THE HOPE OF ISRAEL - The Preterist Archive

214 The Hope of Israel: What Is It?
From James' words alone it is clear that God's
promise through the prophet Amos, that He would
"build again the tabernacle of David," was related to
what He was just then beginning to do, namely, visiting
the Gentiles, to take out from among them a
people for His Name. For, after rehearsing what
Simon Peter had just told them, how that God had
chosen that apostle as the instrument whereby He,
for the first time, "did visit" a company of Gentiles
for the purpose stated above, James plainly declared
that to this (God's visitation of the Gentiles to take
out of them a people for His Name) agreed the words
of the prophets (in general), and those of Amos (in
the passage quoted) in particular.
This connects the promise concerning the building
again of the tabernacle of David directly with God's
work, then just commenced, of converting sinners
from among the Gentiles. It fixes beyond all question
the time of the building again of the tabernacle
of David; for it definitely locates that promised work
in this gospel era, during all of which God has been
visiting and converting the Gentiles. And when we
connect with this the further fact, clearly stated in
the N. T., that God's chief purpose in converting sinners
of the Gentiles is that He may use them as "living
stones," in the building of that "spiritual house" which
He is now raising up, our way to a right understanding
of the passage seems fairly clear.
For it only remains
to inquire whether we are warranted by the Word of
God in taking "the tabernacle of David," spoken of
by Amos, as a prophetic symbol of that "habitation
of God," which is now being "built upon the foundation
of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself
being the chief Corner Stone" (Eph. 2 :20-22) s