Israel & Jordan 2025 | Biblical Study Tour | Joel Richardson

Optional air departs Washington, Dulles

You will arrive in Amman at 3:25 PM, be driven across the Israel border, and arrive at the David Dead Sea Resort hotel. You will have dinner together as a group this evening.

Good morning, Lord! You will have time this morning to float in the Dead Sea and perhaps even get a massage. You will depart the hotel around 11:00 AM and be driven north to Qumran. You will stop at the site where you can view the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. You will then continue to Ein Gedi. This natural site is where King David hid from King Saul and where he cut the tassel from Saul’s robe. Next, you will arrive at Masada where you will have time to have lunch. (Lunch is at your expense today, as there is much to choose from.) You will take the cable car up to the top of Masada for your tour and a magnificent view. Continuing, you will come to the site of Mount Scopus for your first view of Jerusalem. You will check into your hotel – the Ambassador Hotel close to the Old City.

After breakfast, you will have a spectacular visit to the Mount of Olives and a teaching by Joel. From here, you will walk as a group down Palm Sunday Road, where the people cried out, “Hosanna, Hosanna!” Once you get to the bottom you will enter into the precious Garden of Gethsemane for a time of worship. It is here in the garden that Jesus wept and where he was apprehended by guards on his final night. You will then walk through the awesome Kidron Valley where you will look back at a unique view of the Old City Walls and the City of David. You will enter into a delightful, rarely-used, garden, for a picnic lunch together. You will be very near the Field of Blood, where Judas ended his life. After a special quiet time together, you will visit the Israel Museum and the Dead Sea Scrolls Museum – Shrine of the Book. You will return to your hotel for dinner.

After breakfast, you will visit the Emerald of Jerusalem – the City of David. This site has been providing more and more documentation of the time of King David and it continues to produce evidence of God’s Word. You will meander through this massive site and come out very near Hezekiah’s Tunnel. This amazing tunnel has two channels from which you can choose – the dry one, or the wet one.  Depending upon how adventurous you are, you may experience what took place in the water tunnel, if you wish!  Or, you can choose to stay dry and come out near the priestly Pool of Siloam. You will have another teaching with Joel at the Pool of Siloam which only recently has been more fully revealed. You will break for lunch and then re-enter the Old City Gate and visit the Southern Steps. The Southern Steps would have been used by Jesus, Himself. Nearby, you will notice many of the mikveh’s that dot the small landscape. Next, you will stroll through the adjacent, fallen Temple walls around Archaeological Park. Joel will then take you on the Old City ramparts where you will see where King Herod’s Palace once stood. You will end your day with communion and worship at the Empty Tomb of Gordon’s Calvary, then return to your hotel for dinner.

This morning, you should plan to dress modestly with both knees and elbows covered, as you will visit the Temple Mount. It is here that you and your group will discuss the future of Jerusalem. The most important destination today is the Golden or Eastern Gate, the gate into which Jesus Himself will enter. As you come out of the Temple Mount area, you will drop into the site of the miracles of the angels in the pools – the Pools of Bethesda. There will be free time for lunch today in the Old City and then you will travel out to Shiloh this afternoon. Time permitting, you will also be driven through Samaria and stop at its small museum.  You will arrive late into the city and have dinner at the hotel.

After breakfast, you will depart the hotel and visit the site of Jericho. Next, you will be driven very near Gilgal and contemplate on which hill Joshua would have been on when God told him to remove his shoes, as he was on Holy Ground. You will be driven to the Shepherd’s fields where you will spend time in the caves. These caves would be quite similar to Jesus’ birthplace and the places where the lambs that were used for sacrifice would be raised. You will stop and have a substantial lunch at the “Tents” overlooking the Shepherd’s fields and then be driven into the Galilee. You will check into the hotel followed by an early evening cruise on the Sea of Galilee Lake.

This morning, you will be driven to the city where Jesus spent the most amount of time – Capernaum.  You will sit together on the beach for a time of worship as this may have been the very beach upon which Jesus prepared fish for His disciples. Also, while you are here, you will see an ancient Jewish Synagogue and the home of Peter’s mother-in-law. Next, you will be driven to the Mount of Beatitudes where Joel will be teaching. You will celebrate on the water together and have a delicious lunch of Peter’s fish. You will be driven for a short distance to Nazareth and then proceed to the overlook where the people of Nazareth threatened to throw Jesus from the cliff. From here, you will have expansive views of Armageddon and Megiddo and then return to the hotel for dinner.

You will leave the Galilee this morning and cross over into Jordan. Upon arrival, you will be driven up Mount Nebo. It is here that Moses died and God buried his body in one of the mounts below where you will be standing. Significant also is the story of Balaam. From this site, you will discuss the Balaam prophecies and you will see below the three hills upon which Balaam stood when he was asked to curse the Israelites. In the distance, you will be able to see Baal Peor and also Shittim (Succoth). This is the place where Balaam saw where the Tabernacle had been set up and the camps of the individual Tribes of Israel. For anyone choosing to do so, there is the option to be baptized where John the Baptist baptized Jesus at Bethany Beyond the Jordan. You may spend time adjacent to a very special cave where Jesus would have met with his disciples. You will stand on Elijah’s Hill next to the Jordan River and you might imagine him being taken into heaven at this place while Elisha stood in awe. You will have lunch at the quaint Biblical town of Madaba and then visit an ancient map of the holy lands. You will have dinner and overnight in Madaba.

You will have breakfast at our hotel and then transfer to the airport for our departure at 11:45 AM, arriving in Washington, Dulles, at 5:45 PM, nonstop.