Timeline of the Exodus proves the Law was given at Pentecost, 1513Sivan6

There is a clear timeline presented that shows exactly when those events took place when you understand the key. That key is the understanding of the Sabbath and the festivals of Israel.

The first important key is that God performed mighty miracles on the festivals, and a second key is that Israelites always traveled during the week and encamped on the Sabbath. Even though the Sabbath had not been formally introduced to Israel at that time, God was conditioning them to take note of it by ceasing their travels on the seventh day.

This narrative in Exodus shows a timeline of good integrity although some minor points might be disputed. We will see that Israel traveled throughout the week and they encamped on the eve of the sabbath.

The night of the passover

The Passover lamb had been selected Nisan10 and was held under observation through the afternoon of the 14th, when it was slaughtered and prepared for the Passover meal. At evening, all Israel moved indoors to await the visit of the death angel. About midnight the firstborn of Egypt was slain. A great cry went up and Moses and Aaron were summoned to Pharaoh during the night. They were told they could leave - and they were urged to hurry.

The departure - The first day of Unleavened Bread

By daybreak, Thursday the Nisan15, word spread among the Israelites that Pharaoh had released Israel and departure preparations began. The Egyptians looked upon the Israelites with favor and gave them silver and gold and garments for their journey.

Encamping on the first weekly sabbath

They arrived by Friday evening, Nisan16 (before sundown) in Succoth where they encamped for the Sabbath (during the days of Unleavened Bread). It was 215 years from the day Jacob and his family moved to Egypt during the famine. During this stop at Succoth, God spoke through Moses and told them that this episode was to be memorialized throughout their generations as the days of Unleavened bread.

After resting on the Sabbath

They resumed their journey after the Sabbath of Nisan17t. God directed them to go Pihahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They apparently arrived there on Sunday or Monday and encamped. By then Pharaoh realized that they had no intention of returning, so he set out in pursuit

The last day of Unleavened Bread

By Tuesday evening the 20th, Pharaoh overtook them, but he was prevented from approaching them by the pillar of smoke & fire. This was the beginning of the second high Sabbath of the festival of Unleavened bread - the day of their final deliverance from Egypt. During the night Jehovah sent a powerful east wind that caused the waters to go back, and to allow the people to cross. By daybreak, Wednesday the Egyptian army was drowned. Moses and Israel sang a song of deliverance. They had crossed the Sea of Reeds (most likely the Gulf of Aqaba) and crossed out of Egypt into Arabia.

Encamping for the following Sabbath

So Moses brought them from the Red Sea into the wilderness of Shur. They travelled 3 days (Wednesday, Thursday & Friday) and found bitter water at Marah. They encamped there for the Sabbath (Nisan 24).

The next weeks journey encampment

Resuming their journey Sunday the 25th, they pushed on through the following week to Elim, where they again encamped on the sabbath of Iyyar1. Since we are told the detail that there were 12 springs of water and 70 palm trees and the account resumes the narrative on the 15th of the second month, we deduce that they stayed in the oasis of Elim for 1 week until Iyyar8.

One more week of travel and the Sabbath is formally introduced

The following week they journeyed to the Wilderness of Sin, 16:1. We are given a very important time marker here. It was the 15th of the second month (Iyyar) after the departure - also the weekly sabbath. But the people murmured, so God began to give them manna and quail. It is apparent that the Israelites were not familiar with the concept of the Sabbath. They certainly were not allowed to keep it as slaves. And God even had to tell them which day was the Sabbath. This is the first explicit mention of God commanding people to keep the Sabbath. Jehovah had been conditioning the people to rest on the Sabbath, by causing them to encamp each sabbath before resuming their travels. At this time began to teach them specifically and personally about how to keep the sabbath holy, by refraining from gathering manna. This was a sort of dry run - a practice time so to speak, before the Sabbath was to be formally introduced as an important part of the Sinai covenant.

A week without travel

They remained there in the wilderness of Sin throughout the following week, gathering their daily manna and quail). When the Sabbath of the 22nd came, some went out to gather as usual, but found that there was no manna.

A short trip, a battle, and Moses sits as judge

The following week they moved their camp to Rephidim. It apparently was a short trip. They seem to have settled in there for a few days. There was a battle with Amalek. Moses had time to hear disputes from the people. Jethro, upon hearing that Moses had arrived came to meet him with Moses's wife and children. On the Sabbath of Iyyar29 they again rested their bones, having one more opportunity to "practice" their Sabbath keeping.

A one day journey to Rephidim and preparation for Pentecost

After the Sabbath came the third day of the third month (Sivan). They left Rephidim and came a short distance to the desert of Sinai and camped at the mountain, to wait for God...

1 In the third month after the sons of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, on the same day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai (Exodus 19).

One might at first think that they arrived on the first day of the month, but the expression "the same day" means that it was the third day of the week, or Tuesday. This fits really well because the Jews had by then spent 7 full weeks of wandering about since the exodus on 1513Nisan14. Since the stopped well before the fall of darkness to prepare their camp for the night, God called Moses on the mountain on Sivan4...

3 And Moses went up to the [true] God, and Jehovah began to call to him out of the mountain, saying: This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and to tell the sons of Israel... (Exodus19)

God ordered the Israelites to cleans themselves for 3 days inclusive...

10 And Jehovah went on to say to Moses: Go to the people, and you must sanctify them today and tomorrow, and they must wash their mantles.
11 And they must prove ready for the 3rd day, because on the 3rd day Jehovah will come down before the eyes of all the people upon Mount Sinai. (Exodus19)

This takes us to 1513Sivan6, the feast of weeks, the festival of firstfruits or Pentecost.

If we carefully examine the Scripture, we will see many additional parallels that indicate the correctness of this conclusion…

4 YOU yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, that I might carry YOU on wings of eagles and bring YOU to myself. 5 And now if YOU will strictly obey my voice and will indeed keep my covenant, then YOU will certainly become my special property out of all [other] peoples, because the whole earth belongs to me. 6 And YOU yourselves will become to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation .? These are the words that you are to say to the sons of Israel.? […[

17 Moses now brought the people out of the camp to meet the [true] God, and they went taking their stand at the base of the mountain. 18 And Mount Si´nai smoked all over, due to the fact that Jehovah came down upon it in fire; and its smoke kept ascending like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain was trembling very much. 19 When the sound of the horn became continually louder and louder (Exodus 19)

There way too many similarities with the first century account of Acts2 for being 2 or 3 days out! We know the New Covenant saints were to become a royal priesthood....

9 But YOU are ?a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for special possession, that YOU should declare abroad the excellencies? of the one that called YOU out of darkness into his wonderful light. (1 Peter2)


They were to be eagles...

37 So in response they said to him: ?Where, Lord?? He said to them: ?Where the body is, there also the eagles will be gathered together. (Luke17)

There was a rushing stif breeze...

...just like that of a rushing stiff breeze, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting. Acts2

The Holy Spirit came down in tongues of fire...

3 And tongues as if of fire became visible to them and were distributed about, and one sat upon each one of them, 4 and they all became filled with holy spirit and started to speak with different tongues, just as the spirit was granting them to make utterance. (Acts2)

The sound of the horn that was heard was the proclamation that God would arrive. We read in the commandment how to celebrate Pentecost in the future...

15 And YOU must count for yourselves from the day after the sabbath, from the day of YOUR bringing the sheaf of the wave offering, seven sabbaths. They should prove to be complete. 16 To the day after the seventh sabbath YOU should count, fifty days, and YOU must present a new grain offering to Jehovah. . .21 And YOU must make a proclamation on this very day; there will be a holy convention for yourselves. No sort of laborious work may YOU do. It is a statute to time indefinite in all YOUR dwelling places for YOUR generations. (Leviticus 23)

Peter stood up with the 11 and made his Pentecost proclamation after the people in Jerusalem all heard the noise and came together.

That is symbolism, my brothers!

Please email questions to lwoe@gmx.at