(87) The Ark of the New Covenant

No one really knows where the Ark of the Covenant from the Old Testament is today.  Sure there are theories that it is in Ethiopia and others as well.  Yes, Indiana Jones found it and now it sits in a storage room in some US facility before someone thinks they are funny.  But in reality no one really knows.  But it also probably doesn't really matter since we are under a new covenant.  It is neat to see how the Old Testament and the New Testament coincide with each other so much.  The Old Testament though for the New Testament Christian is only symbolic.  That is not to say that the Old Testament doesn't mean anything or nothing in it ever really happen.  On the contrary it is literal historical events, but we are no longer bound to its rules and punishments for we are under grace and forgiveness.  But after all of this has been said there is an ark for the New.  Sure the easy answer is that Jesus is the New Ark.  But there is a deeper connection between Old and New.  There is an actual physical Ark that happened.   And we can almost still see it today.

Before we go on let's look at the word Ark.  There are a couple of words we have for this word.  One is "tebah" and the other is "aron".  Both are similar and mean chest, box, or coffin.  In other words a place where you store something of value or of major importance that you want to remember.  Noah's Ark is an example.  God placed His most valuable possession in His tebah so that it would be remembered and saved. 364 days later the precious item was let out of the tebah.  But the word coffin could also be used for Noah's Ark.  Man died.  He was placed in a coffin.  But see what God did?  He raised man out of the coffin.  Man was resurrected.  An Old Testament historical event that is now symbolic of what will happen to man if he believes in the Son of God!  We will be resurrected.

The Ark of the Covenant is another example of this word.  God placed His valuable possession, His promise, and other items of value in His aron.  This chest or coffin was made of acacia wood, gold, and other items.  It was topped with a lid and on the lid is called the Mercy Seat.  On each side a cherub is sitting with its wings spread out.  Blood for sacrifices was poured out onto the left side of the Mercy Seat (symbolic of where Jesus sits compared to God the Father).  Blood is poured for the forgiveness of all our sins.  It provides the mercy we need to keep our relation with God.  Again, historic event but now symbolic for the Christian.  For Jesus still sits on the mercy seat and our sins our forgiven because of His blood that He poured our for us.

**But there is another symbolic yet real event that makes this even more of a great connection.  When Jesus was laid in the tomb of Joseph there had to be some blood that was left on the shroud that they covered him with.  Then on the day of resurrection Mary was there and saw the place where the shroud was left, empty.  But when she looked up she saw...two angels on both sides of the "coffin" or the ARK!**

The ark of the New Testament is surely Jesus but the symbol behind this is that the Ark of the New Covenant, or promise, is that because of Him we will be resurrected.  His blood was poured on the Mercy Seat once for all and now He sits at God's right hand (on the left).

**Inspired by Joseph Prince Ministries.

(5) A State of Confusion, Genesis 11:1-32

After Noah was chosen to recreate civilization with a second chance one would think that humans would remember what the wrath of God meant if you did not follow His instructions. But unfortunately for the human race stupidity comes naturally and we still follow our own desires. The 11th chapter of Genesis is another lesson on human stupidity. The true meaning behind this lesson is how God told man not to settle into one place. If you read chapter 9 you will see that God gave strict orders of how man was supposed to fill the earth. Staying in one place was no a choice. But man took it anyway.

• 1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
• 2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
• 3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
• 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
• 5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.
• 6 The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
• 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
• 8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
• 9 That is why it was called Babel —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Man did not listen to the instruction of God so He confused our languages. If you read into it, not only did He confuse our language, He scattered the human race Himself. How did man get everywhere even on remote islands and three major landmasses? God did it. Not evolution. This passage tells us of the original sin of Adam and Eve, following our own desires, trying to become like God. Remember that is how the serpent tricked Adam and Eve. He said they would be like God. Here we have the same sin, and the same penalty---separation. This time from each other.

In this short lesson we actually learn even more about ourselves. Over the thousands of years that have passed since this event, many false interpretations have come out of it. Here are two of them:

1. Since Ham was cursed and his descendants became the African races and the Bible says they would become slaves to their brothers then it gives the "Europeans" the right to own slaves
2. Since God separated the "races" here that means He didn't want any intermixing of races.

These two misinterpretations are the main reasons why we racism today. Unfortunately we are taught, programmed and/or raised with some of these feelings. Slavery is not an institution created nor condoned by God. Racism is a form of murder. If this is not believable then you need to read Matthew 5:21-26. Murder is any feeling of hatred towards your brother. The other misconception about interracial couples starts off false because it is not about race. It is about language. The only thing God says not intermarry with is another religion! Plus different languages does not mean a different race. If that was true then German is a race. English is a race. French is a race. Or Swahili is a race. Bantu is a race. White is NOT a race. Black is NOT a race. Only different amounts of melanin. If this was the true case then anyone of German decent marrying anyone of English decent must be committing sins. No. Human stupidity.

(4) The Tidal Wave, Genesis 5:6-10:32

Genesis 5:6-10:32

Some say that they flood mentioned in the Bible was just a local flood. Even some Christians believe this. Let's see what the Bible has to say about it.

Gen 6:11-19

• 11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence.
• 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.
• 13 And God said to Noah, "I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
• 17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die.
• 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.
• 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.

Five times in this passage we see that the words "all" or "every" or "everything" is used. These words mean "complete". When the Bible says that all flesh was corrupted, all flesh will be destroyed it didn't mean that somewhere on the earth some will be okay. Noah was saved due to his righteousness. Some animals he was to take on the ark for food and sacrifice and so that the human race could go on living after the flood was over. How could it have been a local flood if all flesh died in the flood?

• 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.
• 20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive.
• 21 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them."

All kinds of animals were taken into the ark. Not one species was left behind. All were taken. If the flood was local why would all animals have to be brought to the ark to be saved? Why was every sort of food taken if all they had to do was wait until the waters subsided and then go get more like after floods here in the US?

• 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.
• 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits.
• 16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks.

Why make Noah build an ark so large and make him work so much for a local flood? Why not just tell him to move to a different land like he did with Abraham?

Gen 7:17-20 (The Message)

• 17 The flood continued forty days and the waters rose and lifted the ship high over the Earth.
• 18 The waters kept rising, the flood deepened on the Earth, the ship floated on the surface.
• 19 The flood got worse until all the highest mountains were covered
• 20 The high-water mark reached twenty feet above the crest of the mountains.

Where did the waters stop? If it was a local flood then how would it go 20 feet over the highest mountain? Wouldn't the waters flow over the top and go somewhere else? It did. It kept going until there was no more places to go; a global flood.  If it was a local flood then why did God tell the people to disperse and leave the area?  People would have already been around the world if it was only a local flood.  Scripture says this is where the languages were divided.  What language did these other people have that were not in the flood, if it was only a local flood?  If it was only a local flood, why does almost every culture have a version of the story.  If their culture was not part of it, then why would they make a story about it?  It had to be global.  Noah's family told the next few generations about it.  When the languages were divided, the story became diluted and distorted.

To say that this was a local flood wipes out the reason of Noah's life and story. Without this total destruction of a people who disregarded God then there would be no such thing as repentance. There would be no such thing as total grace. The Bible speaks of new creation, not something added on. You are the new creation. You need to be completely washed in the grace of God, not just part of you. This was a huge tidal wave.