|
|
Red Sea Crossing - The Adventure Concludes
Part 2: The Actual Crossing
We go to the bottom of the sea for a bizarre discovery
Only a mega hurricane could have raised 2 walls of water 1,000 feet (300 metres) high.
But wouldn't such a hurricane have blown the Hebrews away? How ever could they advance into it?
Discover - the Bible tells us how the waters stood up without the wind!
Amazingly easy to undertand
In Search of Pharaoh's Lost Army
I have led one expedition to the site and accompanied another, led by Ronald Wyatt. We have made several dives - and gathered some intriguing evidence to share with you.
First, however, it is well to check off some details concerning the Hebrew escape from Egypt - which, after all, inspired these expeditions.
Before the Crossing - Order of Events
1. They left Egypt: It has been commonly assumed that the sea crossing was in the Gulf of Suez. But if this were so, the Hebrews would still be on Egyptian soil as they faced the Red Sea crossing. Egypt borders the entire western shore of the Gulf of Suez. Wherever they camped along that coast, they would still be in Egypt.
However, the book of Exodus tells us that before they came to the Red Sea crossing, they had ALREADY LEFT Egypt. The "children of Israel went up harnessed OUT OF the land of Egypt." (Ex.13:18) So, when they later arrived at the Red Sea and found themselves trapped, they complained to Moses, their leader: "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness?" They asked why Moses had carried them forth "OUT OF Egypt?...we did tell thee IN Egypt, saying, Let us alone." (Ex.14:10-12). You'll notice, this wilderness was not "in Egypt".
2. They travelled along the southern highway: From their homes in the Nile Delta (the region known as Rameses, or Goshen), the Hebrews had first assembled at Succoth, a military station on the eastern border of Egypt. Here they were "harnessed", or placed in ranks (Ex. 13:18).
From here, there were 2 highways to Canaan:
Route A - "the way of the Philistines" the shorter route (v.17)
Route B - "the way of the Red Sea" - the southern route (v.18)They took the southern (and longer) route. Josephus, the Jewish historian, concurs that the Hebrews headed southward from Egypt.
3. Then through the desert: This southern route took them by the wilderness of the Red Sea - the area between the 2 arms of the Red Sea.
4. Turned off the highway: Next, they were instructed to "turn" and encamp by the sea (Ex.14:2).
Leaving the highway, the Hebrews turned aside - through the Wadi Watir, a wide and wild mountain gorge, a natural roadway from Egypt. They were "entangled in the land" (v.3), travelling through an area with mountains all around, which seemed to hem them in.
5. Camped "by the sea": It led them in one direction - to an enormous size beach. At this beach, they found themselves "shut in" (v.3).
The Crossing Itself
1. A suitably large camping area: With 600,000 men (Ex.12:37), plus women and children, there must have been at least 2 million people on this march.
The Wadi Watir leads to a wide expanse of beach on the Gulf of Aqaba which could easily have held the multitude, their flocks and also Pharaoh's pursuing army - separating the 2 groups by several kilometres. This beach at Nuweiba is so large (7 km by 3 km), it can easily be seen on satellite maps. It is the only place that matches all the requirements of our checklist.
2. Closed in by mountains to the sea: At this point by the sea, the wilderness "shut them in " (Ex.14:3). Josephus adds that the Hebrews were shut up "between the inaccessible precipices and the sea; for there was (on each side) a ridge of mountains that terminated at the sea, which was impassible by reason of their roughness, and obstructed their flight... where (the ridges of) the mountains were closed with the sea." - Antiquities of the Jew, Book II,Ch. XV.
Too Far?
Question: Isn't this site too far from Egypt?
Wouldn't it have taken a long time to get there?Answer: The distance from the Suez Canal to Nuweiba is 336 km (210 mls). In 1967, Moshe Dyan marched his troops from this very spot, Nuweiba, to Suez (near ancient Succoth) in just 6 days. And they camped at night.
The Hebrews did not stop and camp every night, as Moshe Dyan's troops did - they travelled both day and night:
"And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night." (Ex.13:21)
With divine assistance, this huge mass of people travelled in an orderly manner both day and night, with great speed:
"Ye have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings."
The eagle is used to denote speed (e.g. 2 Sam.1:23 - "swifter than eagles"; Deut. 28:49 - "as the eagle flies"). We don't know precisely how long the journey took, but it was rapid.
Trapped!
Pharaoh's army entered from the same wadi, which is the only entrance on to the beach. This dry river gorge is located midway of the beach. Once the army entered the area, the Hebrews' only means of escape would have been to the south. But the mountains to the south extend all the way to the sea - they had no way of escape, or so it seemed.
Why this Detour?
Question: Why didn't they continue on the highway to Canaan? Why were they told to "turn" aside to this cul-de-sac?
Answer: The LORD told Moses:
"Pharaoh... shall follow after them, and I will be honoured upon Pharaoh, and upon all his host, that the Egyptians may know that I am the LORD" (Ex.14:4) - and "that my name may be declared throughout all the earth" (9:16).
A showdown was looming that would vindicate the power of the Creator over the arrogance of the greatest human power on earth.
The Egyptian overtook the Hebrews "encamping by the sea, beside Pihahiroth, before Baalzephon" (14:9).
"And Moses said unto the people, Fear not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will show you today, for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall see them no more again forever." (v.13)
The Sea Opens
The cloud descended between the two camps, bringing darkness to the Egyptian force, but light to the Hebrew camp.
As night fell, a "STRONG" east wind blew upon the sea, dividing it into 2 walls. Between these 2 walls of water, the Hebrews ventured the 13 km distance to the opposite shore.
How Deep is Deep?
Question: How deep was this water over the crossing place?
Answer: If some people would only trust the Bible record - and take it literally - they could avoid later embarrasssment. The crossing place was not a shallow "sea of reeds", as commonly speculated. The Bible describes it thus:
British Admiralty charts show the Gulf of Aqaba arm of the Red Sea to be a 5,000 foot (1,600 metre) deep trench. That's positively "DEEP"!. The western shoreline drops steeply underwater into this "canyon" at a slope of 45 degrees. Our diving forays confirmed this fact.
However, at the precise location of the Nuweiba beach, the deep trench is spanned by an underwater land bridge. This pathway we have estimated at 900 metres in width. And from the Egyptian end, it slopes at a gentle angle of 6 degrees underwater - until widway across the sea it is some 1,000 feet (300 metres) below the surface of the sea. It then gently rises to the opposite shore.
This bridge was formed by washouts meeting each other from 2 directions - from the western & eastern shores. I cannot shake off the feeling that in the closing stages of the Great Flood, God in His foreknowledge, divided the Gulf with this path across the sea, for the event He saw ahead.
Interestingly, Scripture alludes to this, with the Creator making a "path in the mighty waters" (Isa.43:16,17), a "path in the great waters" (Psa.77:19,20), "dividing the water" (Isa.63:12) of this deep trench.
How Strong a Wind?"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. 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 ontheir left." (Ex.14:21,22)
Midway across on each side the CLIFF OF WATER were up to 1,000 feet high! Skyscraper height. Only a MEGA HURRICANE could have exposed that deeply covered land bridge and pushed and held 2 walls of water 300 metres high. What else but a miracle could have done that?
How Could They Push Ahead Against Such A Hurricane?
Q:But a wind of that scale - wouldn't it surely have blown the Israelites away as they attempted to come through? Ans:Indeed so. Except for another factor, hidden in the Scripture, which changes everything. My answer is this: the walls of water eventually stood up WITHOUT the wind. Notice Exodus 15:8 - "...the floods stood upright as an heap, and the depths were CONGEALED in the heart of the sea." I found my dictionary defined "CONGEALED" thus: "To change from a fluid or soft to a solid or rigid state." Strong's Concordance notes that "congeal" comes from the Hebrew qapha (pronounced kaw-faw), which shrink, i.e. thicken (as unracked wine, curdled milk, clouded sky, frozen water)".
Two Examples:
* In a certain part of the hot Iranian desert, villagers have built 2 parallel stone walls close together, through which the wind will blow. Then, toward night, as the temperature drops, they pour water onthe ground between the walls. The night wind freezes the water and provides natural refrigeration. * In the U.S.A., along the Arizona Interstate 40, south of Flagstaff, road signs point to "Ice Caves". Here, where water has seeped down a mountain into a natural tunnel and the wind blows through, in this hot desert country the water is turned to ice. Pioneers used these ice caves to refrigerate food. These minor examples of the effect of wind blowing on water merely indicate a law of nature in action. But at the Red Sea crossing, this was accomplished on a supernatural scale - where a "STRONG" wind blowing on walls of water as tall as skyscrapers FROZE THEM SOLD. This could be nothing less than a miracle! The LORD is in control of the forces He created. Once the water had "congealed" standing up solid, the wind could drop - and the Hebrews pass through.
How Long to Cross?
Objection:Rabbi Sherwin Wine, founder of Humanistic Judaism, claimed on T.V. that the event never happened. "It would have taken them weeks to cross," he sneered. Answer:Easy to say. But it does not take much effort to discover that this man forgot to sit down and do his arithmetic: * Width of underwater bridge: 900 metres. (But let's be cautions and say that only 750 metres/2,500 feet of this width was used.) * Allowing 5 feet (1,5 metres) per person side to side, would give space for 500 persons abreast. * With the length of the crossing at 8 miles (13 km), and travelling at 2,5 miles (4 km) per hour, it would take 3 ( hours for the front row of persons to cross over. * With 500 persons abreast, and a total of, say, 2 million people, there would be queues 4,000 deep. * Allow a distance of 5 feet (1,5 metres) from person to person, one behind the other. Also allow for half of these persons to be driving an animal (at an extra 10 feet/ 3 metres average space for each animal). Allow also for a quarter of the people in possession of a cart (occupying a further feet/3 meters for each vehicle). All this would require a procession 9.6 miles/15.4 km in length. * Thus the final row of persons would be 9.6 miles/15.4 km, or 4 hours' walking time behind the front row. * The final row would leave the western shore some 4 hours after the departure of the front row, and would take 3 ( hours to make the crossing. * RESULT: Total crossing time for 2 million people, plus animals and carts, would be 7 ( hours. Even if these figures require some adjustment, it is still safe to say that the time needed to make the crossing was by no means excessive.
Pharaoh's Army Drowned
Then the cloud separating the Hebrews from their pursuers was removed, and the Egyptians saw their quarry escaping. They went down on to the sea bed after them - 600 chariots and 251,000 men (Josephus). Then with a heart-chilling roar, the 2 walls of frozen water (which we may assume had been thawing and thinning since the wind dropped) suddenly collapsed upon them. "The waters covered the chariots." (Ex.14:28) The monarch and the nation's army were in that place of fearful danger destroyed themselves!
The Search
Chariot Parts Found
1. The sea crashed back on the Egyptian chariots (Ex.14:23-28): Ron Wyatt had been working & diving along other parts of the Red Sea and couldn't find anything. He had been looking and looking where many others had been looking over the years. Then he went back to the book of Exodus and found clues previously missed. When Ron & his 2 sons found this spot at Nuweiba, they got their diving gear - and in the first half hour found the FIRST CHARIOT WHEEL. It was in 80 feet of water. In just a few minutes, Ron found another one. And then, suddenly, when his eyes became adjusted to what he was looking at, he literally found chariot wheels strewn all across the sea bed.
Then he followed them and came into the place where the CHARIOTS were.(The Scripture says there were 600 of Pharaoh's choicest, chosen chariots - that's the best.)
These chariots remains were not in perfect condition and required careful examination to see exactly what they were. They were covered in coral, which made it difficult to see them clearly, but it appears that the coral was the agent the Lord used to preserve them. They found numerous wheels. Some were still on their axles, and some were off.
2. The wheels came off: They found chariots cabs without the wheels.
So far this coincided with the biblical account:"The LORD troubled the host of the Egyptians, and took off their chariot wheels." (Ex.14:24, 25)
That's right! And now we can see how true was that DETAIL put into the Scripture. You CAN TRUST HIS WORD. It says the Lord took off the chariot wheels - and There THEY ARE; we've got documented! They found several 6-spoked wheels, as well as an 8-spoked wheel. And finally Ron found a 4-spoked gold chariot wheel, which looks almost perfect. The reason this one was so well preserved is that coral does not grow on gold. The wood inside the gold "veneer" was deteriorated, which made it very frangile - and, for that reason, we have not attempted to retrieve it from the water.
Have They Been Dated?
3. These wheels date the Exodus:The significance of these wheels is of extreme importance to the dating of the Exodus and determining which dynasty was involved. Ron actually removed a hub of wheel which had the remains of 8 spokes rediating outward from it. He took this to Cairo, to the office of Nassif Mohammed Hassan, the director of Antiquities with whom Ron had been working. Mr Hassan examined it and immediately pronounced it to be of the 18th Dynasty of ancient Egypt. When Ros asked him how he knew this so readily, Mr Hassan explained that the 8-spoked wheel was used only during the 18th Dynasty. This certainly narrowed the date. There followed a thorough research on the Egyptian chariot. It soon became clear that the discovery of 4,6 and 8 spoked wheels places the Exodus in the 18th Dynasty according to numerous sources. It was only during the 18th Dynasty that the 4,6 and 8 spoked wheels are used - and the monuments can actually be dated by the number of spokes in the wheel. - For example, see James K. Hoffmeier, "Observations on the Evolving Chariot Wheel in the 18th Dynasty", JARCE, No.13, 1976
Nowhere - Except Here
Of all the archaeological sites I have ever worked, this site is the most mind-boggling by far. Why has no trace of Pharaoh's lost army ever been found? Till now, every searcher has been looking in the wrong place. The fact is that chariot parts have never been found in the Red sea anywhere, except at this site.
Skeletal Remains
4. The soldiers and the horses were drowned (Ex.14:26-28):As my eyes scanned objects on the sea floor, strange shapes were everywhere. I looked closer at one spot. With a catch at my heart, I realised it was a man's hand. Strewn along the sea bed were human skulls among the coral, and skeletons partly covered by coral. I shuddered as I held a man's hipbone, a clavicle and parts of skulls. Yes, even a horse hoof. It was all too real. There is no doubt that it happened exactly as the Scriptures say. 5. Lines of stones: Before the present sealed road was put through the Wadi Watir, it was discovered that rocks had at some time in the past been pushed to both sides of the wadi, as though to make way for a wide concourse of people to pass through. When we went diving we found that these two lines of stones with a side, flat space between them continued right out under the sea. They were dead straight along the edge of the under water land bridge. Could it be that Moses had a large team of able-bodied ex-slaves going on ahead, throwing the stones out of the way, to smooth the pathway for the multitude? 6. A column by the sea: A Phoenician style column was found by Ron lying the southern end of the beach. Partially in the water, the inscriptions had been eroded away, or possibly they were purposefully chiselled away. The authorities have since moved this column across the road and set it up in concrete. The importance of this column was not fully realised until much later. Certainly, however, the column was not of Egyptian style. Then another column was found on the Saudi Arabian side of the sea. This was identical to the one on the opposite shore - except this one had the inscriptions intact. The Phoenician (Archaic Hebrew) letters were later translated. It contained the words: Mizraim (Egypt); Solomon; Edom; death; Pharaoh; Moses; and Yahweh. From this, one may deduce that King Solomon had erected these columns in honour of Yahweh and dedicated them to the miracle of the crossing of the sea.
Check List
Ancient records state that:
Before the Crossing
1. They actually left Egypt. Ex.13:18; 14:10-12 2. They travelled along the southern highway Ex.13:17,18 3. Then through the wilderness Ex.13:18 4. Turned off the highway Ex.14:2 5. Camped by the sea Ex.14:2
At the Crossing Itself
1. A suitable large camping area Ex.12:37 2. Closed in by mountains to the sea Ex. 14:3Josephus 3. Where the sea was DEEP Is.43:16,17; 51:10; 63:11-13 4. The chariot wheels came OFF Ex.14:24 5. The sea overwhelmed the Egyptian chariots Ex.14:23-28 6. The men were drowned Ex.14:26-28 7. The horses were drowned Ex.14:26-28
Found on the Sea Bed
Chariots and separated wheels from the Egyptian "Thut-MOSES" dynasty period. Human and horse skeletal remains. And an ancient monument which matches another directly across the sea, alluding to the event.
Chariots Wheels in the Red Sea
An Attack Backfires
Our calling is to honour the Lord through the discoveries He is revealing. Our purpose is not to swipe at critics. Sometimes, however, the attack of a critic does provide an opportunity for us to present new, useful information. Recently a man stood up in a convention in Melbourne and attacked our work. This man had not invested, like ourselves, thousands of dollars of money and time, nor risked his life, to check out the evidence. Nor has he attended our seminars - though invited.
We received a number of letters from those who heard him speak. Here is one:
* "... (name deleted) came out against your videos at .... without mentioning names, saying his newsletter was the best source and the camera can be made to lie!
I had a lot of enquiries after that, all positive - as people saw through ....'s statement, and we sold videos as a result. Praise God for His wonderful leading!!"
Yes, public attacks on our work can only generate greater awareness - and this is good.Wheels "Not Egyptians, but Syrian"?
Did this critic come with us to our discovery site? Did he physically examine any of the chariot wheels?
No, he saw a picture of one wheel. So "they are Syrian", he claims. Therefore, we could not have found remains from Pharaoh's Egyptian army.
If only our friend had checked the monuments of Egypt! He would have found this same 4-spoked wheel-style depicted there. Captured Syrian chariots were dedicated as booty to the priests of Egypt - who were closely linked to the army. But, what is more, identical chariot wheels are shown on the monuments as also having been made in Egypt.
Priesthood and Military Linked
In ancient Egypt, the priesthood and the military were closely associated. The divisions of the army were named after the gods. Whenever the army departed for war, quite elaborate ceremonies were conducted at the temples, asking the gods for victory in battle.
Military victories that ensued were directly attributed to the favours of the gods. And booty from the war was then dedicated to the priesthoods and temples of the gods.Priests Accompanied the Army
Something, the priests would accompany the army to the battlefield, in the hope that the god(s) would show the army special favour.
The Exodus Army
When Pharaoh went after the fleeing Hebrews,
"he made ready his chariot, and took his people with him. And he took six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt, and captains over every one of them." (Ex.14:6,7)
It is clear from this that the Pharaoh took every chariot in Egypt - his own, his generals ("captains") and a group called his "chosen" chariots, which seem to be in addition to his regular army ("all the chariots of Egypt"). Whose might these "600 chosen chariots" have been?
This group seems to have been too small to have been a division of the army. There is information that one Pharaoh had an army of 20,000 troops, which comprised 4 divisions. This implies that each division consisted of 5,000 troops. We also know that the army took more than just soldiers, many times.
And the evidence at hand shows that when Pharaoh's army set out after the fleeing Hebrews, they took with them all the priesthood of the gods of Egypt. After all, he had seen the power of the true God, the great "I AM". If the Egyptian army ever needed supernatural intervention by the hands of their so-called "gods", it was at this time. We believe that every priest of every god was summoned to accompany the army as they went after Moses and the Hebrew multitude.
The 4-Spoked Chariot Wheel
The gold-veneered, 4-spoked chariot wheel was discovered on the Egyptian side of the Red Sea crossing site. This indicates that whoever was driving this particular chariot was at the rear of the army.
It makes sense to us that a priest, who is not trained in battle, would be in this position at the rear of the army. Also, a gold chariot would not be practical for battle. Such chariots were more "ceremonial". We know also, the priesthood were given gold chariots, booty of foreign defeats.Syrian Chariots Given to Priests of Egypt
An inscription of Thutmoses III relates:
"He went forth, none like him, slaying the barbarians, smiting Retenu, bringing their princes as living captives, their chariots wrought with gold, bound to their horses."
In fact, we have many, many inscriptions of the kings of the 18th Dynasty receiving gold-plated foreign chariots, either as spoils of war or as tribute received from conquered peoples. There are inscriptions stating that these gold chariots were many times dedicated to various temples and gods, which meant that the priests would receive these chariots.
While it is possible that the pharaoh may have been at the rear of the army, extant inscriptions reveal that the pharaohs led their armies into battle. From all this information, one may conclude that the gold wheel most likely belonged to a member of the priestly caste who was accompanying the army, or possibly a high minister of state. If it had belonged to the pharaoh, it would probably have had his "cartouche" or name on it - and the one we found did not have this, at least not on the exposed side.
Either way, we have evidence from ancient tombs that THE EGYPTIANS MADE WHEELS OF THIS DESIGN. Also THE RETENU (SYRIAN) CHARIOT WHEELS WERE OF THIS SAME DESIGN AND SIZE. Below are drawings from 18th Dynasty tombs and monuments.Both of these wheel designs are consistent with 4-spoked, gold-veneered wheel Ron found in the Red Sea.
THE ONLY CONCLUSIONS WE CAN COME TO IS THAT THIS IS THE TRUE CROSSING POINT OF THE EXODUS!
Nuweiba - the site where the Israelites crossed the Red
Sea.
