Ark Of The Covenant - Alternative View

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Ark Of The Covenant - Alternative View
Ark Of The Covenant - Alternative View

Video: Ark Of The Covenant - Alternative View

Video: Ark Of The Covenant - Alternative View
Video: The Ark of the Covenant's True Purpose: Advanced Ancient Technology 2024, March
Anonim

The Ark of the Covenant is a great shrine, an object of religious worship, revered by representatives of Muslim, Jewish and Christian denominations. The Ark has many names, it is also called

The Ark of Power, the Ark of the God of Israel, the Ark of the Shrine, the Ark of the Most High and the Repository of Grace.

Creation of the Ark

When God gave instructions to build the Ark, talented craftsmen began to bring the idea to life. The ark was made of acacia wood, and the top was covered with pure gold. It was a box that was one and a half cubits wide and two and a half cubits long. A ring was attached to its four corners, and a gold rim stretched along the upper edge. Two poles were inserted into the rings, which were also made of acacia and covered with gold. With the help of these poles, the box could be carried, and they were always fixed in rings. The casket had a lid of the purest gold, on both sides of it sat two seraphim with faces facing each other and spread wings. The chosen ones from the Leviin family became the keepers of this sacred relic.

Inside the Ark were placed the Tablets of the Law, received by Moses from God, and the rod of Aaron, on which young shoots were breaking through, which testified to God's chosenness. Also inside were the mitres of Aaron and a container filled with manna, a special food that served as a source of strength for the Israelites as they crossed the wilderness (Heb. 9: 4).

The fate of the ark

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A century has passed, and the religious significance of the Ark is a thing of the past. When the Babylonians took over Jerusalem, the Ark of the Covenant was already a tradition (587 BC). There is speculation that the Ark could have been destroyed when the city was taken, but, according to the biblical records (Kings 4:25), the people of Babylon took it with them as a trophy.

There is another suggestion that the Israelites were given a warning about the imminent capture of Jerusalem, which helped them buy time and hide the Ark away from the eyes of the invaders. According to another version, the Ark of the Covenant found refuge on Mount Sinai in Egypt, where God first visited Moses and had a conversation with him.

According to the Talmud, the Ark of the Covenant was buried in Solomon's temple in a secret place, thanks to which it was saved. It is worth noting that later the temple in Jerusalem was rebuilt in the old place. Many things were taken from the temple and sent to Alexander the Great, but there was no Ark among these items.

There is a legend that says that the illegitimate son of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon, getting ready to go, discovered that the Ark had been kidnapped by Azariah, the son of the high priest. But believing that the Lord had ordered this way, the son of King Solomon saved the Ark of the Covenant and sent it to Axum, a city in Ethiopia. There, a guard of monks was assigned to the relic.

Another version contains data that before the Babylonian captivity large-scale migrations of the Jewish people took place, during which the Ark was transported to Ethiopia. After transportation, he was placed on an island in the middle of Lake Tana. Later on the territory of Ethiopia, the Christian religion spread everywhere. And in the 16th century, during the Muslim raids, which brought a lot of devastation and misfortune, temples were destroyed, one of which contained the Ark. After the end of the Muslim conquests, a cathedral was erected on the old foundation of destroyed temples, where, according to this legend, the Ark is still hidden.

There is also such a historical mention, according to which the Roman procurator Titus stated that he found a place in Jerusalem where the Ark of the Covenant was hidden and transported it outside Israel.

At the beginning of the 21st century, the statements of Henry Lincoln and Erling Haagensen saw the light, which said that the Ark and the Holy Grail were hidden in the waters of the Baltic, on the island of Bomholm.

Today, Abuna Paul, the head of the Orthodox Church in Ethiopia, has repeatedly stated that the Ark is kept in the temple of Mary of Zion. But there is one detail - the Ark of the Covenant has never been put forward for public viewing. Therefore, it remains only to speculate whether he is really in this temple or not.

The scriptures have their own points of view about the fate of the Ark of the Covenant. So, according to the book of the prophet Jeremiah, God clearly points to the times when the human race will multiply everywhere, and it is at these times that people will forget about the Ark, stop mentioning it and honor it (Jer. 3:16). In John the Evangelist, in the Book of Revelation, you can see a note about how at the end of the world the Ark of the Covenant will appear from heaven (Rev. 11:19). The Koran also mentions the appearance of the Ark at the end of days, a certain Mahdi will find it, who will become something like a messiah. It is thanks to him that peace and order will reign on Earth. According to some Quranic records, the location of the Ark of the Covenant is Lake Tiberias, according to other records, a place called Antakya, Mahdi will find the Ark in a cave. There is a possibility that some of the Jews, fleeing from the raids of the Romans,settled in Antakya, and the other part - in Qumran. And one of them could take the Ark of the Covenant with them.

There are many versions, but in reality, one can only guess where this holy relic found its place …

Extraordinary properties of the Ark

The first property of the Ark was that with the help of it one could communicate with God. According to the Bible, the Ark of the Covenant carries a power that inspires fear and awe in anyone who touches it. The Ark is a symbol of the divinity that guides and guides the Israelites.

Through the Ark, God can convey his messages to people. The Bible indicates that the words of his appeals to people can be read on the cloud, which is located between the seraphim sitting on the top of the box. This is how the Lord communicated with David, Solomon, Moses and others. So, for example, the sons of Israel before the battle with the sons of Benjamin communicated with God through the Ark of the Covenant and asked if they needed to accept the battle. To which the Lord commanded them to fight (Book of Judgment 20: 27-28). According to the Qur'an, the appearance of the Ark of the Covenant is interpreted as a symbol of Saul's chosenness of God. In the Ark, which the angels will bring, there will be prosperity and peace sent by the Lord.

The Ark of the Covenant served as a weapon that protected the Israelites from their enemies. This was the second unique property of the Ark. So, for example, Moses, during his wanderings in the wilderness, turned his gaze to the Ark and asked him for help and intercession (Num. 10: 33-36).

Later, this extraordinary feature of the Ark manifested itself again, acting as a kind of weapon, scaring away the enemies of the Lord and his people. During the time when the leader of the Jews was Joshua, the priests used the Ark of the Covenant to cross the Jordan River. They plunged him into the water, and the river parted, opening the way for the Jewish people. Enemies, seeing such a miracle, realized that they did not have the courage to fight such a force.

In the battle of Jericho, the Lord gave instructions to Joshua, after which for seven days the army of Nun went around the city, holding the Ark. And before the Ark followed the priests playing the trumpets. On the last day of their detour, the jubilee horn sounded, and, by order of Jesus, the entire Jewish army shouted at a certain moment, after which the city walls fell. This marked the end of the battle, marking the victory of the Jewish people (Joshua 6: 1-4).

Failures plagued the Israelites in their battles with the Philistines. Therefore, the Jews, in order to intimidate the enemy and gain victory, took the Ark with them to the battlefield. But this did not help the Israelites, the Philistines won again. Moreover, they took the Ark with them as a trophy, thinking that they had defeated the Lord himself. Later, the Ark changed many habitats: Azot, Gath, then Ascalon. But everywhere he carried with him curses that struck people, forming growths on their bodies.

The Philistines decided to send the Ark away to get rid of the curses. To do this, they equipped a wagon, put the Ark there and set it on the way. Thus, the great shrine found itself in Bethsamis. But the locals were so curious that they decided to look inside the Ark. For this, the Lord severely punished them: a huge number of people were killed in an instant (1 Samuel 6:19). In the same way God punished Uza, who touched the Ark: Uza died two steps away from it (2 Samuel 6: 6-7).

Finally, the Ark of the Covenant found its home in the Temple of Solomon, which was located in Jerusalem. Sometimes he was carried out from there to perform some kind of ceremony or to receive help in battle. Later, such actions were banned.

Until now, many people continue to search for the Ark of the Covenant, not fearing that they may be punished by the Lord for their excessive curiosity and killed, like thousands of people before them. Moreover, the Lord clearly made it clear that only his will is able to indicate the location of the Ark and its further movements (2 Samuel 15). But this does not stop people, they do not intend to abandon the search for the Ark …