The ARC is in ETHIOPIA!!! PROOFS AND FACTS WHICH PROOOF!!!!!
Important facts :
In Isaiah 18, the prophet records a message from God concerning Ethiopia. It deals not only with Ethiopia's past, but also with the future of God's Messiah. Verses 3-4 read, "All inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth, when he [Messiah] lifts up a banner on the mountains, you see it; and when he blows a trumpet [of victory], you hear it. For so the Lord said to me, 'I will take My rest, and I will look from My dwelling place."
If this and the verses that follow describe Messiah's triumph over the armies of the world, what happens next is very interesting. Verse 7 reads: "In that time a present will be brought to the Lord of hosts from a people tall and smooth of skin [Ethiopians, according to verse 1] . . . to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, to Mount Zion." What might the present be that is brought from Ethiopia to the "place of the name of the Lord" - to the Holy of Holies? Only the future will tell.
Links:
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ETHIOPIA (Lake Tana)
Why take our search to Ethiopia? First of all, for centuries of Ethiopian history, there has existed strong tradition and legend that the Ark of the covenant indeed found its final resting place in Ethiopia. But even more important, the Bible and related sources are not silent on the subject of a direct connection between the Jews and Ethiopia. Josephus, Jewish historian to the Romans, cites a strong connection between Moses (during his princely upbringing in Egypt) and Ethiopia. In Book II, Chapter X of his Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus recounts an episode in which Moses, leading forces from Egypt, besieges the Ethiopian city of Saba, and subsequently receives an offer of marriage from the king's daughter named Tharbis. According to Josephus, Moses accepts and consummates his marriage to an Ethiopian, and so wins the city for Egypt. Is this fable or fact? It's hard to say for certain - but in Numbers 12:1 we find that ". . . Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian." If such a marriage took place, it is easy to see that a line of Mosaic descendants in Ethiopia would provide an ideal place of refuge for the Ark, particularly if its welcome had been revoked further downriver in Egypt, and if its return to Israel was not possible because of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 587-586 BC.
Our research on-site in Ethiopia led us to the shores of Lake Tana, a body of water 53 miles long and 41 miles wide, located on the headwaters of the Blue Nile. Isolated far out on the waters of Lake Tana is Tana Kirkos Island, considered by the Ethiopians to be a holy island, and populated only by Ethiopian Christian monks. The monks of Tana Kirkos believe they are living on the island where the Ark of the covenant rested, and where Levitical-style blood sacrifices were performed until 338 AD, when the nation of Ethiopia converted to Christianity.
A three-and-a-half-hour boat ride took us to the shores of Tana Kirkos Island, where I encountered the most mysterious and primitive culture I have experienced in all my travels around the world. We were met by a colony of monks who live a life entirely isolated even from Ethiopian civilization, dedicated to a life of prayer, meditation, and worship - all dating back to a time when they believe the Ark of the Covenant was safeguarded on their island. Recruited from the villages surrounding Lake Tana, they dedicate the rest of their lives to worshiping on Tana Kirkos, where they grow their own food, grind their own corn, and make their own clothes.
The monks of Tana Kirkos escorted us to a high plateau where they showed us several large, moss-covered stones which they said had previously been used in sacrificial ceremonies when the Ark of the Covenant was on the island. They also told us that the rock surface on which we were standing had been the location of a tabernacle-like tent that had housed and protected the Ark.
Intrigued that a tent had been on the rock surface, I excavated some loose topsoil and discovered four hand-carved socket holes, spaced to create a 13' by 13' square, oriented in a north-south, east-west configuration, apparently to emulate the original Holy of Holies.
The monks then asked me if I would care to see implements from Solomon's Temple. Intrigued by their statement, I waited expectantly while a monk approached a large mud-brick building, unlocked a heavy latch and lock (the only signs of modern society present on the island), entered and then emerged with four large, heavy artifacts. I first was shown two large metal forks, which they claimed were meat forks used for burnt offerings in Solomon's Temple. They were about 4-1/2 feet long and bore the ancient symbol of a budding almond flower on the top of each one.
Next the monks showed me a large, bronze bowl that was approximately 22" across and 2" deep. They referred to the bowl as a "gomer," and described it as a vessel in which priests placed animal blood during temple ritual, stirring it occasionally to keep it from coagulating. Finally, the monks showed me a metal stand, approximately 3' high, designed to hold the bronze bowl, though extreme age had caused the metal of the stand to fatigue and droop.
I asked the monks why these items remained on the island, and they told me that in 338 AD King Ezana was converted to Christianity by a Syrian monk named Abba Salama. Since Christianity was then decreed the new religion of the country, blood sacrificial ceremonies were no longer used, and the implements were rendered obsolete.
My next question was key: If the implements of sacrifice were left with the monks, what happened to the Ark of the Covenant? I was told the Ark itself was taken to Axum, where today it is kept in absolute isolation at St. Mary's of Zion Church.
LOG BOOK ENTRY: ETHIOPIA (Axum)
We next journeyed to Axum, the purported resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, and made our way to St. Mary's of Zion Church. There I was introduced to a man referred to as "The Guardian of the Ark of the Covenant." This man reportedly lives his entire life inside a fenced-off area in which is St. Mary's of Zion. He will not leave this fenced-off compound until he dies and is replaced by the next Guardian of the Ark. In the chapel of the church, 30 robes from 30 previous guardians are on display - and every one of the 30 professed that the object they protected was the Ark of the Covenant.
I was able to speak through an interpreter with the Guardian of the Ark, who told me that no other man besides himself could lay eyes on the Ark, that it was an absolutely holy object, and that the world would not pollute it by looking at it. He added that he and the villagers would protect the Ark with their lives if necessary.
Interestingly, we were shown two silver trumpets that bore a remarkable similarity to the trumpets pictured on the arch of Titus in Rome, commemorating the Roman conquest of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. Trumpets like these were an essential part of the implements used in Temple worship.
Subsequent to this initial investigation, we located and interviewed two people who have claimed to have seen the object resting in St. Mary's of Zion. The first was a 105-year-old priest who once was the administrator at St. Mary's of Zion. On two occasions, he said, when the Guardian of the Ark died and a new guardian was trained in the worship rituals, he was able to gaze upon the relic. He described it as a gold box with two winged angels on top.
In his detailed inventory of the treasury, he described the Ark as a gold box with two winged creatures on the top. He described 24 smaller angelic-type figures forming a molding around the top, with two green stones (not described in the Bible) at either end. Is this the Ark of the Covenant described in the Bible? At this juncture we cannot say with certainty that it is - or that it isn't. What we have concluded is that St. Mary's of Zion church in Axum, Ethiopia, is the resting place either of an incredible replica of the biblical Ark of the Covenant; or of the actual Ark of the Covenant itself.
A Final Note:
Is the Bible entirely silent on the subject of the Ark of the Covenant's current resting place, or of its existence between the present day and the eternal kingdom? Some argue that Scripture is indeed silent, and that the Ark is a moot point now that Messiah has suffered and died for the whole world. Others, however, suggest that there may yet me a role for the Ark to play during a period of time following a real and triumphant victory by Messiah over the armed forces of the world system, before He institutes His eternal kingdom on a new earth.
In Isaiah 18, the prophet records a message from God concerning Ethiopia. It deals not only with Ethiopia's past, but also with the future of God's Messiah. Verses 3-4 read, "All inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth, when he [Messiah] lifts up a banner on the mountains, you see it; and when he blows a trumpet [of victory], you hear it. For so the Lord said to me, 'I will take My rest, and I will look from My dwelling place."
If this and the verses that follow describe Messiah's triumph over the armies of the world, what happens next is very interesting. Verse 7 reads: "In that time a present will be brought to the Lord of hosts from a people tall and smooth of skin [Ethiopians, according to verse 1] . . . to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, to Mount Zion." What might the present be that is brought from Ethiopia to the "place of the name of the Lord" - to the Holy of Holies? Only the future will tell.
Important facts :
In Isaiah 18, the prophet records a message from God concerning Ethiopia. It deals not only with Ethiopia's past, but also with the future of God's Messiah. Verses 3-4 read, "All inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth, when he [Messiah] lifts up a banner on the mountains, you see it; and when he blows a trumpet [of victory], you hear it. For so the Lord said to me, 'I will take My rest, and I will look from My dwelling place."
If this and the verses that follow describe Messiah's triumph over the armies of the world, what happens next is very interesting. Verse 7 reads: "In that time a present will be brought to the Lord of hosts from a people tall and smooth of skin [Ethiopians, according to verse 1] . . . to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, to Mount Zion." What might the present be that is brought from Ethiopia to the "place of the name of the Lord" - to the Holy of Holies? Only the future will tell.
Links:
***********************+
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ETHIOPIA (Lake Tana)
Why take our search to Ethiopia? First of all, for centuries of Ethiopian history, there has existed strong tradition and legend that the Ark of the covenant indeed found its final resting place in Ethiopia. But even more important, the Bible and related sources are not silent on the subject of a direct connection between the Jews and Ethiopia. Josephus, Jewish historian to the Romans, cites a strong connection between Moses (during his princely upbringing in Egypt) and Ethiopia. In Book II, Chapter X of his Antiquities of the Jews, Josephus recounts an episode in which Moses, leading forces from Egypt, besieges the Ethiopian city of Saba, and subsequently receives an offer of marriage from the king's daughter named Tharbis. According to Josephus, Moses accepts and consummates his marriage to an Ethiopian, and so wins the city for Egypt. Is this fable or fact? It's hard to say for certain - but in Numbers 12:1 we find that ". . . Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married; for he had married an Ethiopian." If such a marriage took place, it is easy to see that a line of Mosaic descendants in Ethiopia would provide an ideal place of refuge for the Ark, particularly if its welcome had been revoked further downriver in Egypt, and if its return to Israel was not possible because of the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem in 587-586 BC.
Our research on-site in Ethiopia led us to the shores of Lake Tana, a body of water 53 miles long and 41 miles wide, located on the headwaters of the Blue Nile. Isolated far out on the waters of Lake Tana is Tana Kirkos Island, considered by the Ethiopians to be a holy island, and populated only by Ethiopian Christian monks. The monks of Tana Kirkos believe they are living on the island where the Ark of the covenant rested, and where Levitical-style blood sacrifices were performed until 338 AD, when the nation of Ethiopia converted to Christianity.
A three-and-a-half-hour boat ride took us to the shores of Tana Kirkos Island, where I encountered the most mysterious and primitive culture I have experienced in all my travels around the world. We were met by a colony of monks who live a life entirely isolated even from Ethiopian civilization, dedicated to a life of prayer, meditation, and worship - all dating back to a time when they believe the Ark of the Covenant was safeguarded on their island. Recruited from the villages surrounding Lake Tana, they dedicate the rest of their lives to worshiping on Tana Kirkos, where they grow their own food, grind their own corn, and make their own clothes.
The monks of Tana Kirkos escorted us to a high plateau where they showed us several large, moss-covered stones which they said had previously been used in sacrificial ceremonies when the Ark of the Covenant was on the island. They also told us that the rock surface on which we were standing had been the location of a tabernacle-like tent that had housed and protected the Ark.
Intrigued that a tent had been on the rock surface, I excavated some loose topsoil and discovered four hand-carved socket holes, spaced to create a 13' by 13' square, oriented in a north-south, east-west configuration, apparently to emulate the original Holy of Holies.
The monks then asked me if I would care to see implements from Solomon's Temple. Intrigued by their statement, I waited expectantly while a monk approached a large mud-brick building, unlocked a heavy latch and lock (the only signs of modern society present on the island), entered and then emerged with four large, heavy artifacts. I first was shown two large metal forks, which they claimed were meat forks used for burnt offerings in Solomon's Temple. They were about 4-1/2 feet long and bore the ancient symbol of a budding almond flower on the top of each one.
Next the monks showed me a large, bronze bowl that was approximately 22" across and 2" deep. They referred to the bowl as a "gomer," and described it as a vessel in which priests placed animal blood during temple ritual, stirring it occasionally to keep it from coagulating. Finally, the monks showed me a metal stand, approximately 3' high, designed to hold the bronze bowl, though extreme age had caused the metal of the stand to fatigue and droop.
I asked the monks why these items remained on the island, and they told me that in 338 AD King Ezana was converted to Christianity by a Syrian monk named Abba Salama. Since Christianity was then decreed the new religion of the country, blood sacrificial ceremonies were no longer used, and the implements were rendered obsolete.
My next question was key: If the implements of sacrifice were left with the monks, what happened to the Ark of the Covenant? I was told the Ark itself was taken to Axum, where today it is kept in absolute isolation at St. Mary's of Zion Church.
LOG BOOK ENTRY: ETHIOPIA (Axum)
We next journeyed to Axum, the purported resting place of the Ark of the Covenant, and made our way to St. Mary's of Zion Church. There I was introduced to a man referred to as "The Guardian of the Ark of the Covenant." This man reportedly lives his entire life inside a fenced-off area in which is St. Mary's of Zion. He will not leave this fenced-off compound until he dies and is replaced by the next Guardian of the Ark. In the chapel of the church, 30 robes from 30 previous guardians are on display - and every one of the 30 professed that the object they protected was the Ark of the Covenant.
I was able to speak through an interpreter with the Guardian of the Ark, who told me that no other man besides himself could lay eyes on the Ark, that it was an absolutely holy object, and that the world would not pollute it by looking at it. He added that he and the villagers would protect the Ark with their lives if necessary.
Interestingly, we were shown two silver trumpets that bore a remarkable similarity to the trumpets pictured on the arch of Titus in Rome, commemorating the Roman conquest of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD. Trumpets like these were an essential part of the implements used in Temple worship.
Subsequent to this initial investigation, we located and interviewed two people who have claimed to have seen the object resting in St. Mary's of Zion. The first was a 105-year-old priest who once was the administrator at St. Mary's of Zion. On two occasions, he said, when the Guardian of the Ark died and a new guardian was trained in the worship rituals, he was able to gaze upon the relic. He described it as a gold box with two winged angels on top.
In his detailed inventory of the treasury, he described the Ark as a gold box with two winged creatures on the top. He described 24 smaller angelic-type figures forming a molding around the top, with two green stones (not described in the Bible) at either end. Is this the Ark of the Covenant described in the Bible? At this juncture we cannot say with certainty that it is - or that it isn't. What we have concluded is that St. Mary's of Zion church in Axum, Ethiopia, is the resting place either of an incredible replica of the biblical Ark of the Covenant; or of the actual Ark of the Covenant itself.
A Final Note:
Is the Bible entirely silent on the subject of the Ark of the Covenant's current resting place, or of its existence between the present day and the eternal kingdom? Some argue that Scripture is indeed silent, and that the Ark is a moot point now that Messiah has suffered and died for the whole world. Others, however, suggest that there may yet me a role for the Ark to play during a period of time following a real and triumphant victory by Messiah over the armed forces of the world system, before He institutes His eternal kingdom on a new earth.
In Isaiah 18, the prophet records a message from God concerning Ethiopia. It deals not only with Ethiopia's past, but also with the future of God's Messiah. Verses 3-4 read, "All inhabitants of the world and dwellers on the earth, when he [Messiah] lifts up a banner on the mountains, you see it; and when he blows a trumpet [of victory], you hear it. For so the Lord said to me, 'I will take My rest, and I will look from My dwelling place."
If this and the verses that follow describe Messiah's triumph over the armies of the world, what happens next is very interesting. Verse 7 reads: "In that time a present will be brought to the Lord of hosts from a people tall and smooth of skin [Ethiopians, according to verse 1] . . . to the place of the name of the Lord of hosts, to Mount Zion." What might the present be that is brought from Ethiopia to the "place of the name of the Lord" - to the Holy of Holies? Only the future will tell.
