February 16

“And there was opened the temple of God that is in heaven; and there was seen in his temple the ark of his covenant.” Revelation 11:19

God originally told the Israelites to make an ark or chest of shittim wood according to the pattern given to Moses in the Mount, and to place it in the Tabernacle. Later, when Solomon had built the Temple, the ark was transferred there. At length, with Israel captive in Babylon, the ark of God was lost. The symbol disappeared; but the reality it foreshadowed remains, for in heaven at the end, God again shows us the ark. What was that reality?

The ark was an expression of God himself. It was reserved, not for man, but for God. By this sight of the ark in heaven we are assured that God will not deny himself. He cannot revoke his pledges nor contravene his character. From it we must learn that what is of God can never fail, never be frustrated. By this glimpse into heaven God assures us that for his own name’s sake, he will accomplish in the end all things that he has set himself to do.