The Ark of the Covenant
Brent Williams (palenaka@feemsb.toddalan.com)
Mon, 22 Apr 1996 18:02:22 -0400
Praise the Lord Brethren!!!
Plz take the time to read this article. It is VERY interesting.
Let me know what you think.
Palenaka@toddalan.com
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THE ARK OF THE COVENANT
First published in:=20
THE PROPHETIC TELEGRAPH =20
No.78 January 1996
>From Arthur & Rosalind Eedie.=20
Oxleigh, Langham Rd, Mumby, Alford, Lincs,=20
LN13 9SQ, England.=20
(Phone/Fax: 01754 872539)
In November of last year when writing P.T.73. I closed with a =
mention of the possible discovery of the Ark of the Covenant in =
Jerusalem. Since then I have had the opportunity of following this up, =
and have found what seems to be conclusive evidence. My earlier account =
contained some errors, for example, I had assumed that it was Jonathan =
Gray who made the discovery whereas in fact it was Ron Wyatt. from =
Nashville, Tennessee. I would like to apologise for this error, due to =
the scanty information available to me just two months ago. And now, in =
this number of the Telegraph, I should like to share the facts as =
revealed in an address given by Jonathan Gray in a London church on =
Saturday 7th October 1995. a Video of which we have now seen, and also =
an address given by Ron Wyatt in Nashville.
What had totally escaped my notice was the date. The Ark was =
found on 6th January 1982. exactly 14 years ago, but was kept secret by =
request of the Israeli Government. Although I cannot claim to have all =
the "inside information", I have gathered that permission has recently =
been granted to advertise the find, though not the exact location, and =
that this year is likely to be the time for the Ark. and its precious =
content (the two tablets of the law) to be made known to the world.
Before beginning the amazIng story of this discovery, I must =
say that the whole episode has been compassed about by miracle. God has =
set His seal upon this most holy artifact of the past, and shown that it =
has some great significance for the days just ahead, whether in fact or =
in type. And the impact that it will have on world Jewry can hardly be =
estImated.
The story begins in 1978, when Ron Wyatt was swimming in the =
sea At Ashkelon, one of the ancient cities of the Philistines. He =
stubbed his toe on something, and found that it was the rim of a large =
pot. Further investigation revealed that it was a Canaanite burial pot, =
the like of which archaeologist had long been searching for but had =
hitherto not found. When this news was brought to the Director of =
Antiquities in Jerusalem, he was delighted, and the event, seemingly by =
"accident", proved to be the means of cementing a relationship which was =
to serve a greater purpose later.
A short while afterwards, Ron was standing talking to the =
Director of Antiquities, facing the cliff known as Golgotha,or Calvary. =
(These words. both meaning place of skull are respectively Hebrew and =
Latin.) Suddenly Ron found his arm shooting out, and he pointed, saying =
"There's Jeremiah's Grotto - that rubbish heap - the Ark of the Covenant =
must be in there!" The Director answered spontaneously, "Then you must =
find It." But Ron was surprised at himself. He had no thought in his =
mind about the Ark, and couldn't understand why he had made the remark. =
This was miracle number one. and the Director's enthusiastic response =
and request for him to find the Ark was miracle number two - a most =
unlikely offer, seeing it was given to a foreigner, and that it =
Concerned THE most holy, sought-after artifact in the Jewish world.
However, Ron needed to get back to the States, and so a whole =
year went by before he returned with two others, to begin the dig. =
Meeting again with the Director. he learned that the site was jointly =
owned by an Arab and a European. Both needed to give permission to =
excavate the site. Most surprisingly, BOTH gave that permission without =
even asking what they were looking for! This was miracle number three.
And so in that year, 1979, the arduous slow job of removing =
tons of accumulated rubbish began. Their dig was more or less in front =
of the "Skull", and quite near to Gordon's tomb. Beginning at the top of =
the pile, they painstakingly removed load after load of rubbish, and =
eventually came upon a ledge in which they found three post-holes hacked =
out of the rock. Each of these holes was about 13 inches square in =
shape, and some three feet deep. Furthermore. each hole had a "plug" in =
the top, which contained finger holes for easy removal. It was quite =
obvious what they had found. It was the site of the crucifixions, the =
wooden stakes being lowered into these post holes, which would later be =
plugged until needed again.
Behind the post holes was the cliff face, and at a height of =
about 12 feet, there were ledges cut into the rock, on which could be =
set the details of the crimes committed by those who were crucified. The =
middle one was clearly the most significant, and was reserved for the =
worst criminal. We read that Pilate ordered them to write "This is Jesus =
of Nazareth, the King of the Jews" a statement which greatly angered =
Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, but they had no authority to change it.
Amongst the rubbish they found several Coins, none of which =
was later than A.D. 130, and this showed that the site was afterwards =
covered up and disused. This date fits in well with history, because the =
final destruction of Jerusalem came after the Bar-Cochba revolt in =
A.D.132-135.
Further excavation at this level revealed the remains of a =
building measuring 40 feet out from the cliff-face, and 22 feet wide, =
that had at one time been constructed over the central post hole. This =
was thought to be a chapel used by early Christians, who venerated the =
site of the master's great sacrifice. This idea was given further =
impetus by the discovery of a huge circular stone on the floor of this =
building, Quite near to the post hole. The stone measured 13 feet 2 =
inches in diameter, and about nine inches thick. It was known that =
stones of this sort were used to roll in front of sepuchral caves. But =
this one was huge!
Investigation was made at the entrance to the cave known as =
"Gordon's tomb". which was discovered in 1882 by General Gordon on his =
way home from his historic Chinese campaign. He was not satisfied with =
the traditional site of the crucifixion, the Church of the Holy =
Sepulchre. founded by Queen Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, =
because it was WITHIN the city walls, and could not therefore Qualify as =
being the site according to Scripture. But the "place of the skull" was =
just outside the Damascus Gate. and by the highway that led to Samaria, =
and therefore mat all the conditions. Searching led himto the discovery =
of the actual site of Jesus' burial.
As I said. investigation was made at the entrance to this =
tomb, and in the wall ware found two holes, exactly 13 feet 2 inches =
apart, in which metal rods were originally inserted to act as a "seal" =
to the tomb. The metal rod on the right. as you face the tomb, was =
missing, but the one on the left was still in place, showing all the =
signs of having been sheared off by some mighty force.
Here was clear evidence that the huge stone found above in the =
chapel, was indeed the stone used to cover the entrance to Jesus' tomb. =
It was a mighty stone, as the Scriptures declare, and one that would =
have taken many men to roll back, up the slope. to the left of the tomb. =
But whoever moved the stone. did so WITHOUT removing the two-inch-thick =
metal rod. In other words, it was the work of the Angel, who, we are =
told, "rolled back the stone". Incidentally, the stone could not have =
been rolled to the right because a stone block had been built into the =
gully, presumably to arrest the movement of the stone as it was rolled =
into position. (Incidentally, quite recently the tomb of Herod the Great =
has been found in Jerusalem, and the stone measured.just four and a half =
feet in diameter. Exactly one third the diameter of the huge stone that =
Joseph of Arimathea had made for his sepulchre.)=20
Thus far in the dig, conclusive evidence had been obtained =
that this was the true site of the crucifixion, and that the early =
church had built a chapel of remembrance over the post hold and the =
great stone. It had already been known that Skull Hill was the =
traditional site for burials, Moslem, Jewish, and Christian. And that in =
antiquity it was the place where criminals were stoned to death. (In the =
Mishna it is called "Beth ha-Sekelah", literally "House of Stoning") It =
was here that Stephen was stoned. Also it was the recognised place of =
public execution for Jewish criminals. As late as the beginning of the =
20th century Jews would spit at the hill, throw stones, and curse the =
"destroyer of their nation." All this is clear evidence that it was the =
true scene of Christ's crucifixion and burial.
But further investigation showed another important fact. =
Inside the middle post-hole, the one which was used to hold the Cross of =
Jesus, they found a crack on the left side. leading down into the rock. =
Here was the evidence of the earthquake that occurred the moment that =
Jesus died. This finding was of supreme importance. but was not =
appreciated until much later.
The excavators had not as yet found the entrance to any cave =
that might house the Ark. The work was exhausting and slow, as =
lorry-load after lorry-load of rubbish was carted away. Two years went =
by, and the three men ware getting weary and somewhat discouraged. By =
this time they were digging a narrow trench against the rock face, and =
there was only room for one man to work there at a time. And so they =
would take it in turns, whilst the other two would take a rest on the =
ground above.
Suddenly one day, when Ron Wyatt was digging at the bottom of =
the trench, he looked up and standing there above him was a very tall =
man dressed in typical flowing Arabic garments.
"God bless you, Ron Wyatt, for what you are doing."
"Who are you? How did you know what we are doing?"=20
"I know it all. "=20
"D'you live round here?"=20
"No I don't."=20
"How d'you know my name? where d'you come from?"=20
"I've Just come from South Africa, and I'm on my way to the =
New Jerusalem. God bless you."=20
Ron jumped up as the man walked away. Reaching the top of the =
trench he asked the other two which way the man went. They said that =
they hadn't seen anyone. It was then that Ron realised an Angel had been =
sent to give them encouragement, to spur them on. This was miracle =
number four.
With renewed enthusiasm, they hacked away until they =
reached a point where there were signs of a cave entrance. It was =
January 1982, and four years from when Ron exclaimed to the Director =
about Jeremiah's rubbish heap. Hastily they broke through into a cave, =
but the hole was too small for any of them to crawl through. Giving a =
torch to a small boy, the son of the Arab who was joint-owner of the =
land, he climbed through. but shot out again very rapidly, looking as =
white as a ghost.
"What's in there? What's in there?" he exclaimed, and since =
then has refused to tell anyone what ha saw.
The hole was enlarged until it was of sufficient size to allow =
Ron to crawl through. It was 2 p.m. on January 6th. Ron found himself in =
a large chamber measuring 22 feet from the entrance to the back wall, 14 =
feet. wide. and about. 8 feet from floor to roof. There before him were =
sacred items of furniture from Solomon's Temple, the Altar of Burnt =
offering, the Table of Showbread, and the Altar of Incense. They were =
covered over with skins, over which were placed lengths of timber, and =
on top of these were lumps of rock and stone.
But Ron became aware that at the back of the cave there was =
something else, and it had been enclosed within a wall, so that only the =
top of it could be seen. As his eyes became accustomed to the dim light. =
so he realised that he was looking at two Cherubim with wings =
outstretched over the Mercy Seat. It was the Ark of the Covenant! Ron =
collapsed and fainted, and was unconscious for 45 minutes. Coming to, he =
crawled out and announced his discovery. The Director of Antiquities was =
informed, and he hurried to the site, and began to enter the cave, but =
on doing so his back collapsed and he had to be taken to hospital where =
he remained paralysed for nearly two weeks. He was later heard to say =
that he would never again try to enter the Cave and see the Ark. This =
was miracle number five.
Ron took a Polaroid camera into the cave and photographed the =
Ark. On immediate development, the film was found to be fogged, not =
entirely but just over the portion where the Ark was. He then tried =
using his 35 mm camera, and when these shots came out they likewise =
showed fogging. Then a Video camera was used and the same effect was =
apparent. Some strange thing was happening to prevent the world from =
seeing the Ark. This was miracle number six. I have now seen the footage =
of this video, and all is clear except where the Ark rests, and in front =
of it there is a golden mist. Ron has pencilled in the outline of what =
he saw and the Cherubim are of human form with wings outspread over the =
Ark.
At this stage, a Jewish official suddenly decided to halt all =
further work on the site. It was a severe blow, and Ron and his friends =
prayed that God might over-rule. The prayer was answered almost =
immediately, because the man had a heart attack and died. This was =
miracle number seven.
Another man showed great curiosity and interest in what was =
going on, and tried to prise out of Ron what he was doing and where he =
was working, but Ron refused to divulge any information. However, this =
man was determined, and followed the party about surrepticiously until =
he finally saw what they were doing. Calling a press conference for 9 am =
the next morning, he prepared himself to blast their secret into the =
open. But the following morning at 8 am he was found dead in an alley =
way, in a pool of blood, having been shot by the PLO on some unrelated =
matter. This was miracle number eight.
When the Jewish Authorities were told about this find, they =
were put in a very difficult position. They had living within the land =
religious extremists who would stop at nothing if they could but see the =
Ark, and know that it was genuine. already there had been attempts to =
blow up the Dome of the Rock, the Arabic sacred site which rests over =
the place where Abraham was to sacrifice his son Isaac. This mosque =
rests on the Temple platform, and many Jews would do anything to get it =
removed, so that they could build a new Temple on the site. The =
discovery of the Ark would be the greatest single event to spur them on =
at all costs, but would engulf the Middle East in a "holy war" of =
unimaginable horror and devastation.
The result was that the Israeli Parliament has asked Ron to =
build a door to the cave, cover it with earth, and plant shrubs to =
disguise the site. And there it has remained for the last fourteen =
years. I have no idea what the Israelis have in mind for this Year, but =
if they decide to make the Ark Public, then I am led to wonder what will =
happen. Will the Lord allow it? The strange happenings thus far indicate =
that God is still very interested in the preservation of His holy =
furniture.
But although we have come this far, the story does not end =
here. I mentioned earlier that there was a crack in the rock on the left =
side of the middle post-hole, a crack that had been caused by an =
earthquake. It was only when Ron Wyatt investigated the ark of the =
Covenant in more detail that he realised what he was looking at. Right =
above the left hand side of the Mercy Seat the roof of the chamber shows =
a large fissure, and within this fissure there are copious quantities of =
dried human blood. Furthermore, on the Mercy Seat itself there is a =
large amount of dried blood. When measurements were taken, they found =
that the crack in the post-hole led down to the fissure below, and so it =
was possible for blood to trickle through.
It will be remembered that AFTER Jesus had died, and the =
earthquake rent the rocks, a Roman soldier pierced the Lord's side with =
a spear. Presumably the spear entered the Lord's heart or spleen, =
because "blood and water" flowed out. The Lord had died of a broken =
heart, crushed by the agony of carrying the load of this world's sin. =
His death had not been the normal death of one who had been crucified. =
The two thieves had their legs broken to accelerate death, necessary to =
comply with Jewish legislation, that no man should remain there on the =
Sabbath, which was due to begin at about 6 pm that day.
And so it was that God the Father had rent the rocks to make a =
way for His Son's blood to flow down from the spear-wound, through the =
newly formed fissure onto the very Mercy Seat itself. Now just think =
about this for a moment. Jeremiah had deposited the Ark in the cave some =
six centuries B.C., with absolutely no knowledge of the events which =
were to occur on Good Friday. The Romans who hacked out the post-holes =
had absolutely no knowledge of what lay beneath their feet, nor that =
they were positioning the CENTRAL hole in exactly the right place. And =
until the Lord had died, there was no way for blood to trickle down =
because there was no crack. But these Amazing coincidences actually =
happened. Yes, they ARE coincidences, because everything had to =
COINCIDE exactly for it to happen, but there was never any human design =
- it was entirely the work of God in Heaven, who knew the end from the =
beginning, and arranged for it to happen in that way. This is miracle =
number nine, and it is a "miracle of miracles." In Hebrews we read. "It =
is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sin, - - =
but Thou hast prepared a body for me - - and lo, I come to do Thy will O =
God." "By His own blood He entered in once and for all into the Holy =
Place having obtained eternal redemption for us." (10:4-7 and 9:12) .
None of the O.T. sacrifices were able to take away sin. Only =
the blood of the Son of God could do that. But the children of Israel =
were accepted as a result of their sacrifices by virtue of faith in the =
spoken word of God, and the sacrificial laws. Because Jesus was the Lamb =
slain from the foundation of the world in God's foreknowledge. He was =
able to accept the sacrifices of His people BEFORE Christ came into the =
world. Calvary was the Hub of History. They looked forward. We look =
back. Each acts in faith, the one in prospect. the other in remembrance.
Before Ron closed the cave, he took some of the dried blood =
that had been kept undisturbed for nearly 2000 years and presented it to =
a laboratory for testing. Using an electron microscope it was possible =
to find the chromosomal content of the blood. Ron described it in his =
address at Nashville, saying that normal human blood contains 46 =
chromosomes, 23 from each parent. X chromosomes are female, and Y =
chromosomes are male. All 23 ware present from the mother, but ONLY ONE =
chromosome was present, the Y chromosome. showing that the blood =
belonged to a male, but that HE HAD NO HUMAN FATHER. This is miracle =
number ten. The Lord had preserved the blood until man had the =
technological means of determining the chromosomal content of the blood, =
thereby to prove that the Virgin birth was no myth, but VERY FACT.
These are the ten miracles connected with the discovery of the =
Ark of the Covenant. There may be others that I have missed, I don't =
know. But surely enough has been given to provide us all with such an =
amazing extra proof of our Lord's sacrifice and what it means, that all =
evangelism must change into top gear. I praythat this little paper may =
become a useful tool to use in this respect. Please feel free to copy it =
if you wish. There is never any copyright on any of our papers. We only =
ask that COMPLETE copies be made, so that ambiguities do not arise.
I should now like to share another item of news in connection =
with the above scenario. I have a valued friend and brother in Christ =
who is a retired Doctor of Medicine. In an excited telephone =
conversation with me a short while ago he said that Ron Wyatt's =
testimony about the chromosomes had caused him to question whether it =
would be possible for anyone to have blood so depleted in chromosomal =
content. Being a man of faith and action, he committed this to the Lord, =
asking for a clear sign that all was well.
Not many days passed before he picked up the New Scientist for =
7th October 1995, and there on page 16 he found the following heading -
THE BOY WHOSE BLOOD HAS NO FATHER
He could hardly believe his eyes! The author, Philip Cohen, quoting an =
article by David Bonthron and his colleagues at Edinburgh university in =
Nature Genetic (Volume 11, page 164) explained that a certain three =
year-old boy had bean found whose white blood cells contain only two X =
Chromosomes, the signal for a female. To cut a long story short, they =
went on to explain that the probable cause was a self-activating =
unfertilised ovum which had subsequently (after a short time) become =
fertilised in the normal way. The sperm would then have entered only a =
PART of the divided ovum, thereby creating this most unusual affect. =
Bonthron believed that the boy's remarkable genetics depended on a =
number of highly unusual circumstances combining together, and occurring =
within a very short time window. "I don't expect we'll ever see another =
one. " he said.
Here was yet another miracle! Our Doctor friend had been given =
information about an incredibly rare condition, yes, but the TIMING of =
the article in New Scientist was a true gift from God. The little boy's =
chromosomes do not match those of our Lord, but present what Cohen =
called "partial parthenogenesis", (parthenogenesis is the biologist's =
name for Virgin Birth.) however, the similarity was such that it proved =
the possibility of a human being existing with a considerable depletion =
in his chromosomal count .
And finally. what about those other reported cases of the =
finding of the Ark of the Covenant? I have left this until last so as =
not to spoil the TRUE story by preluding it with the spurious.
I find it interesting, Almost intriguing, to realise that =
Steven Spielberg's film "Raiders of the Lost Ark" should have come out =
for general release in 1981. I remember watching it at the time, and =
wondered what he was trying to say, being of Jewish origin. The =
supernatural affects he attributed to the holiness of the Ark certainly =
had their parallel in the finding of the real Ark.
But late in that very year, an announcement was made by =
another team, saying that they had located the Ark in a cave in Mount =
Nebo, the mountain where Moses viewed the Promised Land before his =
death. This team included Tom Crotser, Jim Bollinger, and the astronaut =
Jim Irwin. Irwin had earlier been interviewed on BBC Television by =
Richard Baker. who asked him, "What are you doing now?" And amongst =
other things he said. "I'm helping to find the Ark of the Covenant in =
Jordan." But it was in the Christmas 1981 issue of Far Eastern Berean =
that a panelled quotation appeared, taken from the Straits Times of =
Singapor,. entitled "We found the lost Ark claim!"
And so, on BBC 1 in January 1982 (at the very time when Ron =
Wyatt was breaking through into the cave) Tom Crotser was interviewed, =
and he showed photographs of the Ark. Furthermore there was a guarded =
note to this effect in the Jerusalem Post. Now we may very well ask why =
Crotser was able to obtain clear photographs, whereas Wyatt was not. And =
I shall leave it to my readers to ponder that question. Incidentally, I =
have not personally heard anything more about this find in Mount Nebo, =
except that it is sited in a position belonging to both the Vatican and =
the Jordanian government, the latter being adamant in refusing anyone to =
remove the artifact.=20
An American archaeologist by the name of David Lutz made the =
following statement.
"One rabbi told me this discovery would not only promote the =
building of the Temple on Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, but would also =
signal the end of the Diaspora, the dispersion of the Jewish people. It =
would be as influential as a spoken command from the Almighty to all =
Jewish parsons to coma home to the Promised Land. To Christians it would =
be a clear signal that we are nearing the end or this age and the =
beginning of the Messianic Kingdom."=20
No wonder there is great excitement Amongst many people, =
whether they be Jews or Christians. One wonders why the timing of the =
event on God's calendar is just now. Are we entering the "crossroads of =
history"? And if so, then we shall need to know which route to take. I =
am in no position to Say whether the Israeli government will make a move =
just now. but the facts are already out And being advertised quite =
widely, and this in itself is creating quite a stir. It is doing to us =
what the Angel did to Ron wyatt - spur us on with greater vigour than =
ever before to be ready for the Lord's return.
Many people have drawn up plans from prophecy. some say that =
much still needs to be done before the second coming, but in doing so =
they destroy the urgency of our Lord's words, "Watch and pray for you =
know. not the day or the hour - and again I say, watch." The =
interpretation of prophecy, particularly in the Christian dispensation, =
has never been an easy task, and we may very well be depriving ourselves =
of the very thing we need to "trim our lamps" and make ourselves ready. =
Who knows? We are living in days of electrifying excitement spiritually, =
and it behoves us to "love His appearing" , and "purify ourselves, even =
as He is pure".
So what is the artifact in Mount Nebo? I do not accuse Crotser =
lying. He certainly found something. But what is it? My guess is that it =
is a REPLICA of the true Ark, made in Jeremiah's day, and deposited in =
the cave according to the words that are found in 2 Maccabees 2:4-8. Why =
should Jeremiah do this? Because he was a man of great integrity and =
honour towards the Lord, and he lived Amongst people, even his OWN =
people, who were dishonest to the Core. They would be watching his every =
move, and wanting to know what he was doing. This would mean that =
SOMEONE would find the Ark and raid it. and he didn't want that to =
happen. So he made a replica, and took it to Mount Nebo. In the event, =
even this replica has not been found until recent days.
There is yet another story about the Ark which needs a mention =
before I conclude this paper. In 1992 Graham Hancock wrote a book, =
published by William Heinemann, entitled "The Sign and the Seal". It is =
the account of his travels in Ethiopia in search of the Ark, which by =
tradition is held in great secrecy by a people who have a strange =
mixture of Judaism and ChristianIty. Hancock was never able to gain =
access to the building where this Ark is kept, and which is closely =
guarded by a monk by the name of Abba Fameray.=20
The story goes that King Solomon sired a son by the Queen of =
Sheba, whose name was menelech and when Menelech was in his late teens =
he travelled to Jerusalem, and was treated very well by Solomon, who =
asked what gift he would like to take back with him. "The Ark of the =
Covenant", he said, which prompted an immediate negative response of =
course. Menelech was not well pleased with this refusal, and later =
brought several companions with him, and stole the Ark in the dead of =
night, and transported it to Ethiopia, where it has rested until this =
very day. This story may be found in the Encyclopedia Britannica and it =
adds that the Ark now rests in a town called Axum. This is a highly =
unlikely tale, and would have been a major embarrassment to the children =
of Israel if they found that it had been stolen. No doubt a "holy war" =
would Have been raised by Solomon to regain this priceless treasure. But =
no. There is no mention of it anywhere else, save in Ethiopia.
So what do THEY have in that land, which they guard so =
carefully? I believe it could be yet another replica, not taken in =
Solomon's day, but probably in Jeremiah's day or thereabouts.
Finally, a few addresses for those who would like to write:
(a) to Jonathan Gray
P.O.Box 3370, =20
Rundle Mall, Adelaide, South Australia. 5000
(b) to Ron Wyatt
Wyatt Archaeological Research,=20
713, Lambert Drive,=20
Nashville, Tennessee, U.S.A. 37220=20
(c) to the British H.Q. of Advent Truth
P.O.Box 41,=20
Derby, DE1 9ZR, England
from whom the Various Videos. tapes, and books may be obtained.