The Ark of the Covenant
The Ark of the Covenant was crucial to the success of the Exodus of Moses. It was not just a ceremonial figurehead, it was used as a weapon and possibly a source of food (It is thought by some to have been involved in the production of the manna.).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ark_of_the_Covenant
At
the moment it is located at the Ethiopian Orthodox Church of Our
Lady Mary of Zion in the town of Axum -- 623 km. north of
Addis Ababa. (Bible
code here)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Our_Lady_Mary_of_Zion
(See the pictures of Axum - Pics
1 - Pics 2 - Pics
3 - Pics 4 - Pics
5 - view from space.
There are some other theories about the current location so I have provided some links to other online sources on my Ark links page.
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The Ark should look something like this according to the Bible. |
The Seraphim on the lid of the Ark are probably similar to these ones from Tutankhamun's tomb. |
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St Mary of Zion Church, Axum, Ethiopia. |
The building where the Ark of the Covenant is kept. |
Axum
is deep within a large area of mountains, I believe these are the mountains
that we should flee to, and the Ark is our beacon. The Book of Enoch
says we shall be given a sword at the
time of the second end - I suspect this means the Ark.
There is also:
Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them,
and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them,
and be their God.' Essene
version of Revelation
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The Tabernacle where the Ark was kept before the Temple was built. |
The story of the Ark, how it was used by Moses, how it got to Ethiopia, and many other details are covered in a very readable and inexpensive book by Graham Hancock - "The Sign and the Seal" http://www.grahamhancock.com/
The following was copied from another website (which seems to have disappeared):
The Ark of the Covenant -- considered the most holy of Christian artifacts -- has been located in Ethiopia, after having disappeared in the reign of Biblical King Solomon more than 3,000 years ago. According to the Kebre Negast, the Ethiopian "bible", it was taken to Ethiopia by Menelik I, the son of Solomon's union with the legendary Queen Makeda of Ethiopia (better known as the Queen of Sheba) and has been in Ethiopia ever since. However, this location has been disputed in modern times, and many individuals and countries have tried to find the Ark.
According to an article in Canada's "Sunday Sun" newspaper by journalist Kaye Corbett, a three-year search has positively located "the most important archaeological, historical and religious object in man's history" buried in the bowels of the Ethiopian Orthodox St. Mary of Zion Church in Aksum -- a holy city 623 km. north of Addis Ababa.
Corbett promises to reveal his findings in a soon-to-be-published book co-authored with H.R.H. Stephen Mengesha, a great grandson of Emperor Haile Selassie. He writes that the Jewish State of Israel will soon make a claim on this most valued relic, prior to building a new Temple to house the Ark on Temple Mount in Jerusalem -- the controversial site presently occupied by the Muslim's Dome of the Rock shrine. Corbett states that such a claim would have a dramatic effect on the Jewish state and the world.
That is putting it mildly. The effect of any attempt to relocate the Ark of the Covenant may well be the Third World War.
It is believed that the Jews will base their claim on the fact that thousands of Ethiopian Jews, called Falashas, have been resettled in Israel in recent years and therefore would bolster a claim for the Ark to be held by descendants of the original Jews, despite the problem of religious controversy, language and racism which the Falashas have encountered.
On the other hand, Ethiopians, Christians and Africans in the Disapora point to the fact that Ethiopia is the only nation which can produce living descendants of Solomon as heirs to his throne and dynasty. Indeed, Emperor Haile Selassie was the 225th descendant of King Solomon, as well as being a member of Solomon's Tribe of Judah. Therefore, they claim, the Ark has rightfully rested in Ethiopia all these centuries, and should continue to do so.
Corbett's article continues: "In Aksum today there seems little doubt it rests in a secret compartment beneath a small chapel next to the new St. Mary of Zion Church, and it is supposedly still guarded by a specially-picked priest who maintains his vigil from the age of seven until he dies.
The Ark in some early pictures (see below)
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Ark in Temple |
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Ark in Battle of Eben-ezer |
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Ark in the Land of the Philistines
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The
images above are from Dura Europus, the site of an early synagogue.
The images of the Ark are consistant with each other but may not be
accurate. There is a lot of Greek influence in these pictures and the
artist may have been guessing about the actual appearance of the Ark.
Another guess based on the description in the Bible is below:
Descriptions of Axum by recent visitors.
