Depart the USA

Arrive in Tel Aviv and transfer to your hotel overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Two spectacular sites frame this first full day of touring. Caesarea-by-the-Sea was built as the imperial center for the Roman government. Its harbor, theater, and marbled streets signal the arrival of foreign occupation in the Heartland and, not surprisingly, the beginning point for Christianity in the Gentile world. The second site of the day is Sepphoris, the capital of Galilee in the time of Jesus. Up to one-half of the total population of Galilee once lived in this urban center. It was truly a “city on a hill.” Continue to Nazareth for dinner and your overnight stay. 

Dawn comes early at Magdala, an ancient harbor town on the edge of the Sea of Galilee. View impressive remains that illustrate the fishing industry from the time of Christ. From Magdala, travel to nearby places linked to specific Gospel moments: the calling of the disciples, the miracle feedings, the Sermon on the Mount, and the restoration of Peter. The highlight of these stops will undoubtedly center on Capernaum, the base for Jesus’ Galilean ministry and the site of several miracles. With these stories in mind, board a wooden boat and personally experience the wind and the waves of Galilee’s most famous sea. Return to Nazareth for dinner and your overnight stay.

Spend a day in the rolling hills of Galilee. Visit sites and people connected to Christianity. Walk through the magnificent Church of the Annunciation, a structure built over the traditional home of Jesus. Explore the nooks and crannies of the Old City of Nazareth, where life continues to flourish. In the evening hours, worship with local Christians in the village of Turan. Spend overnight in Nazareth.

Experience the beauty of the far north. Leave Galilee behind and travel to the site of Tel Dan. Here, an Israelite “high place,” the gate complex and fortification walls are visible. Continue to the birthplace of the Jordan River at Panias, named after the goat god, Pan. Consider the nearby site of Caesarea Philippi, where Peter declared Jesus to be “the Christ.” Finally, climb to the heights of Mount Hermon, a snowy peak that marks the highest spot in all the Heartland. From a castle built in the Crusader period, take in a view of the region where Jesus was transfigured. Return to Nazareth for dinner and your overnight stay.

Follow the Jordan River to the desert lands of the south. Stop at the site of Jericho, where the walls “came a tumblin’ down.” Scamper over the rocks of this mound and consider Rahab’s story. Travel from here to Qasr el Yahud, the place on the Jordan River where early Christians identified the work of John the Baptist. Climb through the Wilderness of Judea and stop for an overlook of this austere land. Continue to Bethlehem for dinner and your overnight stay.

At sunrise, visit the summit of Herodium, Herod’s desert fortress. It was used by the Zealots during of the First Jewish Revolt. Appreciate the humble village of Beit Sahour, home to the Christmas shepherds. Travel further uphill to Bethlehem and visit the Church of the Nativity, where Christ was born! In the late afternoon visit Bethlehem Bible College and learn of their important work. Return to your hotel in Bethlehem for dinner and your overnight stay.

In the morning, visit Haram al Sharif (the Temple Mount) and the Western Wall. After lunch, travel to the nearby Israel Museum, where an enormous model of Jerusalem in the N.T. period reinforces our own experience of the city. Linger in the Shrine of the Book and witness some of the most important manuscripts of the Bible. Dinner and your overnight stay are in Bethlehem.

Look over the summit the Mount of Olives for a spectacular view of Jerusalem! Walk the Palm Sunday Road to the Garden of Gethsemane. Enter the Old City and visit the Pool of Bethesda. Walk the Via Dolorosa to the most sacred place in all Christianity: the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Here, celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Dinner and your overnight stay are in Jerusalem.

Visit the Garden Tomb for a morning time of reflection, worship, and communion. Return to the hotel for resting, packing, and last-minute shopping. Transfer to the airport for a night flight to the USA. 

Arrive home in the USA