Two Trips in One - Israel Land Tour and Optional Petra Extension

Schedule your flight to arrive in the Ben Gurion Airport in the city of Tel Aviv (TLV) where we will meet and assist you. From here we will drive to Old Jaffa (New Testament Joppa) where Jonah boarded a ship for Tarshish (Jonah 1) and the Apostle Peter (Acts 9-10) received God’s command to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. It was here that Peter stayed in the home of Simon the Tanner. It was also here that Peter brought Tabitha back from the dead (Acts 9:36-43). and check into the Resort Hotel Hadera by the Mediterranean Sea. Dinner and overnight.  

The Sea of Galilee is rich in memories of the 3 years of Jesus' ministry around its shores. We begin this day on Mt. Arbel from which there is a wonderful panoramic view of all the surrounding areas including Mt. Hermon, and the pilgrim shrines on the NW shores of the Sea of Galilee. We will visit Magdala, the birthplace of Mary Magdalene, and the 2000 year old fishing Boat known as the "Jesus Boat". Next on the itinerary is the Mount of Beatitudes the scene of the Sermon on the Mount. Nearby is Chorazim which is one of the cities where Jesus taught. We will visit Tabgha which is the location of the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes and the Chapel of the Primacy. Capernaum, where Jesus did many signs and wonders where we can visit the House of Peter and the ancient synagogue. Next, we will enjoy a lunch of St. Peters Fish and take a boat ride from there across the Sea of Galilee to Tiberias where our bus awaits to take us back to our hotel for dinner and overnight. 

This day begins with a visit to the Israel Museum with the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls are preserved, and the model of the 2nd Temple period Jerusalem. Passing by the Knesset we drive to the Yad Vashem Museum of the Holocaust which preserves the memory of the 6 million victims of the Shoah. Continue the afternoon with a drive to Bethlehem the royal city of King David where Jesus was born. The Church of the Nativity is reputed to be one of the oldest surviving Christian churches. Here we have the opportunity to kneel at the place of Jesus' birth in the Grotto of the Nativity. Before leaving Bethlehem, we shall stop at the Shepherd's Field where some shepherds watching their flocks were the first to whom the Angels announced the birth of the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Then we will return to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight. 

After breakfast we shall start our pilgrimage in Jerusalem with a drive to the top of the Mt. of Olives, from which Jesus ascended to heaven after his resurrection. From the top of the Mount there is a magnificent view over all of ancient and modern Jerusalem, the center of the biblical world. We visit the holy shrines on the Mount and walk on down the “Palm Sunday Road” visiting the Chapel of Dominus Flevit (Jesus wept) enroute to the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of All Nations where Christ prayed on the night of his betrayal (Lk. 22:40-46). Next we shall enter within the old walled city of Jerusalem and walk in the footsteps of our Lord as he bore the burden of our sins to the Cross at Golgotha. We walk by the Pools of Bethesda and along the Via Dolorosa, following the 14 Stations of the Cross from Pilate’s Judgement Hall to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In the afternoon we shall visit the laststanding remnant of the ancient Temple at the Western (Wailing) Wall. Next we shall visit the Mt. Zion with the Upper Room and the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu which is built over the Palace of Caiaphas, the High Priest, before whom Jesus was brought for trial and sentenced to death. Beside the Church we shall see the "Roman Steps" which were probably used by Jesus and his disciples on the day of his arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. We return to our hotel for dinner and overnight. 

After breakfast we will start this day at the Garden Tomb and Gordon's Golgotha, here, we will have some time for worship and communion. We travel outside Jerusalem and visit to the Valley of Ayalon, known in history as one of the major battlefields of the Near East. It was here that Joshua commanded the sun and the moon to stand still whilst he battled against the Kings of the Amorites (Joshua 10:12). Then we drive on to Beit Shemesh and stop at the Valley of Elah where David defeated Goliath, the Philistine giant, in a single combat. This night we will have a Farewell Dinner in a restaurant on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Afterwards, we depart for the airport or return to hotel and start the optional Petra extension.