STANDING WITH ISRAEL: THE REVELATION A SPECIAL ISRAEL EDUCATIONAL TRIP

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1 INTRODUCTION: STANDING WITH ISRAEL: THE REVELATION A SPECIAL ISRAEL EDUCATIONAL TRIP Leaders: Dr. Hollisa Alewine and Joan Pennington Facilitator: Dr. DeWayne A. Coxon March 19-30, 2017 Standing with Israel: the Revelation. There will be some unique educational aspects of this trip. We will see and experience the ancient Land of Israel in some locations that virtually no other tours include. An extra emphasis of this trip will be the Sabbath and Feasts of Israel, including the Jewish customs in place at the time that Yeshua walked the Land. This focus will provide a better understanding of Yeshua and his disciples in their First Century context. For instance, while Christians think of the last book of the Bible as Revelation, what does an observant Jew think of when he or she hears the term Revelation? The giving of the Torah is the Revelation in the Jewish context, and participants will learn how reliable Bible study tools, such as First Mention, Progressive Mention, Complete Mention, and Chiasms open understanding to many things in the New Covenant, especially John s Revelation. As it turns out, the Creator does reveal the end from the beginning, and John s Revelation should be viewed through the lens of the Torah. Because this trip will occur before the first feast of Passover, the objective is that the experience will enrich each participant s celebration of the Biblical feasts and Shabbat. Each person will receive a copy of Creation Gospel Workbook Six: Standing with Israel, personally signed by Dr. Alewine, with a dedication noting the special occasion of this educational trip. TRIP SUMMARY: Quality time will be spent traveling in Jerusalem and northern, central, and southern Israel. We will walk where Yeshua walked, pray where Yeshua prayed, and visit the places where Yeshua ministered in Jerusalem and the Galilee. To the south, we will visit Biblical Tamar Park and the desert. We will experience many aspects of life in Israel and learn its history as we travel to each historic and biblical site. TRIP HOST AND MODERATOR: Dr. Hollisa Alewine Hollisa Alewine s career began teaching high school students for seven years before becoming a federal law enforcement officer. She earned her B.S. and first Master s degree in Secondary Education from Texas A&M-Texarkana. While she continued her career with the Bureau of Prisons, she completed a second Master s degree in Religious Education and another in Theology in Rabbinic Studies, as well as a doctorate from Oxford Graduate School.

2 She has been a television programmer at God s Learning Channel and Hebraic Roots Network while she travels to teach at conferences and other venues. Her Creation Gospel workbook series is an ongoing project, and she has recently started a new book imprint called BEKY Books (Books Encouraging the Kingdom of Yeshua.) TRIP HOST: Joan Pennington Joan Pennington has visited Israel over twenty times and led large and small groups in personalized studies throughout the Land. She has been both a long term and short term volunteer at Biblical Tamar Park at least six times. FACILITATOR: Dr. DeWayne Coxon DeWayne A. Coxon is the founder and President of Blossoming Rose. He received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University and served as a public school teacher, minister, college instructor and administrator from Shortly thereafter he founded Blossoming Rose, an organization whose mission is to bless Israel through various programs, including the maintenance and restoration of the 55 acre Biblical Tamar Park. He has visited Israel over 150 times in the last 50 years. His knowledge of Jewish, Christian and Muslim history gives him a unique perspective on contemporary events taking place in the Middle East. He is the author of the book, Living Prophecies: A Crumbling Wall between Christians and Jews, as a well as three books on renewable energy systems. ITINERARY* Day 1: (Sunday Mar. 19) USA to Israel To begin our journey, we will leave our home city and fly to Israel. Meals will be served during our flight. (Please arrive at airport three hours early.) Day 2: (Monday Mar. 20) Israel - Jerusalem We will land in Israel at Ben Gurion International Airport, and our group will have a bus waiting us to take us to our first night in Jerusalem where we will be served dinner and then sleep in the City of Peace. Day 3: (Tuesday Mar. 21) Mount of Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Western Wall, the Old City Our touring day will begin at 8 am with a panoramic, breathtaking view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives. We will walk down to the Garden of Gethsemane and then look across the Kidron Valley to the old city walls of Jerusalem. The Western Wall will be our next stop where we will offer prayers, and then we will go into the Jewish Quarter of the Old City, to the Cardo. (Lunch will be on your own in the Old City.) Our first

3 day in Jerusalem will be busy, and we will have seen many of the historic sites before we return to our hotel for dinner and a leisure evening. Day 4: (Wednesday Mar. 22) Hezekiah s Tunnel, City of David, Ulpan trip, Rokevet, and free time Once again, our day will begin at 8 am. We will continue to David s Village, the actual site that has been excavated where King David lived and where the tunnel of Hezekiah was carved out of solid rock. We will have a short time to shop in the Old City. If arrangements permit, we will visit Ulpan Or in the German Colony and receive an introduction to the Hebrew language. A variety of restaurants and shops are close by at the old train station. Day 5: (Thursday Mar. 23) Jericho, Beit Hoglah, Qumran, En Gedi, and Tamar We ll start our day with another great Israeli buffet breakfast and then board our bus to go to Jericho. Close by is Beit Hoglah, a location from which several Biblically significant sites may be viewed. Driving down to the Dead Sea will remind us of the history dating to the time of Lot, the nephew of Abraham and to the burning of Sodom. We ll stop and tour ancient Jericho and then eat lunch at Qumran, the city of the Essenes and the place where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. We will continue our drive beside the Dead Sea to Ein Gedi, the mountain cave where David hid from King Saul. Later in the afternoon, we will arrive at Biblical Tamar Park where we will be welcomed by the Park Supervisor and the volunteer workers. After a wonderful meal, we will relax around a camp fire in the Sukkah. Day 6: (Friday Mar. 24) Masada, Dead Sea, and tel Tamar tour, Erev Shabbat We will begin the day with an American cup of coffee and serve ourselves at the breakfast bar. At 8 am we will board our bus and head for Masada, arriving before the Jerusalem crowd gets there. The fortress was built by Herod the Great and it is known today as the site where 960 religious Jews died rather than going into captivity under the Romans. When we leave Masada, we will go down to the shores of the Dead Sea at Ein Bokek, where there are luxury hotels and shops, and where there is access to the warm waters of the Sea. Afterward we ll go back to Biblical Tamar Park where we will tour this historic city that dates back to at least the time of Abraham. We will learn more about the 26,000 artifacts that have been unearthed at Tamar and about the plan for its continued development by Blossoming Rose. We ll all eat Sabbath dinner together and then join Tamar Park Supervisor, Alan Vanderkolk, and Joan, who will share the vision of Biblical Tamar Park while we sit around the campfire. Day 7: (Saturday Mar. 25) Shabbat at Tamar We will awaken and feel the Shabbat stillness of the desert and see the sun rising over the red Jordanian mountains. If you take time to listen, you will hear the small desert birds chirping as they seek their food. We ll go to the dining room for a cup of American coffee and breakfast. Dr. Alewine and Joan will lead us in Bible studies and

4 discussion. Those who want to, can climb Prayer Mountain, to the west of Tamar, or spend time exploring the buildings and tel Tamar. There are some historic pictures and writings in the British building, on the top of the tel, and in the Israeli bomb shelter under the tel. We will all join in thanksgiving before the evening dinner, and later spend time around the camp fire again in the Sukkah, sharing stories about our experiences. Day 8: (Sunday Mar. 26) Eilat, aquarium, snorkeling/swimming, and shopping Today we will go to Eilat where you can snorkel in the coral reefs, swim on the public beach, visit the aquarium, or shop in the modern mall. Eilat is located on the Red Sea, the forth Sea we will visit in Israel. Few groups that visit Israel have the privilege to visit and swim or wade in all four Seas. As we return from Eilat, we will stop at a kibbutz that specializes in ice cream products for a treat. This will be our last night at Tamar and we will have a tasty meal and then pack for our trip north. Day 9: (Monday Mar. 27) Beersheva, Caesarea, Mt. Carmel/Megiddo, and Tiberius We will leave at 8 am and bid everyone who stays at Tamar goodbye. The bus will snake its way up out of the Arava and into the Negev and we will be on our way to Beersheva, the city of Abraham. The ancient city of Caesarea will loom up before us and we ll go into the amphitheater and walk the length of that great City, departing through the Crusader s fortress. Then we will go on to Mt. Carmel that overlooks Megiddo, across the valley from where the battle of Armageddon may one day be fought. We ll spend the night on the Galilee. Day 10: (Tuesday Mar. 28) Nimrod Fortress, Caesarea Philippi, Mt. of Beatitudes, Capernaum, Tabgah, and Galilee boat We will eat a hardy Israeli breakfast, after which we ll go to the Jordan River. We will then continue on around the Sea of Galilee to the Nimrod Fortress, Mount of Beatitudes, and Capernaum. Caesarea Philippi will be our next stop and then we ll return to the area that Jesus loved, the Sea of Galilee. As the sun dips lower in the west over the Mountains of the Galilee, we will board our Galilee boat and listen to Danny Carmel sing, and then return to our rooms in Tiberius. Day 11: (Wednesday Mar. 29) Shiloh, Beit El, Jerusalem, Machane Yehuda We ll board our bus at 8 am and make a stop at Shiloh, the location of the Tabernacle prior to the building of the First Temple. Time permitting, we will visit Beit El, the site of Jacob s dream. This will be our last afternoon in Jerusalem, so save room in your suitcase for shopping at Machane Yehuda and Ben Yehuda. We have to be at Ben Gurion Airport three hours before our flights depart. Most of our flights depart at midnight. Day 12: (Thursday Mar. 30) Arriving back in the USA We will arrive back in the USA in the morning, having gained the seven hours back that we lost when we arrived in Israel. We will check through customs and go to our connecting flights home. Shalom!

5 TRIP INFORMATION Trip Includes: -Hotels breakfast/dinner -National Park Pass -All meals at Tamar -Gondola at Masada -Galilee Boat Not Included: -Lunches (except at Tamar) -Optional entrance fees -Jericho Excavations -Flight insurance Land Only Price: $2,100 (airfare not included) Tips: $100 paid in Israel Single Supplement: $695 (if available) Airline ticket: $800-$1500 (see note below) NOTE: Airline tickets generally vary in price from $800 to over $1500, depending on the airline you choose, and also the date that you purchase your ticket. For additional information on flight tickets, contact: Jodi Coxon Blossoming Rose, Cedar Springs, MI Office: Joan Pennington Cell: *Because the security situation in Israel is sometimes unpredictable, study sites may be changed without notice. In such an event, an appropriate site may be substituted.