Amos 9:11-12
11 "On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old;
12 That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name," says the LORD who does this thing.
(NKJ)
Acts 15:16-17
16 'After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up;
17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does all these things.'
(NKJ)
We as Christians are living in a marvelous time. We are living in the end times. I am sure that the early church thought the second coming was going to be within their lifetime on earth. We know from hindsight that this did not occur. Many others have thought the end was eminent during their time. God's word says that all utterances must be fulfilled before He comes again. When will that be? Only the Father knows.
All of us seem to agree that God is pouring out His Spirit on all flesh in this current time. If He is indeed pouring out His Spirit, then we must also look to see what other end-time events are to take place.
I have read that the verses quoted above refer to the restoration of the House of David and that the tabernacle of David is the House of David. It is said that the church is the house of David. I believe there is an aspect of the tabernacle of David that is often overlooked regardless of what one thinks the tabernacle of David is.
We must take the words that we read to mean what they say or else why use them? We can spiritualize scripture and find various other scriptures that "fit" the spiritualization of a passage and come up with awesome revelation. Sometimes it is quite clear that the scripture is not literal. An example of this is when scripture refers to God’s hand. We know He is spirit and therefore does not have a fleshly hand such as ours. We know that He does not have wings of flesh, though scripture refers to His wings.
However, there are scriptures that mean precisely what they say. I firmly believe that if a verse in scripture makes sense and does not violate the general tenor of the Bible when taken literally, we should accept it 'as is'. Why would we spiritualize "thou shall not kill"? We wouldn’t. This is not to suggest that a passage can't have both a literal and a spiritual application.
In Amos 9:11 and Acts 15:16, the word used is ‘tabernacle’. The word ‘tabernacle’ in both the Hebrew and the Greek refers to a temporary dwelling place, a tent or hut. In scripture, when the house of David is referred to, the word is not tabernacle but ‘house’. ‘House’ in the Hebrew is ‘dwelling place’ and nowhere in the definitions does it refer to it being ‘temporary’ or ‘movable’. Clearly a house and a tabernacle are not the same thing.
If we accept that the church is the Tabernacle of David, we must realize that Jesus inhabits His church. If a tabernacle is a temporary dwelling place, then it would follow that the habitation of His church by Jesus is temporary. We all know this is not the case. It goes against the general tenor of the Bible. Scripture says:
2 Sam 7:13-17
13 "He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
14 "I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men.
15 "But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
16 "And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever".
17 According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.(NKJ)
If the above is true, how is it that it that the house of David must be restored? If it is a kingdom and a throne that is forever, then it will or would NEVER end. The house of David is not what is to be restored, it is the TABERNACLE of David that is to be restored. One could argue that this passage is referring to Jesus. Verse 14 says "if he commits iniquity". We all know that Jesus did not and would not commit iniquity. We all know that David did and God still favored him and did not remove His mercy from him.
If the church is indeed the Tabernacle of David, then surely according to scripture, the early church was in the last days. If that is true, what can we say of the last 2,000 years?
It is not my intention to argue whether or not the church is the house of David, but rather to show that the tabernacle of David is what is going to be restored in these last days. Jesus’ church was established when He came, not when David pitched the tent on Zion. The church was established when Jesus came, not restored.
So what was and what is the tabernacle of David? The tabernacle of David was a tent pitched on Mount Zion in Jerusalem. It was and is the place chosen by God to inhabit. A place where a chosen group of men praised and worshiped God without ceasing for 33 years.
Ps 132:13-14
13 For the LORD has chosen Zion; he has desired it for His dwelling place:
14 "This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it.(NKJ)
It is not my intention in this writing to delve into types and shadows, but rather to just take a look at the tabernacle and what took place there. It is important to consider why God established it and why He wants to restore it.
In the tabernacle of David, prophetic music and praise were practiced twenty-four hours per day. Whether it is the House of David or the tabernacle of David that is restored, we must realize that all that was included will be restored. This would include the music, as the music was what truly set the Tabernacle of David apart. It is the musical aspects that we will consider in this book.