THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID
The Last Days as proclaimed by the LORD have one qualification—the Spirit of God poured out upon all flesh. By the mouth of the prophet Joel, the LORD proclaimed:
“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions…”.
And when this was fulfilled it was so proclaimed by those who witnessed it as recorded in the Book of Acts:
“But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved”.
So—by this you may understand that the Last Days—the last age of dealing with flesh—began quite some time ago. Indeed, the Apostles wrote in several places saying that it is the last time. This they wrote thousands of years ago. It is impossible therefore that the last days are to begin—or are ahead of us—or “just around the corner”. This is tantamount to standing on a platform waiting for a locomotive to arrive many days after it has left the station. It is erroneous thinking. If one wishes to ponder the last days, ponder their conclusion. Ponder whether it is fruitful to speculate about a day and an hour that no man knows. No, not even the Son. This is not to say that it is hidden from Him. Because nothing is. This is to say that it is impossible to find a day on a calendar that has not yet been decided. But it is wisdom to consider that the day—which The Father has completely in His discretion to decide—He will at some time decide—and then many things will be revealed. Among these things is yet another erroneous way of thinking of the Lord’s “coming again”. This too is inseparably bound to the last days, and Christ’s imminent return also began on the fulfilling of the day of Pentecost—because the Spirit of Christ is Christ. A people in whom the Spirit of Christ is come cannot look for Messiah to return if so be He is in them. Such a people do not wait for anything, save to be glorified with Christ. Therefore it is written plainly that when Christ who Is our life shall appear (not come…APPEAR…be REVEALED), Then shall we also appear with Him in glory.
There is one, and only one dwelling that the LORD spoke by the prophets saying that He would raise it up again and build it. Not the Tabernacle of Moses. Not the Temple that Solomon built. Not any other thing save this:
[Isa 16:5 KJV] – 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.
[Amo 9:11 KJV] – 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: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
The very words that Jesus spoke concerning Himself bear this out. “Destroy this temple and I will raise it again in three days”.
To this also the disciples bare witness. For while acting still in ignorance, many of the early disciples clung to the old things, troubling the gentiles who received the LORD in faith, that they must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses. But when contention and disputation arose about this, Peter stood up and declared how that the LORD had by Peter’s mouth, preached the Gospel of the Kingdom to the gentiles, and that God had “given to them the Holy Spirit the same as to us, making no difference between us at all”. Further, James stood in the midst and said that this fact is the fulfilling of God’s word that in the last time He would raise again the tabernacle of David:
[Act 15:6 KJV] – And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men [and] brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as [he did] unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men [and] brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name:
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: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the gentiles are turned to God.
Now therefore, what happened at the fulfilling of the day of Pentecost, is the fulfilling of God’s word concerning the only house He said He would raise up and build again. And inasmuch as all peoples of all nations heard in their own language, the disciples declaring the work, we may understand that this is in fact the coming of the Lord as he spoke while He was yet in flesh, and it is in fact the raising of the Tabernacle of David which is to the residue of all peoples who believe, both Jew and gentile, God putting no difference at all between the two, but justifying all by faith.
THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK — Finished Work — Once For All
[Heb 10:1 KJV] – For the law having a shadow of good things to come, [and] not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those [sacrifices there is] a remembrance again [made] of sins every year. For [it is] not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and [sacrifices for] sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and [offering] for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure [therein]; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once [for all]. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down at the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. [Whereof] the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, This [is] the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these [is, there is] no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And [having] an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
…[Heb 10:9 KJV] – Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
…HE TAKETH AWAY THE FIRST, THAT HE MAY ESTABLISH THE SECOND…
In Amos, the LORD proclaims the work finished with the raising up again of the tabernacle of David. Jesus Christ, the veil of his flesh rent, suffered death. But it was impossible for death to hold him. The LORD would not suffer His Holy One to see corruption (decay of death). Being raised eternally and declared to be the Son of God by the Spirit of God:
[Psa 110:4 KJV] – The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou [art] a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
[Psa 16:10 KJV] – For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
[Act 2:27 KJV] – Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
[Act 2:31 KJV] – He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption.
[Act 13:35 KJV] – Wherefore he saith also in another [psalm], Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
In that Christ died, he died once. In that he lives—he lives forever. Never to see corruption. Never again to see death. Perfecting forever them that are sanctified. The tabernacle is raised. The cycle of symbolism is broken. IT IS FINISHED on the cross. It is raised in Resurrection. A seed fell to the earth and died. It was raised a multitude. The eternal habitation of God.
[Amo 9:11 KJV] – 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: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this. Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed; and the mountains shall drop sweet wine, and all the hills shall melt. And I will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit [them]; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the LORD thy God.
When David built a tent to house the ark of the testimonies, it was little more than that—a tent. And when the ark was brought up and placed in the tent, it was accompanied with singing, dancing, and copious sacrifice. But when the work was finished, David distributed to every person of Israel, a cake of bread, a good piece of flesh, and a flagon of wine.
When Melchizedek blessed Abraham and received tithes of him, he brought forth bread and wine, “for he was priest of the most high God”. Paul tells us that this Melchizedek was a similitude—a representation of the son of God.
When Jesus, the true tabernacle of David, was about to finish the work he was given to do, he brought forth bread and wine. Not to establish a repetitious ritual, but to declare his priesthood. The old would be done away that the new might be established. And Jesus plainly declared that this would be the last time he would share a ritual in this manner. For thereafter he would taste of no wine save New in His Father’s Kingdom. This is a point completely overlooked by those who ritualistically crucify him over and over again in effigy. They have no idea what they do. New wine has no earthly origin. Jesus was declaring the end of all shadow, and the opening of the eternal finished work. Accessible and obtainable to all peoples by faith.
When David established the simple tent for the testimonies, He ordained for the house of Levi, an arrangement of the families of the priests into 24 courses. Each family was to serve for two weeks in the tabernacle in its appointed course.
The Courses of the Tabernacle of David
| Division | Name | Mishnaic Residence | Meaning | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | Jehoiarib | Meron | Jehovah contends | Handwritten ordinances; many generations |
| Second | Jedaiah | Tzippori | Jehovah has known | |
| Third | Harim | Fassuta | Dedicated | |
| Fourth | Seorim | Ayta ash-Shab or Ilut | Barley | |
| Fifth | Malchijah | Bethlehem of Galilee | My king is Jehovah | |
| Sixth | Mijamin | Yodfat | From the right hand | |
| Seventh | Hakkoz | Eilabun | Thorn | |
| Eighth | Abijah | Kfar Uziel | Jehovah is my father | Levitical veil |
| Ninth | Jeshua | Arbel | Salvation | Melchizedek; fulness of time |
| Tenth | Shecaniah | Kabul | Dwellers with God | Divine nature; one generation |
| Eleventh | Eliashib | Kafr Kana | God restores | No veil |
| Twelfth | Jakim | Safed | He will raise | I will build my assembly |
| Thirteenth | Huppah | Beit Maon | Canopy-covering | |
| Fourteenth | Jeshebeab | Shikhin | Dwelling of the father | |
| Fifteenth | Bilgah | Maghar | Cheerfulness | |
| Sixteenth | Immer | Yavnit | He has said | |
| Seventeenth | Hezir | Kfar Mimlah | Swine (enclosed-penned) | Gates of hell will not prevail |
| Eighteenth | Happizzez | Nazareth (or Daburiyya) | To break | |
| Nineteenth | Pethahiah | Arraba | Freed by God | |
| Twentieth | Jehezkel | Magdala | God strengthens | |
| Twenty-first | Jachin | Deir Hanna (or Kafr ‘Inan) | He will establish | |
| Twenty-second | Gamul | Kawkab al-Hawa | Weaned-ripened as an almond | Isa 28:9, drawn from the breasts |
| Twenty-third | Delaiah | Tzalmon | God has drawn | As with a bucket at a well; grow into Him in all things |
| Twenty-fourth | Maaziah | Hammat Tiberias | Consolation of God—the refuge of God | Eph 1:10, fulness of times |
The courses repeated their function year by endless year, though the tent David pitched was long gone. But as God had proclaimed, the tent would be raised again. But its raising would involve with it, the newness and permanence of an eternal house and priesthood. The courses of Levi would give place to the order of Melchizedek.
When the father of John the baptist was in the temple fulfilling his course, he received word by the mouth of the Angel of God, that he would have a son, name him John, and that he would go before the face of Messiah to proclaim His way. John and his father were Levites of the house of Abiah. This was the eighth course. He went before the face of Jesus. The ninth course after Abiah was Jeshua. Jesus (Jeshua) to whom John bare witness, was not of the house of Levi. He was reckoned to the house of David, of the house of Judah. John, the last legitimate priest of the house of Levi, examined the lamb of God, proclaimed it perfect and spotless, washed it in water, and spent his remaining time proclaiming “He must increase and I must decrease”. When Herod beheaded him, the priesthood of Levi was ended. Of the one to whom John bare witness, there was about to be born at once a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people.
The book of Matthew begins in proclaiming the generation of Jesus Christ. Forty-two generations from Abraham until Christ. You may read and count them. When you arrive at the man Jesus, you are on the forty-first from Abraham. This is not an error. The forty-second and final generation of The Christ could not be named until it was born to God in Christ, in resurrection. The Spirit was not yet given, for the LORD was not yet glorified. And the eternal abiding of the Spirit of God is the definition of The Christ.
After the ninth course of Jeshua is the fulfilling of the eternal work. The tenth course is Shecaniah—”Dwellers With God”. Jesus built and raised again the tabernacle they destroyed in three days (as he said he would). And he came again and received a people unto himself as he said he would.
As God revealed in Amos—the work is finished. Though men may fixate on all things Levi and edifices and ritualistic repetition—it is meaningless. The work is finished. Jesus was raised according to all symbolized in Melchizedek. He abides a priest forever. All things whatsoever that were pointing to Him in times past in rituals, ordinances, offerings, etc., are once and eternally fulfilled. When that which is finished is come, that which is in part is done away. Those who see it enter into a finished work in faith. Those who do not continue to dabble in ritual.
Conclusion
CHRIST IN YOU THE HOPE OF GLORY.
Christ in you is not the hope of the coming of Messiah. The anointing IS Messiah. Messiah in you is the hope of glory. This house and finished work, to which many are added by faith, is a salvation ready to be revealed. To this finished work have been many added in faith, from the time Christ came again to receive us to himself, and unto this present hour, and until the Father closes the age. But have no illusion about it. One can not sit in the ninth inning of a baseball game and wonder when the game will start.
