Nazareth Evangelical College Something Good Out of Nazareth
We have teamed up with a local evangelical Arab Christian and professional licensed tour guide, to offer you the opportunity to discover the Biblical history and geography of the land. Together you will visit and learn about classic sites in both Israel and the West Bank, such as
- – the Mount of the Beatitudes,
- – Caesarea Philippi,
- – Samaria,
- – Jerusalem, and
- – Jericho.
You will also get an overview of the diverse geography of the land, including
- – the Sea of Galilee,
- – the Golan Heights,
- – the Wilderness of Judah, and
- – the Mediterranean coast.
Finally, it is possible to integrate the historical tour with visits to contemporary Arab evangelical and Jewish messianic congregations and ministries.
Amer is very flexible and can adapt the length and content of the itinerary to your needs. The package can include transport from and to the airport as well as accommodation.
To give you an idea of what is possible, below is an example itinerary of a ten-day tour of some of the key sites in the region (or download a pdf by clicking on the following button:
Download: Itinerary for Nazareth Evangelical College
For more information and to create a package suited for your group, please contact Dr Philip Sumpter at philip@nazcol.org or call us on 04-6464898.
Example itinerary of ten-day tour of key historical and geographical sites with additional visits to local evangelical ministries:
Itinerary
Day (1):
Nazareth /Cana
After a breakfast in Nazareth, we will make our way to the old city of Nazareth, the hometown where Jesus grew up and spent most of his pre-ministry life. We will visit the Home of Mary / Church of the Annunciation (Luke 1:5-42), the home of Joseph and Joseph’s carpenter shop where Jesus grew up as a carpenter. Then we walk to Mary’s Fountain (Luke 4:16-22). We will explore old town Nazareth and then make our way to Nazareth Village which is a living presentation of the life, times and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth in a replica of ancient Nazareth. We will then head just over the hill to the Mount of Precipice where according to tradition where Nazareth people took Jesus to throw him over and stone him to death.
In the afternoon we will drive to Cana of Galilee and visit the area where Jesus performed his first miracle of changing water into wine at the wedding feast (John 2:1-11).
In Nazareth or in Cana, we will have an opportunity to meet and pray with local Christians and visit active churches.
Day (2):
Tiberias/ Sea of Galilee /Capernaum / Mount of Beatitudes /Jordan River
This will be an exciting day in Galilee. We will depart Nazareth to Tiberias, the city lies along the Sea of Galilee; it was built by Herod Antipas to honor the name of Tiberius Caesar in the year 18 AD. We will begin the day in a visit to the Mt. of Beatitudes where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). Then we will visit “Tabgha” – the chapel dedicated to the multiplication of the loaves and fishes (Mark 6:34-44). We will visit also St. Peter’s chapel, where Jesus appeared on the sea shore and asked Peter to shepherd His sheep.
Via boat ride across the Sea of Galilee we will get to Capernaum (John 6:24) to visit the ancient ruins of the first century synagogue where Jesus preached (Matthew 4:13-17). We will end the day in a stop at the beautiful Pilgrims Park at the Jordan River; the river in which John the Baptist baptized Jesus during his ministry while he was calling the people and saying “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.
In this day will have an opportunity to meet and pray with some Messianic believers in the area.
Day (3):
Kursi/ Caesarea Philippi/ Dan/ Golan Heights and Borders with Syria and Lebanon
After Breakfast in Nazareth we will drive down to the Sea of Galilee to visit Kursi or the country of the Gerasenes (Mark 5:1) where Jesus healed the demon possessed man. Then we will proceed to the Golan Heights where Israel, Lebanon and Syria come together. We will visit Caesarea Philippi; the site of Peter’s confession (Matthew 16:16). Then we will drive to Dan, the area of the tribe Dan and will see the biblical city and the alternative altar that Jeroboam the king of Israel built instead of the one in Jerusalem.
We will follow the fresh mountain waters of Mt. Hermon to the Sea of Galilee, and we will have an observation on the boarders with Syria and Lebanon.
Day (4):
Megiddo / Plain of Armageddon / Mount Carmel / Mediterranean Sea / Caesarea
After breakfast at the hotel in Nazareth, we will drive through the Jezreel Valley to visit the archaeological mound of Megiddo, an old and Biblical city was built by King Solomon (1Kings 9:15), and identified by the place where the King Ehab had his palace and kept and trained his thousands of horses and chariots. So we will continue to what is believed by some as the fields of Armageddon which is mentioned in Revelation 16:16.
We will travel up then to Mt. Carmel – the biblical site of Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). In this area we will have the opportunity to visit local residents and learn about 3 unique different religions Druze, Baha’is and Ahmadis.
In the Afternoon, we will drive through the west coast of Israel along the Mediterranean Sea to Caesarea, the Roman city of Cornelius the Centurion that Peter preached to (Acts 10). We will visit the Crusader’s Castle, the Roman Amphitheater, the water aqueduct and the port from which the Apostle Paul sailed to Rome.
Day (5):
Sameria: Sebastia / Nablus (Shechem) / Mt Gerizim / Beit El (Bethel)
After getting the bags into the bus and breakfast, we will travel south to Jerusalem taking the way of Jesus through Samaria. The tour in Nablus starts with a visit to the beautiful church at Jacob’s well where Jesus once asked a Samaritan woman for a drink (John 4:1-26). We will then visit the Roman city of Sebastia, the biblical city and capital of the kingdom of Israel (1Kings16:23-24).
Then we’ll make our way to the Samaritan’s hilltop village on Mount Gerizim where a small community of Samaritans is still living there; they trace their origins back to Aaron, the son of Moses. We’ll visit their museum; have a conversation with a priest and walk up to the site of their ancient temple. We will then proceed to Beit El (Bethel), the dream site of Jacob where he saw the ladder ascending into Heaven. This day we will have a great opportunity to speak about the term “west Bank” and to try to understand the complexity of the territories’ division between Israel and the Palestinian authority.
We will enter Jerusalem through Ramallah and onto our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day (6):
Jerusalem: Mount of Olives/ mount Zion / Holocaust Museum
Our day will begin at the Mount of Olives (Matthew 24:3) for a panoramic view of the Old City of Jerusalem. We’ll walk the Palm Sunday route (Mark 10:1-10). We will stop by Dominus Flevit chapel where Jesus stopped and wept over the city of Jerusalem. at the bottom of the mountain we will stop at Gethsemane to visit the Church of All Nations which stands on the Rock of Agony where Jesus was betrayed by Judas (Matthew 26: 26-57). We will see also the Pillar of Absalom and the Eastern (Golden) Gate.
We will then drive to Mt. Zion where we visit the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu on the site of Caiaphas’ House, the room of the Last Supper (Luke 22:14-20) and the Tomb of King David.
In the afternoon we will proceed to the modern city of Jerusalem where we will visit the holocaust museum.
In the evening will might have Jewish believer visit us and speak about the messianic belief (optional).
Day (7):
Jerusalem: Temple mount/ Bethesda pools/ Via Dolorosa Wailing Wall
After an early breakfast we will got up to Mt. Moriah (Temple Mount), and visit El Aksa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock that was built on the ancient site of Solomon’s Temple (Genesis 22:9-14) and over the Rock of Sacrifice where Abraham offering Isaac (Genesis 22) and the ceremonial sacrifice of animals took place. After this we will have a walking tour of the Old City of Jerusalem. Starting at the pools of Bethesda, we will walk along the Via Dolorosa to Pontius Pilate’s Judgment Hall, the Chapel of the Flagellation, the Ecce Homo Arch (John 19:13) where Jesus was tried before Pilate (Mark 15:6). Then we’ll continue through the Old City bazaars to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
In the afternoon we will Visit the Western Wall (Wailing Wall) where faithful Jews cry their petitions to God.
Day (8):
Jerusalem/ Bethlehem
In the morning we will begin the day by a visit to the Garden Tomb and Golgotha – Place of the Skull, where we’ll have the opportunity to hold a worship service and communion.
After the visit we will proceed to the modern city of Jerusalem to visit the Israel Museum where we can see a stunning model of Jerusalem from the time of Jesus. We will visit to the Shrine of the Book section of Israel Museum in which the Dead Sea scrolls are kept and maintained.
In the afternoon we will drive by the Knesset – the parliament of the state of Israel, then we will drive to see the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, and the Shepherds Fields (Luke 2:1-20), where the Field of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth 1:16-17 and 4:13) is believed to be located.
We will return to Jerusalem and pass by Rachel’s Tomb who died on the way from Bethel to Bethlehem (Genesis 35:19).
Day (9):
Qumran /Ein Gedi /Masada /Dead Sea /Jericho
After breakfast we will descend towards the Judean Desert viewing the Inn of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) and getting to Qumran to visit the location where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered and see the remains of the Community Center of the Essenes and the Caves of the Scrolls. We will continue south through the beautiful new road that takes us along the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth, to Ein-Gedi, an oasis in the desert with fresh water springs. Around 1000 B.C. En Gedi served as one of the main places of refuge for David as he fled from Saul. David “dwelt in strongholds at En Gedi” (1 Sam. 23:29). In a cave near here, David cut off the corner of Saul’s robe (1 Sam 24). We will continue south along the Dead Sea to Masada, a truly remarkable piece of history. At Masada we will visit the magnificent ruins of the fortress where from 70-73 A.D. the Jewish defenders made the last stand of the Judean Revolt against Rome.
The remains of storehouses, cisterns and a sixth century Byzantine church are still on view there.
After a late lunch we will stop at the Dead Sea, for a relaxing afternoon on one of the most unique mud bathing and swimming experiences in the world. After clean showers we will drive back to the ancient city of Jericho where the walls came tumbling down (Joshua 6:12-20). Elisha healed the bad water in Jericho by putting salt in its spring water (2 Kings 2:19-22). In Jericho we will have a wonderful view of the Mt. of Temptation (Matthew 4:1-11 and then drive by the Zacchaeus sycamore tree.
Download: Itinerary for Nazareth Evangelical College