Welcome to Israel!

Arrive at Ben Gurion Airport. After border formalities we meet our Immanuel Tours representative and our tour guide. We will then transfer to Tel Aviv for dinner and overnight at Metropolitan Tel Aviv.

After checking out of the hotel, we begin the day in Old Jaffa (New Testament Joppa) for a short visit. Joppa is where Jonah’s boat left from for Tarshish (Jonah 1:1-3), where Peter raised Tabitha from the dead and had his dream about Gentiles (Acts 9-10).From here we head up the Mediterranean coast today to Caesarea Maritima which was built by King Herod and later became the seat of  government of the Roman governors including Pontius Pilate who sat in judgment on Jesus Christ and sentenced him to be crucified.  This was the same journey that Peter took to visit Cornelius (Acts 10). We continue and drive by Mt. Carmel, where the Prophet Elijah challenged the Priest of Baal (1 Kings 18:17-40). Our next stop is Megiddo, the Armageddon of the Book of Revelation. Continue our drive to the Sea of Galilee and check into our hotel.

Dinner and overnight: Nof Ginnosar

Today we drive up to the Golan Heights and visit Korazim which was a small Jewish town, where Jesus used to visit and preach to its people, but they refused to listen (Mat. 11:21). From there we visit Tel Dan, which was the north most city town in biblical Israel, hence the saying “from Dan to Beer Sheba” and played an important role in the Old Testament, including where Abraham went to rescue his nephew, Lot (Genesis 14:14). We will continue to Banias, the location of Caesarea Philippi where the Apostle Peter made his great confession of faith in Jesus as the Christ (Matthew 16:13). We end our day with a Jeep ride on southern side of Golan ending at Sussita (Hippos) overlooking the Eastern side of the Sea of Galilee. Drive back to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

The Sea of Galilee is rich in memories of the 3 years of Jesus’ Ministry around its shores. We begin the day at the 2000 years old fishing boat known as “Jesus Boat” followed by a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. We then visit Capernaum, the home of Jesus (Matthew 4:13) and several of his disciples. We will visit the House of Peter and the ancient synagogue where Jesus likely taught. Continue to Tabgha with the Church of Multiplication of the Loaves and the Church of Primacy.  We then drive up to Mt. Arbel for a wonderful panoramic view. We end the day at the Mount of Beatitudes, the scene of the Sermon on the Mount.

Return to our hotel for dinner & overnight.

This morning we will drive to Nazareth, a town in the hill country of Galilee where Jesus grew-up, where we will visit the “Mount of the Leap”. It is called this because it was from the there that the people of Nazareth wanted to cast him (Luke 4). Then we visit Nazareth Village, a first-century re-enactment that shows life during Jesus’ time. From there we continue and drive to Gideon Spring’s at Ein Harod, where Gideon tested his soldiers (Judges 7:1-8). We will finish the day at the ancient Israelite city of Beit Shean, in New Testament times it became one of the 10 cities of the Decapolis, a region where Jesus taugh according to the book of Matthew. .

Drive back to Nof Ginosar for dinner and overnight.

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Today after breakfast we check out from our hotel and drive south through the Jordan Valley toward the Dead Sea.  Our first stop is at IDF Memorial overlooking the Jordan Valley.  Then we continue our drive through to the baptismal site on Jordan River (Qasr el Yahud) with an opportunity for baptism in the same river that John the Baptist baptised Jesus. We will visit Qumran, where the Dead Sea scrolls were written over 2000 years ago and found in

nearby caves during the 1940-50s. We arrive at the Dead Sea, the lowest spot on the face of earth and drive along its shores. We will visit Ein Gedi which is an oasis in the Judean Desert where David found shelter from King Saul and wrote many of the Psalms. At the end of the day, we drive to our hotel along the shores of the Dead Sea. Enjoy a relaxing float in the healthful waters of the Dead Sea, the lowest, saltiest body of water on earth.

Dinner and overnight: Leonardo Plaza Dead Sea.

After an early breakfast we check out form our hotel and drive to visit the Mountain Fortress of Masada, the site of the last Jewish resistance against the Romans in 73 AD. Ascend and descend by cable car and experience amazing views. Next we continue driving south to visit Tel Arad National Park where we can see the remains of a fortified Canaanite city and fortresses from Kingdom of Judah’s period and the only temple found from that period. Continue to Tel Beer Sheva where Abraham lived and worked (Genesis 22:12). We then drive toward Jerusalem and stop by Tel Lachis which was one of the cities in ancient Judah snd was mentioned in several Old Testament books. We then drive through the Valley of Elah where David defeated Goliath, the giant, in a single combat. Finally, we drive through the Judean hills into Jerusalem, the City of God.

Dinner & overnight: Prima Kings Jerusalem.

Our first full day in Jerusalem will begin with a drive to the top of the Mount of Olives, for a majestic view over all of ancient and modern Jerusalem, the center of the biblical world. We shall visit the Chapel of Dominus Flevit, which means “The Lord Wept” where Jesus foretold of the destruction of the Temple and the Dispora (Luke 19:37:42). We then will walk down “Palm Sunday Road” to the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed on the night of his betrayal (Luke 22:40-46). After, we will enter the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, walking from the Pools of Bethesda and St. Anne along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher which is believed to be on the location of Christ’s crucifixion.

We will continue walking to Mt. Zion where we will visit the Upper Room where the Last Supper was held and where Jesus appeared to the Disciples after his resurrection, and the Church of St. Peter in Gallicuntu, which takes it’s name from the Latin word meaning “Cock’s Crow”.

Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

With an early start we will visit the Temple Mount. Then we visit the Western Wall, the most holy place to the Jewish people and the Western Wall Tunnels where we will walk through ancient spaces from the Second Temple period. Continue to the City of David, where Jerusalem started, we will explore Warren’s Shaft, the Water Fortress, Hezekiah’s Tunnel, through which water has flowed since the days of King Hezekiah some 2,700 years ago, and the Pool of Siloam. At the end of the day we will drive to Genesis Land where we are invited to Abraham’s Feast to enjoy an ancient meal and hospitality.

Return to our hotel in Jerusalem for overnight.

On our final full day we drive through the New City of Jerusalem to visit the Israel Museum to see the Dead Sea Scrolls at the Shrine of the Book and see the 1:50 scale Model of Jerusalem from the period of the Second Temple.Continue to Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial.Finally today, we will visit the Garden Tomb & Gordon’s Golgotha.

Return to our hotel for farewell dinner & overnight.

We set off from our hotel and drive to Ben Gurion Airport for our homebound flight.