👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾 the #Ark in the #New #Testament.
(Part 2)
Dearly beloved brethren,
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. Let us gather, as the faithful of old around the mountain, to receive the divine teaching not carved in stone this time, but written upon the tablets of the heart by the finger of God Himself. For we are gathered to meditate upon the Ark in the New Testament, that mystery of mysteries, preserved and revealed through the witness of our holy Ethiopian Church.
I.Prophetic Light Fulfilled in the New Covenant
Let us begin where the prophets left off. The words of Malachi, “From the rising of the sun to its setting, My name will be great among the nations” (Mal. 1:11), are not idle poetry but fire-filled prophecy. He speaks not of the limited worship of the Old Covenant confined to Jerusalem and the priestly bloodline but of the worship of the nations, which we now see in the Church of Christ.
The Apostle Luke confirms this in Acts 13:49, declaring, “The word of the Lord spread throughout the whole region.” These are not mere historical notes but the unfolding of the divine plan that the covenant would pass to the Gentiles, not because God has abandoned Israel, but because He has fulfilled what He began.
Thus the Ark, which once was hidden in the Holy of Holies, now manifests itself in every altar where Christ’s body and blood are offered. The wise men of the nations began this offering in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:11), bringing incense to the infant King. That same incense is now lifted daily in every Christian temple, a holy fragrance to Christ.
II. The True Sacrifice: His Body and His Blood
Christ Himself, in the Upper Room, instituted a new sacrifice. “This is My Body, broken for you... this is My Blood, shed for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matt. 26:26–28). The old sacrifices are no more. The blood of bulls and goats is silenced. In its place shines the Lamb of God.
What is this but the true fulfillment of the Ark’s purpose? In the Old Testament, it housed the Law and the manna now it houses the Giver of the Law and the Living Bread. The Ark in the New Testament is the altar where the Lord's own flesh and blood are offered, not symbolically but truly and mystically.
And who are they that resist this truth? Are they not like the sons of Judah who, though they hold the Scriptures, do not believe them? (cf. Matt. 26:16, John 12:1). Are they not those torn between two opinions unsure whether to worship in truth or in self-made religion?
Let the question of Elijah ring again: “How long will you be torn between two opinions?” If the Lord is God, follow Him. If the Ark is the throne of the Living God, then let us worship before it with holy fear and trembling.
III.The Unique Witness of Ethiopia
Now behold, O faithful ones, the distinction given to Ethiopia! For while many nations turned from paganism to Christianity, few preserved the Ark with the reverence and knowledge given to our fathers.
In Egypt, it is called the tablet an object without which the Eucharist is not celebrated. Among the Greeks, Russians, and other Eastern Orthodox, the Andiminsion, a cloth bearing the crucifixion image, is revered in place of the Ark it remains stationary and sacred. Without it, they do not partake of the mysteries.
In the Roman Church, it is called Mensa, meaning “table.” These churches have adapted symbols, and while worthy of reverence, they do not possess the Ark as the Ethiopian Church does. Ethiopia alone that land of prophecy, of ancient faith, of holy Zion guards and honors the Ark not as a relic, but as a living throne.
And why is this important? Because the Ark, in both covenants, is the meeting place between God and man. In the Old, it was where God spoke from the cloud to Moses and Aaron. In the New, it is where the Word-made-Flesh is offered, where divine mercy is poured out in blood.
Continues 👇🏾