Ark of Covenant found?
The Ark of Covenant, one of the Bibles greatest mysteries and known for its strange powers, is described in the Bible as a box about 3 feet by two feet made of acacia wood and plated in pure gold inside and out. There were 4 rings on the sides of the box into which gold covered poles were thread which allowed it to be carried by two priests on their shoulders without it being touched. The holiness of the Ark made it dangerous to those who came in contact with it.
Ontop the Arks lid, also made with pure gold, are two Cherubs with spread wings facing each other with Gods mercy seat between. Gods precence remained over the Ark in between the two Cherubs. The Ark was the manifestation of God’s Physical presence on the earth (the Shekhina). When God spoke, he did so from between the two cherubs.
Once per year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur) the high Priest entered into the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle where the Ark was placed, with the blood of a goat and sprinkled it onto the mercy seat to ask forgiveness on behalf of his own sins and the sins of the people of Israel. The Tabernacle was the portable Temple used in the desert and during the conquest of the land of Israel.
The ten Commandments written upon two tablets of stone, were placed inside by Moses. The Israelites carried the Ark of the Covenant during their wanderings for 40 years in the wilderness and during their battles and conquest of the promised Land. It brought them victory wherever it went and made them a great people.
The Bible tells of it inflicting tumours and severe burns, stopping rivers, blasting whole armies and laying waste cities. In the Book of Samuel, the Bible describes a period of seven months during which the Philistines were in possession of the Ark of the Covenant after they had defeated the Israelites in battle. During this time the Philistine people suffered the destruction of their Idol God they worshiped and plagues that went from city to city, wherever they moved the Ark. The plagues ceased when they decided to return the Ark to the Israelites and accompainied it with expensive gifts. It stayed for 20 years at Kiriath-Jearim until King David brought it to Jerusalem. Davids son, King Solomon placed it in the Holy of Holies of the First Temple that he built in Jerusalem.
The Queen of Sheba supposedly came to visit King Solomon and bore him a son named Menelik who was born in his mothers land and then returned as a man to Jerusalem to meet his father King Solomon. There are some who believe that the Ark went with Menelik when he returned home. In Axum, Ethiopia, it is believed that the Ark is being held in the Church of Saint Mary of Zion guarded by the “Keeper of the Ark” , a monk who claims to have it in his possession.
The First Temple was destroyed in 587BC by the Babylonians. It was not in the Second Temple which was built after the Jews returned from their exile in Babylon in 528BC. It is unlikely that the Babylonians took it because the detailed lists of what they took, make no mention of the Ark. At some point between the tenth and the sixth century BC this precious object went missing and vanished without even one comment in the Scriptures. The most precious of all the Biblical Treasures was gone - without a trace.
From this, some people assume it was destroyed, however others believe that it was removed and that Priests hid it. Many have tried to figure out whom might have secreted this sacred relic away and piece together where it is now. Treasure Hunters have been seeking it and books have been written about The Ark of Covenant and even a movie “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark” with Harrison Ford starring was made.
Some even say they know where it is but because of the political climate, that it is impossilbe to retrieve it at this time. The fate of the Ark of Covenant may remain the worlds’ most ancient unsolved mysteries of all time for the foreseeable future.
