Coming wars

homemaker

Member
Hi!

I know this has been done several times, but I can't find anything...

Where could I go to see what players are in the different wars (Psalm 83/Ezekiel 38(?)/Isaiah 17) with their modern names? And where the different wars are in the timeline? I want to be able to see the news and understand where it *might* be leading prophetically. I know we can't set dates! But I want to understand better. History has never been a strength of mine, and Biblical history even more so. But, I can name lots of the Paw Patrol characters, so my time isn't completely wasted!
 

athenasius

Well-Known Member
Sawas, a member here who hasn't been on in a while posted a brilliant chart here https://www.raptureforums.com/forums/threads/gog-magog-invasion-timing.158790/page-3#post-843016378 back in 2020

He was charting who shows up for which wars.

He covered Ps 83, Isaiah 17, Jeremiah 49, Ezek 38 and 32 which some people miss, and Zech 9. All seem to be related in some way or another under the general umbrella of Ps 83/Is 17 and Ezek 38

I'll come back in on this with some modern names for the nations and how that's determined at a later date. It's late and I've got to get off the computer here.

That thread went on for pages and it ended up being a good one to refer back to at times.
 

homemaker

Member
Sawas, a member here who hasn't been on in a while posted a brilliant chart here https://www.raptureforums.com/forums/threads/gog-magog-invasion-timing.158790/page-3#post-843016378 back in 2020

He was charting who shows up for which wars.

He covered Ps 83, Isaiah 17, Jeremiah 49, Ezek 38 and 32 which some people miss, and Zech 9. All seem to be related in some way or another under the general umbrella of Ps 83/Is 17 and Ezek 38

I'll come back in on this with some modern names for the nations and how that's determined at a later date. It's late and I've got to get off the computer here.

That thread went on for pages and it ended up being a good one to refer back to at times.
Yes! Thank you! I knew there was something like this somewhere!
 

athenasius

Well-Known Member
Yes! Thank you! I knew there was something like this somewhere!
You are welcome. @sawas did a great job lining up the different passages that deal with Iran, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the West Bank and Gaza areas (Judea and Samaria) various Arab nations along with Russia and bits of Africa-- Egypt, Libya and what was called Cush, mistranslated Ethiopia in the OT times but we would call them the Sudan today.

With the exception of Russia they are all Muslim.

With the exception of Egypt, Jordan and the Abraham Accords (UAE and Bahrain) plus Saudi Arabia they all hate Israel.

Not meaning that Egypt, Jordan, the UAE, Bahrain or Saudi Arabia love and cherish Israel. They don't but they are happy to do business with Israel now and aren't out to kill them.

Think of the Abe Accords and the Saudis as Sheba and Dedan or parts of them anyway. You'll be familiar with Ezekiel 38 vs 13 that shows Sheba and Dedan along with the merchants of Tarshish raise a mild objection to Russia's invasion with Iran, Turkey, Libya and the Sudan.

Sheba anciently was over in Ethiopia and a little bit along the coastline of Yemen and the west coast of Arabia, but their kingdom capitol was over in Ethiopia where a kingly line that ended in 1974 with the Marxist revolution that took him out of power to die a year later. He descended from King Solomon's son with the Queen of Sheba and was the 225th in succession.

Because some of the West coast of what is now Arabia was part of Sheba this means that Sheba and Dedan mean Ethiopia and Saudi Arabia or just Saudi Arabia with it's close companions the UAE and Bahrain.

There is a lively debate about the merchants of Tarshish-- are they Spain or Great Britain and who are their daughters/young lions/cubs? Because of a fulfilled prophecy Isaiah 60: 9 I believe it is Britain because that describes the Jews coming back to Israel after WW2 --the ships of Tarshish were BRITISH merchant vessels that brought the Jews back.

Some argue that only Spain supplied tin therefore it was Tarshish. It may be, but Britain also supplied tin long before Ezekiel lived, -in the last few years there was an archeological discovery that found British tin dating to Solomon's time period. A difference in the chemistry of the tin pinpoints it's origin to Britain. Britain is named for tin, something that the ancient people were well aware of.

It's good to look at a wider group of prophecies that Sawas listed there to see the overlap between the nations.

The same players popping up. Not all of them in each passage. Some are left out. Does that mean different wars? Maybe. There are several wars of the Antichrist that are alluded to in various scriptures so perhaps the AC is involved in some that mention "the Assyrian" which is another name for the Antichrist in the OT.

Zephaniah should be included. Zeph is aimed at the Tribulation period and chapter 2 is aimed at Gaza, along with Jordan (Moab, Ammon but not Edom) and Cush (Sudan) plus Assyria (northern Syria).

And Amos. Amos includes some details of the fall of Damascus, and is at least partly aimed at the Tribulation period.

But there you go, have fun.
 

athenasius

Well-Known Member
I just happened to be discussing that bunch on another thread https://www.raptureforums.com/forums/threads/chinas-ukraine-world-power-play.198926/#post-843685120 so I will just pop it in here for @homemaker to enjoy

A divided Israel is a weak Israel. For a very weak Syria to attack as the language of Isaiah 17 suggests, Israel is seen as weak but manages to respond in defense at a cost to Israel as well. It's part of Israel turning back to God, so that is after the Rapture. Ezek 38 doesn't involve the IDF at all. God and God alone wins that battle. It's another part of Israel turning back to God.


Isaiah 17 says the IDF are involved in winning the overnight war that Damascus brings on Israel, but Israel wins. Israel wins by God's hand using the IDF if verse 17 refers to them as many think it does including me. "9 In that day their strong cities, which they left because of the Israelites, will be like places abandoned to thickets and undergrowth. And all will be desolation."


That scenario has northern Israel taking a lot of damage. Damascus is gone, and much of Syria (the remnant of Aram) is like northern Israel --wasted away


“1 See, Damascus will no longer be a city
but will become a heap of ruins.
2 The cities of Aroer will be deserted
and left to flocks, which will lie down,
with no one to make them afraid.
3 The fortified city will disappear from Ephraim,
and royal power from Damascus;
the remnant of Aram will be
like the glory of the Israelites,”
declares the Lord Almighty.

4 “In that day the glory of Jacob will fade;
the fat of his body will waste away.


IF that is the trigger for Ezek 38 then after an unspecified period of time while Israel is quietly not expecting attack, Russia, Iran, Turkey, Libya and Sudan attack with many peoples with them.


In that second war, Ezek 38-39 Israel is unable to mount any defence.


The other passages re Damascus:

Jeremiah 49: mentions areas belonging to Jordan, Damascus by name and Elam part of Iran. When Jeremiah mentions Damascus he mentions 2 other cities nearby Hamath, and Arpad now known as Hama and Aleppo. This seems to overlap the Isaiah 17 prophecy.


Zech 9: mentions Damascus by name in v 1, along with Hamath (Hama) which borders it which is an interesting turn of phrase pinpointing the destruction of Damascus going towards Hama just north of Homs and south of Aleppo. So we start to see a circle of devastation. Lebanon too again, as Tyre and Sidon. Vs 8 &9 may place this destruction near the end of the Tribulation though so that argues AGAINST Damascus being the thing that starts the Gog Magog war. It may be the other way around.


Amos 1&2 mention Damascus by name, along with Gaza, part of Lebanon and all of Jordan (Ammon, Moab & Edom) and sounds more like Zech 9 in timing.


Ezekiel 32 vs 17-32 are separate from the start of Ez 32. Ezekiel mentions Assyria (Syria extending into Western Iraq) without mention of specific cities AND ELAM again. Also brings in Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey, Edom in Southern Jordan, along with a fascinating reference in vs 30 listed as The Princes of the North. They go along with the Sidonians which is modern day Lebanon.


Zephaniah 2: mentions Gaza, Moab and Ammon (north and central Jordan) CUSH (remember them? they are in the Ezek 38 invasion but we call them Sudan today although they were mislabelled Ethiopia in some translations) as well as ASSYRIA again. Nineveh is mentioned by name and singled out for destruction but again this is day of the Lord language so it seems to occur during the Tribulation, possibly the later part.


Psalm 83 simply mentions Assyria (Syria extending into Western Iraq) along with others but not Damascus by name. Also in there, Lebanon, Gaza, Jordan, Egypt, assorted Arabs and that pretty much describes the invasion forces of the 1948 and 67 wars.



***Elam is in mentioned twice, in Ezek 32 plus Jeremiah 49 outside of Ezek 38 and reappears as Persia in Ezek 38. The fact that these are separate parts of Ezekiel suggests they take part in 2 different attacks.
 

JoyJoyJoy

I Shall Not Be Moved
He descended from King Solomon's son with the Queen of Sheba and was the 225th in succession.
I have heard/read that the Queen had a child by King S, but can't find it in the Bible??
Do you have a little treasure trove of info on that? I would love to read it.

I do appreciate you and others who have spent much time and effort in collecting and compiling all of this information.
 

ItIsFinished!

Blood bought child of the King of kings.
I have heard/read that the Queen had a child by King S, but can't find it in the Bible??
Do you have a little treasure trove of info on that? I would love to read it.

I do appreciate you and others who have spent much time and effort in collecting and compiling all of this information.
You won't find that information in the Bible, however the midrash states they married and had one child together.
I would think that if it were true , information of that caliber would be contained in The Word of God , but it simply is not.
 

athenasius

Well-Known Member
I have heard/read that the Queen had a child by King S, but can't find it in the Bible??
Do you have a little treasure trove of info on that? I would love to read it.

I do appreciate you and others who have spent much time and effort in collecting and compiling all of this information.
It's in a number of world histories, not just the Midrash.

The reason it's not in the Bible is because it doesn't pertain to Israel or the Church particularly. It has nothing to do with the Messiah or the line of kings, BUT there are 2 points of interest that ARE in the Bible relating to this.

First the whole story.

Emperor Haile Selassie was the last in a long unbroken line of the rulers of Ethiopia, going back in unbroken succession to that queen of Sheba who was the mother of Menelik the First, son of the Queen and Solomon the father of the young prince. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haile_Selassie

Selassie died in the 70s after a coup took over in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia is not what is called Ethiopia by some Bible Translators who translated Cush as Ethiopia. Avoiding that potential confusion, the empire of the Queen of Sheba of the time of Solomon included the area in Africa which is now Ethiopia and a section of the western coastline of Arabia today.

Selassie's unbroken line of succession is the longest in the world and is a historical note of interest to the secular world as well.

There is some thought that the true Ark of the Covenant was taken by faithful priests who accompanied the young prince (Menelik the First) back to his mother's home and power base. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Menelik_I

Grant R Jeffries wrote about it in one of his books and he has it all footnoted. I no longer have that book but as I recall he had a number of sources. Including one that is easy to find and that is the chronicles of the kingly line of succession in Ethiopia.

At the time Solomon was apostatizing from the worship of God and going after the multiple gods of his many other wives.

The story goes that the Queen and her prince son with Solomon were concerned as were many of the Temple priests. They made a copy of the Ark that was supposed to go with the son Menelik 1 so he could continue to worship God in a copy of the Temple down in his home country.

At the last moment someone switched the copy for the true. THAT might be legend EXCEPT for something in Zephaniah 3:10 KJV "10 From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia my suppliants, even the daughter of my dispersed, shall bring mine offering." It seems to echo something in Psalm 68:31 but it's more clear in Zephaniah. May also be found in Isaiah 18.

Remember that is NOT the Ethiopia of today, that is from the word CUSH which is NOT today's Ethiopia. It is beyond Cush (which is the Sudan area today)

Go beyond the rivers of Cush, UPSTREAM IS modern Ethiopia, olden days Sheba.

And apparently the "daughter of my dispersed" brings something to Messiah the King in the Messianic kingdom of the Millennial Reign.

According to Jeffries, the dispersed were the Falasha Jews descended from the faithful Jews who left during Solomon's descent into apostasy. That comes from their own historical traditions and lineages which are pretty well recorded. They are accepted as Jewish by the modern state of Israel who launched a rescue mission for them in 1984. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Moses

And to find the DAUGHTER of the dispersed we need to look at Acts 8:26-40 NIV where we see the conversion of the Eunuch of Ethiopia in charge of the treasury there. He is a faithful Falasha Jew, going up to Jerusalem to worship God, and taking home Christianity after his meeting with Philip. Remember what the treasury held! Something that will come to the Messiah in the Millennium!

"26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” 27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship, 28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet. 29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”

30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:

“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”


34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?” 35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?” [37] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing. 40 Philip, however, appeared at Azotus and traveled about, preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea.
"

At this point the Ethiopian Coptic church has it's origin, and the relationship between the Falasha Jews and the new Christians becomes a bit rocky, just like it was in Jerusalem.

The kingly line converted to Christianity, with many others and the Falasha Jews and the Ethiopian Coptic church were at odds but the treasures were then guarded by the "daughter" of the dispersed Jewish believers ie the Christians. Starting with that Ethiopian eunuch who was IN CHARGE of the treasury!

To this day there is a guard of faithful Coptic Ethiopians around a certain area said to hold the Ark or something of equal value. All in Grant's book.

It may not be the Ark, but a copy. It may be something else altogether, but whatever it is, in the Messianic kingdom they will bring it to their King and ours Jesus.

There you are.
 
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Jaybird

Well-Known Member
There was a book by Graham Hancock titled " The Sign and the Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant" that I read a number of years ago that traces the Ark to Ethiopia. It is a very interesting book and if you like archaeological mysteries then this book will definitely convince you that the Ark is in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum, Ethiopia.

Is it really there? I doubt it. I did read an article that some people were excavating under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and a rabbi claims that they found a secret room that contained the Ark of the Covenant.

I also read an article that a Jewish man became friends with a clergy member who worked in the Vatican and this clergy member showed him a secret room where some of the original artifacts from the Temple were stored. I can actually believe this because the RCC has many treasures and secrets.

Keep in mind that when the Romans sacked Jerusalem in 70 AD there is no mention in any ancient texts that they took the Ark of the Covenant. This was their most prized possession and you would expect that the Romans would mention somewhere that they stole it.

Where is it? That is anyone's guess.

 

JoyJoyJoy

I Shall Not Be Moved
Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.

31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
This is how I feel about so many things.
Thank you for taking time to explain.
I just ❤️ love♡♡♡♡♡ learning how things fit together.

I wonder how much of Bible prophecy and history do Bible readers truly understand? The NT parts about Jesus and Salvation is much easier to grasp.
I love reading the OT for the stories but openly admit that I can not put prophecy and history together in a meaningful way.
 

athenasius

Well-Known Member
There was a book by Graham Hancock titled " The Sign and the Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant" that I read a number of years ago that traces the Ark to Ethiopia. It is a very interesting book and if you like archaeological mysteries then this book will definitely convince you that the Ark is in the Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum, Ethiopia.

Is it really there? I doubt it. I did read an article that some people were excavating under the Temple Mount in Jerusalem and a rabbi claims that they found a secret room that contained the Ark of the Covenant.

I also read an article that a Jewish man became friends with a clergy member who worked in the Vatican and this clergy member showed him a secret room where some of the original artifacts from the Temple were stored. I can actually believe this because the RCC has many treasures and secrets.

Keep in mind that when the Romans sacked Jerusalem in 70 AD there is no mention in any ancient texts that they took the Ark of the Covenant. This was their most prized possession and you would expect that the Romans would mention somewhere that they stole it.

Where is it? That is anyone's guess.

It's always fascinating to read the different theories. Some are quite credible-- again these may not be the Ark, but some of the Temple vessels and other artifacts.

To my knowledge there are several theories out there with varying degrees of possibility. You mentioned 2 more-- under the Temple and in the Vatican basement trove of ransacked treasure. I can add another-- the Copper Scroll.

To date:
The Ethiopian treasure as outlined above. Jeffries wasn't the only one to write about it, but he was the most well known. May or may not be the Ark of the Covenant original or copy or perhaps something else altogether with significance that God seems to have protected via the long unbroken succession of the kings till Haille Selassie. Even under duress of the years since the king was overthrown the guards of that particular church have protected whatever it is that it holds. Definitely an unusual set of circumstances. Plus the various mentions of something significant being brought to Christ the King in the Millennium from that area. And the job description of the Eunuch in Acts being included.

The hidden spaces underneath the Old Temple in the Temple Mount. Alluded to by a number of rabbis associated with the Temple Institute people. They keep doing a nudge nudge wink wink mention of it without actually producing it. I don't blame them. They don't have the ability right now to protect such a thing. They've hinted at the ashes of the last red heifer buried in urns at the site. They also hint at some other spot which sounds a lot like the Copper Scroll hiding space somewhere in Qumran.

The Copper Scroll. That is a map to a particular hiding place that Jeremiah and some of the faithful hid some of the Temple treasures just before Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem and carried off the Temple treasures and vessels mentioned in Daniel. If that IS true it does line up with what I've read that there is no further mention of the Ark of the Covenant in the rebuilt Temple of Ezra or during the Herodian improvements to the Temple. Ezra's Temple was the rebuilt version, after the Persian captivity when a wave of Jews came back to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. Herod simply improved and expanded on that Temple.

The Vatican-- now that one I really doubt is the Ark but I think there is plenty of historical evidence for it being the Golden Lampstand, the Menorah from the Temple. The Menorah is CARVED into The Arch of Titus which was made to commemorate the fall of Jerusalem and the looting of the Temple before the soldiers burnt the Temple down and tore the stones apart looking for the melted gold plating from the structure.

There are ongoing attempts, by the Israelis- the govt and various organizations to get the Vatican to restore it. Denied of course. Here is one account https://www.templemountfaithful.org...pe-francis-to-return-stolen-temple-items.html in which they mention eye witness accounts during the Middle Ages of sightings of the Menorah and other Temple instruments.

These 4 are the most likely unless you've read of any others that are credible.

It's fascinating to read about.

One thing I wonder is whether God would allow the Ark to be found--the real one that is. At least NOT till Jesus is ruling from Jerusalem in the Millennium.

Why I wonder that is because whatever is in the Tribulation Temple that is due to be built next, is going to be desecrated horribly by the AC. Daniel points to the earlier desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes, and at THAT time the Ark had long since gone missing, so it wasn't there when Antiochus sacrificed a pig to Zeus in the Temple. https://www.chosenpeople.com/hanukkah-and-the-destruction-of-the-temple/

That Abomination of Desolation was a forerunner, a type of the one to come. If God had allowed the Ark to be hidden away before the Persian conquest, He may keep it hidden until the safety of the Millennium. If He didn't want the ARK to be desecrated along with the rest of the Temple, He spared it then, and may yet spare it again.

IF HE ALLOWS an Ark to surface, and be used by the Jews in this next Temple for the Tribulation I would strongly suspect that it is just a copy. Whether it surfaces under the Temple, in a cave in Qumran, or elsewhere.

We know that SOMETHING of value is brought by the people of Ethiopia in the Millennium. So if they don't have the Ark, they do have something really special

OR they have the REAL Ark, and Prince Menelik1 and his group of loyal priests and Levites really did carefully swap the real thing with a copy and take the real one to safety in the time of Solomon as the story goes.

We won't know of course, and when it happens, we may or may not be watching events unfold but eventually the whole story will be revealed.

However if we are still here when the Temple is rebuilt, I'd be very suspicious that whatever Ark shows up isn't the original real Ark.
 

Jaybird

Well-Known Member
It's always fascinating to read the different theories. Some are quite credible-- again these may not be the Ark, but some of the Temple vessels and other artifacts.

To my knowledge there are several theories out there with varying degrees of possibility. You mentioned 2 more-- under the Temple and in the Vatican basement trove of ransacked treasure. I can add another-- the Copper Scroll.

To date:
The Ethiopian treasure as outlined above. Jeffries wasn't the only one to write about it, but he was the most well known. May or may not be the Ark of the Covenant original or copy or perhaps something else altogether with significance that God seems to have protected via the long unbroken succession of the kings till Haille Selassie. Even under duress of the years since the king was overthrown the guards of that particular church have protected whatever it is that it holds. Definitely an unusual set of circumstances. Plus the various mentions of something significant being brought to Christ the King in the Millennium from that area. And the job description of the Eunuch in Acts being included.

The hidden spaces underneath the Old Temple in the Temple Mount. Alluded to by a number of rabbis associated with the Temple Institute people. They keep doing a nudge nudge wink wink mention of it without actually producing it. I don't blame them. They don't have the ability right now to protect such a thing. They've hinted at the ashes of the last red heifer buried in urns at the site. They also hint at some other spot which sounds a lot like the Copper Scroll hiding space somewhere in Qumran.

The Copper Scroll. That is a map to a particular hiding place that Jeremiah and some of the faithful hid some of the Temple treasures just before Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem and carried off the Temple treasures and vessels mentioned in Daniel. If that IS true it does line up with what I've read that there is no further mention of the Ark of the Covenant in the rebuilt Temple of Ezra or during the Herodian improvements to the Temple. Ezra's Temple was the rebuilt version, after the Persian captivity when a wave of Jews came back to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. Herod simply improved and expanded on that Temple.

The Vatican-- now that one I really doubt is the Ark but I think there is plenty of historical evidence for it being the Golden Lampstand, the Menorah from the Temple. The Menorah is CARVED into The Arch of Titus which was made to commemorate the fall of Jerusalem and the looting of the Temple before the soldiers burnt the Temple down and tore the stones apart looking for the melted gold plating from the structure.

There are ongoing attempts, by the Israelis- the govt and various organizations to get the Vatican to restore it. Denied of course. Here is one account https://www.templemountfaithful.org...pe-francis-to-return-stolen-temple-items.html in which they mention eye witness accounts during the Middle Ages of sightings of the Menorah and other Temple instruments.

These 4 are the most likely unless you've read of any others that are credible.

It's fascinating to read about.

One thing I wonder is whether God would allow the Ark to be found--the real one that is. At least NOT till Jesus is ruling from Jerusalem in the Millennium.

Why I wonder that is because whatever is in the Tribulation Temple that is due to be built next, is going to be desecrated horribly by the AC. Daniel points to the earlier desecration by Antiochus Epiphanes, and at THAT time the Ark had long since gone missing, so it wasn't there when Antiochus sacrificed a pig to Zeus in the Temple. https://www.chosenpeople.com/hanukkah-and-the-destruction-of-the-temple/

That Abomination of Desolation was a forerunner, a type of the one to come. If God had allowed the Ark to be hidden away before the Persian conquest, He may keep it hidden until the safety of the Millennium. If He didn't want the ARK to be desecrated along with the rest of the Temple, He spared it then, and may yet spare it again.

IF HE ALLOWS an Ark to surface, and be used by the Jews in this next Temple for the Tribulation I would strongly suspect that it is just a copy. Whether it surfaces under the Temple, in a cave in Qumran, or elsewhere.

We know that SOMETHING of value is brought by the people of Ethiopia in the Millennium. So if they don't have the Ark, they do have something really special

OR they have the REAL Ark, and Prince Menelik1 and his group of loyal priests and Levites really did carefully swap the real thing with a copy and take the real one to safety in the time of Solomon as the story goes.

We won't know of course, and when it happens, we may or may not be watching events unfold but eventually the whole story will be revealed.

However if we are still here when the Temple is rebuilt, I'd be very suspicious that whatever Ark shows up isn't the original real Ark.
I love reading about archaeology so I find all of these theories really interesting. It appears that the Ark just disappeared and as you mention there are many different ideas as to where it may have been hidden, but no solid proof, yet.

I do find the Ethiopian connection rather interesting. In the book by Graham Hancock he points out that Ethiopia has a Jewish community that practices and older form of Judaism that pre-dates a specific reform movement within Judaism as one piece of evidence to show that the Ark was removed from Israel before 70AD. Especially since the Romans never mentioned this as one of their prized items of plunder. The Church of Our Lady Mary of Zion in Axum, Ethiopia has an annual festival where they honor the Ark and have a procession with a copy of the Ark that is paraded through the streets for all to see. Why would they do this? Perhaps they actually had the Ark at one time. Of course there is the Queen of Sheba link to Solomon. The book is has many other pieces of "evidence" that are interesting. I will check out the Copper Scroll - that seems more in alignment with some historical facts. I guess the real question is when was it moved?
 

athenasius

Well-Known Member
I guess the real question is when was it moved?
Yeah, that is the one that especially fascinates me. Because if it was moved in the time of Solomon, it was safely out of the way before King Nebuchadnezzar looted the Temple to Babylon taking Daniel and his 3 friends along the way. That might mean that the real Ark is safely out of the way till after the Tribulation, preventing the AC from desecrating it during the Tribulation.

Or perhaps just before the time of the Babylonian captivity-- leading to the Copper Scroll situation with Jeremiah helping some faithful priests and Levites get at least some of the Temple Artifacts and the Ark or the copy of the Ark to some type of safe location either under the Temple Mount (easier to hide larger objects) OR in the caves in Qumran (hard to transport large objects or large amounts during the unrest of that day but maybe) as the Copper Scroll indicates. Either way there is some historical evidence outside scripture to support the idea that Jeremiah and some faithful did hide at least some key items.

If Jeremiah hid what he and the others thought was the real Ark, and this is what the rabbis who say they know where it is-- then it may be the copy of the Ark.

What I think is interesting is that if Jeremiah hid a copy, and the rabbis put it in place in the Tribulation Temple that the AC will desecrate, then that leaves the real Ark in safety in Africa for the Ethiopians to bring to King Jesus in the Millennium, unscathed, undesecrated and protected.

Either way, if it was moved, and never put back into Ezra's Temple/Herod's Temple then Antiochus Epiphanes the type of the AC wasn't able to desecrate the Ark when he desecrated the Temple, it was held safely.
 
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Jaybird

Well-Known Member
Thanks for posting this. You got me interested in the Ark again and now I'm going to start digging in to the historical and Biblical references to it. It's been a few years since I read that Hancock book. Locating the Ark would be the greatest archaeological find of the century! However, as you imply perhaps the reason it hasn't been found is that it will keep the AC from desecrating it. That said, it's whereabouts and the details of how it was hidden would make a great story. Kind of like the search for the "Holy Grail."
 

paul289

Well-Known Member
I've also recently heard a theory that the Ark is in a well-sealed cave in Mt. Nebo. This was proposed by Daniel M. Wright in The Redemption Corridor. He's been on Prophecy Watchers and other programs to explain it, and I don't remember all of it, but there's some extra-Biblical texts that say that the Ark was placed in a cave and sealed so well that no one can tell that there was a cave there. Perhaps it's in the cave where Moses was buried?
 
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