The Exodus is humanity’s creation story, a narrative that spans the Old and New Testaments. It carries YHWH’s message: “Do not fear; I will be with you; I have called you by name (brought you into existence to be blameless and holy).” The Exodus reveals how we, fallen from His holy presence, are purified and sanctified so that we may safely approach God and dwell with Him. The entire Bible encompasses humanity’s exodus from death to life as a journey of hope and transformation, our rescue out of exile back into Edenic rest.

YHWH called out Abraham from Ur to dwell in Canaan, a land occupied by nations worshiping other gods. Though Abraham walked through the land worshiping YHWH, he did not inherit any of it. To him, YHWH gave promises regarding his descendants inheriting the land and worshiping Him in it after a time of oppression from foreigners. Israel’s exodus from Egypt happened at the appointed time foretold to Abraham, and YHWH brought Israel to His holy mountain to worship Him just as He told Moses. At Mount Sinai, YHWH’s glory covered the mountain with fire and filled the Tabernacle with His glory. However, Mount Sinai was not in the Promised Land but pointed to another holy mountain due north in the land. Paul said Jerusalem, above on the same line of longitude, corresponds to Sinai as the place of the covenant (Gal. 4:25). The mountain city where YHWH placed His name, where Israel was to meet to worship Him at holy appointed times, was Jerusalem. The promises to Abraham concluded in an organic sense 917 years later when Solomon’s temple was filled with YHWH’s glory on Mount Zion, and all of Israel dwelt with and worshiped Him. Because of Israel’s idolatry and Sabbath-breaking, YHWH once again exiled His people from the land of His Presence. Ultimately and beyond the earthly story is another exodus to a city temple made by YHWH’s hands that comes down out of heaven filled with His glory to dwell on earth with all nations. When the knowledge of “I AM YHWH who brought you out” fills the globe and all peoples worship Him on His holy mountain, then YHWH’s unwavering promises made to Abraham, the father through whom God blesses all the nations, will be fulfilled in their fullness.

Encamped at the Mountain of God long ago, all Israel covenanted with YHWH and built the portable Tabernacle so that their fiery God of the mountaintop could travel with them, and there they could meet with Him in worship. At Mount Sinai, Israel entered the old covenant with YHWH, sanctified and confirmed by the sprinkling of blood and eating meat and unleavened bread¹ (Exo. 24:5-8), like the Passover meal (Exo. 12). The Tabernacle lasted until Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem and took it into the temple (1Ki. 8:4). The Babylonians destroyed Solomon’s temple, and a rebuilt temple existed in Jerusalem at the time of Yeshua. He was Immanuel, “God with us,” and tabernacled with us. Yeshua became the new Exodus and the new Temple where a new Israel enters the new covenant with Him, a covenant of utmost significance, sanctified and confirmed by drinking the Lamb of God’s blood and eating His flesh with unleavened bread (Jhn. 6:51, 54-56; 13:1; Luk. 22:14-20). This new covenant is a testament to our faith’s importance and connection to YHWH on our journey to the new Jerusalem. The cosmic temple of Revelation is the realization of Exodus 6:6-7, filling the whole earth with the knowledge of the glory of YHWH as the waters cover the seas. It is the holy YHWH Elohim being all in all.

The first exodus provides the framework for the second exodus described in Isaiah 40-55². In both exoduses, YHWH brings forth His people (Exo. 6:6-7; Isa. 42:16; 48:20; 49:9-10; 52:12; 55:12). He led Israel by a pillar of cloud and pillar of fire that went before and behind them at the sea crossing, a fore and rear guard (Exo. 13:20-21; 14:19-20; Isa 52:12). YHWH, the Divine Warrior with an outstretched arm rescued Israel, defeating Egypt’s army in the sea (Exo. 14:25, 28; 15:3, 10, 21). He will again stretch out His mighty arm, going forth like a zealous warrior to crush the oppressive anti-God forces in the sight of all the nations so that all the ends of the earth will see YHWH’s salvation (Isa. 40:10; 42:13; 49:24-25; 51:9-10, 22-23; 52:10). YHWH dried up the sea and made a highway through it, and shepherded His redeemed through fire and water, bringing them out to rich fulfillment (Exo. 14:20-21; 15:13; Psa. 66:12). His people will again pass through fire and water on a highway in the wilderness (Isa. 43:1-2, 16-19), shepherded by YHWH (Isa. 40:11; 49:9). As He did of old, YHWH will guide His believers to the Mountain of God, protecting, sustaining, and providing food and streams of water in the desert (Exo. 17:2-7; Num. 20:8; Isa. 41:17-20; 43:19-21; 49:10). The magnitude of the first exodus made YHWH’s name known to Israel’s adversaries and they trembled at His presence (Isa 64:2). But YHWH tells His people to “forget the former things, nor consider the things of old” because He is doing something new that far surpasses the first exodus’s glory (Isa. 43:16-21). He will make His name known in all the earth when He shakes out the wicked once again, overpowering them (Isa. 41:11-12; 49:26; 54:15-17), and shepherds His redeemed to a glorious, restored Eden Sabbath where He, as King, reigns with them in shalom (Isa. 44:28; 45; 49:15-18; 54:11-14; 55).

John’s Book of Revelation concludes humanity’s exodus journey³. Since YHWH, Israel’s covenant God, fulfilled His promises to Abraham precisely at the time He foretold, His inheritance is not just Israel but all the nations. At a time when YHWH’s followers are oppressed and persecuted, He will again carry them on the wings of an eagle (Exo. 19:4; Rev. 12:14) to take flight into the wilderness and stand before Him as a kingdom of priests, a holy nation on His holy hill (Exo. 19:5-6; Rev. 1:5-6; 5:9-10; 14:1-5; 15:1-4). YHWH announces His return with the same distinct features as His coming to Mount Sinai: lightning, thundering, fire, and voices that quake the earth (Exo. 19:16-20; Rev. 4:5, 6:12; 16:18). His redeemed people see Him on His throne set upon a sea of crystal (Exo. 24:10; Rev. 15:2) and they sing the song of Moses (Exo. 15:1-18; Rev. 14:3; 15:3-4), praising YHWH who reigns “forever and ever” (Exo. 15:18; Rev. 11:15), because with plagues He has executed His judgments against all the gods of their oppressors (Exo. 12:12; Rev. 15:1; 16:1-21). Just as the Egyptian army “sank to the bottom of the sea like a stone” so that “there was not one left,” Babylon, “like a stone of a great millstone,” is thrown into the sea and shall not be found anymore (Exo.14:28; 15:5; Rev 18:21). The mighty Warrior King, YHWH, will triumph gloriously, overthrowing all who oppose His plans and bringing humanity to the pure river of water of life, clear as crystal proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb (Exo. 15:1, 17; Rev. 22:1). In a new heavens and a new earth, YHWH’s people will see His face, worship, and serve Him, reigning forever and ever, for His name shall be on their foreheads, between their eyes and on their hands, having ingested the living, unleavened Word of God in the wilderness (Exo. 13:7-9; Rev. 22:4).

Takeaway: 
From Genesis to Revelation, the exodus is cosmic, exposing YHWH’s plan for the whole world to be filled with His holy Presence. It is the revelation of YHWH through Israel’s Passover redemption from satanic oppression, ransom from death, and freeing from decay⁴, becoming unleavened. He is the Divine Warrior, utterly destroying anti-God forces while rescuing Israel through baptism in Yam Suph to a new beginning in the wilderness sanctification journey to His holy mountain. There, through YHWH’s marriage covenant with Israel, His people know Him through worship, serving Him in achieving a new heavens and new earth filled with His glory. The exodus story is our story of hope and must be retold since it will happen again on a much grander scale.

Fun Factors:
From YHWH’s covenant with Abraham (Gen. 17:1, see Blog 15) to its realization in Solomon’s temple being filled with YHWH’s glory was 917 years (430 + 480 + 7; Exo. 12:40-41, Gal. 3:17; 1 Kings 6:1; 6:38). From Israel’s exodus, 430 years after Genesis 15’s covenant cutting, to Solomon starting the temple was 480 years (480 = 12 generations of 40 years), and it took him seven years to complete the temple. The cubed root, the covenant reality, of 917 is 9.7. Covenant reality is achieved by crossing over from death to life, Yam Suph’s 9.7 miles, where YHWH destroys our enemies through the death and resurrection of Yeshua. We go on to perfection to His holy mountain by eating the bread from heaven daily, 9.7 cups (one omer) of manna per person.

The two scriptures marking Solomon’s starting and finishing of the temple are stamped with 49 or 7², which take us to the next holyday of Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks, commonly called Pentecost. 1 Kings 6:1 sums to 7502, 49² + 50² + 51², the seven-Sabbath walk (7²), the jubilee (50), gives sure victory (51, 3 × 17). 1 Kings 8:10-11 sums to 4904, 8 × 613, 70² + 2², 4900 + 4, the (7² × 10²) + 4, the completed sanctified (7²) ordered generations (10²) in God’s house (4), the organic mark of the heavenly Jerusalem. The 8 × 613 (613 = the number of laws in the Torah, 112^th prime, the 53^rd Pythagorean prime) says numerically, a new beginning (8) in the garden (53) of YHWH Elohim (112), who is the Tree of Life (613 Torah laws).