H-ARK! THE HERALD ANGELS' WINGS!

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IN SEARCH OF THE LOST ARK OF THE COVENANT
by Robert Cornuke and David Halbrook
published: 2002
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I was just poking around in a little Christian bookshop at Lake Arrowhead Village in August of 2001, when I happened upon Robert Cornuke's IN SEARCH OF THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD. I was intrigued by the photos right away and bought it. I've now read 4 of Cornuke's books in 4 years. Not too bad for a dude who turns his nose up at the Indiana Jones movie series!
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Ol' Cornuke really accumulates those "frequent flyer" credits. He's traipsed all over the world in search of archeological evidence supporting the historicity of The Holy Bible: Egypt and Saudi Arabia in search of the real Mount Sinai; Turkey in search of Noah's ark; Malta, seeking signs of the lost shipwreck of Saint Paul; and Africa, looking for the mysteriously missing Holy Ark Of The Jewish Covenant. Man, by now Ol' Cornuke's dogs must be really barking! OK, so what if he has to soak his feet in Epsom salts from time to time -- what a cool ride he's taken us on, eh?
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I'll confess that I wasn't overly impressed with the first half of IN SEARCH OF THE LOST ARK OF THE COVENANT, as it chronicled the legend of the Ark's removal to Ethiopia from ancient Jerusalem (which I was already somewhat familiar with) and Cornuke's first excursion into Africa in search of answers. It was in the second half of the book, as the archeology of Bible passages turned up clues, that I really got sucked into the story.
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This is not surprising, as I am really fascinated by Bible study. I consider the Holy Book to be the cosmic crossword puzzle -- an exciting source of mystery which, for the person willing to deeply study and contemplate it, slowly unveils far-reaching answers to Man's most urgent questions.
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One thought that leads me to believe that the Ark still exists somewhere is that there is no written record of an invading army capturing it from the Jews and removing it from their Temple. The Ark would have been a prestigious prize for an enemy to boast of possessing -- certainly the world's most noteworthy booty at least until KC And The Sunshine Band came into prominence in 1975 and '76. To my knowledge, no ownership claim was ever made by another nation. And if the Ark does still exist, Ethiopia must certainly be considered the most likely location, for reasons outlined in Cornuke's book.
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An Ethiopian man named Haile, serving as an official government museum curator, gives Cornuke a firsthand account of the Ark's appearance after he and two companions stole a peek at it. According to Haile, all three of them were immediately knocked to the ground by an unseen force. The other two died shortly thereafter, and Haile was quickly losing his eyesight. I found this interesting in that it seems to closely parallel the experience of the soldiers who, in trying to impose their will on Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane, were unexplainably knocked to the ground. (See John 18:3-9) And yet, at the same time, I find this curious because, considering that the Life, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus supplanted any other representation of God in the physical world, I would expect the Ark, if it still exists, to now be devoid of any mysterious power, and serving merely as a symbol. I don't know what to make of Haile's account... if it is truthful.
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The most original idea put forth in Cornuke's book is that the "Mercy Seat" -- the gold covering with its cherubim (angels) and their downward sloping, outstretched wings that sit atop the Ark -- will actually serve as the Throne for Jesus when it is brought back to Jerusalem at His return. That's a pretty wild concept, to be sure, but read the book, and you'll see that it actually does have some merit. A very intriguing theory worth considering!
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If, like me, you really enjoy exploring the intricacies of The Bible in search of its greatest nuance, you will undoubtedly find IN SEARCH OF THE LOST ARK OF THE COVENANT well worth reading. If deep Bible study does not particularly interest you, you probably won't make it to the end of the book. Either way, I recommend starting with Cornuke's best book, IN SEARCH OF THE MOUNTAIN OF GOD, then read THE LOST SHIPWRECK OF PAUL, and finally, this one. I suggest skipping IN SEARCH OF THE LOST MOUNTAINS OF NOAH altogether.
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So, do I really believe that the ancient Holy Ark of The Covenant resides in the Chapel Of St. Mary Of Zion in Axum? I'd say that there's a very strong possibilty of that. I don't know that I'd go so far as to bet my life on it, but I'm fairly certain that I'd be willing to bet YOURS!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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