The ARK OF THE COVENANT continued...

But Ron didn't know what to think - he knew it was a "supernatural" experience, but was it of YAHUVEH, or was it of "someone else"? By this time, Ron had made major discoveries in Turkey, and had found numerous chariot parts in the Red Sea. But not once had he ever had an experience such as this. It was like a thunderbolt out of the blue on a perfectly sunny day. He had to decline the man's offer, at least until he could figure out if there was any reason to believe the Ark could be in that location. So, he and the boys came on home as planned. But once at home, Ron began some serious research and study.

Why Would the Ark Be in That Location?

In searching the Bible, Ron found the last mention in the Bible of the Ark's location:

2CH 35:1 Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the LORD [YAHUVEH] in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month.... 3 And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD [YAHUVEH], PUT THE HOLY ARK IN THE HOUSE WHICH SOLOMON THE SON OF DAVID KING OF ISRAEL DID BUILD; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the LORD [YAHUVEH] your God, and his people Israel,... 19 In the EIGHTEENTH YEAR OF THE REIGN OF JOSIAH was this passover kept.

This was about the year 621 BC, just 35 years before the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple by Nebuchadnezzar, when Judah went into the second phase of their Babylonian captivity. What did this tell Ron? It told him that the Ark disappeared from the Divine record sometime between 621 BC and 586 BC. Since the temple was completely destroyed, there is no doubt that it was NOT there after that time. As Ron continued to study, he noticed something he found strange- in 2 Kings 24:13, 2Kings 25:13-18, and Jeremiah 52:17-23, a very detailed account was given of the items taken to Babylon from the "king's house" and the "house of the Lord"- it even mentioned small items like "spoons", etc.

But the Ark isn't mentioned. Neither is it mentioned in the lists of things brought back from Babylon in Ezra 1:7-1:11. Since we are told in Jeremiah 27:21,22 that everything taken to Babylon from the "house of the Lord" would be returned, and since the Ark wasn't among the returned items, this proves that it was never taken there. Shishak and Sennacherib also took items from the "house of the Lord"- which didn't include the Ark.

So what happened to it? In 2 Kings 25:1, telling about the siege of Jerusalem by Babylon, we are told that they (the Babylonian army) "pitched against it" and built "forts against it round about"- which means they built a "siege wall". This verse further tells that the siege lasted over a year before the city was taken. And it was with this verse that Ron found the evidence which indicated to him that the Ark could be in the location he had pointed to. Of course, it wasn't positive proof - to Ron it only meant that it was a possibility. What did this "siege wall" have to do with the Ark?

The Siege Wall

Siege walls were built by attacking armies outside of the walls of the city under attack, at a distance outside of the range of the weapons used by that city - what were these weapons during this time?

2CH 26:14 And Uzziah prepared for them throughout all the host shields, and spears, and helmets, and habergeons, and bows, and slings to cast stones. 15 And he made in Jerusalem ENGINES, INVENTED BY CUNNING MEN, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, TO SHOOT ARROWS AND GREAT STONES withal.

Uzziah, spoken of in this verse, was king over 100 years BEFORE the destruction of Jerusalem, and we here learn that they had "engines" on the "towers" and "bulwarks" which shot "arrows" and "great stones". Catapults were capable of reaching over 1,000 feet, and therefore Ron reasoned that the siege wall would have been positioned out of the range of these massive devices, and therefore, further from the city wall than the site he had pointed to. He concluded that:

1) the Ark had to have been hidden between the 18th year of Josiah, (when we are told he had it taken to Solomon's temple), and 35 years later, when the temple was destroyed;

2) it was NOT taken to Babylon, based on the information from the Scriptures which told what went to Babylon & what was returned;

3) it was most likely hidden just prior to the destruction of the temple, when Jerusalem was surrounded by the Babylonian siege wall; and

4) it was hidden somewhere within the confines of the city wall of Jerusalem and the Babylonian siege wall.

The entire city AND the temple were destroyed in 586 BC by the Babylonians, so the Ark could have only escaped destruction or captivity by NOT being anywhere in the city.

Again, the site he had pointed to was, he believed, outside of the ancient city wall and within the siege wall. It was supposition based on study, but still only supposition. Yet, it was enough to base a decision on- he decided to go ahead with the excavation.

Continue reading about the Ark of the Covenant...