| Ark of the Covenant Room |
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The Ark of the Covenant Room serves as a symbol of God’s presence in the midst of His people.
On the back wall of this room is a curtain. This represents the veil that served as the divider between the Holy
Place and the Holy of Holies in both the Tabernacle of Moses and Solomon’s Temple. This veil was the final door
to pass through to enter into the presence of God in the Holy of Holies.
The word ‘veil’ in the Hebrew means ‘to hide or conceal’. It’s purpose was to hide from view the Ark of the
Covenant. It also acted as a barrier. It was a barrier that shut man out of God’s presence. Just as the cherubim
guarded the way to the tree of life in the garden of Eden, cherubim were woven into the veil, guarding the way to
the life of God. Entry was forbidden to all except one, the High Priest, and his access was only once a year - on
the Day of Atonement.
Beyond the veil, in the Holy of Holies, was only one article of furniture: the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy
Seat. The Ark was made of wood covered with gold. On top of the Ark was a slab of pure gold which fit exactly
within the crown of the Ark. This was called the ‘mercy seat’. It was not merely the lid of the Ark, but was the most
important feature of the entire Tabernacle, for it was the place where God dwelled. Of one piece with the mercy
seat were two angelic statues called cherubim. They stood at opposite ends of the mercy seat, facing each other
with wings outstretched above and their faces bowed toward the mercy seat. They marked the place where God
dwelled. This place, between the two angels, is where the manifestation of God came forth. The Hebrews called
this manifestation the ‘Shekinah Glory’. This Glory appeared almost as a cloud above, reaching into the sky
towards heaven.
The veil was the final door to pass through before entering into the presence of God in the Holy of Holies. This
veil reminds us that we are excluded because all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.
But as Jesus cried out, “It is finished” the effects of His death became dramatic. The earth quaked, rocks were
spit, and the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Matthew and Luke both record that the
Centurion at the crucifixion site saw the veil tearing in two. This means that this gentile sinner could see straight
into the Holy of Holies. This is a picture to show us that it is now possible, on the basis of faith in Jesus’ death for
our sins, to stand in the presence of God as justified and forgiven people. He provided a new and living way for
us to enter into His presence.
Christ now sits upon that heavenly Mercy Seat, the true Throne. This throne is not just contained in heaven, but
is heaven itself. A throne that we have the right to approach. For it is written: In Him and through faith in Him we
may approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12)
The Ark of the Covenant room serves as our Holy of Holies, a place to come before His throne with freedom and
confidence.
They also believed that to know a person’s name was to know that person wholly and utterly. It’s against this
cultural backdrop that Moses asked for God’s name. In making such a request, Moses was asking for a
description of God’s very essence, His character, and His nature. An attempt to translate the Name that was
revealed to Moses in the Bible is simply translated I am.
Throughout the Israelite’s journey with God, He slowly revealed to them all that His Name contained. That is, a
description of His very essence, His character, and His nature.
On the back wall of this room is a curtain. This represents the veil that served as the divider between the Holy
Place and the Holy of Holies in both the Tabernacle of Moses and Solomon’s Temple. This veil was the final door
to pass through to enter into the presence of God in the Holy of Holies.
The word ‘veil’ in the Hebrew means ‘to hide or conceal’. It’s purpose was to hide from view the Ark of the
Covenant. It also acted as a barrier. It was a barrier that shut man out of God’s presence. Just as the cherubim
guarded the way to the tree of life in the garden of Eden, cherubim were woven into the veil, guarding the way to
the life of God. Entry was forbidden to all except one, the High Priest, and his access was only once a year - on
the Day of Atonement.
Beyond the veil, in the Holy of Holies, was only one article of furniture: the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy
Seat. The Ark was made of wood covered with gold. On top of the Ark was a slab of pure gold which fit exactly
within the crown of the Ark. This was called the ‘mercy seat’. It was not merely the lid of the Ark, but was the most
important feature of the entire Tabernacle, for it was the place where God dwelled. Of one piece with the mercy
seat were two angelic statues called cherubim. They stood at opposite ends of the mercy seat, facing each other
with wings outstretched above and their faces bowed toward the mercy seat. They marked the place where God
dwelled. This place, between the two angels, is where the manifestation of God came forth. The Hebrews called
this manifestation the ‘Shekinah Glory’. This Glory appeared almost as a cloud above, reaching into the sky
towards heaven.
The veil was the final door to pass through before entering into the presence of God in the Holy of Holies. This
veil reminds us that we are excluded because all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.
But as Jesus cried out, “It is finished” the effects of His death became dramatic. The earth quaked, rocks were
spit, and the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. Matthew and Luke both record that the
Centurion at the crucifixion site saw the veil tearing in two. This means that this gentile sinner could see straight
into the Holy of Holies. This is a picture to show us that it is now possible, on the basis of faith in Jesus’ death for
our sins, to stand in the presence of God as justified and forgiven people. He provided a new and living way for
us to enter into His presence.
Christ now sits upon that heavenly Mercy Seat, the true Throne. This throne is not just contained in heaven, but
is heaven itself. A throne that we have the right to approach. For it is written: In Him and through faith in Him we
may approach God with freedom and confidence (Ephesians 3:12)
The Ark of the Covenant room serves as our Holy of Holies, a place to come before His throne with freedom and
confidence.
- Painted on the floor in the center of the room, is Hebrew lettering. This is the
Name of God revealed to Moses at the burning bush. During this encounter,
Moses asked God what His Name was. What he was asking was actually more
than simply a name by which they could distinguish Him from other gods. For
within both the Egyptian and Hebrew culture at that time, it was believed that a
person’s name revealed the very essence of the one bearing it. It is for that
reason that the Bible will sometimes explains a name, or it will recount the
changing of a name to better reflect a person.
They also believed that to know a person’s name was to know that person wholly and utterly. It’s against this
cultural backdrop that Moses asked for God’s name. In making such a request, Moses was asking for a
description of God’s very essence, His character, and His nature. An attempt to translate the Name that was
revealed to Moses in the Bible is simply translated I am.
Throughout the Israelite’s journey with God, He slowly revealed to them all that His Name contained. That is, a
description of His very essence, His character, and His nature.
- Upon the walls of this room are some of those Names that were revealed during
that journey. Like the Israelites, we are all on a journey with God. During your
journey with Him, has He revealed these Names to you? Do you have a need, or
know another who has a need, to know one of these Names? If so, you can
stand before the Name and pray that God would begin to reveal this Name, then
light the candle under the Name. The lighting of this candle is a symbol of
Christ's light being reflected into the situation and our lives.
