THE ARK OF
THE COVENANT
By the time
the bulk of the Jews had assembled at Mount
Horeb Moses was an old man in his 80's. It was
here that he received the Ten Commandments. He
brought them down from Mount Sinai, in the form
of two stone tablets.
A special
box or ARK was needed to safely store and
transport the tablets, so a special gold-encased
Covenant Box of acacia wood, called the Ark was
made and was supported by two long gold-encased
wooden poles. Now the people had an ARK to
carry the Sacred Tablets with their engravings.
It was not
large, the original ARK measured 50 x 30 x 30
inches (1.20 x 0.75 x 0.75m), but heavy enough with all its gold
cladding and embellishments, besides containing
the two Tablets and other sacred artifacts. The
design research also included ancient religious
texts and archaeological journals in which the
sacred relic had been drawn to biblical
specifications.
Luckily,
the Bible, in the book of Exodus
(25:10-14,18-19) offers a detailed description
of the Ark: Frame an ark of setim wood,
the length whereof shall be of two cubits and a
half: the breadth, a cubit and a half: the
height, likewise, a cubit and a half. And thou
shalt overlay it with the purest gold within and
without...And four golden rings, which thou
shalt put at the four corners of the ark...Thou
shalt make bars also of setim wood, and shalt
overlay them with gold. And thou shalt put them
in through the rings that are in the sides of
the ark, that it may be carried on them... Thou
shalt make also two cherubim's of beaten gold,
on the two sides of the oracle. Let one cherub
be on the one side, and the other on the other.
The
position of the angels is described in Exodus
37:9: Spreading their wings, and covering the
propitiatory, and looking one toward the other,
and towards it.
Here is another
description:
The ark was made of shittim wood, which is a
species of acacia, overlaid, within and without,
with pure gold, and was about three feet nine
inches long, two feet three inches wide, and of
the same extent in depth. It had on the
side two rings of gold, through which were
placed staves of shittim wood, by which, when
necessary, the ark was borne by the Levites.
Its covering was of pure gold, over which was
placed two figures called cherubim, an order of
exalted angelic beings, with expanded wings.
The covering of the ark was called כפרת, a
Hebrew word pronounced kap-po-reth, from the
word כפר, pronounced kaw-far and meaning to blot
out or pardon, and hence its English name of
mercy-seat, as being the place where the
intercession for sin was made.
Exodus Chapter 25
| א וַיְדַבֵּר
יְהוָה, אֶל-מֹשֶׁה לֵּאמֹר. |
1 And the LORD spoke unto
Moses, saying: |
| ב דַּבֵּר
אֶל-בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְיִקְחוּ-לִי
תְּרוּמָה: מֵאֵת כָּל-אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר
יִדְּבֶנּוּ לִבּוֹ, תִּקְחוּ
אֶת-תְּרוּמָתִי. |
2 'Speak unto the children of
Israel, that they take for Me an
offering; of every man whose heart
maketh him willing ye shall take My
offering.
|
| ג וְזֹאת,
הַתְּרוּמָה, אֲשֶׁר תִּקְחוּ, מֵאִתָּם:
זָהָב וָכֶסֶף, וּנְחֹשֶׁת. |
3 And this is the offering
which ye shall take of them: gold, and
silver, and brass; |
| ד וּתְכֵלֶת
וְאַרְגָּמָן וְתוֹלַעַת שָׁנִי, וְשֵׁשׁ
וְעִזִּים. |
4 and blue, and purple, and
scarlet, and fine linen, and goats'
hair;
|
| ה וְעֹרֹת אֵילִם
מְאָדָּמִים וְעֹרֹת תְּחָשִׁים, וַעֲצֵי
שִׁטִּים. |
5 and rams' skins dyed red,
and sealskins, and acacia-wood;
|
| ו שֶׁמֶן, לַמָּאֹר;
בְּשָׂמִים לְשֶׁמֶן הַמִּשְׁחָה,
וְלִקְטֹרֶת הַסַּמִּים. |
6 oil for the light, spices
for the anointing oil, and for the sweet
incense; |
| ז אַבְנֵי-שֹׁהַם,
וְאַבְנֵי מִלֻּאִים, לָאֵפֹד, וְלַחֹשֶׁן.
|
7 onyx stones, and stones to
be set, for the ephod, and for the
breastplate. |
| ח וְעָשׂוּ לִי,
מִקְדָּשׁ; וְשָׁכַנְתִּי, בְּתוֹכָם.
|
8 And let them make Me a
sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.
|
| ט כְּכֹל, אֲשֶׁר
אֲנִי מַרְאֶה אוֹתְךָ, אֵת תַּבְנִית
הַמִּשְׁכָּן, וְאֵת תַּבְנִית
כָּל-כֵּלָיו; וְכֵן, תַּעֲשׂוּ. {ס}
|
9 According to all that I
show thee, the pattern of the
tabernacle, and the pattern of all the
furniture thereof, even so shall ye make
it. {S} |
| י וְעָשׂוּ אֲרוֹן,
עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים: אַמָּתַיִם וָחֵצִי
אָרְכּוֹ, וְאַמָּה וָחֵצִי רָחְבּוֹ,
וְאַמָּה וָחֵצִי, קֹמָתוֹ. |
10 And they shall make an ark
of acacia-wood: two cubits and a half
shall be the length thereof, and a cubit
and a half the breadth thereof, and a
cubit and a half the height thereof.
|
| יא וְצִפִּיתָ
אֹתוֹ זָהָב טָהוֹר, מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ
תְּצַפֶּנּוּ; וְעָשִׂיתָ עָלָיו זֵר
זָהָב, סָבִיב. |
11 And thou shalt overlay it
with pure gold, within and without shalt
thou overlay it, and shalt make upon it
a crown of gold round about. |
| יב וְיָצַקְתָּ
לּוֹ, אַרְבַּע טַבְּעֹת זָהָב,
וְנָתַתָּה, עַל אַרְבַּע פַּעֲמֹתָיו;
וּשְׁתֵּי טַבָּעֹת, עַל-צַלְעוֹ הָאֶחָת,
וּשְׁתֵּי טַבָּעֹת, עַל-צַלְעוֹ
הַשֵּׁנִית. |
12 And thou shalt cast four
rings of gold for it, and put them in
the four feet thereof; and two rings
shall be on the one side of it, and two
rings on the other side of it. |
| יג וְעָשִׂיתָ
בַדֵּי, עֲצֵי שִׁטִּים; וְצִפִּיתָ
אֹתָם, זָהָב. |
13 And thou shalt make staves
of acacia-wood, and overlay them with
gold. |
| יד וְהֵבֵאתָ
אֶת-הַבַּדִּים בַּטַּבָּעֹת, עַל צַלְעֹת
הָאָרֹן, לָשֵׂאת אֶת-הָאָרֹן, בָּהֶם.
|
14 And thou shalt put the
staves into the rings on the sides of
the ark, wherewith to bear the ark.
|
| טו בְּטַבְּעֹת,
הָאָרֹן, יִהְיוּ, הַבַּדִּים: לֹא
יָסֻרוּ, מִמֶּנּוּ. |
15 The staves shall be in the
rings of the ark; they shall not be
taken from it. |
| טז וְנָתַתָּ,
אֶל-הָאָרֹן--אֵת, הָעֵדֻת, אֲשֶׁר
אֶתֵּן, אֵלֶיךָ. |
16 And thou shalt put into
the ark the testimony which I shall give
thee. |
| יז וְעָשִׂיתָ
כַפֹּרֶת, זָהָב טָהוֹר: אַמָּתַיִם
וָחֵצִי אָרְכָּהּ, וְאַמָּה וָחֵצִי
רָחְבָּהּ. |
17 And thou shalt make an
ark-cover of pure gold: two cubits and a
half shall be the length thereof, and a
cubit and a half the breadth thereof.
|
| יח וְעָשִׂיתָ
שְׁנַיִם כְּרֻבִים, זָהָב; מִקְשָׁה
תַּעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם, מִשְּׁנֵי קְצוֹת
הַכַּפֹּרֶת. |
18 And thou shalt make two
cherubim of gold; of beaten work shalt
thou make them, at the two ends of the
ark-cover. |
| יט וַעֲשֵׂה
כְּרוּב אֶחָד מִקָּצָה, מִזֶּה,
וּכְרוּב-אֶחָד מִקָּצָה, מִזֶּה;
מִן-הַכַּפֹּרֶת תַּעֲשׂוּ
אֶת-הַכְּרֻבִים, עַל-שְׁנֵי קְצוֹתָיו.
|
19 And make one cherub at the
one end, and one cherub at the other
end; of one piece with the ark-cover
shall ye make the cherubim of the two
ends thereof. |
| כ וְהָיוּ
הַכְּרֻבִים פֹּרְשֵׂי כְנָפַיִם
לְמַעְלָה, סֹכְכִים בְּכַנְפֵיהֶם
עַל-הַכַּפֹּרֶת, וּפְנֵיהֶם, אִישׁ
אֶל-אָחִיו; אֶל-הַכַּפֹּרֶת--יִהְיוּ,
פְּנֵי הַכְּרֻבִים. |
20 And the cherubim shall
spread out their wings on high,
screening the ark-cover with their
wings, with their faces one to another;
toward the ark-cover shall the faces of
the cherubim be. |
| כא וְנָתַתָּ
אֶת-הַכַּפֹּרֶת עַל-הָאָרֹן,
מִלְמָעְלָה; וְאֶל-הָאָרֹן--תִּתֵּן
אֶת-הָעֵדֻת, אֲשֶׁר אֶתֵּן אֵלֶיךָ.
|
21 And thou shalt put the
ark-cover above upon the ark; and in the
ark thou shalt put the testimony that I
shall give thee. |
| כב וְנוֹעַדְתִּי
לְךָ, שָׁם, וְדִבַּרְתִּי אִתְּךָ מֵעַל
הַכַּפֹּרֶת מִבֵּין שְׁנֵי הַכְּרֻבִים,
אֲשֶׁר עַל-אֲרוֹן הָעֵדֻת--אֵת
כָּל-אֲשֶׁר אֲצַוֶּה אוֹתְךָ, אֶל-בְּנֵי
יִשְׂרָאֵל. {פ} |
22 And there I will meet with
thee, and I will speak with thee from
above the ark-cover, from between the
two cherubim which are upon the ark of
the testimony, of all things which I
will give thee in commandment unto the
children of Israel. |
The
Throne of God
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.
(Exodus
25:22 )
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.
(Lev
16:2 )
And it shall come to pass, when ye
be multiplied and increased in the land,
in those days, saith the LORD, they
shall say no more, The ark of the
covenant of the LORD: neither shall it
come to mind: neither shall they
remember it; neither shall they visit
it; neither shall that be done any more.
At that time they shall call
Jerusalem the throne of the LORD;
and all the nations shall be gathered
unto it, to the name of the LORD, to
Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any
more after the imagination of their evil
heart. (Jer
3:16 & 17 )Many Believe
that when Jesus returns to rule, he will
use the Ark of the Covenant and its
Mercy Seat as a Throne to Rule on in the
New Temple in Jerusalem.
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The Ark
itself was always kept carefully veiled whenever
outside the large tented Tabernacle. The
Tabernacle itself had been devised soon after
the construction of the Ark, and was always
erected whenever the Israelites were likely to
remain static for any length of time.
In due
course, the tribe of Levi was designated as the
Future source of hereditary priests appointed to
guard the Ark.
The Holy
Books ( and the Holy Bible ) describe the Ark as
having Great Power and any army that carried it
into battle always won. It is believed that the
Knights Templar found the Ark of the Covenant in
King Solomon 's Temple !
Tabot
can also refer to a replica of the Ark of the
Covenant
Many
Christians, Jews, Masons, Royal Arch Masons,
Knights Templar's and other organizations and
Churches consider the Ark of the Covenant
Very Important.
Book About the Current
Location of the Ark:
In Search of the Lost
Ark of the
Covenant
By Robert
Cornuke............Description:
The search for the
Ark of the
Covenant has been
dramatized in movies and
researched in documentaries
over the years, capturing
the imaginations of
archaeologists and
Christians the world over.
Although the final resting
place of the
Ark is controversial and
clouded with confusion,
explorer Bob
Cornuke believes that
the
Ark of the
Covenant was transported
from ancient Israel and is
in Ethiopia today. As
unusual as this may sound,
Cornuke has uncovered
compelling evidence that the
Ark may well have been
spirited up the Nile River
to an eventual resting place
in the remote highlands of
ancient Kush—modern
Ethiopia.
Cornuke travels to Axum,
where today he believes the
Ark is kept in absolute
isolation at St. Mary’s of
Zion Church by a man
referred to as "The Guardian
of the
Ark of the
Covenant." Bob also
believes, and can prove this
with references from the Old
and New Testaments, that,
the Ark will be moved from
Ethiopia to Jerusalem in the
new temple that Jesus will
build upon his return to
rule and use the Ark for his
throne!
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