The Ark of The Covenant

“Arise, O Lord, and enter your resting place, along with the Ark, the symbol of your power.” Psalm 132:8

The Ark of the Covenant is certainly NOT lost.

The Book of Revelation tells us the exact location and the time at which it will be revealed for ALL to see!

Revelation‬ 11‬:15-19

‬“Then THE SEVENTH ANGEL BLEW HIS TRUMPET, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: “The world has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.” The twenty-four elders sitting on their thrones before God fell with their faces to the ground and worshiped him. And they said, “We give thanks to you, Lord God, the Almighty, the one who is and who always was, for now you have assumed your great power and have begun to reign. The nations were filled with wrath, but now THE TIME OF YOUR WRATH HAS COME. It is time to judge the dead and reward your servants the prophets, as well as your holy people, and all who fear your name, from the least to the greatest. It is time to destroy all who have caused destruction on the earth.” Then, IN HEAVEN, the Temple of God was opened and THE ARK OF HIS COVENANT COULD BE SEEN INSIDE THE TEMPLE. Lightning flashed, thunder crashed and roared, and there was an earthquake and a terrible hailstorm.“

Hebrews‬ 9‬:23-24‬ 

“That is why the Tabernacle and everything in it, which WERE COPIES OF THINGS IN HEAVEN, had to be purified by the blood of animals. But THE REAL THINGS IN HEAVEN had to be purified with far better sacrifices than the blood of animals. For Christ did not enter into a holy place made with human hands, which was ONLY A COPY of THE TRUE ONE IN HEAVEN. He entered into heaven itself to appear now before God on our behalf.“

• The Ark of Covenant and its physical contents were ONLY SYMBOLS.

• The Ark will be seen when Jesus Christ returns because He is the Ark of the Covenant!

THREE SYMBOLS INSIDE THE ARK

• Hebrews‬ 9‬:4‬ ”In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing MANNA, AARON’S STAFF that sprouted leaves, and THE STONE TABLETS OF THE COVENANT.”

1. MANNA—The Bread from Heaven

John 6:31-69

“After all, our ancestors ate MANNA while they journeyed through the wilderness! The Scriptures say, ‘Moses gave them bread from heaven to eat.’” 

Jesus said, “I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, Moses didn’t give you bread from heaven. My Father did. And now he offers you THE TRUE BREAD FROM HEAVEN. THE TRUE BREAD OF GOD IS THE ONE WHO COMES DOWN FROM HEAVEN AND GIVES LIFE TO THE WORLD.” 

“Sir,” they said, “give us that bread every day.” 

Jesus replied, “I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. But you haven’t believed in me even though you have seen me. However, those the Father has given me will come to me, and I will never reject them. For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do my own will. And this is the will of God, that I should not lose even one of all those he has given me, but that I should raise them up at the last day. For it is my Father’s will that ALL WHO SEE HIS SON AND BELIEVE IN HIM SHOULD HAVE ETERNAL LIFE. I will raise them up at the last day.”

Then the people began to murmur in disagreement because he had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

But Jesus replied, “Stop complaining about what I said. For NO ONE CAN COME TO ME UNLESS the Father who sent me draws them to me, and at the last day I will raise them up. As it is written in the Scriptures, ‘They will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me. (Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only I, who was sent from God, have seen him.) 

• Jesus was speaking about receiving the Holy Spirit; “no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them to me” which means it’s NOT our choice to receive the Holy Spirit. God makes this choice. It doesn’t happen during water baptism, but later, if that’s what God decides – He examines our hearts and motives; He is the judge! People can (and should!) make their choice to come to God, but God Himself chooses those who come to Him in humbleness and genuine faith, not selfish motives. 

  
  

  • Proverbs 21:2 “People may be right in their own eyes, BUT THE LORD EXAMINES THEIR HEART.”

    
    

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes has eternal life. Yes, I AM THE BREAD OF LIFE! Your ancestors ate manna in the wilderness, but they all died. ANYONE WHO EATS THE BREAD FROM HEAVEN, HOWEVER, WILL NEVER DIE. I AM THE LIVING BREAD THAT CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN. Anyone who eats this bread will live forever; and this bread, which I WILL OFFER SO THE WORLD MAY LIVE, IS MY FLESH.”

• “MY FLESH” = THE HOLY SPIRIT = THE ETERNAL LIFE! 

  
  

  Galatians 4:4-7 “But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, GOD HAS SENT THE SPIRIT OF HIS SON INTO OUR HEARTS, PROMPTING US TO CALL OUT, “ABBA, FATHER.”

  Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir.”

Then the people began arguing with each other about what he meant. “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” they asked.

So Jesus said again, “I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, UNLESS YOU EAT THE FLESH OF THE SON OF MAN AND DRINK HIS BLOOD, you cannot have ETERNAL LIFE within you. BUT ANYONE WHO EATS MY FLESH AND DRINKS MY BLOOD HAS ETERNAL LIFE, and I will raise that person at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Anyone who eats my flesh and drinks my blood REMAINS IN ME, AND I IN HIM. I live because of the living Father who sent me; in the same way, anyone who feeds on me will live because of me. I AM THE TRUE BREAD THAT CAME DOWN FROM HEAVEN. Anyone who eats this bread will not die as your ancestors did (even though they ate the manna) but WILL LIVE FOREVER.” He said these things while he was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Many of his disciples said, “This is very hard to understand. How can anyone accept it?”

Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, “Does this offend you? Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? THE SPIRIT ALONE GIVES ETERNAL LIFE. HUMAN EFFORT ACCOMPLISHES NOTHING. And THE VERY WORDS I HAVE SPOKEN TO YOU ARE SPIRIT AND LIFE. But some of you do not believe me.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning which ones didn’t believe, and he knew who would betray him.) Then he said, “That is why I said that people can’t come to me unless the Father gives them to me.”

AT THIS POINT MANY OF HIS DISCIPLES TURNED AWAY AND DESERTED HIM.Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you also going to leave?”Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? YOU HAVE THE WORDS THAT GIVE ETERNAL LIFE. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” 

• What does it take to receive the Holy Spirit? FAITH, which leads to REPENTANCE.

2. AARON’S STAFF—”The Branch”

Zechariah 6:12-13

“Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: here is THE MAN CALLED THE BRANCH. He will branch out from where he is and build THE TEMPLE OF THE LORD. Yes, he will build the Temple of the Lord. THEN HE WILL RECEIVE ROYAL HONOR AND WILL RULE AS KING FROM HIS THRONE. HE WILL ALSO SERVE AS PRIEST FROM HIS THRONE, and there will be perfect harmony between HIS TWO ROLES.’”

Hebrews 7:15-28

“This change has been made very clear since a different priest, who is like Melchizedek, has appeared. JESUS BECAME A PRIEST, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, BUT BY THE POWER OF A LIFE THAT CANNOT BE DESTROYED. And the psalmist pointed this out when he prophesied, “You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek.”

Yes, the old requirement about the priesthood was set aside because it was weak and useless. FOR THE LAW NEVER MADE ANYTHING PERFECT. But now we have confidence in a better hope, through which we draw near to God.

This NEW SYSTEM was established with a solemn oath. Aaron’s descendants became priests without such an oath, but there was an oath regarding Jesus. For God said to him, “THE LORD HAS TAKEN AN OATH AND WILL NOT BREAK HIS VOW: ‘YOU ARE A PRIEST FOREVER.’”

Because of this oath, JESUS IS THE ONE WHO GUARANTEES THIS BETTER COVENANT WITH GOD.

There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. BUT BECAUSE JESUS LIVES FOREVER, HIS PRIESTHOOD LASTS FOREVER. Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf. He is the kind of high priest we need because HE IS HOLY AND BLAMELESS, UNSTAINED BY SIN. He has been set apart from sinners and has been GIVEN THE HIGHEST PLACE OF HONOR IN HEAVEN. Unlike those other high priests, he does not need to offer sacrifices every day. They did this for their own sins first and then for the sins of the people. But Jesus did this once for all when he offered himself as the sacrifice for the people’s sins. The law appointed high priests who were limited by human weakness. But after the law was given, GOD APPOINTED HIS SON WITH AN OATH, AND HIS SON HAS BEEN MADE THE PERFECT HIGH PRIEST FOREVER.”

Acts 2:32-36 “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. NOW HE IS EXALTED TO THE PLACE OF HIGHEST HONOR IN HEAVEN, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him THE HOLY SPIRIT TO POUR OUT UPON US, just as you SEE and HEAR today. For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”’ So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, TO BE BOTH LORD AND MESSIAH!”

John 15:1-5 

“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. REMAIN IN ME, AND I WILL REMAIN IN YOU. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.” 

3. THE STONE TABLETS OF THE COVENANT—The New Covenant

Hebrews 8:7–10

“If the first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no need for a second covenant to replace it. But when God found fault with the people, he said: “The day is coming, says the Lord, when I will make A NEW COVENANT with the people of Israel and Judah. THIS COVENANT WILL NOT BE like the one I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand and led them out of the land of Egypt. THEY DID NOT REMAIN FAITHFUL TO MY COVENANT, so I turned my back on them, says the Lord. But this is THE NEW COVENANT I will make with the people of Israel on that day, says the Lord: I WILL PUT MY LAWS IN THEIR MINDS, AND I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” 

Jeremiah 31:33 “But this is THE NEW COVENANT I will make with the people of Israel after those days,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions DEEP WITHIN THEM, and I WILL WRITE THEM ON THEIR HEARTS. I will be their God, and they will be my people.” 

2 Corinthians 3:1–6 “Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. YOUR LIVES ARE A LETTER WRITTEN IN OUR HEARTS; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. Clearly, YOU ARE A LETTER FROM CHRIST showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written NOT with pen and ink, but with THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD. It is carved NOT on tablets of stone, but ON HUMAN HEARTS. We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. HE HAS ENABLED US TO BE MINISTERS OF HIS NEW COVENANT. This is a covenant not of written laws, BUT OF THE SPIRIT. The old written covenant ends in death; but UNDER THE NEW COVENANT, THE SPIRIT GIVES LIFE.”

Jeremiah 3:16–18

“And when your land is once more filled with people,” says the Lord, “YOU WILL NO LONGER WISH FOR ‘THE GOOD OLD DAYS’ WHEN YOU POSSESSED THE ARK OF THE LORD’S COVENANT. You will not miss those days or even remember them, AND THERE WILL BE NO NEED TO REBUILD THE ARK. In that day Jerusalem will be known as ‘The Throne of the Lord.’ All nations will come there to honor the Lord. They will no longer stubbornly follow their own evil desires. In those days the people of Judah and Israel will return together from exile in the north. They will return to the land I gave your ancestors as an inheritance FOREVER.” 

• REMINDER; Noah and his family were saved because they obeyed God and “ENTERED THE ARK.”

  
  

  • John 14:6 “Jesus told him, “I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE. No one can come to the Father EXCEPT THROUGH ME.”

WHY ARE PEOPLE STILL LOOKING FOR A WOODEN CHEST?

Looking for tangible religious artifacts shows NO FAITH. Faith is Spiritual—unseen. Religion is tangible. They think of Jesus Christ (if they think of Him at all) merely from a human perspective.

2 Corinthians 3:14 “But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And THIS VEIL CAN BE REMOVED ONLY BY BELIEVING IN CHRIST.”

1 Chronicles 17:1

“When David was settled in his palace, he summoned Nathan the prophet. “Look,” David said, “I am living in a beautiful cedar palace, but THE ARK OF THE LORD’S COVENANT IS OUT THERE UNDER A TENT!”

1 Corinthians 3:9 “For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.”

2 Corinthians 5:1 “For we know that when this EARTHLY TENT WE LIVE IN is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this EARTHLY BODY), WE WILL HAVE A HOUSE IN HEAVEN, AN ETERNAL BODY MADE FOR US BY GOD HIMSELF and not by human hands.”

John 5:39–40

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. BUT THE SCRIPTURES POINT TO ME! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.” 

1 Corinthians 1:21 “Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, HE HAS USED OUR FOOLISH PREACHING TO SAVE THOSE WHO BELIEVE.”

All Glory and Honor to Our God and Savior Jesus Christ! 🙌🏼 💞