"10 When the priests withdrew from the Holy Place, the cloud filled the temple of the LORD. 11 And the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled his temple. 12 Then Solomon said, "The LORD has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; 13 I have indeed built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever." - 1 Kings 8:10-13 NIV
For some reason I'm almost disturbed by this section. First off, it's not as "glorious" as one would picture God. There is no brilliant white lights and no chorus of angels, just a dark "gloom" as they call it in some translations. It just doesn't have that Godlike feel to it and almost seems more sinister. You could argue I guess that it's to conceal God's image from people so they won't die, but then again, I've heard just being in the Ark's presence can kill. In fact they would tie ropes onto priests going into the "Holy of Holies" so if they did die they could be pulled out.
Surprisingly, as far as I know, this section has yet to have been brought up by ancient astronaut theorists. The dark cloud almost makes me think of an artificial atmosphere, designed for an alien entity. I mean who say aliens breath our air right? Not to mention if their atmosphere is poisonous to humans, it would explain why priests would die when in the presence of the Ark. Either way, it kind of gives me the willies...unless of course God was going through a moody goth phase...
