Duration: 10 Days
Dates: December 27, 2023 to January 5, 2024
Departure City: Charlotte, NC (CLT)
Price: $4,960 (Double Occupancy) + $1,250 (Single Supplement)

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Detailed Itinerary

Day 1 – WED (27DEC): Leave on an international flight to Tel Aviv.

Day 2 – THU (28DEC): Arrive in 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. 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 walk with God. Check into our hotel on the coastal plains of the Mediterranean Sea. Dinner included. (D)

Day 3 – FRI (29DEC) – Caesarea Maritima – Mount Carmel – Megiddo – Nazareth
After breakfast, we travel to 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). On to visit the church of the Annunciation. Precede to Sea of Galilee. We check into our hotel on the Sea of Galilee for the next three nights and enjoy another dinner together. (B, D)

Day 4 – SAT (30DEC): – Mt. of Beatitudes - Capernaum – Primacy of St. Peter– Magdala - Boat Ride
After breakfast, we start our day with a visit to the Mount of Beatitudes and discuss the sermon on the Mount. 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” and the Church of the Primacy of Peter, situated on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, where after His resurrection Jesus met with his disciples and told Peter “Feed my lambs; feed my sheep ‘we will also visit Magdala (included) (the hometown of Mary Magdalene) with its 1st century synagogue. We end our day with a visit to the ancient boat museum (Entrance Included), containing a recently-discovered 2000- year-old fishing boat. We will then sail on the Sea of Galilee om a replica of the boat (Entrance Included) We return to our hotel. Dinner included. (B, D)

Day 5 – SUN (31DEC): Caesarea Philippi – Mt. Hermon – Golan Heights – Peace Vista Lookout - Kursi
After a buffet 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 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 Drive to Mt. Hermon. We will then drive to the Peace Vista Lookout for an obstructed view of the Sea of Galilee before we descend to Kursi (Entrance Included) and consider the healing of the Gergesene demoniac. We return to our hotel. Dinner included (B, D)

DAY 6 – MON (01JAN): Ein Harod – Beth Shean – Jericho – Bet Arabah – Jerusalem – Mt. Scopus
After a buffet breakfast, then we will continue our way to Ein Harod (Entrance Included), this place was founded by the pioneers of Third Aliyah. We leave the area of Galilee, following the Jordan Valley Road to Beth 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 (Entrance Included). We will then travel to the Jordan River Baptism site for a Baptismal service. We Will then visit Jericho (Entrance Included). On our way to Jerusalem, we will stop at Wadi Qelt, also known as the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Upon entering Jerusalem, we will have a Genesis welcome. Dinner and overnight. (B, D)

Day 7 – TUE (02JAN): Western Wall Tunnels – Masada – Ein Gedi –Qumran- Jerusalem
After a buffet breakfast, we begin our day entering the Old City and a visit to the Western Wall Tunnel (entrance included), a section of the Western retaining wall of the Temple Mount, and Judaism’s holiest site. Then drive towards the south to visit Masada (Entrance & 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 to 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 that, 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. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B, D)

Day 8 – WED (03JAN): – Temple Mt. – St. Anne and pool of Bethesda – City of David - Israel Museum - Bethlehem
After a buffet breakfast, 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). On to visit the city of David to include Warren Shaft and the Pools of Bethesda (Entrance Included). 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 pay special attention to those items that relate to Bible history. 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. We then return to our hotel. Dinner included. (B, D)

Day 09- THUR. (04JAN): Temple Institute – Upper Room - Mt of Olives – Caiaphas House – Garden Tomb
After a buffet breakfast, we will visit the Temple Institute (Entrance Included) and view the project aimed at rebuilding the Temple. We will then visit the Upper Room, the place of the Last Supper. We will then go to the Mount of Olives for an orientation over the holy city, 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 to the Garden of Gethsemane, where the passion of Jesus began. Each of us will be given some personal time in a private section of the Garden. We will then visit the home of the High Priest, Caiaphas (Entrance Included). We end our day with a visit to the Garden Tomb (Entrance Included). Back to our hotel for our last dinner and overnight in Jerusalem. (B, D)

Day 10 – FRI (05JAN): Departure to Tel Aviv – Arrive USA