Does Revelation 11:19 indicate that the Ark of the Covenant is still in existence?
The last historical mention in the Bible of the Ark of the Covenant is found in 2 Chronicles 35:1-6, “Moreover Josiah kept a passover unto the LORD in Jerusalem: and they killed the passover on the fourteenth day of the first month. And he set the priests in their charges, and encouraged them to the service of the house of the LORD, And said unto the Levites that taught all Israel, which were holy unto the LORD, PUT THE HOLY ARK IN THE HOUSE WHICH SOLOMON THE SON OF DAVID KING OF ISRAEL DID BUILD; it shall not be a burden upon your shoulders: serve now the LORD your God, and his people Israel, And prepare yourselves by the houses of your fathers, after your courses, according to the writing of David king of Israel, and according to the writing of Solomon his son. And stand in the holy place according to the divisions of the families of the fathers of your brethren the people, and after the division of the families of the Levites. So kill the passover, and sanctify yourselves, and prepare your brethren, that they may do according to the word of the LORD by the hand of Moses.” (2 Kings 23:21-23 describe this same event.)
It was around 40 years later (586 BC) when Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon invaded Jerusalem. We read about that in 2 Kings 24:10-14, “At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city was besieged. And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, while his servants were besieging it. And Jehoiachin king of Judah went out to the king of Babylon, he, and his mother, and his servants, and his princes, and his chamberlains; and the king of Babylon took him in the eighth year of his reign. And he BROUGHT OUT THENCE ALL THE TREASURES OF THE HOUSE OF JEHOVAH, and the treasures of the king’s house, and CUT IN PIECES ALL THE VESSELS OF GOLD that Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of Jehovah, as Jehovah had said. And he carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valour, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and smiths: none remained but the poorest sort of the people of the land.” We really do not know what happened to the ark after this point. It could be that the Ark was destroyed by the Babylonians and Chaldeans during the fall of Jerusalem. However if you go online and Google, “Where is the Ark of the Covenant”, you will see that several places claim to have the Ark, but there is no evidence that these locations actually have the Ark.
Now, let’s read Revelation 11:19 which says, “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.”
So, this verse declares the ark as being in heaven. This has caused some to believe that the ark was taken up to heaven to be protected there. But the ark that John saw in his vision of heaven is probably not the same ark that Moses constructed. The sanctuary itself was simply a copy and shadow of what is in Heaven as we read in Hebrews 8:5, “Who serve unto the EXAMPLE AND SHADOW of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.” We also know that the articles in the tabernacle were “PATTERNS OF THINGS in the heavens”. (Hebrews 9:23).
Revelation 11 deals with the of the seventh trumpet, which ushers in a final round of judgments upon the earth. John’s glimpse of the ark is more than likely meant as a reminder that God has not forgotten His people, that He is present with them, and that true worship will soon be restored. It is a reminder of the pledge of God’s faithfulness in His covenant with Israel. (CC) (574.6)