The Ark’s Prophetic Role by Grant R. Jeffery

The Ark’s Prophetic Role
Grant R. Jeffery

Do biblical prophecies reveal anything about the location of the ark of the covenant? In Isaiah 18 we find the clearest indication that the ark will be brought from Ethiopia in the end times. God addresses the people of Ethiopia in the first two verses of Isaiah 18 and tells them of the role they will play in the events of the last days. Isaiah’s prophecy reads, ‘Woe to the Land shadowing with wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia… All ye inhabitants of the world, and dwellers on the earth, see ye, when he lifeth up an ensign [nes, ard] on the mountains; and when he bloweth a trumpet, here ye.’ The closing verse declares, ‘in that time shall the present [nes, ark] be brought unto the Lord of hosts, the mount Zion’ 918:1,3,7). This prophecy may refer to an already-accomplished development- the return of the ark from Ethiopia in the early 1990s. Another fascination prophecy, this one by Zephaniah, states that Israel will miraculously have its language, Hebrew, restored to it when God brings the Jews back into their land: “For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord. To serve He with one consent. From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering” (Zephaniah 3:9-10). Even in the time of Christ, Hebrew was a dying language. It was used only by the scribes and priests for official religious purposes in the Temple. Almost everyone else used the Greek Language, which had become the “international” language of its day. Many conversations would be in Aramaic, a language the Jewish exiles adopted during their seventy years of captivity in Babylon. The revival of the ancient language of Hebrew in modern Israel is another miraculous and unprecedented fulfillment of prophecy in our day. This recovery of a dead language and its revival after some two thousand years is a phenomenon without historical precedent. Notice that the passage in Isaiah 18 connects the time of the return of the “present” to the rebirth of Israel and the time of the revival of the Hebrew language ( see Zephaniah 3:9-10). This “present” may very well be the return of the lost ark of the covenant. One final prophecy provides, perhaps, the strongest evidence that the ark will be recovered and play an important role in our future. Jeremiah describes a time after the battle of Armageddon has been won and Israel is enjoying its messianic kingdom: And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith 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. (Jeremiah 3:16-17 In other words, Jeremiah prophesied that once the battle of Armageddon is over and the millennial kingdom has commenced, Israel will stop talking about the ark, stop thinking about the ark, and stop visiting the ark. The reason the ark of the covenant will no longed be as important is that Jesus will be present to worship directly as the Messiah-King. However, this prophecy of Jeremiah does not make sense unless the lost ark is rediscovered and unless, in the years leading up to Israel’s final great crisis, the ark plays a pivotal role in the spiritual life of the nation. Obviously, if the ark was to be publicly revealed and brought to the newly built Third Temple, the ark would be talked about, thought about, and visited. The return of the ark of the covenant to the Holy of Holies of a rebuilt Temple would signal for Israel the final ushering in of the Messianic era. Only time will reveal the true role of the ark of the covenant in the events that will surround the rise of the Antichrist and return of Jesus as Israel’s Messiah.

There are various researches done on Ark of Covenant. Yes Ethopian government pays for documentaries to be made for they huge revenue. However, remember, the ark could not be touched by any person, only Levites were allowed to touch the Ark. I believe that there are no Levites to this date in Ethopia.

[quote]Whenever the Tabernacle is to move, the Levites are to take it down...Anyone else who goes near it shall be put to death (Numbers 1:51)[/color]

In Christ

I am no scholar of the Bible but I have LITV Bible that is literal translation and it says

Woe to the land of whirring of wings, which is beyond the rivers of Ethiopia; (Isaiah 18:1)

I have seen documentary made by the Discovery channel and they showed the place where the Ark is placed and they aslo showed the breastplate that Aron wore and other worship items. I do not know whether it was fake or true but then I also watched a documentary made by the History Channel that showed some scientists and archaelogists lookig for the Ark in Jordan and they believed that it is in one of the mountains. They used ultra-sound 4D machine. There is so much information but I think that this mytery will be revealed by Jesus Himself.

Moreover, the Ark had Ten Commandments, so do we have in our Bibles and on our hearts.

God bless

The article in itself is very interesting but I do not have anything to comment on as I do not know the answer. But I will watch the topis as it grows in to a healthy discussion and teaching.

God bless you all

This article is put up to me as a challenge as the author of this article firmly believes that this article is very interesting and true. However, I do not want to remark on the author's expressions against me.

First of all, as it is believed that Ark of Covenant reached Ethopia because of Queen of Sheba. This is a false assumption as the Bible never claims it to be like that. Moreover, no Levite, or any Israelite went with Queen of Sheba to Ethopia as no Israelite liked her. They hated her because she kindled the wrath of God against Israel. Ethopia's claim to have the Ark of Covenant dates back to the visit of Queen of Sheba at the time of King Solomon.

However, there is no claim of any such event in the Biblical recorded history and this is what I will prove from the Bible that the Ark of Covenant was in the Temple in Jerusalem till 70 AD.

And King Solomon gave to the Queen of Sheba all her desire that she asked, besides that which she had brought to the king. And she returned to her land, she and her servants. (2 Chronicles 9:12)

Where it is written that she took Ark of Covenant with her? Neither the verse says that any Levite went with her as only Levites were authorized to handle the Ark. How come, that the woman who brought abomination on Israel and wrath of God on Israel took away the Ark with her? Or, if she did not take away the Ark herself then how come Ethopians who were the cause of destruction of Israel were allowed by God to be guards of the Ark? I firmly believe that God will never go against His own word.

Even in the reign of King Hezekiah who was long after King Solomon, said:

Hezekiah began to rule...He brought the priests and Levites...Listen to me, Levites. Perform the ceremonies to make the temple of the LORD God of your ancestors holy...The priests entered the LORD'S temple to make it clean. They carried into the courtyard every unclean thing that they found in the LORD'S temple. Then the Levites took the unclean items outside the city to the Kidron Brook.

Then they went to King Hezekiah. They said to him, "We have made all of the LORD'S temple clean. This includes the altar for burnt offerings, all its utensils, the table for the rows of bread and all its utensils, and all the utensils King Ahaz refused to use during his reign when he was unfaithful. We have restored them and made them holy. They are in front of the LORD'S altar." (2 Chronicles 29:1-19)

Ark of Covenant and all its utensils, breastplate and everything was with the Israelites at the time of King Hezekiah and nothing was missing. Therefore, the claim of Ethopians is false.

It remianed in the Temple till 70 AD as Bible says so. It was present in the Temple at the time of Jesus and we find Sanhedrin and High Priest in the Temple. If Ethopians had it then why did Gospel writers write about the Temple? What were scribes and Priests doing at the time of Jesus if there was no Ark of Covenant in the Temple?

As Jesus gave up His life on the cross Suddenly, the curtain in the temple was split in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks were split open. (Mathew 27:51)

If the Ark of Covenant was not present in the Temple, then why did they have the curtain inside the Temple?

Even at the time of Apostles, the Temple had the Ark of Covenant.

The next day,Paul took the men and went through the purification ceremony with them. Then he went into the temple courtyard to announce the time when the purification would be over and the sacrifice would be offered for each of them. When the seven days were almost over, the Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the temple courtyard. They stirred up the whole crowd and grabbed Paul. (ACTS 21:26-27)

Now here Paul goes through ceremonial cleansing, if there was no Ark in the Temple, then why Paul was doing this Jewish ritual of cleansing? After seven days, whom was Paul supposed to present himself before?

The answer is simple, Paul was to present himself before the High Priest and then High Priest would go in to the Temple and before the Ark he would give a wave offering. Read Old Testament for references. I do not have time to quote them.

In the end I would say with firm belief that Ethopians' claim to have Ark of Covenant is totally false and misleading. And surely, this article is not interesting but misleading readers. However, Lee and Anastasia, your answer is welcomed to my reply.

God bless you

Nice explanation and I would admit that I also thought that Ark was in Ethopia as I watched a documentary on History Channel. The host went to that small island that is claimed that where the Ark rests.

The Bible tells us a different picture and I looked up all the references in the Bible that you have mentioned and they make sense. Specially King Hezekiah ordering Levites to sanctify everything that belonged to the Temple. Ehtopia's claim in the light of this reference from the Bible (2 Chronicles 29:1-19) makes it false.

Thank you for sharing the truth here.

God bless

I was also wondering the same thing. At Jesus crucifixion Jews were too eager to get on with crucifixion of Jesus as they had to celebrate Passover. If the Temple did not have the Ark, then how could the Jews celebrate Passover?

In Christ