Posted on 05/29/2005 1:28:15 PM PDT by wagglebee
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" is one of my all-time favorite movies, filled with mystery and adventure. It focuses on the search for a biblical artifact and treasure called The Ark of the Covenant. What makes the movie particularly exciting is how closely it mimics (with some added Hollywood flair) the real life hunt for the lost Ark.
History has it that the original Ark was where God manifested His presence on earth beginning in the days of Moses. The Ark was designed as a chest made of acacia wood overlaid with gold. It had four golden rings. Each one attached to a corner. These rings provided a means to carry the Ark by inserting two wooden bars (also overlaid with gold) on either side. Atop the Ark were two golden cherubim spreading their wings over the Ark's cover also known as the mercy seat.
The Ark itself contained the Ten Commandments and was housed in the innermost room of the Jewish Temple called the Holy of Holies. Here it was the center of worship, although actual access to the Ark was permitted only once a year on the Day of Atonement called Yom Kippur. On that day, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies with the blood of a goat to make atonement for the sins of the Israelites.
Other contents of the Ark included Aaron's rod and a golden pot of manna. Additionally, the Ark is renowned for its mysterious powers. According to the Bible, when the Ark was carried by the people of Israel into battle, it protected the Israelites, supernaturally defeating any adversaries that came before them.
This explains why in the movie "Raiders of the Lost Ark" the Nazis were intent on obtaining it. Their theory (as the story line goes) was that they would be unbeatable if they possessed the Ark and could harness its mysterious powers. Of course, as both the movie and history would have it, things didn't quite work out for the Nazis.
But what of the Ark?
It is believed to have disappeared with the destruction of the First Temple by King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon in 586 B.C. The exact whereabouts of the Ark have remained a mystery ever since.
One theory is that the Ark was taken from ancient Jerusalem by Prince Menelik of Ethiopia. Menelik was the son of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Menelik purportedly brought the Ark to his country for safekeeping where it currently remains housed in a church in Axum.
Another theory is that the Ark was hidden in a secret chamber housed beneath Jerusalem's Temple Mount. The alleged secret chamber was created by either King Solomon, who built the First Temple, or a subsequent king before the temple was plundered by Nebuchadnezzar.
One version of this theory suggests that in the early 12th century a group of nine Frenchmen known as the original Knights Templars excavated beneath the site of the old Temple of Jerusalem. They retrieved the true Ark of the Covenant and secreted it away.
A second more popular version suggests the Ark is still located in a vault somewhere in the miles of tunnels carved beneath the city of Jerusalem. It is believed the location of the Ark will be revealed when the time is right for the Jewish Temple to be built for the third time.
One famous adherent to this theory is Dr. Vendyl Jones. He is a modern-day explorer and teacher and the true inspiration for the Indiana Jones series. Startling the world, he announced last week on Israel National Radio that he actually knows the location of the Ark.
He says according to ancient documents the Ark is hidden in a secret passage that runs 18 miles south of the Temple Mount into the Judean Desert. Before dismissing his claim as a lark, it is worth noting that Jones published a book in 1959 predicting the precise outbreak of the Six Day War.
He calculated the war in 1967 by analyzing the sequence of events in the First Temple period and transposing them on the Third Temple period. The First Temple period began with its original construction in the days of King Solomon. The Third Temple period began according to Jones with the Jews founding an independent state in the land of Israel in 1948.
Now Jones is convinced that with the help of ancient documents found in Qumran, he has pinpointed the location of the Ark. And armed with the blessing of religious leaders, Jones hopes to reveal the location of the Ark by Aug. 14, which marks the Fast of Tisha B'Av. This holy day commemorates repeated tragedy in Jewish history including the destruction of both the First and the Second Holy Temples.
Jones' plan is simple. It is to drill a borehole into the chamber containing the Ark, drop a pin-camera in and reveal the historic treasure to a watching world.
If Jones is right, many predict this event will turn the world upside down. Jones says this will bring an end to the government's plan to uproot Jews of Gaza and northern Samaria. It also will bring the very idea of any Palestinian state to a screeching halt. In fact, Jones predicts quite the opposite will occur. With the discovery of the Ark, the Jewish people will have the greatest motivation of all time to return to Israel from around the world and rebuild the Temple to house this holy treasure.
Of course, whether Jones actually uncovers the Ark is not the sole issue. Equally compelling is proving once more through science that the Bible is more than just a collection of parables. Are you ready for this?
The Dome of the Rock will not be torn down to be replaced by the third temple. The ACLU will not allow it.
Besides, where will the priests come from to do the modern day sacrifices? He must be a member of the tribe of Levi. I doubt that any of the present-day Jews know which tribe they belong to.
The ark had already been removed from the temple and hidden by Gods direction. The ark and most of the other important temple items were not taken to Babylon.
Right now, I would say that Ron Wyat has the most likely discovery.
All the temple rites were 'types' or 'pictures' of what God had planed for the forgiveness of sin.
When on the day of atonement, the high priest splattered the blood of the sacifical lamb on the ark, it repersented Jesus as out high priest spilling His own on the Ark when He was crucified.
The lamb that was sacrificed had to be perfect in every way and spotless.
The high priest also had to be acceptable in Gods sight. It was not uncommon for a high priest to be struck dead when entering the 'holy of holies' or the part of the temple that the ark was located in. The high priest had a rope tied around his leg so that if he was struck dead, the other priests and temple workers could pull him out without being struck down themselves.
The 'picture' or 'type' represented by the temple worship was of a perfect sacrifice made by the high priest who alone was aceptable to God.
If a 'high priest' was unaceptable to God, he would lose his life simply by entering the 'holy of holies' or attempting to splatter the blood on the ark.
Finally someone who makes sense.
But...but..but...I saw it on a TV show - it has to be true!
Nope, the bible is saying that. Ifit's not actually there then I would say it's symbolic.
Rev 11:19 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.
If it's symbolic then it's saying that God's covenants, both the old and the new, are based on the eternal law expressed in the ten commandments.
"... touched the Ark and were immediately struck dead."
That happened because none of the people in the Old Testament were born again.
Another Al Capone treasury cache?
And how do we know this?
It may well be that if the Ark is discovered and in the hands of Israel, the "pesky little mosque" wonb't be a problem. (Can you say, "Funt!"?)
I went to one of their seminars. Very interesting. I don't know what to make of it all.
What does Canada have to do with anything?
Moonbat alert!!
"Besides, where will the priests come from to do the modern day sacrifices? He must be a member of the tribe of Levi. I doubt that any of the present-day Jews know which tribe they belong to."
My opinion: The Koran is a distortion and perverted version of the Bible. And .. it was not given by "Allah" in nightly talks - it was given by an "angel of light" (a demon) to Mohammed in a cave.
august 14th ping
>How is the Ark different than a golden calf?<
Uh...the instructions for building the Ark are IN THE BIBLE!.....yes, even the Protestent version.
ping
It's located in several bars of gold inside Fort Knox.
"This is for the Jew"
You are exactly correct. There are 3 groups on the earth today, the Jews, the heathen (or un-believers), and the church (believers).
The "church" has a new covenent with better promises. Only the Jews care about the Old Covenant which was in the Ark. As a believer, those laws have been writtn in my heart - not so for the Jews. They have a separate covenant with GOD. If people have a problem with it .. they need to ask GOD to explain it to them.
And .. they sewed little bells on the bottom of his clothing .. and when the bells stopped ringing, they knew to use the rope to pull the guy out of the temple - because he was dead.
"The most likely explanations for the fate of the Ark are that it was taken by one of the powers that invaded Israel, or it was hidden by the Temple priests."
I believe that if the Ark actually was what it is purported to be then whoever was charged with protecting it DID SO and it is still around somewhere.
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