Bible Authenticity

What happened to the sacred “Ark of the Covenant” (Hebrews 9:4 LSV) that was kept in the Holy of Holies at “the tabernacle of testimony in the wilderness” (Acts 7:44 LSB), and later at “God’s Temple” (2 Chronicles 4:19; 2 Chronicles 5:1 NIV) in Jerusalem that was built by Solomon? The final direct mention of the physical Ark in canonical Scripture is found in 2 Chronicles 35:3, which records King Josiah, in 622 BCE, telling the Levites to put the holy Ark back into the temple built by King Solomon. SPECULATIVE THEORIES AS TO WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ARK OF THE COVENANT Because the canonical Bible ends its story without any mention of what finally happened to the Ark of the Covenant, many readers and scholars have looked to other  speculative sources and traditions, such as:

• Hidden by Jeremiah: The non-canonical book of 2 Maccabees claims that the prophet Jeremiah hid the Ark and the altar of incense in a cave on Mount Sinai (the mountain Moses climbed) before the Babylonian invasion.
• Destroyed by Babylon: Many scholars and theologians believe the Babylonians broke the Ark apart or burned it during the destruction of the temple. Opinions are mixed on r/AskAChristian, where some users suggest the Ark’s purpose ended with Jesus and it was lost in the exile, while others believe it was safely hidden away.
• Other Legends: Traditions claim the Ark was taken to Ethiopia, hidden on Mount Gerizim, or taken up to heaven (as seen in an apocalyptic vision in Revelation 11:19).

 The only viable option of the above three speculations is the second one. But, the biblical text does not state whether the Ark was captured, hidden, or melted down for its gold. The fact is that we really don’t know what happened to the Ark of the Covenant. The following section gives solid scriptural evidence that even makes the section speculation, above, questionable, at best.

“‘Behold, the days are coming when all that is in your house and all that your fathers have treasured up to this day will be taken to Babylon; nothing will be left,’ says Yahweh” (Isaiah 39:6 LSB). “A precise forecast: nothing vague or symbolic, but literal deportation to a named empire. Fulfilled when Nebuchadnezzar removed temple and palace treasures in 605 BC, 597 BC, and finally 586 BC (2 Kings 24:13; 2 Chronicles 36:18; Daniel 1:1-2)” (Bible Hub Study Bible). With this prophecy, namely, “nothing will be left,” we can be absolutely certain that, if it was still in existence, the Ark of the Covenant would be taken to Babylon read more