Pastor Mickey Basham & Dr. Tony Crips

You’re invited to join Pastor Mickey Basham & Dr. Tony Crisp on an 11-day tour of a lifetime to Israel

 

 

Today you will leave the United States on a Trans-continental flight to Tel –Aviv, Israel. 

 

When you arrive in the Holy Land you will be met by a representative to assist you through customs and provide transfer to your deluxe motor coach and begin the tour of a lifetime! 

 

Ben Gurion airport is near the modern city of Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest city.  It is also near the ancient seaport of Joppa where King Solomon’s ships sailed to far away ports and where the prophet Jonah fled from the call of God.  We will drive through the Sharon Valley to the coast to the Ancient capital of the Roman Empire in Palestine, Caesarea Maritime.  This is the place where many events in the book of Acts took place as well as the home of Herod the Great. 

 

We then drive to the heights of Mt. Carmel where Elijah fought the prophets of Baal and see the spectacular view of the Jezreel Valley where the battle of Armageddon will take place.  We drive through the Jezreel Valley up the hills of the lower Galilee to the overlook of Nazareth, the boyhood home of the Lord Jesus.   Our drive continues into the lower Galilee where we spend our first night on the peaceful shores of the Sea of Galilee at the Ein Gev Resort.  This is the first of three (3) nights we spend at one of the most beautiful places in Israel.  Already we sense the awesomeness of being in God’s Holy Land.  You will enjoy a sumptuous dinner overlooking the Sea of Galilee as well as a wonderful night’s rest.

 

Day 3 – Wed., Jan. 26

You will wake to a breathtaking sunrise on the Sea of Galilee.  After breakfast, enjoy a boat ride and time of worship on the Sea of Galilee in a replica of an ancient boat to a boat of antiquity dating go the time of Christ 2,000 years old in Nof  Ginnosar.  The rest of your touring day will be spent tracing the steps of Jesus through the Galilee region as you visit the Mt. of Beatitudes and ancient Capernaum, Tabgha and the ancient fisherman’s landing called the “Primacy of Peter”.   

 

 

You will enjoy lunch by the Sea of Galilee where you will have an opportunity to eat “St. Peter’s fish,” tilapia caught fresh out of the waters of the Galilee and then finish the day with the opportunity to be baptized in the Jordan River.  After this wonderful day you can once again relax at your hotel on the Sea of Galilee.  After dinner you may enjoy looking out over this beautiful lake and reflect on what you are already experiencing; walking where Jesus walked.

 

 

The Beautiful northern mountains of Israel await you today.  A city gate from the time of Abraham can be seen at Tel Dan, along with an altar from the days of Israel’s divided kingdom.  You will also get to walk through an incredible nature reserve at Dan where you will see the beginnings of the Dan River which joins with other streams to form the Jordan River. The water is crystal clear and pure.   You will see a gorgeous waterfall as the headwaters of the Jordan River cascade into a beautiful mountain stream. 

 

Your next stop will be the site of the Apostle Peter’s confession of Christ at Caesarea Philippi.  You will also see the second source of the Jordan River at Banias.  Israel’s incredible history from 1948 until the present will be explained like never before as you stand upon the heights of the extant volcano peak.  You can see the Golan Heights spanning from the Northern border to the Sea of Galilee and learn about the strategic importance this region has played and will continue to play to the nation of Israel.  After your day in the mountains you will retire to your hotel on the Sea of Galilee for a final evening.

 

Day 5 – Friday, Jan. 28

Today you leave the Galilee with great memories that will last a lifetime.  In route from Tiberias to Jerusalem the group will make its way there by passing under the shadow of the great mountain of Tabor where Deborah and Barak did battle.  You will drive through the vicinity of the villages of Shunem, Nain and En Dor on your to the mother of all archaeological digs, Megiddo. This ancient chariot city of King Solomon is amazing to say the least and you will have the opportunity to walk through a water tunnel chiseled out during the days of King Ahab of the Northern Kingdom of Israel.

 

From Megiddo you will be taken on a beautiful scenic route that passes by the site of the ancient palace of Ahab and Jezebel and you see what they saw overlooking Naboth’s Vineyard. Along the way to our lunch stop at Beth Shean you will stop at Harrod’s Spring where Gideon tested his men in obedience to God and will see where the men drank from the spring and where the Midianites were camped. After leaving the spring at the foot of Mt. Gilboa you will stop for lunch at Beth Shean, one of the best examples of a Roman city during the height of the empire in existence.

 

After a period of rest and refreshment you start down the Jordan Valley past ancient and modern Jericho and begin the ascent to Jerusalem. You finally arrive today in the City of God, the City of David and the ancient and modern capital of Israel, Jerusalem.  Your heart will leap with emotion as you stand on the overlooks of the Mount of Olives and see the breathtaking Mountain of Moriah where Abraham was to offer Isaac, Solomon built the first temple and where Jesus walked, taught, died, rose again and will one day return in great glory!   This is only the beginning.  You check in to your hotel, have dinner and enjoy your first night in your lovely hotel in Jerusalem.

 

Day 6* – Saturday (Shabbat), Jan. 29

 

You will spend an exciting morning descending to the Plains of Jericho; then on to the Dead Sea - the lowest spot on earth, and Qumran – the center of the Essenes. Qumran is the home of the ancient caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.  From there, you will continue south to the desert where ibex roam at Ein Gedi, David’s hideout from Saul.  This is a beautiful Nature Reserve where you can casually stroll to see the Oasis of King David and watch for the Ibex and Hyrax, known in our English Bibles as the Rock Badger or Coney. 

 

 

You then travel a short distance to the ancient fortress of Masada.  This mighty fortress was the last stronghold and stand of the zealots against Rome, on the edge of the barren Negev Desert.  Masada is a symbol of courage and perseverance for the Jewish people, where 960 Jewish defenders organized their last resistance to the Roman conquerors and took their own lives rather than surrender into slavery. 

 

 

Days 7, 8, 9 & 10; Sun.–Wed., Jan. 30–Feb. 2

These final days are spent in and around the environs of the capital of ancient and modern day Israel – Jerusalem! As you depart the bus each afternoon, you will be given the next day’s itinerary in Jerusalem. Wednesday, February 2 is your free day in Jerusalem  and you may spend it however you want: rest, journal, see the Museums of Israel in Jerusalem, or shop!  The day will be yours to relax and enjoy!  However, below you will find just some of the places we will see and experience during these days together:

We will complete our tour of Israel at Calvary and the Garden Tomb, then return to our hotel for a final evening’s rest. The next day, your last day in Jerusalem, may be spet however you choose before we drive to Abu Gosh (ancient Kiryat Jearim, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept before King David brought it to Jerusalem) where we share a traditional Arab meal before driving to the airport and departing for the USA.

 

With memories that will last for a lifetime and with plans to return and bring others back to experience God’s Holy Land - Israel! Blessed traveling from all of us at TLC Holyland Tours!