-law and the ancient Synagogue, in addition to other ruins of the village. 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. Our last stop of the day will be to the Jordan River where you will get a chance to be baptized.
Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Leonardo Club or similar. B, L, D.
Today we leave the area of Galilee, following the Jordan Valley Road to Beit 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 Beit Shean. We continue traveling south to Bet Arabah where John the Baptist was baptizing on the Jordan River. Jericho will be our next stop, where 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.
Overnight Jerusalem. Leonardo or similar. B, L, 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 walk down the Palm Sunday Procession road to the Garden of Gethsemane, where the passion of Jesus began. We travel to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. We visit 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 take in a view of Bethlehem before returning to Jerusalem.
Overnight Jerusalem. Leonardo or similar. B, L, D.
We visit Masada; 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 place and where many of the psalms were written by David. This afternoon we visit 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 where the Essenes, the group of Jews who wrote the scrolls, lived. You will also be able to experience floating in the Dead Sea (weather permitting).
Overnight Jerusalem. Leonardo or similar. B, L, D.
We begin our day by entering the Old City and with a visit to 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 the nearby Pools of Bethesda where the healing at the pool took place. We will then walk the Via Dolorosa, the traditional path that Jesus walked from the Antonia Fortress to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. We continue 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 visit the City of David, including Hezekiah’s Tunnel and the Pool of Siloam. This afternoon 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 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.
Overnight Jerusalem. Leonardo 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 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. The balance of the day will be spent at leisure. Your flight home may depart either late tonight or the following day.
If an overnight is needed, overnight Jerusalem. Leonardo or similar. B, L, D.
Your flight home may depart either the previous night or today. If today and time allows, breakfast is included. Either way, today you arrive back at LAX.