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Posted on 07/19/2011 8:17:00 PM PDT by Ari Bussel
The Ark Restored Unto Israel By Norma Zager
“And Moses wrote this law, and delivered it unto the priests, sons of Levi, carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and unto all the elders of Israel.” Deuteronomy 31:9
I’m going out on a limb here. There is a great deal of chatter about giving Jerusalem to the Palestinians to appease the world. Everyone has an opinion, one way or another, and most are political, some ideological, many religious.
Netanyahu and sensible people agree returning to the old borders would mean certain destruction for Israel. Why? Indefensible, they say. They are right I believe. But not for the reasons you may think.
There seems to be one point though that I have failed to hear mentioned by anyone at all. Thus I shall take it upon myself to be the one who actually proposes the theory aloud.
It will be a bit far out there to some, but I believe worth a mention all the same, so by virtue of poetic license I thus proceed.
There has been a consistent search for the Ark of the Covenant since the destruction of Solomon’s Temple by King Nebuchadnezzar. The Ark, that has been one of the most popular focuses of religious mysticism of all time with the exception of the Holy Grail, possesses quite a history.
The Ark of the Covenant isn’t a myth. It is an actual Jewish relic that was ordered by God with specific instructions for its structure and materials.
Only when the Jewish people lost their faith did the Ark fail to protect them in battle. When taken from Shiloh to a battle against the Philistines, the Israelites lost. 30,000 died and the Ark of the Covenant was taken by the Philistines. 98 year old Eli who judged the Israelites for 40 years fell back when he heard the news and broke his neck.
It was said that “honor was exiled from Israel for the Ark of the Covenant was taken.” (Samuel I 4:22) For the seven months the Ark of the Covenant was held by the Philistines, it brought destruction and death to them wherever it was placed. City after city fell to the plague until they returned it to the Israelites.
As long as the Jewish people carried the Ark and worshipped God alone of all the gods, with all their heart, they were invincible. Miracles are attributed to its presence. The parting of the Jordan River to allow the Jews to enter Israel, the fall of Jericho and numerous other victories ascribed to its powers.
Why this fascination with an ancient relic?
Why is it necessary to even mention something that may be a myth? A fairy tale that little Jewish children heard at bedtime to lull them into sleep.
Indiana Jones wasn’t the first to search for the Ark of the Covenant. There has been, and still is, a constant collection of archeologists and religious historians who remain fixated on discovering the whereabouts of this famous Jewish religious object. Why? What difference can it make now?
Obviously the Ark’s powers are gone and no longer serve any purpose to the Jewish people. Or have they?
Most agree that if the Ark is in the hands of anyone but those who are allowed into its presence, or if it is misused in any way, only destruction can ensue. Stories of its deadly flames are described throughout in great detail.
The Ark was a cruel taskmaster and dealt harshly with those who attempted to misuse its powers.
So if it’s in the hands of Israel’s enemies today, how does that affect the Jewish people? How does that influence Israel? What possible difference could it make?
There are numerous accounts of where it was hidden.
One theory claims King Josiah dug a hole under the Temple Mount and placed it inside.
One says Solomon hid it in a cave near the Dead Sea.
Some say it is in a church in Ethiopia.
It seems there have been more sightings of the Ark than of Elvis. So is it just a legend? Only a great story that captivates generations fascinated with mysticism and myth? Or an argument for religious scholars to chew on into eternity? I am not so certain it is any of those things.
I believe the Ark is still far more powerful than one imagines. Far more important to the Jewish people than they accept, and may even be the answer to why Israel cannot possibly give away any of Jerusalem without facing certain destruction.
If one believes that God gave Moses the Ten Commandments for humanity, and it seems the world has accepted this event without much controversy, then he must also accept that God ordered the Ark built as the vessel that carried the laws.
The entire purpose of the Ten Commandments was for men to learn to live correctly on earth. Without law there is chaos. God knows this. Man knows this. No rational human being can doubt the veracity of this statement.
Thus the laws came in a holy vessel, the Ark.
God’s word would, after all, require a sacred place in which to reside. The Lord himself specified rigid guidelines for its construction. The Bible says the Ark possessed God’s voice, His holy presence among us here on earth.
The responsibility for the laws and their container was given to the Jewish people.
And as the saying goes, “To those whom much is given, much is expected in return.”
God gave the Jewish people a great deal. We were the lawgivers; our people excel in creating medicine, science and advancements for the betterment of mankind.
Jews are resented and maligned for these achievements and not in any way appreciated, but they have never asked for any gratitude nor should we expect it.
It is what the Lord intended for us.
The Ark—God’s work—is our responsibility. What price would the Jewish people pay were they to allow it to be removed from their grasp?
I think we may have already seen the penalty on numerous occasions.
Even the most liberal anti-Zionist Jews among us are stopped mid sentence when asked, “If Israel had been a powerful country in 1938 would six million Jews have died?”
Most have to admit, probably not.
What happened when the Jewish people recovered Israel?
The war against the Arab world in 1967 was a miracle and there is no way Israel should have won that war. Yet it did, handily. Was it sheer military might? Or divine intervention?
Depends on how religious one is I suppose.
If it was a miracle, then it would give credence to the theory the Ark is under the Temple Mount and its return would signal the restoration of power to the Jewish people.
Israel’s enemies launch hundreds of rockets monthly yet few hit their mark. Why? Shouldn’t the law of averages apply? Strange. Maybe some unknown force protects Israel.
Perhaps giving away the Temple Mount would be giving Samson another haircut.
But is it the Ark itself that holds the key to the Jewish people’s connection with God? Or is it merely the symbolic earthly presence that reminds us of our commitment and obligation to follow God’s instructions and tenets faithfully as a people?
Would the loss of the Ark truly be the loss of the divine connection once shared by a people and their Lord? With so many Jewish people turning their backs on Jerusalem and Israel perhaps that connection is already broken. The question the Jewish people must ask themselves is whether the Ark can be restored. And does the true restoration lie in their return to faith.
Turning away from God’s presence has proven to have dire consequences throughout time for our people.
Can the Jewish people afford to gamble with Iran busily creating bombs to destroy Israel and the Judeo-Christian world?
I believe the Ark is still a force to be reckoned with. The Jewish people must take a long hard look at what they would be giving away in any land deal.
If we believed once that the Ark made us an invincible army, why should we as a people stop believing now? Now, when it is most important to the future of not just Israel, but the entire world.
Perhaps this is just another responsibility God has given to the Jewish people. The Ark is the representation of God’s good will toward the Jewish people and their bond with Him.
Protect the Ark and allow it to exert its power. As long as Israel possesses the Ark, the world is safe and all God’s enemies will be destroyed.
Relinquish control over the Temple Mount, and we may once again lose the Ark and God’s faith in our bond.
I am unwilling to take such a risk. Are you?
###
The series “Postcards from America—Postcards from Israel” by Ari Bussel and Norma Zager is a compilation of articles capturing the essence of life in America and Israel during the first two decades of the 21st Century.
The writers invite readers to view and experience an Israel and her politics through their eyes, Israel visitors rarely discover.
This point—and often—counter-point presentation is sprinkled with humor and sadness and attempts to tackle serious and relevant issues of the day. The series began in 2008, appears both in print in the USA and on numerous websites and is followed regularly by readership from around the world.
© “Postcards from America — Postcards from Israel,” July, 2011 Contact: bussel@me.com
First Published July 15, 2011
May God Bless Israel.
May God Bless these United States.
May God Bless Texas.
[snip] As long as the Jewish people carried the Ark and worshipped God alone of all the gods, with all their heart, they were invincible. Miracles are attributed to its presence. The parting of the Jordan River to allow the Jews to enter Israel, the fall of Jericho and numerous other victories ascribed to its powers. [/snip]Quibble -- the Parting of the Red Sea took place before the Ark of the Covenant had been constructed to hold the tablets of the Law.
There's an old joke about a prizefighter in the ring. He's getting his brains beat out. And his mother's in the audience, and she's watching him getting beaten up. There's a priest next to her and she says, 'Father, pray for him.' And the priest says, 'I will pray for him, but if he could punch, it would help.'
Oh, oops, never mind. :’(
The Jews were to protect that throne until the return of the king, and in the mean time, obey the laws that were left in it for them (the 10 Commandments).
To the extent that they failed that trust, they've fallen. To the extent they've honored it, they've been protected. And anyone who's tried to seize that power for themselves has been, or will be, destroyed.
This story is repeated around the world. In India, it's the story of the cycle of the four yugas - the cycle of world ages. The Greeks taught of the Ages of Man. Etc.
"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap." - Galatians 6:7
The very reference in Samuel that you refered to tells the whole story: The Ark is NOTHING for God’s people when they are not in relationship with Him, and only using it as an object for their own selfish intents, and it has become an object of superstition rather than true faith.
God planned and ordered the building of the Temple. But He was the One who planned and executed its destruction when it too had become an object of superstition (”The Temple! The TEmple! The TEmple!”).
God will not allow objects to replace Him.
I personally believe the Ark will NOT be revealed until the Jews return to their God, and maybe not at all. Why? The Ark symbolized God’s very presence. His presence is now in His Son, the Lord Jesus, Yeshua. The Ark has been superceded once and for all by His Son. The Ark was a foreshadowing of Christ. Since Christ has come, and is now exalted at the right hand of the Father, how can His presence return to a thing?
Things ALWAYS end up being used by fallen, sinful, selfish man for his own ends, at which God disassociates Himself with them.
Of course, this is the way I see it, “tho through a glass darkly.....”
Just a thought...
During the Yom Kippur War. Moshe Dayan was reported to have said (upon hearing of the battlefield success of Syria and Egypt) “The Third Temple Is Falling”.
I have, on a few occasions, heard other Israelis refer to Israel itself as “The Third Temple”. Now whether this is just phraseology or a belief that there’s no need for a Third Temple, it makes me wonder how many Israelis are really committed to rebuilding a Third Temple.
What do you think?
We were recently looking into the history of when and why the dome was built over the last temple. It brought to light for me the irony over all the protests over the building of a mosque at the 9/11 sight, yet there is one built over what is known as the Holy of Holies.
Quibble —Of course, the Parting of the Red Sea took place before the Ark of the Covenant had been constructed to hold the tablets of the Law. However the parting of the River Jordan is a separate event.
Quibble —Of course, the Parting of the Red Sea took place before the Ark of the Covenant had been constructed to hold the tablets of the Law. However the parting of the River Jordan is a separate event.
Quibble back— the parting of the Red Sea and the parting of the Jordan River are two events widely separated in time and space, one before the Tablets or the Ark, and one after both.
GMTA.
If the Prophets of the Bible say it’s going to be there, you can bet your last dollar it’s going to be there. I surely don’t know when they are going to lay the foundation stone, though. But I do believe they have one ready, as well as all of the Temple Istruments and priestly garments...
The Ark was not and is not just a “power tool”.
It was where priests of the temple sprinkled sacrificial blood on the mercy seat to cover the sins of the people.
The Ark has already been recovered.
They found it deep in the ground directly under the cross that Jesus was crucified on.
When Jesus breathed His last breath, the earth beneath Him split. This allowed the spilled blood of Jesus to make it’s way directly to the Ark, making direct physical contact with the mercy seat.
Dried blood that was recovered from the ark at it’s finding was analyzed and found to be human with one slight exception... it contained only 24 chromosomes... instead of the 48 that every other human on earth possesses.
You may ask... well? where’s the proof?... and I would only have videos I’ve seen on the internet to offer.
But the best evidence I can think of is knowing how accurate scriptural prophesies have proven to be over the ages, and knowing what the mercy seat of the Ark was for... and of course knowing how God operates to once again prove
to us in this day and age who He is and what He has done for us.
Yeah... They’ve already recovered the Ark.
It’s just not quite time yet for that fact to become well known... so it’s ok to be skeptical.
I'm sorry, but no, this is a fallacy on many, many levels
The case of what happened in WWII is "never again" -- Israel's problem right now are the Moslem Arabs bordering it -- a different kettle of fish.
Of course it is -- in an ideal world Israel should have not only the temple mount but all of Jerusalem.
As a Christian I see only the Jewish state as allowing Christians to freely worship at our holiest sites (being selfish here).
The Dome of the Rock should be moved - but we know what that means -- utter war.
Iran won't be able to do that -- it's already facing internal pressures. The real dangers are Pakistan-Saudi Arabia
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