Letter to the Congregations: 16th May 2026

Our Dear Brethren,

“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).

In his vision of future events surrounding the return of Jesus Christ, the apostle John saw the temple of God. Within the temple he saw the ark of the covenant. Many people, for at least the last couple thousand years, have been searching for this ark: the gold and wooden box containing the Ten Commandments, Aaron’s rod, and a jar of manna.

Of course this leads us to some of the same questions that many before us have asked: Is the original ark, constructed of physical materials, in heaven with God right now? Will the ark be found and later placed in heaven? Is the physical ark only a representation of what has always been in heaven? Is the original ark still on earth, hidden somewhere waiting for someone to find it, or was it destroyed by the enemies of God’s people? Why do so many people seek to find the ark, and is searching for it something God’s people should be concerned with?

There’s a prophecy given to the prophet Jeremiah about a time when the ark will no longer be sought after: “‘Then it shall come to pass, when you are multiplied and increased in the land in those days,’ says the Lord, ‘that they will say no more, “The ark of the covenant of the Lord.” It shall not come to mind, nor shall they remember it, nor shall they visit it, nor shall it be made anymore’” (Jeremiah 3:16).

This is a prophecy about a time when Jesus Christ Himself will be on the earth ruling over all of its people: “At that time Jerusalem shall be called The Throne of the Lord, and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of the Lord, to Jerusalem. No more shall they follow the dictates of their evil hearts” (Jeremiah 3:17).

For all the efforts and curiosity that people put into seeking the ark of the covenant, how many have failed to seek after the Father and His Son who gave the instruction to build the ark, and whose temple in heaven contains the true ark? How many seek after “the dictates” of their own hearts rather than seeking after the heart of their Creator? Unless Jesus Christ tells us what happened to the original ark we will probably never know. But if we are focusing on the Kingdom of God and placing the will of our Father and His Son in our hearts, then finding the ark becomes trivial.

Our love is with you,

Lewis VanAusdle

Pastor, United Church of God

NYC, NJ, CT, Malawi, Zimbabwe