In the story when the Ark was taken from Israel because of their unfaithfulness there are some interesting parallels to the destiny of the Ark. If it is by chance or has prophetic value, you can be the judge of.
But right now I will speak of it as if there is a prophetic message in it.

When the Ark of the Covenant was captured by the Palestinians it was not just because the priesthood was corrupt, but also because the people were not in the right place with God.
God had already told them in His law that He would only protect them against their enemies if they were faithful (Deut).
In this story, they lost the battle against their enemies and also lost the Ark.

After the Ark was lost, the wife of the priest called her son Ichabod, which means ’The glory is departed from Israel’.
Not just from Israel but also from the priesthood. Eli the priest belonged to a priesthood that had been promised would stand before God always. But then God had a change of heart:

«Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.» (1Sa 2:30)

The day the Ark was taken the priest Eli also died.

The Ark was hidden from them, no longer a part of them because of their unfaithfulness.
The Ark itself was never lost or destroyed. It stood its ground bringing the gods of the Philistines down and condemning the pagan people who had refused to follow the one true God, the Creator.

This happens again when the first temple is destroyed. The Ark disappears and they don’t see it again. It’s hidden from them. But where did it go?

Both times the Ark is taken from them it resides in land controlled by the enemy. The first time it was taken it was in philistine land. Note, a land that was originally to belong to Israel but that they had lost because of their unfaithfulness. So it was in God’s land controlled by Israel’s enemies. The second time, after the first temple was destroyed, if the Ark remained in Jerusalem like we now know it did, Jerusalem was under the control of pagan powers. First Babylon, then Medo Persia, Greece and Rome. Although the Jewish nation resided in Jerusalem they were not completely free, the land had a higher authority to answer to in these pagan rulers. From then on, after pagan Rome, it was Christian and Muslim rulers in Jerusalem. None of them were following God’s law and directions that were found in the Ark. So in the sense, the Ark was during this time period, although not subdued under the kingdoms itself, on land controlled by God’s competition, alternative leaders and laws. When it was in the Philistine cities God showed He was still in charge, humiliating their gods and sending plagues upon them. God wasn’t conquered even though His Ark was in land that was supposed to belong to His faithful but was now controlled by idol-worshippers.

It’s, therefore, interesting to see how the Ark re-surface after it was in Philistine territory. The Philistine leaders send it away and it is miraculously being lead towards the closest city in Israel called Beth-shemesh: «And the kine took the straight way to the way of Bethshemesh, and went along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right hand or to the left; and the lords of the Philistines went after them unto the border of Bethshemesh.  And they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley: and they lifted up their eyes, and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it.» (1Sa 6:12-13)

The first interesting parallel here is that it’s the reapers in the field that sees the Ark first. Not only did they see it coming (it most probably was covered, but they understood what it was), but they «rejoiced» when they saw it coming in the distance.
These people recognized the Ark before it had come, from afar, while they were busy working in the field.
Jesus often used the parallel of the field with His people, and those working in it His workers. «Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest» (Mat 9:37-38).
«And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 
I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.» (Joh 4:37-38) 

Let’s say the field and the workers represent God’s workers in the end time, it makes an interesting parallel.

The next interesting detail from this story is where the Ark is miraculously guided by God. For it was clear to both Israel and the Philistines that the hand of God was leading the Ark to its destination.
And here is the destination God leads it to: «And the cart came into the field of Joshua, a Bethshemite, and stood there, where there was a great stone: and they clave the wood of the cart, and offered the kine a burnt offering unto the LORD» (1Sa 6:14).
The name Joshua in Hebrew, in the original script, is yehôshûa‛.
Christ original Hebrew name was Yeshua. The Ark in this story was miraculously lead to «the field of Yeshua» Christ name brother.
This is amazing symbolism when we know what happened to the Ark. After it had been missing because of Israel’s unfaithfulness it was returned, by God’s hand, to the field of Yeshua. And the first to see it was the workers in the field.
Did God leave a clue here? The priesthood had been corrupt, Israel had sinned, they lost the Ark, only to have it re-appear in the field of Yeshua?
Is it a Yeshua prophecy?

This fits very well with the discovery of Ron Wyatt that explains how the blood of Christ went down unto the Marcy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant in it’s hiding place. From that moment, the Ark was entirely tied with a bond to Yeshua and His followers.
And it was no more be given into the hands of those who denied Him.

The third interesting parallel I want you to notice is where it says «they of Bethshemesh were reaping their wheat harvest». Passover was tied to the harvest of the barley, on the day of the first fruit they were to represent the first sheaf of the barley before the Lord in the temple. But between that day and the next great feast, the Pentecost that came 50 days later, another grain were to become mature and harvested. The feast of Pentecost was also a harvest feast, but this time for the wheat.
In this verse in the story, we can see that they are harvesting the wheat placing the time of this event around the time of Pentecost or a little later as the harvest of the wheat usually continued throughout the month.
Two interesting details are that the workers are at the end-time of the work, meaning it represents a closing work of the reaping. The other is that it was on the feast of Pentecost Jesus sent His holy spirit upon His disciples strengthening them to bring out the gospel to the world. The wheat harvest and the outpouring of the Spirit are placed together in the prophetic times.
In the same way, the re-surface of the Ark will bring joy to the workers in the field and it will help them bring the truth and last warning out to mankind. God had in some way made sure the return of the Ark in those days came around or in the month He would one day outpour His spirit upon His workers. The day of Pentecost was also believed by Israel to be the time God proclaimed His law to them from Mount Sinai. And so the Ark re-surfaced around the same time they heard God proclaim His law. God re-used the same time he used to give, to re-give the law. Three occasions, similar message.
The disciples didn’t have the Ark, only their own eyewitness of Christ. Yet by the Spirit, they accomplished great things. Imagen then what the surface of both the Ark and the Holy Spirit in the work can do and the great impact it can have in reaching out to the world.

But a shadow comes over this apparent story of glory. And here, only time can tell us if there will be a parallel.

«And he smote the men of Beth-shemesh because they had looked into the ark of the LORD, even he smote of the people fifty thousand and threescore and ten men: and the people lamented, because the LORD had smitten many of the people with a great slaughter. 
And the men of Bethshemesh said, Who is able to stand before this holy LORD God? and to whom shall he go up from us? 
And they sent messengers to the inhabitants of Kirjathjearim, saying, The Philistines have brought again the ark of the LORD; come ye down, and fetch it up to you.» (1Sa 6:19-21) 

Now, who were these men? It doesn’t say it is the same workers who rejoiced when they saw the Ark from afar, it doesn’t say it was Yeshua who owned the field. The Bible doesn’t tell us who it was other then those who were slain came from the same city. Maybe some of them even was a from the workers. The Bible only says he smite people from the city and that is all we can go by. Let’s examine the city’s name. Beth-shemesh comes from two words, “Beth” means «HOUSE» and SHEMESH means the «SUN» or the «EAST» referring to the sunrise. But usually, it’s translated to just “sun”. The men harvesting rejoiced, the Ark was lead to the field of Yeshua. But a large number of the men from the town of the HOUSE OF THE SUN showed great disrespect to God’s throne and authority and took their liberty to touch it or meddle with it.
The Levites in this story did not die when they moved it. It says: «And the Levites took down the ark of the LORD» without causualties. They had permission by God to move it.
The men in the city did, however, sacrifice before the Ark: «men of Bethshemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the LORD.  (1.Sam.6,15)
Yet God smote them. Why? It says «because they had looked into the ark of the LORD» (1.Sam.6,19)
The men did openly sacrifice to God and worship Him. But they were not obedient to God.
Only a few chapters later do we get an explanation of what could have happened with the men from the HOUSE OF THE SUN: «And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry» (1Sa 15:22-23).

Jesus also said to His followers: «And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?» (Luk_6:46)

The men of Beth-shemesh thought they could determine their own rules of worship and respect, that they could touch the throne of God. The disrespect was rebellion to God.

The priesthood in Israel had once gone from the firstborns to the Levites. But according to the book of Hebrews, it continued from the Levites to Christ (Heb.7,11). Anything related to the Ark has, therefore, been taken from the Levites and given into the hands of Christ and His chosen. No human appointed leaders, priests or men can mingle with His Ark. A Levite had to be clean in order to work on God’s holy things, but no one who denies Christ is clean. They have no atonement to cleanse them, leaving only obedient followers of Christ clean.
Only those God chooses, just like he allowed the Levites to come close to it in those days, only someone who comes in the authority of Christ can do it today. (Rev 1:6) The Ark is in the field of Yeshua, a priest not after the order of the Levite priesthood (Heb 7:11)

Does what happened to the men in Beth-shemesh contain a warning to man in the last days? Not anyone who sacrifices to the Lord (claim faith in Christ sacrifice, or worship Christ) can give themselves the liberty to interfere with the Ark or the foundation of it.
Symbolically speaking as well. the law in the Ark represents God’s authority.

Will a repetition of what took place at Beth-shemesh happen again, will disobedient people claiming to serve God challenge God’s authority and try and interfere with the Ark in its current place? What would the result be? In the story of the men from BethShemesh, rather blaming themselves they blamed God and no longer wanted any part of the Ark, so they asked to have it sent away from them.

From the rejoicing of the Ark when it was resurfacing to the tragedy of the death of a large number of the people (not all of them bear in mind), show the sides of the discovery of the Ark of the Covenant in the end time. For some, it will bear hope, for others grief as their offenses against God is made manifest and the punishment that can follow if we continue on that path. That those who try and place their hand on this discovery uninvited might even die.

If we disrespect God’s throne on earth, and the law that the throne is founded on, the Ark will not bring us good tidings.

Today the Ark is in the field of Yeshua. There it will remain. It will not get into the hands of anyone else. Not those who deny Christ, nor those who claim to follow Him but are disobedient. Let’s therefore prepare and show God the respect He deserves as we now raise our heads and can see the Ark coming from a distance.

Although the Ark will stay where it is today, in the original story The Ark was moved from the field of Yeshua into the house of Abinadab “on a hill“. Abinadab means «Father of generosity», and the guardian placed to protect it in His house was the son of the «Father of generosity» and his name was Eleazar which means «God is a helper» or “God protects».
Perhaps even the chamber with the Ark will rise and become like a hill, but that remains speculation for now (Mic.4:1). Only God knows His own plans for this discovery and how it will be displayed.
For those who respect God and His law, who turn to Him with their whole heart, the Ark is not scary or against them. It is the throne of their King. To them, “God is a helper”, a God who “protects” as He says in Psalm 91.
That is the God we worship, that is the God we rejoice in, He is the guardian of the Ark!

As we are about to finish our work in Christ field, let’s look up in faith at the reappearance of the Ark that is now soon before us. And let us remember to show God the respect He deserves as the King He is.