The Temple Institute: DOES THIS MARK THE SPOT OF THE ARK OF THE COVENANT?

Replica of Ark of the Covenant in George Washington Masonic National Memorial
(photo by SchuminWeb)

In its newsletter today, which it calls Elul 5, 5781/August 13, 2021, the Temple Institute had the following photo and a link to the following:

(Photo in Temple Mount newsletter)

DOES THIS MARK THE SPOT OF THE ARK OF THE COVENANT?

The square structure seen in the middle of the photo from the Temple Mount is a cap closing off an open passage which leads to a large underground chamber, which was excavated in Temple times. It was forty years today (Elul 4) that Rabbi Yehudah Getz, who for 27 years was the Rabbi of the Western Wall, attempted with the assistance of a number of his students and others, to break through an underground wall which sealed off the chamber in the hope of finding there the Ark of the Covenant. Ancient Jewish tradition maintains that the Ark was hidden away in a specially prepared subterranean chamber by King Josiah in order to keep it safe from the approaching Babylonian army.08/12/21 https://www.facebook.com/templeinstitute/photos/a.86889944968/10151591160214969

Last May, the Temple Institute asked if Vendyl Jones found it in April 1992 (see ‘DID VENDYL JONES DISCOVER THE TEMPLE KETORET INCENSE COMPOUND?’ What about ‘Indiana Jones’ and the Ark of the Covenant?).

Since his death, some are still looking for it:

Archaeologists shed new light on Biblical site linked to the Ark of the Covenant

Archaeologists believe they have shed new light on Biblical site linked to the Ark of the Covenant in the heart of Israel.

Excavations in Israel are shedding new light on the history of a Biblical site linked to the Ark of the Covenant.

Specifically, archaeologists are focusing their attention on the ancient site of Kiriath-Jearim, which is mentioned in the Bible as one of the places where the Ark of the Covenant stood.

According to Israeli news site Haaretz, experts are convinced that the site of Kiriath-Jearim is a hill on the outskirts of Abu Ghosh, a village near Jerusalem. Excavations in 2017 offered a fascinating glimpse into the history of the hill, where the church of Our Lady of the Ark of the Covenant now stands. …

The Ark of the Covenant continues to be a source of fascination. The Ark was eventually brought from Kiriath-Jearim to Jerusalem by King David but disappeared when the city was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587BC, prompting multiple theories about its fate. While some people believe that the Ark’s gold was melted down, there have also been claims that it was taken to cave on Mount Nebo, Jordan, or to Ethiopia. 12/20/18 https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/archaeology/archaeologists-shed-new-light-on-biblical-site-linked-to-the-ark-of-the-covenant/news-story/54d6e1199f6805869ef21ea9da968e32

There have been several places speculated as the final earthly resting place of the Ark of the Covenant.

As far Kiriath-Jearim/Kirjath-jearim goes, the Ark was there for a time, and then it went to Jerusalem.

Notice something from The Bible Story, Volume IV from the old Worldwide Church of God related to that:

David Brings the Ark to Jerusalem

With the Philistines again defeated through God’s help, David was for a time free to apply himself to matters other than war. For one thing, he wanted to bring the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem from the hill town of Kirjath-jearim. There it had been left many years before, after the Philistines had fearfully sent it back following their miserable experiences with it. (I Samuel 6.)

Traveling with many Israelite leaders and musicians, and with a magnificent procession of thousands of soldiers to put down any possible trouble from the Philistines, David went to the home of a man named Abinadab in Kirjath-jearim, about eight miles west of Jerusalem. (II Samuel 6:1-2.) The ark had been in that home for several decades, where it was watched over by a priest named Eleazar, one of Abinadab’s sons. (I Samuel 7:1-2).

The ark was loaded on a cart that had been built especially for the purpose of transporting it, although that was not the means by which God meant it to be carried. (Exodus 25:10-16; Exodus 37:1-5.) Uzzah and Ahio, two of Abinadab’s sons, drove the ox team that pulled the cart. (II Samuel 6:3.) To give an air of celebration to the bringing of the ark to Jerusalem, David’s musicians walked before the cart and played their harps, tambourines, cymbals, drums and psalteries. David marched behind the cart, and behind him came the thousands who had accompanied him to obtain the ark.

As the colorful procession neared Jerusalem, one of the oxen stumbled in a rut. The cart was jerked so severely that it appeared that the ark might tumble over. Without giving a thought to what the result would be, Uzzah reached out to steady the ark with one hand. That was the last act of his life. (II Samuel 6:4-7.)

The ark was to be handled only by the poles that were extended through its rings, and touching it was strictly forbidden. (Numbers 4:15.) God made no exception with Uzzah, even though that man’s intentions may not have been consciously wrong. Uzzah should have known the consequences, for the Levites had copies of God’s Word. They were required to know what they were doing and to keep the Scriptures always before them. (Deuteronomy 17:18-20.)

When David saw that Uzzah was dead, he was very grieved. The happy temperament of the whole procession sank. Thinking that God may have been displeased because of the moving of the ark, David decided not to try to take it any farther. He directed that it should be left at the nearby home of an acquaintance named Obed-edom, who lived on the western outskirts of Jerusalem. (II Samuel 6:8-10.)

As the weeks went by, David became more concerned about the ark. He feared he might be responsible for bringing some kind of curse on Obed-edom by leaving the ark with him. Three months after Uzzah’s death, upon inquiring about Obed-edom, David was pleasantly relieved to learn that the man had recently come into a state of prosperity and that everything was going well for all his family. Some members of his family who had been ill were enjoying the best of health because they had been suddenly and miraculously healed. David could only conclude that God had blessed the people in Obed-edom’s home because of the presence of the ark there. (II Samuel 6:11.) This caused him to decide to go at once to bring it to Jerusalem.

The Right Way to Rejoice

Having planned and prepared more carefully this time, David and the high priest instructed Levites in how to handle the ark. (I Chronicles 15:2.) They carried it on foot as they should, holding the poles on their shoulders. Musicians and singers went ahead of the ark, and there was constant music and happy shouting. As before, a great throng followed. Occasionally the ark bearers would stop with their load and burnt offerings would be made nearby on temporary altars that had been built along the route into Jerusalem.

As the procession entered the city, David felt constrained to express his gay and thankful emotions by dancing. Tossing aside his royal tunic, he broke into a very strenuous series of surprisingly graceful leaps and gyrations to the accompaniment of the musicians. The crowd was pleased. (II Samuel 6:12-15.) Probably God was pleased, too, because the Bible says that we should praise the Creator by song, instrumental music and proper dancing. (Psalm 33:1-3).

Since the Ark of the Covenant was removed from Kirjath-jearim, it would seem that it would not have been taken back there for safe-keeping, but perhaps that was a possibility.

As far as a possible Ethiopian location goes, the main story that the Ethiopians have tended to believe, contradicts scripture.

Nevertheless, each year there are parades in Ethiopia were a replica of the Ark is carried (and some of these ‘replicas’ are only a few inches thick and tend to be covered up). Notice a photo from Pixabay of such an event:

Here is something I read from an account about the Ark and Ethiopia in 1710 (and yes, the English is hard to read as the source is difficult and some words clearly are spelled incorrectly as far as we in the 21st century are concerned as it has an “f” often where we would have an “s”):

Then the aforesaid Book proceeds to give an Account how the first begotten, at the Initi’gation of Azariah the Son of Sadoc the fable about Prieft, took an Oath to one another to carry away with them the Ark. Ark of the Covenant, which they call’d the Heavenly Sion and that going by Night to the Temple, Providence fo ordering it, they found the Gates open, and put the Ark upon a Cart, and being attended by abundance of People, with much Wealth, and great Acclamations, they travell’d to fwiftly, that Solomon, who went to recover the Ark, could not overtake them, and with the fame Expedition they crofs’d the ‘Red Sea as joyfully as the Children of Ifrael had done, with only this Difference, that the Ifraelites pafs’d it on Foot without being wet, and they flying in their Chariots ; fo that the Sea obey’d the “former, and the Air was fubfervient to the latter.

This Book farther tells us, that when Queen Maqueda underfood that her Son already made King was coming, and brought along with him all the firft begotten, as alfo the Ark of the Heavemly God of Sion, (he went out with great Solemnity to meet them, and plac’d the Ark in the Temp!e of the Laud of Maqueda, all the People of Ethiopia receiving the Knowledge of the true God (Balthazar Telles, John Stevens. The Travels of the Jesuits in Ethiopia. J Knapton, 1710, University of Lausanne, p. 69).

The above would not seem biblically possible, but the Ethiopians have long believed that the Ark is in their country and that a son of Solomon, who is not mentioned in the Bible, brought it there.

However, the Bible shows that well after Solomon’s sons would have died, that the Ark was still in Jerusalem:

35:1 Now Josiah kept a Passover to the LORD in Jerusalem, and they slaughtered the Passover lambs on the fourteenth day of the first month. 2 And he set the priests in their duties and encouraged them for the service of the house of the LORD. 3 Then he said to the Levites who taught all Israel, who were holy to the LORD: “Put the holy ark in the house which Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built. It shall no longer be a burden on your shoulders. Now serve the LORD your God and His people Israel (2 Chronicles 35:1-3).

Josiah was the sixteenth king of Judah and reportedly reigned from c. 640–609 BCE. Thus, if the Ark of the Covenant possibly made it to Ethiopia it was not until well AFTER the Ethiopians normally claim it first came there. Although some claim that the claimed son of Solomon replaced the real ark with a fake and took the real ark, that contradicts the above which refers to the ark as “the holy ark”–a fake ark would not be described as holy.

And if it was, maybe it first was in Egypt and moved by Jewish leaders, like Robert Cornuke seems to believe. That may be at least biblically plausible. But, I and others are not convinced.

If it exists, a location in the land of Israel seems to make the most sense.

One concern that I have had is that if the Ark of the Covenant is found, this could possibly get more of the Jews to support the ecumenical end-time religion that will call itself Catholic. This would be consistent with biblical (Revelation 13:4,8; 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12) and Catholic prophecies (see further below).

The first direct reference to the ark of the covenant in the Bible is in the Book of Exodus:

10 “And they shall make an ark of acacia wood; two and a half cubits shall be its length, a cubit and a half its width, and a cubit and a half its height. 11 And you shall overlay it with pure gold, inside and out you shall overlay it, and shall make on it a molding of gold all around. 12 You shall cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in its four corners; two rings shall be on one side, and two rings on the other side. 13 And you shall make poles of acacia wood, and overlay them with gold. 14 You shall put the poles into the rings on the sides of the ark, that the ark may be carried by them. 15 The poles shall be in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. 16 And you shall put into the ark the Testimony which I will give you. (Exodus 25:10-16)

The Bible is clear that the Ark of the Covenant is or will be in heaven:

19 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)

It has been suggested that the physical ark of the covenant that the children of Israel had was patterned on one in heaven, thus it could still be on earth. If it will be found, there is a small chance that the Continuing Church of God may have some involvement with it as we are considering involvement in an archeological project in Jerusalem in the area known as Mt. Zion. On October 24, 2013, while attempting to take some photos and to video some of the remains of the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill, I was approached by a Jewish rabbi named Avraham Goldstein of the Diaspora Yeshiva who claims that the Ark of the Covenant is below that building on Mt. Zion of the Western Hill.

Notice also the following Islamic view of the Ark:

The Book of Revelation says the Ark is in the temple of God in heaven (Rev. 11:19). Muslim scholars say it will be found near the end of times by the Mahdi – a messianic figure in Islam. http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=102119

It is interesting, however, that many of the Muslims believe that their Mahdi will rise up after the finding of the Ark (the Mahdi of Islamic prophecy seems to be the same one that the Bible indicates will be the final King of the South). Events seem to be happening in the Arab nations that align with the rising up of such a leader. Perhaps, if the Ark is publicly shown, he could point to it as proof that his timing for rising up was prophesied. We will see.

I perhaps should add that certain Roman Catholic prophecies indicate that the two witnesses (which they often consider will be Enoch and Elijah) will rise up after the Ark is found:

Bl. Dionysus of Luetzenberg…prophecies:

“After the discovery of the Ark of the Covenant, Enoch and Elias will restore the Holy Sacrament of the Altar; Because of the fact that the Ark of the Covenant will be in the possession of the two holy prophets and not in Antichrist’s hands, the Jews will recognize that Jesus is the true Messias…”

( Luetzenberg, Antichristus Chapter 29 as cited in Birch D.A. Trial, Tribulation & Triumph. Queenship Publishing, Goleta (CA), 1996, p. 509)

Now the Bible is clear that the Ark of the Covenant will be in heaven:

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)

And it may only be there now.

But since both Islamic and Roman Catholic prophecies suggest that it will be found, it is possible that some of them will point to the Ark in Ethiopia (some believe Ethiopia has the original Ark, while others believe that it has an early copy) or one in Jerusalem (or elsewhere) as proof that their prophecies are to be fulfilled. Or perhaps to a different location in the future, like Ireland or in Israel. Or Roman Catholics may claim that if the Ark of the Covenant has not been found, that some will claim that this is additional proof that the real two witnesses are not God’s two witnesses. Notice that the Roman Catholics want to place their practices on it (by Holy Sacrament, they seem to mean their Eucharistic practices; here is an article about their origins: Marcus, the Marcosians, & Mithraism: Developers of the Eucharist?), these are the same Catholics that also keep trying to gain control of the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill.

Others say that Zion was really on the eastern side side of Jerusalem, and thus, that may be where the Ark could be or end up.

Back in October 2013, while attempting to take some photos and to video some of the remains of the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill, I was approached by a Jewish rabbi named Avraham Goldstein of the Diaspora Yeshiva. He asked why I was there, so I explained it. He then asked me if the Continuing Church of God would like to be involved in an archaeological project related to that general area. He mentioned doing excavations related to what some believe is David’s tomb, located below. Many consider that only a legend and not the real location–though the actual location of David’s tomb has not been verified in many centuries. However a Jewish rabbi who claimed to visit it in 1163 A.D. stated it was below this particular Mt. Zion.

Avraham Goldstein also believes that the ark of the covenant may be directly below or near it via tunnels. He offered to take me below in the tunnels on my next visit to Jerusalem. I told him that I was interested, but I have not been to Israel since. Yet, I expect to go again within the next several years.

The following is an interview from a narrator named Joseph (J below) and the Jewish rabbi Gerald Goldstein of the Mount Zion Foundation (RG below).

RG: We are standing on the roof of King David’s Tomb. Look around you at the view. You can understand why David wanted to take out this fortress before attacking Jerusalem itself…Samuel 2…Scripture is also very clear about where Kind David brought the Holy Ark of the Covenant. It says here in chapter 6 that he brought the Ark of the Covenant up to the City of David, that is the fortress of Zion…here to this very place… MOUNT ZION, dancing all in a very ecstatic and wonderful way…

J: So this place really is Mt Zion!

RG: Well there is a real established tradition, first recorded in writing by a student of the Ramban over 800 years ago, which says exactly this. Prior to the building of the Temple, Mt Zion… this very Mt Zion where we are standing…is where the Ark of the Covenant and the Divine presence resided. (Glick N. The Authenticity of Mt Zion and King David’s Tomb. 2010 יום שני, 2 באוגוסט. http://rabbinathanglick.blogspot.com/2010/08/authenticity-of-mt-zion-and-king-davids.html viewed 11/17/13)

If the ark of the covenant is now below the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill, known as Mt. Zion, that would have ramifications for the world as well as the Continuing Church of God (see Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill). It possibly could be related to a dream by a lady named Fesilafai Fiso Leaana of New Zealand, She had a dream after going to bed on December 8, 2012 that included a comment about the Ark, see Temple Institute claims about the ‘Foundation Stone’ not truly scriptural and differ from Continuing Church of God beliefs and Dreams, the Bible, and the Continuing Church of God.

Now, I should add that I have read other materials that say this Mt. Zion location cannot be, but again no one seems to really know for sure.

The Bible shows at one time the ark was in Mt. Zion:

15 So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the trumpet. 16 Now as the ark of the Lord came into the City of David, Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David leaping and whirling before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart. 17 So they brought the ark of the Lord, and set it in its place in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord. 18 And when David had finished offering burnt offerings and peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the Lord of hosts. 19 Then he distributed among all the people, among the whole multitude of Israel, both the women and the men, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins. So all the people departed, everyone to his house. (2 Samuel 6:15-19)

But it also shows that the ark moved from Mt. Zion:

1 Now Solomon assembled the elders of Israel and all the heads of the tribes, the chief fathers of the children of Israel, to King Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the City of David, which is Zion. 2 Therefore all the men of Israel assembled with King Solomon at the feast in the month of Ethanim, which is the seventh month. 3 So all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. 4 Then they brought up the ark of the Lord, the tabernacle of meeting, and all the holy furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests and the Levites brought them up. 5 Also King Solomon, and all the congregation of Israel who were assembled with him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep and oxen that could not be counted or numbered for multitude. 6 Then the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord to its place, into the inner sanctuary of the temple, to the Most Holy Place, under the wings of the cherubim. 7 For the cherubim spread their two wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubim overshadowed the ark and its poles. 8 The poles extended so that the ends of the poles could be seen from the holy place, in front of the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside. And they are there to this day. 9 Nothing was in the ark except the two tablets of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt. 10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. 12 Then Solomon spoke: “The Lord said He would dwell in the dark cloud. 13 I have surely built You an exalted house, And a place for You to dwell in forever.” (1 Kings 8:1-13)

So, the ark was moved and did not stay there forever, as King Josiah had to have it moved it back (2 Chronicles 35:1-3). Also, since the temple that Solomon built was destroyed, the ark did not stay in it forever.

Furthermore, notice:

8 Arise, O Lord, to Your resting place, You and the ark of Your strength. 9 Let Your priests be clothed with righteousness,And let Your saints shout for joy. 10 For Your servant David’s sake, Do not turn away the face of Your Anointed. 11 The Lord has sworn in truth to David; He will not turn from it: “I will set upon your throne the fruit of your body. 12 If your sons will keep My covenant And My testimony which I shall teach them, Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forevermore.” 13 For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: 14 “This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it. 15 I will abundantly bless her provision; I will satisfy her poor with bread. 16 I will also clothe her priests with salvation, And her saints shall shout aloud for joy. 17 There I will make the horn of David grow;I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed. 18 His enemies I will clothe with shame, But upon Himself His crown shall flourish.” (Psalm 132:8-18)

While Solomon wanted it to be in the temple he built to house the ark forever, God had David write Zion was the chosen location. If the ark of the covenant is found and now is below the Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill, known as Mt. Zion or perhaps another area called Zion, that would have ramifications for the world as well as the Continuing Church of God.

Unbeknownst to me until late September 2013, a woman named Fesilafai Fiso Leaana of New Zealand had a dream after going to bed on December 8, 2012. Here is a report that Fesilafai Fiso Leaana wrote about her dream:

A few months before my dream, my husband and I noticed a contradiction in practice, regarding the sabbath commandment in LCG, from there we started to pray continuously for God to lead us to where the truth is. It seems God has answered our prayers through the dream.

The dream began with myself and approximately 70 New Zealand Living Church of God brethren, then suddenly LCG vanished (I was wondering where is LCG?) and I was left standing with approximately 10 people excluding myself, on a very high building. We were standing on the very top of the building, where I couldn’t see the bottom, there were no other buildings, just this building. I could not see the bottom of the building but just clouds below the building and clouds surrounding the building which led to a beautiful white mountain – a mountain that had no ends on either side. The building was pretty close to the mountain, I could see the top of the mountain. The mountain was all white and so beautiful. I remember that I began to be filled with joy and peace. But also wondering how we got up on this building and confused why there were no other buildings but the clouds seemed like it was hiding the building and I felt protected or it felt like a safe place. I looked around there were still only about ten people there, the only person I could clearly recognize was Shirley constantly working, the approximate ten others were just sitting and standing around. So I walked around the building looking for the large crowd from LCG, but all I kept returning to was that Shirley was working and doing different types of work alone while the others were still sitting and standing around the building with me. I wondered why she was working a lot. I could not find LCG.

Then suddenly a message came to my mind: “There is a secret in the mountain”. And I was so happy to know that, I was still feeling elated and could still see the beautiful white mountain and wondered about the secret. Then I asked: “What is the secret?” Then the message said, nobody knows the secret in the mountain but only you have received this message that there is a secret in the mountain. Then I asked ‘what is the secret in the mountain?’ I received a message to my mind that told me that “the secret in the mountain is the Ark of the Covenant”. Then the dream abruptly ended because I woke up. And immediately, I woke up my husband and recounted the dream to him, and I told my husband that it reminded me of when God gave Moses the Ten Commandments on the mountain and that the mountain was also covered with clouds.

Within several weeks of the dream, ten people in New Zealand, including Shirley Gestro (the Shirley above) began to attend the newly formed Continuing Church of God.

Biblically, mountains can symbolize government (Psalm 30:7; Isaiah 11:9; Daniel 2:35; Zechariah 4:7) and white purity or cleanness (Isaiah 1:18; Revelation 7:14, 19:14). Clouds around a mountain (or at least the top of it) could show a separation—maybe a separation that keeps many from seeing all of the truth (cf. Job 22:14; Lamentations 3:44) or recognizing top leadership?

The dream seemed to be a signal to confirm that the Philadelphia mantle was not with the Living Church of God, but instead was associated with someone that that had something to do with the ark of the covenant (see also Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God).

In the Spring and Fall of 2013 (which is before I learned of Fesilafai Fiso Leaana’s dream), a couple of different people emailed me and asked if the Continuing Church of God might possibly be involved in actually finding it–and those two people knew nothing about the dream that Fesilafai Fiso Leaana of New Zealand had related to the Continuing Church of God when they originally asked me about it as it was not reported publicly until November 2013. We may have future involvement on this ark matter.

Anyway, it remains my view that there is a chance that we will see the Ark or we will see a strong claim that someone has located the Ark within the next decade or so.

Related to the Ark of the Covenant, the Continuing Church of God put out this sermon from its ContinuingCOG channel:

1:19:18

Exodus 25: Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat

Exodus 25 introduces instructions for the Ark of the Covenant and Mercy Seat. What do they represent? What about the tabernacle and showbread? Might the Ark of the Covenant exist? Could the Ark be in Ethiopia? What about Hitler’s SS troops? Could Jeremiah the prophet have brought it to Ireland? Was there a fulfilled dream related to the Ark of the Covenant? Do Jews, Catholics, or Musims have traditions about finding the Ark? What might Josiah have done with it? Could the Ark of the Covenant be in Israel? Might the Ark be below Mount Moriah or Mount Zion? What about Ron Wyatt’s claims from 1982? What are some spiritual ramifications of the Ark of the Covenant? Is mercy only for Christians? Will mercy be offered to others? This is the ninth sermon in a multi-part series intended to cover the entire Book of Exodus. In this part, Dr. Thiel covers every verse in Exodus 25 and addresses many questions and concerns.

Here is a link to the sermon: Exodus 25: Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat.

Whether or not the Temple Institute photo is near the location of the the Ark, developments related to the Ark of the Covenant may well have prophetic ramifications.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Church of God on Jerusalem’s Western Hill Could this building, often referred to as the Cenacle, which is located on a Mount Zion, possibly have been the oldest actual Christian church building? There is also a video titled Might the oldest church building have prophetic ramifications?
Why is a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem Not Required? Although people like Timothy LaHaye teach a third Jewish temple is required, who is ‘the temple of God” in the New Testament? Does the Bible require a rebuilt Jewish Temple? Here is a related item in the Spanish language ¿Por qué no se requiere un templo judío en Jerusalén? Here is a link to a sermon titled The Temple, Prophecy, and the Work.
Nascent Sanhedrin and Prophecy The reconstituted Sanhedrin wants the reimplementation of animal sacrifices. A related video is titled Sanhedrin pushing animal sacrifices. And a newer one is: Sanhedrin makes burnt offering to dedicate altar!
The Red Heifer, Jewish Beliefs, and the End of the World The Temple Institute is watching a ‘red heifer.’ Why might this be important in the sequence of end time events? Here is a related link in the Spanish language Novilla roja descubierta en EE.UU. e Instituto del Templo está interesado en ella. Here are links to two related videos in English: Red Heifers and the Fate of the World and The Red Heifer and the End of the World.
Location of the Prophesied Physical Temple Leroy Neff gives his rationalse for the location of the coming temple.
Solomon’s Temple This is a a 5 minute animated film that shows one artist’s understanding of the details about Solomon’s temple.
Dreams, the Bible, the Radio Church of God, and the Continuing Church of God How has God used dreams in the past? Does God still use dreams? Did He use any involving those in the Continuing Church of God? Here is a link in Spanish: Sueños, la Biblia, la Iglesia de Dios de la Radio, y la Continuación de la Iglesia de Dios. A related sermon is also available: Dreams, COGs, and One Man Rule.
Catholic Prophecies: Do They Mirror, Highlight, or Contradict Biblical Prophecies? People of all faiths may be surprised to see what various Roman and Orthodox Catholic prophets have been predicting as many of their predictions will be looked to in the 21st century.
Who Are The Two Witnesses? What is their job? What does the Bible reveal? What has the Church of God taught on this subject? Might even Roman Catholic prophecies give some clues here? Here is a related link in Spanish/español: ¿Quiénes son los dos testigos?