Holy Land 2025 with Pastors Phil & Jannette Derstine | April 29, 2025
Join Pastors Phil & Jannette Derstine on a Holy Land tour starting at $3,398* ground only or $4,898* from New York on April 29, 2025. You will see Joppa, Caesarea, Megiddo, Nazareth, Galilee, Golan Heights, Masada, Qumran, Jericho, Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes, Dead Sea, Bethlehem, Jerusalem, and much more!
New Inclusion!
One-year individual membership to the Museum of the Bible! Learn More
What’s Included
- All Inclusive Pricing
- Breakfast and Dinner Daily
- Deluxe A/C Motor Coaches
- Entrance and Program Fees
- First Class Hotels
- Fuel Surcharges and Gov't Taxes
- Guided Tours
- Hotel Gratuities
- International Airfare from NY
- Live Audio Headsets
- Overseas Airport Transfers
- Study Guide
- Administrative Fee
^ Additional Baggage & Optional fees may apply.
† If air purchased through EO.
Daily Itinerary
Day 1 April 29 – Depart the USA
Today, we depart from the United States and fly to Tel Aviv, Israel. Meals will be served on the flight.
Day 2 April 30 – Arrive in Israel
Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. After securing our luggage, we will check into our Tel Aviv hotel and enjoy dinner and a good night’s sleep.
Day 3 May 1 – Joppa, Caesarea, Megiddo, Nazareth
Visit Joppa, the port to which Jonah came when fleeing from the Lord’s call to warn Tarshish concerning their sin (Jonah 1:3). Travel to Caesarea by the Sea on the Mediterranean coastline. It was here that Cornelius the Centurion and his household were saved and baptized (Acts 10), and it was also where Paul made his defense before Festus and King Agrippa before his final journey to Rome (Acts 25 & 26). Visit Megiddo and the Valley of Armageddon (Revelation 16). Visit Nazareth, Jesus’ boyhood home (Matthew 2: 23). Arrive at Tiberias for check-in, dinner, and your overnight stay for the next 3 nights.
Day 4 May 2 – The Galilee
Cross the waters of the Sea of Galilee aboard a Kinnereth sailboat. Along the way, participate in a special onboard worship service. Travel to Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee. Visit the synagogue, standing on the site where Jesus taught (Matt. 4:13, 23). Recall the Sermon on the Mount at the Mount of Beatitudes (Matt. 5-7). Remember the baptism of Jesus and your own at the Jordan River. This afternoon, visit friends in a nearby village and be served lunch in an authentic Bedouin tent.
Day 5 May 3 – Golan Heights
Visit our beautiful House of Prayer overlooking the Sea of Galilee. Visit Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus traveled with His disciples and where nearby Peter made his great confession to Jesus, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16: 16). Continue on to Mount Hermon, probably the site of the Lord’s Transfiguration (Matt. 17: 1-9). Travel on through the strategic tableland known as the Golan Heights. Visit with local Christians before returning to your hotel in Galilee.
Day 6 May 4 – Masada, Qumran, Jericho
Visit Masada and the Dead Sea. Masada was Herod’s mountaintop fortress and the last stronghold of the Jewish Rebellion against the Romans. It was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2001. End your day with a quick dip in the salt and mineral-laden waters of the Dead Sea. Travel to Qumran, the site of the Dead Sea Scroll discovery, and discuss the mysterious community of Essenes. Travel to Jericho (time permitting) and visit the ruins of the ‘World’s Oldest City,’ once conquered by Joshua (Josh. 6: 1, 2, 20). From Jericho, you can see the traditional site of the Temptation of Jesus (Matt. 4: 1-11). Jesus traveled the nearby Roman road, the setting of His parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10: 30-36).
Day 7 May 5 – Bethlehem, Jerusalem
In Bethlehem, you’ll visit the cave revered as the place of Jesus’ birth (Matt. 1: 18-25; Luke 2: 1-7). The church, which was constructed on the site, is the world’s oldest functioning church. Nearby, you’ll view Shepherds’ Field, where the Good News was first heard. Stand atop the Mount of Olives, where Jesus ascended into heaven forty days after his resurrection (Acts 1: 9-12). Pray in the Garden of Gethsemane and envision the scenes of the night before Jesus’ crucifixion (Matt. 26: 36-44). Visit the Haas Promenade and enjoy a panoramic view of Jerusalem. Continue to Mount Zion to visit the House of the High Priest Caiaphas, where Jesus was questioned and accused of blasphemy (Matt. 26: 57-65). Stand in the Upper Room, where you can see the Last Supper come to life (Mark 14: 12-26).
Day 8 May 6 – Jerusalem & the Old City
Visit the only remnant of the Second Temple of Jerusalem, the Western Wall, and sit on the Teaching Steps, which is believed to be where Jesus would teach. Follow the Herodian Support Wall and walk on first-century pavement in the Rabbi’s Tunnel. View the Pool of Bethesda, where Jesus performed the Sabbath miracle (John 5: 1-31). Sing a hymn in the Church of St. Anne, known for its amazing acoustics. Walk the Cardo, the main street of the Old City. Visit Herod’s Antonia Fortress, where Jesus was brought before Pontius Pilate (Luke 23: 1-11). Enjoy a farewell dinner this evening at the hotel.
Day 9 May 7 – Jerusalem
Visit Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial. Your final destination allows time for reflection at the Garden Tomb. Celebrate the exhilaration of the resurrection and partake in communion. Enjoy shopping and afternoon at your leisure in the Old City before preparing for your return flight.
Day 10 May 8 – Return to the USA or Enjoy an Extension
Arrive in the USA with a lifetime of memories to cherish.
Enhance Your Journey
Greek Isle Cruise Starting from $2348
May 8 - 13, 2025 | Starting at $2,348*
May 8 – TEL AVIV to ATHENS
Fly from Tel Aviv to Athens. Check into your hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.
May 9 – EMBARK IN PIRAEUS & MYKONOS
Board the ship and sail the blue waters of the Aegean Sea. In the evening, you will arrive at the world-famous Greek Island of Mykonos, where gleaming white-washed buildings seem to climb atop each other to reach the azure sky. Shore excursions today will be booked directly through Celestyal Cruise Line and are not included.
May 10 – EPHESUS & PATMOS
This morning, you arrive in Kusadasi, Turkiye and journey to Ephesus, where the Apostle Paul spent three years of his ministry. He planted a church here and later wrote to them in his Epistle to the Ephesians. Many of the ruins of Ephesus (known as “the marble city”) have been restored to show the city as it was in the Apostle Paul’s time. Visit the agora and imagine where Demetrius, the silversmith, sold his silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. Stroll through the great theater, where Paul witnessed faithfully for Christ. Not far away is the stadium where chariot races took place and gladiatorial combats were held. Tradition has it that the Apostle Paul himself fought here against wild beasts. Visit the ruins of St. John’s Basilica, where early Christian tradition tells us the “disciple whom Jesus loved” was buried. View one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the ruins of the Temple of Diana (Artemis), before setting sail for the Island of Patmos to visit the Monastery of St. John high on the mountain overlooking the entire island. Walk down to the Grotto of the Apocalypse and the caves where it is believed that the exiled Apostle John lived and was inspired by God to write the Book of Revelation as well as other letters to the early church.
May 11 – CRETE & SANTORINI
Dock this morning in Crete’s port of Heraklion, just three miles away from the fantastic ruins of the Palace of Knossos. Discovered in 1899 and partially reconstructed, the elaborate Palace is believed to be the mythical Labyrinth of King Minos and the seat of ancient Minoan culture. Disembark at Santorini, one of the most beautiful Greek islands, where picturesque whitewashed villages topped with brilliant blue domes stand in stark contrast to the sheer drop cliffs overlooking the Aegean Sea. The island itself perches on the edges of a volcano whose eruption 3,500 years ago is thought to have led to the collapse of the Minoan civilization. Shore excursions today will be booked directly through Celestyal Cruise Line and are not included.
May 12 – ATHENS
Enjoy the rich architectural splendor of the ancient city of Athens as your guide introduces you to the world-renowned Acropolis, the Propylaea, the Parthenon, and the Erechtheum. Stand on Mars Hill as the Apostle Paul did when he proclaimed, “I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom, therefore, ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you” (Acts 17:23). As you stroll the agora (ancient marketplace and center of Athenian public life), recall that this was where the Apostle Paul preached “Jesus and the resurrection” (Acts 17:18) to the skeptical Athenians. Also, see the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This afternoon, you are free to explore Athens on your own. Dinner and overnight are spent in Athens.
May 13 – RETURN TO THE USA
Return home with a new appreciation of the Apostle Paul’s life and ministry.
Guests taking an extension may be on a different flight than their group and/or traveling companion.
Departure Dates
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Tuesday, April 29, 2025From $3398* Register Now!