Exclusive: Real Indiana Jones Locates Lost Ark

Dr. Vendyl Jones, the inspiration for the “Indiana Jones” series, told Israel National Radio that he is sure he will uncover the hidden Ark of the Covenant before the Fast of Tisha B’Av this summer.

The explorer and teacher, who published a book in 1959 predicting the Six Day War based on his analysis of the Jewish Exodus from Egypt up until the First Temple Period, says that employing the same biblical analysis to modern times points to major events that will “turn the world right side up” this coming June.

Dr. Jones left his post as a Christian pastor to become a leader of the growing Noahide movement. Noahides are non-Jews who observe the seven laws of Noah, which are obligatory upon all of humanity.

The famed archaeologist has spent most of his life searching for the Ark of the Covenant, which housed the Ten Commandments, and was hidden just before the destruction of the First Temple – where the Ark, it resided in the Holy of Holies part of the Temple..

The man who wrote the first draft of what became the blockbuster movie “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” Randolph Fillmore, was one of the volunteers who worked with Jones in 1977. “I agreed to help him write the movie as long as, number one – he wouldn’t set it here (In Israel) – some people believe the ark is in Ethiopia or Egypt, some believe its in Constantinople or Rome - I just didn’t want it to be portrayed as being here. The second thing was – don’t use my name. So he didn’t. My name is Vendyl – V E N D Y L – so he just dropped the first and last letters and it ended up Endy Jones.”

Although at the time of the film, Jones was far from pinpointing the location of the Ark, he has come a long way since then. With the help of an ancient document known as the “Copper Scroll,” - found in Qumran together with the Dead Sea Scrolls - Dr. Jones has pinpointed the location of the Ark of the Covenant.

“In the copper scroll, the first five lines say, “In the desolations of the Valley of Achur, in the opening under the ascent, which is a mountain facing eastward, covered by forty placed boulders – here is a tabernacle and all the golden fixtures.”

This is what we have been looking for all these years and I’ve walked over those boulders thousands of times without really stepping back and looking – realizing ‘hey, those boulders have been brought in here, they’ve been placed in here, they didn’t come off a mountain. And they’re huge.’”

The Talmud says the Ark is hidden in a secret passage under the Temple Mount. Jones says that in fact, the Ark was brought through a secret passage beneath the mount – but that that same natural tunnel continues 18 miles into the Judean Desert to the Valley of Achur.

“My son and I went an hour and 20 minutes into the tunnel,” Jones recounts. “There were so many branches and we didn’t have anything to mark the route, so I said, ‘we better get out of here and come back with a roll of string.’ Then I made the mistake of asking permission to do it. That was before I learned that Israel is a lot like heaven - it is a lot easier to get forgiveness than it is permission.”

The opening to the tunnel is 50 meters north of the Old City’s Damascus Gate. When Dr. Jones noticed Arabs using the tunnels to store arms he notified the army, who promptly sealed it up completely.

Dr. Jones divides his time between Texas and Israel and has been here since March 9th, ready to finally reveal the Ark but waiting for permission from a mysterious Kabbalist and for funding to come through as well.

Jones’s daughter Sarah converted to Judaism and lives in the Shomron town of Maaleh Levona. She has been in touch with a great unnamed Kabbalist from whom she requested a blessing on behalf of her father to merit finding the ark. Last month, the rabbi, who only communicates via messenger, told Jones that the time was not yet right to discover the Temple vessels.

Last Thursday, Dr. Jones received a communication from the rabbi. “The time is right,” read the message.

Noahide guru Jones, who predicted the outbreak of the Six Day War, says that the State of Israel is merely passing through the same biblical straights of the generation that entered Israel for the first time. “If history repeats itself, the history itself is prophecy, Jones says. “Israel is different from all other nations in a lot of ways, but more than anything else, Israel is the only nation whose history was written before it happened.”

He calculated the occurrence of the 1967 war by taking the sequence of events in the First Temple Period and transposing them onto “the Third Temple Period” – which is what he referred to the Jews’ founding of a State in the Land of Israel as. “It fits just like tongue in groove,” he says. “So from 20 years old and upward, all that are able to go, went to war in Israel. Well ’67 was the 20th year.”

“Two years at Mt. Sinai and then the Jewish people went to Kadesh Barnea,” he says, transposing the Jewish people’s first entry into Israel via the Jericho region and the re-entry to those areas in 1967. “Then they sent in those spies who gave the evil report, and because they believed the evil report, they were sentenced to wander for 38 years before they could come into Gilgal.”

“1967 was a repetition of Kadesh Barnea,” Jones says. “If Israel had come in and taken this place, the Arabs would have fled like they did in 1948. But no, because of the evil report of Golda Meir and Motta Gur and Moshe Dayan, who said ‘We can not do that – world opinion will be against us’ – so Israel was sentenced to 38 years more – and June the 7th, Jerusalem Day, will be the 38th year.

“Chapter One in Isaiah,” Jones, who has a photographic memory, quotes. “How has the holy city become a harlot? Righteousness filled the street but now murderers. The ruler is a friend of thieves and the ministers desire bribes.”

“The prophet wasn’t talking about his day – he was talking about now. ‘Therefore, says the L-rd, I will restore them to their beginnings. I will set judges up as at the first, and counselors as in the beginning.’

Dr. Jones dismisses the current Israeli governments plan to uproot the Jews of Gaza and northern Samaria from their homes, saying “there will not be any disengagement, nor will there be any Palestinian State.”

According to Jones, The Sharon government will soon be history and the Sanhedrin (the Jewish High Court of 71 judges) will take its place and lead the Jewish people. “The Sanhedrin was established October the 13th of last year. Now all we have to do is have an election to elect counselors. The Sanhedrin is like a Senate and the elected counselors are like a House of Representatives.”

Dr. Jones says the discovery of the lost ark will “flip the whole world right side up.”

“I just gotta drill a bore-hole into the chamber, drop a pin-camera in and there it is. And everything is gonna change, believe me. The Jewish people are gonna come back.”

Vol. 9, No. 8, 1992
http://www.watchman.org/reltop/filmdig.htm
Film Claims Disputed; Dig Shut Down: Vendyl Jones' Claims Challenged
by James Walker

The amateur archeologist and theologian Vendyl Jones is back in the news creating controversy with his unusual claims, bizarre brand of archeology, and unorthodox doctrines.

Vendyl continues to repeat unsubstantiated claims that he is the real Indiana Jones a fictional character popularized in Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark and two other highly successful action films produced by George Lucas and Steven Spielbeg (for a critique of Jones' claims see Watchman Expositor Vol. 8, no 7).

In a recent eight-page feature story, Texas Monthly writer, Mark Seal, repeated Vendyl Jones claim that Indiana Jones, "was inspired not by some chiseled archaeological legend but by [Vendyl Jones] a jug-eared, pot bellied amateur" (August 1992, p. 115).

Jones explained to Seal that when the first and last letter are removed from Vendyl, the result is endy which is like Indy, the nick-name of Indiana Jones.

Vendyl Jones, head of the Arlington, Texas based Institute of Judaic-Christian Research (IJCR) and leader of the B'nai Noach (Noahides or Sons of Noah) movement, has gained the attention of the national press (New York Times, National Geographic, Omni, and CNN) with stories of his numerous archeological digs in Israel searching for the biblical ashes of the red heifer (Numbers 19:2).

Jones, a former Baptist preacher, believes these missing ashes are the key to prophecy. He predicts that once he finds the ashes, "God will return to earth in a tongue of fire. The tented temple will be restored in a blaze of transcendent glory. Jews from all nations will return to Israel. And peace will come to the Middle East" (Ibid).

In the article, entitled, "Masquerader of the Lost Ark," Seal discovered that Jones' archeology is an outgrowth of his unusual theology.

Jones teaches a doctrine known as dual covenant. He believes that Jesus Christ is not the Savior of Jews but is only Savior of the gentiles. Jones even claims it is sinful to share Christ with a Jew.

Jones called traditional New Testament theology, "the greatest hoax of mankind" explaining that he was driven to archaeology by, "his belief that the New Testament was a fraud" (Texas Monthly p. 140). Jones often speaks to Christian groups and his digs may be financed in part from Christians who are not aware of his true goals.

He hopes his archeological discoveries will, "nullify the religions that replaced Judaism [Christianity] ¾ and would vindicate his own embattled philosophies." Jones is directly quoted as saying, "If I could find these things, the supremacy of Judaism would be proven" (Ibid p.141).

Texas Monthly also quoted recognized New Testament scholar and theologian, Bruce Metzger, who commented on Jones' theory. Metzger was "aghast" saying, "Any biblical scholar, even any Jewish scholar, would say that's a bunch of hogwash" (Ibid p. 140).

Jones often finds himself in opposition to recognized scholars.

In May, the Jerusalem Post reported that Jones' "unprofessional" dig in the Israeli desert at Qumran was banned by Jewish authorities saying:

"The Antiquities Authority last week banned a Texas Bible scholar and self-styled archeologist from pursuing a dig near the site of the Dead Sea Scrolls, arguing he lacks credentials.

"`This isn't something personal,' said Orna Hess, a spokeswoman for the authority. The main problem is we never give a license to someone who isn't an archeologist" (Jerusalem Post International Edition 30 May 1992, p. 24).

Other scholars are even less supportive of Jones' claims concerning the ashes of the red heifer.

Jacob Neusner, author of two books on the ashes of the red heifer called Jones' theories, "a wonderful, romantic idea and absolutely crackpot" (Texas Monthly p. 162).

Jones countered by describing scholars critical of his theories with an expletive: "those **** out there who don't know anything about anything" mockingly naming his many critics "Dr Smellfungus and Dr. Picklesheimer" (Ibid).

Debunkers of Jones' claims may include George Lucas and Steven Speilberg creators of the Indiana Jones series.

Texas Monthly reported that "Lucas and Spielberg say they've never heard of Vendyl Jones" adding that a representative from LucasFilms, Lynne Hale, stated that George Lucas wrote the original story in 1973, which predates Vendyl Jones' claims by four years (Ibid pp. 117, 143).

What was the real inspiration for the name Indiana Jones? Texas Monthly stated that Vendyl Jones still held to his version of the tale when shown a recent TV Guide story desputing his claims.

In the article Lucas explained that the character's name, Indiana Jones, came from Lucas's dog, Indiana, which was with him as he wrote the story (Ibid).

Really? I thought Indiana Jones was based on Howard Carter. And he's the reason the "Ark" in the movie wasn't in Israel?

Dr. Jones is a little eccentric in some of his views (I believe he's a Theistic evolutionist who believes in the "gap theory;" he opposes all efforts to breed a red heifer; and from what I understand he believes the "real" Jewish calendar is not the one we have now but a solar "Jubilee calendar"), but who isn't? Especially with a movement as small as ours!

Oh, and he smokes a pipe. We can't have that!

But whatever his personal eccentricities, he has long been dedicated to `Am Yisra'el and the Holy Torah, and I would not be at all surprised if he doesn't have the zekhut to be the one to finally find the true 'Aron HaBerit (Ark of the Covenant). And the sooner the better!

Who knows? Maybe one day people like Dr. Jones and other dedicated Biblical Fundamentalists will get their rightful recognition as Israel's true friends--a recognition given far too often to radical liberal theologians like John Shelby Spong, who hates the TaNa"KH, but who rejects the concept of Objective Universal Truth and is therefore "tolerant" (of everyone who doesn't disagree with him!).

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