Wyeth & I are excited that soon we will be taking off for Tel Aviv, Israel via Houston, TX and Newark, NJ. Our former pastor at Riverwood Bible Church, Ken Sheppard and his wife, Billie, will be leading the tour. Four other members of Riverwood and two friends from Missouri will be in the group along with some of Ken's & Billie's close friends from Texas- eighteen people in all. Our plane leaves next Monday, November 7th and we will arrive back in the U.S. on Friday, November 18th. During the almost 11 days of our tour we will visit many of the landmarks described in the Old Testament and the New Testament places where Jesus lived, worked and ministered. Again, we are very excited to be able to trace the footsteps of the Old Testament Patriarchs and the Son of God Himself. We will endeavor to keep you posted through this blog at every available opportunity!
Below is our itinerary for the trip:
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2011- We depart from our home cities for an overnight flight to Israel. We have group members flying from Dallas TX, Austin TX, Kansas City MO, Jackson MS and one group which will meet us in Tel Aviv from a European point of departure. Billie and I are personally acquainted with practically everyone and our relationship with most of you spans several decades. You are among our favorite people on earth and we greatly look forward to you getting to know each other. I can’t wait!
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2011- Upon arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport we will be met by a travel representative and escorted to our first class hotel, the Dan Panorama in Tel Aviv. This city is Israel’s largest and is most like a modern, western counterpart. After dinner we will meet briefly for an initial orientation and instructions for our tour departure in the morning.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2011- After a wonderful Israeli breakfast, we will begin our tour of Israel in our luxury motorcoach, driven by Ami, who will quickly become one of your best friends! Our expert licensed guide for the entire tour is Walter Zanger, a highly respected, well known and knowledgeable leader in his field. For more information on him you can go to www.walterzanger.net. I have known Walter for over 30 years and love, respect and admire him greatly. Also, I hope that his lovely wife, Paula, will be able to join us for some or all of the tour. Before leaving the city, we will visit nearby Joppa. (Jonah 1:3, Acts 9:6; 10:1; 11:5) Heading north up the Via Maris, The Way of the Sea. Arriving at Caesarea Maritime, where Paul was in prison before going to Rome, we will see the wonderful remains of the Roman and Crusader cities, as well as the 2000 year old manmade harbor. (Acts 8:40; 10; 21:8,9; 23:31-26:32). Cornelius, the Roman centurion and Philip the Evangelist lived there. Crossing the mountain pass to the east, we come to Megiddo, biblical Armageddon. Walter will use maps and other means to help us understand the historical importance of this ancient crossroads. (1 Ki. 9:15; Rev. 16:14-21) It overlooks the Jezreel Valley in which can be found Nain (Luke 7:11-17), the Kishon River (Judges 5:21), Mt. Tabor (Judges 4:6-14) and numerous other places of biblical and historical significance. In the late afternoon we”ll drive beside Mt. Carmel (Isa. 35:2; Jer. 50:19; Elijah: 1 Kings 18) to the beautiful port city of Haifa. You can anticipate a breathtaking view of the Mediterranean from the overlook. Overnight in Haifa at the Colony Hotel.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2011- We drive east across Lower Galilee to Nazareth, boyhood home of Jesus. (Mt. 2:21-23;Lu. 2:1-7, 39,51-52; 4:16-30;Mt. 13: 53-58; Mk. 6: 1-6) While this is the largest town in Galilee today, it was a small village in NT times. Just to the north is the wonderful archaeological site of Zippori, the large Roman city that Jesus doubtless visited often in his youth. Josephus called it the “Ornament of All Galilee”. At Nazareth, we will visit Mary’s Well and see the huge Church of the Annunciation. Nearby is Cana. (Jn. 2:1-11) We will finish our day near Tiberias, a city built on the Sea of Galilee by Herod Antipas in Jesus’ day. We will stay at Vered Ha-Galil, the only authentic dude ranch in Israel! It affords a wonderful view of the lake.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011- This morning we travel north around this freshwater lake to Capernaum, where Jesus headquartered for the majority of his ministry. On the way, we will stop at Kibbutz Nof Ginnosar to see the “Jesus Boat”, an actual fishing vessel from the time of Christ, which was discovered only a few years ago. Most of Jesus’ teaching and healing ministry took place around or upon this body of water. Even a cursory reading of the Gospels demonstrates the significance of this area. From Capernaum (Mt. 4:12-17; Mk. 1:21), we travel north to Upper Galilee to Caesarea Philippi, site of Peter’s declaration, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God”, and possibly the site of the Transfiguration. (Mt. 16:13-20; 17: 1-1-13) This is near Dan, the northernmost point of the Land. (From Dan to Beersheba) In the afternoon, we will cover the Golan Heights, seeing such sites as Gamla, Nimrud Castle and scenes of Israel’s battles in 1967 and 1973. Overnight again at Vered Ha-Galil. (We may change to the Scots Hotel in Tiberias for our Galilee accommodations; this is another great alternative we are pursuing.)
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2011- Leaving Tiberias, we travel south down the Jordan Valley to Beit Shean (Saul’s body hung on its walls, a wonderful Roman theatre; a huge city back in the day- 1 Sam. 31), see the “Zodiac Mosaic” at Beit Alpha and the Spring of Harod (Gideon’s 300 men: Judges 7). Continuing down the Great Rift Valley past Jericho, we turn west to climb up the Jericho Road to the Holy City, JERUSALEM. We spend the next five nights in the only unique city in the world!
(As I write this, I realize the inadequacy of an itinerary such as this. Every place we have visited has other significant places right next door, and each place has layer upon layer of stories from biblical and secular history. Which ones to emphasize and visit? That is the great question! Time is so short! This may call for a RETURN TRIP!)
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 2011- The preceding statement certainly applies to our time in and around Jerusalem. I will attempt to mention many of the key sites we will visit, but just know that there will be more to see than our time allows. Waking up in the Dan Panorama in Jerusalem, We begin our day with a visual overview of the Eternal City from Mt. Scopus and the Mt. of Olives. This will give us a basic orientation of the city itself. Since we will have been touring steadily for most of a week, we will make this a fairly light, easy day. We will schedule a worship service at the hotel for all who wish to attend.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2011- We will be taken to the Jaffa Gate on the west side of the Old City, from which we will walk through the Armenian Quarter, Mt. Zion and end up at the Western Wall of the ancient Temple Mount. It may be possible for us to go into the famous Rabbis’ Tunnel. The sites we will see on the way to the Wall are, for the most part, ancient traditional locations. These include the Room of the Last Supper, David’s Tomb and others. We will get a real feel for the pulse of life there as we walk these streets. After lunch, we will visit the remarkable Model of the City in 66 AD (a wonderful thing!), and tour the Shrine of the Book (Dead Sea Scrolls) in the western part of the city. Near the Israel Museum is the Israeli Knesset, its House of Parliament.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2011- This morning we will tour the part of the Old City which pertains most to the events of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. We will walk the ancient Via Dolorosa and see the traditional Stations of the Cross. They will lead us to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre., dating from the 4th century AD. (Read the closing chapters in each of the Gospels in preparation for this) I hope time permits a visit to the Pool of Bethesda. (Jn. 5:1-16) A great site, and St. Anne’s Church is next door, with its fantastic acoustics. Even I can sound good singing in there! In the afternoon we will visit Yad Va-Shem, the Holocaust Memorial. A gripping experience. Not fun, but very important. Also, I’m going to ask Walter to include a trip to his own town, Ein Karem, in the southwest part of the city, traditional birthplace of John the Baptist. It is beautiful and, as I remember it, still looks relatively unspoiled by modern efforts.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2011- Today we leave early for a trip to the fortress of Masada. Driving east from Jerusalem, we go back down the Jericho Road to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth- 1300 ft BELOW sea level. (15 miles from Jerusalem, which is 3000 ft ABOVE sea level) Time permitting, we will stop at Qumran, where the first Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in the 1940’s, and perhaps quickly stop at Ein Gedi, the ruggedly beautiful area where David hid from King Saul. Arriving at Masada, you will be overwhelmed with its majestic size and height. Ascending by cable car, you will be amazed by the splendid and luxurious palaces and other buildings and amenities Herod built in his mountaintop fortress. But most of all, you will be impressed with the story of the siege by the Romans and its fall in 73 AD. Walter does a masterful job on this! Again, time permitting, we will stop for a dip in the therapeutic waters of the Dead Sea on our return to Jerusalem.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2011- This final day in Israel will begin with a trip to the Garden Tomb, which is believed by some to be the site of the resurrection of our Savior. While evidence for this site is not conclusive, the ambiance of the site and this ancient tomb is certainly similar to the one from which He rose. The ministry of the Garden Tomb Association gives an excellent testimony to the reality of this event, regardless of where it actually occurred. In addition, we may do a couple of other things we haven’t done yet. From Ammunition Hill, Walter can give us an overview of the Battle for Jerusalem in the Six Day War. Some have indicated interest in walking through Hezekiah’s Tunnel (2 Chron. 32:2-4,30) to the Pool of Siloam (Jn. 9:7-11). We will check on the possibility of this. Others may want to do some shopping or simply rest. After a Farewell Celebratory Dinner, we will be transported to Ben Gurion for our overnight flights to the USA!
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2011- We arrive at our home cities!
