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DAY 01: NORTH AMERICA / FRANKFURT.
Tour members will meet at the airport two hours prior to departure for
Frankfurt. Dinner and breakfast will be served in flight.
DAY 02: FRANKFURT / TEL AVIV / JERUSALEM.
Upon our arrival in Tel Aviv via Frankfurt, we will be met and
transferred to our beautiful hotel in Jerusalem where the thrilling
journey of following in the footsteps of Jesus will begin.
DAY 03: MT. SCOPUS / THE MT. OF OLIVES /
GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE / ST. STEPHENS GATE / POOL OF BETHESDA / THE WAY OF
THE CROSS / THE OLD CITY / GOLGOTHA / THE GARDEN TOMB.
 After
a good nights rest and a hearty breakfast, this exciting day will begin
with a drive to Mt. Scopus and the Mt. of Olives (Matthew 24:3) for a
panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem (Mark 14:32-26) and the
Church of Agony where Jesus was betrayed by Judas (Matthew 26:36-57), we
will proceed to St. Stephens Gate (Acts 7:51-60) from whence we will
visit the Five Porch Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-16) and the Church of
Saint Anne. Then we will follow in the footsteps of Jesus through the
Old City of Pilate's Judgment Hall, the Chapel of the Flagellation and
the Ecce Homo Arch (John 19:13) where Jesus was tried before Pilate
(Mark 15:6). We then will traverse the Via Dolorosa to Golgotha, the
place of the skull (John 19:17), where they crucified our Lord. Then on
to a victory celebration at the Resurrection Tomb and Garden (John
20:1-18).
DAY 04: MASADA / BETHANY / JERICHO / THE
MT. OF TEMPTATION / THE VILLAGE OF THE ESSENES / THE QUMRAN CAVES / THE
DEAD SEA. This morning we drive via the
Judean Desert to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth. A beautiful
new road takes us south along the shores of the Dead Sea to Masada,
truly a remarkable piece of history. On the way we view Ein Gedi, a
green oasis in the middle of the desert. Then ascend to Masada by cable
car to visit the magnificent ruins of the fortress, where from 70-73
A.D. the Jewish defenders made the last stand of the Judean revolt
against Rome, and where the remains of storehouses, cisterns and a 6th
century Byzantine church are still on view. Return along the Dead Sea
to Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Visit the
remains of the Community Center of the Essenes and the Caves of the
Scrolls. On to Ancient Jericho where the walls came tumbling down and a
commanding view of the Mt. of Temptation and Elisha's Fountain. We will
continue on the Jericho Road viewing the Inn of the Good Samaritan (Luke
10:25-37) and the Judean wilderness en route to Bethany, the home of
Mary, Martha and Lazarus. On to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.
DAY 05: THE NEW CITY / THE MODEL CITY / BETHLEHEM / THE KIDRON VALLEY /
THE HOUSE OF CAIPHAS / MT. ZION / THE UPPER ROOM / THE WESTERN WALL /
THE TEMPLE MOUNT.
 We
will begin the day with a trip to New Jerusalem and enjoy a brief visit
to the outdoor Walking Mall. Proceed to view the Model City of Jerusalem
which depicts in miniature the Holy City as it appeared in the first
century. Onward to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity and
the birthplace of Jesus, observing Rachel's tomb, the Shepherd's Field
(Luke 2:1-20) and the Field of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 1:16-17 and 4:13).
The afternoon drive will take us through the Kidron Valley to the Pool
of Siloam. Viewing the House of Caiphas, the High Priest, and the first
century steps of stone that our Lord climbed, we will continue to the
Room of the Last Supper (Luke 22:14-20) on the summit of Mt. Zion where
the tomb of King David is memorialized. Onto the Western Wall (or
Wailing Wall) where the faithful Jews cry their petitions to God and to
the Dome of the Rock which is built on the ancient site of Solomon's
Temple (Genesis 22:9-14) and over the Rock of Sacrifice where Abraham
offered Isaac (Genesis 22) and the ceremonial sacrifice of animals took
place.
DAY 06: JERUSALEM. Today we will visit the Cathedral of St.
George and the St. George's School. Hopefully a visit with the Bishop
can be arranged. (If his busy schedule allows.) This evening a St.
George's official is invited to talk to our group after dinner.
DAY 07: JERUSALEM / MEGIDDO / MT. TABOR /
GALILEE / NAZARETH / CANA / TIBERIAS ON THE SEA OF GALILEE.
 Traveling
northward from Jerusalem to Megiddo and the fields of Armageddon
(Revelation 16:16) in the Jezreel Valley. Continue to Mt. Tabor (Psalms
89:12) where we also view Deboriya, the hometown of the Prophetess
Deborah (Judges 4 and 5) and the Village of Nain where Jesus brought
life to a dead child (Luke 7:11-18). From here we go up to Nazareth,
the hometown of Jesus, in the Province of Galilee. Here we visit the
church of the Annunciation (Luke 1:5-42) and Mary's Fountain (Luke
4:16-22) before proceeding to Cana, the site of the first miracle of
Jesus (John 2:1-11) and then to Tiberias (John 6:23) and the beautiful
Sea of Galilee. Overnight at our hotel in Tiberias.
DAY 08: TIBERIAS / THE SEA OF GALILEE /
CAPERNAUM MOUNT OF BEATITUDES / TABGHA / CAESAREA PHILIPPI / MT. HERMON
/ GOLAN HEIGHTS / THE JORDAN RIVER. This day
will be an exciting day in the Galilee area. After a delicious
breakfast we will depart from the Roman hot springs resort city of
Tiberias via a boat ride across the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum (John
6:24) to visit the ancient ruins of this first century synagogue where
Jesus preached (Matthew 4:13-17). Then onto the Mt. of Beatitudes where
Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and to Tabgha, the
chapel dedicated to the multiplication of the loaves and fishes (Mark
6:34-44). We will then proceed to Upper Galilee and the site of Peter's
Confession (Matthew 16:16) at Caesarea Philippi and to Mt. Hermon (Psalm
89:12), the probable site of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8) and
the present day Golan Heights where Israel, Lebanon and Syria come
together. We will follow the fresh mountain waters of Hermon to the Sea
of Galilee and to the outlet passage at the southern tip of the sea. We
will stop at the beautiful Pilgrims Park at the Jordan River. Return to
our hotel for overnight.
DAY 09: TIBERIAS / TEL AVIV.
 Traveling
westward across Galilee, we visit Haifa and Mt. Carmel, the biblical
site of Elijah's contest with the prophets of Baal (I Kings 18).
Continue southward along the Way of the Sea to to Caesarea, the Roman
City of Herod where sights include Crusader fortifications and the Roman
aqueducts and amphitheater. Drive through the citrus groves and farms
of the rich land of Sharon to Tel Aviv for dinner and overnight.
DAY 10: TEL AVIV / NORTH AMERICA.
After breakfast we depart for the Tel Aviv airport for our return flight
to North America. The end of our most enjoyable journey. |
