Exodus
3,
"Now
Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the
desert and came to Horeb, the mountain of God."
The mountain of
God, a.k.a. Mt. Horeb / Mt. Sinai, is found to be in Midian. The Oxford Bible Atlas states Midian to be in Saudi Arabia. Galatians 4:25 also states that Mt. Sinai is in Arabia.
This would place the mountain of God on the eastern side of the Gulf of Aqaba, east of the right fork of the Red Sea, NOT
on the Sinai Peninsula which was proposed first by a monk in 300 A.D. They crossed from the Sinai Peninsula to Midian.
Bible maps today now place Mt. Sinai or Mt. Horeb in Midian, because of the evidence now known.
But, this knowledge is not readily available to most people. Most people do NOT know. It is suppressed information because
of what it would mean. Mt. Sinai is known today as Jebel El Lawz, also spelled Jabel Al Lawz. The Bedouins, native people
of Arabia, call this mountain, Jebel Musa (mountain of Moses).
Going
back to the launching point of the Exodus, we start at the Sinai Peninsula were the Israelites would cross the Red Sea to
enter the land of Midian. This is after the Hebrew people were let go by the Pharaoh of Egypt, Rameses II. Rameses is named
as Pharaoh in the Bible and in secular historical accounts as well. How did the Israelites cross a sea to get to Midian?
How did they get across a sea floor that reaches depths of 2000 ft. or more? The answer is provided
by the Word of God and actual physical evidence in the Red Sea. Didn't know there was hard evidence, huh? Wonder why? Anyways,
going to the Word we find in Isaiah 51:10,
"Was it not you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep, who made a
road in the depths of the sea so that the redeemed might cross over?"
Here
we find knowledge of a roadway made for the Israelites to cross from the depths of the sea. Taking into account the water
levels of that time, historically speaking, were 30-40 ft. higher 3500 years ago, there should be some evidence of the roadway
today protruding up from the depths of the sea floor, if this miracle truly did happen.
Incredible enough, today there is a still a "roadway" or land bridge that exists in
the Gulf of Aqaba. It protrudes up from the sea floor some 2000 ft. and cuts across the gulf to Saudi Arabia. It is on average
only 10 ft. below the surface of the water today. It cannot be seen unless you are right upon it or high above. Ships today
have to navigate around this land bridge. Some less fortunate sea captains have run aground for this land bridge usually lies
just beneath the surface of the water, At low tide, a person can walk across this land bridge all the way to the other side!
Didn't know that, did you? Awesome, isn't it?
After
crossing this incredible land bridge and seeing the destruction of the Egyptians, the Israelites were led away by God. Exodus 15:22
states,
"For three days
they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water because it was
bitter."
With approximately
2 million people traversing the desert at about 10 kilometers a day, we should find these bitter springs about 30 kilometers
away from the sea. In fact, 33 kilometers away from the sea, bitter springs are still in existence today.
The water is so bitter that one cannot even touch it to one's tongue. Amazing, isn't it? Wait it gets better!
In Exodus 15:27, the Israelites came upon Elim which was where 12 springs and 70 palm trees existed.
This place was to be between Marah and Mt. Sinai. In fact, it still exists even today. About halfway between
the bitter springs of Marah and Mt. Sinai (Jebel El Lawz) is an oasis. The number of palm trees probably has changed over
the 3500 years, but the number of springs is STILL twelve! That's right! There are still exactly 12 springs at this
site! The Bedouins have built walls around these springs to keep the water in, but they are still there. How incredible
is the Word of God?
Now we come upon the mountain
today known as Jebel El Lawz, or biblically speaking Mt. Sinai. Exodus 19:18, states,
"Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire.
The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, the whole mountain trembled violently".
The mountain should have evidence of this, if it was to be the holy mountain. Now, of course,
if God did not want it to show signs of charring or heat furnace markings, He would not have to, for He is God. Like the burning
bush, He controls all things in this physical world. But, if He chose to allow the physical world to show His mark on this
mountain, physically speaking, it should be present. Guess what? The mountain known as Jebel El Lawz DOES show these
markings incredibly enough. Looking at the top section of the mountain, you will find melted, black rock. Even from
a distance, you can see the prominence of the charred rock. Critics would say, "Oh, it's just a volcanic mountain? So,
by taking a closer look, we shall be able to determine this easily.
Amazingly enough! It is, in fact, NOT igneous (volcanic) rock, but granite rock
that has been charred by heat or fire. Even twigs
and branches amongst the charred rock are burned. The rock actually takes on a melted, shiny-black look.
So now let’s look at Exodus
19:23, “Put limits around the mountain and set
it apart as holy."
These limits were
put around the mountain to serve as a warning to the people to not approach the mountain to see the Lord for the Lord will
break out against them if they do not heed the warning. What would these limits be? What was found at Jebel El Lawz
was huge rock piles placed every 400 yards perfectly around a two- mile semi-circle around the holy mountain. They, of course,
used some other means of measurement, but the important thing here is that they are equi-distant around the mountain!
Now let's look at Exodus 32:5. In the scriptures it states that the people turned away from what God had commanded
them and made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. Aaron had an altar built to announce the
idolatrous god. They behaved with pagan indulgencies to this newly formed god similar to the Egyptian bull-god, Apis. This
corruption of God's people took place before an altar built by man.
Now,
you must remember that the Hebrews were given very strict guidelines in building altars. They had to be made from rock, and
not re-shaped by the hand of man.
From Deuteronomy
27:5-6, you will find God's idea of an altar and what
is to be used in its construction. They could not chisel the rocks to any form. This, indeed, was how they made the limits
discussed earlier and altars that were built.
Several
hundred yards from the base of a mountain across the valley, a man-made altar is present even today. It again is a huge compilation
of rocks. It is 30 feet high by 30 feet long! It is a man-made structure that the Saudi Arabian government
has fenced in to keep unauthorized personnel from studying further. Coincidently enough, there is Egyptian artwork found on
this altar. It is a pictograph of the bull-god, Apis. Problem is bulls, or cows, are NOT indigenous to Saudi Arabia!
There is not enough water to support these animals. Yet, there it is, on the very altar built at the base of the
mountain across the valley from Jebel El Lawz!
Mount Horeb also
happens to be the place that Elijah, himself, went to in order to find comfort apparently after the Israelites turned against
the Lord. For fear of his own life, Elijah went to the mountain of God, Mt. Horeb. This takes place in 1 Kings 19:8.
In the following verse, a cave is spoken of on the mountain of God. So with this information, we know that the mountain of
God must contain a cave that Elijah, the prophet, would found refuge. It just so happens, there is a cave on Jebel
El Lawz! It is about 15 feet high by 15 feet across by 30 feet deep. There is no such cave of any kind at the traditional Mt. Sinai.
1 Kings 19:13, speaks of Elijah
hearing the Lord's whisper,
"When Elijah heard
it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave."
Imagine the display of God's presence as Elijah stood at the mouth of the cave. What a feeling
of honor that must have been! Also, what you will see from the mouth of the cave is a valley that could hold the entire Israelite
nation. The traditional site of Mt. Sinai had no such valley at all! In addition, one could also view a grove
of acacia trees. The very same kind of trees that were used to build the Ark of the Covenant!
When you look down from the mouth of the cave at the base of the mountain, you will see a man-made
structure of rocks and fieldstones. It is shaped exactly like an altar! Going down to the site what you find is truly amazing.
Exodus 24:4 says,
"(Moses) built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up 12 stone pillars
representing the 12 tribes of Israel… they offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings
to the Lord."
At the foot of the
mountain, a center rock ridge of 120 feet, 60 feet across by 60 feet long. It is in a shape of an L. The altar also
so happens to have a burnt offerings pit. The dimensions are exactly 7 1/2 feet long by 7 1/2 feet wide. The Bible
lists the dimensions of an altar to be 5 cubits by 5 cubits. A cubit is the length of the arm from the elbow to the tip of
the fingers. That would be about 18 inches or 1 1/2 feet long!
What
is even more interesting is that Saudi Arabia or Midian are a Muslim people. They do not offer burnt offerings to their god.
It is an Israelite religious practice. The offering pit still has several feet of ash in it even today. Another thing that
is spoken of is the 12 stone pillars for each tribe of Israel. White stone sections like cake layers are found all over this
site. There are also 9 of the 12 stone pads that would have held the stone pillars in place still there, with 3 dug up holes
where the missing pads would have been. Are you in awe, yet?
Let’s
go to Exodus 17:6,
"I will stand there
before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink."
This place beside the Mount Horeb was called Massah and Meribah. This place was used to quench the
thirst of the Israelites twice. Forty years later in
Numbers 20, Moses disobeyed and offended the Lord. His
and Aaron's punishment would be given. What we find out here is that the rock that Moses struck and SPLIT as spoken
of by the prophet, Isaiah, in Isaiah 48:21, is also called, you guessed it, Mt. Sinai!
This area called Meribah has been found as well. The rock at Horeb is still there! On the west
side of Mt. Horeb on a knoll stands a rock some 40 feet high, split right down the middle with a 19 inch gap from the top
to the bottom. At the bottom of this split rock are rocks worn down like that of a river bottom. The rocks
are smooth from the water erosion. The uniqueness of this is this area of the world gets a 1/2 inch of rain every TEN YEARS!
It is one of the driest places in the world.
Another
interesting thing about this place is the valley below the knoll. The valley floor should have sand covering the granite
floor, however it does not. The granite floor is exposed. It looks as though the valley which probably filled up
with water to quench the thirst of some 2 million people and their livestock was washed out. Another thing of note is the
place immediately beside the rock at Horeb. It has the same burnt markings on the rocks as the top of Mt. Sinai /
Mt. Horeb has.
Exodus 17:6 says,
"I
will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb".
This
place beside the rock at Horeb is most likely the place where the Lord once stood!
The miraculous circumstances that take place in the book of Exodus from the Word of God are incredible
proof of the existence of the Lord and the validity of the Holy Bible. When you find not only the places where these things
took place, but the physical evidence of the very miracles that occurred, you can only be awestruck by the magnitude. God
leaves us evidence of His existence and power everywhere.
We
just have to open our eyes. Romans 1:18-25,
“The
wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their
wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation
of the world God’s invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being
understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse…They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped
and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. AMEN”
Focus on God and trying to find His purpose for you in this world. Remember He is in control of
ALL things. If the beginning of the Word of God is true, then the end of the Holy Bible is true as well. Live everyday as
if that day is your last.
Do not be those that
are not ready for His coming!