Duration: 10 Days
Dates: March 14, 2023 to March 23, 2023
Departure City: Atlanta, Georgia (ATL)

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Detailed Itinerary

Tue (14 MAR) - Day 1: Departure to Tel Aviv
Today, we board our international flight to Tel Aviv.

Wed (15 MAR) – Day 2: Arrival Tel Aviv
Welcome to Israel! We will arrive in Ben Gurion Airport where we meet our local guide and transfer. Check into our Hotel in Herzliya. Dinner and overnight. (D)

Thu (16 MAR) – Day 3: Caesarea – Muhraqa – Megiddo – Nazareth – Cana – Tiberias
After a buffet breakfast, we start our day at Caesarea Maritima (entrance 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 converts 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 (entrance 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 then travel to Megiddo (entrance included) 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 travel 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 visit Cana, where you will get a chance to renew your wedding vows. We check into our hotel on the Sea of Galilee for the next two nights and enjoy another dinner together. (B, D)

Fri (17 MAR) – Day 4: Caesarea Philippi – Mt. Beatitudes – Capernaum – Magdala – Boat Ride & Museum – Yardenit 
After Breakfast, we will drive to Caesarea Philippi (entrance included) where we will visit the ruins of the pagan altars and consider the confession of Peter in Matthew 16 (“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” We will have our lunch break where you will have the option to try falafel, a typical Middle Easter meal on your own. We will drive further north to the border with Syria where we will consider the dramatic conversion and life transformation of Saul of Tarsus: The Apostle Paul. We then proceed to the Mount of Beatitudes and discuss the Sermon on the Mount, finishing the theme that was started earlier that day. you will have the opportunity to try St. Peter’s fish, commonly eaten by people in Jesus’ day on your own. We will then visit Capernaum (entrance included), Jesus’ Galilean ministry base. There we will We then visit the ancient boat museum (Entrance included), containing a recently discovered 2000-year-old fishing boat. We will then sail (included) on the Sea of Galilee on a replica of that boat before we end our day at Yardenit, the baptismal site on the Jordan River. We return to our hotel. Dinner included. (B, D)

Sat (18 MAR) – Day 5: Beit Shean –Tel Jericho – Dead Sea
After a buffet breakfast, 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. Jericho will be our next stop, where we will 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. We then travel to our hotel at the Dead Sea where you can enjoy the facilities along with the beach for the day. Dinner and overnight at the Dead Sea (B, D).

Sun (19 MAR) – Day 6: Ein Gedi – Qumran – Bethany – Jerusalem
After a buffet breakfast, we begin our day visiting 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. 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 that the Essenes, the group of Jews who wrote the scrolls, lived. We will then travel on the Old Roman Road, where we will consider the setting for the Parable of the Good Samaritan. We will stop at Bethany to visit Lazarus tomb (Entrance included). From there we will go up to Jerusalem and have a Genesis Welcome to the Holy City. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B, D)

Mon (20 MAR) – Day 7: Mount of Olives – Valley of Elah – Bethlehem – Shepherds Fields
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 Procession Road past the Garden of Gethsemane, where the passion of Jesus began. We then 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 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 to shop for olive wood and other items. We will then drive through the Valley of Elah where the confrontation between David and Goliath took place. We return to our hotel. Dinner included. (B, D)

Tue (21 MAR) - Day 8: Western Wall Tunnels – Temple Mount – Davidson Centre – St. Anne – Israel Museum
After a buffet breakfast, we begin our day entering the Old City and a visit to the Western Wall, a section of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, and Judaism’s holiest site (entrance to Western Wall Tunnels included). 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 (entrance 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 then visit the Southern Wall excavations (entrance 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. We will then 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 year 66 AD. We will also visit the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are on exhibit, in addition to the archaeological section where many artifacts are displayed, we will play special attention to those items that relate to Bible history. We then return to our hotel. Dinner included. (B, D)

Wed (22 MAR) - Day 9: Mt. Zion – Gethsemane – House of Caiaphas – Judgment Hall – Garden Tomb
After a buffet breakfast, we begin our day on Mount Zion where we will visit the Upper Room, the place of the Last Supper followed by a visit to the home of the High Priest, Caiaphas (entrance included). We will then continue to the Garden of Gethsemani, each of us will be given some personal time in a private section of the Garden followed by the Judgment Hall where Jesus stood before Pilate. We will then walk the Via Dolorosa on to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where Jesus was crucified, buried, and resurrected. We end our day with a visit to the Garden Tomb (entrance included), where we will worship together and celebrate communion. We return to our hotel for our last dinner provided. (B, D)

Thu (23 MAR) - Day 10: Departure
Today we will travel to the airport and return home with unforgettable memories. (B)