Ark of the Covenant return to Bible Probe Ark of the Covenant found? where? how? With Christ's Most Precious Blood atop the Mercy Seat? Some think the Ark of the Covenant was the doorway to Heaven Imagined Replica Jewish Tradition - whereabouts of the Ark After all, we are living in the Last Days. The coming of the Messiah is not far off. And many Jews and Christians alike believe that before the Savior comes, the Temple must be rebuilt (Zechariah 1:16; 2Thess 2:4; Revelations 11:1). If this happens, the Temple’s sacred vessels — hidden since the destruction of the First and Second Temples — could also be restored. But where are these vessels? And where is the most sacred prize of all — the Ark of the Covenant? There were, in fact, two sets of sacred vessels used in the Biblical worship of God. The first were used in the Tabernacle, after God showed Moses how to make the Ark of the Covenant and other holy vessels. In about 1446 B.C. Moses instructed Bezalel (Bezaleel ben Uri) to build everything exactly as God commanded. Bezalel's name appropriately means, "In the Shadow of El (God), the Son of my Light". The original vessels disappeared when King Solomon made new, more ornate ones for the First Temple. These vessels were carried off to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar after he destroyed the First Temple in 586 BC, but were later restored to the Second Temple. But in 70 AD, the vessels were stolen by the Romans when Titus destroyed the Second Temple. This was documented on the Arch of Titus in Rome, which showed Roman soldiers carrying away the seven-branched candelabra and other Temple vessels. Some scholars believe that the Temple objects taken by the Romans lie in the catacombs of the Vatican. The Vatican denies they are holding any of these.As for the Ark of the Covenant, it disappeared before the destruction of the First Temple. It was hidden by priests who foresaw the coming desolation, and its mysterious whereabouts have been the source of myth and legend ever since. We know from 2 Chronicles 35:3 that King Josiah had the Ark put into Solomon's Temple in about 623 B.C. Previous to this the Ark was hidden because of turbulent times Israel had gone through; probably from around 950-623 B.C. 3 And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David king of Israel did build; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the LORD your God, and his people Israel, Is the Ark in Ethiopia, beneath Mt Moriah, in Ireland, melted by Ramses III, or in a Cave at/near Mt Nebo/Pisgah (Jordan)? Picture of Mt Nebo (aka: Mt Pisgah) in Jordan 2nd Picture from Mt Nebo (aka: Mt Pisgah) in Jordan Wouldn't it be amazing if the tomb of Moses is where the Ark really is; and both get found? Jeremiah just may have known where Moses was buried!For the Biblical answer to the whereabouts of the Ark we look at II Maccabees 2:4-8. Here we find that Jeremiah "being warned of God, commanded the tabernacle and the ark to go with him." He did not take it to Egypt. On the contrary, "went forth into the mountain, where Moses climbed up, and saw the heritage of God" (Mount Pisgah/Nebo). When Jeremiah reached the mountain, "he found an hollow cave, wherein he laid the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense, and so stopped the door" (II Maccabees 2:4-6). Here is solid documentary evidence of where the Ark was placed, possibly in about 605 B.C. Several of Jeremiah's followers returned to mark the site but could not find it, but 'when Jeremiah learned of this he reprimanded them. "it shall be unknown until the time that God gather his people again together, and receive them unto mercy. Then shall the Lord shew them these things, and the glory of the Lord shall appear, and the cloud also, as it was shewed under Moses". Mount Nebo is a prominent peak of the Abarim Range that parallels the eastern shore of the Dead Sea (Deut 32:49; 34:1). This line of mountains is also referred to as Pisgah (Deut 3:17, 27; 4:49; Josh 12:3; 13:20). Mount Nebo rises 2700 feet above sea level. The drop down to the Dead Sea at 1300 feet below sea level measures some 4,000 feet. Pisgah also refers to a particular peak associated with Mount Nebo (Deut 34:1). Here God's word says that the whereabouts of the Ark would be hidden until the Last Days. Through the word of God, through Jeremiah, we know that the Ark was not taken by him to Egypt...but was buried in a cave on the top of Mount Pisgah. This was the point from which the Lord showed Moses the Promised Land, saying to him, 'I have let you see it with your own eyes, but you shall not cross over into it' (Deuteronomy 34:4 NEB). Was the Ark moved from Mt Nebo back to the Temple Mount? Is it underneath the Temple Mount? According to ancient writings dating back to the First Temple period, King Solomon built a secret subterranean tunnel under a small wooden room in the Temple where the wood for the sacrificial fire was stored. The priests were instructed to hide the Ark of the Covenant there should Jerusalem come under siege. That may be why the Ark of the Covenant was not in the Temple when Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem. According to a theory circulating among scholars and archaeologists, the Ark of the Covenant and the sacred vessels of the Tabernacle may be hidden in a secret tunnel between the Temple Mount and Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Military aircraft with state-of-the-art sensors flew over this 12 square mile area and examined it with radiographic equipment. The examination revealed an anomaly — something is there that is not indigenous to the topography. Could it be the Ark and sacred vessels? God's special Shekinah glory dwelt on the Mercy Seat atop the Ark of the Covenant. According to the prophet Jeremiah (3:15-17) the Ark of the Covenant will play an important future role. The ark is said to have been built shortly after the Exodus occurred, therefore the craftsmen who were commissioned to build the Ark would have learned their craft in Egypt; with this in mind it is highly likely the conventions and imagery used to build the Ark would have been totally consistent with conventions used in Egyptian art on or before 1220 B.C. The Ark of the Covenant was made of acacia wood and covered outside and inside in pure gold. It was 45 inches 27 inches by 27 inches. Three sacred things were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant. Inside were Aaron's sacred rod, which was used to perform miracles in front of Pharoah; manna, which God gave the Israelites to eat in the wilderness; and, the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone. A golden box with the power to strike men dead; to the ancient Hebrews, the Ark was both a divine manifestation and a talisman so powerful that they carried it with them into battle — a weapon of God. It came to occupy the most revered spot in Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies at the Temple of Solomon. The true whereabouts of the ark of the Covenant remains a mystery! Six centuries before the birth of Christ — it mysteriously disappeared. Some suggest the Ark is hidden somewhere near the Dead Sea, on the Jordan's west bank. According to one tradition, Jeremiah was the last to see the Ark and hid it in Mount Nebo on the Jordan River's east bank (now Jordan). According to another tradition it was taken to Egypt for safekeeping during the reign of Josiah. But a great many Jewish scholars think it is in a secret vault below the Temple Mount. There are about 18 miles of tunnels leading from under the Temple Mount into the Judean hills. Those just may be where the ark actually was deposited for safe keeping. Or, alternatively - in Jordan - on Mount Pisgah/Nebo???... The Israeli Temple Institute, an Ultra-Orthodox organization dedicated to rebuilding the Jewish Temple, is reported to have said; "the Ark is under the temple mount and will be revealed at the proper time - when the temple is rebuilt". According to Scripture, the Messiah (Jesus) cannot come (2nd time) until the Temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem. The Temple would be unfinished without both the real Ark of the Covenant and ashes of the Red Heifer. And, the Lord will not come until Israel has a "spiritual awakening". Or, have the pagan Mason's captured the Ark of the Covenant? The earliest written copies of Masonic ritual state unequivocally that the ancient masons found the Ark of the Covenant hidden in a cave under the site of King Solomon's temple. The Knights Templar's quartered in the Al Aqsa mosque on Temple Mount. There are many stories told that the Templar's spent the first 10 years or so of their existence digging under Temple Mount. Reports it is in a Cave in northern Ethiopia The Ethiopian monarch is the oldest continuous monarchy in history. It began with the Queen of Sheba. She and King Solomon of Israel had a son who was Menelik the First of Ethiopia. The ancient Church of St. Mary of Zion is located in northern Ethiopia in Aksum. Aksum is the same city the Queen of Sheba is from. Deep below this church is a maze of underground passages. These tunnels have been protected by priestly guards of the ancient Ethiopian Jewish monarchy. Only the highest priests and the Emperor can enter deep within these tunnels. The secret Holy of Holies Room is located within the innermost rings. Ethiopians claim that the Ark of the Covenant has lain within this tunnel for thousands of years. Only one person--the Guardian of the Ark can enter into the actual Holy of Holies Room. Chosen at the age of seven, this Guardian guards over the Ark for the rest of his life--never seeing the light of day. Ethiopian history says that before it was moved to the tunnels beneath St. Mary's of Zion that it was housed in a tent for 800 years (4th century BC to 4th century AD) on the island of Tana Kirkos on Lake Tana in northern Ethiopia. This above Ethiopian whereabouts story was partly spread by Black Ethiopian Jews. Remember, these black Africans who practice an ancient form of Judaism, were airlifted by an Israeli military action team to freedom from political persecution in 1976. In the September, 1935 issue of the National Geographic magazine, an article appeared regarding interviews with different priests in various parts of Ethiopia. These priests consistently stated that when the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon in Jerusalem, she had a child by him called Menelik I. According to the priests author L. Roberts interviewed, Solomon educated the young boy in Jerusalem until he was nineteen years of age. The young man then returned to Ethiopia with a large group of Jews, taking with him the TRUE ARK OF THE COVENANT. As the story goes, King Solomon wanted to give Menelik a REPLICA of the Ark to take with him since the distance between Jerusalem and Ethiopia was such that Menelik would be prevented from ever again worshipping at the Temple. "However, Prince Menelik was concerned with the growing APOSTASY of Israel and the fact that his father, Solomon, was now allowing idols to be placed in the Temple to please his pagan wives. King Solomon gave the prince a going-away banquet and after the priests were filled with wine, Menelik and his loyal associates SWITCHED ARKS AND LEFT THE REPLICA in its place in the Holy of Holies." Some who have gained access to this Ethiopian vault report that the Ethiopians are guarding only an "altar stone". Then reports that the Israeli's had taken the Ark from Ethiopia to Israel began surfacing. Recently, reports from Jerusalem that Muslims are doing "digs" in the Temple Mount (for what?)(see Temple Mount Furor). When will the Israeli's stop them from digging up Mt Moriah? Stop....... Was the Ark carried to heaven? A Jewish tradition is that the Ark was miraculously transported to heaven when Nebuchadnezzar captured the temple. And that the ark will be restored when the Messiah comes. If you think this is odd, what does one make of Revelation 11:19? In 11:19 John is declaring the ark is in heaven. "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." Is this the ark that Moses had built? Or, is this another heavenly Ark? When Jesus returns will the Ark have any significance at all? The Ark of the covenant which had been the special manifestation of Jehovah will be forgotten, because Yeshua (Jesus) (Jehovah) the Messiah will fill the whole city of Jerusalem with His presence... Jeremiah 3:16-17 - 16 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. 17 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. Was all the above about the Ark in Ethiopian a ruse? Did Israeli Jews plant a copy of the Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia--and place a guard over it all these centuries? Or, was a copy planted under Golgotha? Was this all carried out to confuse & protect the real ARK by Solomon? Why couldn't the Crusaders find the "Holy Grail" right under their eyes and in a most prominent place? Has the real Ark been buried beneath Golgotha all these centuries? MORE AMAZING --did the Mercy Seat capture the blood of Christ as it spilled from the cross and seeped down through the rocks? The Jewish sage Maimonides, in an account called The Laws of God's Chosen House, gives this remarkable story: "When Solomon built the Temple, he was aware that it would ultimately be destroyed. He constructed a chamber in which the Ark could be entombed below the Temple in deep, maze-like vaults. King Josiah commanded that the Ark be entombed in the chamber built by Solomon, as it is said (2 Chronicles 35:3), 'And he said to the Levites who were enlightened above all of Israel, Place the Holy Ark in the chamber built by Solomon, the son of David, King of Israel. You will no longer carry it on your shoulders. Now, serve the Lord, your God.' When it was entombed, Aaron's staff, the vital manna, and the oil used for anointing were entombed with it. All these sacred articles DID NOT return to the Second Temple." (Hilchos Bais HaBechinah). Also Note: Ancient Irish tradition says that the prophet Jeremiah arrived in Ireland (583-585 B.C.) with the Hebrew Princess Tea-Tephi (daughter of Zedekiah) and some remarkable things, including a harp, AN ARK, and a wonderful stone called "Lia-Fail," or the "Stone of Destiny." STOP-WHOOOO! Was Ramses III "Shishak"?? Bible Scholar Mike Sanders thinks so...... Bible Probe thinks Mike's answer is the most plausible! 1 Kings 14 Read This Chapter 14:25 In the fifth year of King Rehoboam's reign, King Shishak of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem. 14:26 He ransacked the Temple of the LORD and the royal palace and stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. 2 Chronicles 12 Read This Chapter 12:2 Because they were unfaithful to the LORD, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem in the fifth year of King Rehoboam's reign. 12:3 He came with twelve hundred chariots, sixty thousand horsemen, and a countless army of foot soldiers, including Libyans, Sukkites, and Ethiopians. 12:4 Shishak conquered Judah's fortified cities and then advanced to attack Jerusalem. 12:5 The prophet Shemaiah then met with Rehoboam and Judah's leaders, who had all fled to Jerusalem because of Shishak. Shemaiah told them, "This is what the LORD says: You have abandoned me, so I am abandoning you to Shishak." 12:6 The king and the leaders of Israel humbled themselves and said, "The LORD is right in doing this to us!" 12:7 When the LORD saw their change of heart, he gave this message to Shemaiah: "Since the people have humbled themselves, I will not completely destroy them and will soon give them some relief. I will not use Shishak to pour out my anger on Jerusalem. 12:8 But they will become his subjects, so that they can learn how much better it is to serve me than to serve earthly rulers." 12:9 So King Shishak of Egypt came to Jerusalem and took away all the treasures of the Temple of the LORD and of the royal palace, including all of Solomon's gold shields. Mike Sanders, who runs "BibleMysteries.com" is a biblical scholar, researcher, and investigator of the first order. Mike looks to the Bible for the tough questions and he jusy may be onto something here. Just perhaps the Ancient Jews knew Ramses III, the Pharoah of Egypt as "Shishak" who was mentioned above as the king who attacked Judah and went off with all its treasures. Mike has traced "Shishak" down all over the middle east and has created an exciting VHS video where you can watch him stand in front of a stone relief depicting Ramses III carrying off treasures from Judah (showing a golden "box" on two golden poles). Mike went even further and found an ancient building which Shikshak (Ramses III) could have built as a Temple to honor his god(s) for his defeat of the Jews. This building is in the West Bank town of Djahiriya. Now, just what if something is buried under the cornerstone there. See how far Mike was allowed to go. His other video where he travels to the bottom of the Dead Sea looking for Sodom and Gomorrah is also an eye opener. Both reasonably priced VHS videos are of the very best quality, and a must if you are interested in Bible Archeology. You can buy Mike's above documentary videos here "STORY" SHIFTS TO GOLGOTHA in JERUSALEM Enter gifted Middle East Explorer Ron Wyatt, and his sons exploring caves in Mount Moria (under Golgotha - Gordon's Calvary) in 1982.... SEE BELOW & MORE AT: WYATT ARCEOLOGICAL RESEARCH CENTER In a telephone "death bed" interview just before Ron Wyatt died, Ron Wyatt said he was able to physically locate the Ark of the Covenant, the container for the original tablets of the Ten Commandments, with the Mercy Seat intact on the top. It was found in a chamber just outside the walls of ancient Jerusalem about 20 feet below what Wyatt also claimed was the actual site of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Wyatt said he found an earthquake crack directly below where the cross would have been. It extends down through the rock to the resting place of the Mercy Seat atop the Ark of the Covenant, he told WorldNetDaily. The blood of Christ would have flowed through that crack after his death and after his side was pierced by a soldier's spear. The site of the crucifixion appears to have evidence that it was once enclosed in a first century building, apparently a church. The site includes a large round stone which perfectly fits the Garden Tomb -- accepted by many as the place from which the body of Christ rose from the dead. The Bible teaches the concept of sacrifice of animals, symbolic of the actual blood sacrifice Christ would make. The act of Christ, regarded by some as the great High Priest, permitting himself to be sacrificed and placing his own blood upon the Mercy Seat was the great and final act in the process of blood sacrifice, according to the writings of Wyatt. Reference: WND As 1981 came to an end, Ron Wyatt and the boys returned to Jerusalem. Even though it is cold the… truncated (17,364 more characters in archive)