December 10 - December 19, 2026

This Israel Tour is designed by Dr. Taylor Halverson and led by Master Teacher & Scripture Scholar Mike Harris. Taylor and Mike have been friends and teachers for three decades!

Immerse yourself in the world of Jesus Christ and the New Testament together with the vibrant sites and sounds of the living cultures of the Holy Land today.

[Note: This is a very active tour. You’ll need to be comfortable and capable of walking 3-5 miles in a day, climbing up and down stairs and hills unassisted, and walking on uneven surfaces.]

December 10 - Fly to Israel

Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport

December 11 - Flights Arrive in Tel Aviv, Israel

Schedule your flights to arrive in Tel Aviv this afternoon or evening. Transfers to hotel in Jerusalem. 

December 12 - Garden of Gethsemane; BYU Jerusalem Center; Mt. of Olives; Via Dolorosa; Church of the Holy Sepulcher; Last Supper; St. Peter in Gallicantu; Garden Tomb

Why did Jesus choose the Garden of Gethsemane to suffer? Why is Jerusalem called the city of peace? Why is the Mount of Olives physically and symbolically important? What is the Via Dolorosa and why do pilgrims walk this route in the Old City of Jerusalem? What is the significance of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher? What did Jesus do during his last supper, and when on trial with the Jewish authorities and why? What can we experience at the Garden Tomb?

December 13 - Dome of the Rock; Temple Stairs; Western Wall; Bethlehem; Shepherd's Field; City of David; Hezekiah's Tunnel; Pool of Siloam

What is the symbolism and significance of the Dome of the Rock? Why is it where it is? Why is the Western Wall so significant to Jews? What is the significance of Jesus being born in Bethlehem, and of Shepherd’s field? Why is the city of David located where it is? Why did Hezekiah build his tunnel? What is the significance of the Pool of Siloam?

December 14 - Masada; Qumran; Dead Sea Scrolls; Dead Sea; Jordan Baptism Site; Jericho; Wadi Kelt

Who built Masada and why? What is Qumran and how is it related to the Dead Sea Scrolls? Why are the Dead Sea Scrolls such a significant discovery? Why is Jericho important to civilization, the Israelite conquest of the Holy Land, and the ministry of Jesus? Where did Jesus choose to get baptized and why? What do we learn about the Judean Wilderness, Jesus’s temptations, and the Good Samaritan story at Wadi Qelt?

December 15 - Golan Heights; Tel Dan; Caesarea Philippi; Sea of Galilee

How does Qatzrin help us better imagine the life and times of Jesus? Why did Jesus take his disciples to Caesarea Philippi to specifically ask them “Whom do men say that I am?”? Why is Tel Dan so important for understanding Old Testament history? What connection does that site have to Abraham, King David, the fall of the northern 10 tribes of Israel, and Jesus? What do we feel and experience when we are at the Sea of Galilee?

December 16 - Mount of Beatitudes; Capernaum; Sea of Galilee; Mt. Arbel

What is the covenantal significance of the Sermon on the Mount? Why does Matthew place it in his Gospel where he does? What do we learn about Jesus and his message and miracles from his ministry home base of Capernaum? Why is Mount Arbel significant for understanding Jewish history as well as Jesus’s great commission?

December 17 - Nazareth; Jezreel Valley; Megiddo (Armageddon)

What understanding unfolds about the life and times of Jesus unfolds as you visit the Nazareth Biblical village? Why is Nazareth significant for Jesus and for understanding his ministry? What is the symbol of the Jezreel Valley? What is the symbol of Megiddo? Why were the Jezreel Valley and Megiddo so strategically and vitally important for thousands of years?

December 18 - Mt. Tabor; Mt. Carmel; Sepphoris; Caesarea Maritima; Tel Azekah; Tel Lachish; Valley of Elah

What is significant about the Mount of Transfiguration? Why is Mount Carmel important to Biblical history and teaching? What can we learn from the ancient Jewish site of Sepphoris to better understand ancient Jewish people? Why was Caesarea Maritima built and by whom? And why did important New Testament events happen there? How do Tel Azekah and Tel Lachish help us understand the fall of the 10 northern tribes and the eventual destruction of Jerusalem? How do they help us better understand Lehi, Nephi, and key themes in the Book of Mormon? How does the location of the Valley of Elah help us understand how God will strengthen us to fight our battles? How will you be different now that you have experienced the Holy Land?

December 19 - Arrive home with incredible memories!

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