"When you bring the people out of Egypt, all of you will worship God on this mountain." (Exodus 3:12b)
"Who may go up the LORD's mountain? Who may stand in His holy place? Only those who do right for the right reasons, and don't worship idols or tell lies under oath." (Psalms 24:3-4)
The stages of this sequence can't be violated.
You must be redeemed first in order to be righteous in Gods sight. Unless you are righteous, you can't worship God.
Each stage of the exodus applies to the stages of salvation's timeline:
"Jesus answered, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one goes to the Father except through Me.'" (John 14:6)
Stage I. Way
Stage II. Truth
Stage III. Life
Atonement for the sins of the world was offered by Christ on Calvary.
Only those who believe in Him and accept His atonement will be redeemed from the slave market of sin.
Without atonement, there could be no redemption. Atonement is the only way to be redeemed from the slave market of sin.
Thats the 'way', the path, or 'the wilderness' to the destination.