Your journey begins as you depart the USA on an overnight flight.

You will be welcomed at the Tel Aviv airport by our representative and transferred to your hotel to enjoy dinner before retiring for the night.

Visit Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee, and visit the synagogue built on the site where Jesus taught (Matthew 4:13, 23). On the Mount of Beatitudes, contemplate the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matthew 5-7). Explore the Church of the Loaves and Fish at Tabgha, the traditional site of the feeding of the 5,000 (Luke 9:10-17). See the Chapel of the Primacy, where Peter professed his devotion three times to the risen Christ (John 21). After enjoying a fish lunch, have a time of worship and reflection on a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Recall Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist at the Yardenit Baptismal site at the Jordan River.

Today, we will visit the 2,000-year-old ruins of Caesarea Maritima, a center of the early Christians where an angel visited Cornelius, the first Gentile believer (Acts 10), and where Paul was imprisoned for two years before appealing to Caesar. Look out over Tel Megiddo (Armageddon) to view one of the most important archaeological sites in Israel. See Mount Precipice at Nazareth, the cliff from which they attempted to throw Jesus to his death (Luke 4:29-30). Drive through Cana of Galilee, where the Lord turned the water into wine (John 2). Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Today, we leave the Galilee and begin our journey up to Jerusalem. Visit Harod Spring (Gideon’s Spring), the site where the Lord showed Gideon whom he should choose for his army of 300 to fight the Midianites (Judges 7). We will also stop at Beth Shean, one of the ten cities of the Decapolis and where the bodies of Saul and his sons were hung from the city walls after the defeat on Mount Gilboa (1 Samuel 31). We will drive past the outskirts of Jericho, the site of the city conquered by Joshua (Joshua 6:1, 2, 20). In the distance, we will see the traditional site of the Temptation of Jesus (Matthew 4:1-11). Ascend the hills of the Judean Wilderness on our way up to the city of Jerusalem, where we will take a moment to view and reflect on its history before checking into our hotel for dinner and a good night’s sleep.

Begin our day with a group picture taken on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9-12). Pray in the Garden of Gethsemane and envision the scenes of the night before Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 26:36-44). Continue to Mount Zion to visit the House of the High Priest Caiaphas, where Jesus was questioned on the night of His betrayal (Matthew 26:57). Meditate on the events of the Last Supper as you visit the traditional location of the Upper Room (Mark 14:12-26). In Bethlehem, visit the cave revered as Jesus’ birthplace and see the Church of the Nativity constructed over the site (Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 2:1-7). Gaze out over Shepherds’ Field before returning to Jerusalem.

Walk the Cardo, the ancient main street of the Old City. Explore ancient Jerusalem. Sit on the Teaching Steps, where Jesus taught, and pray at the Western Wall, part of the Second Jewish Temple still standing from Jesus’ day. View the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus performed the Sabbath miracle (John 5:1-18). Located just inside the Lion’s Gate, visit the Church of St. Anne, the traditional birthplace of Mary, the mother of Jesus. Visit Herod’s Antonia Fortress, where Jesus appeared before Pontius Pilate (Luke 23:1), and follow in Christ’s steps on the Via Dolorosa (“the Way of the Cross”). At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a possible location of Calvary, take time to reflect on His sacrificial love.

Today, you have free time to relax and explore on your own, or you may choose to visit Masada and the Dead Sea (additional charge). Ascend by cable car to Masada, Herod’s legendary mountaintop fortress, which became the last desperate stronghold of the Jewish rebellion against the Romans. You can still look down on the remains of the Roman camps and the siege ramp below. End your day with a dip in the salt and mineral-laden waters of the Dead Sea. Continue to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were first discovered in 1947 by Bedouin goat herders. Over the next nine years, over 900 ancient scrolls would be found in this network of ten caves.

Travel to Ein Karem, birthplace of John the Baptist and where Mary visited Elizabeth (Luke 1:26-40). Explore the poignant exhibits of Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial. At the Garden Tomb, share communion together and experience the reality of Christ’s resurrection (John 20)! Return to your hotel for dinner and relaxation before your late-night transfer to the airport to begin your journey home.

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