WAS THE ARK DESTROYED? NOT LIKELY!
Whenever I get a conversation going about my Codes research, there’s almost always someone who comes up with an alternate theory. One such alternate idea is based around the belief that the Ark was destroyed.
Jerusalem was attacked on many occasions, but as Josiah ordered the Ark to be put back in the Ark to be put back in the Temple, we can be nearly certain that it existed during his reign, and was not melted down during an assault that preceded his rule. The man at the center of the Ark controversy is Jeremiah. The crucial verse in question is Jeremiah 3:16:
And it shall come to pass... 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 make mention of it; neither shall they miss it; neither shall it be made any more.
At first glance, Jeremiah’s words cast doubt on any attempt to recover the Ark. But he could not be describing any time that would be between his age and our own. Clearly, the Ark does come to mind among religious Jews and Christians. No mention of it? Just tell that to all the Indiana Jones fans! The Ark is obviously a source of great fascination and mystery for millions of people at the start of the 21st century. Whereas Jeremiah was a major prophet, we must look for deeper meaning to his words. For starters, we need to read the two verses that follow the problematic verse above:
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 stubbornness of their evil heart. In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. (Jeremiah 3:17-18)
Jeremiah was obviously describing a time that has not yet arrived. In fact, he seems to be describing the Messianic Age. For starters, Jerusalem is to be The throne of the LORD. As of today, it is still at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict.
What can Jeremiah mean about not missing the Ark? He must be referring to a time when the Ark’s purpose has been fulfilled. That purpose is to help restore the Temple. Only then can Jerusalem become the throne of the LORD. In that day all mankind will know God, and quite unlike today or any other period in the history of mankind, neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart. The Ark may well be unimportant in that new era, but until we reach such a time, the Ark remains of utmost importance. In fact, it is the essential key that will usher in the long-awaited Messianic Age.
While it is likely that Jeremiah hid the Ark far from the prying hands of Temple Mount trespassers that would scavenge the site throughout the many dark centuries to come, it is incumbent for us to at least briefly examine other theories about the Ark’s final disposition.
