The Mountain of God?
Biblical Israel Ministries & Tours (BIMT) is all about teaching the Bible in the context of the land of Israel and other biblical countries (Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Greece, and Italy). There are over 100 biblical sites in Israel alone that have been excavated. Mt. Sinai is not an excavated site but the location of where Moses met God!
Throughout the years, all various people, from true archaeologists and biblical scholars, to pseudo-archaeologists and self-proclaimed scholars (and really everyone in between) have suggested many other sites for the real Mt. Sinai. These locations place Mt. Sinai in Saudi Arabia and in the northern Sinai. While the location featured in this video (below) is the traditional location since the Fourth Century AD (called St. Catherine’s), I find all of the other possible sites interesting to say the least. This next June I plan to visit Har Karkhom in Israel today but near the Egyptian – Sinai border. I would also like to visit a site that intrigues me as well, Jebel Heshem el Tarif. Whatever site was Mt. Sinai, according to the Bible its location needs to be a 14 day journey from Elim (Exodus 15-16) and a 11 day journey from Kadesh Barnea (Deuteronomy 1:2).
Our hike up Jebel Musa began at 1:30 a.m. We walk about 2.5 hours in the dark. While flashlights and head lamps light the way, the stars are so very brilliant that you can walk without the aid of light. This certainly is the case under a full moon. On this hike, I saw at least 50 falling stars. The stars were incredibly impressive. The aim is to get to the top before the sun rises over Saudi Arabia! And of course when it crests the horizon, it is a remarkable scene! Did Moses see similar sunrises here? Perhaps!
The climb up includes about 3,700 steps. Many of the upper stone steps were put in place by monks from the 4th-7th centuries AD. The hike down (featured in the video) provides stunning views in all directions!
“Whether this is the actual location or not, hiking up and down this 7,300 foot-high mountain is a wonderful spiritual adventure. The beauty of the sunrise and the exhilaration of the climb adds to making it special.”
