The Ark of the Covenant has been the ultimate treasure that archaeologists and legend seekers have sought to find. The Ark was a box made of gold that contained the staff of Aaron, the tablets of the Ten Commandments, and the manna from heaven the Israelites ate in the wilderness. More than this it contained the presence of the Almighty and was the Mercy Seat (Exodus 25:22) that the high priest sprinkled blood on for the sins of Israel every year. The Ark of the Covenant made popular again by Stephen Spielberg’s “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” and has since captivated the imagination of relic hunters and lay people alike. The fascination with this relic actually concerns me. The main reason is that God allowed it to be lost when King Nebachenezzer sacked Jerusalem and carried the Jews off to Babylon, with the exception of Jeremiah. If God made the Ark disappear, then he wants it to be lost. Just as the Holy Grail and the True Cross have been hidden to keep us from venerating an article (item) of faith rather than the Alpha and Omega, I believe the Ark of the Covenant should remain lost in our hearts, “It shall be in those days (later days) when you are multiplied and increased in the land," declares the LORD, "they will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the LORD.' And it will not come to mind, nor will they remember it, nor will they miss it, nor will it be made again.“ (Jeremiah 3:16). The Prophet Jeremiah for told that we would no longer miss the Ark of the Covenant. Why? Because a better Ark was coming and has come, Jesus Christ! God and His presence abandoned a box of gold and took on human flesh (body), replacing the ark with a cross and the high priest’s annual sacrifice and sprinkling of blood for sin, Jesus died once for all sins and all time to reconcile us to God and cleanse us of all impurity that we may boldy go into Holy of holies! (1 Peter 3:18, Romans 6:10, Hebrews 10:19).
The Ark of the Covenant wasn’t even what God initially wanted. He primarily had Moses sprinkle blood on the people and wanted to eat, speak and be with the Israelites, but they refused this close relationship with the Lord (Exodus 24, Exodus 20:10-19). Thus God had to marginalize his relationship with his people of Israel by dwelling in a Tabernacle and a Ark of the Covenant when He wanted to be close to them in person. The Holy Trinity had to meet these unbelieving and timid people with a temple of tents and latter a temple of stone (that God never wanted, see 2 Samuel 7:1-53), until at Last He came in a temple made of flesh and bone and made it possible to not only dwell with all people who believe in Him as Christ the Savior and Son of God, but so He could through faith in Him live in Christians and Christians live in Him! (Colossians 1:27, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 John 2:15, John 17:20-23). The Lord as Jeremiah fortold has made the old ark of the Covenant pass away and we no longer miss it because we have become the ark! We Christians now carry God the Trinity’s presence in our bodies! (1 Corinthians 3:16, 1 John 4:16).
I am alarmed at the renewed interest in the Ark of the Covenant, especially among Evangrlicals and American churches. This transmitter and container of God’s Presence in the Old Testament time period is no longer relevant, nay it is obsolete! (Hebrews 8:13). The Lord God replaced the Ark when He became a man and died for ours sins (John 1:1-17). He then has entered all believers who carry His presence. To refocus on the Old Ark I fear believers could be “seduce people from a pure and simple devotion to Christ,” (2 Corinthians 11:2) and lead people backwards from loving and trusting in Jesus Christ God Incarnate and the realization that we are a walking Holy of holies!
While certainly Revelation mentions the Ark of the Covenant (Revelation 11:19) which is the heavenly ark that connected to the earthly one in the temple, like ancient phones, it says in the latter part of Revelation there won’t even be a temple and hence no ark because we will be with God, “ I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.“ (Revelation 21:22). We see here another evolution. At first there was a temple in heaven, then one made on earth, then God took on a temple of flesh and bone, then the saints become temples, and then finally God alone, The Holy Trinity becomes the temple in the New Jerusalem and New Heaven & Earth. In the same way the Ark of the Covenant and God’s presence has evolved from a box of gold in heaven to a box of gold on earth to God taking on a body and being present in flesh as Jesus Christ to Christians carrying God’s presence inside their being to finally God is present before all His people in the New Jerusalem. The Ark like the temple progressed until it gets back to paradise regained where we no longer communicate through some distant device but walk side by side with our God as Adam and Eve did. This is achieved through Jesus Christ alone, who is God, The Lord God come in a body and who through His death on the cross for all sin and ressurection from the dead has transformed us from a distant and doomed state of relationship with God The Trinity to a close and intimate relationship with God where we no longer stand before Arks and altars, but we have within our being and spirit the altar and ark, even better Jesus’ Spirit and the Father’s Spirit and the Holy Spirit! ().
Right now there is a dangerous trend to go backwards, to forsake the closeness with Christ and we being His temple, to building Arks and temples of stone and erecting the distance with God again. It is as if people are following Adam and Eve and partaking of the forbidden fruit of separation and death. Do not so be tempted Church! Instead keep your eyes fixed on Christ your God (Hebrews 12:12) and develop that relationship, and do not forsake the closeness to God you have under the New Covenant of Jesus’ blood, to rebuild the Old Covenant that cannot save you nor make you close to God. Beware and tremble O church, “If you believe you can be saved by the works of the Mosaic Law you have been cut off by Christ, you have fallen from grace.” (Galatians 5:4).
The Ark in heaven (Revelation 11:19) has been replaced by Jesus Christ, God himself. and we Christians have replaced the Ark of the Covenant on Earth, carrying God and His presence inside us. Amen.
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