August 29: THE ARK OF THE COVENANT, A PLACE OF SAFETY

Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. Revelation 11:19

Chapter 11 culminates with the sight of the ark of His covenant: the enduring sign of His presence among His people. It is dramatically punctuated and emphasized with ‘special effects’: lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. In the great controversy between good and evil, we are reminded by the ark, not only of His presence with us, but the assurance of His promise of unwavering love toward His people during their wilderness journey on the earth. It is an ark of safety, just as the ark that Noah built provided safety from the flood of judgment that came upon the whole earth. Once again, we are provided an anchoring reference to the holy and unchanging Covenant of our holy and unchanging LORD: the immutable Ten Commandment law. It is the foundation of His government of love, the emblem of His faithfulness, and the perfect summary of our duty to God and to man. He promises to put it in our minds and write it on our hearts (Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10; 10:16), thereby aiding all who love Him to keep it (Jeremiah 32:40). Beloved, do you know and honor God’s law? Are you ready to be judged by it? He has made certain that the standard of His judgment is not a mystery.

Let us stay tuned in to sanctuary language. The type that the Lord gave us in the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:16-19,30) has met its antitype: the day in which we now live. In the “G.P.S.” or “map” of salvation, the ark of His covenant is the ultimate Day of Atonement landmark, for it is the only article of furniture in the Most Holy Place. Immediately following the work of the high priest each year – of cleansing the record of sin from the sanctuary – judgment would fall upon each person, determining whether each was saved or lost. For those who confessed and forsook their sin, sin was removed and the record of it transferred into the sanctuary: recorded in blood! And yearly, the sanctuary was cleansed of that record (remember that yearly “rehearsals” signified one-time events). But all unconfessed and unforsaken sin remained upon the sinner’s head.

Likewise, our heavenly High Priest is now doing His work of atonement in the Most Holy Place of the heavenly sanctuary. Just as the work of judgment began when the high priest entered into the Most Holy Place (of the earthly sanctuary), the LORD’s work of final judgment began in 1844 when He moved into the Most Holy of heaven, to judge and to cleanse (see Daniel 8:14), thus clearing away even the record of sin. We are living in the pivotal point of the day of judgment.

The Bible teaches that our body is meant to be a dwelling place for the LORD. Your body is not your own, for you were bought back – redeemed from the devil – at the highest possible price. That is how precious you are to God. We should consider that we each have a Most Holy place: our mind which is the seat of our will. This season of cleansing and restoration is an exciting time. Our enemy is working overtime to attack and overthrow God’s law. Do not allow him to steal it from your mind. Instead, let Jesus, your High Priest, blot out your sins (see Isaiah 43:25)!

He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. Proverbs 28:13

For on that day the priest shall make atonement for you, to cleanse you, that you may be clean from all your sins before the LORD. Leviticus 16:30 (see also Psalm 32:3-5 and 1 John 1:6-9)