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The Daily Word of Righteousness
The Ark of His Covenant
And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament [covenant]: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:19)
The Ark of the Covenant was lost when the Babylonians invaded Jerusalem. The Ark will not be seen again until the Lord Jesus returns. The appearing of the Ark at the coming of Christ tells us it will be the warlike remnant, the holy priesthood, who will rise to meet the Lord in the air. The Ark also portrays the mature character of those who are eligible to participate in the return of Christ.
King Jehoiachin of Judah surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar II about 600 B.C. At that time the Ark of the Covenant disappeared from view, as far as we know, and will not be seen again until the events described in Revelation, Chapter 11 take place.
Revelation, Chapter 11 describes the ministry of the two witnesses, which we believe to be the last-day testimony of Christ—Head and Body. The witness will be overcome by Antichrist, with the Lord's permission, and then will be raised from the dead. Immediately the seventh trumpet will be blown and the end of the Christian Era will be here.
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 11:15)
What is the significance of the appearing of the Ark at the time that the kingdoms of the world are put under the authority of Christ? The purpose of this essay is to explain the reason for the revealing of the Ark in the Temple of God at the coming of Christ.
Whether the temple referred to in Revelation 11 is the great Temple of God in Heaven that Isaiah saw, or the new temple, which is the Christian Church, we do not know. But since Christ and His Body are now the eternal dwelling place of God we would suggest that it is the new living temple, the Church, that is being emphasized.
It is generally believed that the next coming of the Lord, the coming set forth in Revelation, Chapter 11, signals the beginning of the thousand-year Kingdom Age and the raising of the victorious saints to meet the Lord in the air.
Let us think for a moment about the resurrection of the dead.
The Day of God, including the fleeing of the present earth and heaven from the face of God, followed by the resurrection of the dead, is mentioned by the Apostle Peter:
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? (II Peter 3:12)
The Book of Revelation reveals that the resurrection of the dead will be divided into two parts by the thousand-year Kingdom Age.
To be continued.