Dean Mitchum: "Four Reasons to Go Beyond the Tabernacle of David"

Over the last fifty years, the tabernacle of David has been the standard of worship for churches across many denominations and streams and it has positioned us for what God wants to do next. God is summoning the earth to prepare for His glory in a new way. He is sending forth from Heaven a sound that is moving us towards His plans.

"And I heard a loud voice from Heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.'" (Rev. 21:3 NKJV)

Why We Needed David's Tabernacle

One key element in the tabernacle of David was the prophetic element. Not just prophetic worship but the prophetic message and demonstration. The essence of the prophetic is expressing the heart and mind of God.

David demonstrated new covenant worship before the new covenant was established (2 Sam. 6:13-14, Acts 15:16). He demonstrated the heart of God toward future worship where the presence of God would not be limited by location but poured out on all flesh.

Prophetic voices should lead to the heart of God. David pointed to the next temple, the living temple. John the Baptist pointed toward Jesus. Even our Lord Jesus pointed to the Father.

Transformational Worship and Transitional Worship

These are two dimensions of worship that serve different purposes. Transformational worship is that which changes the Believer or the worshiper on a personal level. We are being transformed by the Spirit of God, by the very nature of His presence (2 Cor. 3:18). Then this is reflected on the songs we sing.

Transitional worship is that which changes the Church on the Kingdom level. It transitions us to a new dimension. From Moses' tabernacle to David's tabernacle and now to God's tabernacle (Rev. 21.3). Transitional, prophetic worship is looking ahead to what God is doing and then worshiping, writing, and speaking from that dimension. We will continue in transformational worship and transitional worship until we are fully transformed and completely transitioned.

"The LORD will save the tents of Judah first, so that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem shall not become greater than that of Judah. In that day the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; the one who is feeble among them in that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the Angel of the LORD before them." (Zech. 12:7-8 NKJV)

Four Reasons to Go Beyond the Tabernacle of David

1. To stay in line with the plans of God.

Whenever God changed the worship in the Kingdom, He would send forth a message that the prophets would speak and the psalmist would sing about. The artisans would create new things and the people would worship with a new expectation (Ex. 35:10, 1 Chron. 22).

Once again God's messengers are speaking a message of a third reformation and awakening. God is moving us toward His next tabernacle of worship.

2. To realign our focus from David to God.

David taught us to worship God in powerful ways, but he didn't want us to stop at his ways of worship. When we change our focus we position ourselves for new revelation. We have a new starting point to go from.

What we focus on grows. The ways of Moses and the ways of David have led us to the ways of God. God Himself will be with us and be our God. We are now beholding the image of God and are being transformed into that same image.

"But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord." (2 Cor. 3:18 NKJV)

3. To broaden our understanding of the glory of God.

The tabernacles of Moses and David focused on the glory of God through tabernacle, tent, and temple. The tabernacle of God is coming to us as a city. Where the glory of God replaces the sun, moon, and the temple for the Lamb is its light and temple.

4. To show is the heart of God towards us.

Previous tabernacles pointed toward the promises of God and toward God. The tabernacle of God shows God coming to us. God Himself will be with us and be our God. His heart is to be with us and to bring all of His glory and majesty.

Worshiping with a Current Reality and a Future Reality

When moving beyond the tabernacle of David, let us remember that it is within the framework of David that we worship newly. Both David and Moses worshiped by holding a current reality and a future reality. Their current reality was that the Lamb had not come but the Lamb would come. Our current reality and future reality is that the Lamb has come and the Lamb will come again. This time in the fullness of His glory and with the Father and His glory.

Understanding promises and prophecies and how praise and worship connect to these is important. David understood the importance of declaring and praising your way to the next dimension. He wrote songs about his future seed and praised God for the future fulfillment of His promises.

To go beyond the tabernacle of David is to honor the tabernacle of David because Jesus is the tabernacle of David fulfilled (Acts 15:16). (To Subscribe to the Elijah List subscribe here.)

Dean Mitchum, Worship Leader
Vision Church at Christian International
Email: dean@deanmitchum.com 
Website: www.deanmitchum.com

Dean Mitchum serves as the director of Worship Ministries for Bishop Bill Hamon of Christian International and as the worship pastor for Apostles Tom and Jane Hamon of Vision Church at CI. He is a powerful, prophetic psalmist specializing in writing for the current moves of God, playing prophetically, and leading worship that changes the atmosphere. Dean is the author of Apostolic Kingdom Praise, The Tabernacle of God, and along with his wife Lisa, is the co-writer of more than 100 worship songs. Dean and his wife Lisa have been married 32 years and have five children and four grandchildren. They make their home near the beautiful emerald coast on the Florida panhandle.

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