When is God Rebuilding the Tabernacle of David?
An Excerpt from Graham Truscott's 1969 Classic Book
This is Chapter 4 of Graham Truscott’s 1969 book, The Power of His Presence. After being out-of-print for many years, the classic study of David’s tabernacle has been republished by Presence Pioneers Media in a beautiful hardcover book. Enjoy the free chapter excerpt below, and order your copy of the book today!
When is God rebuilding the Tabernacle of David? Did He completely rebuild it in the early Church? Will He rebuild it after the Second Coming of Christ? Or is the Restoration of David’s Tabernacle part of this Last Day Restoration?
The answer to this most important question can be found from:
The literal wording of the actual prophecies ;
The spiritual message prophesied by the actual events which took place during the building of the first Tabernacle of David.
The first we will deal with in this chapter, and in subsequent chapters the spiritual message which comes to us from the building of the first Tabernacle of David.
God’s Building
The literal wording of the prophecy is,
”I will . . . build again the Tabernacle of David which is fallen down” (Acts 15:16).
Jesus said, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).
Paul said, “You are God’s building” (1 Cor. 3:9).
Peter said, “You also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house” (1 Peter 2:5).
God is not building one, two, or three things. God is vitally concerned with the building of one thing, and one alone—His Church. Oh, that we might receive a fresh insight of how precious the building of God’s Church is to Him. When we look to Calvary, and contemplate the price God paid to purchase this Building, surely we can see God’s concern, God’s great heart of love for His Building, His Church.
“. . . built up a spiritual house.’’
But when we compare the Church in the book of Acts and the Epistles as it was, with the Church as we see it to- day, we must confess that God’s Building is, like David’s Tabernacle, in ruins. When we read the exploits of the early Church in the midst of fiery persecutions, do we not long, every one of us, for a return to New Testament faith and power?
In the third chapter of Ezra we read of the rebuilding of the foundation of the temple. Solomon’s magnificent temple had been destroyed. Cyrus, King of Persia, proclaimed that it be built again. Many returned from Babylon to Jerusalem to help in the work. When the builders laid the founda- tion of the temple of the Lord, “all the people shouted with a great shout, when they praised the Lord, because the foundation of the house of the Lord was laid” (verse 11).
But in comparison with the New Testament Church, is the Christian Church of today really worth shouting about? There were some in Ezra’s company who did not shout and praise the Lord. They remembered with broken, longing hearts, the majesty and power of the foundation of the first temple. The record says they “wept with a loud’ voice” (verse 12).
In which group do we find ourselves today? Contented? Satisfied? Making a great noise about these few broken stones we call Christianity? Or do we long to return to the Biblical foundation which gave us our her- itage in Christ?
There must be a rebuilding, a Restoration, of the habitation of God. It must be built again.
Do you think the Lord Jesus Christ will come for a half-built Church? Or a Church which is falling down and in ruins? Will God present to His Son a sick, weak, sin-stained, defeated Bride? Never! The Bible teaches Christ will come for a perfect Church, which is built up “unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). Therefore, we see this glorious rebuilding must take place before the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Restoration of God’s Glory
“In that day will I raise up the Tabernacle of David that has fallen ... I will build it as in the days of old” (Amos 9:11).
David’s Tabernacle will be rebuilt at a time when similar conditions are prevailing as at the time of the first building of David’s Tabernacle. The time will be “as in the days of old.”
David built his Tabernacle at a time when the Glory of God and the Power of His Presence had been lost. The Ark of the Covenant, which was the focal point of God’s Presence, Glory and Power in Israel, had been captured by the Philistines. The Glory of God had departed from the people. But the Philistines returned the Ark to Israel, and the time had come to bring God’s Presence back. In preparation for the return of the Ark of the Covenant of God, David built a Tabernacle for it. When the joyful procession arrived at Mount Zion, David set up the Ark in the Tabernacle he had built.
The Presence of God as seen in the Shekinah Glory above the Ark of the Covenant was restored. His Presence and Glory transformed all who worshipped at David’s Tabernacle.
This was altogether different from the tabernacle which Moses had built. This was a new thing. A new order. There was rejoicing, praise, and worship. The Psalms we love so well were born at David’s Tabernacle. David himself entered into a new ministry. God’s glory had been restored in the midst of His people.
The Need Today
What a striking parallel we see today! The time we live in is indeed “as in the days of old,” when David’s Tabernacle was built to receive the Ark of God’s Presence. We must confess to our shame that we too, comparedwith the early Church, have lost much of the glorious Power and intimate Presence which God wills for His people. As one describes it:
“If the Holy Spirit were taken away from the Church, as the shekinah glory departed from the temple in Ezekiel’s vision (Ezek. 11:22 ff.), one wonders if a great deal of our meetings and activities would not continue unaltered. In other words, as somebody else put it, a great deal of church activity can be attributed to natural rather than to su- supernatural causes. They are just carried on as a matter of convention and established custom without reliance on the Holy Spirit at all.”
But “as in the days of old,” God has promised to rebuild a dwelling place like David’s Tabernacle. Once again He wants to dwell in His fullness with His people, refining them, bringing them into a closer fellowship with Himself, and giving them new Power to be witnesses of the Resurrection Life of His Son Jesus Christ. Truly, God is preparing His Church for the dynamic impact it will have on this End Time generation. This is taking place today, before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. What a blessed privilege it is to be living in such a day as this. How the heart thrills to know that God is at work in our day in a new way!
Restoration—Revolution by the Spirit
One well-informed observer of this rebuilding and Restoration taking place today is the Rev. John Myers, Editor of the Magazine Voice in the Wilderness, which has a worldwide circulation. A few years ago Rev. Myers was interviewed by David Davies, Church Editor of the newspaper Post-Advocate. Under the headline. “Editor Says Church Being Revolutionized by Spirit,” Rev. Myers shows clearly the Restoration has most definitely begun:
“A Spiritual Revolution of far-reaching consequences is taking place within the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ. The restored New Testament church is emerging from its chrysalis and will yet burst forth in all its destined power and fullness of spiritual life upon the church world.
“We see growing evidence on every side of this glorious revolution, which will break down sectarian isolation and prejudice and sweep away the mass of tradition and dead formality which has so long di- vided ‘God’s people and bogged them down in the emptiness of merely ‘playing church’ instead of actually meeting the living God.
“Many do not realize that the spiritual awakening they are enjoying is part of God’s overall plan to restore His Church back to the New Testament pattern and fullness… this is the work of God and not of man. He is able to take care of it. As the restoration moves on towards maturity there will come more and more a glorious blending of the different aspects until in the triumph of a balanced whole the Church will truly become the ‘fullness of Christ’ in the earth.
“The restoration of the Church is not a new movement. It began with Luther and the early reformers and was continued by Wesley, Darby, Booth, Andrew Murray and other great spiritual leaders. But the full restoration has yet to be completed before the Church can come fully into its Divine purpose in this age.”
Rev. Myers believes that the Divine purpose for the Church is that every aspect of New Testament Christianity be blended together into a balanced entity. When asked what effect the restored Church would have on the world, he answered:
“Once again the Church will turn the world upside down and shake the foundations of Hell. It will be a unified. Spirit-filled and fully functioning organism, even a many-membered Body in which shall be displayed before both men and angels the very fullness of the risen Christ!”
This worldwide spiritual Revolution is continuing to gain momentum all the time as more and more Christians open their hearts to what God is doing in these days.
Rebuilding. Restoration. Revolution. And the outcome of these is Revival, and a great Reaping of souls by the Rebuilt, Revived Church.
Do not our hearts respond to these things? Do we not long for this spiritual revolution to take place in our hearts? And in our congregations?
O Breath of Life, come sweeping through us.
Revive Thy Church with life and power;
O Breath of Life, come, cleanse, renew us
And fit Thy Church to meet this hour.
O Breath of Love, come breathe within us.
Renewing thought and will and heart:
Come, Love of Christ, afresh to win us.
Revive Thy Church in ev’ry part.
When is God rebuilding the Tabernacle of David? When is Christ building His Church? Now!
