As some of you may be aware, but none of you called my hand, we have NOT considered every reference to the Ark of the Covenant – despite what I mistakenly said last week. There were at least two more, and possibly more than that. The first of my oversights is found in our scripture here in Jeremiah.
Despite Jehovah’s constant warnings and chastisement, both Judah and Israel persisted in their sins. There were prophets, like Elijah and Elisha, Isaiah and Jeremiah, preaching repentance. There were good Kings who lead by example and wicked Kings whose lives were sermon illustrations. And there was the Ark of the Covenant itself – a testimony to the presence or the absence of the Lord.
Eventually the ten northern tribes of Israel were taken into captivity by the Assyrian Empire. Judah, which was slightly more godly, was permitted to go on, but she proved herself to be even more stupid than Israel. The Southern Kingdom had the lessons which were showered down upon the Northern Kingdom, but she gave no heed to that testimony. The Southern Baptists refused to recognize God’s hand of judgment on the Northern Baptists until they both ended up in the same cesspool of compromise and heresy. Eventually the army of Nebuchadnezzar pounded Judah and Jerusalem into submission. The streets of the city flowed with Jewish blood. The Judean King was taken captive as were with the best and brightest of the city – like Daniel. Only the poor, the criminals, and the leeches who would be burden on Babylon were left behind – with a few other special cases like Jeremiah.
And the temple was ransacked. This had been prophesied by Isaiah when Hezekiah proudly entertained the early Babylonians. “Then said Isaiah to Hezekiah, Hear the word of the LORD of hosts: Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the LORD. And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.” No prophecy of the scripture is of any small importance, but this is more important than it is usually given credit. There is no doubt but that it was uttered a century before its fulfillment. That is nothing to sneer at. But it was given when Babylon was an insignificant dot on the political map. Babylon couldn’t have defended itself against a pride of lions, when Isaiah spoke these words. But a century later it was one of the most powerful countries in the world – in order to fulfill the will of God. That prophecy of Isaiah and its fulfilment is very important in proving the veracity of the Word of God.
The fall of Jerusalem under the boots of the Babylonian/Chaldeans is described in II Chronicles 36. It first mentions a succession of worthless Judean Kings – Jehoahaz, Eliakim, Jehoiakim and Jehoiachin. Then “Jehoiachin was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned three months and ten days in Jerusalem: and he did that which was evil in the sight of the LORD. And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the LORD, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem.” In the days of Jehoiachin, Nebuchadnezzar took the goodly vessels of the Temple, carrying them away to Babylon.
Jeremiah 52 gives a more detailed account of the fall of Jerusalem. Jeremiah 52:12 “Now in the fifth month, in the tenth day of the month, which was the nineteenth year of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, came Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, which served the king of Babylon, into Jerusalem, And burned the house of the LORD, and the king’s house; and all the houses of Jerusalem, and all the houses of the great men, burned he with fire: And all the army of the Chaldeans, that were with the captain of the guard, brake down all the walls of Jerusalem round about. Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive certain of the poor of the people, and the residue of the people that remained in the city, and those that fell away, that fell to the king of Babylon, and the rest of the multitude. But Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard left certain of the poor of the land for vinedressers and for husbandmen. Also the pillars of brass that were in the house of the LORD, and the bases, and the brasen sea that was in the house of the LORD, the Chaldeans brake, and carried all the brass of them to Babylon. The caldrons also, and the shovels, and the snuffers, and the bowls, and the spoons, and all the vessels of brass wherewith they ministered, took they away. And the basons, and the firepans, and the bowls, and the caldrons, and the candlesticks, and the spoons, and the cups; that which was of gold in gold, and that which was of silver in silver, took the captain of the guard away.”
There is one other statement given to us in II Kings 24:13 – “And (Nebuchanezzar) carried out thence all the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the LORD, as the LORD had said.” Although nothing is specifically stated, it appears that the Babylonians either took or destroyed the Ark. They “cut in pieces all the vessels of gold;” did that include the gold Ark of the Covenant? When Esra and Nehemiah were sent back to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple, there is no reference to their taking the Ark with them. Could it be there was no Ark for them to carry back? That seems to be what II Kings 24:13 is saying. But there are experts who disagree with that interpretation. After our text in Jeremiah 3, there is no historical reference to the Ark anywhere except in Revelation. The Book of Hebrews refers to it, but only in describing it as it was in the days of the Tabernacle.
So whatever happened to the Ark of the Covenant – if I am wrong? Stephen Spielberg may make his fanciful claims in block-buster movies. And various TV preachers and book writers may say they saw it in Addis Abba, Ethiopia. Some claim that it is in a vault under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. But until proved otherwise, those stories go on a shelf in my library with some other unimportant books. Books by Van Danikin and Dan Brown. Next to the “Forgotten Books of Eden,” the “Gospel According to Judas,” and the “Apocrypha.” I don’t plan to listen to any stories about finding the lost Ark, until there is clear, independent proof. I don’t need to see the Ark of Moses any more than I need to see the Ark of Noah. And I certainly wouldn’t give a dime to support the ministries which say they have found either of those arks or are looking for them. Let’s stick with what we know for sure – and in this case that means the Bible. And besides whether the Ark still exists – even in Heaven – it means nothing to my faith in Christ.
Quickly, lets consider what Jeremiah tells us here in Jeremiah 3.
Judah proved herself to be more wicked and stupid than Israel, by carrying on in her sins despite the warnings of the prophets and observing the judgments which fell on northern tribes. Throughout this scripture, it is difficult to distinguish whether the prophecy refers to Judah after Babylon, Israel after the first coming of the Messiah, after May 14,1948, or after the second coming. Some say that verse 14 is referring to OUR DAY – a day of God’s sovereign election. “I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and will bring you to Zion.” That could refer to God’s ministry among Israel today, but it also makes sense for the Tribulation and the beginning of the Millennium. Again, some say verse 15 could be referring to our day or to the Millennium. “I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.” That doesn’t appear to have anything to do with the return from Babylon until Christ’s incarnation. But doesn’t verse 18 suggest the establishment of the modern nation of Israel? “In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.” I think that it probably has more application to the Millennium than to Israel today. How do we use the Lord’s pleas for repentance? “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord.” In verse 19 the Lord asks, “How shall I put these among the children, and give thee a pleasant land?” Isn’t there only one answer? Grace!
Going back to verse 16 – Why will the use and remembrance of the Ark of the Covenant come to an end? “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.” First, it would be helpful to determine at what point verse 16 applies to Israel – now, or in the future? I’m sure that it is to one or the other, and I think that it is to the day when the Lord is here. But for all practical purposes it could apply to both.
I have several books on the Ark of the Covenant, as well as a Bible Encyclopedia and other sources. Among my favorite scholars there are differences of opinion about what happened to the Ark. ISBE, my five volume Bible Encyclopedia, says that the Ark was destroyed by the Babylonian soldiers, and was carried away as chunks of gold, along with the smaller utensils Most of my experts, refuse to say that when the Jews returned from Babylon they brought the Ark with them, implying by their silence that the Ark was gone. Most of them say that both Zerubbabel’s and Herod’s Temple had a Holy of Holies, but they were empty. On the other hand, Alfred Edersheim, who for a century was considered to be the expert on all things Jewish, claimed that the Ark was in Herod’s Temple. I couldn’t find his explanation on how it got there. He is one of the proponents of the idea that the Ark is now in storage somewhere under the Temple mount.
But whether or not the Ark still exists doesn’t explain verse 16. Why will the use and the remembrance of the Ark of Covenant be ended by the time of Jeremiah 3:16? The answer is the same whether we are talking about today or about the thousand year reign of Christ. There is no reason to burn a candle when the sun is peering through an open window at high noon. There is no reason to keep the rototiller out when the garden is in full bloom. The Ark was a SYMBOL of the presence of the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. What need is there of the symbol when the fulfillment is present in all His glory? What reason is there to keep the type when the anti-type has come? Speaking of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus said, “This do till I come.” Will the saints observe the Lord’s Supper in Heaven or after Christ has come? There will be no need.
I don’t care if the Ark escaped the wrath of the Babylonians or later escaped the wrath of Titus, the Roman. It would be interesting to see it, and I’m sure that we’d all marvel at the beauty and skill of Bezaleel. But we don’t need statues, icons or types, when we possess the original – Christ Himself. “All I need in Him I find.” A prisoner at the Maximum Security Penitentiary in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan once gave me a hand-made copper replica of the Last Supper – It was beautiful, but I didn’t keep it. I’ve got all I need in the Spirit of Christ within me and the Word of God in my hand.
But what about Revelation 11? Doesn’t that give me pause?
Well, it slows me down a little, but I’m not going to loose my faith over it. Revelation 11 describes Israel during the Tribulation – the city of Jerusalem during the Tribulation. Verse 1 – “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” 42 months equals 3½ years. “And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.” 1,260 days equals 3½ years – half the length of the Tribulation. Who are these two martyrs? Some say thy are Enoch and Elijah, but no one can say for sure.
Revelation 11:17 takes place at some point during the seven year Tribulation. “The four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.” Some time during the tribulation, the Temple in Heaven is opened to the sight of the Apostle John. Among other things, he sees the Ark of God’s Testament. Is this the same Ark which rested in the Tabernacle and the Temple of Solomon? Perhaps, but who can say for sure? It certainly doesn’t need to be the same Ark. Will that Ark be carried to earth to become a part of the religion of the Jews? Why would it? Why should it?
I think we come full circle at this point.
Israel will not need an Ark during the Millennium, just as Adam and Abraham never needed one. And the saints of God today don’t need it either. Everything that it mirrored has been and will continue to be fulfilled in the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ. I am not claiming to fully understand God’s worship during the Millennium, but in my feeble understanding, I don’t see a need for the Ark or the Mercy Seat which rests on top of it. Could it be like the Lord’s Supper? Used as a memorial? Perhaps it could. But again, didn’t Jesus say, “This do till I come”?
Remember that it was called “the Ark of the Covenant.” What was that covenant? That God would meet with His people at the Mercy Seat. Today and throughout eternity that meeting place is Christ, not in some special room in the temple. It was “the Ark of the Covenant,” but God’s saints have the reality – the fulfillment of the covenant. It was also called “the Ark of the Testimony.” And what WAS the testimony? That Christ is coming. But He has come procuring salvation, and by the time of the Millennium He will have come in glory.
What was inside the Ark? There were the tables of the Law. But the law has been swallowed up and fulfilled by Christ. And there was Aaron’s Almond Rod. That was an important part of the history of Israel. It became a part of the debate about God’s authority – Christ’s authority. It pointed to the true priesthood – to the High Priest. But for us and for Israel during the Millennium, “Christ (has) come (as) an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building.” The only other thing inside the original Ark was a sample of the manna – God’s care of His people. In eternal life, God has never demonstrated more care and love for His people.
And over the top of the gold and wood, picturing the deity and humanity of Christ there was the Mercy Seat of pure gold. Upon that mercy seat each autumn, the earthly high priest offered the blood of the Atonement sacrifice. In that ceremony the sins of the nation were covered, silencing the wrath of the Lord for a year. That Mercy Seat was the place of salvation. But for me there is no other Mercy Seat but the person of Christ. And it is not the kind of forgiveness which must be renewed every year with fresh blood. The Ark was considered by the Jews to be the throne of the Lord. But in Christ Jesus today, all that we shall never need of God is permanently enthroned. “For in Him dwelled the fullness of the God-head bodily.”
I don’t care if the Ark mentioned in Revelation 11 is the one Bezeleel fabricated so many years ago. It could be that the Lord rescued it and carried it to Heaven, but I doubt that He did. And it doesn’t change a thing as far as our salvation is concerned – the Ark is superfluous. We have the real thing – we have Christ.