Ark of the Covenant

ARK OF THE COVENANT

"I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat,
from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony"
Exodus 25:22

"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."
John 17:3

"For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."
Moses 1:39

This vessel is the symbolic representation of the presence of God. The Ark is a symbol of the Tree of Life which was in the presence of God in the Garden of Eden.

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Genesis 2:15-17

Based upon this scripture, Adam was able to eat the fruit of all trees, even the tree of life, but the tree of knowledge of good and evil was specifically reserved for the Lord. A boundary was placed upon this tree which man was not allowed to cross. The penalty of crossing, or stealing from the property of the Lord was death.

Another important implication is gained from these verses. Adam could not die, as long as he did not partake of the forbidden fruit. Thus Adam's body was immortal. Yet Adam's body was formed from the dust of the ground.

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
Genesis 2:7

Adam was not in spirit form. He had a physical body, created by the Lord, that could not die. These are facts, based upon the Word of the Lord. Adam's body in this condition was therefore different from our bodies. His could live forever, ours cannot. So how did death enter into the world? By disobeying a commandment of God. This point cannot be stressed enough. The only way to truly comprehend and appreciate the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ is to understand what separates us from the presence of God! Disobedience to God's commands results in death.

Remember that the Lord said "for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." Thus according to the Word of the Lord, if Adam ate the forbidden fruit on a Tuesday, he would die on Tuesday. After Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden fruit, the Lord questioned them:

"Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?"
Genesis 2:11

Adam responded:

"The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat."
Genesis 2:12

As the Lord taught Adam the consequence of his actions, he stated the following:

"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
Genesis 2:19

Adam was now subject to death. His physical body, previously immortal, could now die. But what about the consequence originally stated by the Lord: "in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die"? Did God lie or misspeak? Did Adam die the day he partook of the fruit?

"Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken."
Genesis 2:23

Adam did not physically die the day he partook of the fruit. He died spiritually the day he partook of the fruit. Spiritual death comes from disobedience to God's commandments.

But behold, an awful death cometh upon the wicked; for they die as to things pertaining to things of righteousness; for they are unclean, and no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of God; but they are cast out, and consigned to partake of the fruits of their labors or their works, which have been evil; and they drink the dregs of a bitter cup.
Alma 40:26

Satan played upon this concept of two types of death to deceive Eve in the garden:

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Genesis 3:2-5

What Satan emphasized was physical death. Satan knew what God meant when he said "in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die". Satan knew man would not physically die that day, but he intentionally left out a critical piece of information; Adam and Eve would die spiritually in the day they partook of the fruit. Satan told the truth, but not the whole truth. It should be noted that nearly all of Satan's efforts on this Earth are to distort, and misrepresent the concept of spiritual death. For this reason the Jesus Christ gave the following warning:

"Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."
Matthew 10:28

The world at large views the commandments of God as unnecessary restrictions. The world at large does not know the nature of God. They believe in his mercy, but do not understand his mercy because they do not understand his justice.

And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.
2 Nephi 28:8

The false doctrine warned of in this verse, is pervasive in our society today. Remember what Satan said: "Ye shall not surely die". Satan wages total war on men's understanding and comprehension of spiritual death. If people do not understand they need redemption, they will not seek a redeemer.

Let the world know that God the Father forbids any action which prevents his children from returning to his presence. It is not that he does not want us to return, it is that His Holiness and Purity are so consuming, that corruption and impurity cannot exist within His presence. All corruption is consumed before the presence of God. Darkness cannot exist in the light.

Based on the scriptural evidence provided, the following facts exist:

1. All human beings are subject to physical death.

2. All human beings are subject to spiritual death.

These two conditions prevent mankind from returning to the presence of the Father. One of the consequences of the Fall, was physical death. This punishment was affixed to the law 'Thou shalt not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil'. Redemption from this punishment is the restoration of life, or the returning of the spirit to the body. This concept was mentioned in association with the Tree of Life. The Lord God said:

Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Genesis 3:22-24

All Adam had to do was reach out his hand, and partake of the fruit of the Tree of Life, and he would have lived forever! Why did the Lord prevent this? Why did the Lord place Cherubims to guard the tree? Doesn't the Lord want us to partake of His redemption from physical death? I will defer to the scriptures for a lengthy but comprehensive explanation:

And now behold, I say unto you that if it had been possible for Adam to have partaken of the fruit of the tree of life at that time, there would have been no death, and the word would have been void, making God a liar, for he said: If thou eat thou shalt surely die.

And we see that death comes upon mankind, yea, the death which has been spoken of by Amulek, which is the temporal death; nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead.

Now, if it had not been for the plan of redemption, which was laid from the foundation of the world, there could have been no resurrection of the dead; but there was a plan of redemption laid, which shall bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, of which has been spoken.

And now behold, if it were possible that our first parents could have gone forth and partaken of the tree of life they would have been forever miserable, having no preparatory state; and thus the plan of redemption would have been frustrated, and the word of God would have been void, taking none effect.

But behold, it was not so; but it was appointed unto men that they must die; and after death, they must come to judgment, even that same judgment of which we have spoken, which is the end.

And after God had appointed that these things should come unto man, behold, then he saw that it was expedient that man should know concerning the things whereof he had appointed unto them;

Therefore he sent angels to converse with them, who caused men to behold of his glory.

And they began from that time forth to call on his name; therefore God conversed with men, and made known unto them the plan of redemption, which had been prepared from the foundation of the world; and this he made known unto them according to their faith and repentance and their holy works.

Wherefore, he gave commandments unto men, they having first transgressed the first commandments as to things which were temporal, and becoming as Gods, knowing good from evil, placing themselves in a state to act, or being placed in a state to act according to their wills and pleasures, whether to do evil or to do good—

Therefore God gave unto them commandments, after having made known unto them the plan of redemption, that they should not do evil, the penalty thereof being a second death, which was an everlasting death as to things pertaining unto righteousness; for on such the plan of redemption could have no power, for the works of justice could not be destroyed, according to the supreme goodness of God.

But God did call on men, in the name of his Son, (this being the plan of redemption which was laid) saying: If ye will repent and harden not your hearts, then will I have mercy upon you, through mine Only Begotten Son;

Therefore, whosoever repenteth, and hardeneth not his heart, he shall have claim on mercy through mine Only Begotten Son, unto a remission of his sins; and these shall enter into my rest.

And whosoever will harden his heart and will do iniquity, behold, I swear in my wrath that he shall not enter into my rest.

And now, my brethren, behold I say unto you, that if ye will harden your hearts ye shall not enter into the rest of the Lord; therefore your iniquity provoketh him that he sendeth down his wrath upon you as in the first provocation, yea, according to his word in the last provocation as well as the first, to the everlasting destruction of your souls; therefore, according to his word, unto the last death, as well as the first.

And now, my brethren, seeing we know these things, and they are true, let us repent, and harden not our hearts, that we provoke not the Lord our God to pull down his wrath upon us in these his second commandments which he has given unto us; but let us enter into the rest of God, which is prepared according to his word.
Alma 12:23-27

The Ark of the Covenant is a symbol of the Tree of Life. An excellent example of this symbolism is the case of Uzzah. Recall from 2 Samuel chapter six that David was in the process of taking the Ark to the city of David. At one point the Ark, which was being transported upon a cart, began to come loose.

"And when they came to Nachon's threshingfloor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God."
2 Samuel 6:6-7

Uzzah touched the Ark, or symbolically, he touched the Tree of Life. He symbolically returned to the presence of the Lord in an unprepared state. He had not followed on the path which the Lord had set, to approach the Ark. In the Tabernacle, approaching the Ark was only authorized one day of the year, and after an elaborate and exhaustive cleansing process. By touching the Ark, Uzzah sought to bypass the preparation dictated in the form of the Tabernacle. Uzzah became an unauthorized intruder into the presence of the Lord. Uzzah attempted to sneak past the Cherubs which held the flaming sword and guarded the way of the Tree of Life. He was not prepared to meet His maker.

Uzzah's example serves as a warning to all the inhabitants of the Earth. One day each of us will die, and we will be brought back into the presence of the Father to be judged of our works.

He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
Revelations 22:11-14

But behold, I say unto you, the kingdom of God is not filthy, and there cannot any unclean thing enter into the kingdom of God; wherefore there must needs be a place of filthiness prepared for that which is filthy. And there is a place prepared, yea, even that awful hell of which I have spoken, and the devil is the preparator of it; wherefore the final state of the souls of men is to dwell in the kingdom of God, or to be cast out because of that justice of which I have spoken. Wherefore, the wicked are rejected from the righteous, and also from that tree of life, whose fruit is most precious and most desirable above all other fruits; yea, and it is the greatest of all the gifts of God.
1 Nephi 15:34-36

The life we have been granted upon the Earth, is our time to prepare to return to the presence of the Father. If we are not prepared, we will remain filthy as we stand before the Lord, and He will mourn. For it is impossible for filthiness to dwell in His presence. If we are not prepared, we will go to a place for those who are filthy, and God does not dwell there. The way back to the Tree of Life is the straight and narrow path. Jesus Christ showed us how to walk on that path. There is no other way to the Tree of Life except on the path shown to us by the Holy One of Israel.

He that hath ears to hear, let him hear...

Exodus 25:10-22

Subcomponents	L	W	H	Quantity	Reference	Material	Overlay	Comments
Ark	2.5	1.5	1.5	1	EX 25:10	Acacia Wood	Gold	Overlaid with gold on the inside and out (v.11)
Crown				1	EX 25.11	Gold	---
Rings				4	EX 25:12	Gold	---	2 rings on two opposing sides
Staves				2	EX 25:13	Acacia Wood	Gold	Never to be removed (v.15)
Mercy Seat	2.5	1.5		1	EX 25:17	Gold	---
Cherub				2	EX 25:18	Gold	---