[
Replying to Base12 in post #3]
Why was the Ark called the Ark of the Covenant?
Because it was a symbol of the covenant between God and his people, the twelve tribes of Israel. It was also called the “Ark of the Testimony; because the two tablets of the Law that were in it were witnesses against all transgressions.
The lid of the Mercy Seat was made of pure gold that covered the top of the Ark of the Covenant. What was the purpose of the Mercy Seat? When the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies on the day of Pentecost, also called the Day of Atonement, he was to sprinkle the blood of the sacrifices, and it was where Jehovah promised to meet his people.
Exodus 25:22, “The Lord is speaking to Moses, “And there I will meet with you, and I will commune with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two Cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.”
Jesus Christ is the true Mercy-seat; by him our sins are covered, and through him, the Father communes with us in mercy. The Mercy seat also represents man's approach to the Father through his only begotten Son. By Jesus only can we come to the throne of grace.