Ark of the Covenant after AD 70

Ark of the Covenant after AD 70

By Richard P. Joseph

In order to fully appreciate this article I would like to refer you back to a previous article I wrote called “End of the Law”.  In that article I explained how Jesus became the fulfillment of the Old Testament law.  This article is similar in that I would like to discuss how the Ark of the Covenant was transferred into the New Covenant of Jesus Christ.  

Commenting on the Ark is usually reserved for the better educated than I but I am hoping only to make a brief observation.  Sometimes, however, it is these small thoughts that can lead to more profound conclusions in the future and that is my intent.

As we all know, God instructed Moses to construct an Ark that would be the center of the Israelite worship.  God himself would make his presence known to them between the wings of the Cherubim.

10 “And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height.  (Exodus 25:10).

22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel. (Exodus 25:22).

The Israelites were only to move the Ark using the poles that were placed through the rings on the Ark.  They were not to touch the ark.  Besides that, only Levites were to serve in this capacity.  

It is hard to nail down the last time the ark was utilized in Israel but I have a feeling it was right before the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem. In 2 Chronicles 35:3 we see King Josiah ordering it back into the temple.  After that we hear Jeremiah mentioning it as if it were still in use (Jeremiah 3:16). In 2 Maccabees 2:5 it is noted that Jeremiah put the Ark in a cave and sealed it up.  What ever became of it is still a mystery to the general public.  It may be hid away and it might someday re-appear.  I do not believe that they would have left it exposed for the Babylonians to carry away.  Besides that, the ark had the power to protect itself because God made his presence known on the mercy seat (1 Chronicles 16:6).   

There are many places recorded in scripture where the ark actually protected itself by the hand of God.  One interesting event was recorded in 1 Samuel where the  Philistines took the ark after winning a fierce battle.  The Philistines set the ark before their idol god Dagon as proof that Dagon saved them in battle.  The next morning they found that their statue had fallen face first before the ark.  They set it back up only to find it had fallen again the next day with the head and hands broken off.  But YHWH was not done yet.  He sent a plague upon them so grievous that they decided to return the ark to Israel.  As a microbiologist I have concluded that this was the black plague.  I have determined it by the gifts that the Philistines placed in the ark as a sin offering in order to appease the God of Israel so that he would release them from the terrible death toll.  

Once the ark was returned some of the Israelites looked into it and they also perished.  The death toll was in the thousands.  The people finally lamented and sent it to another city for safe keeping.

20 And the men of Beth Shemesh said, “Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?

Another time the ark took on an austere position is when David had it moved into his city.  

9 And when they came to Chidon’s[b] threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen stumbled. 10 Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him because he put his hand to the ark; and he died there before God. 11 And David became angry because of the Lord’s outbreak against Uzza; therefore that place is called Perez Uzza[c] to this day. 12 David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God to me?”

One of the ark bearers attempted to hold the ark up after it started to tip because the oxen slipped but he was struck dead on the spot.  David became so afraid of the ark that day that he put it in someone else’s care.

There are some eerie similarities between the ark of the Old Testament and certain events that occurred in the New Testament.  As preterists are aware of, is the fact that the Old Testament contains shadows of the New Testament fulfilments.  Just as Jesus became the fulfilment of the old law, the ark can also be seen in a fulfilled role also.  In the Old Covenant, the power of the ark was in the ark but the fulfilled power was in the church and in Christ.  One place this is evident is in the book of Acts.

In Acts chapter 5 we read the story of Ananias and Sapphira.  Since the end times would be approaching in their generation, land was no longer valuable as an inheritance to their children.  Therefore they sold the land and brought it to the apostles for distribution to the church.  Ananias and his wife Sapphira were not totally sold on the the idea and wanted to play both sides of the fence.  They sold a piece of land but withheld some of the money.  They acted as if they were fully in but in reality they were holding back.  When they went in to offer their money to the church and lied to Peter, they both dropped dead on the scene.  It is almost like they were touching the ark and were not authorized to do so.  Their heart was not right.  This leads me to think that the power of God that rested with the ark was transferred to the church and more specifically to Christ himself.  Just like only certain people were allowed to handle the ark, there are only certain people allowed to handle the Holy Spirit.  Here is an obscure scripture from Acts chapter 5.

13 Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly.

The disciples and Christians met often in Solomon's porch but others were afraid to approach them.  After hearing about the two that died, there was a fear that came upon the populace.  The power that was once displayed by the ark of the covenant was now transferred to the apostles.  They used this power to establish the church and to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Finally at the end we see the ark once more.  In Revelation 11:19 we read;

19 Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant[h] was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.

This is an amazing vision of the ark being taken out of man’s temple and placed into the spiritual temple of God.  This is consistent with the old law being transferred into Jesus Christ.  It clearly points to an end of the old and an ushering in of the new.  The final consummation of the law.  The shekinah glory that once lead the Israelites into the promised land was transferred to the apostles.  The glory is still there for the Christians to be lead by.  I observe God’s glory and truth everyday.  It guides everything I do.  It gives me my worldview and convicts me of my selfish ways.  It will finally bring me into God’s heavenly kingdom once I am finished on earth.  The ark is not gone, it is just moved.

As you can see I have not delved into the other symbolisms of the ark but kept it simple.  We all realize you can read and write volumes about how Jesus performed the duties of the High Priest on our behalf which was pictured in the ark itself.  My only goal was to help people understand that all of the shadows of the law are not necessarily dead but have been transferred into a highly useful form by the power of the blood of Jesus Christ.