The answer is
simple. There will be a great
controversy during the Great
Tribulation over the topic of
worship. The Holy Spirit will demand
(through the preaching of the
144,000) that everyone must obey
God’s two laws of love and this
includes observing God’s
seventh-day rest (the fourth
commandment). Of course, obeying the
Ten Commandments cannot produce
salvation. However, when persecution
and/or death is promised to everyone
obeying God’s Ten Commandments,
faith and love for God will be tested
and we know that it is through faith
that we are saved! This is a critical
point: When worship requires a
sacrifice, when obeying God means the
loss of family, friends, and
possessions, faith is severely tested
and those who pass the test of love
and faith will be sealed and saved!
The religious
leaders of the world will also demand
worship, but the worship which
Babylon demands will be contrary to
the worship that God demands. This is
how the issue of worship will become
a hotly debated topic during the
Great Tribulation. Revelation
13:5-8 indicates that
all who honor and observe God’s
Sabbath rest will suffer persecution.
When the judgment of the living ends,
God will open the temple in Heaven
and show the wicked why they are evil
in His sight. Wickedness occurs when
God’s two laws of love are
violated. This is the testimony of
His law and its conclusion is beyond
impeachment or appeal.
When the
surviving saints see the Ark of the
Covenant beaming from Heaven’s
temple, they will rejoice because
they will know that God’s two
laws of love are sealed within their
hearts. The saints will know from
personal experience why the Ten
Commandments are called a covenant.
They have been transformed,
literally, by God’s pure love.
Their sinful natures have been
removed and they find themselves in
perfect harmony with God and His two
laws of love. God’s laws of love
are noble, wise, honorable, and
everlasting. “ ‘This is the
covenant I will make with the house
of Israel after that time,’
declares the Lord. ‘I will put
my laws in their minds and write them
on their hearts. I will be their God,
and they will be my people.’
”[183]
The wicked
will not be able to hide themselves
from the glory of this event. They
will gaze at the Ark of the Covenant.
This spectacle in the sky will leave
them speechless and dumbfounded. They
will be awestruck by the somber
reality and importance of God’s
eternal laws. Mortals will remember
their defiance against Almighty God,
the King of kings and Lord of lords
and will sense their impending doom.
The wicked will realize that they
rejected every opportunity to repent
and that they rejected every overture
made by the Holy Spirit who was
prompting them to submit to
God’s two laws of love. The
tattoos on their right hands (the
mark of the beast) confirms they
willingly and knowingly chose to
worship and obey a demon. This will
be a horrible moment of truth for the
wicked. During the seventy days of
the seven bowls, the wicked will not
forget the Ark of the Covenant. God
has predetermined that those who
rebel against Him will remember the
law that testifies against them as
they suffer the seven bowls of His
wrath.[184]
{19
– Continued} After
everyone on Earth saw the Ark of His
Covenant, there came flashes of
lightning, rumblings, peals of
thunder, an earthquake, and a great
hailstorm of burning meteors. Once
again, fire from Heaven fell on
particularly evil places and they
were incinerated like Sodom and
Gomorrah. The saints heard a loud
voice. (One of the seven thunders?)
It was Jesus. He said, “Let him
who does wrong, continue to do wrong;
let him who is vile, continue to be
vile; let him who does right,
continue to do right; and let him who
is holy, continue to be holy.”[185]
The
Rules of Interpretation
Consider how
the Rules of Interpretation
(discussed in the Introduction of
this book) are observed in this
prophecy:
Rule
One says an apocalyptic
prophecy has a beginning point and
ending point in time and the events
within the prophecy occur in the
order given. This prophecy has a
beginning point in time, but the date
cannot be precisely known. However,
we do know from Revelation 7 and
8 that the 144,000 will be selected
and sealed shortly before the
commencement of the first four
trumpets. We also know that the Two
Witnesses will be empowered for 1,260
days and we know from Daniel 12:11,12 that
the Great Tribulation will last 1,335
days. Therefore, it appears
that Revelation
10:1
occurs a few days before the censer
is cast down and the 144,000 are
empowered.
Rule
Two says a fulfillment
only occurs when all of the
specifications are met, and this
includes the order stated in the
prophecy. Of course, this prophecy
has not yet begun, therefore it has
not been fulfilled. On the other
hand, we clearly see a chronological
flow within this prophecy:
John
saw Jesus come to Earth, he
was told to eat the little
book (the selection of the
144,000)
John
was told to prophesy again
(the 144,000 will proclaim an
undefiled gospel)
John
was given a measuring rod
(the 144,000 will deliver a
message that measures people)
God’s
Two Witnesses empowered for
1,260 days (the 144,000 are
empowered by the Holy Spirit
to proclaim God’s two
laws of love)
The
Two Witnesses are killed (the
ministry of the 144,000 ends)
The
Two Witnesses are resurrected
(the 144,000 will be
resurrected and taken to
Heaven)
The
seventh trumpet sounds (the
judgment of the living
concludes)
Ark
of the Covenant is shown (the
wicked are condemned)
Rule
Three says apocalyptic
language can be literal, analogous,
or symbolic. To reach the intended
meaning of a prophecy, the reader
must consider (a) the context, (b)
the use of parallel language in the
Bible, and (c) if an element is
thought to be symbolic, the Bible
must interpret the symbol with a
relevant text.
This prophecy
uses all three types of language. For
example, the two lampstands and the
two olive trees are symbolic. There
are relevant texts in the Bible to
define these symbols. The great
harlot symbolizes a great city (of
refuge), but the Ark of the Covenant
in God’s temple is literal. This
prophecy also uses parallel
Scripture. Ezekiel and John ate books
that were given to them. The message
was sweet in their mouths (the truth
is wonderful), but bitter in their
stomachs (telling those who do not
want to hear is very difficult).
John’s experience in this vision
personifies the experience of the
144,000. The two lampstands and two
olive trees personify the two laws of
love and the Holy Spirit.
Rule
Four says the presence
or absence of the Jubilee Calendar
determines how God measures time. The
1,260 days allotted for the
empowerment of the two witnesses does
not require translation because the
1,260 days occur after the Jubilee
Calendar ended in 1994. (See Appendix
A.)
Jesus
is described as a mighty
angel because He is the
Archangel. 1 Thessalonian
4:16; John 5:25-28 (See
also Chapter 2 in my book,
Jesus: The Alpha and The
Omega. You can freely
download this chapter at:
http://www.wake-up.org/Alpha/Chapter1.htm.) Return
The
rainbow suggests the presence
of divinity, see Revelation 4:3.
(See also pages 108-114 in my
book, A study on the Seven
Trumpets, Two Witnesses and
Four Beasts. You can freely
download this chapter at:
http://www.wake-up.org/Revelation/RevWitnesses.pdf.) Return
See Zechariah 3:7,8 for
a parallel. God spoke to
Joshua and those with him as
though they were people that
would later appear on
Earth. Return
The
Greek preposition epi can be
and should be translated
‘before’ instead of
‘about’ in this
passage. (See also the KJV
translation and Revelation
10:11.) Return
For
a discussion on the holy city
representing God’s
people, see commentary
following Revelation
11:8 in this
prophecy. (See also Revelation
13:5 for
confirmation on the 42
months.) Return
Isaiah 34:1-5 Note:
The title Edom is another
name for Easu and it is
sometimes used in the Old
Testament to identify those
who despise God’s
covenant. See Genesis 25:34. Return
Mark 15:38Return
The Bible does not explicitly
say that the Ark of the
Covenant was taken to Heaven
after Jeremiah hid it from
the approaching Babylonians.
Contrary to the claims of
many, here are nine reasons
why this author is convinced
the Ark of the Covenant was
taken to Heaven after Israel
rejected Messiah and it
awaits a glorious display
before the whole world at the
appointed time.1. During the
Great Tribulation, travel and
communication for ordinary
people will be basically
nonexistent. There would be
no value of finding the Ark
in or near Jerusalem during
the Great Tribulation if only
a few thousand people in the
Middle East will hear about
it and only a few thousand
get to see it. Other than
local interest, there would
be no global impact.2. If,
prior to the Great
Tribulation, the Ark of the
Covenant was found in a cave
and put on display in a
museum in Jerusalem, it would
gain worldwide attention, but
for the wrong reason. It
would be regarded as a
historical relic. As a
religious relic, the Ark of
the Covenant would have no
authority. Its end time value
would not be understood.
Therefore, in terms of
defining rebellion or
producing guilt on the
wicked, the global impact
would be zero if the Ark of
the Covenant was found on
Earth prior to the Great
Tribulation.3. If the Ark of
the Covenant is found prior
to the Great Tribulation, the
Jews would immediately lay
claim to the Ark and they
would do whatever is
necessary to take possession
of it. They would likely keep
it in a place that had
limited access. The result
would be the same as it is
now – the Ark would
essentially remain hidden
from view and worse, the
religious property of the
Jews. I say “worse”
because most Christians think
the Ten Commandments are
Jewish laws anyway. In terms
of defining rebellion or
producing guilt, there would
be no impact on the world in
this scenario.4. If the Ark
of the Covenant was found
prior to the Great
Tribulation and no one was
killed after touching it (as
was Uzzah – see 1 Chronicles
13:10),
this would prove that
God’s power did not rest
on the Ark. This would also
prove that the Ark is nothing
more than a religious relic.
This would give many
Christians the proof they
need that the Ten
Commandments are null and
void, because millions
believe the Ten Commandments
were nailed to the cross.
Again, in terms of defining
rebellion or producing guilt,
there would be no global
impact in this scenario.
5.
The only people permitted to
touch the Ark were the
descendants of Kohath. (Numbers 4:15)
Even an ordinary Levite could
not touch the Ark. So, if the
Ark were found on Earth prior
to the Great Tribulation, who
could move it or handle it if
God’s power still rests
upon it? If God’s power
does not rest upon the laws
which He wrote with His own
finger, the Ten Commandments
are interesting stone tablets
and nothing more. In this
scenario, we are back to the
issue of a religious relic or
the worship of a religious
object.
6. I
believe God took the Ark to
Heaven because He plans to
show it to the whole world at
the appointed time. We know
that God took Enoch and
Elijah to Heaven, so surely
He can take a small golden
box to Heaven. It seems
obvious from
Revelation’s context
that when the Ark is unveiled
and shown to the world from
Heaven’s temple, it will
not be regarded as a relic by
any scoffer at that time. It
will be a divine display from
the Lawmaker Himself
condemning all who refused to
submit to the terms and
conditions of His two laws of
love.
7.
Imagine a brilliant Ark with
its two stone tablets
surrounded with blazing light
in the sky. The scene would
be an impressive and awesome
sight. A display of the Ark
will confirm the faith of the
obedient – there is the
law they accepted by faith.
On the other hand, this
display will condemn the
wicked who willingly defied
the sovereign authority of
Jesus. The wicked will shiver
with guilt. Showing the Ark
of the Covenant to everyone
on Earth is designed to be an
ominous event that marks the
close of salvation. The
global impact will be huge! A
museum piece hidden under a
blanket can not achieve this.
8.
Another point to consider is
that Jesus Himself delivered
the Ten Commandments from Mt.
Sinai with such power and
majesty that the Israelites
thought they were going to
die. (Exodus 20:18,19)
Another Mt. Sinai experience
is coming again. The same
thing will happen when the
Law Maker of the Universe
shows the Ark of His Covenant
from Heaven’s temple.
9.
Finally, Jesus wrote the two
tablets of stone placed in
the Ark of the Covenant. (Deuteronomy
10:4) This makes
the Ten Commandments in the
Ark of the Covenant
originals, not copies. I
conclude that the Ark of the
Covenant in Heaven is the
original Ark built by Moses
and it will be unveiled and
shown to the whole world at
the appointed time. God
Himself will show mankind
what He thinks of His two
laws of love. This is why I
believe the Ark of the
Covenant is not on
Earth. Return
