Duration: 10 Days 
Dates: June 12, 2023 to June 21, 2023
Departure City: Atlanta, Georgia (ATL)

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Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 - Monday, June 12th: Leave the USA on an international flight to Tel Aviv

Day 2 - Tuesday, June 13th: 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. Check into our hotel on the coastal plains of the Mediterranean Sea. Dinner included.

Day 3 - Wednesday, June 14th: Jaffa - Caesarea Maritima – Mount Carmel – Megiddo – Nazareth – Sea of Galilee
After a buffet breakfast, we depart the hotel on route to Jaffa. 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. 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. After a self-hosted lunch break, 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 check into our hotel on the Sea of Galilee for the next two three nights and enjoy another dinner together.

Day 4 - Thursday, June 15th: Caesarea Philippi - Mt. of Beatitudes – Primacy of Peter - Capernaum – Magdala - Boat ride - Jordan River
After a buffet breakfast, we drive by Bethsaida as we begin our day at Caesarea Phillipi (entrance included). We will drive by Korazim as we make our way to the Mount of Beatitudes and discuss the Sermon on the Mount. We will then visit The Primacy of Peter where Jesus reinstated Peter (John 21). We will then visit Magdala (entrance included) the hometown of Mary Magdalene with its significant finds. During our lunch break you will have the opportunity to try St. Peter’s fish, commonly eaten by people in Jesus’ day. We will then visit Capernaum (entrance 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 end our day with a visit to the ancient boat museum (entrance included), containing 2000-year-old fishing boat. We will then sail on the Sea of Galilee on a replica of that boat (included). We then travel to the baptismal site of Jesus on the Jordan River. You will be offered the opportunity to be baptized in the waters of the Jordan in an available location picked by your host and guide. We return to our hotel. Dinner included

Day 5 - Friday, June 16th: Beth Shean – Jacob's Well – Jericho – Dead Sea – Jerusalem
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. We will then go to Jacob's Well. We will then continue traveling south to the actual location where John the Baptist was baptizing on the Jordan River. 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. After another self-hosted lunch, we travel to one of the Dead Sea beaches our hotel spa on the Dead Sea where you will have the chance to enjoy the facilities in the hotel. You will also be able to experience floating in the Dead Sea. Before you spend a relaxing evening, dinner at the resort. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 6 - Saturday, June 17th: 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. After a self-hosted lunch, 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 visit Bethany (entrance to the Lazarus Tomb included). We then get ready to enter the Holy City of Jerusalem. Beginning with an orientation of the city and “a Genesis Welcome” from Mount Scopus, the overlook of the city. We then check into our hotel, where we will stay for the remainder of our time in Jerusalem. Dinner included.

Day 7 - Sunday, June 18th: Mt. of Olives – Southern Wall Excavations – Valley of Elah – Bethlehem
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 past the Garden of Gethsemane, where the passion of Jesus began. 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. After a self -hosted lunch 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 to the Valley of Elah. We return to our hotel. Dinner included

Day 8 - Monday, June 19th: Western Wall Tunnels – Temple Mount – St. Anne and Pools of Bethesda – City of David– 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 have a visit to the original location of the city of Jerusalem, going back in history 3000 years. We will also visit Hezekiah’s tunnel (entrance included), a 1749- foot-long tunnel that was dug by King Hezekiah as he prepared for the Assyrian King Sennacharib’s invasion in 701 BC. Those interested in walking the knee-deep water tunnel will have the chance to do so. After a self-hosted lunch, 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 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.

Day 9 - Tuesday, June 20th: Upper Room – Garden of Gethsemani – Kidron Valley – House of Caiaphas – Judgment Hall – Garden Tomb
After a buffet breakfast, we begin our day with a visit to the Upper Room where Jesus had His Last Supper. We will then visit the Garden of Gethsemani where the passion of Jesus began. Each of us will be given some personal time in a private section of the Garden for personal prayer and reflections. Crossing the Kidron Valley, we will then continue to the home of the High Priest, Caiaphas (entrance included), followed by the Ecce Homo Convent where the Lithostratos (Judgment Hall) is present (entrance included). After a self-hosted lunch, 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 or drive to the airport for your departure flight.

Day 10 - Wednesday, June 21st: Departure to the USA
Today, we fly back home with unforgettable memories.