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The day has arrived, and we begin our overnight journey from SDF to 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.
Overnight Tel Aviv area. Daniel Herzliya 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 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. Then we visit Nazareth Village, a re-creation of life in Nazareth during the time of Jesus. Time permitting, we will also visit the Church of the Annunciation. We depart to Sea of Galilee passing Cana of Galilee where Jesus preformed his first miracle.
Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Golan or similar. B, L, D.
After a buffet breakfast, we will visit the ancient boat museum containing a recently-discovered 2000-year-old fishing boat. We will then sail on the Sea of Galilee on a replica of that boat. We visit the Mt. of Beatitudes and discuss the Sermon on the Mount before moving on to visit 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.
Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Golan or similar. B, L, D.
This morning 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 continue traveling south to Bet Arabah where John the Baptist was baptizing on the Jordan River. We 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. We will proceed to Jerusalem, passing Wadi Qelt, which some believe should be identified with the “valley of the shadow of death.”
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 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 pay special attention to those items that relate to Bible history. Afterwards 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 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, accoring to ancient tradition, Our Lord was born.
Overnight Jerusalem. Leonardo or similar. B, L, D.
We begin our day driving to Masada, 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 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. Lunch Included. This afternoon we visit Qumran, 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.
Overnight Jerusalem. Leonardo or similar. B, L, D.
We begin our day with a visit to the City of David where we will visit the Pool of Siloam. Then entering the Old City and 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 the nearby Pools of Bethesda where the healing at the pool took place. We then visit the Southern Wall excavations where ruins of the retaining walls of the Temple Mount are still visible. We will gather at the teaching steps, the main entrance to the Temple where Rabbis met and taught their disciples.
Overnight Jerusalem. Leonardo or similar. B, L, D.
This morning we 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. We visit the Antonia Fortress, where Jesus was condemned to die by Pontius Pilate. We walk the Via Dolorosa, and visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is one of two proposed sites for the crucifixion, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. After lunch we visit the Garden Tomb, the other proposed site, where we will worship together and celebrate the Lord’s Supper. The balance of the day will be spent at leisure in Jerusalem. Your flight home may depart either late tonight or the next day.
If the next day and an overnight is required, 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 today. Either way, today we arrive back at SDF.