Group Leader
Today we board a private motorcoach, which takes us from Coastal Life Church to Miami International Airport (MIA). Once at MIA we begin our overnight journey to Israel.
Today we arrive in Israel at Tel-Aviv Ben Gurion Airport. Here we meet our guide and are taken by motorcoach to the Tel Aviv area. 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. B, 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 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 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 the Sea of Galilee area passing Cana of Galilee where Jesus preformed his first miracle. Overnight Sea of Galilee area. B, D.
We will visit the ancient boat museum containing a recently-discovered 2000-year-old fishing boat (entrance included). We will then sail on the Sea of Galilee on a replica of that boat (included). Afterwards, we will drive to Magdala (entrance included) the hometown of Miriam Magdalena. Then we will visit Mt. of Beatitudes and discuss the sermon on the Mount before heading to Capernaum (entrance included), Jesus Galilean ministry base. We drive to Tabgha and see the Primacy of Peter where Jesus appeared to the disciples 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 be baptized. Overnight Sea of Galilee area. B, D.
We leave the area of Galilee, following the Jordan Valley Road to Beit 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. This afternoon we visit Qumran (entrance included), 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. Overnight Jerusalem. B, D.
We begin our day by entering the Old City and visiting the Western Wall, a section of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, and Judaisms holiest site. We will ascend the Temple Mount, discussing its connection to both the Old and New Testaments. We move on to visit St Annes church (entrance included) the nearby Pools of Bethesda where the healing at the pool took place. We will walk the Via Dolorosa, the traditional path that Jesus walked from the Antonia Fortress to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. 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 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. B, D.
We begin our day by 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 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 places and where many of the psalms were written by David. In the afternoon free time will be given at one of the Dead Sea beaches. Overnight Jerusalem. B, 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 will 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 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 will travel to the Church of the Nativity and view what is according to ancient tradition the actual place where Our Lord was born. Overnight Jerusalem. B, 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 Garden Tomb (entrance included), 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 tomorrow. If an overnight is needed, overnight Jerusalem. B, 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 MIA, and our private coach brings us back to CLC.