After the building of the tabernacle was completed, Moses examined all the work, and compared it with the pattern, and directions he had received of God, and he saw that every part of it agreed with the pattern; and he blessed the people. God gave a pattern of the ark to Moses, with special directions how to make it. The ark was made to contain the tables of stone, on which God engraved, with his own finger, the ten commandments. It was in form like a chest, and was overlaid and inlaid with pure gold. It was ornamented with crowns of gold round about the top. The cover of this sacred chest was the mercy-seat, made of solid gold. On each end of the mercy-seat was fixed a cherub of pure, solid gold. Their faces were turned toward each other, and were looking reverentially downward toward the mercy-seat, which represents all the heavenly angels looking with interest and reverence to the law of God deposited in the ark in the heavenly sanctuary. These cherubs had wings. One wing of each angel was stretched forth on high, while the other wing of each angel covered their forms. The ark of the earthly sanctuary was the pattern of the true ark in Heaven. There, beside the heavenly ark, stand living angels, at either end of the ark, each with one wing overshadowing the mercy-seat, and stretching forth on high, while the other wings are folded over their forms in token of reverence and humility. {1SP 272.1}

Efter at tabernakelbyggeriet var afsluttet, undersøgte Moses værket, og sammenlignede det med det mønster, og de anvisninger han havde fået fra Gud, og han så at enhver del stemte over ens med mønsteret; og han velsignede folket. Gud gav et mønster for arken til Moses, med særlige anvisninger hvordan den skulle gøres. Arken var gjort til at indeholde stentavlerne, som Gud havde graveret de ti bud på med sin egen finger. Den var formet som en kiste, og blev overbelagt med rent guld udvendig og indvendig. Den var besmykket med guldkroner omkring toppen. Dækket over den hellige kiste var nådestolen, gjort af massivt guld. På hver ende af nådestolen var fæstnet en kerub af rent massivt guld. Deres ansigter var vendt imod hinanden, og så ærbødigt nedad imod nådestolen, som repræsenterer alle de himmelske engle der ser med interesse og ærbødighed på Guds lov der var lagt i arken i den himmelske helligdom. Disse keruber havde vinger. Den ene af hver engels vinger strakte sig opad, medens den anden af hver engels vinger dække deres former. Arken i den jordiske helligdom var et mønster for den rigtige ark i Himlen. Ved siden af den himmelske ark, stod der levende engle, i hver ende af arken, den ene med den ene vinge der overskyggede nådestolen, og strakte sig opad, medens de andre vinger er foldet over deres former, som et tegn på ærbødighed og ydmyghed.