"To the Intrepids...This book is dedicated to the intrepid souls who break from the mundane, leave the safety of job security, steady income...for adventure." (dedication page)
There are many web sites that detail the accomplishments of Larry Williams, which are fantastic. So I will try to draw the things out that I found helpful.
On p.54 the author mentions another researcher W.M.F. Petrie (Researchers in Sinai), who "says the Egyptians were in the Sinai area, the Southern Sinai at that, and the proof was in many prehistoric Egyptian tombs. Turquoise was found that could only have come from one place --the Sinai. In fact, a petroglyph tells of over 730 people working in one group in the turquoise mines not far from the tourist version of God's mountain."
"Even now, on can find large quantities of copper smelt-downs in Wadi Nasb. some of these reach a height of almost seven feet, and are anywhere from 200 to 400 feet long. Here then is evidence that Egypt had control and domination over the traditional Mt. Sinai during Moses' time....This was no small operation...25 classes of quarry employees...eleven ranks and titles...of local bureaucracy...This area was hooked up with the Cairo area by oceangoing vessels, which put in at Abu Rueis...the "Egyptians established a magnificent temple here in the Sinai, because they discovered turquoise and copper at Serabit el-Khadim". On the site of Wadi Nasb was discovered a tablet from the time of Amen-em-hat III,..." (p.54-5)
His main point is that Moses fled to MIDIAN when he ran from Pharaoh, and when led the Exodus out of Egypt, he goal was Midian - located in Arabia, not Sinai. As the apostle Paul said in Galations 4:25.
"In Werner Kellers fascinating book The Bible as History, we also find that "500 years before Abraham's day there was a flourishing import-export trade on the Canaanite coast"." (p.56) That's enough right there to buy his book! "Petrie's greatest find was some script, known as the Sinai Inscriptions...Keller tells us...Sir Allan Gardiner...lifted the veil." (p.57)
Finally, to close the book of the traditional site on Mt. Sinai, "It stretches one's credulity to think that God would have taken Moses and the Israelites to a mountain where there was no room for them to camp, no vegetation for them to eat, no water for them or their flocks, and then requested a Herculean effort from Moses to climb up and down the mountain--all this taking place in an area known to be inhabited by the enemy...maintained regular armies..." (p.65)
The Timeline for the crossing of the Red Sea9 (taken from pp.118-131)
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Moses requests to leave for three days to worship his God. (Exodus 3:18) [PETITION DENIED--PLAN CHANGED--PHARAOH IGNORANT] |
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In Exodus 12:31-33 "He called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the Israelites; and go, serve the Lord, as you said." [PHARAOH IGNORANT OF THE EXODUS] |
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Ps 105:38 Egypt was glad when they [Moses and his people] departed: for the fear of them fell upon them. [THREE DAY LEAD ON PHARAOH] |
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Ex 14:5 And it was told the king of Egypt that the people fled: and the heart of Pharaoh and of his servants was turned against the people, and they said, Why have we done this, that we have let Israel go from serving us? "If Moses and his people are outside of Goshen four days, it's going to take approximately three to four days for the messangers to get back to Pharaoh." [SEVEN TO EIGHT DAY LEAD ON PHARAOH] |
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6 And he made ready his chariot,
and took his people with him: |
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8 And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued after the children of Israel: and the children of Israel went out with an high hand. "Assuming ...Moses travels at 2/3 the speed of the Egyptian army..." [PHARAOH BEGINS PURSUIT - MOSES HAS HEAD START] |
You could say Pharaoh caught him earlier by leaving earlier and moving faster, still God protected them from the armies, until He drowned the armies into the Red Sea.
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9 But the Egyptians pursued after them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, and his horsemen, and his army, and overtook them encamping by the sea, |
Ex 16:1
16:1 And they took their journey from Elim, and all the congregation of the
children of Israel came unto the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and
Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departing out
of the land of Egypt.
Exodus 19:1 In the third month, when the children of Israel were gone
forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of
Sinai.
So, about 30-45 days from Egypt they crossed the Red Sea.
TO BE CONCLUDED LATER...