Where Is the Ark of the Covenant?

There has been much speculation over the location of the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark—whose design was given by God to Moses—was constructed of acacia wood plated with gold and contained the two stone tablets with the Ten Commandments inscribed on them. It was built during the Exodus and was in the holy place of the Tabernacle. Later it was placed in the Holy of Holies in the Temple Solomon built. Central to Temple worship, it would be sprinkled with blood once a year on Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement—first for the sins of the high priest and then for the sins of the nation of Israel.

But where is it now, and when was it removed from the Temple? There have been many reports as to its location, including television specials and feature films. Some speculate it was taken to Ethiopia. Others say it was carried off to Rome. Still others claim it was stolen by Babylon and taken there. However, none of the people who claim to know where it went have ever seen it.

I have spoken with two rabbis and a Temple Mount expert who have gone on record as having been to the location of the Ark of the Covenant. Rabbi Yehuda Meir Getz was for decades the rabbi of the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Rabbi Shlomo Goren was the first head of the Military Rabbinate of the Israel Defense Forces and the first to offer prayer at the Western Wall following the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967. He also started a training center for future priests.

In 1982, both men went under the Temple Mount to an area where they claim the Ark of the Covenant now rests. When Gershon Salomon, founder of the Temple Mount Faithful, was asked to join these two rabbis on this quest, he was so excited he forgot to put on his shoes before rushing to the Temple Mount.

Though we have the testimony of these honorable and trustworthy men, the matter ultimately rests on God’s Word. Second Chronicles 35:3 reads, “Then he [King Josiah] said to the Levites who taught all Israel,…‘Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. It shall no longer be a burden on your shoulders.’” The Hebrew word for “house” is bayith. It may also be translated “inner chambers,” “dungeon,” or “nethermost point.”

The text does not refer to placing the Ark in the Temple; it had been in the Temple’s Holy of Holies for many years (1 Ki. 8; 2 Chr. 5). Rather, Josiah recognized the threat posed by the Babylonians and Egyptians. These two empires were battling each other at the time, and Israel was caught in the middle. To protect the Ark from being stolen by either nation, King Josiah—a man ahead of his time—ordered the Levites to put the Ark in a secret, secluded hiding place underneath what is now the Dome of the Rock.

Second Chronicles 35:3 is the last mention of the Ark of the Covenant in the historical books. Jeremiah 3:16 refers to it saying that, when the Messiah comes, no one will mention the Ark anymore. The Ark is a type or picture of the promised Messiah. When the real thing arrives, the type is unnecessary. The final passage referring to the Ark is Revelation 11:19, which mentions the original Temple in heaven as having its own, original Ark of the Testimony.

The Ark of the Covenant has never left Jerusalem. I believe it now sits in a safe, secret, secluded hiding place prepared by God through King Solomon to protect it for when it will be needed in the last days in the next Temple—the Third Temple, the Tribulation Temple—that will be built shortly after the Rapture of the church. But it won’t be needed for the Messiah’s Temple—the one Jesus Christ Himself will build after the Tribulation, and the one from which He will rule and reign for 1,000 years in the Kingdom to come.

19 thoughts on “Where Is the Ark of the Covenant?

  1. Every person on the face of this earth should realize is that; as long as the whereabouts of Ark of the Covenant remains to be controversial, no one knows where the Ark of the Covenant is located.

    Originally, I am from Ethiopia and protestant in religion. Living in North America for many decades. Many people around the world believed that the Ark of the Covenant is located in one of Orthodox Churches in Northern Ethiopia guarded by monks so no one is allowed to see it. Also, theses Orthodox Church leaders/followers say that they move it from one Church to the other.

    If all these theories are true about the presence of Ark of The Covenant in one of Orthodox Churches in Ethiopia, let the government of Ethiopia and the Church leaders allow professionals and theologians to go inside the Church and see it to prove. Then only, we all can believe about whereabouts of The Ark of The Covenant. Unless otherwise, no one knows where it is.

    What does Jesus and Mary look like?

    People around the world have believed as Jesus and Mary were caucasian. But that is not true based on the nature of history of Jesus and Mary. If Jesus was born in the middle east country, He cannot be white man with blond hair and blue eyes. He might have long and soft hair. After all, no one on this earth today saw what Jesus or Mary look like.

    People in that part of the world (Middle East countries), don’t have blond hair. All the countries mentioned in a Bible are not European or North American countries but middle east, Arabic speaking countries, or African country like Egypt. We have been believing in what artist have painted as Jesus and Mary were Caucasians.

    As long as countries mentioned in a Bible are not European or North American countries, Jesus or Mary cannot look like caucasian. The same thing is wrong about whereabouts of The Ark of The Covenant.

    To my personal interactions with some of the religion followers, sadly, they don’t even know or heard of about The Ark of The Covenant. Because, their Church leaders don’t teach them the true meaning of True Christianity and what was written in a Bible. They altered what was written in a Bible to mislead their followers and their followers were deceived.

  2. Why the Ethiopian government is not allowing people to see The Ark of The Covenant?
    If it was true that Ark of The Covenant is in Ethiopia, let’s prove it by seeing it.

  3. No need for so much explanations – GOD already determined it’s sacred place of rest. Revealing where it is is truly up to HIM whom we praise 24/7! Blessings to all …

  4. I find it funny that no one knows where the ark is, when it’s hidden in plain site! It’s so simple and obvious! The hill of Tara (law).

    2 Corinthians 4:4

    4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

  5. We Believers know JESUS by HIS NAME in the KJ BIBLE.
    I have a hard time praying to the Hebrew name, but I’ve no problem saying “”JESUS the SON of GOD””
    ‘Praying~~”God the Father,God the Son & God the Holy Spirit”

  6. According to Matthew 24, the man of perdition the charismatic crafty global leader of the One World Order will sit in the Tabernacle of David.
    The word that many translated “Temple” is actually “Tabernacle.”
    The Tabernacle of David was dismantled by Solomon when he finished to build the 1st Temple. He put it in a cave under Temple Mount, and he had a sand hydraulic system to operate the opening of the chamber where it was kept.
    Jeremiah then, hid the Ark of the covenant and the Tabernacle of David in a cave under Temple Mount before he was taken in captivity by the Babylonians, so that the Ark and the Tabernacle would not fall in the hands of the enemies.
    So, Rabbi Shlomo Goren saw the Ark when archeologist Wyatt discovered.
    There is no need to build the Third Temple because at the right moment the Tabernacle of David and the Ark will be taken out of the cave and put in the open to fulfill what the scripture in Matthew 24 says.
    The anti- christ/ global-leader will desecrated the Tabernacle by entering it, and sitting unlawfully on the sit of The Lord Yeshua Messiah.
    He will be killed by Yeshua Messiah at His Return.

    1. This will possibly be “The Great Deception!” How many all over the world would follow the Ark of the Covenant, because they do not have a relationship with Christ; Whom is the Covenant! In Faith Alone in Christ Alone, this is our Salvation. He lives in us! Please be warned, all! Guard your hearts and know the Truth

  7. God has his hand on it .NO need to worry. We are in the last week ,worry about your spiritual soul & keep your faith in Yeshu…….Baruch Hashem ……Shalom …Israel-Messianic Jew -Isaiah 44;1-8.

    1. Well said Israel. The important thing is to keep in a relationship with Jesus in prayer, reading our Bibles, being in fellow ship with other believers/followers of Christ. Proclaim Him to the world that is in such DESPERATE need of Him.
      God knows where the Ark Of The Covenant is and if it is needed He is quite capable of revealing its whereabouts.
      Blessings.

  8. I believe that the ark of the covenant was placed in a cave by the prophet Jeremiah with the table of show bread and the tent of covering before the exile, and roughly 600 years before Yeshua’s death so that His Blood would land on the mercy seat, fulfillment of the Law js

  9. THE WITNESS OF THE BLOOD IN THE STARS.. REVELATION 12:17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.

    The Rabbi’s keep the tablets of stone and the blood (testimony) found on the mercy seat.

    1. I believe the ark of the covenant was taken to Heaven (Revelation 11:19). By the way, the temple never stood on the traditional “temple mount”. Scripture and ancient Jewish historians say that the temple was in the City of David. The traditional “temple mount” is actually the Roman Fort Antonia. Its really sad how Muslims and Jews are fighting and killing each other over a pagan fort.

      1. I would encourage you to do some more studying into this, because it’s false. I heard this old hypothesis before, but there’s way way way to much evidence that supports otherwise. Bob Carnuke is wrong. The temple mount is at the appex of Mt. Moriah. For you to be right, that would mean that the temple was unnaturally built on a lower elevation at the base of the mount in the “old city of David.” This is contrary to the scriptures which state it was built atop Moriah, not on it’s sides. Moreover, the “city of david” came to be regarded as Jerusalem as it expanded. The “OLD” city of David is not necessarily the true city of David that we know it to be. Don’t confuse the two. Finally, we still have supporting structures which callaborate that the temple mount is NOT fort Antonia. We have the hallways, exits, and surrounding areas that clearly show that the temple mount is the place of the Temple. Moreoever, we can easily date the embossed stones that surround the temple mount that Solomon built, and then that Herod built over it. Also, the dimensions are correct for what is described in history. Fort Antonia was simply a fort, north of Jerusalem, it was not built atop Mt. Moriah, but north of Jerusalem.

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