Duration: 10 Days
Dates: March 9, 2023 to March 18, 2023
Departure City: Dallas, Texas (DFW)

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Detailed Itinerary

Day 1, Thursday (March 09): Depart to Tel Aviv

Day 2, Friday (March 10): USA to TEL AVIV
Arrive in Tel Aviv and board a new, climate-controlled motor coach where our guide will greet us and give us an orientation of the land as we travel towards Jaffa (time permitting). There we will consider the vision of Peter (Acts 10) and start following the sequence of events that lead to the opening of the gates of the early church to Gentiles. As we look at the very place where Jonah ran from the Lord, we will also reflect on our own walk with God. Check into our hotel on the coastal plains of the Mediterranean Sea. Dinner

Day 3, Saturday (March 11): Caesarea Maritima, Mt. Carmel, Fish Lunch, Magdala, Nof Ginnosar (Boat Museum), Boat Ride, Jordan River Baptism, Magdala (time permitting)
After a buffet breakfast, we depart the hotel on route to Caesarea Maritima (included), where we will visit 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 into Christianity (Acts 10), and on the travels of Paul — those events that led Caesarea Maritima to become the springboard of Christianity to the West. We will then continue to Mount Carmel (included) and consider the contest between the Prophet Elijah and the false prophets of Baal (I Kings 18), discussing the reasons why the Prophet chose that place for the contest, and the lessons we learn from the story. We will then travel to the Sea of Galilee area to have our Saint Peter’s fish lunch, before we visit the ancient boat museum (included), containing a recently discovered 2000-year-old fishing boat and sail on the Sea of Galilee. Time permitting, we will visit Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene before we conclude our day with a visit to the Baptismal site where you can get baptized in the Jordan River. We will then check into our hotel on the Sea of Galilee for dinner and overnight.

Day 4, Sunday (March 12): Mt. of Beatitudes, Tabgha, Tel Dan, Banias Falls, Caesarea Philippi, Tabgha (time permitting)
After a buffet breakfast, we begin our day on the Mount of Beatitudes and discuss the Sermon on the Mount. We will then travel to Tel Dan, where we will discuss the northern end of the Kingdom of Israel. We will then travel to Caesarea Philippi where Peter confessed his faith in Christ, here you will have a chance to walk to the waterfalls. Time permitting, we will return to Tabgha where we will visit the Church of the Multiplication where Jesus multiplied the loaves and the fish, and the Primacy of Peter where He appeared to the disciples the third time after the Resurrection. We will then return to our hotel for dinner and overnight

Day 5, Monday (March 13): Capernaum, Nazareth, Megiddo, Beth Shean, Jericho
After a buffet breakfast, we will start our day in Capernaum (included), Jesus’ Galilean ministry base. There we will see the house of Peter’s mother-in-law, in addition to other ruins of the village. We will stand in the ruins of the ancient synagogue where Jesus was confronted by the demoniac. We will then have a quick visit to Nazareth where we will climb the Mount of Precipice, the brow of the hill on which the city was built (Luke 4). There we will reflect on the rejection of Jesus by his family and friends in Nazareth. In addition to discussing Jesus’ boyhood, we will also consider the life and times of Deborah (Judges 4). We will then continue to Megiddo and explore the Tel that goes back in history to 4000 BC, looking at ruins from the times of King Solomon and King Ahab. 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 continue to Bet 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. Continuing on the Jordan Valley Road, we will pass by Jericho (stopping is time permitting) before we drive up to Jerusalem for a Genesis welcome as we have our first glance of the Holy City.

Day 6, Tuesday (March 14): Masada – Ein Gedi – Qumran - Dead Sea swim
After a buffet breakfast, we begin our day visiting Masada (Entrance and cable car included), 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 for a lookout of Ein Gedi, the oasis in the desert where the meeting between David and King Saul took place (I Samuel 24) and where many of the psalms were written by David. After a self-hosted lunch, we visit Qumran (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 that the Essenes, the group of Jews who wrote the scrolls lived. We will conclude our day with a stop at the Dead Sea where you will have a chance to float in this unique body of water. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B/D)

Day 7, Wednesday (March 15): Mt. of Olives – Southern Wall Excavations – Bethlehem – Jerusalem
After a buffet breakfast, 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 will then walk down the Palm Sunday walk passing by the Garden of Gethsemani. We will then visit the Southern Wall excavations (included) 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. After a self -hosted lunch we then travel to Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus pointing our Shepherds’ Fields where the angels appeared to the shepherds and announced the birth of Our Lord. These fields are also the setting of the Book of Ruth. We will then travel to the Church of the Nativity and view the actual place where Our Lord was born. Time will then be given (one hour) to shop for olive wood and other items. We return to our  hotel. Dinner included. (B/D)

Day 8, Thursday (March 16): Western Wall Tunnels – Temple Mount – St. Anne’s Church and Pool of Bethesda – Israel Museum - Yad Vashem
After a buffet breakfast, we begin our day entering the Old City and a visit to the Western Wall and the Western Wall Tunnels, 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. We will also discuss why it is considered the third holiest site in Islam. Leaving the Temple Mount, we will visit the Church of St. Anne’s (included), a perfectly intact Crusader church. It is a wonderful place to gather and sing a song (sometimes with fellow Christians from all over the world). There, we will also visit the pools of Bethesda where the healing at the pool took place (John 5). We will also visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Jesus’ tomb. After a self-hosted lunch in the Old City, we travel to the Israel Museum (included) where we will visit the Second Temple Period Model of Jerusalem, a 1:50 scaled model of the city from the year 66 AD. We will also 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. We conclude our day with a visit to Yad Vashem (2 hours). We then return to our hotel. Dinner included. (B/D)

Day 9, Friday (March 17): Upper Room – Gethsemane – Caiaphas House – Antonia Fortress – Garden Tomb
After a buffet breakfast, we will visit the Upper Room where Jesus had His Last Supper. We will then visit the Garden of Gethsemani where you will be given some private time in the private garden. We will then walk through the Kidron Valley to pick up our bus and drive to the home of the High Priest, Caiaphas (included) where Jesus was taken after being arrested at the Garden of Gethsemane. We will then walk the Via Dolorosa (The Way of Suffering), the actual path that Jesus walked from the Antonia Fortress (included) to the crucifixion site. We end our day with a visit to the Garden Tomb (included), where we will worship together and celebrate communion. We return to our hotel for our last dinner provided. (B/D)

Day 10, Saturday (March 18): Departure
Travel to the airport. Return home with unforgettable memories, amazing new friends, and a life-changing understanding of the Bible.