The Ark of the Covenant Uncovered

I have digressed for a moment on the Ark of the Covenant and the Ten Commandments because you need to understand that the display of the Ark of the Covenant during the seventh trumpet will be an astonishing event that is accompanied with Heavenly glory, violence, and commotion. The five phenomena that occurred at the beginning of the Great tribulation will be repeated when the Ark of the Covenant is displayed.  Here are three reasons why God will display the Ark of the Covenant:

1.      When the saints are sealed and all the wicked are tattooed, the contest between Christ and Satan for souls will end. Jesus will then display His covenant that the righteous embraced through faith (they accepted the covenant without seeing the covenant). The wicked will also the covenant they despised. Because the contest for souls has ended, God’s law can be physically revealed to the world. Faith has become fact. Once the Ten Commandments are written in the hearts and minds of the saints (Hebrews 8:10-13), there will be no risk that God’s people will be tempted to worship the law instead of the Lawgiver!

2.      The Ark of the Covenant will be shown from Heaven’s temple so that everyone can see (a) the reality of Jesus as Almighty God whose temple is not on this footstool called Earth, but in Heaven itself, (b) that God’s law is the highest law – it overrules any law made by man, and (c) that mankind lives under the rule of law. It is foolish for men and women to think that they are above God’s law. No one is exempt from the obligations imposed on man by our Creator. Babylon’s clergy will be left speechless when they view the law they refused to recognize and obey. I imagine they will be just as dumbfounded as those who crucified Christ when they are resurrected at the Second Coming. 

3.      The Ark of the Covenant will be displayed at the seventh trumpet to encourage the saints. I am guessing, but I believe about 1 billion saints will be alive at the seventh trumpet. This awesome view of God’s law will confirm the validity of their faith. Remember, at that time, the saints will have suffered persecution for more than three years. The saints who see this sight will live through the seven bowls without seeing death. (Daniel 12:1) Of course, the wicked will also see the law that justifies the seven bowls they are about to receive. (Revelation 16)

Has the Ark of the Covenant Been Found?

History suggests that Jeremiah hid the Ark as King Nebuchadnezzar approached Jerusalem to set siege in 605 B.C. In recent years, numerous claims have been made saying the Ark of the Covenant has been found. However, no one has produced any evidence to substantiate the claim. The absence of validating evidence is puzzling. Personally, I believe these claims are false because the Ark is not on Earth! I believe God took the Ark of the Covenant to Heaven after Jesus died on the cross so that He could show it to the whole world at the proper time.

Now please consider the following seven points:

1.      During the Great Tribulation, the infrastructures of Earth will be destroyed and travel will become virtually non-existent. If the world is in a “lock down” condition, what would be the point of finding the Ark if only a few thousand people in the immediate area could see it? Other than local interest, there would be zero global impact.

2.      If the Ark of the Covenant was found prior to the Great Tribulation and if was put on display in a museum, it would be regarded as a religious relic. In this context, the Ark of the Covenant would not “prove” anything to anyone. The Ark would be just another archeological find, and more importantly, the covenant would mean nothing! The Ark would be regarded like ancient treasures found in the Mayan temples. The world impact regarding such a “find” would be zero. God’s law would be treated as a relic instead of a divine revelation.

3.      If the Ark of the Covenant was found prior to the Great Tribulation, the Jews would immediately lay claim to the Ark. More than likely, they would hide it from view in one of their holy places of worship. The net effect is the Ark would immediately return to obscurity. Hidden from view and regarded as a Jewish icon, the impact of God’s covenant on the world would be zero.

4.      Suppose the Ark of the Covenant was found prior to the Great Tribulation and no one was killed after touching it. (Remember how Uzzah died? – 1 Chronicles 13:9,10) This would indicate that the Ark had “lost its divine power” and would confirm that the Ark was just another relic from antiquity. This would also give many Christians the assurance that the Ten Commandments are Jewish and were abolished at the cross. Again, zero global impact.

5.      If my conclusions are correct and the Ark of the Covenant is shown from Heaven during the seventh trumpet, there will be no question as to whether the Ten Commandments were abolished at the cross. In fact, Jesus will show the Ark of the Covenant to the whole world at an appointed time because this covenant has not been changed or abolished. The display of the Ark will confirm the faith of the saints who accepted the demands of God’s law through faith, and it will condemn the faithless who refused to acknowledge their Creator and His unilateral covenant. Although this display will not change the minds or hearts, it will be a great blessing to the saints and a horrible omen for the wicked.

6.      When Jesus presented the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai, His thunderous power was so great that the Hebrews were afraid for their lives. (Exodus 20:19) The power accompanying the presentation of the Ark of the Covenant at the seventh trumpet will be even greater. Imagine this: A dazzling Ark will be seen against a dark sky crisscrossed with violent lightening and deafening thunder. Even the ground shakes at this stunning display. This presentation of God’s everlasting covenant will be an awesome experience for the people who are still alive at the time of the seven last plagues.

7.      Finally, Jesus Himself wrote the two tablets of stone placed in the Ark of the Covenant. (Exodus 31:18, 34:1) This makes the covenant an original work. Heaven’s temple does not have a copy of the Ark and the Ten Commandments. There is one original that was taken to Heaven for two purposes. First, it will be shown to the world during the seventh trumpet. Second, the Ark of the Covenant will endure through eternity as a witness that God is love. Nowhere is God’s balance of mercy and justice better stated than in the Ark of the Covenant.

Summary

Unfortunately, this study on the seven trumpets of Revelation has been lengthy because the topic is full of crucial detail. By now, I hope it is clear why I write that the book of Revelation will not make sense without a proper understanding of the seven trumpets. The seven trumpets enables Revelation’s story to take place. To conclude this study, here’s a short review of the topics that we have studied:

1.      Seven angels who stand before God were given seven trumpets in the spring of 1994.

2.      The first four angels of the seven trumpets went out to hurt Earth, but they were told to wait until the 144,000 are sealed. (At this moment, we are still waiting for the sealing of the 144,000 to be completed.)

3.      Sometime in the near future, a manmade worldwide crisis (possibly a nuclear war) could occur, causing God’s saints on Earth to pray for His intervention.

4.      Jesus would favorably respond to the prayers of His saints. The censer will be cast down and corporate mercy will end. The wrath of God will begin.

5.      The first four trumpets, which will occur over a period of sixty days, will dwarf the manmade crisis and entirely devastate Earth.

6.      The first four trumpets will be (1) a meteoric firestorm that burns up a third of Earth, (2) an asteroid impact on an ocean, (3) an asteroid impact on a continent, and (4) darkness covering the middle third of Earth. This darkness could be caused by hundreds of simultaneous volcanic eruptions. Twenty-five percent of Earth’s population will die from the first four trumpets. Notably wicked places all over the world will be destroyed.

7.      World leaders, fearing God’s enormous anger and even greater destruction, will convene to figure out a way to appease God’s wrath.

8.      Religious leaders will embrace three lies. The first lie is that everyone worships the same God, although He is called by different names. The second lie is that God would be pleased if the nations used force (legislation) to limit sinful behavior. Third, they will embrace the lie that God must be honored and worshiped according to majority rule within each nation.

9.      Without firing a single bullet or going to war, Babylon will form and will be given authority over the nations. Because of fear and ignorance, political leaders will humbly submit to the demands of Babylon. The religious leaders of Babylon will tell political leaders in each nation how to proceed to appease God.

10.  The pope will be selected as the leader of Babylon. He will serve as Babylon’s chief facilitator until Lucifer establishes his theocracy during the sixth trumpet.

11.  Babylon will persecute the 144,000 and those who embrace the gospel of Jesus. The saints will be persecuted for forty-two months. Persecution could begin on the sixty-fourth day after the censer is cast down.

12.  The advance of the gospel will stall about 890 days into the Great Tribulation. Everyone will have taken a position on the gospel, but some wicked people will abandon their position when they experience the fifth and sixth trumpets.

13.  The devil and his angels will be released from the spirit realm during the fifth trumpet. They will physically appear before the people of Earth with a great show of glory, signs, and wonders.

14.  For five months, the devil will masquerade, as “Almighty God” and his demons will torture the non-religious wicked group into submission.

15.  At the end of the five months, the sixth trumpet will sound and the devil will abruptly change character. He will become a stern-faced dictator. He will demand that a theocracy be established and that all religions and governments be abolished. He will appoint ten kings (taskmasters) to oversee his theocracy.

16.  For purposes of rations and administration, the devil will divide the people into groups of 1,000. Four of his angels will kill one-third of mankind. The result will be 666 survivors and one lieutenant per unit of 1,000. The devil will require all survivors to wear a tattoo showing the number 666 on their right hands. The devil’s lieutenants will also wear the devil’s name tattooed on their foreheads, which will indicate their high rank in the devil’s theocracy.

17.  Counting from the day the censer is cast down; the seventh trumpet will sound on the 1,265^th day. God will display the Ark of the Covenant from Heaven on this day. The righteous will be thrilled to see the Ark because they have God’s law written in their hearts and minds. The wicked on the other hand, will tremble. They have refused to honor God’s covenant and they are therefore subjects of its curse. They will be condemned to death because they have rejected love and sacrifice and embraced selfishness and rebellion.

18.  One thing will be come very clear after the devil physically appears Man was created as a lower order than the angels. We are no match for the superior strength and intelligence. The physical appearing of the devil with 200,000,000 demons is designed to awaken the wicked, if possible, to man’s desperate need of a Savior.

Closing Remarks

Near the beginning of this study, I wrote that God has several important objectives for the seven trumpets, which I hope you now understand. Here is a list of seven objectives I am sure will be achieved:

1.      The Revelation of Jesus: The whole world will be introduced to the reality of Jesus Christ. The world will learn that Jesus is Sovereign. He is our Creator, Savior, and God. All other gods are manmade.

2.      The Intercession of Jesus: The world will discover that God’s wrath against Adam and Eve was suspended by Jesus’ love for mankind. When the censer is cast down, a great awakening will occur because of God’s wrath.

3.      The Worship of Jesus: Babylon will attempt to appease God through forced worship. This endeavor on man’s part will only make the voluntary worship of Jesus better known and understood.

4.      The Law of Jesus: Babylon will make laws opposing the law of God. This will make the Ten Commandments (God’s covenant) more widely known than ever before.

5.      The Love of Jesus: Babylon will persecute the saints and in so doing, their love for God and one another will show the world how wonderful God’s love is. In spite of persecution, God’s people will be filled with peace and joy.

6.      The Character of Jesus: When the devil is released from the Abyss, the world will see and experience what an “omnipotent” sinner is like. The man of lawlessness will do as he pleases. This will give everyone a glimpse of what Jesus is unlike. (I used the word “omnipotent” because no one will be able to thwart or stop the devil from doing as he wishes. At the present time, many people think this is the way that God acts.)

Eternity with Jesus: Few people presently understand the curse of sin. The order of things that we face has been in place for 6,000 years. The destruction of Earth, beyond the point of recovery, will force people to seriously consider their eternal destiny – either eternal life with Jesus or eternal separation (death without Jesus.)   

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