Biblical truth backed by archeological science... by John Murray

The location of the Red Sea crossing and Mt. Sinai have been established by the Bible, and pinpointed by recent archaeological finds. A certain very early Christian tradition that has become a widespread belief in our day is that Mt. Sinai is in the Sinai Peninsula. The general consensus of the early church fathers does not agree, and Jewish scholars have always believed it is in Arabia which is modern day Saudi-Arabia.

Moses went to Midia where the Lord spoke to him on Mt. Horeb - which is Sinai (Ex. 2:15, 16, 3:1, 2). All Bible scholars, even the one's who believe Mt. Sinai is in the Sinai Peninsula, and Jewish commentaries agree that Midia covers much of Northern Saudi Arabia - not the Sinai Peninsula. Also, Paul says that Mt.Sinai is in Arabia.

The Word says that Israel went "out of Egypt (Ex. 3:10, 11, 12, 12:39, 13:8, 9, 16, 14:11, 17)." All scholars agree that the Egyptians had possession of the Sinai Peninsula in the time of Moses, just as they do today. Leaving Egypt by way of a sea requires going around or through the Gulf of Aqaba.

An inadequate interpretation of Yam Suph (Red Sea) has misled the scholars to look for a location that has reeds. Sea of Reeds is a primary definition of Yam Suph. The lakes to the north of the Gulf of Suez - which is the left arm of the sea, are full of reeds. This does not include all of the Yam Suph meanings. As we will see, it must speak of spiritual reeds, not literal one's. Strong's Concordance offers three more definitions for suph. It also means to destroy (Sea of Judgment), hinder part (Lesser Arm of the Sea). It can also mean great storm (Sea of Winds)... for "the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind" (Ex. 14:21). Even Sea of Reeds is better translated "Sea of Figurative Reeds". For God called Egypt a bruised reed, which speaks of something weak that will also pierce the hand (2 Kings 18:21, Is. 36:6). Egypt was measured with a measuring reed, and found wanting. Their hinder part was cut off by God's judgment.

So, where was this figurative Sea of Reeds? On the northern shore of the Red Sea (1 K. 9:26), or Yam Suph, King Solomon built a navy in Ezion Geber, near Eloth. All Bible scholars agree that this location is on the northern shore of the Gulf of Aqaba, which is the eastern arm of the Red Sea. It is a great deep (over a mile deep in many places), and it is approximately eight to ten miles wide. The common sites offered for the crossing of the Red Sea are lakes to the north of the Gulf of Suez or over the northern portion of the arm of the sea itself. Neither the lakes - that are not great deeps (Ex. 15:5, 8, Is. 51:10), nor the Gulf of Suez are near a dense wilderness with a mountainous gorge (Ex. 14:2, 3). Crossing over either of these waters furthermore fails to provide a path out of Egypt.

Nuweiba Beach at the center of the Gulf of Aqaba is next to a gorge, and it has a large sandy beach where many could gather. The video, "The Exodus Revealed," offers this as the crossing site. A second ministry of Ron Wyatt (http://wyattmuseum.com) agrees. Many pictures of apparent broken chariot wheel and axle assemblies were taken, being preserved by a mineral form of coral. Ron Wyatt also discovered and photographed mineralized bone at this crossing site.

Ron Wyatt offers another unusual piece of evidence. The Bible mentions how a pillar is situated on the border of Egypt as a sign (Is. 19:19, 20). According to Ron Wyatt, this is the present day granite pillar that is next to the Nuweiba Beach crossing point of the Red Sea. Pictures of this pillar can be seen at Nuweiba Beach through the http://www.wyattmesuem.com website. Interestingly, Ron Wyatt also discovered a pillar on the opposite side of the Gulf of Aqaba. Legible inscriptions on the pillar refer to the builder, King Solomon, and to the Red Sea crossing. Modern day maps indicate that at the second pillar site, a sandy beach exists where the bodies of Egyptian dead were seen by Israel after the crossing (Ex. 14:30). "The Exodus Revealed" depicts undersea pictures of wheel and axle assemblies near both coasts. The crossing site itself is eight miles of elevated sand, affording an easy path.

The beach area was entered by turning south off of the main highway to Arabia, and going over an ancient dry riverbed. Near the sea are two high cliffs, which the Bible calls "the Mouth of the Gorges" (the definition of Pi-hahiroth, Ex. 14:2). If the beach is a popular area for buildings today, it would be a good location for structures in the day of Moses. For, two sites are named, Migdol (meaning tower), and Baal-Zephon (Ex. 14:2). The entire region was filled with both Egyptian military and mining locations. The moment they turned south off of the road to Arabia they would be detected as heading into a dense wilderness between the two arms of the Red Sea, and word would be sent to Pharaoh that they were lost (Ex. 14:4). Yet, when Pharaoh believed Israel was incompetent, and their God had forsaken them, he was destroyed in the sea.

Once across the sea and turning southward, the nation came to Jabal al Lawz. Here there is a mountain that still shows many signs of being the real Mt. Sinai. The first thing one sees at Jabal al Lawz is a large altar with carvings of a cow on it, It rests just inside a fence marking the entire mountain as an archaeological site. This is shown on both videos, "The Exodus Revealed," and Bob Cornuke and Larry Williams' "The Search for the Real Mt. Sinai." (purchase these at www.christianreality.com). During Moses' lengthy talk with the Lord (Ex. 24:9-31:18), Israel got weary of waiting (Ex. 32:23), so they had Aaron make a calf and an altar (Ex. 32:1-6). There is no written documentation pointing to the destruction of this altar (Ex. 32:20).

The traditional site of Mt. Sinai does not have a desert-like plain nearby that is referenced in the Bible (Ex. 19:2). Yet, there is one beside Jabal al Lawz. "The Search for the Real Mt. Sinai," shows twelve round boulders made of white marble and another altar that is mentioned in the Bible (Ex. 24:24). (Ron Wyatt also saw the white marble on his expedition in which he discovered the pillar of Solomon in Arabia). They went inside the fence, climbed the mountain, and found a cave, apparently the one that Elijah entered (1 Kings 19:8, 9). No cave is at the traditional site. The top is blackened, because the "Lord descended upon it in fire" (Ex. 19:18). Close-up shots of it depict a hardened black mass. There is an unusual split rock on it, and water flowed from a split rock on Horeb (Ex. 17:6). The videos show how the rocks are rounded like those in a riverbed.

A good topographical map showing the point of the crossing, and Jabal al Lawz is TPC H5A, which is available in some of the specialty map stores.

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