{"id":2972,"date":"2012-12-03T09:08:40","date_gmt":"2012-12-03T14:08:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/?p=2972"},"modified":"2020-06-22T17:36:57","modified_gmt":"2020-06-22T21:36:57","slug":"12-reasons-to-visit-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/12-reasons-to-visit-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"12 Spiritual Reasons to Visit Israel, the Holy Land"},"content":{"rendered":"

There’s no better time to rekindled your faith with an unforgettable tour of the holy land<\/a> of Israel. It is the place of Jesus’ birth about 2,000 years ago, but evidence of the holy land itself dates back more than 5,000 years! Christians from all over the world have walked where Jesus walked, prayed where He prayed and witnessed the wonder of His teachings. Now you can retrace their footsteps by visiting these\u00a012 holy land destinations of Israel.<\/p>\n

Cana in Galilee<\/strong><\/p>\n

Located in North Palestine, Cana in Galilee is reported to be the place where Jesus performed his first miracle (turning water into wine at a dinner feast). It is also believed that he performed a healing here as well. Visit Cana in Galilee\u2019s awe-inspired Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches.<\/p>\n

Capernaum<\/strong><\/p>\n

Capernaum is where Jesus preached in the synagogue, performed several miracles, and lived during a short period in his life. The focal point of Jesus’ Galilee ministry (located on the Sea of Galilee) and the location of the awe-inspiring marble synagogue, Capernaum is truly a site to behold.<\/p>\n

Jordan River<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the most prominent river in Israel, and it connects the Dead Sea with the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was baptized in this very river by John the Baptist.<\/p>\n

Nazareth<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Basilica<\/a><\/p>\n

Jesus spent much of his childhood here with Joseph and Mary. Visit Nazareth today to see the Basilica of the Annunciation<\/strong>, consecrated in 1964 by Pope Paul VI, as well as the Church of St. Gabriel, the Synagogue Church, and Mary\u2019s Well.<\/p>\n

Bethsaida<\/strong><\/p>\n

Also known as \u201cThe House of the Fisherman,\u201d Bethsaida is the place where Jesus healed and preached. It is also the location where He cured a blind man (Matthew 11:21). His disciples Philip, Peter and Andrew lived here as well. Today you can explore excavations of the city He often visited.<\/p>\n

Bethlehem<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Basilica<\/a><\/p>\n

Translated to “House of Bread” (Hebrew) or the “House of Meat” (Arabic), Bethlehem is where Jacob’s wife Rachel passed away while giving birth to Benjamin (Genesis 35: 18-19, 48:7). It is the birth place of King Davidand, of course, where Jesus of Nazareth was born. Visit Bethlehem to see The Church of Nativity, the Basilica of Nativity<\/strong>, and the Shepherds\u2019 Fields.<\/p>\n

Jericho<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jericho, along with Damascus, is known as \u201cthe oldest cities on earth.\u201d Jericho was overtaken by the children of Israel with the help of Joshua (Joshua 4:5-6), and it was a crucial location for prophets, Elisha and Elijah. Visit beautiful, sacred monasteries located throughout the city as well as Elisha\u2019s Church and the archaeological tel of ancient Jericho.<\/p>\n

Jerusalem<\/strong><\/p>\n

The centre of Christianity, Jerusalem was declared the capital of Israel in 1949. Jesus had a ministry in Jerusalem that included miracles in Bethany and Bethesda, and the Old City walls were built by Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent during the 16th century. For nearly 20 years, Jerusalem was divided between Israel and Jordan. In 1967 it was reunified and named the eternal capital of the Jewish people.<\/p>\n

The Dead Sea<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a><\/p>\n

At 416 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest place on the planet! It also boasts the title of \u201csaltiest body of water on earth\u201d with more than eight times more salt than the ocean. Today visitors can enjoy the many spas available at the Dead Sea.<\/p>\n

Masada<\/strong><\/p>\n

Masada is the site of Herod’s breathtaking fortress palace on the mountaintop. The last Jewish battle against the Romans took place here in 73 AD. Masada is a world heritage site not to be missed. Visit on foot or travel by cable car.<\/p>\n

Tel Hadar<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the Sea of Galilee, Tel Hadar is where Jesus fed 5,000 people (Matthew 14), and later performed the second miracle of feeding 4,000 people (Matthew 15). Tel Hadar is just south of Bethsaida, which was the home of several disciples of Jesus.<\/p>\n

Tabgha\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Tabgha\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The site of Jesus’ post-resurrection appearance and the miracle of the loaves and fishes, Tabgha is a sacred spot to Christians around the world.\u00a0Situated at the foot of the Mount of Beatitudes, visitors can enjoy the Church of the Multiplication, the Church of St. Peter\u2019s Primacy, and the Octagon Pool.<\/p>\n

Experience your Christmas holiday like never before with a guided tour of these Holy Land sites. Retrace the steps of Jesus and experience Israel tourism. Call your local vacation expert today to learn more: 1-800-665-4981.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There’s no better time to rekindled your faith with an unforgettable tour of the holy land of Israel. It is the place of Jesus’ birth about 2,000 years ago, but evidence of the holy land itself dates back more than 5,000 years! Christians from all over the world have walked where Jesus walked, prayed where […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":8206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":""},"categories":[3617],"tags":[],"modified_by":"Amanda Stancati","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2972"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2972"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2972\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22263,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2972\/revisions\/22263"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2972"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2972"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tripcentral.ca\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2972"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}