Ark of the Covenant
Stephen Jones treats the Ark of the Covenant as a type of the limited dwelling of God’s presence in the Old Covenant, as opposed to Christ’s body (and the church) as the new Ark that houses the Spirit without restriction. The key is the threefold sending of the dove in Gen. 8 as a type of the three historical sendings of the Holy Spirit.
Biblical anchoring
| Reference | Context |
|---|---|
| Gen. 8:8-12 | Noah sends out the dove three times — type of three Spirit-sendings |
| Ex. 20:18-19 | The people flee from God’s voice at Sinai — occasion for the Ark |
| Matt. 3:16 | The dove descends on Christ at his baptism — second sending |
| Acts 2 | Outpouring of the Spirit at Pentecost — upon Christ’s body |
| Hab. 2:14 | ”The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord” — third sending |
Typological interpretation per author
Jones
Stephen Jones treats the typology of the Ark of the Covenant in Creation’s Jubilee (b1) as part of his exposition of the three historical sendings of the Holy Spirit.1 The pattern begins with Gen. 8:8-12: Noah sends the dove out three times. “This dove represents the Holy Spirit. The fact that Noah sent the dove out three times speaks of the three times that the Holy Spirit was to be sent into the earth in history.”
The first sending: Sinai and the building of the Ark. At the first sending (Sinai) the dove found no rest: “The Holy Spirit was sent, but the people fled in fear (Ex. 20:18-19). They did not want to hear the voice of God directly. The ‘dove found no rest’ amidst the sea of people. Another ark had to be built to house His presence, the Ark of the Covenant.”1 The Ark is thus a temporary solution for a people who could not bear the direct presence — a limited housing, typologically charged.
The second sending: Pentecost on Christ’s body. At his baptism the dove descends upon Christ (Matt. 3:16). At Pentecost (Acts 2) the same dove descends upon his body — the church. Christ is the new Ark: in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Unlike the old Ark, which confined the Spirit to the Holy of Holies, Christ’s body carries the Spirit freely.1
The third sending: the unlimited outpouring. The third sending speaks of the future universal outpouring, when the Spirit is poured out upon all flesh (cf. Hab. 2:14). “Once sent, the dove shall not return to the ark, which had limited its movements.”1 The Ark of the Covenant was a necessary provisional arrangement; the antitype is the church as the free dwelling of the Spirit, no longer limited by any veil.
Related types
- Parent: The Ark is a sub-element of tabernacle
- Connected: day-of-atonement, priesthood
- Within Batch-4: high-priestly-garments
- Via number symbolism: 3