The Ark of the Covenant is one of the most mysterious artifacts in all of Christianity and Judaism. In this report we will reveal the secrets about his apparent disappearance and his divine significance for history: past, present and future.
What happened to the Ark of the Covenant??
Around 621 a. C., the Ark was put to rest in the temple of Solomon. This occurred about 35 years before the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon (1 Chronicles 22:19; 2 Chronicles 5: 2; 5: 7; 5:10; 35: 3; and 6: eleven). Solomon’s temple was the first of two Jewish temples.
The ark was never seen again after the Babylonian invasion. It was not among the artifacts seized by Babylon, and the scriptures indicate that the Ark was hidden just before the invasion (2 Kings 25: 13-17; Jeremiah 3:17, Jeremiah 28: 3). Some Bible scholars believe that the Ark will never be found; at least not until the Messiah establishes His eternal kingdom. I believe that the Ark was hidden by divine order (Jer. 3:17) since Jesus Christ is now our Ark of the Covenant.
Another ancient writing hints that the prophet Jeremiah had hidden the Ark to protect it from invading armies, just before Solomon’s temple was destroyed. Let’s read from the apocryphal book 2 Maccabees 2: 4-8:
“It was also in the scripture that the prophet (Jeremiah), having received an oracle, commanded that the tent and the ark follow him, and that he go out to the mount where Moses had gone up and had seen God’s inheritance. He found a cave, and brought there the tent and the ark and the altar of incense, and sealed the entrance. Some of those who followed him climbed up to point the way, but could not find it. When Jeremiah found out, he rebuked them and declared: “The place will be unknown until God gathers his people together again and shows his mercy. And then the Lord will reveal these things, and the glory of the Lord and the cloud will appear, as was shown in the case of Moses, and as Solomon requested that the place be specially consecrated. “- 2 MACCABEES 2: 4-8
What items were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant?
The ark represents the glory of God and His throne in heaven. What is contained within the ark is also significant. Interesting, how only 3 items were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant (Hebrews 9: 4). These are the 3 elements:
1) A supernaturally preserved gold jug; Imperishable manna (Exodus 16: 33-34).
2) Aaron’s staff (Numbers 17:10)
3) The 2 stone tablets where God inscribed the Ten Commandments.
It also contained a copy of the law written by Moses (Exodus 25:21; Exodus 25:16; Deuteronomy 31:26; 2 Kings 22: 8).
Why these artifacts?
Because they point to Jesus Christ as the Messiah! For example, Jesus is a symbol of manna (bread), specifically incorruptible bread. The scriptures refer to him as the bread that came down from heaven. In John 6:58 Jesus reveals: “This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate the manna and died, but whoever eats this bread will live forever.” Also read John 6:41 and John 6:51.
The tablets containing the Ten Commandments are a symbol of the word of God: Jesus is the Word of God.
The mystery of the lost ark of the covenant finally revealed
The story of the empty tomb is the propitiation of the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. As we read in John 20:12, there are 2 angels on each side of a rectangular tomb, just like the 2 Cherubs covering the mercy seat above the Ark of the Covenant. The blood of Jesus would become the substitute for the blood that the High Priest in the temple would sprinkle on the mercy seat of the Ark. As the high priest of heaven, Jesus has shed his own blood as the final atoning sacrifice.
The Ark of the Covenant was vital in its time since Jesus had not yet died for the redemption of sin, and the Hebrews needed a container of purification and redemption where God could manifest and forgive the sins of man. But today it has been replaced by the Holy Spirit where God can indwell us and guide us to eternal life. In essence, we have become the container that houses the Holy Spirit of God.
The shedding of the blood on the mercy seat during the holy Day of Atonement was a shadow of the sacrifice that the Messiah would make at the crucifixion! Christ would become the final sacrifice on the mercy seat of judgment!
This is why the Ark remains hidden and why animal sacrifices or a Jewish temple are no longer required (read Jeremiah 3:16)! Jesus Christ is our High Priest who makes atonement for our sins before the Holy of Holies; the heavenly throne of the sovereign God of the universe.
When we are covered in His blood, we are forever forgiven of our sins. His blood covers our sins and God no longer sees them! Like the blood of the sacrificial lamb that was placed on doorposts to keep the angel of death away during the first Passover feast, so the blood of the Lamb of God casts out the death penalty for sin, for those who accept His sacrifice. . The Ark of the Covenant has been hidden because a greater substitute for humanity has been revealed; Jesus Christ, our spiritual substitute for the Ark of the Covenant.