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The Holy Land Italy Tour | Pastor Andy Hazelet | June 8-17 | 2018
From Denver
For Further Information:
Pastor Andy Hazelet
Element Church
600 E Carlson St 201
Cheyenne, WY 82009
andy@elementchurchwy.com
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The Holy Land Italy Tour | Pastor Andy Hazelet | June 8-17 | 2018
DAY 1 – Friday, June 08, 2018
DENVER / TEL AVIV ISRAEL BEGINS HERE
Today we will meet at Denver International airport for our connecting flights to Tel Aviv via wide-body aircraft arriving the next day. Meals served on board.
DAY 2 – Saturday, June 09, 2018
TEL AVIV / JAFFA / NETANYA
Upon arrival in Tel Aviv we are met by our guide who will be with us for the time we are in the Holy Land. Board our bus and travel through Tel Aviv, the largest city in Israel. Our first stop will be at Jaffa (Joppa), the city of Jonah, where Peter had his housetop experience at the home of Simon the Tanner. We proceed to the city of Netanya, on the Mediterranean to our hotel where we will check in overnight.
DAY 3 – Sunday, June 10, 2018
NETANYA / CAESAREA / MEGIDDO / NAZARETH / TIBERIAS
This morning we proceed to Caesarea, capital of the Roman procurators of Judea. Visit the Roman port, Crusader’s Moat, Roman theater and aqueduct. Continue to Muhraka on Mount Carmel where Elijah challenged Baal’s priests. This afternoon, after a Middle Eastern lunch at a Druse restaurant(optional), we proceed to Megiddo to visit the excavations that unearthed 20 different civilizations. This is Michener’s “The Source”. Continue down the road to Nazareth, boyhood home of Jesus where we will go to the look out and view the entire valley. Then, it’s on to Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee for dinner and overnight at our hotel. On the way, if there is time we will stop at Harod, the spring of Gideon.
DAY 4 – Monday, June 11, 2018
MAGDALA / HAZOR/ DAN / CAESAREA PHILIPPI /UPPER GALILEE
“The Head of all those Kingdoms” (Joshua 11:10) The Sources of the Jordan. This morning stop at Magdala, one of the oldest Synagogues dating back to the first century AD. Home of Mary Magdalena and was the fishing center where Peter would have brought his catch to be sold or processed. Then on to Chorazin, through the Hula Valley to Hazor, ruins of the powerful Canaanite city destroyed by Joshua and rebuilt by King Jabin and then by Solomon as a chariot city to command upper Galilee. We continue to the northern limits of Jesus’ travel as we cross the River Hatzbani to Dan, where we combine a nature walk beside the Upper Jordan with views of the ancient ruins, topped by the Israelite high place that supported a golden calf (I Kings 12). Then a short drive to Banias (Caesarea Philippi), dedicated to Pan the Greek god of pastures, flocks and shepherds; here Peter made his great profession of faith, recognition of Christ Jesus (Matthew 16). Driving along the foot of Mount Hermon, we ascend onto the Golan Plateau for a magnificent view of upper Israel. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 5 – Tuesday, June 12, 2018
TIBERIAS / SEA OF GALILEE / BET SHEAN / JERUSALEM
This morning we take a relaxing boat ride on the Sea of Galilee where we will be able to look to the shore where so many miracles occurred. We continue to Capernaum and see first century ruins, then visit Tabgha and the Mount of Beatitudes. Our last stop this morning will be at the River Jordan for those who would like the opportunity to be baptized. This afternoon we travel via the Crusader fortress of Belvoir along the Rift Valley to Bet Shean, where King Saul and his sons were pinned to the walls. It became the Decapolis Capital and was traveled by Jesus and known as Scythopolis. See the ancient theater, Circus Maximus and Cardo Maximo. We head down the Jordan River Road and head to the Judean wilderness on our way to the Golden City of Jerusalem. We will stop for a panoramic view of the City of David. Check into our hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 6 – Wednesday, June 13, 2018
JERUSALEM / MASADA /JERICHO
Today we drive to Masada and ascend by cable car to the magnificent ruins of the fortress where, from 70 to 73 AD, Jewish defenders made their last stand in the Judean revolt against Rome. We see the remains of storehouses, cisterns and a sixth-century Byzantine church. Continuing alongside the Dead Sea, 1300 ft. below sea level — the lowest spot on earth — we proceed to Ein Gedi where time permitting we will walk the path to see the waterfall in the desert. This afternoon we continue to Qumran and the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We will have a stop for lunch and time for those that want to swim in the Dead Sea. We travel to Jericho, the world’s oldest city. From the excavated tel atop the ruins of ancient Jericho we view the lush green Jordan Valley, Elisha’s spring and Qarantal, the Mount of Temptation. We will head up to Jerusalem and return to the hotel for dinner.
DAY 7 – Thursday, June 14, 2018
JERUSALEM / RABBI TUNNEL / TEMPLE INSTITUTE / YAD VASHEM / SHRINE OF THE BOOK
This morning we will board our bus for our exciting tour to the famous Rabbi Tunnel. Here we will enter by the Western wall plaza and go down to the foundation of the Second Temple. We will see a model that will demonstrate where we are in location to the Temple in the time of Christ. Continue along the tunnel as we proceed to the Gateway of the Priests entry to the Holy of Holies. We will continue to the Temple Institute where we will see the making of the instruments for the new temple. We will see how they are following the Bible for exact instructions. We will see a film explaining where the Rabbi believes the Ark of the Covenant is located. This afternoon we will head to Yad Vashem and see the Museum of the Holocaust. Continue to Shrine of the Book and the model city of Jerusalem at the time of the Second Temple. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 8 – Friday, June 15, 2018
MT. OF OLIVES / PASSION WALK / SOUTHERN WALL / HERODIUM / SOLOMON’S POOLS /BETHLEHEM
“If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace” (Luke 19:42) We start the day via the Chapel of Ascension and Paternoster to the Mt. of Olives for an orientation view of Jerusalem and the opportunity of a group photograph overlooking Jerusalem. We then walk the traditional Passion walk. We descend to the church known as Dominus Flevit (“Our Lord weeps”). After viewing the Golden Gate, we walk downhill to Gethsemane, where we take time to meditate on the Gospel text. Next we visit the Upper Room and the Tomb of King David, enter the Zion Gate and proceed to the Steps that entered the temple and the Western Wall. It was here that Jesus would have taught the disciples. See a video that shows the temple as it was at Herod’s (or Jesus’) time. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:10-11). We drive south to the region of Bethlehem passing Rachel’s Tomb on the outskirts of Bethlehem. We drive to a hilltop for a view of Bethlehem, noting its relation to the rest of the central mountain range, including Jerusalem, as well as to the desert and the area of ancient Moab. This is Herodium, the palace set in a conical mountain built by Herod to mark his tomb. Note the juxtaposition of the two Kings of the Jews. The King Herod buried in great opulence and the King of the Jews born in a humble manger in Bethlehem sitting in the background of the Herodium. We then drive to one of the possible sites for Shepherds’ Fields. We continue into Bethlehem itself, walking through the restored old town to the Church of the Nativity and visiting the manger and see the cave of St. Jerome. Time permitting driving south, we visit Solomon’s Pools, Jerusalem’s main source of water for almost 2000 years. We drive back to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.
DAY 9 – Saturday, June 16, 2018
OLD CITY / TEMPLE MOUNT / VIA DOLOROSA /GARDEN TOMB
“He has risen!” (Mark 16:6) After breakfast we transfer to the Dung Gate, where we walk via the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site. We ascend to the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque, the third holiest site of Islam, located on the traditional site of the ancient Temple Mount. Here the first and second Temples once stood. Just to the north we find the Pools of Bethesda (John 5) and St. Anne’s Church. The church is perfectly preserved from the Crusader period – with remarkable acoustics. Continuing on we see Pilate’s Judgment Hall, the Chapel of Flagellation, Lithostrotos, and the Arch of Ecce Homo (Behold the Man). We then follow the Way of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) through the bazaars as far as the Holy Sepulcher. From there we walk from the Christian Quarter along the Arab Souks through the Cardo Maximo and past the Armenian Quarter. Continuing to Mt Zion and to the grounds of a church called Peter in Gallicantu, which affords the best view of early Jerusalem from the west. (Here, the Assumptions Fathers suggest, was the house where the High Priest Caiaphas interrogated Jesus). We board our bus to the Garden Tomb where we will end our day with a special visit and the possibility of having a private communion on the grounds outside the city walls. Return to the hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 10 – Sunday, June 17, 2018
JERUSALEM / TEL AVIV / USA
We transfer to the airport for our flight home with unforgettable memories to cherish always. Knowing we have walked in the footsteps of Jesus and the early Christians on such a memorable tour will bring new meaning to our Bible reading.
POST EXENSION:
DAY 1 – Sunday, June 17, 2018
JERUSALEM / ROME POST EXTENSION TOUR TO ITALY
This morning we will have some time to have a last visit to the old city or just rest and get ready for our flight to Rome. This afternoon we transfer to the airport for our flight to Rome. Upon arrival we will be taken to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 2 – Monday, June 18, 2018
PAUL’S DAY
This morning we will visit the most interesting sites which are linked with the life of the Apostle Paul in Rome, Insula di San Paolo alla Regola. Tradition has it that Paul used to live in this area during the years of his first imprisonment and where he met with the first Christians in Rome. We begin by visiting the Church of Santa Prisca. Prisca came from a rich Roman family and Aquila, her husband was probably Greek. Paul spent a couple of years with them in Corinth and this is very often mentioned in his Letters and the Book of Acts (see Rom 16,1-23, Rom 16, 3-5 and Act 18, 1-3). Visit the church where you can still see the big Doric Capital used by Apostle Peter to baptize Prisca. Next we visit the Catacombs of San Sebastian, located on
the Ancient Appian Way. This is where the bodies of Apostle Paul and Apostle Peter where kept during the Christian persecution of Valeriano ( 253 – 260 AC). There is a lot of “graffiti” in Latin and Aramaic in the catacombs and in the Basilica of San Sebastian. Continue on to the Abbey of the Three Fountains, the place of Paul’s martyrdom, where tradition has it that three different springs gushed out at each spot touched when Paul’s head fell down. Next we visit St. Paul Outside the Walls, a Benedictine Abbey which shares its name, origins and centuries of history, both joyful and sorrowful, with the adjoining basilica. Visit the Basilica where the bones of Paul have recently been found. Return to hotel for dinner and overnight.
DAY 3 – Tuesday, June 19, 2018
ANCIENT ROME / FOUNTAINS AND SQUARES
This morning you have a walking tour through the real core of Ancient Rome. See the great “power” of Rome and Emperors who demanded divinity for themselves. This was mainly what Paul preached against in Romans 1, 25 …. And worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. See the Trajan’s Column, jewel of architecture and sculpture made by Apollodorus of Damascus, go along the Via dei Fori Imperiali (street of the Imperial For a), the ruins of the fori that the great emperors built as lasting memory of their power. See the Forum of Trajan, the biggest and most splendid of all, and then reach the Capitoline Hill, once political and religious center of the town, which today is the seat of the Municipality. Go to the Piazza del Campidoglio, the magnificent result of a single project by Michelangelo, the statue of Marcus Aurelius. Continue to the Roman Forum its important buildings, the Curia, seat of the Roman
Senate, the State Archive, the basilicas, palaces of justice, the temple of Vesta, and the House of the Vestals, the virgins in charge of keeping the sacred fire always alive, and all around temples and columns and arches of triumph erected to commemorate gods of Roman history. Romans 1, 23…and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man…
Visit the fabulous origins of Rome: the Palatine. Here Romolus founded the town in the year 753 B.C. and starting with Augustus the great emperors settled here, admire the Domus Tiberiana only partially explored and the ruins of the Imperial Palaces. We will find the Arch of Constantine, erected to commemorate the victory of the emperor over Maxentius in the 4th century A.D (tradition says that before the battle the Emperor saw a brilliant cross in the sky and said the famous words “in hoc signo vinces”). We will end our day at the Colosseum everlasting symbol of the greatness of Rome and the stage for the historical fights of
the gladiators.
DAY 4 – Wednesday, June 20, 2018
ROME / USA
We transfer to the airport for our flight home with unforgettable memories to cherish always. Knowing we have walked in the footsteps of the early Christians on such a memorable tour will bring new meaning to our Bible reading.
The Holy Land Italy Tour | Pastor Andy Hazelet | March 12 | 2018
‘Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.’
Psalms 122:2
A journey to the Holy Land! We want to invite you on an unforgettable journey into the Holy Land which is filled with ancient biblical history, culture and spiritual blessings. Visit the places that witnessed the events of such decisive and enduring importance in the history of humanity.
This journey will provide you a deeper understanding of scriptures traveling thru the lands of the Bible. You will get a closer look at the life of Jesus Christ and His mission of redemption. When you make this journey in the company of friends and others of like mind, you can look forward to an unforgettable experience. Picture yourself sailing in a boat like the disciples on the Sea of Galilee (“And Jesus said to them, follow me and I will make you become fishers of men” Mark 1:17), floating in the Dead Sea, seeing our Lord Jesus’ birth place in Bethlehem, walking the streets of Jerusalem and having communion at the empty tomb where Jesus rose from the dead (“He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay” Matthew 26:6). At the end of this tour two things will most certainly be changed, you, and your understanding of the Bible.
Join us on this life changing tour.
The Holy Land Italy Tour | Pastor Andy Hazelet | March 12 | 2018