by Michael
Did you know that two life-sized replicas of the Tabernacle have already been constructed in Israel? One is in the Timna Valley near Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat, and the other one is located at the Eshel-Hashomron Hotel near the city of Ariel in Samaria. Both of these structures already contain replicas of the Ark of the Covenant. Of course those that created both of these life-sized models of the Tabernacle insist that they are only to be used for educational purposes. But could that change at some point in the future? After all, once the Ark of the Covenant is revealed to the world, it will need a home.
After the original Temple was destroyed in 586 BC, the Ark of the Covenant entirely disappeared from the history books.
There is no historical record that says that the Babylonians captured the Ark, and no Babylonian leader ever claimed that it was in Babylon.
But the Ark of the Covenant was not present in the Second Temple either, and so that indicates that those that built it also did not know where it was located.
So what in the world happened to it?
Personally, I have become convinced that it is still in a chamber under the city of Jerusalem where it was hidden prior to the Babylonian invasion.
On the official website of the Temple Institute, it is clearly stated that the Temple Institute knows exactly where this hidden chamber is located…
While some claim to have evidence that the ark is in Ethiopia, and of course, moviegoers were treated to a fanciful version of the story in “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” in reality, the expression “lost” ark is not an accurate description for the Jewish people’s point of view – because we have always known exactly where it is. So the Ark is “Hidden,” and hidden quite well, but it is not lost.
Tradition records that even as King Solomon built the First Temple, he already knew, through Divine inspiration, that eventually it would be destroyed. Thus Solomon, the wisest of all men, oversaw the construction of a vast system of labyrinths, mazes, chambers and corridors underneath the Temple Mount complex. He commanded that a special place be built in the bowels of the earth, where the sacred vessels of the Temple could be hidden in case of approaching danger. Midrashic tradition teaches that King Josiah of Israel, who lived about forty years before the destruction of the First Temple, commanded the Levites to hide the Ark, together with the original menorah and several other items*, in this secret hiding place which Solomon had prepared.
This location is recorded in our sources, and today, there are those who know exactly where this chamber is. And we know that the ark is still there, undisturbed, and waiting for the day when it will be revealed. An attempt was made some few years ago to excavate towards the direction of this chamber. This resulted in widespread Moslem unrest and rioting. They stand a great deal to lose if the Ark is revealed – for it will prove to the whole world that there really was a Holy Temple, and thus, that the Jews really do have a claim to the Temple Mount. (The official position of the Islamic Wakf, the body that governs over the Temple Mount, is that there never was a Holy Temple, and that the Jews have no rights whatsoever to the place).
There are lots of other “experts” that have all sorts of bizarre theories about where the Ark of the Covenant could be today.
But for any of those theories to be true, the Temple Institute has to be lying.
Personally, I believe that they are telling us the truth.
In 1982, Rabbi Yehuda Getz reportedly came “within 40 feet” of this secret chamber…
Rabbi Getz believes that in 1982 he was very close, within 40 feet, to finding the cave in which the Ark resides. He was conducting a search in an old tunnel that had been filled with the debris of centuries, which runs perpendicular to the Western Wall and under the Temple Mount. However, when the Moslems discovered that there were diggings being conducted under the Dome of the Rock, they threatened a general riot and the diggings were stopped. The rabbi explains that, for the sake of maintaining peace with their Moslem neighbors, the Israelis had to reseal the entrance to the tunnel, and it remains blocked up to this day.
This is almost certainly the episode that the Temple Institute is referring to on their website.
In 1982, it wasn’t time for the Ark to be revealed.
But I believe that the time when it will be revealed is getting very close.
Interestingly, there is an ancient document called “Treatise of the Vessels” that claims that the Ark of the Covenant will not be revealed “until the day of the coming of the Messiah”…
One text called the “Treatise of the Vessels” says that the ark “shall not be revealed until the day of the coming of the Messiah son of David….”
Is this the generation that will see the return of the Lord Jesus?
Yes.
And as I detailed in my book entitled “Chaos”, I am convinced that this is also the generation when the discovery of the Ark of the Covenant will shock the entire globe.
Right now, two life-sized replicas of the Tabernacle in which the Ark of the Covenant once stood currently exist in the land of Israel. But both of them are “for educational purposes and are not functional”…
The holy Tabernacle housing the presence of the God of Israel, once carried by the ancient Israelites, no longer exists. However, since the Jews have reclaimed their ancestral homeland in Israel, they reconstructed two replicas of this legendary religious structure. It should be noted: These replicas are displayed for educational purposes and are not functional.
The replica of the Tabernacle that is most well-known is in southern Israel close to the city of Eilat…
The Timna Tabernacle, first displayed in Switzerland during the 1990s before returning to Israel, now stands in the scenic Timna Valley in the southern Israeli desert near Eilat, adjacent to ancient copper mines often associated with King Solomon. Set against the desert backdrop, it offers an accurate and authentic reconstruction reminiscent of the Israelites’ Tabernacle during their desert journey, matching the dimensions and features described in the Bible. Inside, visitors can explore exact replicas of various elements, including the altar, copper sink, table of showbread, menorah (the seven branches candelabrum), the small altar for incense, ark of the covenant, priestly vestments, and more.
The other one is located at the Eshel-Hashomron Hotel in the city of Ariel…
The “Biblical Park” at the Eshel-Hashomron Hotel in Ariel, Samaria, inaugurated in 2014, showcases a life-sized replica of the Tabernacle of Shiloh from the biblical period of Judges, distinguishing it from the one at Timna. The garden features interactive stations, such as a miniature Jordan River. Owned by the only Jewish hotel in Samaria, this replica offers insight into the Tabernacle during the settled period of the Israelites under the Judges, particularly during Samuel’s time.
Tourists who are interested in delving deeper are encouraged to visit the ancient Shilo archaeological site before or after exploring the Tabernacle at Eshel-Hashomron. At Shilo, archaeologists have discovered what they believe to be the location of the Tabernacle during Samuel’s childhood.
When the Ark of the Covenant is finally revealed to the world, could it go into one of these models of the Tabernacle?
To a lot of people, that would seem to make sense.
But I don’t think that this is likely to happen.
When the Ark of the Covenant is finally revealed, it will instantly become a major target for terrorists.
So I think that it is far more likely that the Ark will be placed in an extremely secure facility that is deep underground.
Of course many would argue that it is already in an extremely secure place since nobody has been able to get to the chamber where it is located all these years.
We live at such an exciting time. Major archaeological discoveries are constantly being made, but since they aren’t getting that much attention a lot of people don’t know about them.
For example, a secret tomb that contains “at least 12 human skeletons” was just discovered under the ancient city of Petra…
At the heart of the ancient city of Petra, Jordan, carved into pink sandstone cliffs, lies an elaborate monument known as the Khaznah, or the Treasury.
And buried beneath that edifice, archaeologists recently discovered, is a tomb with at least 12 human skeletons and artifacts that are estimated to be at least 2,000 years old.
Archaeologists led by Dr. Pearce Paul Creasman, executive director of the American Center of Research, unearthed the ancient tomb. The expedition was studying the Treasury after years of speculation that two tombs found below the left side of the monument in 2003 weren’t the only secret underground chambers. But that theory had not been confirmed — until now.
That was a mind-blowing discovery, but hardly anyone has heard about it.
And more mind-blowing discoveries are coming.
I believe that the Ark of the Covenant will be publicly revealed in our generation.
When it happens, it will be the greatest archaeological bombshell of all time.
So let’s watch for any mention of the Ark in the news, because they won’t be able to keep a lid on where it is currently located for too much longer.