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BIBLICAL STUDY JOURNEY 7 NIGHTS

This specialty tour is offered for one date only: Oct. 27 - Nov. 2, 2024

Israel Celebration Tours has collaborated with Rabbi and biblical studies teacher Don Peterman to offer you a once-in-a-lifetime journey with fellow students of the Bible in the holyland. Two other customized tour dates are offered as well with recommendations from Rabbi Don Peterman: Nov. 27-Dec. 5, 2023 & Mar. 20 - 28, 2024. Not sure which is right for you? Email us and we'll work together to find the perfect tour to meet your needs and interests.

Day 1: Depart

Sit back and relax as you depart for Israel and begin this exciting adventure of a lifetime! Dinner and overnight on board your international flight.

Day 2: Arrive in Israel

Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, we will be met by representatives of Vered Tours and transferred by deluxe motor coach to our hotel near the Mediterranean Sea for check-in, dinner, and an overnight stay.

Day 3: Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Caesarea Mt. Carmel, Megiddo, Sea of Galilee

We begin our tour with a visit to the Biblical port city of Joppa (Jaffa) at the south of modern Tel Aviv. It was from here that Jonah set sail to flee from the presence of the Lord (Jonah 1:3) and it was here in Joppa that Peter raised Tabitha (Dorcas) from the dead (Act 9;36-43). We continue by driving north along the Mediterranean Sea to Caesarea, a city founded by Herod the Great in 22 B.C. Here Peter proclaimed the good news to the Roman centurion, Cornelius. We will explore the city's famous Roman theater, harbor, newly-excavated hippodrome, and palace before continuing north to Mount Carmel, where Elijah prayed down the fire of the Lord and defeated the 450 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). We will visit the

excavations of the city of Megiddo, where 26 separate layers of cities have been found, each one built on top of the ruins of the previous city. We will view the beautiful Jezreel Valley, the location for the future gathering of the nations at Armageddon.

We will have dinner and stay overnight at our hotel on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Day 4: Mt. of Beatitudes, Tabgha, Capernaum, Boat Ride, Baptismal Site

Our day will begin by traveling to the Golan Heights. We will visit the New Testament City of Caesarea Philippi, in the area where Peter made his confession of Christ's deity (Matthew 16:13-16). We will then drive to the Mount of Beatitudes with its beautiful view overlooking the sea and the site where Jesus delivered one of His most powerful messages, the Sermon on the Mount. Along the shoreline of the Sea of Galilee is Tabgha. It is believed that here Jesus walked along the shore and called out to Simon Peter and Andrew who were casting out their nets. James and John were also called to follow Jesus during that walk by the shore. This is believed to be the place of the loaves and fishes miracle. Visit Peter's Primacy,

where Christ met with His disciples prior to His ascension (John 21). Our tour will then proceed to Capernaum, the center of Jesus' ministry in Galilee, where He performed more miracles than at any other single place. There we will view the ancient synagogue where Christ taught and the house where Peter lived. We will cross the Sea of Galilee on a wooden fishing boat. We will visit the "Jesus Boat," dating to the time of Christ, a wooden boat discovered in 1986 buried in the mud at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee. Turning south, we will stop at the Jordan River baptismal site for a special time of baptism.

Dinner and overnight at our hotel.

Day 5: Cana, Nazareth, Beth Shean, Jerusalem

Today’s first stop will be Cana, where Christ performed His first miracle (John 2). We will continue to Nazareth, Jesus' boyhood home where we will visit the Nazareth Village, a recreation of Nazareth as Jesus would have known it. We drive through the picturesque Gideon Springs (where Gideon tested his men, reducing his army from 10,000 to 300 by the way they drank water from the springs). Then we will travel south to Beth Shean to view the spectacular Roman and Byzantine ruins. The bodies of King Saul and his sons were hung from the city walls (1 Samuel 31:10-12) in Beth Shean after they were defeated by the Philistines. We will drive through the Jordan Valley and see the mountains of Moab and Mount Nebo (Deuteronomy 34). Continuing on toward our goal we pass by Jericho, the ancient Canaanite city destroyed by the power of God. Jericho remains one of the oldest known inhabited cities in the world. We will stop at the Inn of the Good Samaritan on our way to Jerusalem. As we ascend to Jerusalem and to the Mount Scopus overlook, we will be able to survey the city of Jerusalem.

We will check in to our hotel in Jerusalem and share dinner together.

Day 6: Old City of Jerusalem, Israel Museum

Our visit to Jerusalem will begin at the top of the Mount of Olives. Here Jesus foretold the destruction of the temple (Matthew 24-25). As we descend the Mount, we will stop at Dominus Flevit, the site commemorating the tears Jesus shed over Jerusalem before entering the city; there we will be reminded of what the Messiah saw as He looked out over Jerusalem. We will visit the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:36-45), where Jesus prayed the night before His crucifixion. We will continue to the Lions' Gate (St. Stephen's Gate) where we will walk along the Via Dolorosa, where Jesus carried the cross along the narrow streets from Pilate's judgment hall toward Golgotha. We will stop at St. Anne's Church

and the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the lame man (John 5: 1-9). Walk through the market area taking in the sights, sounds and aromas of the shops that surround you. We will arrive at The Church of the Holy Sepulcher which commemorates one of the traditional sites of the hill of crucifixion and the tomb of Christ's burial. From here we will walk to the Jaffa Gate, leaving the Old City for a short drive to visit the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls collection is exhibited and a model of Jerusalem from the time of Jesus is on display, both at the Israel Museum.

Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 7: Mt. Zion, Western Wall, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Depart

This morning we will visit Mount Zion where the Upper Room is located. We will sing praises in the Upper Room (Luke 22), view the traditional tomb of King David and then proceed to Caiphas the high priest's house (John 18), where Jesus was imprisoned. We will continue touring sites within the Old City, Zion Gate, the Jewish Quarter arriving at the Southern Steps of the Temple Mount. We will sit on the temple steps where we know Jesus actually walked. We will view the Dome of the Rock, the spot on which Israel's Temple once stood. At the Western "Wailing" Wall, the Jews' most sacred site, we will observe the lifestyles and traditions of the people within the Old City walls. From here we will depart for a short ride to Bethlehem to visit the site of Jesus' birth (Luke 2:1-19). Bethlehem is also the burial site of Rachel (Genesis 35: 16, 19). We will return to Jerusalem and visit the Garden Tomb, where we will gain a sense of the agony of Christ's crucifixion at Calvary (Luke 23) and experience the exhilaration and reality of His resurrection. Following the tour of the Garden Tomb, we will have a special private communion service.

Return to our hotel for our farewell meal and a brief chance to freshen up before our flight.

We will transfer to Ben Gurion International Airport for our return flight home.

Day 8: Arrival in USA

Arrive at home with memories to last a lifetime.

Rabbi Don Peterman, MAJCS has been teaching Hebrew in various forms for over 50 years. Don sees himself as a facilitator, by bringing the student’s love for the Bible and the language of the Bible together so that translation from the original Hebrew becomes unnecessary. Don loves to travel in Israel and is an enthusiastic amateur archaeologist.