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Monday, December 14 2009
Africa is the second-largest continent, second only to Asia in land area. Africa provides about one-fifth of the land surface of the planet, as well as some of the most familiar waters of Bible History e.g. see The Mediterranean Sea, The Nile Delta and The Nile River.
The English word "Africa" originated from a number of ancient possibilities, all of which sound like africa. The Romans called it aprica, which means sunny. The Greeks called it aphrike which means warm. As well, the Arab peoples' (transliterated) name for the continent was Ifriqiyah
The Light Of The LORD Through The Dark Sea
Africa is most known in the Holy Scriptures primarily because of Egypt and the Exodus. The miraculous "crossing of the sea" occurred in waters north of the Red Sea, adjacent to Goshen (see The Goshen Refugees) in northern Egypt, as plainly proven by the Bible record (see Where Did They Cross The Sea?). Although many Bible translations (incorrectly) use "Red Sea," the actual original Bible record says "sea of reeds" (Hebrew Yam Suph), referring to the Bitter Lakes area, not the "Red Sea" - which is not recorded in the Bible. As well, the Red Sea is over 120 miles wide, at the least, which is far wider than the Israelites could have walked in the few hours of a single night that the Bible says that the crossing of the waters took to be completed. The LORD was their only Light as they crossed the "sea" - while Pharaoh's army was in natural darkness that night.
"14:19 And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: 14:20 And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night." (Exodus 14:19-20 KJV)"14:21 And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and 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 [see The Walls Of Water]. 14:22 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 on their left." (Exodus 14:21-22 KJV)
"14:27 And Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to his strength when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled against it; and the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea." (Exodus 14:27 KJV)
They also could not have crossed into what is today known as Saudi Arabia (which some incorrectly believe, according to the present-day definition of "Arabia" i.e. some believe that the Israelites went into Saudi Arabia rather than the Sinai because they misunderstand what the apostle Paul said - see Why Did Paul Say That Sinai Was In Arabia?) because, as stated above, the Red Sea was too wide for a single day crossing. Nor could they have crossed into Saudi Arabia through the Gulf of Suez because they would then have also had to cross the Gulf of Aqaba - two crossings of the sea, when the Bible plainly says that they only crossed one body of water.
"14:29 But the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea; and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. 14:30 Thus the LORD saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea shore. 14:31 And Israel saw that great work which the LORD did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the LORD, and believed the LORD, and his servant Moses." (Exodus 14:29-31 KJV)
Fact Finder: Why did the LORD have the Israelites pass through water?
See Why Through The Sea?
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This Day In History, December 14
1287: A Zuider Zee seawall failure in the Netherlands caused the drowning of over 50,000 people.
1799: George Washington, the first President of the United States, died at age 67.
1819: Alabama was admitted as the 22nd U.S. State, making 11 slave states and 11 free states.
1822: The Congress of Verona, a last meeting of the powers of the Holy Alliance and Britain, ended with Britain preventing a possible intervention in revolutionary Spain.
1861: Prince Albert, consort and husband of Queen Victoria of England, died of typhoid at age 42.
1900: Max Planck presented his quantum theory at the Physics Society in Berlin.
1911: Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen and three others became the first known humans to reach the South Pole.
1920: The first fatalities on a scheduled passenger flight occurred when an aircraft crashed into a house, killing the two-person crew and two passengers at Cricklewood, London.
1927: Britain signed a treaty allowing for Iraqi independence.
1946: The United Nations voted to make its headquarters in New York.
1962: The U.S. Mariner II space probe began sending back to Earth the first information from another planet, Venus.
1977: Representatives from Israel and Egypt met in Cairo for the first peace conference between the two nations.
1981: Israel annexed the Golan Heights. It had been captured from Syria during the 1967 War.
