s on the Ten Commandments, not on the ark of the covenant. It is equally clear that the purpose of displaying the commandments is not to bring universal salvation, for this display occurs at the final judgment as testimony against the wicked by God's eternal law.
More than one sincere church member has contacted the Institute of Archaeology claiming they have good news from God. They see themselves as helping to bring about the end of all things because they know where the ark of the covenant is. Sincere as they may be, those who are now avidly searching for the ark must either believe they are "God" or they must believe that this is the great-judgment day or they must believe that Ellen White is wrong in her prediction. Her words are clear that God himself will bring-forth the ark of the covenant and He will do it on the great judgment-day.
Claims that the Ark of the Covenant has been found
According to the claims of seven different people, the Ark of the Covenant can be found in seven different locations. Where is the ark?
1. The ark is located in a cave near Gordon's calvary, the hill where since the late 19th century a few people believe Christ was crucified. This site was found when God took physical control of the finder's mouth and arm, making him aware that he had found the ark. The spot where this person thinks Christ was crucified was probably a stone quarry during Jesus' time and the tomb itself is known not to have been a "new" tomb in Jesus' day, contrary to the Bible (Mtt 27:59-60). Also, if the finders claims are true (that he has seen it), then the words of Ellen White are not true. She says that when the ark is seen it will be seen by the whole world on the day of judgment.
2. The ark was also discovered in Iraq. Almost a year ago I received a letter from a friend which included a Chinese newspaper and a translation of an article from that paper. According to this newspaper account the Ten Commandments were discovered near Kuwait 100 meters below ground. The article said Iraqi troops were hiding from the opposing army when an artillery shell exposed their hideout, and also exposed the Ten Commandments. This report does not mention the Ark of the Covenant, but I assume the ark and the Ten Commandments would be together. I personally tried to contact the archaeologists mentioned in this report without success. At the writing of this article, this newspaper account, now over a year old, has never been substantiated by any evidence other than the claims of the article.
3. It is said that the ark is also in Hezekiah's tunnel. Circulating among Adventists is a 2 hour video tape which claims that the ark, all the temple furnishings, and all the armaments of Sennacherib's 185,000 soldiers were secretly stored in a shaft of this 1750 foot tunnel. This idea is not new. Near the beginning of this century a man named Walter Juveliu persuaded several wealthy men to sponsor an expedition to Hezekiah's tunnel. Juveliu believed that a great treasure, including the Ark of the Covenant, was to be found in the tunnel, which was then filled with debris. After three years of digging, with guards posted outside, the searchers found no treasure. The best result of this project is that visitors to Jerusalem can now wade through Hezekiah's tunnel. The current tape is filled with "should haves" and "probablies" and other unconvincing sources of evidence, not to mention the implausibility of getting all the treasures the discoverer thinks were deposited in one small shaft of this tunnel. According to the tape, the ark would now be visible to the whole world except that the discoverer hurt his back on this godly mission.
4. It has also been claimed that the Ark of the Covenant is located near the Dead Sea in a cave at En Gedi, one of the hideouts of David (1 Sam 23:29; 24:1). Soundings made at the proposed spot at first seemed to indicate a hollow beneath some rocks. More sophisticated equipment revealed that the suggested area was nothing but solid ground. The Institute of Archaeology regularly gets letters from this site's discov