The Ark of the Covenant was a large chest covered with gold (Exodus 25:10-22, Hebrews 9:1-5). On top of the chest was a golden lid, called the atonement cover or mercy seat. On this were statues of two golden cherubim (a kind of angelic creature made to worship God in heaven), bowing down in worship. The Ark represented the holy presence of God with the people of Israel; it was as if He dwelt on the mercy seat. Because of its holiness, the Ark could not be touched by human hands, so poles were inserted either side to carry it. It was kept in the Most Holy Place in the tabernacle and later in the temple. Inside the chest were the Testimony (the tablets of the Ten Commandments), a golden jar holding some manna, and Aaron’s staff which budded (Hebrews 9:4). The Ark was probably carried off from the temple by the Babylonians and there is no evidence of its whereabouts since then. The last mention of the Ark is in Revelation 11:19 where John describes seeing it in his vision of the temple in heaven.
