Today, we depart from the USA to Tel Aviv, Israel. Meals served in flight.

Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv and travel to our hotel, where we will enjoy dinner and a good night’s sleep.

Start the day with a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Enter the 2,000-year-old remains of Capernaum (Luke 4) and stand in what is left of the synagogue in which the Lord ministered. Visit the Mount of Beatitudes, the traditional site where Jesus preached His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Time for baptism in the Jordan River will be provided. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

Begin the morning with a journey north through the Golan Heights and better understand their strategic importance to the security of Israel. Wander the paths of Caesarea Philippi, where Peter proclaimed’ “You are the Christ” (Matthew 16). Stop at the tel of Megiddo and the Valley of Armageddon (Revelation 16). Return to the hotel for our last night in the Galilee area.

Walk the recent excavations of the town of Magdala, connected with Mary Magdalene. Journey to Caesarea by the Sea and stand in the place where it is believed Paul addressed King Agrippa and Festus (Acts 25, 26). This port city reveals many extensive remains of the theater and other sites, including a Roman aqueduct along the Mediterranean shore. Then travel to Jerusalem (Haas Promenade), then hotel.

Start your day looking out over Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives (Luke 19 & 2 Samuel 15). Walk the Garden of Gethsemane (John 18), and take time to pray amongst olive trees, whose roots date back to Jesus’ day. Explore the Southern Wall Excavations, including the Hulda Steps and the many mikvahs at the foot of the steps.

Enjoy a visit to Masada, the spectacular mountaintop fortress built by Herod and famous as the last stronghold of the Jewish Rebellion against the Romans. Ride the cable car to the top to explore the fortress. Peer down upon the remains of the Roman camps and siege ramp below. We’ll journey to the oasis of Ein Gedi, where David and his men sought refuge from Saul (1 Samuel 23). Touch the mineral-laden waters of the Dead Sea. Even today, the road from the Dead Sea to Jerusalem twists for miles as it climbs from below sea level into the Judean Mountains. Jesus traveled the nearby Roman road, the setting of His parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10).

Walk the museum and grounds of Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial, with its poignant exhibits honoring the millions of lives lost during the Holocaust. Touch a part of the Second Temple as we pray at the Western Wall. Take time to reflect on the agony of the cross at Gordon’s Calvary and the miraculous reality of the resurrection at the Garden Tomb. Enjoy time this afternoon on your own to return to the Old City, rest, or explore on your own.

Return home with memories of the people and places of Israel!