(Editor's Note: This article was published first in the January/February print edition of The Stand.)
“For many years, there has been a lot of criticism concerning the lack of evidence for the early Israelites in Egypt,” said Timothy Mahoney (photo above).
As an investigative filmmaker, Ma- honey recognized these doubts and decided to find a way to prove that the biblical events in Exodus happened. After years of research and exploration, Mahoney created Patterns of Evidence in 2014, a film series to help viewers understand the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt.
In this interview with The Stand, Mahoney discussed his latest film, Patterns of Evidence: Journey to Mount Sinai, Part 1, which debuted in a limited theatrical release in October 2022. (Journey to Mount Sinai, Part 2 will be in theaters this May.)
The Stand: Have you faced any backlash during this journey?
Timothy Mahoney: I haven’t had a lot of backlash during this investigative process because I include multiple points of view. Our approach has been to understand what people are saying about the Bible, both pros and cons.
I’ve noticed that many mainstream scholars come from differing schools of thought and place the events of the Bible in time periods contrary to where the Bible puts them. We covered this issue in our first film, Patterns of Evidence: The Exodus. The other problem mainstream scholars face is that they look for evidence in traditional locations, and when they don’t find any, they declare the Bible to be mythical.
In Patterns of Evidence films, we are using a new method, one that is scientific. We look at what the biblical text tells us, and then we look for the pattern of evidence in different time periods and locations. When we take this approach, we can see that the biblical events reveal a strong pattern.
TS: What has the Lord taught you through this project?
TM: Each film brings about a spiritual challenge for me. The new film, Patterns of Evidence: Journey to Mount Sinai, Part 1, is more personal. I’ve thought, How do we trust the Lord when He calls us out into the wilderness? This is what the sons of Jacob and the descendants of Abraham experienced when they left the safety and comfort of Egyptian slavery. They wanted food and water.
However, God was calling them to freedom from slavery, and He wanted to meet them at Mount Sinai. It was this location where God was going to make a covenant with the sons of Jacob and make them into the nation of Israel.
This film has taught me to trust the Lord on this journey and reminded me that it will take faith to believe He will provide in the wilderness.
TS: How are you preparing for Him to use Patterns of Evidence: Journey to Mount Sinai, Part 1?
TM: I think that the Patterns of Evidence films help give people a good biblical foundation and make informed decisions regarding where events of the Bible took place. I pray that people will be encouraged in their faith. I also pray that they will have a deeper sense of God acting in history and know that God is still active today in their lives.
TS: What do future plans look like for Patterns of Evidence?
TM: Our prayer is that we will be able to continue to show more patterns of evidence that confirm how God acted in history. We want to share this evidence with the next generation so that they can have confidence in Scripture.
