After the sanctuary was built, Moses examined all the work. He compared the sanctuary with the pattern and the directions he had received from God. Moses saw that every part of the sanctuary was the same as the pattern. Then Moses blessed the people. SRme 1.649
God had given Moses a pattern for the sacred ark and special directions on how to make it. The ark was to hold the tables of stone on which God had written the Ten Commandments with His own finger. The ark was made like a box with a lid and was covered inside and outside with pure gold. The ark was decorated with crowns of gold around the top. SRme 1.650
The cover of this ark was made of solid gold and was called the mercy seat. At each end of the mercy seat stood a pure, solid-gold angel. These golden angels faced each other, looking down reverently toward the mercy seat. The golden angels represented all the heavenly angels who look with interest and reverence upon the law of God in the ark in the heavenly sanctuary. These golden angels had wings. One wing stretched upward, while the other wing was folded over the body. SRme 1.651
The ark of the sanctuary on earth was a copy of the true ark in heaven. In heaven, living angels stand at both ends of the true ark. Each living angel stretches one wing high over the mercy seat while the other wing is folded over the angel's body as a sign of reverence and humility. SRme 1.652
Moses put the tables of stone inside the earthly ark. These tables of stone were called the tables of the testimony. The ark was called the ark of the testimony. The ark was where God's testimony in the Ten Commandments was kept. SRme 1.653