Midway Church - Israel Tour 2023
Day 1: Our tour begins as we meet at the airport and prepare to board our flight to begin this journey of a lifetime. After a short layover we board our flight to Tel Aviv.
Day 2: We arrive in Israel in the early afternoon. After passing through customs, we will meet our guide and board the bus to drive north to the Sea of Galilee where our beautiful hotel, The Sea Of Galilee, awaits. Dinner will be served.
Day 3: After viewing the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee, we will be served breakfast. Our tour day starts with devotions, worship and prayer. We then board our bus and have a short drive to the Mt. of Beatitudes, site of the Sermon on the Mount. We then visit Tabgha where the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves & fish took place. Then its off to the ruins of Capernaum, the town where Jesus made his home after leaving Nazareth. Lunch will be provided at Ein Gev fish restaurant. After lunch, we will take a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee to Tiberias. We end the day at Yardenit, the Baptismal Center site on the Jordan River where you will have an opportunity to be baptized.
Day 4: After viewing the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee, we will be served breakfast. Our tour day starts with devotions, worship and prayer. Back on the bus for a morning drive along the Hula Valley to Tel Dan & visit the remains of the city. Continue to the Banias, site of ancient Caesarea Philippi. It is here that Peter made his confession of faith in Jesus, (Matthew 16:13). We then ride through the Golan Heights and stop at Mt. Bental. The last site you will visit will be Magdala. Dinner in Tiberias
Day 5: After viewing the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee, we have breakfast followed by our morning devotions. Again we board the bus for another wonderful day of touring, first, we will proceed to Caesarea and the beautiful Roman Theatre. After a very educational visit at Caesarea, we them drive to Mt. Carmel the site where Elijah challenged worshipers of Ba-al. At this site we will have our first breathtaking view of the Valley Of Armageddon. Leaving Mt. Carmel we take a short ride to Megiddo, one of Solomon’s Chariot Cities, and a wonderful archaeological dig. Next we cross the Valley Of Armageddon to the town of Nazareth, where Jesus grew up. We will walk through the streets to a synagogue for a short visit and study. Now we will head back to Tiberias.
Day 6: After viewing our last sunrise over the Sea of Galilee, we will have breakfast followed by our morning devotions. Next we board our bus for a morning drive to Bet She’an where recent excavations have unveiled the impressive ruins of the country’s largest city in the Roman & Byzantine periods, which was destroyed by an earth quake in 749 AD. We will then travel to Shiloh, where, for the first 369 years, the Ark Of The Covenant was kept, making Shiloh the place of the Tabernacle of the Lord (in this place there were 1107 Feast Celebrations of Passover, Pentecost and Tabernacles). From Shiloh we will ascend to Jerusalem!
Day 7: We’ll start our day with breakfast, devotions and prayer. We’ll then make our way to the Mount of Olives for a breathtaking panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem. We will walk along the Palm Sunday Road and descend to the Garden of Gethsemane. Next we will visit the Southern Steps, The Upper Room and King David’s Tomb. In the afternoon we’ll visit the City of David, Jeremiah’s Cistern, Hezekiah’s Tunnel and the Pool of Siloam.
Day 8: The day starts with a drive to Mt. Moriah we will walk up to the Temple site & see the area of the Dome of the Rock & El Aqsa Mosque. We’ll continue with a visit to the Rabbi’s Tunnel and Antonia Fortress. We’ll then walk to the Pool of Bethesda and Saint Anne’s Church, an amazing example of Crusader architecture. Then it’s on to The Jewish Quarter and a visit to The Temple Institute.
Day 9: We’ll start our day early, heading down toward the Dead Sea. Our first stop of the day will be Masada. We’ll explore the ancient excavations of Herod’s palaces, the bathhouse, the storerooms, the ramp, & the oldest synagogue in the world. We then Drive along the Jordan Valley visiting Ein Gedi, an oasis on the Dead Sea shore & the site where David hid from King Saul. From there we’ll go to Qumran, the place the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. The Biblical and historical implications here are mesmerizing! We’ll then board our bus and head back to Jerusalem for a wonderful dinner and some much needed rest.
Day 10: This morning we drive to the west side of the city and visit the Israel Museum to see The Shrine of the Book where The Dead Sea Scrolls are kept and take another look at The Holy Land walk-around model of The City of Jerusalem as it was in the 2nd Temple period (the time of Jesus). Next we’ll visit The Museum Of Israel to see so many wonderful ancient artifacts that help to tell the story of Israel’s past. We then visit Yad Vashem, The Holocaust Museum.
Day 11: We start our day with another incredible Israeli breakfast, morning devotions, and prayer. We’ll then board our buses to visit Golgotha, “The Place of the Skull”. After pondering the price our Lord paid to bring us remission of sins, we will visit the Empty Tomb of Jesus, where we’ll share Communion in the Garden and celebrate our salvation as we contemplate this wonderful place.
Day 12: We rise early have our breakfast and will travel to the airport and board our planes for home. Great and wonderful memories will begin to be sorted out as we y the night skies.
Special Note: We are working on some additions to this already amazing Biblical teaching tour. The sites listed above are part of our plan, but we always manage to visit new and additional sites as the Lord opens doors. All in all, we will endeavor to fill our time allotted in Israel as He provides!