Experience the Word of God in Living Color
Just imagine …
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Stepping off the plane with your Bible in hand, suddenly transported into the pages of Scripture.
The sites, stories, and struggles come alive before your eyes.
There is something life-changing about traveling through Israel—not as a tourist, but as a Christian who longs to know God and His Word more.
Sure, you can read commentaries, study an atlas, or listen to sermons … but when you walk the land with Bible in hand, suddenly the Bible appears in living color and those commentaries, maps, and sermons have a greater depth and meaning.
Scripture makes more sense when you see it in its geographical and historical settings—when you walk its streets, climb its mountains, and swim its waters.
The Word truly becomes alive and in living color right before your eyes.
Daniil Rubashka
There is nothing like seeing with your own eyes and being physically present in the very locations that our Lord Jesus walked in, lived in, suffered in, died on, and was resurrected from that can better imprint in one’s mind the reality of God humbling Himself to take on the form of a man in order to literally enter into our lives. Simply walking through the land of Israel exudes a beautiful aroma of the Gospel!
Amanda Saxton
This trip to Israel was amazing! … This trip definitely was not your average tour … After just a few days of coming back, I already started to read Scripture differently with a whole new vibrancy and love for the Lord. Are you considering going on this next trip? Go! You won’t regret it!
Far More Than a Tourist Trip!
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Most tour companies take busloads of tourists to the Holy Land each year, see the sites, and go home. And to be honest, if you simply want to be a tourist and check Israel off your list, this ISN’T the trip for you.
This opportunity is more than a fun vacation to a foreign land or an adventure of epic proportions … sure, it’s those things but far much more … this is a life-changing encounter with the Living God that will deepen your intimacy with Jesus Christ as you study God’s Word on location.
My desire is that you actually experience the Word on this trip—both the Living Word (Jesus) and the Written Word (Bible).
Yes, we will see many of the popular sites … but this isn’t a tourist trip … this is an on-location study tour. We are going to take time at each site to study God’s Word and allow the Truth to transform our lives.
The Israel Study Tour is an opportunity for you to seek and yearn after the Lord in many of the locations where the Bible took place, grow in intimacy with Jesus Christ, deepen your understanding of God’s Word, and have a lot of fun, fellowship, and laughter with like-minded believers in the process.
Join Nathan Johnson and the ministry of deeperChristian (in partnership with Ellerslie Discipleship Training) on a study tour that will radically change how you see and understand the Bible.
See the Biblical Drama unfold
… as you open God’s Word and walk the ancient paths of Jesus … and Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Elijah, Jeremiah, Peter, Paul, and countless others.
Understand
… the Bible’s original context as we study Scripture on-location
Enter the Gates of Jerusalem
Our feet [are] standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! – Psalm 122:2
Take a Boat Ride
… on the Sea of Galilee and hike Mount Arbel with a majestic view of Galilee
Stand Upon the Mount of Olives
… with a captivating view of Jerusalem and 4000 years of Biblical history
“Swim” (float) in the Dead Sea
Take Communion
… at the tomb of Jesus
Pray in the Garden of Gethsemane
Grow Spiritually
… with Christ-Centered Bible teaching and discipleship from Nathan Johnson
Other Highlights + Locations…
- Evening times of fellowship, worship, teaching, and reflection with like-minded Christians
- Throw a stone in the Valley of Elah—where David slew Goliath (1 Samuel 17)
- Wander around in the wilderness like the Israelites (just not for 40 years)
- Visit the Israel Museum with the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit and the scale model of Jerusalem during the time of Jesus
- Explore Hezekiah’s Tunnel (2 Chronicles 32:1-4, 30-32; 2 Kings 20:20)
- In the Shephelah: Beth Shemesh, Beth Guvrin
- In the Negev: Masada, Dead Sea, Ein Gedi, Qumran, Jericho
- In Galilee: Chorazin, Capernaum, Tabgha, Mount of Beatitudes, Mount Bental, Caesarea Philippi, Tel Dan
- Along the Coast: Mt. Carmel, Megiddo, Caesarea Maritima, Beth Shean
- Near and Around Jerusalem: Temple Mount, Western (Wailing) Wall, Mount of Olives, Gethsemane, Pool of Bethesda, Via Dolorosa, Garden Tomb, Pool of Siloam, Herodium, Bethlehem
- And much more!
Come and See
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You won’t receive a detailed itinerary for this trip—you’re simply invited to enjoy the journey. Just as in life while we often don’t know what each day holds, we are still called to seek Christ and keep our focus steadfast upon Him. This trip is a call to follow, to seek, and to “come and see”—the same beckoning call of Jesus to His disciples (see John 1:39, 43).
Clare Stollery
I would describe this trip as a honeymoon with Jesus.
Kaitlyn Donihue
Standing in the different locations brought Scripture to life in a new way. Somehow Biblical characters became more human and their struggles became more real.
Trip Details
November 24–December 5, 2025
NOTE: we will not have official cost and details until around January/February 2025 (when registration opens). But here are the details from a previous trip for you to estimate with.
All-inclusive price: $4690
- $100.00 discount if you book prior to May 27, 2025
COST INCLUDES
- An incredible 12-day all-inclusive study tour of Israel
- Round-trip flights from Chicago on Turkish Air
- All hotel accommodations
- Daily breakfast and dinner buffet
- Lunches on site
- Christ-centered Bible teaching from Nathan Johnson at each location
- Evening times as a group for bonus teaching, fellowship, worship, and debriefing the day
- Local Hebrew guide and bus driver
- Deluxe touring motor coach (with air conditioning)
- All entrance fees, tips, and taxes
- A high-end hiking/water backpack
- Bottled water on tour
- Study guide and journal
- An Israel electric plug adapter
- An experience of a lifetime!
COST ALSO INCLUDES
- Deeper Christian’s NEW exclusive Pre-trip curriculum to get you ready for the study tour
- Deeper Christian’s NEW exclusive 30-day Israel devotional to use after the trip to take what you learned and experienced even deeper
COST DOES NOT INCLUDE
(ie: you are responsible for…)
- Flights, luggage fees, and/or transportation to get to Chicago (O’Hare International Airport)
- Extra drinks (besides water) at meals
- Souvenirs
- Travel Insurance (if desired)
- Passport fees (if you don’t already have a valid passport)
NOTE ON HOTEL ROOMS
- Everyone will be paired with another individual of the same gender in a “double” hotel room (i.e., 2 people with separate beds per room), unless you attend with your spouse (then we obviously want you to room together, haha).
- If you’d prefer to stay in a private room without a roommate, you can signup for a “single-occupancy” room an additional charge of $1300.
Payment Schedule
- $500 deposit is due at the time of registration to reserve your spot
- $2,095 due July 1, 2025
Total balance due September 27, 2025 - NOTE: for cancelation policy, see the FAQ at the bottom of the page.
Group Size: 35
We purposefully keep the group size around 35 so that we can know everyone, have great fellowship, yet big enough to help keep the trip costs lower.
Sign up is on a first-come, first-served basis … so once the group is full, you’ll have to wait till the next trip.
Physical Requirements
There is very little level ground in Israel and while we do have a bus to take us to sites, there will be a lot of walking and hiking on this trip. You can expect to walk and/or hike 4-6 miles a day, with changes in elevation (i.e., hills, stairs, etc). It is recommended that you physically prepare for the trip.
Though that may sound like a lot, most participants in the past didn’t notice how much walking they did per day as it is mostly split up into small chunks with opportunities to sit, ride the bus, etc.
Emily Stoltzfus
Since returning from the land of Israel reading the Bible is like taking in the 3D version. Visually seeing the geography, culture and terrain of the land of the Bible has brought color and dimension to the Word of God that I have never seen in such vibrancy before!
Charlotte Klinger
This journey from Dan to Beersheba, from Med to Dead, was incredible. Sites were so rich with meaning culturally, historically, archeologically and spiritually. To wake every morning and have the anticipation of a day with Jesus in the land of promise and birthplace of the gospel was beyond description. So many layers, so much fun, a feast for the eyes, stomach and of course ultimately for the spirit. You have to experience it to understand it!
FAQs
Is it safe to travel to Israel?
Although it is impossible to guarantee 100% safety, travel in Israel is very safe—in fact, it is safer to travel to Israel than it is to travel to New York City. We always travel with an Israeli guide who is aware of what’s going on in the country and if there’s even a hint of potential danger, we will simply avoid the area. We do not take chances! Overall, the likelihood of any kind of danger is very, very slim. In fact, everyone who returns from these trips often remarks, “I never once felt unsafe.” And personally, if there wasn’t an enormously high degree of safety, I would not be leading trips to Israel.
What does a typical day look like?
While every day is unique, a typical day begins with a wake up call at 6:00am, a buffet breakfast at 6:30, and usually on our way by 7:00/7:30. We travel to our various sites by bus, and it is at these sites where God’s Word is studied in its historical, cultural, geographical, and Jewish contexts. Lunch is served on location typically between 12:30-1:30pm. The majority of our days involve moderate hiking/walking and it is encouraged that you bring snacks with you (such as trail mix, granola bars, nuts, dried fruit, crackers, or protein/energy bars—preferably without chocolate as it tends to melt. Note, it is best to buy snacks at home and pack them in your luggage, which gives you that space for souvenirs on the way home). We arrive back at the hotel each evening in time for the dinner buffet. Each evening, we will either gather together as a group for fellowship, reflection, worship, and additional Bible study … or the evening will be available for rest, fellowship, and extra sleep. It is important you get enough sleep as each day is full of travel, site seeing, learning, and adventure. Generally speaking, you should be able to get at least 8 hours of sleep at night.
Are there discounts or scholarships?
While we are unable to offer scholarships, we have done everything possible to keep the trip cost-effective (ie: as cheap as possible) for everyone. Our goal is not to make money from the trip but to facilitate an opportunity for Christians to experience and study the Bible on location. Everything in Israel is expensive (a bottle of water typically costs $3-5), so this is actually a great price for an all-inclusive trip.
There is a $100 discount off the cost if you register before May 27th.
What’s the cancelation policy?
We use GTI Tours to help us with logistics—they are by far the best travel company in Israel for studying the Bible (if you know the name Ray VanderLaan, the company was started to help him run his teaching trips to Israel).
That said, because GTI reserves airline tickets, hotels, etc. when you register for the trip, they give us the following cancelation policy, which by registering through the link on this page, you agree to follow:
- Full refund less $200 for cancellations after deposit.
- Full refund less $500 for cancellations after May 27, 2024
- Full refund less $2000 for cancellations after July 1, 2024
- No refunds for cancellations after September 27, 2024
Does Israel require a vaccination?
Nope! We’ve canceled the trip in the past due to Israel’s vaccine restrictions, but the country is fully open to tourism and you don’t need a vaccine to go.
Check out GTI’s Tour Preparation Guide
GTI is the amazing company we use to help arrange logistics and travel … here are their preparation suggestions (as the trip approaches, you will receive more specific details from Nathan pertaining to our trip).
What if I have additional questions?
You can email Nathan any questions.