THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID

"So I prophesied as I was commanded: and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came up together, bone to his bone." (Ezek 37:7)

*And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the TABERNACLE that David had pitched for it: and David offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the LORD. (II Sam 6:17)

*IN THAT DAY will I raise up the TABERNACLE OF DAVID that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will BUILD it as in the days of old. (Amos 9:11)

*After this I WILL RETURN, and will BUILD AGAIN the TABERNACLE OF DAVID, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up. (Acts 15:16)

 There is another related statement by David: "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it." (Psalm 127:1). So we now know that it is the Lord who is building His tabernacle which will be His house and not us, regardless of how well-intentioned we may be. I believe that the word "vain" is much involved with this matter. This house, this tabernacle, this habitation that the Lord our God is building for Himself, is a spiritual house rather than a physical house. Unless as some seem to believe, the house that our Lord God will dwell in is physical. Not likely. His earthly abode in the Old Testament was in the physical tabernacle of Moses. He would be reverting back to the Old Testament and might just as well have kept the tabernacle of Moses, or even the temple of Solomon. We need to use our spiritual eyes. Let us get serious here. God has spent a few thousand years leading us from the physical Old Testament into the spiritual New Testament And I might add, with an awful lot of trouble and aggravation for all parties concerned, including God. It is therefore extremely doubtful that the future habitation of God on earth is going to be physical or physical in the way we now understand physical to be (Luke 24:36-43). "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it."

 Prophecy is multi-dimensional in another sense. The fulfillment of a prophecy is frequently, initself, prophetic i.e. yet to be fulfilled. The tabernacle of Moses is a type of the tabernacle of David which is a type of the tabernacle of God (Rev 21:3). When Jesus Christ who is the Word spoke, He was both literal and prophetic at the same time: both linear and multi-dimensional. The literal linear Word of God is "logos." The prophetic and multi-dimensional Word of God is "rhema." Jesus is the bread of life, the twelve unleavened loaves upon the table of shewbread, the "logos" Word. The Holy Spirit is the spiritual light inside the tabernacle. It is the Holy Spirit who enlightens us. The golden candlestick was set "over against the table" (Ex 26:35) which means directly across from the shewbread on purpose (God's) that his light will directly illuminate the Word of God. Together, the Holy Spirit (candlestick) and Jesus (shewbread) are the "rhema" Word of God. "The Word (logos) was made flesh, and dwelt among us." (John 1:14).

The literal, linear Word of God dwelt among us for approximately 30 years. His name was Jesus son of Joseph. He had "the earnest" of the Spirit just as we do, for He was like us in all ways. When He received the fullness of the Holy Spirit in the river Jordan (Matt 3:16), His name became Jesus Christ (the Christ, Messiah, the Anointed). He became the "rhema" Word of God. It was then that He had become fully prepared by God. It is then that He began His ministry. When we receive the fullness of the Holy spirit, the full mind of Christ, the full anointing; when we have become fully prepared by God, it is then that We shall begin our ministry, in the Kingdom of Heaven. What was that again? When did you say? Here is when:

*And having in readiness to revenge all disobedience, WHEN YOUR OBEDIENCE IS FULFILLED. (II Cor 10:6)

 That is when! And not until then! The tabernacle of Moses is prophetic. It is what we are, and is what we are becoming. It is our past, present, and future. The tabernacle of David of the Old Testament is an advanced picture of that maturing prophetic fulfillment. We have received, as did David, the table of shewbread representing Jesus, inside us. We have received, as did David, the golden candlestick representing the Holy Spirit, inside us. They are not missing from the tabernacle of David that our Lord is rebuilding, for they are already there!

*But they shall serve the LORD their God, and David their KING, whom I will raise up [BUILD] unto them. (Jer 30:9)

*In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness TO GROW UP unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. (Jer 33:15)

*And I will set up ONE SHEPHERD over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. (Ezek 34:23)

*And David my servant shall be KING over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk IN my judgments [THE LAW], and observe my statutes, and do them [for we shall BE THE BODY OF THE LAW]. And they shall dwell in the land that I have given unto Jacob my servant, wherein your fathers have dwelt; and they shall dwell therein, even they, and their children, and their children's children for ever: and my servant David shall be their prince for ever. (Ezek 37:24,25)

The latter verses are a future experiential fulfillment of what has already positionally happened. They are grounded in I Samuel where David was literally anointed king over all Israel:

*Then Samuel took the HORN OF OIL, and ANOINTED him [David] in the midst of his brethren: AND THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD CAME UPON DAVID FROM THAT DAY FORWARD. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. (I Sam 16:13)

 Please note that David received the Spirit of the Lord, the Holy Spirit "from that day forward." From then, through the millennium, and forever forward. The golden candlestick of rhema light. That is where the candlestick was in David's tabernacle, inside David.

*And he [David] took his staff in his HAND, and chose him FIVE smooth stones out of the brook [Holy Spirit], and put them in a SHEPHERD'S BAG which he had, even in a scrip; and his sling was in his HAND: and he drew near to the Philistine. (I Sam 17:40)

 Herein is a message that David is one of the five-fold hand ministry of Ephesians 4:11. This is the Aaronic priesthood which is encompassed by the Melchizedek priesthood, of whom we shall speak later. Let us go back to Benjamin in Egypt for a great type of the five-fold ministry.

*And they sat before him [Joseph], the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another. And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was FIVE TIMES so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him. (Gen 43:33,34)

 After Joseph had revealed himself to his brothers, he loaded them with provisions and sent them into the drought-stricken promised land to his father Jacob (Israel). It is interesting to note exactly what a part of that "provision" of Joseph was:

*And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and FIVE CHANGES OF RAIMENT. (Gen 45:21,22)

 We need not deal with the "three hundred pieces of silver" at this time to make our point. Suffice it to say that they are definitely related to our point and have to do with redemption and Gideon's 300 who were redeemers and "saviours" (Obad 21). Benjamin received from Joseph five messes and five changes of raiment whereas his brothers received one mess and one change of raiment. What does that mean? We are looking at a prophetic priesthood in type: past, present, and future. The five changes of raiment for Benjamin were five coverings, one for each of his offices: apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher. The five messes were provision for the five offices: the five-fold hand ministry. All the brothers, the patriarchs, are the Levitical priesthood in type, but Benjamin is of the Aaronic priesthood. We note that all of the five changes of raiment were Benjamin's to use as the need arose. In like manner then, the five smooth stones that David chose out of the brook of the Holy Spirit were the same five ministerial offices. David "put them in a shepherd's bag which he had." He had all five offices of the hand ministry available to him as the need arose, as did Benjamin, as does the hand ministry to this day.

 Did David look down and select for just the right stone? No. He did not have to, because any of those five stones would have done the job. They are each apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher. These offices are agencies through which the power of the Word of God flows. Did David kill Goliath? No. The stone did! The Word of God did. The sword of the Lord is the Word of God.

*At that time Jesus went on the SABBATH DAY through the corn; and his disciples were an hungered, and began to PLUCK the ears of corn, and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungered, and they that were with him; How he ENTERED INTO THE HOUSE OF GOD, and did EAT THE SHEWBREAD, which was NOT LAWFUL for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but ONLY FOR THE PRIESTS? Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? (Matt 12:1-5)

 There is much more here that we shall not relate. However, we now know what happened to the shewbread. David ate it, and I might add, "them which were with him." Praise God! We also see in these verses the manifestation of David as king-priest and Jesus Christ as king-priest. On every sabbath the High Priest and his sons were lawfully required to replace the old shewbread with new, and to eat the old shewbread in the Holy Place. Leviticus relates of the shewbread:

*EVERY SABBATH he shall set it [the shewbread] in order before the LORD continually, being taken from the children of Israel by an everlasting covenant. And it [the shewbread] shall be Aaron's and his sons'; and they shall EAT IT in the holy place: for it is most holy unto him of the offerings of the LORD made BY FIRE a perpetual statute. (Lev 24:8,9)

 David and "them which were with him" (sons) entered into the house of God (Holy Place) and ate the shewbread which was lawful" only for the priests." They did not die. Ergo, they were priests. The Pharisees, being one-dimensional linear literalists, did not see that David was a king-priest and a type of Jesus Christ, although they had other supportive Scripture in II Sam 6 which was repeated in I Chronicles 16:1.

*And they brought in the ark of the LORD, and set it in his place, in the midst of the tabernacle that David had pitched for it: AND DAVID OFFERED BURNT OFFERINGS AND PEACE OFFERINGS BEFORE THE LORD. (II Sam 6:17)

 Offering burnt offerings and peace offerings was the priest's function. Saul did it in impatience and fear, and his action of usurping the priestly office led to his loss of the kingdom as prophesied by Samuel (I Sam 13:13,14). David did it and was not chastised at all. David was a king-priest and type of Jesus Christ but the Pharisees could not discern even when the linear truth was standing before their eyes.

*And when he was departed thence, he went into their SYNAGOGUE: And, behold, there was a man which had his HAND WITHERED, And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the SABBATH DAYS? that they might accuse him. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine HAND. And he stretched it forth; and it was RESTORED WHOLE, like as the other. (Matt 12:9,10,13)

 We note the five-fold hand ministry again but now we see that it is withered, for those Jesus Christ spoke to in the synagogue then were dry as bones. "Whited sepulchres." (Matt 23:27). No Power. Dead. Less than shittim trees in a desert place.
 
 

*Be glad then, ye children of Zion, and rejoice in the LORD your God: for he HATH GIVEN YOU the former rain MODERATELY, and he will cause to come down FOR YOU the rain, THE FORMER RAIN, AND THE LATTER RAIN in the first month. And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. And I WILL RESTORE TO YOU THE YEARS.... (Joel 2:23-25a)

The hand ministry will be restored whole. All it takes to restore a withered, dried up old hand is water. In summation: David received the twelve loaves of unleavened shewbread of Jesus, the logos Word of God, inside him. He ate it just exactly as we are admonished to do (Matt 26:26-28; John 6:47-58). David received the candlestick, the rhema anointing of the Holy Spirit inside him just as we do (John 3:3-6; Rom 10:9). These have not been lost to the tabernacle of David. They have been found.

*He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the HIDDEN MANNA.... (Rev 2:17)

 This same overcomer body will receive Aaron's rod transformed from wood to iron which is also hidden in Christ Jesus:

*And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a ROD OF IRON [Isa 16:5, Holy Spirit in judgment]; as the VESSELS of a potter shall they be BROKEN to shivers: even AS I RECEIVED of my Father. And I will give him the morning star. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches. (Rev 26-29)

Hallelujah! A wonderful message in parallel to the tabernacle of Moses lies in the evolution of our inheritance of Aaron's rod, and its transformation from wood to iron (Ex 4:2 to Rev 2:27).

*And in MERCY shall the throne be established: and he shall sit upon it in truth IN THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID, JUDGING, and SEEKING JUDGMENT, and HASTING RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Isa 16:5)

*Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall bean everlasting covenant with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set MY SANCTUARY in the midst of them for ever more. MY TABERNACLE ALSO shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And the heathen shall know that I the LORD do sanctify Israel, when MY SANCTUARY shall be in the midst of them for evermore. (Ezek 37:26-28)

*And he [antichrist] shall pass over to his strong hold for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the LORD, whose FIRE IS IN ZION, and his FURNACE IN JERUSALEM. (Isa 31:9)

*BRETHREN [all believers], I count not myself to have apprehended [attained, arrived, been completed, a finished work experientially]: but THIS ONE THING I DO, forgetting those things which are behind, and REACHING FORTH unto those things which are before, I PRESS TOWARD the mark FOR THE PRIZE OF THE HIGH CALLING of God in Christ Jesus. (Phil 3:13,14)

 "Lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, Myself should be a castaway." (I Cor 9:27). Paul a castaway? From what? Certainly not from salvation which is a gift and calling "For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." (Rom 11:29). What then? Castaway from the "prize of the high calling." Castaway from the tabernacle of David. Castaway from the Melchizedek Priesthood! God is building a house to dwell in. God is about to finish the attic and re-attach John's head to His body. He will reveal the completed house on the morning of the sixth day (Gen 1:31).

*Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I AM THE DOOR OF THE SHEEP. I am the door [of the tabernacle]: by me if ANY MAN enter in [to the sheepfold, the tabernacle], he shall be saved, AND SHALL GO IN AND OUT, AND FIND PASTURE. (John 10:7,9)

*Him that OVERCOMETH will I make a PILLAR IN THE TEMPLE of my God, AND HE SHALL NO MORE GO OUT.... (Rev 3:12a)

 One cannot "go in and out" and also "no more go out." Who are you? You are positionally either a priest or a High Priest. Of the 48 cities given to the Levites, 13 were given to the Aaronic High Priesthood (Josh 21:4). As we enter the court of the tabernacle of the congregation the gate of many colors of Jesus Christ hangs on four pillars. The door of many colors of the tabernacle of Jesus Christ hangs on five pillars. The veil of many colors of the tabernacle of Jesus Christ hangs on four pillars. Three aspects of God in Jesus Christ hang upon and are supported by the 13 pillars of the Aaronic (Melchisedek) Priesthood. The gate is the water of the Holy Ghost. The door is the blood of Jesus Christ. The veil is the fire of God. Water, Blood, Fire. Each of these 13 pillars stands in a single socket (no shoes for walking) because they are not going anywhere.
 
 

Amen