Holy Land 2023 Trip to Israel

Today, we depart from the United States and fly to Tel Aviv, Israel. Meals will be served in flight.

Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. After securing our luggage, we will check into our Tel Aviv hotel and enjoy dinner and a good night’s sleep.

Visit Joppa, the port to which Jonah came when fleeing from the Lord’s call to warn Tarshish concerning their sin (Jonah 1:3). Travel to Caesarea by the Sea on the Mediterranean coastline. It was here that Cornelius the Centurion and his household were saved and baptized (Acts 10), and it was also where Paul made his defense before Festus and King Agrippa prior to his final journey to Rome (Acts 25 & 26). Visit Megiddo and the Valley of Armageddon (Revelation 16). Visit Nazareth, Jesus’ boyhood home (Matthew 2: 23). Arrive at Tiberias for check-in, dinner, and overnight for the next 3 nights.

Cross the waters of the Sea of Galilee aboard a Kinnereth sailboat. Along the way, participate in a special onboard worship service. Travel to Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. Visit the synagogue, standing on the site where Jesus taught (Matt. 4:13, 23). At Kibbutz Nof Ginosar, you’ll learn about the “ancient boat”, a rare example of the kind of boat in which Jesus would have sailed. Recall the Sermon on the mount at the Mount of Beatitudes (Matt. 5-7). Visit friends and believers in nearby villages. Remember the Baptism of Jesus as well as your own at the Jordan River.

At Tel Dan, see the mud-brick arch constructed in pre-Israelite (Canaanites) times and where The House of David fragment from the First Temple Period was discovered. Visit Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus traveled with His disciples and where nearby Peter made his great confession to Jesus, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16: 16). Continue on to Mount Hermon, probably the site of the Lord’s Transfiguration (Matt. 17: 1 -9). Travel on through the strategic tableland known as the Golan Heights. Visit with local Christians before returning to your hotel in Galilee.

Visit Masada and the Dead Sea. Masada was Herod’s mountaintop fortress and the last stronghold of the Jewish Rebellion against the Romans. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001. End your day with a quick dip in the salt and mineral-laden waters of the Dead Sea. Travel to Qumran, the site of the Dead Sea Scroll discovery, and discuss the mysterious community of the Essenes. Travel to Jericho and visit the ruins of the ‘World’s Oldest City’, once conquered by Joshua (Josh. 6: 1, 2, 20). From Jericho, you can see the traditional site of the Temptation of Jesus (Matt. 4: 1 -11). Jesus traveled the nearby Roman road, the setting of His parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 30 -36).

In Bethlehem, you’ll visit the cave revered as the place of Jesus’ birth (Matt. 1: 18 - 25; Luke 2: 1- 7). The church, which was constructed on the site, is the world’s oldest functioning church. Nearby, you’ll view Shepherds’ Field, where the Good News was first heard. Stand atop the Mount of Olives where Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after his resurrection. (Acts 1: 9 - 12). Pray in the Garden of Gethsemane and envision the scenes of the night before Jesus’ crucifixion (Matt. 26: 36 - 44). Visit the Haas Promenade and enjoy a panoramic view of Jerusalem. Continue to Mount Zion to visit the House of the High Priest Caiaphas where Jesus was questioned and accused of blasphemy (Matt. 26: 57 - 65). Stand in the Upper Room, where you can see the Last Supper come to life (Mark 14: 12 - 26).

Visit the only remnant of the Second Temple of Jerusalem, the Western Wall, and sit on the Teaching steps believed to be where Jesus would teach. Follow the Herodian Support Wall and walk on first-century pavement in the Rabbi’s Tunnel. View the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus performed the Sabbath miracle (John 5: 1-31). Sing a hymn in the Church of St. Anne, known for its amazing acoustics. Walk the Cardo, the main street of the Old City. Visit Herod’s Antonia Fortress, where Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate (Luke 23: 1 -11). Walk the Via Dolorosa, “the Way of the Cross”. Enjoy a Farewell Dinner this evening at the hotel.

Visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial. Your final destination allows the time for reflection at the Garden Tomb. Celebrate the exhilaration of the resurrection and partake in communion. Enjoy shopping and an afternoon at leisure in the Old City before preparing for your return flight.

Return to the USA