The Ark of the Covenant Debate

[CS1]

Most interpretations become confused because they treat it as a free‑floating prophecy rather than reading it through the covenantal categories the book itself uses.
Revelation is saturated with the language, structure, and sanctions of Deuteronomy’s covenant—blessings, curses, witnesses, lawsuit imagery, temple imagery, martyr‑testimony, and covenant judgment.
The reason interpretations conflict is that many readers impose external systems—especially futurist or dispensational frameworks—onto a text that is already operating within its own covenant architecture.
When I read Revelation on its own terms, I see a divine lawsuit against covenant breakers, a vindication of the faithful remnant, and the unveiling of Christ as the executor of God’s covenant judgments.
I think this because the book repeatedly signals its covenant frame: the seven churches mirror covenant assemblies, the seals and trumpets mirror covenant curses, the bowls mirror covenant plagues, and the final visions mirror covenant renewal.
Revelation is not chaos; it is covenant drama.
And the confusion arises whenever interpreters detach the book from the covenant categories the text itself is built upon.

Interesting position. What do you do with the opening of Revelation which says:

Rev 1:3

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Then the text speaks to the church and Jesus himself speaks to John:

17And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. 19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. 20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

Jesus speaking from this point to chapter four to the Church is he not?
Is not the Book of Revelation addressing the church as judgement begins at the House of God the "church." Then moved into the Judgment of the world and the Israel? The Book Of Revelation covenant discussion in this book with the Church or the Jews?

Please let me know. Thank you,

 

[OMC]

Rev 1:3

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
Then the text speaks to the church and Jesus himself speaks to John:

17And when I saw Him, I fell at His feet as dead. But He laid His right hand on me, saying to me, “Do not be afraid; I am the First and the Last. 18 I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death. 19 Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this. 20 The mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands which you saw are the seven churches.

Jesus speaking from this point to chapter four to the Church is he not?
Is not the Book of Revelation addressing the church as judgement begins at the House of God the "church." Then moved into the Judgment of the world and the Israel? The Book Of Revelation covenant discussion in this book with the Church or the Jews?

Revelation is not only about the church. It is a covenant lawsuit.
Revelation follows the same covenant‑lawsuit pattern as, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
It begins with God judging His own covenant people first, then moves outward.
Judgment begins with the church (Rev 2–3).
Judgment moves to the covenant‑breaking world (Rev 6–20).
Judgment falls on apostate Israel (Rev 11; Rev 17–18).
Judgment ends with final cosmic renewal (Rev 21–22).
Revelation is addressing BOTH the church and Israel—but in different ways.The Church (Rev 1–3)
Jesus evaluates His churches, warns, rebukes, and promises reward.
This is internal covenant discipline.
Israel (Rev 11; Rev 17–18) Israel appears as: the great city where the Lord was crucified (Rev 11:8), the harlot Babylon (Rev 17–18),
the persecutor of the prophets (Rev 18:24)
This is covenant judgment on apostate Israel, fulfilling Jesus’ words:
“all these things will come upon this generation”
“your house is left to you desolate”

C. The Nations (Rev 6–20)​

The seals, trumpets, and bowls are judgments on the Gentile world, mirroring the plagues of Egypt.
Revelation is for both, Israel, and the church.
It is a covenant lawsuit against:
the church (first),
Israel (second),
the world (third).
Exactly the order of 1 Peter 4:17.
Revelation begins with Jesus speaking to His church.
But the book itself is a covenant lawsuit addressing the church, Israel, and the nations—each in turn.

 

[CS1]

Revelation is not only about the church. It is a covenant lawsuit.
Revelation follows the same covenant‑lawsuit pattern as, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel.
It begins with God judging His own covenant people first, then moves outward.
Judgment begins with the church (Rev 2–3).
Judgment moves to the covenant‑breaking world (Rev 6–20).
Judgment falls on apostate Israel (Rev 11; Rev 17–18).
Judgment ends with final cosmic renewal (Rev 21–22).
Revelation is addressing BOTH the church and Israel—but in different ways. The Church (Rev 1–3)
Jesus evaluates His churches, warns, rebukes, and promises reward.
This is internal covenant discipline.
Israel (Rev 11; Rev 17–18) Israel appears as: the great city where the Lord was crucified (Rev 11:8), the harlot Babylon (Rev 17–18),
the persecutor of the prophets (Rev 18:24)
This is covenant judgment on apostate Israel, fulfilling Jesus’ words:
“all these things will come upon this generation”
“your house is left to you desolate”

C. The Nations (Rev 6–20)​

The seals, trumpets, and bowls are judgments on the Gentile world, mirroring the plagues of Egypt.
Revelation is for both, Israel, and the church.
It is a covenant lawsuit against:
the church (first),
Israel (second),
the world (third).
Exactly the order of 1 Peter 4:17.
Revelation begins with Jesus speaking to His church.
But the book itself is a covenant lawsuit addressing the church, Israel, and the nations—each in turn.

a lawsuit? God sues people? Or bring Judgment to law breakers? The Church is not under the law anymore we follow Christ. He me to understand what it is you are saying. Thank you

 

[OMC]

a lawsuit? God sues people? Or bring Judgment to law breakers? The Church is not under the law anymore we follow Christ. He me to understand what it is you are saying. Thank you

A “covenant lawsuit” simply means God brings judgment to His own people first under Christ’s authority, not Moses’ law — it’s not God “suing,” it’s God confronting and correcting His church.

 

[Davidstarr]

Your preaching to the choir my friend, fantastic job.
I've been taught everything your presented to the tee. I wonder if we have had the same instructor at some point?

I learned this from Dr.Scott. Any connection? If not, who taught you this if you don't mind me asking.

I just did the research for myself.

 

[Davidstarr]

the timeline of Jesus’ death must be built from the explicit statements of Scripture, not from later calendrical reconstructions, astronomical assumptions, or harmonizations that require overriding the Gospel writers’ own time‑markers.
When we apply that rule, the Wednesday‑crucifixion model collapses—not because the math is wrong, but because it contradicts the plain, repeated, narrative statements of the inspired text.

Here is the core issue: every Gospel writer identifies Jesus’ death as occurring on “the Preparation Day,” the day before the Sabbath. That is the decisive anchor. Mark says it (15:42), Luke says it (23:54), Matthew says it (27:62), and John says it (19:31).
And I cannot override four independent witnesses.
The Wednesday model requires redefining “Preparation Day” into something it never means in Scripture.
In the Torah, in the Gospels, and in Second Temple usage, “Preparation Day” is the day before the weekly Sabbath.
Not the day before a festival.
Not the day before a “high day.”
The day before the seventh‑day Sabbath.
That alone places the crucifixion on Friday.

Second, your reconstruction requires the Last Supper to be the Passover meal eaten on Nisan 15.
But the Gospels explicitly say the disciples asked Jesus on the day the Passover lamb was sacrificed where to prepare the meal.
That is Nisan 14, not 15.
The meal they ate was not the Exodus Passover; it was the covenant meal Jesus instituted before the official Passover.
John confirms this by stating that the Jewish leaders had not yet eaten the Passover when Jesus was arrested (John 18:28).
A Wednesday crucifixion requires Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John to be describing different calendars. As a scriptural theologian, I cannot accept that.

Third, the “three days and three nights” of Matthew 12:40 is an idiom, not a stopwatch.
The same idiom is used in Esther, in Samuel, and in rabbinic literature to refer to any sequence that includes part of three days.
Jesus Himself interprets His own prophecy when He says He will rise “on the third day.” Not “after three full days.” Not “after 72 hours.” “On the third day.”
That is the inspired interpretation of His own words.
A Wednesday crucifixion requires rejecting Jesus’ own explanation of His prophecy.

Fourth, your reconstruction depends on the year AD 31.
But Luke anchors Jesus’ ministry to the fifteenth year of Tiberius, which places the crucifixion in AD 30 or 33 depending on inclusive or exclusive reckoning.
AD 31 does not fit Luke’s inspired chronology.
Again, as a scriptural theologian I cannot override Luke’s historical anchor with astronomical tables.

So the issue is not whether your timeline is clever—it is.
The issue is that it requires overriding the plain statements of Scripture in favor of a modern calendrical reconstruction.
A scriptural theologian cannot do that.
The inspired text gives us the sequence: Preparation Day death, Sabbath rest, first‑day resurrection.
That is Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
The Wednesday model requires redefining terms, splitting calendars, and contradicting the evangelists.
The Friday model requires none of that. It simply accepts the text as written.

Nissan 16 in Jewish custom was the "High" sabbath.
Jesus and His disciples sat down to eat at sunset. That would make it the 15 AFTER the disciples had prepared a place for Him. (Matt 26:17-20)
Didn't you read my entire post and look up the references before posting this?

The 31AD crucifixion is based on Dan 9's 490 year prophecy.
There were 2 sabbath days that week; the Passover High Sabbath and the weekly Saturday sabbath.
One on Thursday and one on Saturday. (Or at least what we would call Thursday and Satuday to since we do not use the Hebrew OR the Julian calendars).

Where would Jesus' followers be when Jesus was crucified then buried? #1 they did not even believe He would be killed. They expected to take David's throne.
Would they be in town gathering (and preparing) herbs and spices for His burial BEFORE He died? Luke 23:55-56

 

[Davidstarr]

A “covenant lawsuit” simply means God brings judgment to His own people first under Christ’s authority, not Moses’ law — it’s not God “suing,” it’s God confronting and correcting His church.

Rom 8:7 "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be."

 

[OMC]

Nissan 16 in Jewish custom was the "High" sabbath.
Jesus and His disciples sat down to eat at sunset. That would make it the 15 AFTER the disciples had prepared a place for Him. (Matt 26:17-20)
Didn't you read my entire post and look up the references before posting this?

The 31AD crucifixion is based on Dan 9's 490 year prophecy.
There were 2 sabbath days that week; the Passover High Sabbath and the weekly Saturday sabbath.
One on Thursday and one on Saturday. (Or at least what we would call Thursday and Satuday to since we do not use the Hebrew OR the Julian calendars).

Where would Jesus' followers be when Jesus was crucified then buried? #1 they did not even believe He would be killed. They expected to take David's throne.
Would they be in town gathering (and preparing) herbs and spices for His burial BEFORE He died? Luke 23:55-56

About Nisan 15, Nisan 16, and the High Sabbath​

I understand exactly what you’re saying about the Passover High Sabbath on Nisan 16. And yes—in Jewish reckoning, sunset begins the next day, so when Jesus and His disciples sat down to eat at sundown, that meal fell at the start of Nisan 15, after the disciples had prepared the place earlier on Nisan 14. I’m not disagreeing with the calendar mechanics you laid out.

But here’s the part I must speak plainly about:

Matthew 26:17–20 does not say the meal Jesus ate was the Passover meal itself.
It says the disciples prepared the Passover, but the text never says Jesus ate the Passover lamb.

The Last Supper has the structure of a covenant meal, not the Exodus Passover ritual.
That’s why there is bread and cup, but no lamb, no bitter herbs, no Haggadah, no four cups, no requirement to remain indoors until morning, and no mention of the ritual elements that define the Passover Seder.

So yes, I read your whole post—but the text itself forces me to distinguish between:
the disciples preparing the Passover, and
Jesus instituting the New Covenant meal.
Those are not identical events in the Gospel narrative.

About the 31 AD crucifixion based on Daniel 9
I know the 490‑year calculation well. I’ve worked through every major proposal—445 BC, 457 BC, 605 BC, 586 BC, and the various decrees of Artaxerxes.
I’m not ignoring your point; I’ve simply reached a different conclusion because the text of Daniel 9 does not anchor the “decree” to the date required to land on 31 AD.

The prophecy is real.The timeline is real.
But the starting point is the entire debate.

So when I respond differently, it isn’t because I didn’t read your post—it’s because I’ve spent decades tracing the Hebrew structure of Daniel 9:24–27 and the historical decrees, and I cannot force the text to land on 31 AD without assumptions the passage itself doesn’t give.

About the two Sabbaths that week

You’re absolutely right that there were two Sabbaths that week:
The High Sabbath (the first day of Unleavened Bread)
The weekly Sabbath
John 19:31 explicitly confirms this.
I’m not disputing that at all.
Where we differ is not the existence of two Sabbaths—it’s the placement of the crucifixion relative to them.

About the disciples preparing spices before Jesus died

No, they would not have been preparing burial spices before Jesus died.
You’re absolutely right.
Luke 23:55–56 is clear:
The women saw where He was laid.
Then they prepared spices and ointments.
Then they rested on the Sabbath.
They did not prepare spices before His death.
They did not expect His death.
They did not believe He would be killed.
They expected the kingdom.

On this point, I agree with you completely.
But this does not require a Wednesday crucifixion.It only requires:
Jesus died before sundown.
He was buried before sundown.
The women prepared spices after the burial but before the Sabbath.
That sequence fits a Friday crucifixion without contradiction.

I’m not ignoring your work. I’m not brushing off your references. I’m not being careless.
I’ve simply reached different conclusions because I’ve spent my life inside these texts, and the weight of the Greek, the narrative flow, and the historical markers push me toward a Friday crucifixion.

Your view is thoughtful, structured, and deeply researched.
But my response comes from decades of wrestling with the same passages, and I cannot say what the text does not say.

 

[Watchman22]

I just did the research for myself.

Im not a big fan of self perfecting, but maybe you have the makings of a gifted teacher.

I'd like to share with you something most self taught called out ones would never even think of looking for.

My gifted teacher was a digger, I miner, mining for gold nuggets out of Gods word.
When he was finished digging, he dug even further.

You nailed your understanding of the how the death and resurrection of Christ happened. Not to many get that right by the way.

My gifted teacher didn't stop there. He knew the important aspect of the 3 days and 3 nights was to do it without breaking one of the feast days.

So he started to dig, he owned the largest collection of biblical manuscripts in private hands behind the Vatican, so he had first hand accounts to research from.

He wanted to know, what other times could Christ have died and resurrected, 3 day and 3 nights, without breaking any feast days.

People don't understand that the Jewish feast days happen on different days of the week each year, and that they constantly overlapping each other, making every year different.

Well he did his digging , and found that there was not a single time Jesus could have spent 3 days and 3 nights in the tomb without breaking a feast day, for over 1000 years before that specific week, and over a thousand years after that specific week.

He coined it " God just showing off ".

 

[Davidstarr]

605 BC does not work. This was before Babylon came and destroyed the temple. Could not have been when the command was issued to rebuild it about 20 years before it was destroyed.
586 BC (it was actually 587 though) also cannot work. That was the exact same year Nebuchadnezzar came to overthrow Jerusalem NOT to issue a decree to rebuild it.
445 BC is too late. It puts the baptism of Jesus in the year 39 AD. I'm guessing you get the year 445 from Nehemiah chapter 2? This was a command to go help the Judeans with the ongoing construction and to bring additional supplies. Chapter 3 shows that by the time Jeremiah got there construction was already under way. Cannot be when the command came to begin construction.
487 BC (Oct. 22 actually) is the only date that works. It puts Jesus' baptism in the fall of the year 27 AD. This fits with Luke saying Jesus was 30 years old and shows obedience to the Levitical laws concerning when a priest and/or prophet can begin his public ministry.
3 1/2 years later to His crucifixion brings us the spring of 31 AD.
34 AD was when Dan 9's 70 week prophecy ended. Stephen was stoned and the gospel message was given to the Gentiles. The Jewish Dispensation was over and the Christian Dispensation had begun.

I can go into a lot more detail about the events depicted in Dan 9 concerning the 70 week prophecy if you wish.