The Ark is placed in Solomon’s Temple
Another Old Testament incident that reveals the relationship of the thousand-year Jubilee to the new heaven and earth reign of Christ is the incorporating of the Ark of the Covenant, and the rest of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, in the Temple of Solomon (I Kings 8:3-6).
At this point in our discussion of the destiny of the Temple of God we are associating the Ark of the Covenant with the thousand-year reign of Christ, and the Temple of Solomon with the new heaven and earth reign of Christ.
Christ will rule after the manner of David, and then He will rule after the manner of Solomon. Christ is the fulfilment of the eternal realities of which both King David and King Solomon are types.
I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah. (Psalms 89:3,4)
I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. (Revelation 22:16)
Behold, a son shall be born to thee, who shall be a man of rest; and I will give him rest from all his enemies round about: for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quietness unto Israel in his days. He shall build an house for my name; and he shall be my son, and I will be his father; and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel for ever. (I Chronicles 22:9,10)
Both David and Solomon are types of Christ in His Kingdom, and the placing of both the Ark and the Tabernacle of the Congregation in the Temple of Solomon portrays the transition from the Davidic rule of Christ to the Solomonic rule of Christ. The reader may recall that the Ark of the Covenant at one time was part of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. In fact, the Ark was the holiest item of the Tabernacle and the first piece of furniture that God called to the attention of Israel (Exodus 25:10).
The Tabernacle of the Congregation with all its parts was "one tabernacle" (Exodus 36:13). It was never contemplated that the Ark of the Covenant should be removed from its location in the Holy of Holies and located somewhere else (Exodus 40:21).
Sin intervened. The two wicked sons of Eli the Priest, Hophni and Phinehas, removed the sacred Ark of the Covenant from the Most Holy Place and brought it to the scene of the battle between Israel and the Philistines.
The Ark of God was captured at that time (I Samuel 4:17). It never again was returned to its rightful place in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle of the Congregation.
After an eventful trip through the land of the Philistines, and a few subsequent stopovers, the Ark of the Covenant was brought by David to Zion, the fortress of the city of Jerusalem. David did not restore the Ark to its proper place in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle but instead pitched a special tent for it (I Chronicles 16:1). This tent became known as the Tabernacle of David (Amos 9:11).
The remainder of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, with the bronze Altar of Burnt Offering, Laver, Table of Showbread, Lampstand, and Altar of Incense, was located at the "high place that was at Gibeon" (I Chronicles 16:39). "High places" were centres of idol worship.
According to our present understanding of the plan of God, the separation of the Ark of the Covenant from the Tabernacle of the congregation is symbolic of the condition of the Christian Church. The removal of the Ark and its capture by the Philistines depicts the departure of the Glory of God from the Church of Christ (I Samuel 4:22).
The Glory that rested on the apostles and prophets of the early Church, with the accompanying revelation of the Word and the signs and wonders of the Holy Spirit, began to leave the Church soon after the end of the first century. Ichabod ("no glory") was written on the churches of Christ.
Throughout the hundreds of years that followed, the Christian faith, in some instances, became just one more of the many religions of the world. Christianity possessed its priests and temples, its sacred vessels, its peculiar rites and ceremonies. The Glory of the Presence of Christ had long since departed. The historical account of the nature and operations of the early Church began to seem more like a legend than a factual record.
Then, through the Protestant Reformers, the Holy Spirit commenced the restoration of the "Tabernacle of the Congregation," to speak figuratively: justification by faith in the blood of Christ (Altar of Burnt Offering); water baptism by immersion, and holy living (Laver); the reality of the born-again experience (Table of Showbread); baptism with the Holy Spirit (Lampstand); Spirit-filled prayer and worship (Altar of Incense).
Even though these elements of the Body of Christ have been recovered from the dead, as it were, it appears that the churches in many instances still are showing signs of being located at the "high place in Gibeon" in that the "services" are a mixture of the Holy Spirit and the fleshly nature of people (I Kings 3:2-4; II Chronicles 1:3-6).
It may be true that God, meanwhile, will form Christ in a militant remnant drawn from the churches, as symbolized by David’s Tabernacle. This would be fortress Zion, the conquering strength of the Church, the "camp of the saints." When the remnant of the Church is ready to go into battle with the Lord, Jesus will appear and Armageddon will be fought. The Lord and His army will emerge victorious and the Kingdom of Heaven will be brought down and installed on the earth.
During the Kingdom-age reign of Christ, the Holy Spirit will work with all members of the Church of Christ, as we understand it, although only the Lord’s firstfruits will possess glorified bodies. It is the firstfruits who will be instrumental in bringing about the rule of Christ in the earth.
We see in Revelation the camp (fortress) of the saints (possibly the warlike remnant, the firstfruits), and also the "beloved city." The beloved city may be the earthly city of Jerusalem because the new Jerusalem, which is the Church, the Wife of the Lamb, will not descend from Heaven until the thousand-year Kingdom Age has been completed (Revelation 20:9, 21:2).
The Ark of the Covenant in its special tent was the "Tabernacle of David" of which James spoke: After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. (Acts 15:16,17)
We understand from the fact that the above verses were placed in the Book of Acts that the Ark of the Covenant, apart from the remainder of the elements of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, has an especially prominent role in symbolizing the establishing of the Kingdom of God on the earth.
At the time of the sounding of the seventh angel, which is the hour of the Lord’s appearing and the raising from the dead of the bodies of His victorious saints, "the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament" (Revelation 11:15-19). This means the holiness and power of the Ark of the Covenant has been established in the hearts of the warlike remnant of the last days.
The Ark of the Covenant, which has been lost from the possession of mankind for more than two thousand years, will again be seen when Christ is ready to set up His Kingdom on the earth. But now the Ark of the Covenant will be the throne of God and of the Lamb that has been created in the personalities of the victorious saints.
And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the Lord, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the Lord: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. (Jeremiah 3:16,17)
The Ark of the Covenant is associated with the victorious remnant of saints who will be a tool in the hand of God to bring the Kingdom to Christ. Being a conqueror and marching in the army of the Lord is available to every Christian who will prepare himself or herself to march with Christ. The Kingdom of Heaven is waiting today for those who will take God at His Word and lay aside all else in order to grasp Christ.
If we do not become a member of Christ’s firstfruits, His remnant, it is our fault, not His. God has given us the opportunity to press into Christ, to gain complete victory over sin and self-seeking. If we do not avail ourselves of the grace of God in Christ we have no one to blame but ourselves.
We are associating the Ark of the Covenant and the remainder of the Tabernacle of the Congregation with the present hour as well as with the thousand-year Kingdom Age; and we are associating the Temple of Solomon, which was constructed on the same pattern as the Tabernacle but on a grander scale, with the new heaven and earth rule of Christ.
As soon as the Temple of Solomon had been completed the Ark of the Covenant was brought up from Zion, the city of David. The remainder of the Tabernacle of the Congregation was carried from Gibeon to Jerusalem. Then the vessels of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, including the Ark of the Covenant, were placed in the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem.
As we understand the significance of this event, the inclusion of the vessels of the Tabernacle of the Congregation in the Temple of Solomon typifies the merging of the Kingdom-age reign of Christ with the new heaven and earth reign of Christ.
Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. (II Chronicles 5:2)
The bringing up of the Ark and the other furnishings of the Tabernacle of the Congregation with the intention of placing them in the new temple was an event of the most extraordinary importance in the history of Israel. Solomon understood this fact, and so he brought together in solemn assembly the eldership and the people of the nation. Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month. (II Chronicles 5:3)
The "feast that was in the seventh month" refers to the feast of Tabernacles (Leviticus 23:33-43). The new heaven and earth reign of Christ is the kingdom-wide fulfilment of the feast of Tabernacles and is identified especially with that feast.
When we consider the many aspects of the feast of Tabernacles, and then read the Twenty-first and Twenty-second chapters of the Book of Revelation, we discover several concepts that are common to the feast of Tabernacles and the new heaven and earth reign of the Lamb of God and His Wife.
And all the elders of Israel came; and the Levites took up the ark. (II Chronicles 5:4)
God had ordained that only the Levites were to carry the Ark. Solomon was following the ordinances of the Lord in this matter.
And they brought up the ark, and the tabernacle of the congregation, and all the holy vessels that were in the tabernacle, these did the priests and the Levites bring up. (II Chronicles 5:5)
The incorporating of the vessels of the Tabernacle of the Congregation, including the Ark of the Covenant, in the Temple of Solomon, suggests that every member of the Body of Christ, the Christian Church, will be created a part of the new Jerusalem.
From the Apostles of the Lamb, whose names are in the foundations of the wall of the holy city (Revelation 21:14), to the "little sister enclosed in cedar" (Song of Solomon 8:8,9), every true saint will be brought to perfection through the Holy Spirit of God.
The new Jerusalem will be perfect in every detail (Isaiah 42:3; Philippians 1:6; Hebrews 13:21).
And the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubim's: (II Chronicles 5:7)
The furnishings in the Holy and the Most Holy Places of the Tabernacle of the Congregation were ornate. The articles either were solid gold or covered within and overlaid with gold. The ceiling was decorated elaborately and of great beauty (Exodus 36:8). The walls were acacia wood covered with gold. The articles in the Holy Place were illuminated at night by the light from the golden Lamp stand.
For the most part, the glory and beauty of the Tabernacle were visible only to a few persons—the priests of Israel. The Holy and the Most Holy Places were covered with a protection of animal skins. The intricate craftsmanship of the interior could be viewed only by those who were engaged in the service of God.
Speaking of the thousand-year Kingdom Age, Isaiah proclaims: "for upon all the glory shall be a defence" (Isaiah 4:5).
One wonders if the Glory of God that will rule the earth throughout the Kingdom Age will be hidden in some manner to all except the members of the Church of Christ—the kings and priests of God (I Peter 2:9).
If it should prove to be true that the glory and beauty of the Wife of the Lamb are concealed to a certain extent during the Kingdom Age that is just ahead, this will not be the case during the new heaven and earth reign of Christ.
Just as the Temple of Solomon was a structure of such surpassing external beauty that the Queen of Sheba was left without spirit upon beholding it, so will it be true that the new Jerusalem, the holy city, will be revealed in such breathtaking glory and beauty that "the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it" (Revelation 21:24).
There was nothing in the ark save the two tables which Moses put therein at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of Egypt. (II Chronicles 5:10)
Originally there were three articles in the Ark of the Covenant: (1) the golden pot containing manna; (2) Aaron’s rod that budded; and (3) the Tables of the Covenant—the Ten Commandments (Hebrews 9:4).
By the time the Ark was placed in the Temple of Solomon, Aaron’s rod and the jar of manna had disappeared. Only the tables of stone remained.
Here is a forceful reminder that although the heaven and the earth pass away, as they do before the coming down from the new heaven of the Wife of the Lamb, yet the Word of God shall never pass away.
The old will have passed away and all things will have become new. The manna, the remembrance of the period when God sustained His people with a daily miracle for forty years in the wilderness, teaching them that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, will then be a thing of the past. Every member of the Body of Christ, the Wife of the Lamb, will be living by the Word coming continually from God.
Aaron’s rod, representing God’s endorsement of those whom He has chosen in the sight of the spiritually ambitious of Israel who would seek pre-eminence for themselves, will have disappeared from sight. Self-seeking no longer will be found among the saints.
The righteousness of the moral law, which has been embodied forever in the transformed character of the victorious saints, will pass unchanged into the new heaven and earth reign of Christ. The moral law will be in force forever and the saints will govern the creation forever, because it always will be possible for any person or any angel to sin against God.
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (Revelation 22:5)
"They shall reign for ever and ever."
The Ten Commandments bring to our mind the righteousness and holiness of God. The incorporating of the Ark of the Covenant containing the Covenant itself (the Ten Commandments) in Solomon’s Temple emphasizes the fact that the Presence and holiness of God was placed in the "oracle" (Most Holy Place) of the Temple.
In the new heaven and earth reign of Christ we behold the Presence and holiness of God everywhere we look. Holy is the term that best describes the new heaven and earth reign of Christ. God and the Lamb are holy. The city is holy. The Spirit of the city is the Holy Spirit. The Wife of the Lamb is holy. Everybody and everything that enters the city must be holy.
Every person, relationship, circumstance, and thing found in the Father is holy. Any person, relationship, circumstance, or thing not found in the Father is not holy. This is the definition of holiness.
And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life. (Revelation 21:27)