patrick457;10950952]Please read my post more carefully. I do believe the Ark exists. I just have some doubts as to whether the story of Jeremiah hiding it is factual, but who knows?
Here is the difficulty I have with your doubts of Jeremiah; Apparently your doubts are raised from archeological dating of the letter? Faith does not pretend to hold to secular facts, these are suspended from the eternal reality from Historical events.
For example; Jesus and His apostles taught from the Septuagint from which possess the books of the Maccabbees. If the Septuagint lacked one letter or missed one letter of God’s divine inspiration, I believe Jesus would not have quoted from the Septuagint.
Secondly; the 72 Hebrews who copied the LXX ( Septuagint) (Hebrew to Greek) translation copied them exactly to the surprised miracle witnessed by Ptolemny II Philadelphus (285-246 b.c). Now I ask you these copies are not the original, yet they are exact witnessed duplicates of the originals. My point when the New Testament was canonized, we did not possess all the original letters of the apostles, but duplicates to the originals which have a later carbon dating. Yet we know these are apostolic when the cannon applied them to the apostolic Traditions already existing.
So my question to you? how do you distinguish faith from secular carbon dating and from what God reveales through the prophets? Hebrew Tradition never rejected these books until the second century a.d, after the resurrection to disprove Jesus and His teachings.
Just a little unrelated trivia. In the Septuagint Deuteronomy “they” (the Israelites?) buried Moses “in Gai, in the land of Moab, near the house of Phogor,” but no one knows the location of the grave (as in the Hebrew version).
I just hope to point out your trivia as being that, but it never reaches the Faith of the Hebrews who believed from Jewish recorded hermaneutics of the scriptures, and their legends of this past event that took place.
"Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen… what is visible came into being through the invisible"
“In the meanwhile, Moses’ time was at an end. A voice from heaven resounded, saying: ‘Why, Moses, dost thou strive in vain? Thy last second is at hand.’ Moses instantly stood up for prayer, and said: ‘Lord of the world! Be mindful of the day on which Thou didst reveal Thyself to me in the bush of thorns, and be mindful also of the day when I ascended into heaven and during forty days partook of neither food nor drink. Thou, Gracious and Merciful, deliver me not into the hand of [Satan].**’ God replied: ‘I have heard thy prayer. I Myself shall attend to thee and bury thee.’ **Moses now sanctified himself as do the Seraphim that surround the Divine Majesty, whereupon God from the highest heavens revealed Himself to receive Moses’ soul. When Moses beheld the Holy One, blessed be His Name, he fell upon his face and said: ‘Lord of the world! In love didst Thou create the world, and in love Thou guidest it. Treat me also with love, and deliver me not into the hands of the Angel of Death.’ A heavenly voice sounded and said: ‘Moses, be not afraid. “Thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward.”‘”
“With God descended from heaven three angels, Michael, Gabriel, and Zagzagel. Gabriel arranged Moses’ couch, Michael spread upon it a purple garment, and Zagzagel laid down a woolen pillow.** God stationed Himself over Moses’ head, Michael to his right, Gabriel to his left, and Zagzagel at his feet, whereupon God addressed Moses: ‘Cross thy feet,’ and Moses did so. He then said, ‘Fold thy hands and lay them upon thy breast,’ and Moses did so. Then God said, ‘Close thine eyes,’ and Moses did so.** Then God spake to Moses’ soul: ‘My daughter, one hundred and twenty years had I decreed that thou shouldst dwell in this righteous man’s body, but hesitate not now to leave it, for thy time has run…**.I Myself shall take thee to the highest heavens and let thee dwell under the Throne of My Glory’….When Moses heard these words, he permitted his soul to leave him, saying to her: ‘Return to thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.’ God thereupon took Moses’ soul by kissing him on the mouth.” **(Ginzberg)
** “As a mother takes her child and kisses it, and then lays it down to sleep in its own bed; so did the Lord kiss the soul of Moses away to be with him for ever, and then he hid is body we know not where.”** (Spurgeon)
And He buried him in a valley: Notably, the Lord buried Moses. This was more complicated than it sounds, because the devil contended with God over the body of Moses.
Apparently, God had a purpose to fulfill with the body of Moses before the time of general resurrection,
so God made special provision to bury the body of Moses Himself. And, perhaps, God preserved the body of Moses in some way. God wanted to protect the body of Moses, so no one knows his grave to this day. Seemingly, they searched for it (as would be expected) out of a desire to memorialize this great leader of the nation.
His eyes were not dim nor his natural vigor abated: This confirmed what was observed at Deuteronomy 31:1 (I can no longer go out and come in).** Moses was not hindered by physical infirmity, but by the command of God.**
In short, what is believed in faith is eternal leaves in the dust what is seen by the carnal mind which returns to dust.
Peace be with you
I’ve read a little bit about Bahai and I like what I’ve learned. I’m under the impression that you guys are rare though, right? I personally have never talked to one at least nor know of anyone who knows one.
