The Arc of the Covenant - part 1

To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

…….Isaiah 8:19

 The Discovery of the Ark of the Covenant by Ron Wyatt – The Search Begins

In 1978, Ron and his sons, Danny and Ronny, made two trips to Israel in order to drive down to the western shore of the Gulf of Aqaba in Egypt to search for chariot parts in the Red Sea. This was during the time that Israel was occupying the Sinai Peninsula and therefore, the place Ron believed to be the crossing site could only be reached by traveling from Israel instead of going through Cairo.
During his 2nd dive trip, he learned a very painful lesson. He swam for hours, searching the sea floor at a depth of about 30 feet – believing that the water would filter out the sun’s harmful rays. However, this wasn’t the case and as a result, his legs and feet became painfully swollen to such an extent that he couldn’t get his fins on.

Unable to dive anymore, and with no motel in the area, he and the boys had no choice but to return to Jerusalem to wait until their flight from Tel Aviv left for the US.

One day in Jerusalem, after the swelling in Ron’s legs and feet went down a bit, he decided to go sightseeing in the immediate area around his hotel near the Damascus Gate. Walking along an ancient stone quarry, known to some as “the Calvary Escarpment,” he began conversing with a local authority about Roman antiquities. At one point, they stopped walking, and Ron’s left hand pointed to a site being used as a trash dump and he stated, “That’s Jeremiah’s Grotto and the Ark of the Covenant is in there.” Even though these words had come from his own mouth and his own hand had pointed, he had not consciously done or said these things. In fact, it was the first time he had ever thought about excavating for the Ark.

The man with him, quite out of character, also reacted strangely. He said, “That’s wonderful! We want you to excavate, and we’ll furnish your permits, put you up in a place to stay and even furnish your meals!”

But Ron didn’t know what to think – he knew it was a “supernatural” experience, but was it of God, or was it of “someone else”?
By this time, Ron had made major discoveries in Turkey, and had found numerous chariot parts in the Red Sea. But not once had he ever had an experience such as this. It was like a thunderbolt out of the blue on a perfectly sunny day. He had to decline the man’s offer, at least until he could figure out if there was any reason to believe the Ark could be in that location. So, he and the boys came on home as planned. But once at home, Ron began some serious research and study.

What is the “Ark of the Covenant”?

“Types and Antitypes”

All of the objects of the earthly tabernacle were “patterns of things in the heavens” (see Hebrews 9:23).

The Ark represented God’s Throne – it was where He manifested His Presence among His people. This earthly Throne was a “copy”, so to speak, of the Great Throne in Heaven.

Beneath His Throne, God’s immutable Law, the 10 Commandments, lie inside the earthly Ark, just as the great originals are beneath His Throne in Heaven.

In the side of the Ark was placed a copy of the Mosaic law. At one time, Aaron’s rod and the pot of manna were in it, but when the Ark was placed in Solomon’s temple, we learned that those were no longer there. (1Kings 8:9)

Above the Mercy Seat of the earthly Ark was where God communed with Moses; it was where He met with the high priest once a year on the Day of Atonement, when the sins of the people that had been confessed throughout the year were figuratively cleansed from the sanctuary. His Presence was always there, until He left the temple forever, just before they went into Babylonian captivity. Ezekiel saw, in vision, the Glory of the Lord leave the temple. (Eze. 8:6 and 11:22,23)

Later, Ezekiel was given, in prophetic vision, the new instructions for the re-instituting of the sacrificial system which contained no mention of the Ark. (Eze. 42-44)

And of course, everyone is familiar with the fact that the Ark was sacred – so sacred that if anyone touched it or looked upon it, they were struck dead immediately. We’ve had a number of people approach us with the theory that it is electrically charged, etc. and they wonder if it is still dangerous to touch. Let’s discuss that point for a moment. These folks have a legitimate question.

“Instant Death”

Why was it instant death for anyone to touch it or gaze upon it? The Bible doesn’t specifically spell out the answer – but the answer, I believe, is there.

The Ark is where God actually manifested His Presence:

LEV 16:2 And the LORD said unto Moses, Speak unto Aaron thy brother, that he come not at all times into the holy place within the vail before the mercy seat, which is upon the ark; that he die not: for I will appear in the cloud upon the mercy seat.

EXO 25:22 And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.

The physical Presence of God was upon the Mercy Seat and as we know that God cannot look upon sin, it meant instant destruction to any human, except the high priest, who came in contact with the earthly “Throne of the Lord”:

HAB 1:13 Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity:

God would not permit men to defile His earthly Throne. This was the one object on earth which they were powerless to defile. This entire planet is temporarily “ruled” by its prince, Satan – and in order for God to be able to meet with His chosen people, He provided Himself a Throne that was not defiled by Satan or his followers (angels or men.).

What is the Ark’s significance today?
We believe the key to this subject lies in the “types” and “antitypes” of the sacrificial system.