The Search for the Real Mt. Sinai
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Examining the claims of Bob Cornuke & Larry Williams in the video “The Search for the Real Mt. Sinai” It would be helpful to view this video first.
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- Mt. Sinai has to be based on where the Red Sea crossing was
- Scholars have identified 13 different sites for Mt Sinai
Where Israel started
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- Roman Legion typically marched about 10 miles per day.
- During the US Civil War, Union and Confederate troops typically marched about 10 miles per day on foot (assuming over average terrain and not a forced march - although armies have marched further than 10 miles per day when they needed to do so).
- People with animals can cover about 6 miles in a day, time needed for animals to graze and drink
Beginning
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Genesis 47:11 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
Exodus 9:26 (KJV)Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.
Exodus 12:37 (KJV)And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children.
The Wilderness Way
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Ex. 13:17 And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:
18 But God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed out of the land of Egypt. 20 And they took their journey from Succoth, and encamped in Etham, in the edge of the wilderness
- Harnessed - Military formation
- Philistines Way easy road along the Med. Sea
- LORD could protect us on the easy way
- The hard way is to show us Himself
Day 3 Turn Back
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Ex 14:2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they turn and encamp before Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, over against Baalzephon: before it shall ye encamp by the sea.
Num. 23:7 And they removed from Etham, and turned again unto Pihahiroth, which is before Baalzephon: and they pitched before Migdol.
MSS left Etham, circled back to Pi Hahiroth
NIV They left Etham, turned back to Pi Hahiroth
- God’s purpose sometimes does not make sense
- Going back is not reaching the Promise end
- To the North & West is Pharaoh’s Army
- To west is Red Sea ( Bitter Lake)
- To the South rough sandy lose gravel travel
Into The Sea
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- It over is 12 miles long and over 6 miles wide.
- Note the airport N/S line (runway) is about 1.7miles
long
Exodus 14:21-22 (KJV)
And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left.
Exodus 15:8 (KJV)
And with the blast of thy nostrils the waters were gathered together, the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were congealed in the heart of the sea.
Marah
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Ex 15: 22 So Moses brought Israel from the Red sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness, and found no water.23 And when they came to Marah, they could not drink of the waters of Marah, for they were bitter: therefore the name of it was called Marah.
- There are several wadis that could have been ancient lake beds
Elim
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Exodus 15:27 And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.
70 Palms & 12 wells
Examining the Claims of Bob Cornuke & Larry Williams
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B.A.S.E. Institute
(Bible Archaeology Search and Exploration Institute)
• Red Sea Crossing
- Egyptian Origin - (soof) Yam Suph
- “reed” “rushes” “weeds” “flags”
- He says can read - Yam Soph (sea of lands end)
• Underwater Land Bridge
• Marah - (bitter)
• Elim (70 palms & 12 springs)
• Cave of Moses
• Jabal al Lawz (Mt Sinai)
• Boundary Markers
• Golden Calf Altar
• Split Rock at Horeb (water came out)
When questioned about their work it was told under copyright
- If persisted legal action would be taken
Ron Wyatt - His Idea
Claims he has found:
- Noah’s Ark
- Sodom &Gomorrah
- Ark of the Covenant with the blood of Jesus on the mercy seat,
- Gives his Red Sea crossing, finding some of pharaoh’s chariots
Discovery Search
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1. Sinai Peninsula was within the territorial borders of the Land of Egypt
- God led the people through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea - Ex 13:18
- Cornuke claim they had to cross Gulf of Akaba
- Egypt had garrisons to guard their copper and turquoise mines
- Not true Egypt never occupied that mining district
- Only sent expeditions
- Egypt’s boundaries ended at Goshen Ex 13:18-20
2. No trace evidence of Israel in Sinai
- Israel lived in tents
- Clothing was preserved by God Deut 8:4, 29:5
3. Crossing site at the Strait of Tiran
- 350 miles to end of Sinai
- West side of Sinai Peninsula made up of sand & Gravel making travel difficult and slow
- Cornuke claims it is 2 miles across — it is 11 miles
- A flat under water land bridge from shore to shore
- Untrue 60% decline
- Roads today cannot exceed 10% very difficult at 60% for carts & chariots
4. Is Mt Sinai in Midian?
- Jabel el-Lawz Highest Mt in Midian - 8,465
- Sinai need not be the highest Mt.
- Ex. 3:1 - Jethro a Midian priest
- So Moses must be in Midian
- I am a Canadian so I must be in Canada
- Ex. 3:1 Does not say Horeb is in Midian
- Bedouin shepherds to go long distances to find pasture for their flocks 70 or more miles
- Jethro went home from Sinai Ex. 18;27
- Num 10:29-30 - Nobab wanted to leave Sinai and go to his home
- Gal 4:25 - Mt. Sinai in Arabia
- Arabia as we know it did not exist in Moses’ day
- Strabo, a Greek from Pontus (64 BC to ca. AD 25). He describes the borders of Arabia as having its eastern border at the Persian Gulf and its western border at the East Side of the Nile River.
5.- Eleven days Journey from Sinai to Kadesh
Deut 1:2
- Kadesh Barnea has been identified
- Impossible to go from Jebel el-Lawa in 11 days
- The straight-line distance from Jebel al-Lawz to Kadesh Barnea is approximately 150 miles
6. Video explores speak as if they are the first here
- Jaussen and Savignac (1907-10),
- Moritz (1910), and Musil (1910)
- Early 50’s Harry St. John Philby served the sites
- Parr et. al. 1968-1969
7. Sinai burnt black
- Cornuke brought back rock samples
- Won’t let research look at the samples
8. The Split Rock at Horeb
- Cornuke and Williams land receives ½ inch a yers
- Reality 4 inches and comes in form of monsoons
- Washouts riddle the land
9. Aaron built the altar, not the Israelites.
- Ex. 32:5
- 30 ft High 30 ft across
- The so-called "altar of Moses and the 12 columns" dates to the Nabatean period (586 BC) and has nothing to do with the Wilderness Wanderings
10. Petrographs on the altar
- Ex. 20:4 - Deut. 9:21
- No Graven Image
- Saudi archaeologists have 300 sites with 50 of them that have cattle on them
- If done by Israel they did it as they roamed in direct violation to Ex. 20 command
- Moses destroyed the golden calf because it was an idol. He would also have erased the petroglyph
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PowerPoint Available
