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Faith Assembly - Holy Land TourDay to Day itinerary |
22 May Mon - DAY 1
We will meet at JFK airport (specific flight information will be sent closer to the date) and we will depart our non-stop flight to Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv. Dinner is served on board.
23 May Tue - DAY 2
Welcome to Israel! You will be met at Ben Gurion International Airport by your guide and driver. Time permitting, we will drive to the Old City of Jaffa for a walking tour of this ancient port town, before following the Mediterranean Coast north to the coastal town of Tel Aviv where we will spend the night and celebrate the beginning of our trip with dinner.
24 May Wed - DAY 3
We start the morning in the ancient capital of Judea, Caesarea (Acts 10), before leaving the coast behind as we climb into the heart of the Mount Carmel Range (1 Kings 18). We visit the biblical tel of Megiddo (Armageddon; 1 Kings 9:15; Rev. 16:16), and continue to the lower Galil. Here we will tour Zippori (Sepphoris) to see the famous mosaic of the “Mona Lisa of the Galilee” and finally visit Mount Precipice on the outskirts of Nazareth. We end the day at our hotel close to the Sea of Galilee.
25 May Thu - DAY 4
We start our day atop Mt. Arbel where we have a phenomenal view over the Sea of Galilee (John 6:23). We continue to the shores of the lake where we have a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee, including worship on the water. We then see the “Jesus boat" from the first century; a vessel found here along the shores in 1986. We continue on to Capernaum, where Jesus spent the majority of his ministry in Galilee, before visiting Tabgha, remembering the story of the feeding of the 5,000. This afternoon, we will spend some time at the Mount of Beatitudes and read from Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount. We will visit the Valley of Bethsaida hometown of Peter, Andrew, and Philip, and the Gospel Scenic Lookout there. Time permitting, we will stop at the cursed city of Chorazin where an impressive ancient synagogue stands. We will end our day at the Yardenit baptismal site, where those who wish can enter the flowing waters of the Jordan River.
26 May Fri - DAY 5
This morning we leave the Galilee behind as we make our way along the Jordan Valley. The highway takes us to the Biblical site of Beit Shean, a well-preserved Decapolis Roman city. Here the bodies of King Saul and his sons were hung from the city walls after they were defeated by the Philistines (1 Samuel 31:10-12). We continue our drive through the Wilderness of Judah to Jericho, where we view from outside the ancient city where the wall came tumbling down (Joshua 2-6; Mark 10:46; Luke 19:1). On our way to Jerusalem, we will stop at Bethlehem; visit the church of The Nativity, the Milk Grotto, Shepherds Field, and Manger Square. We will return to Jerusalem dinner and overnight.
27 May Sat - DAY 6
We begin our sightseeing with a visit to the Mt. of Olives, beholding a breath-taking panorama of the Holy City. We visit Pater Noster and then walk down the “Palm Sunday” route to the Garden of Gethsemane. We pass through the Kidron Valley to Mt. Zion where we will visit the House of Caiaphas. We return to the Old City of Jerusalem where we visit the Western Wall, and tour through the Western Wall Tunnels. We will continue our tour through the old city of Jerusalem and We end the day at the Garden Tomb also known as Gordon's Calvary, believed by Protestants to be the true place of The Crucifixion, burial, and The Resurrection of Jesus; here we will see Calvary and Jesus' burial tomb and take communion.
28 May Sun - DAY 7
After breakfast, we depart Jerusalem and make our way to Masada. Here we ascend high above the wilderness by way of the cable car, to the mountain-top fortress built by King Herod. We survey the ruins of the fortifications, waterworks, synagogues, bathhouses, and palaces. We then continue our drive to Ein Gedi, where David hid from King Saul. We enjoy a walk to the waterfalls, hopefully seeing ibex and coney (hyrax), along the way. This afternoon, we drive to the northern Dead Sea shore, to Qumran and the settlement there dating from the first century when it was inhabited by a Jewish sect who hid the Dead Sea Scrolls, possibly the Essenes. We then begin our ascent of 4,000 feet in 13 miles to the majestic city of Jerusalem. Upon entering Jerusalem, we make a stop at Mount Scopus for a panoramic view of the city before proceeding to our hotel.
29 May Mon - DAY 8
We will have an early start to visit the Temple Mount, the platform on which the Jewish Temple stood prior to its destruction in 70ad, and today is home to the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque which can be viewed from the outside – (subject to change) We continue to the Pools of Bethesda where Jesus healed the lame man in John 5 and the church of St. Anne. Our morning continues at the City of David where we will walk through the 2,700-year-old Hezekiah's Tunnel, ending up at the Pool of Siloam (John 9). The rest of the afternoon is at leisure to peruse the Old City souk, or maybe one of the areas of modern Jerusalem.
30 May Tue - DAY 9
We leave Jerusalem and head to the Valley of Elah where David slew Goliath. Then we travel to Beer Sheva in the Negev Desert, named by Abraham 4000 years ago. Here, we visit Tel Beer Sheva where archaeologists have uncovered a city dating from the early Israelite period (10th century BCE.) This city is located on the edge of the wilderness near the confluence of the Beer Sheva and Hebron streams. The meticulously planned water system of this city demonstrates impressive engineering expertise. Tonight, we will have a farewell in a local Israeli restaurant. . Also, each tour member will receive a Certificate of Pilgrimage signed by the mayor of Jerusalem. We will head to Ben Gurion airport, say goodbye to our guide, and board our flight back home
Faith Assembly - Holy Land Tour [email protected] Israel address - 24 Raul Wallenberg St. Tel Aviv, Israel |