January 2026 Israel Tour, with Dr. John DeLancey, BIMT

Day 10 – Monday, January 19: Precipice of Nazareth, Megiddo, Mt. Carmel, Caesarea, Jerusalem

Today was a sunny day once again. The rains stopped last evening. While it was cooler (highs in upper 50s), we enjoyed clear and very visible skies!We read portions of Mathew 6-7 (more of the Sermon on the Mount) as we checked out of the hotel, loaded the bus, and departed at 7:30.

Precipice of Nazareth

We drove south through the modern town of Cana (the real Cana is located in the Lower Galilee along the Beit Natofa Valley) to get to the Precipice of Nazareth. The visibility from here permitted us to see Mt. Tabor (Judges 4), the Hill of Moreh (Judges 7), Afula (“Ophrah,” the home of Gideon, Judges 6), and even Mt. Carmel to the west (1 Kings 18). We considered the life of Jesus as read from Luke 4 and John 1. We were encouraged by the words of Philip who said, “Come and see!” In response to Nathaniel’s question, “What good can come out of Nazareth?” (John 1). We enjoyed listening to “Jesus Messiah” here before we walked on the trail leading back to the bus.

Megiddo

We descended down off the Precipice and drove through the heart of the Jezreel Valley. Located along the edge of the valley and guarding an important natural pass from the Sharon Plain to the southwest is Megiddo. This archaeological site was about 25 layers of occupation spanning a period of about 2,500 years! It was a Canaanite and Israelite city. Pharaoh Thutmose III conquered it in 1468 BC (according to conventional dating). Climbing the site, we saw 3 series of city gates, Solomon’s stables and palace, a sacrificial altar from the Early Bronze Period, and a grain silo. We also had a great view from the top of the tel of the Jezreel Valley referred to as the Valley of Armageddon in Revelation 16. In the end, God wins when Jesus returns! We left the walking to the water system that was engineered to bring water safely inside the walls of the city. We walked down 180 steps and then back up 77 steps on the other side.

Mt. Carmel/Muhraqa

Our next first destination was to Mt. Carmel, a mountain range overlooking the Jezreel Valley on one side and the Mediterranean Sea on the other. After lunch (at the Mitzpe Carmel, owned by a Druze family), we ascended to the top of this ridge to a place called Muhraqa. We went into the Carmelite chapel to read passages such as Isaiah 35, Amos 1 & 9, 2 Kings 4 (Elisha) , Songs of Songs 7, and 1 Kings 18. This last narrative is about the confrontation between Elijah and the prophets of Baal! We enjoyed singing a few songs too! What wonderful harmony! Also, we walked to the rooftop for the view of the Jezreel Valley. The clear skies allowed us to see Nazareth, Mt. Tabor, the Hill of Moreh, the Gilboa Range, and even Caesarea on the coastline of the Med Sea.

“We left the Galilee this morning and arrived in Jerusalem this evening. In between, it was another great day. We made more Old and New Testament connections with the land. God took care of us also, including the need to switch to a second bus because of mechanical issues.”

Caesarea

To end the day, we descended down to the Sharon Plain to Caesarea. This was a city built by Herod the Great over a 12 year period (22-10 BC). In the theater we read from Acts 8 (Philip), Acts 9 (Paul), Acts 10 (Peter), Acts 12 (Agrippa 1), Acts 21 (Philip), and Acts 26 (Paul). From here we walked across the city to see the palace, hippodrome, the location of the grand harbor, and the Crusader gate, wall, and mote. We drove to the aqueduct on the north end of the site. The sunset was stunning!

Jerusalem

The drive to Jerusalem was to take about two hours. However, David’s bus had a significant leak os some kind, and the owner of the bus company did not allow us to use this bus on the drive to Jerusalem. So another bus was arranged. It came within 15 minutes! Praise God! After transferring all the luggage, we made the drive to our hotel in Jerusalem. We enjoyed a late but great dinner. Because of our late arrival, we postponed our walk to the Western Wall until tomorrow night. God was with us all day long, especially watching out for us this afternoon! We all are looking forward to seeing Jerusalem over the next 2 days!