Description
Israel Tour with Dr. Bryan Widbin & Bedford Community Church - October 2025
What's Included
Our tours are all-inclusive. Always.
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Itinerary
Day by Day
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Friday
Arrival, NetanyaAfter arrival, we motor up the coast on our private coach to the seaside town of Netanya, about a half an hour north of the airport. A walk on the beach or a swim in the Mediterranean Sea before dinner, followed by a short welcome meeting with a few necessary “startup” items, begin our unforgettable pilgrimage together in the land of Jesus and the kings and prophets of Israel. Overnight Seasons Hotel, Netanya.
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Saturday
Mount Carmel, Megiddo, NainJESUS IN ANTICIPATION: GREEKS, ROMANS, AND SECOND TEMPLE JUDAISM. Mount Carmel, Megiddo, Nain. Our morning opens with a drive to Mount Carmel, which bisects the land, cutting off the largely Gentile north from the core of the country in the central mountain range. We begin on the highest peak of the mountain with a consideration of the encounter between the prophet Elijah and the prophets of Baal (I Kings 18). Understanding the collision between alternative kingdoms envisioned by the kings, on one hand, and the prophets, on the other, is exceedingly important for gaining a proper foundation for Jesus’ life and teachings. We then travel along the ridge above the Jezreel Valley to the Old Testament city of Megiddo (I Kings 9:15) and a look at the Valley of Armageddon. Lots of insights and experiences here lay a foundation for the days to come. Before settling in for the night then, we stop at the village of Nain in lower Galilee, where Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead (Luke 7:11-17), and then traverse the hills that Jesus knew so well to our stop for several nights in the city of Tiberias on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Overnight Kibbutz Nof Ginnosar, Tiberias.
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Sunday
Sepphoris, Nazareth Village, Precipice, Arbel, Jordan RiverJESUS in BOYHOOD: Sepphoris, Nazareth Village and Precipice, Arbel, Jordan River. This day in the region of lower Galilee begins at the newly built city of Sepphoris, capital of the regime of Antipas, son and heir of Herod the Great. Its majestic theater, water system, Jewish quarter, and palaces capture our imagination. Here Salome danced before Antipas on Purim in 28CE and requested the execution of John the Baptist (Mark 6:23). Sepphoris was labelled by Josephus “the ornament of the Galilee,” and so it was. We then move on to Nazareth for a look inside the Herodian remains of the town where Jesus grew up and visit the largest church in the middle east, The Basilica of the Annunciation. After lunch we move to the brow of the hill, Mount Precipice, where the synagogue elders thought to cast Jesus down (Luke 4:1-16) after his “offensive” haftarah of Isaiah 61:1-2. We move back then to the region of the lake for a short hike up to a promontory for a view of the entire Sea of Galilee at Arbel. Here we discuss the characteristics of Jesus’ disciples and the Old Testament prophecies that spoke of the coming Messiah. Our day concludes at the Jordan River for a discussion of baptism as viewed by John and Paul. We’ll have time here for an Old Testament Sukkot water rite and the importance of the river for early Israel and developing Judaism. Overnight Kibbutz Nof Ginnosar, Tiberias.
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Monday
Kursi, Chorzin, Sermon on the Mount, Capernaum, Boat RideJESUS IN DISTINCTION: Kursi, Chorazin, Sermon on the Mount Walk, Capernaum, Tanureen stop, Boat Ride (Francis Gordon Galilee Sailing). Our day begins at the site of the so-called “swine miracle” on the opposite side of the Sea of Galilee at Gergesa. Here Jesus encountered the demoniac from the Decapolis. After this, it’s on to the Jewish town of Chorazin, once condemned by Jesus for its failure to repent. This medium-sized town gives us a complete picture of normal life in the Jewish Galilee of Jesus’ day. Then we depart the bus and walk down the rise of The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). On our way, we consider Jesus’ teachings to the multitudes that walked with him. We’ll discuss Jesus’ teaching on the Kingdom of God and its relation to the historic covenant faith of Israel. Then, before lunch, we stop at the ruins of Capernaum, where Jesus established a “safe house” for himself and his disciples while in the area of the Sea. Lots to take in here at this town Jesus knew so well. Finally, after lunch, we’ll board a boat fashioned from the ferries of Jesus’ day, relaxing with modern day fishermen on the waters of the Sea. And then at the end, we stop at the ruins of Tiberias, part of the great urbanization of Galilee project implemented by Herod the Great’s son, Antipas, during Jesus’ teenaged years. Overnight Kibbutz Nof Ginnosar, Tiberias.
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Tuesday
Dan, Caesarea Philippi, Damascus Road, Gergesa/Kursi, Camel RideJESUS IN EXITING. DAN, CAESAREA PHILIPPI, DAMASCUS ROAD, GERGESA/KURSI. This morning, we head north to the city of Dan on the northern border of the kingdom where Jeroboam erected one of his golden calves. Idolatry in the time of Jesus was not so very different than in Jeroboam’s kingdom of the 10th century BCE. Then, nearby, we visit Caesarea Philippi and consider Peter’s confession of Christ against the geographical background here. We’ll surely be hungry now for lunch in a Druze village on the Syrian border and a look at the Damascus road where Paul’s life was forever changed. Finally, on the Sea again, we stop at the Decapolis town of Gergesa, where Jesus ventured out of his element, encountering the demoniac and a swine herd, and then, return to our kibbutz for the night’s rest. Overnight Kibbutz Nof Ginosar, Tiberias.
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Wednesday
Beit Shean, Jericho, Qumran, Dead SeaJESUS IN FINALIZING: BEIT SHE’AN, NEW TESTAMENT JERICHO APPROACH, QUMRAN, DEAD SEA SWIM. Our day begins with a move south to the impressive remains of the Decapolis city of Beth Shean/Scythopolis. Here we experience a day in the life of a citizen of this world famous Roman-Byzantine city, curiously never mentioned in the documents of the New Testament. Then, just before lunch, we drive farther south to the important site of Jericho in the days of the New Testament. We’ll stand at the entrance to the royal estate where Jesus encountered the blind man Bartemaeus (Luke 18) and walk through the city where He found tax farmer Zacchaeus in a sycamore tree (Luke 19). After lunch, we move to near the shore of the Dead Sea (now, more than 400 meters below sea level!) for a visit to Qumran. Here, Essene sectarians produced the famous Dead Sea scrolls, which tell us much about the state of the Hebrew Scriptures at the time of Jesus and more! We’ll also view some of the caves where the scrolls were found. Then before heading up to Jerusalem, we offer an opportunity to swim in the Dead Sea. Always a remarkable experience! Overnight Ambassador Hotel, Jerusalem.
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Friday
Israel Museum, Herodium, BethlehemJESUS IN BIRTH. ISRAEL MUSEUM, HERODIUM, BETHLEHEM. We begin this day at the Israel Museum in the modern west city for a look at the Jerusalem of Jesus’ day, via a 1:50 scale model of Herodian Jerusalem. This fantastic model is necessary for appreciating the events of Passion Week tomorrow. Before leaving the museum, we view some of the actual Dead Sea Scrolls housed in the Shrine of the Book at the museum. Then, we’re off to Bethlehem for lunch and some shopping, before an unforgettable visit to the site of Herod the Great’s mausoleum at Herodium, just a few miles away. We compare here this notorious, world-famous figure, “the king by might,” with Jesus the Galilean, “the King by Right,” born close by. Our day ends with a visit to the birthplace of our Lord, beneath one of the three oldest churches in the world, the Basilica of the Nativity, dedicated in 339CE. Here, we enter the place where records from as early as the 2nd century mark the birthplace of our Lord. If time, we’ll stop at the Western Wall of the Temple esplanade again, to join in briefly at the Sabbath celebration. Overnight Ambassador Hotel, Jerusalem.
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Thursday
Wohl Archaeological Museum, Citadel, Wailing Wall, City of DavidJESUS IN JERUSALEM. THE CITADEL/HEROD’S PALACE, THE WOHL ARCHAEOLOGICAL MUSEUM, THE “WAILING WALL,” THE CITY OF DAVID, THE POOL OF SILOAM. Today we explore the development of Jerusalem throughout the biblical period, beginning at the site of Herod’s Palace, later Pilate’s Praetorium, where Jesus was tried by the Roman authority and where Herod entertained the Magi on their way to Bethlehem. Then, we move along through the old city of Jerusalem, 10 feet below the present streets, to the villas occupied by Sadducean temple aristocrats in the days of Jesus. After lunch, we visit ha-kotel, the so-called “wailing wall,” or more accurately, the western wall of Herod’s western retaining wall, known throughout the world as the center of the Judaism of today. Then, it’s only a short walk to the site of original Jerusalem, the City of David (2 Samuel 5:7). At its foot of which we find the Herodian Pool of Siloam. We will stand at the very spot where, at Hanukkah, the man blind from birth (John 9) washed his eyes and received his sight. Overnight Ambassador Hotel, Jerusalem.
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Saturday
Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, Upper Room, St. Peter in Gallicantu, The Church of the Holy SepulcherJESUS IN PASSION. THE MOUNT OF OLIVES, GETHSEMANE, UPPER ROOM SITE, ST. PETER IN GALLICANTU, THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHRE. This final, very meaningful day in Jerusalem begins with a panoramic view of the city from just west of Bethany, on the Mount of Olives. Here we will lay out the steps of Jesus between March 27, and April 4, in 33CE, the days of his passion. Then, we walk along the pilgrim route to Gethsemane, where we’ll enter the cave of the olive press, the “place” where Jesus gathered in secret with his disciples on the night he was betrayed. We also find a quiet spot in the olive garden to contemplate the agonizing temptation of our Lord. Just before lunch then, we visit the site of the Upper Room where Jesus ate the Passover feast with his disciples and then, immediately go to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, where Peter denied Jesus. The denial of our Lord occurred just below where Jesus was interrogated before Caiaphas and the Sadducean authorities of the Sanhedrin. After lunch, we start at the site of the Roman trials before Pontius Pilate, where Jesus was scourged and condemned to death and walk the 1st century “Via Dolorosa” to the site of his crucifixion and resurrection. This very emotional day ends with our hands on the bedrock near the tomb, the rock that shook when the earthquake released our risen Lord. Overnight Ambassador Hotel Jerusalem.
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Sunday
Free DayFREE DAY. A day at leisure for relaxation and reflection. We’ll get you started with a walk to the New Gate, the 8th and final gate of the Old City, built in 1889, by the Ottoman Turkish Sultan Abu Hamid. Afterwards, we’ll give you plenty of options to get the most out of this day on your own. We, of course, highly recommend another stop at the Western Wall. Always a highlight of any tour! After dinner, we enjoy together a final time of communion, reflecting upon lessons learned and friendships shared with enduring memories for a lifetime. Overnight Ambassador Hotel, Jerusalem.
Land Only