3 Reasons to Watch The Red Sea Miracle, Tim Mahoney's Latest Documentary

In the 1956 classic movie The Ten Commandments, filmmaker Cecil B. DeMille depicted millions of Israelites crossing the desert, only to get stuck between an Egyptian army and the Red Sea, which God miraculously parted so they could survive.

Many modern-day liberal scholars, though, doubt that’s the way it happened – and their disbelief has led some Christians astray. 

Modern-day filmmaker Tim Mahoney is one of these Christians who formerly had a crisis of faith about the biblical narrative. But instead of living a life of doubt, Mahoney set out to find archaeological evidence for the Old Testament story.

His latest movie, Patterns of Evidence: The Red Sea Miracle, Part 1, will land in theaters for one night only, Feb. 18, and examine the archaeological evidence for the Israelites’ crossing of the desert. (The Red Sea Miracle, Part 2 will appear in theaters May 5.)

Here are three reasons to watch The Red Sea Miracle:

Photo courtesy: ©Tim Mahoney

1. It Will Strengthen Your Faith

The Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea are well-known stories among Christians.

But among many scholars, such stories are viewed with skepticism. Did the Israelites cross a massive sea that would have required a miracle from God (as depicted in movies by Cecil B. DeMille), or was the body of water far more shallow (and easily crossable by foot)? 

This debate also involves the route the Israelites took out of Egypt. Scholars who doubt the biblical narrative claim the Israelites couldn’t have survived a lengthy walk through the desert. They also say there likely were thousands, and not millions, of people on the journey.  

The Bible tells us (in Exodus 13) that God led the people out of Egypt along a “desert road toward the Red Sea.” It is on this journey that God guided them with a “pillar of cloud” and a “pillar of fire.” 

“The big miracle, some people would say, is the parting of the sea,” Mahoney told Crosswalk. “But the other miracle is the journey – and that God provided for them.”

Mahoney travels the globe and interviews experts in both camps, but lands on the side of Scripture.

Photo courtesy: ©Tim Mahoney

2. It Simplifies the Complex

The Red Sea Miracle, Part 1 is the latest in a series of documentary films by Mahoney about the Old Testament narrative. In each one, he takes a complicated subject involving archaeology and ancient history and simplifies it for the average person, using plain language and graphics.  

“It's something that I'm called to do,” said Mahoney, who recently screened the film at the Ark Encounter in Kentucky. 

In Patterns of Evidence: Exodus (2014), he examined the archaeological evidence and the timeline for the Egyptians owning and then releasing millions of Hebrew slaves. In Patterns of Evidence: The Moses Controversy (2019), he looked at the authorship of the Pentateuch (Genesis-Deuteronomy) and the question of whether Moses wrote it. 

The Red Sea Miracle, Part 1, examines the various routes the Israelites could have taken and which body of water could have been crossed. Red Sea Miracle, Part 2 (May 5) will spotlight the actual Red Sea miracle itself. 

In each film, Mahoney is searching for “patterns of evidence” that match the biblical events.

“The Scriptures tell us that they're divine and that we can trust them. And I agree with that,” Mahoney told Crosswalk, explaining his purpose behind the films. “But even with the disciples, it helped that Jesus showed up after the resurrection – even though he told them certain things were going to happen. Jesus understood that the human nature needed to sometimes see with your eyes and touch with your fingers.”

Photo courtesy: ©Tim Mahoney

3. It’s Fascinating … and Well-Done

The Red Sea Miracle is like sitting in a college classroom and learning about an intriguing subject. Yet this class involves the greatest story ever told: God’s story.

“Millions believe this was a supernatural act revealing God’s glory to the nations,” the narration tells us at the beginning of the film. “Did this event take place as recorded in the Bible, and if so, where did it happen?”

Like a good college professor, Mahoney puts a little doubt in your mind before solving the puzzle. 

“There's a tension between a naturalistic view of the Scripture and what the scripture is actually saying,” Mahoney told Crosswalk. 

Mahoney began tackling the subject when he was facing a crisis of faith.

“I feel as if I have been guided providentially to information to help others,” he said. “I'm taking people on a personal journey of discovery, but I found out that a lot of people are asking the same questions.”

Visit PatternsOfEvidence.com

Related: 

4 Reasons to Watch Patterns of Evidence: The Moses Controversy

Photo courtesy: ©Tim Mahoney

Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.