O Ark, Where Art Thou?

I remember when Raiders of the Lost Ark hit the theaters in 1981. I loved the movie. I actually met the archeologist on whom the character Indiana Jones was loosely based. The movie encouraged a great deal of interest among Christians. I remember being asked, “What if they did find the Ark?” I remember saying that it really wouldn’t matter if the ark were found. Yes, it would be the archeological find of the millennium, and, yes, it would give additional credence to the Old Testament, but for the believer, it would not change anything. Why? It no longer contains the presence of God, nor His power.

The Ethiopian Orthodox Church claims to possess the Ark of the Covenant of the Old Testament in Axum, a town in northern Ethiopia. However, they will not let anyone verify their claim.

Orthodox Jews believe it is buried somewhere underneath the original location of the Holy of Holies in Jerusalem. However, the Muslims control the temple area and will not allow any excavation.

We do know for sure that the Ark will be seen again. After the seventh trumpet is sounded in Revelation 11, the Bible says:

Then, in heaven, the Temple of God was opened and the Ark of his covenant could be seen inside the Temple. (Rev. 11:19)

But is this the original Ark that was in the Holy of Holies? No. The OT Ark was a piece of furniture that symbolized the presence of God. It expressed God’s atonement and covenant. It was only a shadow or picture of the heavenly Ark. When sin was paid once and for all by Jesus on the cross, the earthly Holy of Holies was opened up by God when he ripped the curtain. Now at a future date, the heavenly Holy of Holies will be opened and the heavenly Ark will be revealed.

But in the meantime, let me share where I believe the Ark is currently located.

After Christ’s supreme sacrifice something significant took place. Actually, “significant” cannot begin to capture the magnitude of what took place. Momentous, huge, major… none of these capture the depth. How about “this event changed everything about everything for eternity!”

God’s presence is now in the believer and the church. In a way, we are the Ark.

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit. (Eph 2:20-22)

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? (1 Co 3:16)

Nothing in the Bible is insignificant. Everything in the Holy of Holies had a purpose.

1. The Ark was made of wood – that’s you – and covered inside and out with pure Gold – that’s Jesus. Without Jesus, we are just rotten, dead wood.

2. The manna in the gold pot represents the spiritual sustenance given to us daily by the Holy Spirit. He provides us with all that we need to face the day.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. (John 14:16-17)

3. The tablets with the 10 commandments represent God’s Word.

God’s word lives in your hearts, and you have won your battle with the evil one. (1 John 2:14)

4. Aaron’s rod that bloomed represents your resurrection in Christ.

For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. (Rom. 6:4)

If Indiana Jones is still looking for the Ark of the Covenant… he only needs to talk to a believer.

How are you dealing with your cancer?

I get this question a great deal. It’s a great question because the answer reveals a great deal of how I view God. In fact when you answer this question about any major issue in your life, you are revealing your view of scripture and your heavenly father. To get to my answer of this question, I have to step back and look at the bigger picture.

Now I don’t know when Jesus is coming back, but I do know that as of today, we are one day closer. When it comes to life after death, the Bible is very clear that there is an exclusive alternative. Either you go to heaven or you go to hell. It is one or the other. There are no other alternatives.

Once a person accepts Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, the choice is made. They are bound for heaven.

According to the Bible there is a major event to take place in heaven.

“Praise the Lord! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns. Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honor to him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear. For the fine linen represents the good deeds of God’s holy people.” (Rev. 19:6b-8)

This future event seems to be a “what it is all about” event. It’s called the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. It will be the eternal union of Jesus Christ and his Church, his bride. What that means is you and I, along with all believers, will become the eternal companion of the Lord Jesus Christ. We will have a queenly role serving alongside of Jesus. WOW!!! What an incredible privilege awaiting us.

With that in mind, for me the bottom line is this – God is preparing you and me for eternity. If you want to know the purpose of something, then look to the desired end result. God’s ultimate purpose for us is to be Christ-like. God’s ultimate purpose is for us to become the eternal companion of his son. God’s ultimate purpose for us is to be joint-heirs with his son.

If this is true, then this life is on-the-job training. God is using this life to prepare us for our eternal role.

This is why I am interpreting my current health issues as simply on-the-job training. God is teaching me. God is growing me.

Late last fall, I took a two-week break for the purpose of spiritual reflection. The first week I was alone at the beach. Mary joined me for the second week in the mountains. When I returned from the two weeks, I shared with the staff that God spoke two words to me. Prayer and Faith. God told me to focus on these two things. It was not what I was expecting. I was expecting God to reveal some crucial items concerning Gateway. I thought I would return with a clarified vision. That did not happen. God simply said, increase your prayer and increase your faith.

At the time I thought he was talking about Gateway. In a way he was, but he was speaking more to me personally.

This past spring, I did a forty-day fast. Again, I thought God lead me into the fast in terms of Gateway, but it seemed it was more about my personal walk with him.

When news came about the prostate cancer and then later the skin cancer, it all came together. God was preparing me for this period of my life. He was preparing me for the journey.

Because I interpret everything in my life in terms of eternity, I am confident that God has allowed the cancer in my body to teach me more about Jesus… to shape and mold me more into the image of Jesus. He is preparing me for my eternal role as a bride of Christ.

Are you going through a tough time right now? How would it change your attitude if you interpreted the tough things in your life in light of your eternal destination? We are destined for a throne, a queenly throne. We are destined to be the eternal companion of our precious Lord Jesus Christ.

For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and his bride has prepared herself. (Rev. 19:7)

What are you doing to prepare yourself?