Where is the Ark of the Covenant today?

Nothing is said about the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament after the Israelites returned to Jerusalem from their captivity in Babylon in order to build the Second Temple during the time of Ezra and Zachariah. However, the Apocrypha (books that appear in some Bible versions, but are not considered to be canonical) states that the Ark could not be found. Thus, the Holy of Holies in the Second Temple was an empty chamber without the Ark of the Covenant.

 The fact that the Ark of the Covenant was not used in the Second Temple has led to speculation as to where the Ark is or if it still exists on the earth. The explanation in the Apocrypha is that Jeremiah hid the Ark in a cave in Mt. Nebo before the Babylonian invasion. 

Another, perhaps more plausible, theory that has predominated rabbinic circles is that the Ark was hidden in a cave beneath the Temple Mount, directly under the site of the Holy of Holies, prior to the invasion of the Babylonians. 

In 1982, Rabbi Getz, one of the rabbis in charge of the Western Wall area and tunnel construction came very close (within forty feet) of finding the cave in which the Ark is presumed to reside, when Muslims, angry that diggings were being conducted under the Dome of the Rock, threatened a general riot and the digging was stopped. The Israelis had to reseal the entrance to the tunnel, and it remains blocked up to this day. 

Where is the Ark of the Covenant? We do not know, but we are sure that, if it still exists, God will allow it to be found at the appropriate time. 

To learn more about the Ark of the Covenant as well as the other items used in the tabernacle listen to, “Should Christians Care About the Jewish Tabernacle?” and “How Can I Fight for God’s Purposes Like King David?” Video for children: What was the Ark of the Covenant?