Archeological find in Jerusalem brings bible to life with MaranathaTours.com!

Archeological find in Jerusalem brings bible to life

Archeologists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem's Institute of Archaeology recently unearthed a discovery imprinted with the rare seal of King Hezekiah of Judea near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The discovery is an impression of the royal seal of the Biblical King Hezekiah, who reigned between 727-698 BCE. The seal, which is imprinted on a soft bulla (piece of inscribed clay), bears an inscription in ancient Hebrew script reading: "Belonging to Hezekiah [son of] Ahaz king of Judah." The script is accompanied by a two-winged sun, with wings turned downward, surrounded by two symbols meaning "life." The discovery of King Hezekiah's Royal Seal impression vividly brings to life the Biblical narratives about King Hezekiah and the activity conducted during his lifetime in Jerusalem's Royal Quarter.

 

 

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Don’t just take our word for it, see what Maranatha Tours Passengers are saying about their experience with the #1 Christian Tour Operator. Below is just a sampling of the what we receive on a daily basis. If you haven’t let Maranatha Tours know how your experience was, please email us at [email protected] as we would love to hear from you!

Archeological find in Jerusalem brings bible to life


Testimonies from our passengers

 

I was a member of the group of 39 from Robinson/Effingham organized by Jeff Michael.

What a wonderful trip!

The weather was perfect, food different, but good, accommodations nice, and we all traveled as a family that blended well together.

The itinerary was hectic, but so meaningful. My head is spinning with all of the information and experiences given to us by our guide.

There is so much history there that it made us realize how young and fortunate our country really is. To be in the land where Jesus lived and died is a once in a lifetime experience.

The guide’s name was Heidi (I don’t the last name) and the information and experiences she gave us were incredible. She showed no prejudices as she presented the different cultures, religions, and politics, which to me is the sign of a good guide who represents her country well.

She is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and was pleased to have a Midwestern American group. It was good to hear her speaking Hebrew when needed.  She also speaks German and Italian so guides many different groups. I recommend  that Heidi will be a guide that Maranatha Tours continues to use.

Our bus driver was also phenomenal!  The traffic in Israel/Palestine is nothing like here.  The constant sounds of horns is expected.  Our driver managed to get us safely through some very interesting situations.

I just wanted to thank Maranatha Tours for providing such a rewarding experience .I would strongly recommend this trip to anyone

Sincerely,

Theresa Mills


Hello Shay,

I trust you are doing well, and that you and your loved ones are enjoying this holiday season. I wanted to take a moment to write you and the Maranatha Tours team a note, on behalf of myself and my mother, to say THANK YOU!
Thank you so very much allowing us the incredible privilege of taking this trip to Israel; it was absolutely life changing. There were so many great memories and moments that edified our faith in Christ that it would take me a book to write them all down. Again, thank you.
I also want to say that you have an amazing staff, both states side and in Israel. From the initial contact and trip reservation, to the time we arrived back home. We felt safe, cared for, and always well tended to with incredible excellence and professionalism.

I already have, and will continue to recommend Maranatha Tours to anybody who ever wants to take a trip to the Holy Land. And at some point in the future, I look forward to going back with a group of friends so they can also have this amazing experience.

So once again, and from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! May the Lord continue to bless you, your team, and your entire company in multiplied ways!
Merry Christmas, Edgar Gomez & Esperanza Reilly


Hi, Jenni!

Just wanted to send praises and thanks to you. Were your ears burning while we were in Israel? Lots of people on this trip—and I do mean LOTS—were bragging on you, saying how wonderful you were to work with. You are very good at your job, and help many souls enjoy the trip of a lifetime.

Thanks for being who you are, little darling! We feel like we know you. Some day—in the not too distant future—we hope to meet you personally, and give you a hug!

With love,

 Shelley (and JD)

 Shelley J. Quinn


Thanks to all of you for making my trip back to Israel the best one ever. Your many kind deeds like helping me with walking up & down & all around the sights!

I made new travel Saints!

May Jesus bless you daily in you work,

Health& spreading the Gospel around the world in this generation!

Dee, you & our friend from down under kept me walking … Thanks.

Merry Christmas & a Healthy New Year!

Ann Troy


 

Pastor Mel McAllister November 10, 2015


Hi Jennifer and Greg,

Just want to take a moment to thank you, Greg and your entire staff for making our Israel trip a beautiful experience. This is my second trip with Maranatha and I have to say that you all have exceeded my expectations compared to other tour companies. Your pleasant communication with me and our group, administrative support and professionalism made this trip one to remember. Our entire time in Israel was not only safe, but impressive with the care we received by our guide, driver and other staff. Please extend my appreciation to Ruby and Samir for making our time memorable, filled with love and meaning for our group. We had 13 baptisms, one marriage proposal on the boat in the Sea of Galilee, many tears of love for simply experiencing Jesus in the Holy Land and people that touched our hearts.

Blessings to you and your Maranatha family for making such a beautiful difference.

Farzad


I have just returned from a long awaited trip to Israel.. and was delighted that the leader was Dr R. Bryan Widbin. He shared so much knowledge (biblical, archeological and historical) with us from his life long experiences, teachings and devotion to honoring God. Our travels to see important biblical sites were foundational for a deeply moving understanding of how God has provided and lead people over the centuries. This trip expanded my understanding of daily life in Jesus’ time and opened my heart to receive more of God’s love in my own daily life. Dr Widbin gives so much of himself with a clear desire to share his passion for Israel, its people of today and of 2000 years ago. I am grateful to have had this opportunity to travel and learn from Dr Bryan Widbin

We just returned from the subject tour to Israel; without any reservations, we both agree that this visit to Israel was a very worthwhile and rewarding learning experience.  The tour schedule, the tour program directors (Eric & Bill), and the two tour guides were all very professional and personable.  The addition of Joel Kramer as a lecturer was exceptional.  We look forward to going with Maranatha Tours on another tour(s) in the future.  Thanks to you and all those personnel that were involved in organizing this tour for us, it will prove to be a once in a lifetime experience for us.

Sincerely,

Edward A. Decker Josephine A. Otero-Decker


Dear Maranatha Tours:

My husband and I just returned last week from our Holy Land Tour with Malcom Cartier.
It was our first trip to the Holy Land and we are happy to report the trip was awesome!
I don’t know when you give out your “gold stars” but I do hope all involved with our trip, receives a bunch.
Thank you for all the extras too.  That was very kind.
Blessings!

William & Katherine Murdock


Hi Jennifer,
Dave and I just arrived home last night from our extension to London after the Holy Land Trip with Pastor Randy Williams.  I just wanted to let you know we had a fabulous time. The people on the trip were amazing and made us feel very welcome.  Our tour guide Malcolm Cartier was the best and gave us an A+ educational experience.  We saw incredible sights and our open air classroom was the best place to learn about Jesus.  Thank you for all your help and answering all my pre-trip questions.  You must have the patience of Job.  May God Bless You!

Sharon and Dave Kiesel


Hello, Maranatha Tours – I just returned from my 2nd trip to the Holy Land with Global Celebration (led by Georgian & Winnie Banov) arranged through Maranatha Tours & wanted to let you know how happy we were with our wonderful tour guides, Yehuda Zabari & Olga Smoldyreva.  Yehuda led our tour last year, and was extremely attentive to all our needs – from tracking down luggage lost by my airline to all the practical needs of 35 people moving from place to place with great understanding of sites & relevant information, as well as inspiring personal testimony and excellent knowledge of the scriptures.  This year, as our group was twice the size, we were delighted to experience Olga’s abilities as well – she, too, brings great knowledge of the sites and scriptures as well as kind & professional attentiveness to every detail of the tour.  In addition, many of us noticed how well Olga and Yehuda worked together as a team – needless to say, managing a group as large & energetic as ours (72 people, 2 busloads) is no small feat, and these two guides coordinated every detail with great professionalism, ability & personal attention which contributed greatly to our joy in the Holy Land.

I wanted to let you know that, based on my experiences the past two years with Holy Land tours led by Yehuda & Olga, I would recommend them highly to any company or tour group.

Thanks for everything your staff has done to make these wonderful experiences possible for us as well!

Sincerely,

Georgina (Gina) White



Jeff Quam November 9, 2015


Jenni, (and Mike)

I am SO tardy in saying, “thank you,” again, for your patience in helping me tag-on to the Jordan-Israel tour with pastors Dan and Gregg and the rest of the great Palmcroft group!!  I had a tremendous time and I am just blessed that I could make that trip one more time.

I wanted to also add a couple of things:  I think this was my 4th trip to the Holy Land with Maranatha and I have always appreciated the good tour guides that you provided while we were in Israel or Jordan or Egypt, etc.  I especially remember Malcolm; and Abed (by the way, I asked at the usual Jericho stop—gift shop and fruit/vegetable market–about Abed and was told that he is seriously ill.  I guess at his home in Ramallah (?); Johnny from Nazareth; and a very nice man, a teacher, in Cairo (can’t remember his name).  The two we had this time (Jordan, then Israel) were outstanding:   Fadi Haddad was low key, but so knowledgeable, courteous, kind—he will remain in my memory.  And George Horesh was the best I have ever heard at not only giving information but putting it in historical context.  He has a broad perspective that adds so much to each place in Israel that we visited.  Outstanding tour guide.

Best wishes for continued blessings for the work you do that spreads good will for all of us.

REBA


Jennie, we are all home safely except the Stutheit’s who remained in Italy for another week. Thank you and your staff for the excellent support in planning and supporting the recent trip to Israel and Rome. Once again, kudos goes to Malcolm.  I do not believe any guide could surpass him in skills and knowledge. He was exceptional! One needs a recorder to help remember the wealth of knowledge he shared at each site.

I was glad we added the Herodian to the trip. Malcolm also made it possible to spend time at both the Dead Sea and En Gedi so everybody was pleased. He adjusted the schedule from time to time due to circumstances occurring in the Jerusalem area.

The escort in Rome was also excellent and deserves high praise. Gada went above and beyond the call of duty to serve our group. She even escorted four of our group to the Vatican while the rest of us took advantage of the free half day to enter the Colesium. She was friendly and even shared meals with us in Rome. Everybody loved and appreciated her. Because there was no porterageor guide  at the airport in Rome I added that part of the tip to Gada who deserved it.

If ever I take another trip, I would definitely go with Maranatha again and would again request Malcolm. But, my body may not be up to another trip. Already, I believe some of the people who backed out of the trip now have regrets when they have heard about the trip from our members.

Thank you again.

pressing for the mark,

Syd Brestel



James Brown November 9, 2015

What a great tour and a Great group. We started our journey and walked through the Bible together in Tiberias, The Sea of Galilee, Jerusalem, The Sinai and Egypt. The group is back in the USA with a better understanding of the Bible and memories that will last a lifetime. Thank you for being a part of the Maranatha Tours family and letting us experience this trip of a lifetime with you!

Click on the Player above to hear a word from Mel McAllister who just returned from the Holy Land!

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Archeological find in Jerusalem brings bible to life

Greg Reilly