PEOPLE JUST DO NOT GET IT. I am so tired of shows like Ancient Aliens which is on the Discovery Channel, constantly misinterpreting the Bible.
The episode of Ancient Aliens that got me frustrated was one that was talking about the Ark of the Covenant being an actual weapon, a type of futuristic technology that was responsible for the fall of Jericho.
The Ark of the Covenant is a container designed by God to hold the Ten Commandments. The Ark’s dimensions and design are given to Moses by God. The Ark is made of shittim wood which is, I believe, Acacia. The modern dimensions of the Ark would be, roughly, 45 inches long by 27 inches wide by 27 inches high.
The Ark was, in essence, in my opinion, a type of tabernacle for the presence of God who led the Israelites. Gold is used to cover the Ark because gold represents power. Two Cherubim are on the lid, which is the Mercy seat. The Angels represent servants of the Most High God and their heads are bowed in reverence. God spoke to Moses from the Mercy seat and His Presence came from between the two Cherubim whose heads are bowed in reverence.
God’s presence dwelt with the Ark and was symbolic of God being with His people, with the Israelites, and He “went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night.” The Israelites were not just stumbling around in the desert for 40 years; they were led by God, personally. Exodus 25:10-21
Now, before the Israelites came upon Jericho, Joshua, who became leader of the Israelites after Moses died, (Deuteronomy 34: 5-12) “looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand.”
Joshua went to this man, which shows bravery, and asked “Art thou for us, or for our adversaries”? Joshua was inquiring of the stranger whose side he was on.
The stranger replied “Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come.” And Joshua fell down and worshipped Him and asked “what saith my Lord unto His servant?”
“And the captain of the Lord’s host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.” Joshua 5:13-15
This was not an angel, this was the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ and it was he who destroyed Jericho. Joshua was allowed to worship the “captain of the host of the Lord”. Compare Joshua 5:14 to Revelation 19:10 when John fell at the feet of an angel showing him a vision “to worship him,” John was told “see thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant”.
Now, compare Joshua’s meeting to when Moses saw the burning bush. Moses was instructed to “put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” Who was Moses talking to; well he described himself as “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Exodus 3:5
Pre-incarnate means Christ showing up in the Bible before He was born of man. One example would be Daniel 3:25. Another would be Genesis 18.
Christ’s birth on Earth was not his origin. It was the beginning of his life as a flesh and blood man. Jesus said, in John 8:58 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am.” Notice he said “I am” He did not use a past tense, meaning that He has existed long before His Earthly birth.
Now Jericho was double walled, each wall was up to five feet thick, and fortified. The city of Jericho had a spring for water inside the city walls and harvest may have been completed (based on Joshua 3:15) but there was certainly food and water and there was protection. Jericho was “straightly shut up because of the children of Israel.” So they were ready for a siege.
Now, the Lord instructed Joshua and the “men of war” to circle the city once a day for six days with the priests, who shall bear before the ark (God’s presence) and seven trumpets of ram’s horn. On the seventh day they were to compass the city seven times and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. “And it shall come to pass that when they make a long blast with the rams’ horn, and when ye hear the sound of the trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of the city shall fall down flat.” Jericho’s walls fell down flat out of God’s will. There were no weapons used. Only the power of God. Joshua chapter 5 verses 1:21
It amazes me that mankind seems to want to spend more time trying to prove God wrong or change how His miracles were performed then to just believe that the Bible is correct. There are at least 40 Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah that were fulfilled with Christ’s time on Earth.
And Christ performed over 35 miracles ranging from turning water into wine, to raising Lazarus from the dead.
The Bible itself is a miracle since it was written over a course of many years and through many generations and on into man’s future. This is not a novel that someone decided to just sit down and write. Man put the words down, but GOD narrated. And the prophecies within are only fulfilled by God.
In this book we see our beginning in Genesis, and we see man kind’s final fate in Revelation. We are allowed to choose the path that our life will take, but we also have Christ telling us “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”
Christ can only be invited into your live. He will not force His way in, it has to be a free choice. But once Christ is with you, He will change your life and you will have a different perspective on life and what the scriptures mean.
God, Christ, The Holy Spirit are real, they are not allegories, and they are not fables. Once invited into your heart you will change. If Christ is not welcome in your life, you are living on borrowed time and the end results will not be pleasant.
