Texts in Conversation
Revelation depicts the Ark as a visible and significant part of a heavenly vision during its eschatological narrative, which contrasts with Jeremiah’s portrayal of a future where the Ark is no longer remembered or needed.
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Jeremiah 3:16
Hebrew Bible
15 I will give you leaders who will be faithful to me. They will lead you with knowledge and insight. 16 In those days, your population will multiply and become fruitful34 in the land. At that time,” says the Lord, “people will no longer talk about having the ark that contains the Lord’s covenant with us. They will not call it to mind, remember it, or miss it. No, that will not be done anymore! 17 At that time the city of Jerusalem will be called the Lord’s throne. All nations will gather there in Jerusalem to honor the Lord’s name. They will no longer follow the stubborn inclinations of their own evil hearts.
Revelation 11:19
New Testament
18 The nations were enraged, but your wrath has come, and the time has come for the dead to be judged, and the time has come to give to your servants, the prophets, their reward, as well as to the saints and to those who revere your name, both small and great,and the time has come to destroy those who destroy the earth.” 19 Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was visible within his temple. And there were flashes of lightning, roaring, crashes of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.
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Notes and References
"... this addresses the former cultic significance of the Ark, which has now been superseded by a new theological conception ... within the eschatological conception, such a role for any cultic objects, of which the Ark is a representative, is no longer necessary. This is not a blanket critique of cultic objects as such; rather it is a response to doubts, complaints, or laments over the Ark’s loss, or to discussions about the need to recreate it in the post-exilic period. The answer to such tendencies is found in verse 17, without which verse 16 would lack its proper context. The connection between the two verses is already suggested by the introductory formula “they shall no longer say” (compare Jeremiah 23:7), which demands something new in relation to the past. That new element is the declaration identifying Jerusalem as the “throne of God.” Although Jeremiah 3:16–17 requires reference to Jeremiah 23 and 31, the idea of renewing the earlier covenant—which had been broken—is absent from those passages ..."
Lemański, Janusz
No One Will Say Anymore: The Ark of the Covenant of YHWH
(pp. 1209-1222) Verbum Vitae 43/4, 2025
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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