Chapter 3—The Law Kept in the Earthly Sanctuary Has Been Hidden With the Ark in a Cave

The set of tables of the Decalogue which was kept in the earthly sanctuary was in the ark when it was hidden by righteous men in a cave shortly before the destruction of the temple by the Babylonians in the time of Jeremiah. However, the following statements from the Spirit of Prophecy do not mention Jeremiah as personally having had a part in hiding the ark:ACWF 3.1

“Before the temple was destroyed, God made known to a few of His faithful servants the fate of the temple, which was the pride of Israel, and which they regarded with idolatry, while they were sinning against God. He also revealed to them the captivity of Israel. These righteous men, just before the destruction of the temple, removed the sacred ark containing the tables of stone, and with mourning and sadness, secreted it in a cave where it was to be hid from the people of Israel, because of their sins, and was to be no more restored to them. That sacred ark is yet hid. It has never been disturbed since it was secreted.”—4SG 114, 115 (1864); The Spirit of Prophecy 1:414 (1870); The Story of Redemption, 195.

“Among the righteous still in Jerusalem, to whom had been made plain the divine purpose, were some who determined to place beyond the reach of ruthless hands the sacred ark containing the tables of stone on which had been traced the precepts of the Decalogue. This they did. With mourning and sadness they secreted the ark in a cave, where it was to be hidden from the people of Israel and Judah because of their sins, and was to be no more restored to them. That sacred ark is yet hidden. It has never been disturbed since it was secreted.”—Prophets and Kings, 453 (published in 1917); emphasis supplied.

Note particularly that Ellen White stated that the ark “has never been disturbed since it was secreted.”ACWF 3.2