King David pitched a tent on Mount Zion and brought the Ark of the Covenant to it. He established 212 gatekeepers and 288 musician/singers to staff the Tabernacle 24/7. Samuel's school of the prophets at Naioth in Ramah (1 Sam 19) developed this ministry. The Tabernacle of David stood as a 44 year reality on Mount Zion while the Tabernacle of Moses remained on Mount Gibeah (I Chron 16:37-42). David was wise to understand that Israel's peace was on her intimacy with YHWH. David's national security plan was prayer, and it worked- The longest run of peace in ancient Israel began several years after 24/7 started, and continued through Solomon's reign. Once the Temple was constructed by Solomon, both ministries merged into the Temple worship. At that time, the gatekeepers numbered 4,000, and the musician/singers were also increased to 4,000 by the Temple's inauguration (1 Chron 23:5).

The Tabernacle of David was a huge shift from the worship described in Torah and established in the Tabernacle of Moses. Where daily blood sacrifices were offered in the Tab. of Moses, here one blood sacrifice established David's Tabernacle. Where only the High Priest stood veiled before the Ark once a year, David, many Levites, and others worshiped before the Ark continually. Where blood sacrifice had been the form of worship, now the sacrifice of praise burned continually. The Tabernacle of David established a place of worship on Earth as we see going on in the Throneroom of Heaven (Rev 4-5).

The ministry of the Tabernacle is a radical ministry in which many levites actually stood before the Ark of the Covenant as the personal ministers unto the heart of YHWH. They actually did the first commandment 'Love YHWH Your God' as the primary occupation of their lives. They furthermore gave themselves fully to intercession, thanksgiving, and praise. Their purpose was to hear what was on the heart of YHWH and prophesy His heart back to Him.

I Chronicles 16:4
"Then he appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, to invoke, to thank, and to praise the LORD, the God of Israel."

I Chronicles 25:1
"David and the chiefs of the service also set apart for the service the sons of Asaph, and of Heman, and of Jeduthun, who prophesied with lyres, with harps, and with cymbals."

Let's consider the first counsel of the early Church in which the Apostles came to establish doctrine (Acts 15). They assembled in Jerusalem because of questions concerning the new gentile believers in their Jewish Messiah, Yeshua. During the meeting, James stood up and quoted the prophet Amos

Acts 15:16-18 (quoting from Amos 9:11)
"After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old."

David's 'tent' refers specifically to the Tabernacle David built for the Ark (David's kingship/governmental authority is related to his 'house', these are two different, though intertwining aspects of David). What James establishes here is that the Holy Spirit has begun building the Tabernacle of David ministry again through these converts. He is identifying the emerging 'Church' with the mandate of the Tabernacle of David, and affirming that we are the fulfillment of Amos' prophecy.

The gentile 'Church' also happens to be the fulfillment of Malachi's prophecy, in which he tells the Levitical priesthood that God is about to call priests from among the gentile nations.

Malachi 1:11
"For from the rising of the sun to its setting my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts."

The legacy of the levitical musician/singer ministry is handed to us through the songbook of the Tabernacle. The book of Psalms contains songs from David, Asaph (the chief worship leader of the Tabernacle), Sons of Korah (one of the family worship teams at the Tabernacle), other worship leaders of the Tabernacle, and remnants from Adam, Moses, Abraham, Melchi-zedek, and others. The fact that it is the largest book in the Bible speaks of the value YHWH placed on this ministry. The fact that it is also fully prophetic speaks of the integral union of anointed worship through music and song with the spirit of prophecy.

In 1010BC, the Lord established a Tabernacle through King David, where Levites played instruments and sang unto the Lord day and night, unceasingly (see 1 Chronicles 15-16; Luke 19:46; Acts 15:16-18). The Tabernacle was a nonstop 24/7 environment. Elements of this ministry remained in Judaism at the Temple, and later through the sect called Essenes, who refused Roman Hellenism and journeyed into the wilderness of Israel to pray for Messiah to come (and Yeshua was born).

The Early Church held a high value for unceasing prayer, as we see in several places (such as Acts 12:12). There is much evidence that the early church was actively praying on a 24/7 level. One of the most colorful of early Church leaders in prayer was Alexander the Sleepless (born 355A.D.). He was born to a wealthy family, became a Christian while studying in Constantinople, and immediately gave away his possessions and moved to a monastery. After several years he became frustrated with what he called 'compromised Christianity.' He challenged the Abbott at the monastery saying "Are the things in the gospel really true?’ When the abbot assured him that the gospel was indeed trustworthy, Alexander replied: ‘Then why do we not put them into practice?’ When the abbot replied that ‘no one can possibly observe them’, Alexander raged, grabbed his Bible and left. He began to gather radically minded monks until there were so many he divided them into 'tribes' and commissioned them to pray in shifts, defining the necessity of 'laus perennis' (perpetual prayer). His band of more than a hundred monks travelled through the world preaching the gospel and aiding the sick and poor while persisting in unceasing prayer. The radical group was often unwelcome by churches because of their radical abandonment to perform all that Scripture commands.

The radical 'laus perennis' of Alexander the Sleepless persisted in a monastic order called the Acoemetae (meaning 'no rest'). These monks had great influence in the liturgy of the 5th century Church, and where known as men of great learning and continual prayer. 'Laus perennis' has persisted, mostly hidden away in wilderness or monastic communities until the present day.

In more recent history, Moravians in Hernhut, Germany established a prayer meeting that continued for more than 100yrs. That prayer meeting was the birthplace of protestant missions on the planet-- sending out more than 3,000 missionaries to the ends of the earth. The largest revival in history erupted on the planet about ten years into this particular 24/7 prayer movement.

Today the emergence of a worldwide prayer movement and 24/7 missions bases such as IHOP-Kansas City, IHOP-Atlanta, Sukkat Hallel Jerusalem, and many others is propelling 'laus perennis' into mainstream Christianity.

For more on the history of continual prayer, there's a very good brief history here.

One day I got into an hour long conversation with a jewish merchant in the city center of Jerusalem. When he asked me what my occupation was, I asked him if he was familiar with the words of the prophet Isaiah which say:

Isaiah 62:6-7
"On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen; all the day and all the night they shall never be silent. You who put the LORD in remembrance, take no rest, and give him no rest until he establishes Jerusalem and makes it a praise in the earth."

Then I explained that I was one of those watchmen. As I explained how there's a group of people in America who pray day and night for Jerusalem and the nation and people of Israel, he wept. As YHWH ministered to this man's heart through me, I was forever impacted by what a sacred thing it is I do. I'm in awe that YHWH led me to this, and has allowed me to take part in the fulfillment of this Scripture. When we pray for Jerusalem, we are praying ultimately for Yeshua to return and claim the Throne of David. For this is the only way in which true peace will come the earth-- when God's perfect Son sits in Jerusalem as High Priest and King over all the earth.

Micah 4:1-4
"It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and it shall be lifted up above the hills; and peoples shall flow to it, and many nations shall come, and say: Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths. For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken."

At Yeshua's first coming, there were many who gave themselves to fasting and prayer, among Essenes, Pharisees, and others. They were specifically asking YHWH to send Messiah. We believe that just as Yeshua's first coming was an answer to prayer, His second coming will also come in response to a worldwide prayer movement as declared in Scripture "The Spirit and the Bride say, 'Come," (Rev 22:17)

Luke 2:36-38
"And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem."

This same attitude must be in many on the Earth in the Last Days. Yeshua specifically teaches His disciples the principle of 24/7 (day and night) prayer. Then questions them about having this principle when He returns. Yeshua is asking the question to elicit a response of obedience in His disciples.:

Luke 18:1-8
"And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. He said, In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, Give me justice against my adversary. For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming. And the Lord said, Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? , Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find this faith on earth?