Lesson 1: Journey to the Real Mt. Sinai "Introduction"
There are actually six mountains that are the strongest current candidates for the real Mt. Sinai in the world today. Why is it even important that we locate the correct one? As we rapidly approach the end times, in a world that is whirling and swirling around us, we as Christians in America are under an all out assault for our beliefs. We believe in Jesus. And we believe in the word of God. All of it. With no excuses. Any archaeological finds that validate the Bible these days strengthens not only our own personal faith, but the testimony of Judaism and Christianity at large.
After visiting Saudi Arabia and the ancient land of Midian myself, I can testify that there is an undeniable underlying excitement about this mountain. Maybe it is because it has been untouched by the world for so long... Maybe because we know it is where God himself came to earth to speak to Moses... Maybe because the secrets of this sandy desert are being revealed to us as the end approaches!
This twelve-week class will be a study of the book of Exodus, using video based learning, verse by verse study of the Bible using the commentary by Chuck Missler, and supplemental short video clips and websites. We will also be using books by Glen Fritz and Joel Richardson as resources. The goal is not only to learn the basic narrative, but also look for biblical clues for the location of the real Mt. Sinai and other locations mentioned in the Bible.
Also, we will be looking for foreshadowing of both the first and second coming of Christ. While you listen to the video, be ready to share something meaningful you learned from the lesson. Click Here for the worksheet and lesson plan.
Play Introductory Video (13:22)
Discuss Video:
Share something meaningful you learned from this lesson.
Why do you think it might be important to locate the real Mt. Sinai?
Why might the brothers of Joseph be fearful about his death? What does Joseph’s request for his bones to be taken to the Promised Land show about his faith?
Why was it important for God to let Abraham know what he was going to do in the future?
The Hebrew midwives lied to Pharaoh about the baby boys. Why do you think God blessed them for it? When is it okay for us to disobey government authority?
Why do you think that God allowed his people to be enslaved in bondage?
The Bible says that the more the Hebrews were afflicted, the more they grew. How can we relate that concept to our own lives? The persecuted church?
Next: Read Exodus Chapter One! Or...read Chuck Missler’s Exodus Chapter 1 and Introduction. Locate Goshen, Pithom and Rameses on the map.
Many scholars believe that the ancient city of Rameses is named Quintar today. Read the article HERE.
and HERE!
Enjoy this opening scene of Cecil B Demille's The Ten Commandments. (2:32)
Text of Video:
My fascination with the book of Exodus started years ago when our two boys, Jonathan and Rob were 11 and 12. Every night my husband, John, read out loud interesting books to the kids before they went to bed. Since I homeschooled my kids every day, it was John’s job to find interesting reading material, and that he did.
So when he found a book called, The Gold of Exodus, I wasn’t surprised. It was an all--boy adventure including treasure, clandestine meetings, international espionage, biblical archaeology, strong characters who took risks, and searches for truth. This suspenseful book was not fiction, though. It told the true story of two men named Bob Cornuke and Larry Williams, who bluffed their way into Saudi Arabia in the 1980’s with one goal in mind… to find the real Mt. Sinai.
This book became larger than life for our family, but over the years it was forgotten, until one of the explorers from the book, Bob Cornuke, was set to be a speaker at a bible conference we were attending in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho in 2014. Hearing Bob speak about the mountain, and the things found there, not only by himself, but also by Ron Wyatt, Jim and Penny Caldwell and others, gave us a yearning in our heart to see the mountain for ourselves. It was only a few years later, in 2019, that Saudi Arabia opened up the country to tourists, and new adventurers, like Joel Richardson, who we also met at the conference, began to explore the region and sponsor tours to the ancient land of Midian, located in Saudi Arabia. And so, in the fall of 2022 my husband and I signed up for the trip of the lifetime… a trip to the real Mt. Sinai–not in Egypt, but in Arabia.
There are actually six mountains that are the strongest current candidates for the real Mt. Sinai in the world today. Why is it even important that we locate the correct one? As we rapidly approach the end times, in a world that is whirling and swirling around us, we as Christians in America are under an all out assault for our beliefs. We believe in Jesus. And we believe in the word of God. All of it. With no excuses. Any archaeological finds that validate the bible these days strengthens not only our own personal faith, but the testimony of Judaism and Christianity at large.
After visiting Saudi Arabia and the ancient land of Midian myself, I can testify that there is an undeniable underlying excitement about this mountain. Maybe it is because it has been untouched by the world for so long? Maybe because we know it is where God himself came to earth to speak to Moses? Maybe because the secrets of this sandy desert are being revealed to us as the end approaches? Take a look…
Here is a protected site called The caves of Jethro by The local bedouin tribes found in ancient Midian,(named Al Bad today!)
A well where Moses may have met Zipporah is very close to there,
Marah, the place of the bitter water turned sweet
And possibly, Elim, with its 12 wells and 70 palm trees.
But there’s more. A six story tall split rock that towers high in the desert could possibly be the rock that Moses struck with his stick and brought forth water.
At the base of the mountain, there are two altars. One believed to be the “Golden Calf” Altar, and the other one the altar that God instructed Moses to build for his own sacrifices. From the altar of Moses, the cave of Elijah is about a 2 hour climb, straight up! The region around the base of the mountain has petroglyphs, a mass graveyard, boundary markers and a large plain– plenty of space for 2 million people to set up camp. . Best of all… the blackened rocky mountain top of Jabal Maqua is awe inspiring, towering high in the sky, bidding all to come and experience the intrigue of the mountain. As yet, the area is untouched… There are camels grazing, a shepherd or two with flocks of goats, and an occasional swallow, swooping overhead. But there are no tour buses, or Catholic Shrines… Well, not yet.
I would like to invite you to come on a trip with me… to the Real Mount Sinai. As we study the book of Exodus together, we are not only going to dig deep into the Bible text itself, becoming familiar with the historical account, but as we read the text we are going to be looking for clues!
Clues to questions, such as, “Where is the real Red Sea Crossing?”
Could this story really have happened as it is written in the Bible?
Where is the ancient land of Midian?
The real Mt. Sinai?
And finally, Why is this important to know? Could this mountain and this very same wilderness be tied to prophetic events yet to come?
While we move along the journey through the Book of Exodus, I will be sharing with you my experiences, reflections, and thoughts about my own pilgrimage to the mountain, the mountain that I believe is the real Mt. Sinai. I promise that you will find many surprises along the way! As my trip to Saudi Arabia unfolded, the Exodus narrative became more and more real and the biblical characters more like friends. At each step it seemed like the bible itself came alive and was living and breathing. I am praying that as we study the Exodus, you, too, will experience the beauty of the desert, the lure of the mountain, and the voice from the burning bush.
Let’s take a moment to back up and set the stage for a study of the Book of Exodus.
As we open the first chapter, we discover that God’s people are living in Egypt–nowhere near the covenant land that God promised their father Abraham. How did the Hebrews end up in Egypt? Why are they there instead of the promised land?
In the beginning, God created everything. As believers in Yahweh, and his son Yeshua (Jesus) we also believe that everything in the Bible is true.
As we read the table of nations found in Genesis 10 Noah had–three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Moved)
Reading on, we see that Abraham is a descendant of Shem in Genesis 11: 10-31. Abraham received a call from God while he was in Ur, and was told to go to a country he did not know. He obeyed the call and moved to Haran until his father died, and then moved on into Cannan. In Chapter 12 of Genesis God spoke to Abraham and made a covenant with him, promising to make a great nation from him, give him a land of promise, and that he would bless the entire world through his seed”.
In Genesis 15:13 God gives Abraham more intel: “ Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs and they will serve them and afflict them for 400 years. I will judge that nation, and they (the Hebrews) will come out with great possessions.”
Later in Genesis You can read the biblical account of Abraham’s son Issac, his grandson Jacob, and eventually Jacob’s 12 sons. Joseph was sold by his brothers into slavery and ended up in Egypt… the most advanced and powerful kingdom on the earth at that time in history. You know the story! … with the help of God, Joseph was eventually set free and rose to power in the kingdom, wisely helping Pharaoh and all Egypt prepare for 7 years of famine. Eventually, Joseph was reconciled with his entire family, and his father’s entire household moved to Egypt.. 70 persons in all. They settled in the land of Goshen, some of the most fertile land in the entire country of Egypt.
When Joseph was on his deathbed he gave this prophecy….Genesis 50:24 “God will surely visit you and bring you out of this land to the land of which he swore to Abraham, Issac and Jacob.” He then made them take an oath that when they went, they were to take his bones with them. What was it Joseph was saying? That’s right, Joseph prophesied again the Exodus that God had foretold to Abraham.
the people of God were indeed enslaved in Egypt for 400 years… during this time… the hand of Yahweh was on them and they multiplied and grew. The Bible says in Exodus 1:8, Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. The people of Yahweh had become so numerous that the Egyptians were concerned they might rise up against them! Therefore, they enslaved the Israelites, and made their lives bitter, with hard bondage, forcing them to build two treasure cities, Pithom, and Raamses.
By the way, have you been paying attention to any geographical clues God might have given us in regards to real places found listed in the book of Exodus? ! Looking carefully at the text, we have three names, Goshen, Pithom, and Raamses. Here are those areas on the maps…
However, the more they were afflicted, the more they multiplied and grew! Then Pharoah commanded the Hebrew midwives kill the baby boys born to the Hebrews! These God-fearing women did not obey, telling Pharoah that the Hebrew women were delivering before they arrived to help, and Pharoah became angry! But God blessed the midwives, and even gave them their own families. Pharoah then took this obsession to a new level, he commanded all his people that the Hebrew baby boys were to be thrown into the river! (Exodus 1:22)
The book of Genesis is the story of a family and a promise. The book of Exodus is about the birth of a nation! While Genesis is about creation and covenants, the Exodus is about salvation and redemption. Within the narrative of the Exodus, God’s greatest love story of all time, the story of Jesus, is hidden below the surface– foretold in symbols, types and metaphors. If we look, Jesus can be found on every page!
In the Greek, the word Exodus means “Departure.” Throughout the scripture, Egypt symbolizes the fallen world system… the institutionalization of materialism, false religion, and humanism. Pharaoh represents Satan.. and his desire to dominate the world, and our lives.
But Yahweh, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob… is about to show himself to the world! God’s plan for redemption is now ready to unfold!