Visiting the Holy Land is a dream come true for most Christians. To be able to walk in Jesus’ footsteps and pray where Jesus prayed is awe inspiring as well as easy - it's less than a five-hour flight away.
Israel is the Holy Land; a country where you will be able to see the bible come to life as you take a tour through the scriptures. Below are just a few examples of the amazing array of biblical sites:
The Mount of Olives provides an inspiring panoramic view of the Old City in Jerusalem. From here, it is a short walk to Dominus Flevit, Church of All Nations and the stunning Garden of Gethsemane. Temple Mount is the scene of Abraham’s offering of Isaac which is today marked by the Dome of the Rock. The Western Wall is the remains of the Second Temple and is therefore revered as Judaism's most sacred site.
At Mount Zion, visit the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu, King David’s Tomb, the Room of the Last Supper and the Church of the Dormition.
One can drive north to Cana, the village where Jesus performed the first miracle, turning water into wine, where the Wedding Church and the Church of Nathanael can also be found.
Nazareth, the childhood town of Jesus is where the Basilica of the Annunciation; the Church of St. Joseph; Mary’s Well; the Church of St. Gabriel; and the reconstructed Nazareth Village can all be found.
At Megiddo, the site of biblical Armageddon, one can see the excavations of the ancient fortified city that was one of Solomon’s most important centres, overlooking the Jezreel Valley and the ancient Via Maris.
Muhraka is the traditional site of Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Ba’al, with the Carmelite Monastery of St. Elijah.
The charming church at Nain, is yet another site of one of Jesus’s miracles where he raised a widow’s son from the dead. Before leaving the Sea of Galilee area, visit Yardenit – the baptismal site for pilgrims on the Jordan River south of Tiberias.
You can journey down the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea and Qumran, the ruins of the ancient Essene settlement can be found. It is in the nearby caves that the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. In this area you can also enjoy a relaxing walk through the biblical oasis at the spring and waterfalls of the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, which is where David hid from Saul.
Nearby, Massada is the scene of the epic stand by Jewish rebels at the end of the Great Revolt against Rome nearly 2,000 years ago. The site is accessible by cable car or walking and the view is spectacular, especially at sunrise. One can still see the ancient baths and chambers. The new museum at the visitor’s centre reveals the secrets of the daily life of the rebels, the story of the excavations, as well as how the site became one of Israel’s most important symbols.
These are just some suggestions, but wherever you go, you will be tripping over history that you will have read or heard about. You'll walk on paving stones in Jerusalem that are thousands of years old and feel the atmosphere of spirituality at every religious site.
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Walking in the Jesus footsteps
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