Many negative comments have been leveled against the so-called archaeologist Ron Wyatt, and he is very deserving of most, if not all of them! What I am about to contribute will not add anything positive to his image. I will state right up front that he should have studied his Bible before he claimed he had found Christ’s blood upon the “Mercy Seat”! Today the Internet is replete with websites discussing all of his exploits, both pro and con.

According to Wyatt’s dreamed-up story, he made the astonishing claim that he’d found the socket-hole into which the cross of Christ was anchored. Ron’s story further alleged that beneath that hole he found a crack which led him to a cave, whereupon he made the unsubstantiated assertion that he had found the Ark of the Covenant. But to make his figment even more fantastic, he fallaciously claimed he had found Christ’s blood on the Mercy Seat. I would beg the reader’s patience until I have established some sound Biblical facts, at which time I will reveal Wyatt’s deceptions. So everyone will know precisely the significance of the Mercy Seat, I will quote from the Tyndale Bible Dictionary by Elwell & Comfort, pages 883-884:

“MERCY SEAT Gold slab placed on top of the ark of the covenant with cherubim attached to it on either end, termed the ‘mercy seat’ in many English versions of the Bible (cf. Ex. 25:17-22). The Hebrew word for which ‘mercy seat’ is the translation is technically best rendered as ‘propitiatory,’ a term denoting the removal of wrath by the offering of a gift. The significance of this designation is found in the ceremony performed on the Day of Atonement, held once a year, when blood was sprinkled on the mercy seat to make atonement for the sins of the people of Israel (Lev. 16). Because of the importance of this covering on the ark and the ceremony associated with it, the Holy of Holies in which the ark was housed in the temple is termed the ‘room for the mercy seat’ in 1 Chronicles 28:11 (RSV). The term ‘mercy seat’ came into English use from Luther’s German rendering of the Hebrew term, which is difficult to translate appropriately from the Hebrew (cf. NIV ‘atonement cover’ and NLT ‘Ark’s cover’).

“The mercy seat measured two and a half cubits (45 inches, or 114.3 centimeters) by one and a half cubits (27 inches, 68.6 centimeters). The cherubim on each end were also made of gold and faced each other with their wings spread upward over the ark. It was in this space above the ark that the Lord’s presence with his people was localized in a special sense, and from which the Lord made his commandments known to Moses (Ex. 25:22; cf. also Lev. 16:2). Because of the close association of the Lord’s presence with the space above the ark, he is said to be enthroned between the cherubim (1 Sam. 4:4; 2 Sam. 6:2). The ark itself contained the tables of stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments that summarized the covenantal obligations of the Israelites to their divine King. When the children of Israel fell short of their covenant obligations by sinning against God and breaking his commands, the blood of the sacrifice sprinkled on the mercy seat made atonement for their sin and reconciled them with God.

“The propitiatory or mercy seat points forward to Jesus, who is termed by Paul (Rom. 3:25) the ‘means of propitiation’ through faith in his blood for all who have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Here in Romans 3:25 the Greek term translated ‘propitiation’ is the same Greek word consistently used in the Septuagint and in Hebrews 9:5 to translate the Hebrew word for mercy seat in the OT.”

[My comment: The “tables of stone inscribed with the Ten Commandments” are now obsolete, as we, upon Christ’s sacrifice of Himself, have them written in our hearts!]

This quote from the Tyndale Bible Dictionary will help us to better evaluate Wyatt’s spurious claims. In addition to the subject of the “Mercy Seat” we must also be familiar with the Day of Atonement, as the two are without exception inseparable! Again from the Tyndale Bible Dictionary, pages 130-131:

“ATONEMENT, Day of Yom Kippur, the most important day in the religious calendar of Israel, falling on the 10th day of Tishri (the Hebrew month corresponding to mid-September through mid-October). On that day the high priest entered the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle (or temple) to atone for the sins of all Israel. The basic idea of atonement is a ‘covering’ of sin; the purpose is to accomplish reconciliation between man and God. In the NT the Day of Atonement was referred to as the ‘fast’ (Acts 27:9). To the rabbis, it was the ‘Day’ or the ‘Great Day.’

“Although many additional rites were added over the centuries, the basic description of the original Day of Atonement is in Leviticus 16. Complex and detailed ceremonies all focused on the central objective of complete atonement by sacrifice. First, the high priest removed his official garments, made for beauty and glory, and clothed himself in white linen as a symbol of repentance as he went about the duties of the day. Next, he offered a bull calf as a sin offering for the priests and himself. That done, he entered the Holy of Holies with a censer of live coals from the altar of incense, filling the area with incense. He sprinkled the bullock’s blood on the mercy seat and on the floor before the ark of the covenant. Then he cast lots over two live goats brought by the people. He killed one of the goats as a sin offering for the nation, taking the blood inside the veil and sprinkling it as before, thus atoning even for the Holy Place. He confessed the sins of the nation over the live goat as he placed his hands on its head. Finally he sent the live goat, called the scapegoat (i.e., the escape goat), into the wilderness. Symbolically it carried away the sins of the people. Then the high priest clothed himself in his usual apparel and offered a burnt offering for himself and one for the people with the fat of the sin offering. Outside the camp the flesh of the bull calf and goat was burned.

“Other OT references to the Day of Atonement include Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 23:26-32, giving the date in a list of all the annual feasts; Leviticus 25:9-16, stating that each jubilee year began on the Day of Atonement; and Numbers 29:7-11.

“The Day of Atonement became so central to Judaism [sic, the Judahites] that it survived the destruction of the temple in AD 70 and the end of the sacrificial system. It is the highest holy day of Judaism [sic Canaanite-jewishism] today. Although nowhere in the books of Moses is there an explanation of ‘afflicting the soul’ required on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:27-32, KJV), the Jews [sic Canaanite-jews] have continuously interpreted it as referring to fasting (cf. Ps 35:13; Is 58:3-5, 10). In biblical times, celebration of the Day of Atonement showed that Israel believed the cleansing of their sins was accomplished by the rites commanded by God. The forgiveness and grace of God were granted them and were the basis for their continued fellowship with God as his covenant people. Because it was designated as a sabbath of solemn rest (Lev. 16:31; 23:32), all work was forbidden on that day as on the weekly observance of the Sabbath.

“As with all the prescribed sacrifices throughout the year, the question arises as to the need for a special time for atonement. It is clear that the ritual was meant to avert God’s wrath for sins already committed as well as to guarantee the continued presence of God. The sacrifice of the first goat and the sending away of the scapegoat were intended to cleanse the nation, the priesthood, and the sanctuary from sin. The intent of the whole sacrificial system reached its highest expression on that day, called by some the ‘Good Friday of the OT.’ The daily, weekly, and monthly sacrifices left something undone, so that the high priest could not enter the holiest place throughout the year. On that one day, however, he was permitted to enter with sacrificial blood as he solemnly represented the nation before the bloodstained mercy seat.

“THE DAY OF ATONEMENT AND THE NEW TESTAMENT In the NT the crucifixion account, many references in Paul’s epistles, and the whole book of Hebrews are inseparably connected to the Day of Atonement. The ritual of the day is explained as a ‘type’ of the atonement made by Jesus Christ (Heb. 9-10). Christ, the High Priest, shed his blood on Calvary and then, having atoned for the world’s sins, appeared in heaven before the Father (Heb. 9:11-12). ...

“The underlying reason for the day was that other offerings for sin could not provide for unknown (‘secret’) sins. Because of such sins the sanctuary, the land, and the nation remained ritually unclean. The Day of Atonement was instituted by God for the complete atonement of all sin (Lev. 16:33). In the person of the high priest the nation was most fully represented by the access of their mediator into the very presence of God.”

Now let’s examine Ron Wyatt’s story again! First of all, Ron claims to have found the hole into which the cross of Christ was planted. Just how did he verify that the hole he found was the correct hole? After all, no one knows for sure exactly where the crucifixion took place, other than the “place of a skull”, Mat. 27:33. Are we to believe this “hole” discovered by Ron wouldn’t have filled up with dirt over the past 2000 years and wouldn’t today be planted with grass? As for the location where Christ was crucified, the only clue the Bible gives us is Hebrews 13:12, where we are told, He “... suffered without the gate ...” But which gate, and what was its location? We are told at Micah 3:12 that:

“Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.”

So utterly destroyed was the Temple that the Roman emperor, Titus taking Jerusalem about forty years after this, commanded his soldiers to spare the Temple when they entered the city, but they in their rage burnt of it what was of a combustible nature; and Turnus Rufus, left general of his army when away, drew a plough over it, as Yahweh had said, Jeremiah 26:18; Micah 3:12, “Zion shall be ploughed like a field.” And when after this Alippius, by the command of Julian the apostate, attempted the rebuilding of it with the help of the “Jews”, it is reported by diverse sources that balls or globes of fire rose up from the foundations, destroyed many of the workmen, and made the place inaccessible for any further such attempts. Titus tried unsuccessfully to save the Temple, but his soldiers put it to the torch, thus fulfilling Yahshua’s prophecy. When the fire melted the gold trim, the molten metal ran down between the stones. To get it, the soldiers had removed the stones one by one, just as our Messiah predicted. The judgment was executed in A.D. 70 when the Romans under Titus sacked Jerusalem. Under such conditions, how could Ron Wyatt find anything on the ground that existed during the time of Christ? And we’re supposed to believe he was able to find the exact hole into which Christ’s cross was placed? If indeed Ron found a hole where a cross had been planted, how does he know it wasn’t one of the holes where the crosses of the two “malefactors” were placed when they were crucified with Christ? In such a case, Ron would have to had found three holes in order to determine which was the middle one! Jonathan Gray now claims that Ron found four holes, so which of the four is the middle one?

I really should address the matter of the crack at the bottom of the hole that Wyatt supposedly found, and all of the difficulties of the blood of Christ dripping down through it onto the Mercy Seat, but I will skip that part of the story for the time being and bring to the fore some evidence of even greater consequence.

Why is the subject of the Ark of the Covenant mentioned so many times in the Old Testament, and then suddenly there is no more citing of it from Jer. 3:16 until Rev. 11:19? Maybe the following data will help clear up the matter:

Jer. 3:16: “And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith Yahweh, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of Yahweh: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.”

Rev. 11:19: “And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”

A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments by Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, vol. 4, page 11, states in part on Jer. 3:16: “The ark, containing the two tables of the law, disappeared at the Babylonian captivity, and was not restored to the second temple ...”

Encyclopedia of 7700 Illustrations from the Libronix Digital Library states in part on Jer. 3:16: “Even though the vessels of the first temple were taken to Babylon (cf. Jer. 28:3), perhaps the ark of the covenant is hidden out on Mount Nebo where the book of 2 Maccabees (2:1-7) says that the prophet Jeremiah hid it.” 2 Maccabees 2:4-7 reads:

“4 It was also contained in the same writing, that the prophet, being warned of God, commanded the tabernacle and the ark to go with him, as he went forth into the mountain, where Moses climbed up, and saw the heritage of God.

“5 And when Jeremy came thither, he found an hollow cave, wherein he laid the tabernacle, and the ark, and the altar of incense, and so stopped the door.

“6 And some of those that followed him came to mark the way, but they could not find it.

“7 Which when Jeremy perceived, he blamed them, saying, As for that place, it shall be unknown until the time that God gather his people again together, and receive them unto mercy.”

Incidentally, the 2nd book of Maccabees is in the original 1611 edition of the King James Version of the Bible!

The IVP Bible Background Commentary, by C.S. Keener on Rev. 2:17 states: “The original ark of the covenant was permanently lost in 586 B.C. (cf. Jer 3:16), and the manna inside it had vanished before then. But a wide spectrum of Jewish [sic Israelite] tradition declared that Jeremiah (e.g., 2 Maccabees, 4 Baruch) or an angel (2 Baruch) had hidden them and that they would be restored at the end time ...”.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary on Jer. 3:16, by Walvoord & Zuck, on page 1134 states in part: “The ark of the covenant, which was lost after Babylon destroyed Judah in 586 B.C., would not be missed, and another ark would not be made. ...”. Conclusion: Christ was not crucified at Mount Nebo! But there is more.

Then in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 1, under the topic “Ark Of The Covenant” under the subtitle “Later references”, it mentioned the “second Temple had no Ark”, and gave a reference to Josephus’ Wars 5.5. Of the eight paragraphs under the heading, “A Description Of The Temple”, not a single mention of the Ark Of The Covenant was made. The closest it came to giving an allusion to the Ark Of The Covenant can be found in paragraph 4 where it states:

“As to the holy house itself, which was placed in the midst [of the inmost court], that most sacred part of the temple, it was ascended to by twelve steps; and in front its height and its breadth were equal, and each a hundred cubits, though it was behind forty cubits narrower; for on its front it had what may be styled shoulders on each side, that passed twenty cubits farther. Its first gate was seventy cubits high, and twenty-five cubits broad; but this gate had no doors; for it represented the universal visibility of heaven, and that it cannot be excluded from any place. Its front was covered with gold all over ...”. Surely, had the Ark of the Covenant been part of the Temple complex, Josephus would have informed us of its presence there!

If one is familiar with Ron Wyatt’s bogus claims in archaeology, one can quickly recognize that his allegations don’t match the true facts! In order for one to avoid his evil hypnotic spell, one must realize he is a phenomenal conartist extraordinaire! With valid data placed before one’s eyes, one can hastily recognize his highly doubtful story of finding the hole in which the cross of Christ was set upright, especially when he identified Jerusalem rather than Mount Nebo as the place where the Ark of the Covenant was hidden by Jeremiah!

We in Israel Identity are very familiar with Jacob’s pillow stone which Jeremiah took to Ireland with Tea Tephi, which might bring up the question of why he didn’t take the Ark of the Covenant. I would suggest the stone was needed in Ireland to continue the coronation of the king-line of David in Ireland, Scotland and England, whereas the Ark of the Covenant wouldn’t be needed until the Second Advent of Christ!

Ron Wyatt may have found a hole of some sort and a crack of some kind at the bottom of the hole, and he may have even found a cave of some description, but according to 2 Maccabees 2:1-7, he didn’t find the Ark of the Covenant, nor any of Christ’s blood on the Mercy Seat (the lid of the Ark of the Covenant)! And since he didn’t find any of Christ’s blood, he couldn’t have had it tested as he claimed! The following is Ron Wyatt’s story from the Internet at:

http://www.arkdiscovery.com/aoc-2.htm

“Mr. Wyatt removed a sample of Christ’s blood from the Mercy Seat of the Ark in the cave and paid a lab in Israel to do an analysis of the blood. They put the dark dried-out substance in saline solution for 72 hours. Mr. Wyatt asked them to do a chromosome test, but they informed him that he was wasting his money since you can’t do a chromosome test on dead white blood cells. They proceeded with the analysis and said, ‘It’s your money.’ As they began viewing the cells under the electron microscope, they saw cells dividing before their eyes! They could tell it was human blood, but ‘This blood is alive!’ They couldn’t believe what they were seeing! They continued with their tests and found the blood to be unique from any other human blood! Each cell contained only 24 chromosomes compared to the normal count of 46 that you and I have. Christ received 23 chromosomes from Mary, and one ‘y’ chromosome from His heavenly Father to designate a male child. Others in the lab were asked to come see for themselves. With tears in their eyes they asked whose blood this was, and Mr. Wyatt replied, ‘It is the blood of your Messiah.’ Then they asked who the Messiah was. They began wailing and shouting. No other male human being has ever had this same chromosome count! Christ’s blood is alive and unique to prove His divinity to the world before He returns to this earth. When these tests are repeated for all the world to see, everyone will learn that Jesus was more than a preacher, He was and is the Son of God!”

One can detect instantly that this was an invented story on the part of Wyatt, for no Kenite-Edomite-jew (who are the seed of the serpent) would have showed any remorse over Christ’s death!

It has been established that a person with Down’s syndrome has 47 chromosomes instead of the normal 46. What would be the implications if Mary, the mother of Christ, contributed the normal 23 chromosomes and the Holy Spirit only one as Ron Wyatt conjectures? Under such a situation, 22 of Mary’s egg chromosomes would be UN-CONNECTED from 22 of the male’s matching chromosomes? That would be Down’s syndrome multiplied 22 times! What kind of misfit would that have made our Redeemer? I don’t say this very often, but Ron Wyatt is a FOOL with a capital “F”, and a FRAUD with a capital “F”!

The followers of Ron Wyatt contend that once the Ark of the Covenant is revealed, it will cause a great revival, but Christ told Thomas: “... blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)