Revelation 11
"Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail." - Revelation 11:19
The apostle John continues to see visions about the future. Two temples are mentioned in this chapter. One is an earthly temple in the city of Jerusalem (vv. 1-2). The other is a heavenly temple where God dwells (v. 19). Very surprisingly, John sees the ark of God's covenant in the heavenly temple.
A seeker just last week asked me: where is the ark of the covenant now? I told him I didn't know and that the Bible doesn't say. Of course we talked about The Raiders of the Lost Ark and how in that movie the ark is discovered by Indiana Jones in the sands of Egypt. But this is make believe. I suggested that maybe the ark was captured by the Babylonians and melted down to make the golden image described in Daniel 3. But I am corrected by this verse. It seems the ark still exists and is located in God's heavenly temple. It will be seen once again by believers. It is a symbol of God's holiness and of Jesus' atoning sacrifice for sin.
Father, thank you for the Bible, that it corrects our ideas and conjectures. Help us to receive in humility what you have revealed to us in the Bible. May we be very hesitant to go beyond Scripture in things that don't really matter. It is very interesting to me that the ark of your covenant still exists. I look forward to seeing it someday. Thank you for what the ark stands for: your perfect holiness and the blood atonement of your one and only Son. Be glorified today. In Jesus' name, amen.
- Jeff Coleman
