The Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the Shroud of Turin, and the Cross--What is the Truth about These Objects

Many religious legends and fables have been concocted through the centuries. The reason was to legitimize the grand lie that became a new religion during the reign of Constantine, when Christian names were attached to pagan celebrations and beliefs. As to the Ark of the Covenant, the Holy Grail, the Shroud of Turin, and the Cross, you will find none of these objects being physically used or spoken of in the New Testament after the original events they were involved in, and two never existed.

The Ark of the Covenant disappeared before Babylon conquered Jerusalem and its temple. When the Babylonians ransacked the temple before burning it, the Ark of the Covenant was nowhere to be found. Is it possible God disposed of it to prevent it from being misused if captured or shown inappropriate idolizing?

One thing is certain, Jeremiah stated its relevance would no longer be consequential with the original temple gone. It served its purpose. Jeremiah the prophet wrote the following about the Ark of the Covenant's future. "And it shall come to pass when ye shall be multiplied and become fruitful in the land in those days, Declareth Yahweh, They shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of Yahweh, Neither shall it come up on the heart, Neither shall they remember it, Neither shall they miss it, Neither shall it be made any more." (Rotherham Emphasized Bible) (Jeremiah 3:16)

When the Israelites returned to the land from exile in the days of Cyrus the Great, rebuilt the temple, and multiplied in the land, there was no mention of the Ark of the Covenant, just as Jeremiah said would be the case. Roman General Titus ransacked the temple before destroying it for a second time in 70 C.E. There was no Ark of the Covenant depicted on the arch he had built to commemorate his destruction of the Jewish temple. Therefore, can anyone legitimately claim to possess the Ark of the Covenant today? As for searching for it, those efforts will prove futile.

The Bible does not speak of the cup that had become known as the Holy Grail beyond the event of the Lord’s Last Supper. To true Christians, the physical cup that held the wine was no more important than the plate upon which the unleavened bread laid. The wine and unleavened bread were of significance, not the objects they were in. Simple as that.

This is what the true account recorded by John says concerning Jesus’ burial and resurrection at John 20:3-8, "Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple,—and they were going unto the tomb; and the two were running together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came first unto the tomb; and stooping aside beholdeth lying the linen-bandages, nevertheless he entered not. So Simon Peter also cometh following him, and entered into the tomb and vieweth the linen-bandages lying, —and the napkin which was upon his head not with the linen-bandages lying, but apart folded up into one place. Then entered therefore the other disciple also who had come first unto the tomb, and he saw and believed." (Rotherham Emphasized Bible)

According to John's account, linen-bandages were used to wrap the body of Jesus, and a separate cloth covered the head. There was no mention of a body covering one piece shroud. Luke's account supports John's. (John 19:39, 40) (Luke 23:53) (Luke 24:12) As seen from the account of Lazurus, that was the practice. "When he had said these things, he cried out with a loud voice: "Lazarus, come out!" The man who had been dead came out with his feet and hands bound with wrappings, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them: "Free him and let him go." (John 11:43) Based on the Biblical accounts, what would you say is the truth concerning the Shroud of Turin? The Shroud of Turin was a shrewd fake created to deceive people. If you want to know the truth about anything religious, look to the Bible for the correct answer.

Today, some claim to have pieces of the object Jesus was executed on, mistakenly translated a cross. It comes from the story about Constantine's mother being sent to the Holy Land to search for it and found it. For that to be possible would mean someone for over three hundred years preserved it. However, anyone having possession of the physical object Jesus was executed on is not mentioned anywhere in the New Testament after that fateful day of Jesus' execution. The fact is the object used to execute Jesus' in the form of a cross never existed. Why can that be said?

The Greek word used by the gospel writers to describe the object upon which Jesus was executed was stauros' and xylon. According to Greek scholar W. E. Vine, stauros' "denotes, primarily, an upright pale or stake. On such malefactors were nailed for execution. Both the noun and the verb stauroō, to fasten to a stake or pale, are originally to be distinguished from the ecclesiastical form of a two beamed cross." A Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament defines xylon as "a piece of timber, a wooden stake."

The apostles and disciples of Jesus, who came to be called Christians, followed the edict recorded at 1 Corinthians 10:14, "Flee from idolatry." True worshipers of God did not idolize or attach any kind of spiritual powers to physical objects because to do so was considered a form of idolatry. Idolatry was a practice common in paganism and the corrupted version of Christianity that came into existence during Constantine's reign when the cross was the Roman symbol for The Invincible Sun.

The final analysis: These are the true facts about the Ark of the Covenant, Holy Grail, the Shroud of Turin, and the Cross. What will you choose to believe? More important, how would God want you to choose?