Bible-Ten Commandments
"THE
MYSTERIOUS ARK"
THE
SECRET OF THE 'HOLY' ARK
What was so 'holy' about the mysterious 'Ark of the Covenant'? What did
the visible presence of God, the Shekinah, brood over in the ancient tabernacle?
What was the 'Mercy Seat' covering? What were the two golden angels looking so
reverently upon? The 'Ark' was only a Golden Box-- it was God's Holy Law inside
of it that was SACRED!
The temple of God
was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in His temple the ark of His
testament. Revelation 11:19. The ark of Gods testament is in the holy of
holies, the second apartment of the sanctuary. In the ministration of the
earthly tabernacle, which served unto the example and shadow of heavenly
things, this apartment was opened only upon the great day of atonement, for
the cleansing of the sanctuary. Therefore the announcement that the temple of
God was opened in Heaven, and the ark of His testament was seen, points to the
opening of the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, in 1844, as Christ
entered there to perform the closing work of the atonement. Those who by faith
followed their great High Priest, as He entered upon His ministry in the most
holy place, beheld the ark of His testament. As they had studied the subject
of the sanctuary, they had come to understand the Saviours change of
ministration, and they saw that He was now officiating before the ark of God,
pleading His blood in behalf of sinners.
The ark in the
tabernacle on earth contained the two tables of stone, upon which were
inscribed the precepts of the law of God. The ark was merely a receptacle for
the tables of the law, and the presence of these divine precepts gave to it
its value and sacredness.
When the temple of
God was opened in Heaven, the ark of His testament was seen. Within the holy
of holies, in the sanctuary in Heaven, the divine law is sacredly
enshrined,the law that was spoken by God Himself amid the thunders of Sinai,
and written with His own finger on the tables of stone.
The law of
God in the sanctuary in Heaven is the great original, of which the
precepts inscribed upon the tables of stone, and recorded by Moses in the
Pentateuch, were an unerring transcript. Those who arrived at an understanding
of this important point, were thus led to see the sacred, unchanging character
of the divine law. They saw, as never before, the force of the Saviours
words, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in nowise pass
from the law. Matthew 5:18. The law of God, being a revelation of His will, a
transcript of His character, must forever endure, as a faithful witness in
Heaven. Not one command has been annulled; not a jot or tittle has been
changed. Says the psalmist: Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in Heaven.
All His commandments are sure. They stand fast forever and ever. Psalm
119:89; 111:7, 8.
Original Law in Heavenly Ark. I
warn you, Do not place your influence against God’s
commandments. That law is just as Jehovah wrote it in the temple
of heaven. Man may trample upon its copy here below, but the
original is kept in the ark of God in heaven; and on the cover of
this ark, right above that law, is the mercy seat. Jesus stands
right there before that ark to mediate for man (MS 6a, 1886).
Law Preserved in Ark..
"And He [Christ] gave unto Moses, when He had made an end of
communicating with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony,
tables of stone, written by the finger of God." Nothing
written on those tables could be blotted out. The precious record
of the law was placed in the ark of the testament and is still
there, safely hidden from the human family. But in God’s
appointed time He will bring forth these tables of stone to be a
testimony to all the world against the disregard of His
commandments and against the idolatrous worship of a counterfeit
Sabbath (MS 122, 1901).
There are abundant evidences of the immutability of God’s
law. It was written with the finger of God, never to be
obliterated, never to be destroyed. The tables of stone are
hidden by God, to be produced in the great judgment-day, just as
He wrote them (RH March 26, 1908).
When the judgment shall sit, and the books shall be opened,
and every man shall be judged according to the things written in
the books, then the tables of stone, hidden by God until that
day, will be presented before the world as the standard of
righteousness. Then men and women will see that the prerequisite
of their salvation is obedience to the perfect law of God. None
will find excuse for sin. By the righteous principles of that
law, men will receive their sentence of life or of death (Ibid.,
Jan. 28, 1909). Bible Commentary Vol. 1 pg. 1109
While these words of holy trust ascend to God, the clouds
sweep back, and the starry heavens are seen, unspeakably glorious
in contrast with the black and angry firmament on either side.
The glory of the celestial city streams from the gates ajar. Then
there appears against the sky a hand holding two tables of stone
folded together. Says the prophet, "The heavens shall
declare His righteousness; for God is judge himself."[2 PS.
50:6.] That holy law, God’s righteousness, that amid thunder
and flame was proclaimed from Sinai as the guide of life, is now
revealed to men as the rule of judgment. The hand opens the
tables, and there are seen the precepts of the decalogue, traced
as with a pen of fire. The words are so plain that all can read
them. Memory is aroused, the darkness of superstition and heresy
is swept from every mind, and God’s ten words, brief,
comprehensive, and authoritative, are presented to the view of
all the inhabitants of the earth.
It is impossible to describe the horror and despair of those
who have trampled upon God’s holy requirements. The Lord
gave them his law; they might have compared their characters with
it, and learned their defects while there was yet opportunity for
repentance and reform; but in order to secure the favor of the
world, they set aside its precepts and taught others to
transgress. They have endeavored to compel God’s people to
profane his Sabbath. Now they are condemned by that law which
they have despised. With awful distinctness they see that they
are without excuse. They chose whom they would serve and worship.
"Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and
the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him
not."[1 MAL. 3:18.].
The enemies of God’s law, from the ministers down to the
least among them, have a new conception of truth and duty. Too
late they see that the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is the
seal of the living God. Great Controversy pg. 639-640
Tables of Stone a Convincing Testimony.
When God’s temple in heaven is opened, what a triumphant
time that will be for all who have been faithful and true! In the
temple will be seen the ark of the testament in which were placed
the two tables of stone, on which are written God’s law.
These tables of stone will be brought forth from their hiding
place, and on them will be seen the Ten Commandments engraved by
the finger of God. These tables of stone now lying in the ark of
the testament will be a convincing testimony to the truth and
binding claims of God’s law (Letter 47, 1902).
Ark in Heaven Contains Commandments.
Sacrilegious minds and hearts have thought they were mighty
enough to change the times and laws of Jehovah; but, safe in the
archives of heaven, in the ark of God, are the original
commandments, written upon the two tables of stone. No potentate
of earth has power to draw forth those tables from their sacred
hiding place beneath the mercy seat (ST Feb. 28, 1878). Bible
Commentary Vol. 7 pg. 972.
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