Dr. Jonathan Gray’s Book

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

 

Last night (October 19^th) I just finished reading the 2^nd edition (2008) of Jonathan Gray’s book THE ARK OF THE COVENANT.  While a long book of almost six hundred pages I found it a very smooth read.  If you are interested in history from a Biblical perspective may I recommend it?

For my purposes I shall not be giving a summation or book report but will be writing on two topics.

1. On page 216 Dr. Gray records an event from a historical writing that is uncannily similar to a short story I have written entitled “The Return of the Rood.” Like most of my short stories I received them as dreams first and then wrote them down.
2. As wonderful as the Ark of the Covenant is, I believe that it is also a type and shadow of  God dwelling in “temples not made from human hands.”

Dr. Gray writes on page 215 about a museum curator of Polynesian descent who was a scholar of his people’s history.  Dr. Buck describes an account of a man who seems to be Jesus coming in a group of three ships to one of their islands.  The islanders thought the ships were giant birds that were coming to eat them, but a man stepped out of the ships and walked over the water and after quickly learning the Polynesian language taught them about God the father, His laws and His love.  They had to give up war and sacrificing their children.

The man had gray green eyes.

Here is an excerpt of a fictional Jesus from my story Return of the Rood as found on page 136 of my book Adventurer’s Horn.  “With a practiced flip of his head, the stranger’s cowl fell backwards, revealing a deeply tanned, bearded man of barely less than six feet tall.  His skin was olive. While slightly oval, his face was ruddy, with a prominent nose.  While not exactly handsome, his sweet serene countenance radiated a light, especially when he smiled that produced a compelling quality that greatly enhanced his features.  Deeply sun-bleached, as if from spending a great deal of time out-of-doors, his chest-nut beard and hair were naturally frosted with strands of dark blond.  Parted in the middle, his mane was smooth down to about the ears, where it started to hang in waves and curls down to his shoulders.  His irises were golden brown around the edges but softened into grayish blue. Large and intelligent, his eyes were Keen and piercing and flashed with an inner light.”

Note that gray blue eyes could also be described as gray green which is a type of Hazel eye color.  I have read that some people who have hazel eyes, depending on their mood and if light strikes their eyes at the proper angle may cause the irises to temporarily take on a green, gray or blue green shade.

From page 142 of the Return of the Rood:

After gulping a large fork of flaky fish meat, Barny (main character) asked, “What’s your favorite Bible story?”

Joshua (the fictional modern appearance of Jesus character) chewed a spoon of peas before replying, “Actually Barny, I am rather fond of them all.  If I were forced to choose an Old Testament story, it would be where the Lord had lunch with his friend Abraham. In the New Testament my favorite story is where Jesus ascends to the Father, after having completed all things necessary to redeem His people, past, present and future.  There were forty days that Jesus stayed in Jerusalem, before ascending in the presence of many witnesses.  All of what happened during that time is not recorded in the scriptures.  Let’s just say that it was a very interesting time.”

On page 156 Joshua the Rood is asked to continue his story of where Jesus traveled through time during the 40 days and nights after his resurrection.  “…Jerusalem about 0 A.D.  Spent quite a bit of time there.  And when I finish here, I will return there and float up into the sky, as friends like you see me off…

Like I said Jerusalem 0 A.D.  Then here in 4 A.D. I went global on a few visits. Most of those stopovers were across time lines.  USA before it was called that.  That was actually a B.C. visit.  An Anasazi tribe.  Those are Native Americans that lived hundreds of years before the American Indians that you see in westerns.  The chieftain figured out that the Zodiac in the sky was not astrology, but the story of the Father’s promise to redeem mankind from the seed of the serpent. The chief wanted confirmation about his belief.  He was also having an issue with some giant cannibals.  Eating on their tribe and capturing their children to do unspeakable things with them.  My companions took care of that little Nephilim problem…

Dunbar Scotland.   …a little fuzzy doctrinally, but he really loved the Father.  That saint had a faithful heart and a very sick cow.  That was in 1413.

1502. Native American village in the Rocky Mountains. I appeared before them and talked to them about the Father’s Promise and their redemption.  They accepted my words.  Over time the story became shrouded in Native American mysticism.  I did not travel to their land in a canoe.  I was not dying of starvation and thirst, but Father had a reason, that I cannot divulge, for going there at that time.  I was not alone either…  I was escorted by two angels…”

If you are interested in reading my book, Adventurer’s Horn, which was chosen for honorable mention in the 2014 Midwest Book  Review, it is available both in digital and paperback format at Amazon.com.

Back to my paper. I find it interesting that Dr. Gray mentions a story of a post resurrection Jesus visiting isolated tribes and alluding to other such historical stories.  Considering the fact that I had a dream about that, where Jesus would go do signs and wonders and preach the gospel, to many isolated groups and individuals, around the globe, across time lines, and give them the opportunity to repent and serve him during his 40 days and 40 nights, I find it all extremely intriguing.

The Ark of the Covenant as a Type and Shadow

All speculation aside, now I would like to discuss the issue of the Ark as a type and shadow which to me is clearly illustrated by scripture.  Please read the following scriptures noting that the Spirit of God can dwell in us much like it did in the Ark of the Covenant.  While not an exact parallel the rough parallel should be very distinct.

1 Cor. 3:16: Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

1st Cor. 6:19  : Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

2 Cor. 6:16 : Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE MY PEOPLE.

Ezekiel 36:27: “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

2 Tim 1:`14: Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.

Acts 6:5: The statement found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte from Antioch.

Eph 5:18: And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit…

Romans 8:11  But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Romans 8:9:   However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you, but if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

1 John 2:27: As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.

After reading these verses it should be obvious that when we are saved the Spirit of Jesus comes to dwell in us much like we see happened with the Ark of the Covenant.  Unlike the Ark we may be touched and God’s lightening rod doesn’t zap those who have touched us.  That said, I have seen in my life many times where I have been wronged or defrauded and after a season the Lord’s blessing and protection lifts from that person or persons.  Neither do rats nor tumors appear in the midst of heathens and pagans when we come into contact with them.

I have also seen the Lord do things I could never do in answer to prayer.  My intent is not to belittle the amazing historical and scriptural writings about the Ark of the Covenant.  That said, as powerful as the ark was in the Old Testament, I believe that it is also a type and shadow of the blessing we receive from the indwelling Spirit of Jesus Christ.  I look forward to the day when that indwelling Spirit of Jesus speaks divinely through us or performs genuine miracles to an extent which is generally not the case today.

Thanks for reading.  Please visit my wayneoconner.com blog again.