THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID

(The New Testament Church)

(Transcribed from a tape by Rick Godwin)

Amos 9:11 (NASB) "In that day I will raise up the fallen booth (House) of David, And wall up its breaches; I will also raise up its ruins, And rebuild it as in the days of old;

Amos 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:

Amos was prophesying of the rebuilding of the tabernacle of David. This is not the same as the tabernacle of Moses.

Acts 15:16 (NASB) 'AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT,

We are living in the days of the restoration of the Church. God is restoring holiness, divine order, healing, worship and prayer.

The Old Testament is explained in the New and the New is contained in the Old. The two are one and yet separate.

1 Peter 1:10 (NASB) As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry,

11 seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.

12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-- things into which angels long to look.

Today the Church looks upon the Old Testament as historical writing only. Most of the prophet writings have today been relegated to natural Israel instead of spiritual Israel. The result is that people are missing many of the blessing they could be receiving today.

This may be beginning to change. Let's look at a few simple types. Look at Abraham sacrificing Isaac. No one disputes that this is a type of God the Father sacrificing God the Son. Aaron the high priest is recognized as a earthly picture of our heavenly High Priest, Jesus.

The tabernacle of David is no different. Using a tent, God was showing in type or shadow how He was going to restore His spiritual Church in the last days. Since we are going to study things concerning the order of worship around the Ark of the Covenant, we need to look back at the tabernacle of Moses from which the Ark was taken.

Go over the layout of the tabernacle. The Ark was behind the veil. It was a golden box that was carried with staves. The box was about 2.25 feet x 2.25 feet x 3.75 feet. The box was made of wood, overlaid with gold. It had a solid gold lid with two Cheribum facing each other on top of the lid (one with it). The presence of God dwelled between the Cheribum. This ark was carried by Israel during the marching in the wilderness. When Israel went into the promised land, they took the ark with them.

Joshua 18:1 (NASB) Then the whole congregation of the sons of Israel assembled themselves at Shiloh, and set up the tent of meeting there; and the land was subdued before them.

Until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, that ark was the most important thing in the life of any Israeli. That ark meant the presence of God.

Look at the glory of God lost to Israel. Israel is now in sin. The high priest, Eli is horribly fat and his sons are sleeping with woman at the entrance to the tabernacle and he will not correct them. They eat the sacrifices which are supposed to be given to the Lord. They are doing all of this in the midst of church. God uses this to give us a spiritual picture of the physical Israel at that time. They are going through the motions of church, yet they are in idolatry and sin.

1 Samuel 2:22 (NASB) Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the doorway of the tent of meeting.

23 And he said to them, "Why do you do such things, the evil things that I hear from all these people?

24 "No, my sons; for the report is not good which I hear the LORD'S people circulating.

25 "If one man sins against another, God will mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?" But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for the LORD desired to put them to death.

1 Samuel 2:34 (NASB) 'And this will be the sign to you which shall come concerning your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas: on the same day both of them shall die.

1 Samuel 3:1 (NASB) Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD before Eli. And word from the LORD was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.

1 Samuel 4:1 (NASB) Thus the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out to meet the Philistines in battle and camped beside Ebenezer while the Philistines camped in Aphek.

2 And the Philistines drew up in battle array to meet Israel. When the battle spread, Israel was defeated before the Philistines who killed about four thousand men on the battlefield.

3 When the people came into the camp, the elders of Israel said, "Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us take to ourselves from Shiloh the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that it may come among us and deliver us from the power of our enemies."

4 So the people sent to Shiloh, and from there they carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts who sits above the cherubim; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God.

5 And it happened as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, that all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the earth resounded.

6 And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shout, they said, "What does the noise of this great shout in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" Then they understood that the ark of the LORD had come into the camp.

7 And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God has come into the camp." And they said, "Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.

8 "Woe to us! Who shall deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who smote the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.

9 "Take courage and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews, as they have been slaves to you; therefore, be men and fight."

10 So the Philistines fought and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent, and the slaughter was very great; for there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers.

11 And the ark of God was taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died.

12 Now a man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh the same day with his clothes torn and dust on his head.

13 When he came, behold, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road eagerly watching, because his heart was trembling for the ark of God. So the man came to tell it in the city, and all the city cried out.

14 When Eli heard the noise of the outcry, he said, "What does the noise of this commotion mean?" Then the man came hurriedly and told Eli.

15 Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes were set so that he could not see.

16 And the man said to Eli, "I am the one who came from the battle line. Indeed, I escaped from the battle line today." And he said, "How did things go, my son?"

17 Then the one who brought the news answered and said, "Israel has fled before the Philistines and there has also been a great slaughter among the people, and your two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are dead, and the ark of God has been taken."

18 And it came about when he mentioned the ark of God that Eli fell off the seat backward beside the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for he was old and heavy. Thus he judged Israel forty years.

19 Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was pregnant and about to give birth; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was taken and that her father-in-law and her husband had died, she kneeled down and gave birth, for her pains came upon her.

20 And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, "Do not be afraid, for you have given birth to a son." But she did not answer or pay attention.

21 And she called the boy Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel," because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband.

22 And she said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God was taken."

1 Samuel 5:1 (NASB) Now the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod.

2 Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it to the house of Dagon, and set it by Dagon.

3 When the Ashdodites arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. So they took Dagon and set him in his place again.

4 But when they arose early the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen on his face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. And the head of Dagon and both the palms of his hands were cut off on the threshold; only the trunk of Dagon was left to him.

By going into the Holy of Holies, Hophni and Phinehas broke twenty-eight Levitical laws and signed their own death warrants. God has never lost a battle, but there are some He didn't show up for.

God didn't go with the ark.

Psalms 78:60 (NASB) So that He abandoned the dwelling place at Shiloh, The tent which He had pitched among men,

61 And gave up His strength to captivity, And His glory into the hand of the adversary.

62 He also delivered His people to the sword, And was filled with wrath at His inheritance.

What do we care about what happened to a box in Israel two thousand years ago? It is a pattern of what has happened today. The church has lost the glory of God. We have become idolaters. We have become worldly and still assume that God will fight for us, but He isn't. Just like Israel in that day, we are without the glory and presence and fullness of God.

Eli's physical condition represents the spiritual condition of Israel at that time. He fell over and his neck was broken by his own weight. The is not an indictment for fat people. Eli had become complacent through his prosperity. He was callused by the good life. Is that not what has happened to us today? He was going blind. This means that his spiritual eyes were going blind. He does not see the things of God. He hasn't corrected his sons. He hasn't repented and the nation has not repented. Repenting should begin with the priesthood. He falls backward.

Corrupt leaders have allowed satan to take the glory of God right out of our midst. We lack the powerful presence of the Lord. Where are the miracles? Tradition and dead formality have denied the Church of power.

The loss of the glory of God has not affected the Church. They go about business as usual. There is no wide scale repentance. We have ceremony when we need relationship.

Let's look at the journey of the ark after it was captured. The Philistines took the ark from the battle in Ebenezer to Ashdod. Look at map.

In Ashdod, they put in the temple of Dagon, a man-fish god. A man with a fish tail. The next morning, the idol was face down before the Ark. The priests put him back up and the following morning, not only was he face down, but God had broken off his head and hands. That says that the presence of God will smash all idolatry in the Church and in the individuals life.

God sent boils and tumors on the people. The people of Ashdod decided to give the Ark to the people of Gath. The same thing happened. Again the people were stricken with tumors and plagues. They then decide to send it to Ecron. When they see it coming they don't want it because they know what happened in the other cities. After seven months, they decide to send it back to Israel.

They made a new cart and attach two cows that have recently calved to it. They also sent a trespass offering (five golden tumors and five golden rats) with it. God directed the Ark to Beth Shemesh where God's people were harvesting.

They really get excited when they see it. The Levites come to take charge. The destroy the cart and sacrificed the cows. The Ark is then placed on a giant rock in Beth Shemesh which speaks of Jesus, the rock. In all their excitement, they make a fatal mistake. The presence, glory and power of God are not only to bless you, but to produce holiness. The Levites look into the Ark and God kills 70 (some translations say 50,070) of them. The Law was in the Ark, and the wages of breaking the law is death.

Romans 6:23 (NASB) For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When the Levites looked on the law without a blood covering, they had to die.

The people of Beth Shemesh are afraid of the power of God. So is the Church. It is an awesome thing when the power of God is seen.

They sent it to Kiriath Jearim, to the house of Abinadab where it stayed for one hundred years.

King David, a man after God's own heart come to power. He is a king, prophet, and a priest. He knows that God wants to bring His glory back to Zion.

2 Samuel 6:1 or

1 Chronicles 13:3 (NASB) and let us bring back the ark of our God to us, for we did not seek it in the days of Saul."

4 Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

5 So David assembled all Israel together, from the Shihor of Egypt even to the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God from Kiriath-jearim.

6 And David and all Israel went up to Baalah, that is, to Kiriath-jearim, which belongs to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God, the LORD who is enthroned above the cherubim, where His name is called.

7 And they carried the ark of God on a new cart from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio (AHIO (uh hi' oh) Personal name meaning, "my brother is Yahweh.") drove the cart.

8 And David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, even with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and with trumpets.

9 When they came to the threshing floor (Separates wheat from chaff - the physical from the spiritual) of Chidon, Uzza (UZZAH (uhz' zuh) Personal name meaning, "strength.") put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly upset it.

10 And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzza, so He struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he died there before God.

11 Then David became angry because of the LORD'S outburst against Uzza; and he called that place Perez-uzza (PEREZ-UZZAH (Pee' rehz-uhz' zuh) Place name meaning, "breach of Strength.") to this day.

12 And David was afraid of God that day, saying, "How can I bring the ark of God home to me?" (beautiful pageantry ended when flesh touched something sacred)

13 So David did not take the ark with him to the city of David, but took it aside to the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.

14 Thus the ark ( the equivalent of the Ark today is the anointing of God through the Spirit of God) of God remained with the family of Obed-edom in his house three months; and the LORD blessed the family of Obed-edom with all that he had.

Ministries stumble when they get to the threshing floor, just like the Ark. Physical strength try to hold them together, but just like Uzzah, they die - Spiritually. Flesh and blood cannot enter into the Kingdom of God.

The Ark was to be carried on the shoulders of sanctified priests. Today, the anointing is carried on the shoulders of sanctified Christians.

David was sincere is his attempt to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, but he did not do it biblically. He built a new cart which was pulled by oxen. When the oxen stumbled, the Ark was shaken and Uzzah reached out to steady it. He was killed instantly.

God will not be brought in on a cart or a program. David was not doing it properly. Many churches are trying to bring the glory of God in on a cart and the result is death. Anything made by man will stumble. God will not be helped by man.

David then took the Ark to the house of Obed Edom, where it stayed for three months.

1 Chronicles 15:12 (NASB) and said to them, "You are the heads of the fathers' households of the Levites; consecrate yourselves both you and your relatives, that you may bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel, to the place that I have prepared for it.

13 "Because you did not carry it at the first, the LORD our God made an outburst on us, for we did not seek Him according to the ordinance."

14 So the priests and the Levites consecrated themselves to bring up the ark of the LORD God of Israel.

15 And the sons of the Levites carried the ark of God on their shoulders, with the poles thereon as Moses had commanded according to the word of the LORD.

The priests had to be sanctified. In the New Covenant, we are all priests and we must be sanctified if we are to have the presence and fullness of God.

Leviticus 10:3 (NASB) Then Moses said to Aaron, "It is what the LORD spoke, saying, 'By those who come near Me I will be treated as holy, And before all the people I will be honored.'" So Aaron, therefore, kept silent.

Isaiah 52:11 (NASB) Depart, depart, go out from there, Touch nothing unclean; Go out of the midst of her, purify yourselves, You who carry the vessels of the LORD.

God is coming for a Bride without spot or blemish. Do you know that we have blemishes and we have carts? We have denominations, we have programs, on and on. Unless we change, God will not bring His Presence.

The cleansing had to occur first before the Ark could be brought to Zion. It is not good enough to be sincere. David was sincere the first time. We have to do it the way God says. We have to be clean and seek God through due order. David told the priests, the leaders to purify themselves.

The front side of restoration is cleansing , weeping, and repentance. We must lay aside everything that didn't come from God.

The Ark was just five miles from Zion. The people lamented for the glory of God. David prepared a place for the Ark.

1 Chronicles 15:2 (NASB) Then David said, "No one is to carry the ark of God but the Levites; for the LORD chose them to carry the ark of God, and to minister to Him forever."

3 And David assembled all Israel at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the LORD to its place, which he had prepared for it.

1 Chronicles 15:26 (NASB) And it came about because God was helping the Levites who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the LORD, that they sacrificed seven bulls and seven rams.

27 Now David was clothed with a robe of fine linen with all the Levites who were carrying the ark, and the singers and Chenaniah the leader of the singing with the singers. David also wore an ephod of linen.

28 Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the LORD with shouting, and with sound of the horn, with trumpets, with loud-sounding cymbals, with harps and lyres.

29 And it happened when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and making merry; and she despised him in her heart.

The Ark was set up in the tabernacle of David, not the tabernacle of Moses. Both were functioning in Jerusalem at that time. The tabernacle of Moses was functioning on Mount Gibeon, but there was no Ark of God in the Holy of Holies. It was church as usual without the presence of God.

On Mount Zion, the Ark of the Covenant is in a tent, without a veil. The Ark was exposed to all people. On Mount Gibeon there were animal sacrifices and no presence of God. On Mount Zion, the were spiritual sacrifices, singing and praises and the presence of God.

God had David assemble 4,000 musicians and 4,000 singers to play and sing before the Ark of God, 24 hours a day. Imagine the sound. This was done for 40 years.

With the tabernacle began the following:

Singing of Psalms.

Playing of musical instruments.

Ministry of praise

The clapping of hands.

Shouting in the Lord.

Dancing.

Lifting hands.

Falling prostrate before God.

Worship was near instead of a far off.

Saying Amen.

The New Testament Church took it's mode of worship right from the Psalms which were written in the tabernacle of David. God said in the last days, I'll restore the tabernacle of David. Worship and praise are returning because God is restoring the tabernacle of David as He promised.

As the Ark got closer to David's tabernacle, the manifestations of worship and praise became more enthusiastic. The same is true today. The more we experience the presence of God, the more enthusiastic we become.

1 Chronicles 15:29 (NASB) And it happened when the ark of the covenant of the LORD came to the city of David, that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window, and saw King David leaping and making merry; and she despised him in her heart.

We see that David's wife did not participate. She depised him in her heart. Michal was the daughter of Saul. David bought her with the foreskins of 100 Philistines. She was bought with blood. David is a type of the Christ and she is a type of the Church, the bride of Christ. She mocked David and was barren to the day of her death. The church has done just about the same thing. There is a legal marriage, but no intimacy, no relationship. There is no fruit.

Every time we hear the Lord, we must make a decision. It might cost friends, job, church, but we must decide - are we going to follow God or keep to our traditions.

Hebrews 12:22 (NASB) But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,

God wants us to go the Zion in the last days. Not to a dirt hill in Israel which is a physical picture of the spiritual Zion, but the restored Church in Jesus's name. There is a heavenly Zion, there is an earthly Zion in Israel, and there is the spiritual Zion which is the restored Church. At this time, God is concerned with the spiritual Zion.

You say dancing? It was ordained of God and it is being restored. Not dancing at a nightclub, dancing under the Spirit's control. You don't do that? You might want to reconsider after looking at Michal. The Church should be doers of the Word.

There are no direct references to the restoring or rebuilding of the temple of Solomon, but their are two direct references to the restoring of the tabernacle of David. The restoration of the tabernacle of David has nothing to do with a tent in Israel. It is the restoration of the Church with the fullness of God and the Spirit of God in control. It will be a restoration to the order of worship which God ordained in David's tabernacle.

Zion was a city within a city. It was in Jerusalem, but it was higher than the rest of the city. It was here that David put the Ark. Zion means sunny mountain or mountain that shines. This fits.

Psalms 87:2 (NASB) The LORD loves the gates of Zion More than all the other dwelling places of Jacob.

3 Glorious things are spoken of you, O city of God. Selah.

There is a difference. Zion, the remnant that goes all the way with God is special, is holy, is spotless.

Hebrews 12:22 (NASB) But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels,

23 to the general assembly and church of the first-born who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of righteous men made perfect,

24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

25 See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if those did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less shall we escape who turn away from Him who warns from heaven.

I have never been to Israel. It is obvious that he is speaking of the spiritual mount Zion, the Church. Here are some blessings which apply to the spiritual Zion.

Psalms 132:13 (NASB) For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His habitation.

14 "This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it.

Psalms 9:11 (NASB) Sing praises to the LORD, who dwells in Zion; Declare among the peoples His deeds.

Zechariah 2:10 (NASB) "Sing for joy and be glad, O daughter of Zion; for behold I am coming and I will dwell in your midst," declares the LORD.

Psalms 50:2 (NASB) Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God has shone forth.

David wrote his psalms in the presence of God. The same way, the glory of God will shine from the restored Church. We don't have the Ark anymore. Our Immanuel is Jesus, God with us.

There were many mountains in Israel, what made Mount Zion special? It was the Ark of God. Without the Ark of God, it would have been just another mountain. What makes some churches special? The ark of God - the presence of God is what makes some churches special. What makes one man or woman special? His education? His birthplace? His job? His race? His looks? No, it is the Spirit of God residing in that person that makes he or she special.

Psalms 78:55 (NASB) He also drove out the nations before them, And He apportioned them for an inheritance by measurement, And made the tribes of Israel dwell in their tents.

56 Yet they tempted and rebelled against the Most High God, And did not keep His testimonies,

57 But turned back and acted treacherously like their fathers; They turned aside like a treacherous bow.

58 For they provoked Him with their high places, And aroused His jealousy with their graven images.

59 When God heard, He was filled with wrath, And greatly abhorred Israel;

60 So that He abandoned the dwelling place at Shiloh, The tent which He had pitched among men,

61 And gave up His strength to captivity, And His glory into the hand of the adversary.

Psalms 78:68 (NASB) But chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion which He loved.

69 And He built His sanctuary like the heights, Like the earth which He has founded forever.

70 He also chose David His servant, And took him from the sheepfolds;

What was true of the Zion of old is true of the Church of today. All of Zion was in Jerusalem, but all of Jerusalem was not in Zion. All of the remnant is in the Church, but not all of the Church is in the remnant. There are some people in the Church who will never shine forth the glory of God. Some people are anointed in a way that others will never be. We have placed the blessings of God in the sweet by and by and don't think that they are for today. We are living a defeated life because we have been deceived by satan. God is beginning to restore the Church. We are beginning to hear reports of the manifestation of the power of God, but only in places where people are willing to be cleansed.

Hebrews 5:5 (NASB) So also Christ did not glorify Himself so as to become a high priest, but He who said to Him, "THOU ART MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN THEE";

6 just as He says also in another passage, "THOU ART A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK."

7 In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.

8 Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

10 being designated by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek.

11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.

12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.

14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Hebrews 6:1 (NASB) Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,

2 of instruction about washings, and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

3 And this we shall do, if God permits.

Acts says that the heavens must contain Jesus until all the prophecies spoken by His holy prophets are fulfilled. The restoration of the tabernacle of David is one of those prophetic requirements which must be fulfilled before Jesus will come again.

Acts 3:20 (NASB) and that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you,

21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time.

There is a spiritual division which has always existed in the Church and it always will. There have always been those who are closer to God than others. A city within a city, a church within a church, Zion or Jerusalem, anointed or not. Which are we? Where is God going to restore the tabernacle of David? He will restore it in hearts that hunger for the presence of God. In people who are willing to forsake everything which is not of God. In Zion. The city of God is the bride of Christ coming down from heaven, a company of people.

Revelation 21:9 (NASB) And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues, came and spoke with me, saying, "Come here, I shall show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb."

10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,

11 having the glory of God. Her brilliance was like a very costly stone, as a stone of crystal-clear jasper.

Our focus has been on a shadow, the geographical Israel, instead of the spiritual Israel. God is no longer on the Ark, He is in the hearts of His people.

What would happen if a person were to find the Ark and open it today. Nothing. The blood of Jesus has been shed for the atonement of our sins. We no longer need the blood of goats and calves. God no longer dwells over the Ark, He dwells in the hearts of His people who are submitted to Him. Are you one of those? AMEN.