MONDAY, FEBRUARY 19
Depart From New York JFK for your flight to Israel via Turkish Airlines. Beverages and meals will be served on board.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20
Arrive in Tel Aviv and meet our guide. We will drive to the coast and check-in at the hotel to enjoy dinner and a good night’s sleep.
Dinner and Overnight: Tel Aviv
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 21
CAESAREA / MEGIDDO / NAZARETH / JORDAN RIVER
We will drive north along the coast to Caesarea, an excavated city built by Herod the Great 2000 years ago. It served as the administrative capital of Judea for over 600 years. We will then climb up Tel Megiddo, one of Solomon’s ancient chariot cities, for a view of the Jezreel Valley and future site of the battle of Armageddon. Continue north to Mount Carmel, Mukhraka, which means “burned place,” where Elijah faced off against the prophets of Baal and God sent down fire from Heaven. Next we will visit Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus. Feel like you’ve been transported back to biblical times and experience the Israel of Jesus, see its sights, hear its sounds, and even breathe in its aromas at Nazareth Village. End the day at the Jordan River and renew your baptism as a true pilgrim!
Dinner and Overnight: Sea of Galilee
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 22
CAESAREA PHILIPPI / GOLAN HEIGHTS / MT BEATITUDES / CAPERNAUM
We will start our day with a visit to the site of ancient Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus demanded to know of His disciples who people were saying He was. Next we will climb up to the Golan Heights and remember the Road to Damascus, and enjoy the breathtaking view from the Peace Vista. Jesus clearly knew Bethsaida well (Matt. 11:21). Early Christian travelers also knew the town, just north of the Sea of Galilee, which was home to Peter, Andrew and Philip (John 1:44) and, according to tradition, Zebedee and his sons. It was also scene of the feeding of the 5,000 according to Luke (9:10-17) and of Jesus’ healing of a blind man (Mark 8:22-26). We will break and enjoy a St. Peter’s Fish Lunch. Then you will enjoy a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Next a visit to Mt. Beatitudes where Jesus gave his “Sermon on the Mount” (Matt.5). The Chapel of Peter's Primacy, which is located roughly 500 yards east of the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes, commemorates the events of the Gospel of John 21: After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples on the Sea of Galilee shore, causes them to bring in a miraculous catch of fish, prepares a fish meal on a coal fire, and reconciles Peter to him. The chapel is built over the traditional rock where the fire was lit. Visit Capernaum – known as Jesus’ “own town” (Matt. 9:1) – “walking where Jesus walked” takes on thrilling new meaning. As you sit on the stone benches of Capernaum’s ancient synagogue, you’ll be reminded that right here, Jesus taught (Mark 1:21; John 6:59) and healed a man possessed by an evil spirit (Mark 1:23-27). It was the synagogue on this very spot, whose foundations you can still see, which Luke says was built by the centurion whose servant Jesus later healed (Luke 7:3-5). Jesus also raised from the dead the daughter of this synagogue’s leader (Luke 8:49-53).
Dinner and Overnight: Sea of Galilee
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 23
JESUS BOAT / HAROD SPRING / MOUNT SCOPUS
After breakfast at the Kibbutz Nof Ginnosar view the “Jesus Boat,” a 2000-year-old boat that has been preserved until today. Continue to Nain where a charming church graces this picturesque village where Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead (Luke 7:11-15). We will stop and visit the Harod Spring which bubbles in a cave on the slopes of Mount Gilboa and from here we can enjoy a fine view of the Jezreel Valley and lower Galilee. As we make our way south to Jerusalem we pass and see the Mount of Temptation, the mountain on which Christ was tempted by the devil during his 40-day fast. We will then stop at Mount Scopus to view what lies ahead, as it is one of the few places from which both the Dead Sea and the Dome of the Rock can be seen. We will stop at the Western Wall and observe the dancing and chanting by all Israelis and Yeshiva students to welcome the Sabbath.
Dinner and Overnight: Jerusalem
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 24
MT OF OLIVES / GARDEN OF GETHSAMANE / UPPER ROOM
DAVID’S TOMB / ST. PETER EN GALICANTU / GARDEN TOMB
Begin the day with the glorious view of the Old City of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. Visit the garden of Gethsemane and see its ancient olive trees, remembering Jesus’ agony in prayer for us. Visit Mt. Zion and the Upper Room, remembering the Last Supper and outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Below we can pray and pay homage to Israel’s famous king and ancestor of the Messiah at King David’s Tomb. Then we enter the compound at the St. Peter en Galicantu Church which is built over the site of the house of Caiaphas where Jesus was imprisoned. Proceed to Gordon’s Calvary and the Garden Tomb. Continue to Bethlehem with a stop at the Bethlehem Nativity Souvenirs store.
Dinner and Overnight: Jerusalem
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 25
QUMRAN / MASSADA / DEAD SEA
We will depart early today after breakfast and start our drive to Qumran and we will stand among the 2,000 year-old ruins overlooking the Dead Sea on the edge of the Judean Wilderness, we will experience a dramatic view of the cave in which most of the Dead Sea Scrolls, containing the oldest Bible ever found, were discovered. We will then visit the mountaintop fortress of Masada overlooking the Dead Sea. Less than 40 years after Jesus was crucified, Jewish rebels took over Masada. In contrast to Jesus’ instruction to “give to Caesar what is Caesar’s” (Luke 20:25), the rebels believed in zero-tolerance for Roman rule. The rebels were surrounded by the Roman army, and took their own lives rather than become slaves. This act has made Masada a symbol of the human spirit’s yearning for freedom and gives a greater understanding of this era of conflict that was the backdrop to Jesus’ ministry. Afterwards, we will descend to the lowest point on Earth and take advantage of the hot springs, mineral waters, and mud baths, and enjoy the desert climate, bathe in the healing waters of the Dead Sea.
Dinner and Overnight: Jerusalem
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26
TEMPLE MOUNT / TEMPLE INSTITUTE / WESTERN WALL / CITY OF DAVID
First we visit the spot where Abraham offered Isaac in sacrifice on Mount Moriah, the Temple Mount. Visit The Temple Institute with its model of the Holy Temple and reconstructed sacred vessels based on historical and archeological sources. The site tells the story of the Holy Temple throughout the ages. Prepare to be “Awestruck” at the Western Wall, the last remnant of the Jerusalem Temple Jesus knew, destroyed 2,000 years ago by the Romans. Visit the City of David and explore a huge water cistern that evokes the story of Jeremiah’s imprisonment. The touring route descends via Warren’s Shaft and more recently discovered tunnels to the Gihon Spring where Solomon was crowned. The adventurous can then slosh through the amazing engineering feat: the 1,500-foot-long-tunnel created by King Hezekiah in 701 BCE to protect Jerusalem’s water source, Hezekiah’s Tunnel. The walk then continues to remnants of the actual Siloam Pool from Second Temple times, where the blind man healed by Jesus washed. A 350-meter (382 yard) section of a path leading up to the Temple Mount has been opened for visitors after a ten-year excavation project. Explore the newly unveiled passageway called “Pilgrims’ Road” because it is now clear that this is the footpath that was used by Jews during biblical times to ascend the Temple Mount, bringing offerings to the Lord during the three Pilgrimage Feasts–Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles.
Dinner and Overnight: Jerusalem
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 27
ISRAEL MUSEUM / POOL OF BETHESDA / ST. ANNE’S CHURCH
After breakfast we will begin the day with a visit to the Israel Museum, the largest cultural institution in the State of Israel and one of the leading art and archaeology museums in the world. Do the Ramparts Walk of Jerusalem for a unique perspective of the city. Continue to the Pool of Bethesda, the site of the miraculous healing of a paralyzed man by Jesus, as recounted solely in the gospel of John, and also the site of the birth of Mary's mother, "Anne". Here over the original pools the purest crusader church in the whole country was built: St. Anne's. Farewell dinner at an Israeli restaurant before we head to the airport for our overnight flight home.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 28
Arrive in the USA!
PLEASE NOTE! We reserve the right to omit any site and/or change the itinerary
Should it be necessary due to local conditions.
DAY BY DAY ITINERARY
Reel Ministries Holy Land Tour
February 19 to 28, 2024
