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The ARK OF THE
COVENANT continued...
Inside the Cave System
For almost two years, they had been tunneling underground, finding artifacts
and uncovering exciting structures almost daily. But now, they were in a barren
cavern that they would soon learn was only a very small part of a very extensive
honeycomb of natural caves and tunnels within the mountain.
For almost a year, they explored this area, finding no evidence of any human
presence. These natural tunnels were not all connected to each other, and they
spent many hours chiseling through cave walls, searching for adjacent tunnels
which they eventually found. But they found nothing else.
As 1981 came to an end, Ron and the boys took their winter holidays to come
to Jerusalem and work. Even though it is cold there in the winter, the cave
system was always a very comfortable and constant temperature, both in summer as
well as winter. But the work was beginning to take a toll on all three of them.
They all began to develop a fever and slight chills. The dust they had inhaled
over the years in those confined tunnels perhaps contributed to their
pneumonia-like symptoms. Finally, on Christmas eve, Ron had to send Ronny back
to the US because he was so ill. Danny had to follow on New Year's eve. Ron, too
was sick but this was a very special trip.
The "Promise"
As I explained in an earlier issue, Ron has never heard
YAHUVEH speak audibly -
he just prays about what he should do and then sometimes receives an
"impression". By now, he had been excavating for such a long time, he
was beginning to wonder if he was wasting his time and had misinterpreted what
he was supposed to do. He, as usual, prayed and asked to know what to do before
he scheduled this December 1981 trip. This time, although he still heard no
audible voice, in his mind came the promise that he would find the Ark of the
Covenant on that trip. And he believed with all his heart that it was a true
promise from the One Who could make such a promise and keep it. But things
couldn't have looked worse - Danny and Ronny were both very sick, and Ron was
probably equally as sick but far more persistent (or stubborn) - he stayed to
keep working. And alone without the boys, he needed some help.
When excavating over the years, he had hired locals to help, mostly with the
above ground work, such as hauling off debris. Each time they opened their
excavation and worked, they had to completely restore the above ground area
before they left- this was a condition of their being allowed to continue. And
they had moved tons of earth and debris over the years which required local
assistance in hauling it off above ground.
He had met one young local whom he had discovered was very honest and
trustworthy, and he began to use him in the actual excavation when Ronny and
Danny weren't available. Those of you who have read our account of the
"Cave of Machpelah" excavation have already been introduced to this
young Arab man, whom we called "James" to protect his and his family's
identity. His family owns the land which contains the burial cave in Hebron we
believe to be the true Cave of Machpelah. In addition to earning Ron's trust,
"James" was small and slender - perfect for squeezing through the
tight tunnels of the excavation. And it was "James" that Ron hired to
assist him when Danny and Ronny left.
Exploring Every "Nook and Cranny"
Ron and the boys had explored most of the tunnels over the last year, but
there were always more. Ron's plan this trip was to leave no possibility
unexplored. He and "James" crawled through the vast system of tunnels,
now much larger and extensive because of the passages they had opened up and the
walls they had chiseled through. Ron would decide where to go next and he and
James would follow that tunnel. If and when they found a small opening, Ron
would enlarge it enough for "James" to crawl through, and he would
carefully check it out and report to Ron everything that he saw.
They followed one particularly difficult passageway which took them through a
"chimney" which extended straight up and a tight tunnel which was so
small that Ron had to exhale in order to squiggle through. He had to stop to
take a breath and when he inhaled, the tunnel was so tight be couldn't fill his
lungs completely. When they got through, Ron saw a very small opening in the
wall of the tunnel they were now in.
Directly in front of it was a stalactite about 16 inches long which almost
appeared to be "guarding" the tiny hole. He knocked the stalactite off
(and ended up bringing it home where we still have it today). Peering through
the tiny hole, he could see nothing. So, he enlarged it enough to peer in. All
he could see with the aid of his flashlight shining through the hole, was a
chamber completely full of rocks (all larger than "fist" size) with
about 18 inches of clearance between the rocks and the ceiling. It didn't look
promising at all, but he was leaving nothing unexplored. So he enlarged it
enough for "James" to crawl through.
Continue reading about
the Ark of the Covenant...
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