What Can We Learn From the Old Temple: The Ark of the Covenant

The Ark of the Covenant was the central, perhaps most important, piece of furniture in the entire Old Temple. David wanted to build the Temple specifically so that the Ark would have some place to rest. Little wonder—either the lid or the front of the Ark was referred to as the “mercy seat,” literally the throne of Jehovah on earth. The Holy of Holies, the most sacred space in the Temple, was the resting place for the Ark. It was flanked by two giant golden statues of angels whose wingtips touched each other above and behind the Ark, and touched the right and left walls of the Holy of Holies. This meant that each one had a wingspan of ten feet, since the space inside the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s Temple was about twenty feet wide, twenty feet tall, and twenty feet deep, a perfect hollow cube shape. On the lid of the Ark were two golden cherubim, and Jehovah would meet the high priest between them, once a year, on the day of Atonement.

“Ark” means coffin. The Ark was a rectangular box with loops on the sides for poles that served as handles for transport. No one but the priests were allowed to handle or move the Ark. Once, when the Ark was being transported, it began to tip, and a man who was not a priest stretched out his hand to steady it. God smote him, and he died. This is where we get the phrase, “steadying the Ark”—someone putting their nose in a situation to exert influence when they have no business or authority in it.

Getting to Heaven

Reaching the Holy of Holies was the culmination of all the rites of the Temple, and it happened only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. It seems strange that the celestial portion of the Old Temple would be completely dark, but darkness is not always negative. During the day, we grovel and sweat in the heat of the sun, toiling away with our faces to the ground, minding worldly concerns. The courtyard of the Temple reflects this. At night, our gaze turns heavenward, and we witness God’s handiwork (and even God Himself according to D&C 88:45-47). The Israelites in Egypt would have worked all day long, and only found relief from enforced drudgery when night came. (I wonder if this is partly why Jews begin Sabbath observance at sundown.) At the dedication of the Old Temple, we hear Solomon say, "...The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever" (1Kings 8:12). The light source was Jehovah himself.

To enter heaven is to enter the presence of an innumerable company of heavenly beings, the Church of the Firstborn. The cherubim on the Veil, the Ark, and in the Holy of Holies, reflect the notion of that homecoming. While many things are promised to the faithful, I am convinced that to be in the presence of Jesus Christ is the main reward itself. "...I will come unto you, and ye shall behold the joy of my countenance...I will visit you with the joy of my countenance...the lord of the field...tarried with him all that hour, and he was made glad with the light of the countenance of his lord." (D&C 88:52, 53, 56). Ten of the eleven Apostles at Jerusalem chose to come quickly into the presence of their Lord when they died, while only John remained as a translated being. Nine of the New World apostles also wanted to go quickly to His presence. We think of other things, immortality, health, knowledge, family relationships, as the great gifts of heaven, but leave the greatest one off our recited lists when we dream of our mansions above.

Face to Face

Paul says that one day we will see as we are seen, and know as we are known (1Cor. 13:12). "The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not; nevertheless, the day shall come when you shall comprehend even God, being quickened in him and by him" (D&C 88:49). We will see the Lord as He sees us, and that sounds to me like getting a view from the edge of the Grand Canyon—astonishing vastness. What is the the inner essence of a person? One day we will be privileged to find out. Joseph Smith said, "You don't know me. You never knew my heart. No man knows my history. I cannot tell it. I shall never undertake it. I don't blame anyone for not believing my history. If I had not experienced what I have, I could not have believed it myself...When I am called by the trump of the archangel and weighed in the balance, you will all know me then.” Who knows what discoveries lie ahead for us? This statement is a tantalizing glimpse.

Marriage at an Altar

If rectangular shapes signify altars in the Temple, then the Ark itself is an altar. Jesus is “Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.” The Temple begins with one Altar symbolizing Jesus’ sacrifice, and ends with another altar, a meeting place for Him to meet the world. The two symmetrical cherubim on top of the lid evoke the image of a man and a woman kneeling at an altar.

Just as the Temple begins and ends with altars, the cycle of generations begins and ends with marriage. Man and woman have children, children grow up, and they marry and begin the process over again. D&C 132 mentions "eternal lives." Those who are exalted will beget an infinite number of children in eternity. Promises made to Abraham were of infinite posterity, and the things he needed to care for them all: promised lands, property, and priesthood. You need real estate for children to live on, especially if they will be innumerable. (The phrase, “worlds without number” suddenly makes sense in this light.) You also need materials like food and clothing to care for them, and Abraham was given treasures and flocks by Pharaoh himself. Children grow up, get married, and start having their own kids; Abraham needed the sealing keys, the priesthood, in order to secure their ability to take care of their own children in time and in eternity, and to bind them to himself. The priesthood is the power through which the worlds are and were created; infinite lands and material for Abraham’s infinite posterity.

If you do not have an eternal increase of children, you do not need “all [the] father hath.” It takes great powers, property, and possessions to preside over an infinity of children; to be separate and single for eternity does not. (It takes great virtues, like patience and mercy and forgiveness, also.) Lehi traded his comfortable home in Jerusalem for two continents. Adam and Eve were given this entire planet as a wedding present. These are not just throw-away gifts; they are investments by the Lord in us, and we are to use them to procreate, to multiply our talents. Those who do not multiply their talents will lose them. During an average lifespan, the peak of human ability to procreate also coincides with the time when the body reaches its greatest health, strength, and energy. We can waste that energy pursuing worldly red herrings (O, they are abundant! Such dignified looking games and toys), or we can use that energy to chase kids around the house, drive them to school, change diapers, carry babies, feed them at 2 a.m., attend soccer games, etc. We can help in the Lord’s work of bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of man, or we can be consumed by a short-term hobby that excludes family, like money, travel, academics, or politics. The choice is ours, and we show God what we really want eternally by our choices here on earth. Taking care of children here must resemble raising children in heaven, or it would not be a fair test. One thing we know for certain: Jesus taught us that God’s preferred name, the one we are to address Him by, is Father. We will need the power to think of billions of things at once when we have billions of kids of our own to care for and listen to. There is no such place as a heaven where family is not central. Every other option is a step backward, a cut below. D&C 132:17 is painful to read. “Separately and singley” are the coldest, prickliest words in all scripture.

Marriages are performed at altars. An altar is a place of sacrifice, not an ATM. We make certain promises there with God, and He makes promises in return. Read the promises in D&C 132:19-20. Could a mortal provide those blessings? Could a mortal apply appropriate justice when covenants are broken? I do not believe we make promises to other mortals in Temples, even marriage.

It is tempting to look for finish lines where there are none, and the Temple presents us with at least the hope that we will one day "enter into the rest of the Lord." It is reassuring to note that the earthly equivalent of a bar of judgement, where prisoners are arraigned for trial, is called the mercy seat. Still, the thought of meeting God scares anyone with any intelligence at all. Alma and Amulek were right: This life is the time to prepare to meet God. Intimidating as it may seem, that interview WILL take place, ready or not. As President Monson has often reminded us, "When the time for performance arrives, the time for preparation is past."