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What is the Ark of the Covenant?
Great question! Here's the answer:
The Ark of the Covenant was a special box God told the Israelites to make. It held the Ten Commandments and other important artifacts.
Before the Ark of the Covenant was created, God made the conditional Mosaic Covenant with Israel. If they were good and obeyed His commands, He would bless them for generations to come. If they disobeyed Him and did evil, God would punish them for generations to come. This covenant is different from the New Covenant we have in Jesus because it was based on Israel upholding their side of the bargain, which they often failed to do. The New Covenant is entirely based on Jesus and whether or not a person places faith in Him.
After God established the Mosaic Covenant with Israel, He ordered for the Ark of the Covenant to be built (Exodus 25, 37). There were skilled craftsmen working on the Ark of the Covenant. Exact measurements were given to the people to ensure the Ark of the Covenant was created just as God intended (Exodus 37:1–2). This shows us just how important the Ark of the Covenant was to God. As believers in the modern day, we need to be knowledgeable about the Ark of the Covenant, even though we do not presently know where it is.
Inside of the Ark of the Covenant was the testimony, which was the two tablets given to Moses by God, also known as the Ten Commandments (Exodus 25:16–21). A jar of manna and Aaron's staff were also inside the Ark of the Covenant. The manna was to remind the people of God's blessings and provisions, and the staff was to warn the Israelites of what would happen if there was a rebellion. The Ark of the Covenant has not been seen in a long time, but the last place we see it in the Bible is Revelation 11:19, where it is said to be in heaven.
Bible Truth
“Have them make an ark out of acacia wood. It must be a chest three feet nine inches long and two feet three inches wide and high. Cover it inside and outside with pure gold. Put a strip of gold around it. Make four gold rings for it. Join them to its four bottom corners. Put two rings on one side and two rings on the other. Then make poles out of acacia wood. Cover them with gold. Put the poles through the rings on the sides of the ark to carry it. The poles must remain in the rings of the ark. Do not remove them. I will give you the tablets of the covenant law. When I do, put them into the ark” (Exodus 25:10–16).
“Then God’s temple in heaven was opened. Inside it the wooden chest called the ark of his covenant could be seen. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm” (Revelation 11:19).
