David was altogether different from Saul. David loved God with all his heart. David was deceived by his lusts and committed a great sin, for which he suffered appropriately. But David repented and his heart continued to be steadfast with God.

The heart of David was like the heart of God. The moment David was anointed king he sought to bring the Ark of God from the house of Abinidab and establish it in his city, Zion. David prepared a tent for the Ark in Zion.

After an abortive attempt, David finally succeeded in bringing the Ark to the tent he had pitched for it in Zion. The Ark in its tent in Zion was known as the Tabernacle of David—that to which Amos and James referred when speaking of the coming of God's salvation to the nations (Amos 9:11; Acts 15:16).

God's House Divided Into Two Parts

David was filled with the Spirit of Christ and prophesied by that Spirit. In addition to being a king, David was one of the foremost prophets of Israel. This is the only manner in which we can account for David's not returning the Ark to its proper place in the Most Holy Place of the Tabernacle of the Congregation. We think Christ in David was portraying what would take place when the Kingdom of God was ready to come to the earth.

As we noted previously, the Tabernacle of the Congregation was located in Shiloh during the days of Eli. But at some point the Tabernacle (with its empty Most Holy Place) had been moved to the high place at Gibeon.

Gibeon was about six or seven miles northwest of Jerusalem. The term "high place" was used to denote a place of demon worship. Perhaps the priests of Israel, in order to draw people to the Tabernacle sacrifices, placed God's house in an area that was familiar to people as a place of worship.

Now we have two separate houses of God. The Tabernacle of the Congregation was at the high place in Gibeon, while the Ark of the Covenant was located in the city of Zion.

The division of the house of God is a prophetic portrayal of what is taking place in our time as God draws out from the Christian churches a warrior-firstfruits—people who will bring deliverance to the remainder of Israel and to the nations of the earth.

It is important that we do not regard such a separation as the creation of another organization. Rather, it is a "coming out" of the heart. To organize the "Zion" remnant would be to bring them back under "Saul." They are to remain unmarried to such affiliations.

While the Lord's firstfruits often are the most dependable workers of a church, they are spiritual "virgins." They are married to Christ and to none other. They stand with the Lamb on Mount Zion. They follow the Lamb wherever He goes (Revelation 14:1-5).

It is our point of view that the coming persecutions and tribulations will cause the firstfruits to be separated physically from the babylonish (manmade, man-centered, man-directed) churches. But in the present hour it is the exodus of the heart that is of supreme importance.

To be continued.