THE ARC OF THE COVENANT

In the Old Testament, in the book of Exodus, we find explicit descriptions, how to make the special box and the ornaments, that make up the “Arc of the Covenant”. In it, the two stone tablets, that contain the Ten Commandments (10 Words), that Moses received from God, on the Mount of Sinai. These stone tablets were not the original ones, written by the burning finger of God. The originals were thrown to pieces and crushed by his heel, when Moses came down the mountain. His people were dancing around a golden calf, made under the supervision of his brother Aaron. It's the start of the first genocide. Supporters of Moses slew about 3000 sinners. The tablets in the Arc are written by Moses himself, under Divine inspiration. Besides the tablets the Arc contained, as ancient stories tell, a bowl filled with mannah, that fed the fugitives in the dessert and the rod of Aaron, that could change into a snake and eat its opponents.

The Arc was carried at the head of the wandering Jews and when it stopped, so did the Jews. Sometimes it could take 1 or 2 years, of the forty, the journey took, before they entered the Holy Land and Moses died.

The Arc played an important role in the conquering of the Holy Land, just as God had promised Moses. The tribes living there, would have to flee or get killed. Many a battle was fought and the Arc was the heart of the Jewish fighting force. The Arc, so they say, brought down the walls of Jericho or filled the enemy with despair. Once during their conquest, the Arc was captured by the ennemy. Goliath, the Philistine giant, slaughtered the defenders of the Arc, put the Arc on his shoulder and brought the relic to the Philistine camp. It was an act of “bravoure”, that would cost them deerly. When they opened the lid, thousands died of fever. Every Philistine-village or town where the Arc was stored, was struck by plague and disaster. In the end, they put the Arc on a cart and the oxen drew this holy object back to its rightful owners, the Jews.

The Arc did not only hurt the ennemy, people who touched it, got struck by lightning and the Levites, who were responsible for transporting and maintaining the Arc, wore protective clothing. After the ethnical cleansing of Israel and the conquering of Jerusalen, it was David's son, Solomon, who built the first Temple. In it was a sacred place, “the Holy of Holies”, where the Arc was placed. Only the High Priest was allowed to enter this “room” (It looked more like a tent).

Whatever it was, the Arc was a powerful tool, handed down by Jahweh, to make Gods promise to Moses come true. Returning to the Holy Land.

What happened to the Arc? During the period from 1000 BC to 200 AD. the two Jewish Kingdoms, that were formed (Israel and Judea) were attacked en conquered by neighboring super-powers, like Egypt, Assur, Babylon, Greece and Rome. Because the Arc was goldplated, it may have been destroyed by looting soldiers.

Nebukadnezar, the Babylonian ruler, burnt down the Temple and he took its treasures, just as the Romans did, who destroyed the Temple build by Herod the Great in 70 AD. But at this point in time, the Arc had already disappeared. The Holy of Holies was empty. A Roman general was impressed. “This must be a mighty God”, he said, when he saw the empty room.

Objects of this importance do not disappear, they are hidden and will re-appear at the right moment in time. The most simple explanation is, that the Arc was hidden, just before the Babylonians entered Jerusalem en stormed the Temple. There are a lot of ancient tunnels and caves in and around Jerusalem, many never explored. Here the Levites hid the Arc and the other holy object. This theory is supported by a scroll, that describes the Temple's hidden relics and wealth. Even now Christians and rabbi's claim to know where the Arc is hidden, some even saw it, but we will have to wait untill it's time. Which may be soon.

Let me tell, you this. The Arc was never lost. But that it was secretly transported out of Jerusalem to Ethiopia, where it was hidden for a long time, but brought into the open by the Orthodox Christian Church of Ethiopia. In every Christian church you can find an Arc. This are all replica's of the real Arc, which is kept in a temple/church in the city of Axum. You can not visit this place. One priest is allowed in and only leaves the Temple when he dies. It is said, that, apart from the selected priests, only 3 humans have seen the inside of it. Emperor Haile Selassie visited the shrine, accompanied by Queen Elisabeth of England and Prince Charles. But the rumors are growing, that, in crucial times like ours, the Ethiopian Arc will come into the open and its contents shown to the world.