Harvest Church Israel Tour

November 7 – 15, 2017

9 DAY ITINERARY:

Tuesday, November 7, 2017 – Day 1: USA-ISRAEL

We will depart from Atlanta on an overnight transatlantic flight to Israel. Meals and in-flight movies and music will be served on board.

Wednesday, November 8 – Day 2: Welcome to Israel

We will land at Ben Gurion airport, just outside Tel-Aviv. We will be met by a trips Israel representative immediately after passport control. Prior to our arrival at our hotel, we will drive to the old port city of Jaffa, south of Tel Aviv for a quick tour and a beauti­ful panoramic view of Tel Aviv. We will check-in to our hotel in Tel Aviv. Enjoy dinner at our hotel. Overnight at hotel in Tel Aviv (Mediterranean Sea).

Overnight at hotel in Tel Aviv

Thursday, November 9 – Day 3: Journey north

After our first breakfast, we will meet our guide at 08:30 am at the lobby of our hotel. We will journey north along the coastal Plain of Sharon, to the ancient city of Caesarea, built by Herod the great and once occupied by roman rule. Caesarea is also where Pontius Pilate had his base; where Cornelius lived and was baptized (acts l 0). See the roman theater, with its acoustic and theatrical sound. We turn inland to Megiddo, one of king Solomon’s walled, fortified cities (1st kings 9:15; 10:26), with ruins of 20 levels of civilization and identified as the site of Armageddon. From here the books of Daniel and revelation will come alive as we read about the final battle of Armageddon, while viewing the plains of jezreel. Continue with our drive to Nazareth, to visit the church of the annunciation, where it is believed the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. We will also visit the site of the synagogue of Nazareth, where Jesus preached his first sermon. A short distance away we will tour Nazareth village where daily life at the time of Jesus is re-enacted. We will visit Cana, the site where Jesus turned water into wine at a wedding ceremony. We will drive through the pastoral hills of the Galilee to Tiberias and arrive to our hotel for check-in after check-in, we will enjoy a relaxing dinner at our hotel. After diner, wander the streets of Tiberias’s city center.

Overnight in Tiberias

Friday, November 10 – Day 4: Golan Heights and Western Galilee

After breakfast, we will start our day with a drive to western Galilee. Our first visit of the day will be Tabgha, the site of the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes (john 6: 1-14). We will continue to the mount

of beatitudes, where Jesus delivered perhaps the most significant sermon ever preached· “the sermon on the mount” (Matt. 5). We will enjoy a sr. Peter’s lunch overlooking the Sea of Galilee. We will continue to kibbutz Nof Ginosar to visit Yigal Alon museum, where the “Jesus boat” is displayed. The Jesus boat is an ancient fishing boat from the 1^st century was found at the bottom of the sea of Galilee and was restored to its original look. We will board a boat for a short cruise on the Sea of Galilee. We will journey to Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and the site of many of his miracles (mark 2:4; matt. 8:5; 14-17; 9: 1-7; 17: 18). We will see the remains of peter’s (Simon’s) house and the synagogue site where jesus taught and worshiped (mark l :21; Luke 4:31 ). We will return back to our hotel, via Yardenit, where we will have a chance to be baptized. Enjoy a relaxing Shabbat dinner at our hotel.

Overnight in Tiberias

Saturday, November 11 – day 5: The Journey to Jerusalem

After breakfast, we will leave Tiberius and drive south to visit the city of Beit Shean, one of the largest ongoing archaeological digs in the land of Israel. Here, we will tour the colonnaded roman streets, mosaics, the Cardo and the roman bathhouses (1^st Samuel 31:10). We will continue with our drive south through the lush Jordan valley where the dessert now blooms with flowers and vegetation of every description (Isaiah 35: 1-2) towards the mountains of Judea. En route, we will stop for a breathtaking view of st. George’s Greek monastery. We will arrive to Jerusalem and we’ll continue to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest who interrogated Jesus the night of h1s betrayal (mark 14:53- 65). We will arrive to our hotel for check-in. In the evening, we will enjoy a relaxing dinner at our hotel.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Sunday, November 12 – Day 6: Jerusalem – Old City

After breakfast, we will drive to the old city and enter through the dung gate. We will visit the southern wall excavations to see the ruins, including the famous Robinson arch, which used to lead the high priests into the temple. We will proceed to the western wall to see Judaism’s holiest spot. We begin at the passageways descending through many layers of Jerusalem’s past through the western wall (rabbi’s) tunnels. Inside, we will see the model showing the different dwelling periods and history of the inhabitants of Jerusalem. We will walk along the Christian quarter to see the pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed a lame man and retrace the steps of Jesus along the Via Dolorosa. Walk through the Stations of the Cross and pass colorful bazaars, alleyways and marketplaces to church of the holy sepulcher. Proceed to the Jewish Quarter, which was reconstructed after the city was unified at the conclusion of the Six-Day War in 1967. A special point of interest in the restored Jewish Quarter is the “Cardo”, meaning the “heart” of this ancient Byzantine City. If time permits, we will have a short time to wander the markets in the Old City. We will return to our hotel and prepare for service at the King of Kings Church. Enjoy dinner at our hotel.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Monday, November 13 – Day 7: Jerusalem/Bethlehem

After breakfast, we will leave Jerusalem and drive towards Bethlehem. We will arrive at Manger Square and enter into the Church of the Nativity. It is believed by many that this was the site of Jesus’ birth place. We wil return to Jerusalem and continue to Israel Museum to see the scale model city of Jerusalem as it used to look in 66 CE. The ancient city of Jerusalem was then at its largest area in CA. covering more than 445 acres (twice the size of the Old City today). In the same complex, we will also see the Shrine of the Book to see the original Dead Sea scrolls and where they are housed. We will drive to the top of Mount of Olives for a beautiful panoramic view of Jerusalem. Here, we will also see the Golden Gates and the ancient Jewish cemetery. We will stroll down the mountain via the tear shaped church of Dominus Flevit and arrive to the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus prayed in many occasions and where He was arrested. We return to the Old City via Lions’ Gate to see the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus healed a lame. We begin to retrace the steps of Jesus along the Via Dolorosa (stations of the Cross). We will view the colorful bazaars and alleyways to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. We conclude with a communion at the Garden Tomb. It is believed by many to be the site of Golgotha, the place of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Dinner at our hotel.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Tuesday, November 14 – Day 8: Dead Sea area and Masada

After an early breakfast, our route will take us back down the main highway toward the Dead Sea. As we approach the Dead Sea, we will be descending to the lowest point on the surface of the earth, 1305 feet (398m) below sea level. We will visit Qumran, where a young shepherd boy discovered the Dead Sea scrolls in one of the caves.” Further south, we will visit Masada, where we will ascend by cable car to tour the ancient fortress of Herod. This was also the site of some of the Jewish zealots’ final stronghold against the Romans.” We will finally arrive for a short float in the Dead Sea and a chance to cover ourselves in mud. We return north and stop at Eretz Bereshit for a camel safari in the Judean Wilderness. After safari, we will be invited by Abraham and his family to their tent for a biblical dinner. We will return to our hotel in Jerusalem and prepare for our flight the next day. Overnight in Jerusalem.

Overnight in Jerusalem

Friday, February 23 – Day 9: Departure and arrival back home

We will enjoy breakfast (depending on our flight times) and check-out from our hotel. We will be transferred to Ben Gurion Airport for our flight back home.

Arrive back home with everlasting memories of Israel.

Shalom!