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The day has arrived and we begin our overnight journey from DFW to Israel.
Today we are arrive in Israel at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. If time allows we will visit Jaffa, where Peter had his vision on the rooftop of Simon the Tanner.
Overnight Tel Aviv area. D.
This morning 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 travelling on 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 (entrance included), a re-creation of life in 1st Century Nazareth. We depart to Sea of Galilee passing Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle.
Overnight Sea of Galilee area. Golan or similar. B, D.
After a buffet breakfast, we visit the ancient boat museum containing a discovered 2000-year-old fishing boat on the shore of Sea of Galilee (entrance included). We will 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. Golan or similar. B, D.
This morning 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. Leonardo or similar. 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 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. After lunch 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. Leonardo or similar. B, D.
This morning we enjoy an orientation to the Holy City from the Mount of Olives, from where we point 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 visit the Southern Wall excavations (entrance included) where ruins of the retaining walls of the Temple Mount are still visible. We gather at the teaching steps, the main entrance to the Temple where Rabbis met and taught their disciples. 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, according to ancient tradition, Our Lord was born.
Overnight in Jerusalem. Leonardo or similar. B, 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 St Anne’s Church (entrance included) and a visit to nearby Pools of Bethesda where the healing at the pool took place. This afternoon we travel to the Israel Museum (entrance included), 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 to 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. Leonardo or similar. B, D.
This morning we visit 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 (entrance included). We then visit the Antonia Fortress (entrance Included), where Jesus was condemned to death 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. We then visit the Garden Tomb, the other proposed site. At the Garden Tomb 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 next day. If an overnight is required, overnight Jerusalem. Leonardo or similar. B, D.
Your flight home may depart either the previous night or today. If today and time allows, breakfast is included. Either way, today we arrive back at DFW.