Nexus - 0406 - New Times Magazine-pages

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The Discovery of the Lost Ark of the Covenant The of the Discovery Lost Ark of the Covenant Amateur archaeologist Ron Wyatt claims to have found the long-lost Ark of the Covenant, but his attempts to retrieve this ancient relic have been hindered by political difficulties. lor 800 years the Ark of the Covenant was the most sacred and holy object in the world. Suddenly, in 586 BC, it disappeared. It was not until 1982 that its loca- tion was determined. The discovery is so electrifying and so politically explosive that the news has been kept secret for over 15 years. Even today, at the request of the host government, not all of the evidence can be revealed. In 1982, American amateur archaeologist Ron Wyatt claimed to have found the Ark of the Covenant, but he did not make his claim widely known. In fact, Ron had only told a few of his friends before the host government requested that he keep certain information confidential for the time being. So well was the secret kept that it was not until 1991 that I learned of Ron's claimed discovery. With three decades of experience as an archaeological explorer as well as a sceptic, I set out with a briefcase full of objections against Wyatt's claims. My team was to spend four years investigating the alleged discovery of the Ark of the Covenant. I expected to disprove Ron Wyatt's claims quickly; however, after intense investigation, repeated visits to dig sites and privileged viewing of evidence and artefacts, I was left totally convinced of the truth of the find. The result is the 600-page book, Ark of the Covenant [see review, last issue]. What follows is the story of this hugely significant discovery, according to my thorough investigation. It is a story that could not be told until 1997, 15 years after the fact. One important note before we go on. Due to continuing restrictions put in place by the host government, it is not possible to present all the data that has been collected on this subject. For most people, that which can be said in this report will be more than enough. Others will have to watch and wait until that time when the ultimate evidence can be made public. ON THE TRACK OF THE LOST ARK According to historical records the Ark of the Covenant was constructed at the time of Moses, in the year 1446 BC, for the purpose of enshrining the Ten Commandments. These Commandments were called "the Words of the Covenant", hence the chest that contained them was called "the Ark of the Covenant". The Hebrew word "ark" in this context means "box". The Ark was a wooden chest plated in gold. The lid was made of solid gold, and two statues of cherubim, one at each side, were also of solid gold. It is written in the Old Testament that the design was handed down by God. The Ark was revered by the Hebrews and people of surrounding nations who heard of supernatural events associated with it. Quite suddenly, however, the Ark disappeared from historical records. Long before I got involved, there were speculations that the lost Ark was hidden any- where from Ethiopia to Jordan to Ireland. There have been numerous attempts to find the secret hiding place of this famous treasure—many of them since the 1981 release of the Hollywood fantasy, Raiders of the Lost Ark. The real thing had vanished at least 2,500 years ago. Its disappearance, according to some people, was the great mystery. Well, my investigations had led me into numerous localities in a number of countries, but I was satisfied that the Ark had not gone to any of these places, that it had not been taken by the Babylonians or the Romans, and that it had not been destroyed. According to tradition, the Ark and other Temple treasures remained hidden throughout the time of the Babylonian invasions, the 70-year exile of the Jews in Babylonia, and the entire Second Temple period. They remained hidden throughout the centuries while Jerusalem was under foreign domination, and they remain hidden to the present day. by Jonathan Gray ©1997 PO Box 3370 Rundle Mall Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia Telephone/fax: +61 (0)8 8398 3862 Web: www.ark.multimedia.com.au NEXUS - 55 by Jonathan Gray ©1997 OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 1997