The prophet Amos described a day when the nation of Israel would be restored and the Tabernacle of David rebuilt:
“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. 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.
Amos 9:11-12 NKJV
The first Tabernacle of David was home to the Ark of the Covenant from the time when King David first brought it to Jerusalem until the Temple was finished. Inside the Tabernacle, King David set up worshippers to play music and sing in worship before the Ark of the Covenant.
He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to extol, thank, and praise the Lord, the God of Israel: Asaph was the chief, and next to him in rank were Zechariah, then Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-Edom and Jeiel. They were to play the lyres and harps, Asaph was to sound the cymbals, and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests were to blow the trumpets regularly before the ark of the covenant of God.
1 Chronicles 16:4-6 niv
This first Tabernacle was dismantled when the Temple was finished in Jerusalem. King Solomon moved the Ark from the tent that David had set up in his palace grounds into the holiest place in the Temple. He also moved the sacrifices that had taken place in Gibeon. The worship merged with the sacrifices and rituals of the Temple.
Almost 1000 years later, the Apostles referred to the prophecy in Amos about David’s Tabernacle being rebuilt when they needed to make a decision about including Gentiles into the Church.
The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things – things known from long ago.’
“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
acts 15:12-21
From the Book of Chronicles, we can see that the Tabernacle of David was a place of worship separate from the priestly offerings. But at that time, only the priests and Levites could enter. Amos prophesied that the Gentiles and the descendants of Edom, the Arab nations, would be included in the time of restored worship. The Apostles saw a partial fulfilment of this as the Gospel spread among the Gentiles. At Carmel One, we believe it is now time to include all nations in 24/7 unstoppable worship before the throne of God.