Library

 

Jesus

 

Bible

 

Church  Authority

 

Mary

 

Moral  Issues

 

Pro-Life

 

Sacraments

 

Saints

 

Misc.

 

 

 

    

 

DEFENDING  THE  BRIDE

 

 

ARK  OF   THE   COVENANT


Part II  New Testament

Typology
Ark in the New Covenant
Ark in Luke’s Gospel
Old Testament Prefigures Christ’s Ascension into Heaven Along with His Ark

 

Typology

Types  And  Shadows  Pointing  Ahead  And  Revealing  Gods  Glory

Men in the Old Testament who prefigured Christ are called types of Christ.  Christ is the “anti-type”  or the  “archetype”    the One in whom they prefigured and the One in whom is found complete and infinite perfection.   Christ is the new Moses who leads us out of the bondage of sin.   He is the new Solomon, the true Son of David.   David, the King of Israel, is a type of Christ.   In the Old Testament we also find him crushing Satan’s head.

 

Ark in the New Covenant

Revelation 11:19  
“Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.”

This had to have been a startling declaration by John.  The much longed for Ark had not been seen in centuries.

2 Maccabees 2:5
“And Jeremiah came and found a cave, and he brought there the tent and the ark and the altar of incense, and he sealed up the entrance.”

The Ark was treasured by the Israelites because it was a place of prayer to the One True God.  It symbolized His power and glory, but we read in 2 Maccabees 2:5 that Jeremiah had hidden the Ark.  So, when John records in the Book of Revelation - also called Apocalypse which literally means the unveiling - his vision of heaven that he had seen the Ark up in heaven the Jewish people must have been ecstatic to read that.  The Ark had been hidden and lost for hundreds of years.

At this point John immediately records visions of lightning, thunder, and earthquakes.  This is John’s special effects to let us know that something really spectacular is about to happen.  If John had been making a modern day movie of this Book we probably see the best computer graphics and special effects ever because John is about to reveal who this Ark is up in heaven.  See, there were no chapter separations in the original Books of the Bible.  Chapter and verse numbers were added hundreds of years later.  So the Book of Revelation Chapter 11:19 flows right into Chapter 12 verse one.

 

The Ark was holy because of what it contained.   Within it was placed the Manna that Moses and the Israelites collected in the desert.  It also had the Budding Staff of Aaron which symbolized his high priesthood, and the Tablets upon which were written the Ten Commandments.   See Hebrews 9:3-4

All of these also symbolized and pointed toward Jesus Christ.  He is our Heavenly Bread come down from heaven, John 6, our eternal High Priest, Hebrews 7-9, and the Word of God made flesh, John 1.

Jesus was conceived in Mary’s womb and lived there for nine months.  Therefore, Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant.  That is why when John says he sees the Ark of the Covenant after the description of the special effects John proclaims that he sees a woman, the mother of the Christ child.

 

Revelation 11:19 - 12:17
“Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple; and there were flashes of lightning, voices, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail....  And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars;  she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery. ... she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child. 17 Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus.

Because Mary was saved by God's grace from the first moment of her Immaculate Conception she was spared the curse of original sin. (Genesis 3:16)  The pangs of birth is a reference to the pains she willingly undertook in becoming the mother of all the beloved disciples. (John 19:26)

Jerusalem had been the center of religious worship of the One True God.  So, King David had the Ark of the Old Covenant brought up to Jerusalem.  Therefore, it is only fitting and proper that Jesus, the King of Kings, brought Mary, the Ark of the New Covenant, up to Heaven.  And this is what John saw in his heavenly vision.

 

The Book of Revelation is about New Testament fulfillment.  It is about the consumption, the apocalypse, …  the Revelation of all things.

 

 

Ark in Luke’s Gospel

In his Gospel Luke points to Mary as being the new Ark.  He draws many parallels in his passages about Mary with how the Old Testament speaks about the Ark.


2 Samuel 6:2  
“Then David and all the people who were with him set out for Baala of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which bears the name of the LORD of hosts enthroned above the cherubim.”

Luke 1:39  
“During those days Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah


2 Samuel 6:9   
“David feared the LORD that day and said,   ‘How can the ark of the LORD come to me ?’

Luke 1:43  
And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me ?


2 Samuel 6:11 
“The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed Obed-edom and his whole house.”

Luke 1:56   
Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.”

To have blessed knees means to be made fruitful with offspring.  Elizabeth, being advanced in age, had a high risk pregnancy.


2 Samuel 6: 14, 16  
Then David … came dancing before the LORD … As the ark of the LORD was entering the City of David, Saul’s daughter Michal looked down through the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD, and she despised him in her heart.”

Luke 1:44   
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.”


2 Samuel 6:21-23  
“But David replied to Michal:   ‘I was dancing before the LORD. As the LORD lives … not only will I make merry before the LORD, but I will demean myself even more.   I will be lowly in your esteem, but in the esteem of the slave girls you spoke of I will be honored.’

Luke 1:46-48   
“And Mary said:  ‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;  my spirit rejoices in God my savior.  For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness;
  behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed.’

Also see Agape Bible Study Chart


 

1 Chronicles 13:9-10
“Then the LORD became angry with Uzzah and struck him; he died there in God’s presence, because he had laid his hand on the ark.
Cf.  2 Samuel 6:6-7

The Ark was consecrated to God.  It was not to be touched because God is so holy.  Thus we can see that it is proper and right that Mary, the new Ark of the Covenant, would also be “untouched” and a perpetual virgin because God within her womb is even more holy that what was in the Old Testament Ark.

The Ark is powerful.  Cf. Fall of Jericho Joshua 6: 1-20

 

Old Testament Prefigures Christ’s Ascension into Heaven Along with His Ark

Psalm 132:4-8
“I will not give sleep to my eyes or slumber to my eyelids, until I find a place for the Lord, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob.”  ... “Let us go to his dwelling place; let us worship at his footstool!” Arise, O Lord, and go to thy resting place, thou and the ark of thy might.”

Genesis 3:14-15
 “Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
 … I will put enmity between you and the woman,
 and between your offspring and hers;
 He will strike at your head,
 while you strike at his heel.” 

The seed, or offspring, of Satan is the manifestation of sin and death, but the triumph of Jesus Christ defeated both of these.  See Romans 5:12-21, Hebrews 2:14-15.  Therefore, it is most appropriate that Jesus would triumph over the power and influence of Satan in a most complete way throughout all time in a particular person.  Jesus shows His power over Satan in the person of Mary.  The Assumption of Mary into heaven by the power of Jesus Christ shows the ultimate triumph of Jesus over Satan, who brought sin, and death.

 

Coronation of Mary at Vatican

  

Also See:

 

Part I.  Old Testament 

Contents of the Ark

Power of the Ark

Sacredness of the Ark

Staff of Aaron

Place of Prayer

 
 
 

Does God get jealous when we study what the Bible teaches about Mary or the Ark of the Covenant ?  

No. See Jealousy ?

 

Proof that Catholics clearly teach to worship only God and not to worship Mary

 

Also see Steve Ray's article on the Ark, (offsite article.)

 
 
 

NEW   Cool  Catholic  Graphics


See  Articles  at

JESUS     BIBLE     CHURCH   AUTHORITY

  MARY     MORAL  ISSUES     PRO-LIFE

  SACRAMENTS       SAINTS       MISC.


HOME  - DEFENDING  THE  BRIDE

www.DefendingTheBride.com