Lamplighter Mar/Apr 2010 - The Ark Of The Covenant

traditionally rested. This rock was called“the foundation stone.”2 The fact that theHoly of Holies remained barren of theArk is attested to by the Roman historian, Tacitus. He states that when theRoman general, Pompey, conqueredJudah in 63 BC, he entered the Holy ofHolies and found it completely empty.3When David arrived in Jerusalem,the first priority of his administrationwas to provide the Ark a proper restingplace because He was anxious to bringthe symbol of the presence of God backinto the life of the nation (Psalm 132:1-5). The Ark’s return was an occasionfor great rejoicing (1 Chronicles 15:2529). David placed it in a tent on MountMoriah (today’s Temple Mount) whereit remained until his son Solomon builtthe Temple. The Holy of Holies in thatTemple became the final resting place ofthe Ark (1 Kings 8 and 2 Chronicles 5).The Jewish sages counter-argue thatthe reason the Ark was never restored tothe Holy of Holies in the Second Temple is because the Jews were never independent after they returned to their land.First they were under Persian control,and then they were conquered by theRomans. They maintain that because ofthis foreign domination, the Ark was leftin its hiding place during the SecondTemple period (516 BC to 70 AD).The Lost ArkNo one knows for sure what happened to the Ark. The last time it ismentioned in Scripture is in 2 Chronicles 35:3. That passage makes it clearthat the Ark was still in existence at thetime of the spiritual revival led by theboy king, Josiah. Within 22 years afterJosiah died, Judah fell to the Babylonians (586 B.C.), and the Ark disappeared.The Jewish TraditionAs indicated above, the Jewish tradition is that the Ark was placed in anunderground vault at the time of theBabylonian siege of Jerusalem, and it(Internet illustration. Artist unknown.)remains there to this day. This traditionThe majority of scholars believe it was simply destroyedis affirmed by several passages in the Talmud. The Jewish sageswhen the Temple was burned. Others believe it was captured asalso believe that entombed with the Ark are other Temple treaa prize of war, taken to Babylon, and probably melted down forsures such as the Tabernacle of Moses (the tent temple usedits gold. But many believe it survived and is hidden somewhereduring the wilderness wanderings and the period of the Judges),today.the incense altar, Aaron’s rod, the pot of manna, and the tabletsThe Destruction Theoryof Moses.4Those who believe the Ark was lost when the Babyloniansconquered Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple point to 2 Kings24:13 and the parallel passage in 2 Chronicles 36:18. Both assertthat “all the articles of the house of God, great and small, and thetreasures of the house of the Lord” were taken to Babylon. Butthe Jewish sages have always argued that King Solomon anticipated attacks on Jerusalem and the Temple and that he therefore constructed a vault for the Ark that was located deep withinthe temple Mount and protected by mazes and false passageways.1 Further, they point out that when the Jews were releasedfrom Babylonian captivity by Cyrus, the Ark is not mentioned inthe list of Temple treasures that were given to those who werereturning to Jerusalem (Ezra 1:5-11).The idea of a secret vault beneath the Temple Mount iscertainly plausible. Furthermore, the existence of such a hidingplace is implied in 2 Chronicles 35 where we are told that KingJosiah ordered the Levitical priests to restore the Ark to theTemple. It had evidently been removed during the reign of theevil King Manasseh who desecrated the Temple with altarsdevoted to foreign gods (2 Chronicles 33:1-5).Further evidence that the Ark may have been destroyed by theBabylonians is the fact that the Ark was never restored to theHoly of Holies when the Second Temple was built after the return of the Jews from Babylonian captivity. Each year at YomKippur when the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies, hewould sprinkle the blood on a portion of bedrock that protrudedfrom the floor — supposedly the rock on which the Ark hadMarch - April 2010In 1967 during the Six Day War the Jews regained control ofthe Old City of Jerusalem for the first time in modern history.Hopes soared among many of the Orthodox Jews that this momentous event would give them the opportunity to explore underneath the Temple Mount to find the vault containing the Ark.However, General Moshe Dayan, acting on his own authority,decided almost immediately to surrender control of the Mountback to the Muslim authorities. He did this to prevent anyattempt to destroy the Dome of the Rock. He also felt that sucha gesture would indicate to the Arabs that the Israelis wanted tolive in peace with them. Dayan was a secular Jew, and theTemple Mount meant little to him.Ever since that time, Israel has had sovereignty over theTemple Mount, but has relinquished control of it to Muslimauthorities. This has made it impossible for the Jews to conductany archeological excavations on or under the Temple Mount.In 1981 some Jewish rabbis started clearing debris from anarea next to the Wailing Wall area in order to set up a synagogue.In the process they discovered what is called Warren’s Gate. Itwas a gate that had been discovered a century earlier by theBritish explorer Charles Warren during an underground probe,but had never been fully excavated. This was believed to be thegate that led to the area closest to the Holy of Holies. The gatewas sealed, but the rabbis broke it open and started tunnelingunder the Temple Mount toward the area that would be beneaththe Holy of Holies. But before they could get very far, they werediscovered by the Muslim authorities and were forced to stop.The Lamplighterpage 5

The current Jewish Rabbinate takes the position that the Arkis definitely located in a vault under the Temple Mount but theyhave ruled that no Jew can enter the vault until the Messiahappears and reveals the exact location of the Holy of Holies.6One of Christendom’s foremost authorities on the Ark isRandall Price, a Bible prophecy expert and a professor of JudaicStudies at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. He hasconcluded that the Ark is still in existence and is located underthe Temple Mount.7The Jeremiah TraditionOne of the oldest and strongest traditions regarding the fateof the Ark is one that is found in the apocryphal book of 2 Maccabees which was written during the inter-Testamental period. Itcontends that Jeremiah fled Jerusalem with the Ark and buriedit in a cave in Mount Nebo which is located in the modern daynation of Jordan.The narrative in that book says:. . . the prophet, warned by an oracle, gave orders for thetabernacle and the ark to go with him when he set out forthe mountain which Moses had climbed to survey God’sheritage. On his arrival, Jeremiah found a cave-dwelling,into which he brought the tabernacle, the ark, and the altarof incense, afterwards blocking up the entrance” (2 Maccabees 2:4-5).The two books of Maccabees are not part of the acceptedbiblical cannon and are therefore not considered to be inspired ofGod. The story about Jeremiah could be true, or it could simplybe a legend.The Church of the Ark of the Covenant in modern day Abu Gosh,the biblical town of Kiriath-jearim. The church marks the sitewhere the Ark rested in a farm house for nearly 70 years during atime of great apostasy in Israel — the last 20 years of Samuel, the40 years of Saul’s reign, and the first 7 years of David’s kingship.(Photo by the author.)thus have been too heavy for one or two persons to carry it ontheir shoulders, as the frieze depicts.The theory is that the Temple treasures, including the Ark,were brought back to Rome and ultimately ended up in the vaultsof the Vatican after the collapse of the Roman Empire. Over theyears, the Vatican has staunchly denied that it has possession ofany of the Temple treasures.The Ethiopian TraditionThere has been a rumor for many years that the Ark of theCovenant is in the Saint Mary of Zion Church in Axum, Ethiopia. In recent years this idea has been popularized in the writingsof Grant Jeffrey, a Canadian Bible prophecy writer.A section of a frieze from the Arch of Titus in Rome showing Jewishcaptives marching into the city carrying artifacts from Jerusalem,including a huge menorah. (Internet picture. Photographer unknown.)This rumor is based on a bizarre story that the Ark was smuggled out of Jerusalem by Menelik I, the supposed son of a unionbetween the Queen of Sheba and King Solomon. Supposedly, areplica of the Ark was left in the Holy of Holies in the temple inJerusalem. The motivation for moving the Ark was to protect itfrom King Manasseh, one of the most ungodly kings in thehistory of Judah.7The Vatican TraditionThere are some people who believe the Ark of the Covenantis in the Vatican. They base this belief on the fact that the archthat was built in Rome to honor Titus’s victory over the Jewscontains a frieze that shows Jewish captives carrying a largemenorah, which is a seven-branched candelabrum.Many assume the menorah is the one from the Temple, butthat is unlikely for several reasons. First, its base is octagonal inshape with graven images. The Temple menorah is always described in Jewish literature as having a three-legged or triangularbase. And no item in the Temple would have had any gravenimages on it. That would have been considered gross idolatry.Also, the Temple menorah was made of solid gold and wouldpage 6The LamplighterSaint Mary of Zion Church located in Azum, Ethiopia.March - April 2010

There are all kinds of problemswith this legend. For one thing, it isdoubtful that the Queen of Sheba ruledover Ethiopia. It is more likely that herrealm was modern day Yemen.Regarding Menelik I, he ruled overEthiopia around 950 BC, according totradition. Manasseh did not becomeking of Judah until 253 years later.Therefore, Menelik’s supposed removal of the Ark from Jerusalemcould not have had anything to dowith trying to protect it from KingManasseh.“Jerusalem is the center of theworld. The Temple Mount is in thecenter of Jerusalem. The Temple isin the center of the Temple Mount.The Holy of Holies is in the centerof the Temple. And the Ark is inthe center of the Holy of Holies.”— Midrash Tanhuma, Kedoshim 10Harry Atkins, an Ethiopian historian, contends that there is norecord of this legend in Ethiopian history until the end of the13th Century. At that time there was a dispute over who shouldbe king, and one of the contenders claimed to be a descendant ofKing Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Atkins says it was at thatpoint that the legend of the Ark entered into Ethiopian history.8would be replaced in the Holy ofHolies when the Lord’s MillennialTemple is built.But Jeremiah says point blank that“the ark of the covenant of the Lord . . shall not come to mind, nor shallthey remember it, nor shall they missit, nor shall it be made again” (Jeremiah 3:16). The context of this passage is the Millennial reign of Jesus,so it does not rule out the possibility ofa discovery prior to that time. Conceivably, the Ark could be discovered,and Satan could use its discovery toincite the rebuilding of a Temple where an apostate sacrificialsystem would be re-instituted. We know that such a Temple willbe built, but I doubt if its construction will be motivated by thediscovery of the Ark.The Heavenly TheoryAnother theory regarding the fate of the Ark is that it wastranslated or raptured, being taken up to Heaven to prevent itfrom falling into the hands of the Babylonians. This theory isbased upon a reference to the Ark in Revelation 11:19. Thispassage is a flash-forward to the end of the Tribulation whenHeaven opens and Jesus returns in wrath. The writer states thatwhen Heaven opened “the ark of His covenant appeared in Histemple.”Those who reject this theory argue that the Ark seen inHeaven in this passage is the heavenly reality of which the Arkof the Covenant was only an earthly shadow or copy (Hebrews8:5).The Dome of the Spirit on top of the Temple Mount is the placesome archeologists believe was the actual site of the Holy of Holies,for three reasons: (1) it is in perfect alignment with the ancientEastern Gate; (2) it is the only place on the Temple Mount wheresolid bedrock is exposed; and (3) the dome stands 330 feet north ofthe Dome of the Rock, allowing enough room to rebuild the Jewishtemple on this site if one would “leave out the court which is outsidethe temple” as God instructed John in Revelation 11:2. (Photo byDon McGee of Crown & Sickle Ministries.)The Non-Essential ArkAn artist’s depiction of the Heavenly Tabernacle being revealed toMoses on Mount Sinai. Moses was instructed to pattern the earthlytabernacle after it, including the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:8-9). (Artist unknown.)The Forgotten ArkRegardless of what happened to the Ark, the Scripturessuggest that it will never be found again. This comes as quite ashock to some Christians who have assumed that the Ark mustbe found before the Tribulation Temple can be built and animalsacrifice re-instituted. Others have simply assumed that the ArkMarch - April 2010The important point to keep in mind here is that the rediscovery of the Ark is not essential to the rebuilding of the Temple.After all, the Temple was rebuilt by Zerubbabel following theBabylonian captivity, and the Ark had already been lost by thattime. There was no Ark in the Holy of Holies during the timewhen Jesus worshiped in the Temple.Nor is the Ark needed for the Millennial Temple. Ezekieldescribes the Temple in great detail (chapters 40-42), and henever mentions the Ark. There is a Holy of Holies (Ezekiel 41:4),but it is empty, and it is not separated from the Holy Place by aveil.Jesus has already entered the heavenly Holy of Holies in ourbehalf (Hebrews 4:14-16, 8:1-6). He has torn away the veil thatseparated us from God, and He serves as our High Priest, havingThe Lamplighterpage 7

offered His own blood as the perfect sacrifice for our sins(Hebrews 9:11-16). He serves as our Mediator before the Father’s throne (Hebrews 9:24-28).The Blasphemous ArkThe Ark of The New Age CovenantThus, during the Millennium, there will be no need for ahuman high priest or an Ark with a mercy seat. Jesus will serveas both king and high priest, and in that capacity, He will continue to serve as humanity’s mercy seat. (Zechariah 6:12-13).Ben Rast of Contender Ministries(http://contenderministries.org)The True ArkWith regard to this concept of Christ as our mercy seat, let meadd a penetrating insight which I picked up from John MacArthur, one of this country’s greatest preachers. He pointed to asimple historical verse that contains a profound truth about Jesusbeing our mercy seat.The verse is John 20:12. Speaking of Mary looking into theempty tomb of Jesus, the verse says, “she beheld two angels inwhite sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the bodyof Jesus had been lying.” What Mary saw, MacArthur observed,was the new mercy seat, the perfect mercy seat.Consider again what Mary saw. She witnessed two angels,one sitting at each end of the slab which had held the brokenbody of our Lord. That scene points us back to the Ark of theCovenant where two cherubim hovered over its blood splatteredmercy seat!There is no more need for the Ark. Jesus has fulfilled all thatthe Ark stood for. He was deity who took on flesh. He renderedcomplete obedience to the Law, being made perfect and becoming the source of our salvation (Hebrews 5:8-9). His blood wasshed for our sins, and His victory is attested by the fact and thepower of His resurrection.Just as the Ark was designed to be a symbol of the presenceof God in the midst of His people, Jesus is the ultimate expression of God’s love and care and presence. He is our Ark. He isour Law. He is our Manna. He is our Budded Rod. And, thankGod, He is our Mercy Seat. ]Notes:1) Randall Price, Searching for the Ark of the Covenant: LatestDiscoveries and Research (Eugene, Oregon: Harvest HousePublishers, 2005), p. 142.2) Price, pp. 144-145.3) Tacitus, Historiae, 5.9.1.4) Babylonian Talmud, Yomah 52b and The Tosefta, Sotah 13:2)5) Price, p. 150.6) Ibid., p. 147.7) “Menelik I,” Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menelik I.8) Harry R. Atkins, “Ark of the Covenant: Not in Ethiopia,” Queries& Comments, Biblical Archaeology Review (November-December, 1993), p. 78.page 8Thousands of years ago, the Ark of the Covenant was built tohouse the Ten Commandments given to Moses by God.Standing in stark and sacrilegious contrast is the Ark of Hope —a modern day vessel designed to carry the Earth Charter. TheArk of Hope has been seen throughout the Northeastern U.S. asits Vermont designers and a crew of “ark walkers” escort the arkfrom town to town, raising support for their cause. From theoutward appearance of the Ark itself, to its New Age and occultcontents, this demonic vessel should give every Christian pause.In many ways, the Ark of Hope was designed as a Satanic,half-price knock-off of the Ark of the Covenant. It is a woodenchest constructed from a single plank of sycamore, and is49”x32”x32” in dimensions. The four sides have various artworkand represent the four directions (north, east, south, and west),and also four elements (earth, water, fire, and air). The top of theark also features artwork, and represents the fifth element: spirit.Around the edges of the top are a variety of religious and culticsymbols, including the occult pentagram! The ark has four ringsthrough which two carrying poles are inserted. The poles aredesigned to represent “unicorn horns which render evil ineffective.” The Ark was designed and painted by Sally Linder ofVermont.The attempt to blaspheme the Ark of the Covenant is nochance occurrence. Former Soviet Premier and President of theGreen Cross International, Mikhail Gorbachev, who alsoco-chairs the Earth Charter Commission, is quoted as saying,“Do not do unto the environment of others what you do not wantdone to your own environment . . . My hope is that this charterwill be a kind of Ten Commandments, a ‘Sermon on the Mount’,that provides a guide for human behavior toward the environment in the next century.”1 Maurice Strong, a founding co-chairman of the Earth Charter Commission concurred, “The real goalof the Earth Charter is that

the Ark, because when the Temple of Solomon was dedicated, the Ark contained only the tablets of stone with the ten com-mandments engraved upon them (2 Chronicles 5:7-10). The Ark was housed in the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of the Temple. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest entered that Holy of Holies and sprinkled .