Israel Itinerary
Our concentration is almost entirely on the life and ministry of Jesus. From the moment that you land in Israel, until the time that you leave, you will be retracing the steps of Christ. (This itinerary may change slightly all depending on various conditions.)
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Day 1 - Depart. On this day, you will board your plane for a flight to Tel Aviv.
Day 2 - Arrive in Israel. Upon landing in Israel, you will enjoy a wonderful buffet dinner at a beautiful resort, right on the shore of lake Galilee. Afterward, you will attend an evening introductory session with your host, Dr. Gary Crossland.
Day 3 - Nazareth. On our first day we will travel in our luxury motor coach to Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus. Here we will enter the Church of the Annunciation, and you see the cave where Gabriel appeared to Mary (right). We will also visit the ancient ruins of Nazareth, Mary’s well, the site of Joseph’s workshop, the synagogue where Jesus taught, and The Nazareth Village, a recreation of Nazareth as it was in the first century. Down the road a bit we will stop at Nain (Na-yeen), where Jesus resurrected the son of a widow.
Day 4 - Galilee. This day is filled with many adventures. We will start out visiting Kursi, where Jesus cast the demons into the swine. At this point we will also be near the Church of the Multiplication, where Jesus fed thousands. We will also drive by Bethsaida, the hometown of many of the Apostles. Then onto Capernaum where Jesus lived during His entire ministry. (About one fifth of all stories in the Gospels took place in or around Capernaum.) We will also see the home where Jesus and Peter lived, and the synagogue where He preached. We will also visit the Church of Peter’s Primacy, where the resurrected Jesus told Peter, “Feed My sheep”. Then we will walk to the Mount of Beatitudes, where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount, and where He appointed His 12 Apostles. We will also visit Chorazim, one of the towns that Jesus cursed.
Day 5 - Galilee/Jordan Valley. A worship boat (complete with a praise band) will carry us across Lake Galilee to the Gennesaret Valley, where Jesus healed the sick. Here you will see a 2000-year-old-boat, just like the one that Jesus and the Apostles sailed. We will also view Herod’s palace in Tiberias, where Solome may have danced for Herod’s party guests. We will also view Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene. Then we will depart Galilee and head south along the Jordan River valley through Samaria. On our way we will go to Jacob’s well, where Jesus met the woman at the well. We will continue on to Qumran, where many people believe that John received the word of God to begin his ministry of preaching and baptizing. Our last stop will be to visit Bethany, and the Tomb of Lazarus. (You can actually go down into the tomb yourself!) Then onto our hotel for a fabulous buffet dinner.
Day 6 - Jericho and Bethlehem. On this morning, we will proceed north to the site where the Jews first crossed over the Jordan River. There is little doubt that John baptized Jesus here, and you can even be baptized in the same place! Then we will go to Jericho, where Joshua fought his famous battle. You can even see the walls of Jericho (the ones that didn’t fall down)! We will then take a cable car up to the Mount of Temptation, where Jesus fasted for forty days. Lunch in Jericho is a delightful experience. We will then proceed to Herod’s Jericho palace, and even walk on the same Jericho road that Jesus traveled. This is where Christ met blind Bartimaus, and Zaccheus, the tree-climbing tax collector. It is also near the location of the story of “The Good Samaritan” (above). Then onto Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ. Here you will see the Church of the Nativity (the oldest church in the world), and you can actually touch the spot where Jesus was born. From there we will go to the Milk Grotto, where Jesus was raised until He escaped from Herod’s murderous guards. Our last stop will be the Shepherd’s field, where the angels appeared on the night that Jesus was born.
Day 7 - Mount of Olives. Today we will visit the site where Jesus ascended into Heaven. We will also visit the cave where it is believed that Jesus taught His disciples The Lord’s Prayer, and the Olivet Discourse (about the end times). We will also walk down the road that retraces Jesus’ Palm Sunday path to Jerusalem. The Garden of Gethsemane is our next stop, where you will see the traditional rock on which Jesus prayed to His father just prior to His capture. You will see the cave where He taught his disciples, and where He probably met Nicodemus. You will also walk down the Kidron Valley, where Jesus was lead away by the temple guards. Our day will end with a visit to the famous Garden Tomb, where some believe that Jesus was laid.
Day 8 - City of David, Mount Zion, Jewish Quarter. We will start this day by visiting the location of the Upper Room, where Jesus had His last supper with His Apostles. We will even celebrate the Lord’s supper here. Then onto the home of Caiaphas, the high priest who turned Jesus over to Pontius Pilate. You will also walk through the prison where Jesus may have stayed overnight. (You can even see the holes in the walls where His chains kept him bound!) We will look upon the Field of Blood, the land that was purchased with Judas’ 30 pieces of silver. Then its on to the Pool of Siloam, where Jesus healed a blind man, and to the site of the synagogue where the healed man was expelled by the Pharisees. You will see the Valley of Gehenna, the site that illustrated Jesus’ many teachings on hell. Then it’s onto the Ophel archaeological excavations south of the Temple Mount. Here you will walk on the very streets that Jesus traveled on. It is here that Peter probably preached his Pentecostal sermon, where 3000 were saved. One out of ten stories in Jesus ministry took place on the Temple Mount, and we will go onto the Temple Mount, where we will enter the Dome of the Rock, the site of the Second Jerusalem Temple. (Imagine this - you will stand right where the Holy of Holies stood!) We will also go to the Wailing Wall (above), where the Orthodox Jews have prayed for centuries. This site is also very close to the palace where Jesus stood before Herod Antipas during His trial.
Day 9 - The Passion. This entire day is spent mostly retracing the footsteps of Jesus on the day that He died. We will start by going to the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed a paralytic. We will then proceed down the traditional Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, with its many treasures. Inside this church, you will see where the cross stood on Calvary. You will also go inside the Edicule (right), the site of the tomb where Jesus was raised from the dead, and you will see the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. As a special treat, we will go down into the mysterious caverns beneath the church, just discovered in the 1970‘s, to the oldest known chapel in the world. From here we will proceed to the Jaffa Gate, where modern excavations have proven that this was the site of Herod’s Royal Palace. We will also walk along the path that most scholars claim that Jesus carried the cross. Along the way, we will stop by the Church of St. James, containing the skull of the James the Apostle.
Day 10 - Return home.
