Aug 06 - 16 Aug 2024
Depart for Israel
Arrive Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv. We will meet our guides and drivers and transfer to your respective hotel . Dinner will be served upon arrival at the hotel.
Breakfast at your hotel. Today we start with our opening session of Prayer & Worship followed by meeting our staff who will accompany us throughout this journey. Firstly we begin with a good morning praise and worship in Jerusalem!
We will start our touring program with a visit to the top of the Mount of Olives - what a breath taking view! Whilst we are there, our guides will point out all of the important sites of this ancient holy city. A visit to the Pater Noster Church follows (Church of the Lord's Prayer).
Up next The Palm Sunday walk down to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus was betrayed. There we will pause for a time of prayer and devotion in a private garden. Next we head to Mount Zion to visit the Upper Room and the traditional Tomb of King David. Then to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
Early morning, we will travel a short distance to the Shrine of the Book where the Dead Sea Scrolls are kept and the model of Jerusalem from the time of Jesus - what a great spot to get oriented with what is about to unfold.
We will continue our tour to the outskirts of Jerusalem and visit the beautiful village of Ein Karem (Arabic for the spring of vineyard) is a picturesque village located approximately 8 km southwest of Jerusalem. It is indirectly mentioned in the bible as home of Zacharia and his wife Elizabeth and the birthplace of their son John the Baptist. Mary visited Ein Karem on the way to Bethlehem during her pregnancy; met her kinswoman Elizabeth, and stayed with her for 3 months following the visitation by the Angel Gabriel in which he announced the future birth of Jesus "Elizabeth spoke out with a loud voice and said: Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me that the mother of my Lord come to me" (Luke 1:42) In the afternoon we will visit Bethlehem, touring the Church of the Nativity built over the birthplace of Jesus and view the Shepherds fields and the fields of Boaz.
Our last stop of the day will be the Garden Tomb. A special time is planned for worship & communion. Return to your hotel. Dinner and overnight.
We will travel to the Jordan Valley whilst visiting the Dead Sea area where Jesus spent time in solitude and the place of John the Baptist ministry. It is the deepest spot on earth, 1200 feet below sea level. We will visit Qumran where many of the Dead Sea Scrolls were found and the surrounding wilderness where Jesus roamed for 40 days. The Masada atop the mountain overlooking the sea below is a sight to behold.
Masada was the last pocket of insurrection in the Jewish rebellion against the Roman Empire where 960 men, women and children defied the might of Rome and fought for three years after the destruction of Jerusalem. We will visit King Herod's Palace, the synagogue and a very sophisticated water and irrigation system 2000 years old.
Later in the day a special treat awaits us as we go bathing in the heavy water of the Dead Sea... Then return to Jerusalem
Today we will visit the old city, the Western Wall and ascend to the Temple Mount - Mt. Moriah where Abraham nearly to sacrificed Isaac. See the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque that now stands there. From here we will trace the footsteps of Jesus, visiting the Pool of Bethesda, Stephen's Gate then St. Ann's Church and on the Via Dolorosa, the way of the agony and the Stations of the Cross. We are reminded of His way of suffering as we a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
Our guide will explain the differing opinions on the route that Christ was led. The actual place of crucifixion and burial is a very interesting study. This afternoon we visit the reconstructed Jewish Quarter, walk through the Cardo, the original Roman Street and see the amazing remains of the massive wall built by King Hezekiah. We will also tour the Southern Wall Excavations. This southern side of The Temple was the main entrance for the common folk, whereas the Priests and Levites had their own entrance from the higher eastern side. Parts of the giant stairs, which led to the Temple Mount from the courtyard have been unearthed along with the purification pools. From here Jesus entered the Temple Mount and drove out the vendors and money exchangers who were exploiting the people.
It is also likely that this is the place Peter stood and preached and where thousands were saved and baptized on the Day of Pentecost. Lastly a tour of the Underground Rabbinical Tunnel. We then spend the rest of the evening with our Israel ministry.
This morning we will visit Yad Va'Shem, a museum built in memory of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis in World War II and also a commemoration of the righteous gentiles who by risking their own lives, rescued Jews from certain death. Two thousand and five hundred years ago, as Jerusalem was rebuilt by those who returned from exile, Nehemiah said: "From that day on, half of my men did the work, while the other half was equipped with spears, shields, bows and armor. The officers posted themselves behind all the people of Judah who were building the wall. Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked." (Nehemiah 4:16-19) In accordance with biblical prophesies, Israel was reborn and just as in the days of Nehemiah, since her rebirth in 1948, Israel is in a continuous struggle for survival. More now, than ever before, Jewish soldiers, young Israeli, boys and girls, the "Shields of David are the defenders of God's Land. To honor them, our special program today is in Latrun - the official Israel Defense Force Commemoration Center and armament display.
Latrun is the fortress that was strategically built on Israel's main crossroads and throughout history protected the Holy City of Jerusalem. The program here will feature a full army ceremony including laying a wreath at the "Wall of Names" in honor of the fallen soldiers we pay tribute to the living. Here we will mingle with the young soldiers as we will be briefed by experts to give us the opportunity to gain a better understanding and insight into the region's conflict, based on biblical prophecies to officials and government representatives. We will pray for them. What a place to pledge our support and solidarity with their/our Godly plight.
After breakfast, we will begin our journey north via the scenic Jordan Valley road passing Jericho, for a view of Mt. Temptation. We continue north to Gideon's spring where Gideon selected his soldiers to do battle against the Midianites. From there to Nazareth to the Mt of Precipice identified as the mountain from which the people of Nazareth were trying to push Jesus after he infuriated them with his sermon declaring himself the Messiah (Luke 4). The sheer cliff, 397 meters high,
provides one of the best, observation points over the Jezreel Valley and its surrounding mountains: Drive to Cana and the Cana Church of the 1st Miracle-St John Evangelist. Renew wedding vows in the same town that Jesus performed his first miracle turning water to wine. Drive to the Sea of Galilee and check into the hotel for dinner and overnight.
We will start our day with a memorable boat ride across the Sea of Galilee.
While cruising, we'll pause for a great praise and worship service right on the Sea of Galilee. We are sure to remember the many miracles our Lord performed in this area. "and Jesus went all about the Galilee, teaching in their synagogue, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sicknesses and all manner of diseases among the people" (Mat. 4:23) After docking at Nof Ginosar, biblical Genesseret, we will visit the Primacy of Peter to see the area where Jesus asked Peter, “Lovest thou me?”. Then we'll proceed to Capernaum to see the remains of an early church, the remnants of Peter's house, and the ancient synagogue. Then we gather on the Mount of Beatitudes to read the Sermon on the Mount while overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Today at lunch time there will be an opportunity for those that would like to eat St. Peter's fish, the traditional meal at the Sea of Galilee.
Breakfast at our hotel. This morning starting our final journey through the Land of Israel. We begin our day in the beautiful city of Haifa overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, here from the mountain top we will enjoy the picturesque panoramic views of the port and gulf beneath.
We will visit the Bahai Garden, perhaps one of the most meticulous and beautiful gardens on earth... From Haifa we will travel to Megiddo on the Plain of Armageddon of latter day prophesies. We will see the remnants of the king Solomon's northern fortress's stables and its famous water supply system. Next we will make our way to the top of Mount Carmel to see the site of Elijah's triumph over the prophets of Baal. Here we will hear the biblical message and experience this magnificent site before we continue south to Caesarea by the sea and visit the Crusaders' castle, the Roman amphitheater and the seaport from which the Apostle Paul sailed to Rome.
We will then drive to our final destination for our farewell dinner and overnight. Tomorrow we will be returning home with beautiful memories and our bibles.
Transfer to the airport.