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Shepherd's Rod

January 05, 2023

For the literal shepherd's rod, see Shepherd's crook.

The Shepherd's Rod or The Rod or the Davidians is an American “offshoot” of the worldwide Seventh-day Adventist Church. It was founded in 1929 by Victor Houteff, its President and Prophet.[1][2] Houteff joined the Seventh-day Adventist church in 1919, but was excommunicated in 1930 for promoting “heretical” doctrines.

Victor T. Houteff, c. 1950

The official organisation name was changed in 1942 to Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, but was still referred to as "The Rod" by both members and critics. The group was headquartered at a property known as the Mount Carmel Center near Waco, Texas and reached its peak in the early 1950s with thousands of adherents before splintering into various factions after Houteff's death in 1955.[3] The name is a reference to Houteff's initial and most important publication, The Shepherd's Rod.[4] The various groups claiming Houteff's theology continue to be known as the Shepherd's Rod and Davidians.

History

Houteff's early questions

The Shepherd's Rod traces its roots to Victor Tasho Houteff, who was then a Seventh-day Adventist Church member in a local California congregation. During the first quarter of 1929, Houteff came into conflict with church authorities over differing interpretations of chapters 54–66 of the book of Isaiah. He believed that the church was becoming lax in its standards and needed reform.[5] Houteff shared these concepts in his Sabbath School lessons and afternoon study classes at the church. After church members complained, the local leadership determined that his interpretations were not compatible with Adventist theology. He was then asked to discontinue his classes. Shortly thereafter, Houteff had an informal meeting with some local and regional church administrators to share his views. The leaders dismissed his views as "fanciful" and did not take him seriously.[6]

In November 1930, Houteff was disfellowshipped by the local Seventh-day Adventist congregation "for the protection of the church" just before he published his book.[7]

Houteff saw himself as a messenger of God and was regarded by his followers as a prophet.[2]

Publication of The Shepherd's Rod

By the summer of 1930, Victor Houteff compiled his ideas in a 172-page manuscript entitled The Shepherd's Rod.[8] He called for a worldwide denominational reform and allegedly brought "new thought" to Seventh-day Adventists eschatology.[9]

Houteff listed twelve specific areas that he felt the church needed to address under the heading "Partial List of Abominations."[10] According to Houteff, the book's chief purpose was "a call for reformation."[11] It also included information attempting to define the identity of the 144,000 of the Book of Revelation, as well as his disputed interpretations of Isaiah 54–66.

Houteff personally handed thirty-three copies of his manuscript to church leaders at the General Conference held from May 29 to June 12, 1930, in San Francisco, California. According to Houteff, each recipient promised to read the manuscript thoroughly and respond to him either in person or by letter.[10][12] In the subsequent six years only two recipients responded. The official church explanation was that the recipients were preoccupied with the tasks of the Session and did not have sufficient time to review the manuscript.[6]

One of the recipients, F.C. Gilbert, a field secretary for the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and respected author of Adventist theology books, responded by letter approximately two weeks later.[1][13] Gilbert advised Houteff to give up his ideas.[1] To Houteff's disappointment, he did not address his twelve points or views on the "144,000." Instead, Gilbert challenged Houteff's application of certain symbols, questioned his method of analysis and rejected his manuscript as unsound. Gilbert also sent copies of his findings to church leaders in the Los Angeles area.[6] Church leaders were satisfied that Houteff's interpretations had been refuted.

Houteff, however, remained sure of his teachings. He completed his book by adding 83 pages and had 5,000 copies of The Shepherd's Rod printed in November 1930, which he then distributed to various Adventist ministers, workers, and laymen.[9]

The Spread of Controversy

Despite being disfellowshipped in 1930, Houteff remained opposed to establishing a new movement.[14] He told his followers: "in case some one's name is taken off the church books for carrying on the message, do not be discouraged in any way but press onward as though nothing happened. Pay your honest tithe and offering to your church and feel like IT IS your Father's house."[15] Collections of study groups began to form in various Adventist churches across the country for the purpose of reviewing Houteff's new doctrines. Those who accepted his conclusions and promoted his material were also disfellowshipped.[16]

In 1932, Houteff published The Shepherd's Rod, Volume 2, a 304-page book. Two additional booklets followed in 1933 comprising the beginning of a series of tracts that would be later referred to as Volume Three.[17] Allegations began to surface that believers of Houteff's teachings were being physically removed from worship services simply due to their study of Houteff's materials.[18] Reports also spread that Houteff himself was brutally assaulted upon attempting to enter a Seventh-day Adventist Church in Los Angeles, California.[19][20]

Finding no other recourse after the Seventh-day Adventist Church rebuffed Houteff's claims and demands for reformation, Rod believers organized the Universal Publishing Association (UPA) in 1934 in Los Angeles, California.[21] The purpose of the UPA was the publishing of the Rod's message, which Rod adherents believe is the Lord's fulfillment of Micah 6:9 and 7:14.[22]

In December 1933, Carolina Conference President E.T. Wilson publicly embraced Houteff's views and began promoting them, becoming the Shepherd's Rod Vice-President on organization in 1934.[23]

1934 Hearing

On January 18, 1934 a formal hearing was granted when the Tabernacle Seventh-day Adventist Church of Fullerton, California sent a request to regional administrators requesting an official hearing to examine Houteff's teachings. The agreement stipulated that twelve ministers were to assemble as a panel to hear Houteff's views. Houteff was to present five studies to the panel in one week. After each study, the panel was to review his study, determine its veracity and reconvene the meeting. If an error was found in the study, the meeting was to be discontinued.[7]

The hearing took place on Monday, February 19, 1934, in Los Angeles, California. According to Houteff, he only learned of the details of the hearing on the previous Thursday.[6] Twelve experienced ministers were chosen to hear Houteff's views and decide if those views were consistent with the Church's understanding of prophecy. The twelve ministers were: A. G. Daniells, Field Secretary; Glenn A. Calkins, President of the Pacific Union Conference; G. A. Roberts, President of the Southern California Conference; C. S. Prout, President of the Southeastern California-Arizona Conference; W. G. Wirth, Bible Teacher at the College of Medical Evangelists; H. M. S. Richards, Evangelist; C. M. Sorenson, Bible Teacher at Southern California Junior College; J. A. Burden, Manager of Paradise Valley Sanitarium; J. C. Stevens, Pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Glendale, California; W. M. Adams, Religious Liberty Secretary of the Pacific Union Conference; J. E. Fulton, President of the Northern California Conference; and F. C. Gilbert, Field Secretary of the General Conference. Unknown to Houteff, the highest ecclesiastical body of the church met that same day in Washington, D.C., declared his teaching to be heresy and appointed a committee to prepare a document refuting his arguments for general circulation.[6]

In Los Angeles, the meeting began with prayer and a verbatim reading of the agreement that brought the panel together. It was expressed by the Chairman, A.G. Daniells, that the meeting would be conducted "in strict harmony with the terms of the agreement set forth in the written request."[6] Houteff presented his first study on the topic of "The Harvest." Despite the Chairman's statement and the terms of the agreement, the Panel requested that Houteff continue with the remainder of his studies after the conclusion of his first study, so the Panel could get the "full picture".[6] When Houteff declined in harmony with the terms of the agreement, the meeting was abruptly adjourned.[6] The Committee presented its findings in writing four weeks later on March 18, 1934,[6] unanimously declaring that his teachings were false.[24] After feeling that he was treated unjustly at his hearing, Houteff started to form an association for the purpose of promoting revival and reformation among Seventh-day Adventists. Despite taking this step,[18] Houteff continued to advocate that adherents continue to maintain membership within the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The events of the first few years of the Davidian movement provide, to a degree, some insight into the reasons that the controversy continues in the Seventh-day Adventist Church today. Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders felt that Houteff was incorrigible and headstrong, listening to no voice but his own and persisted in teaching his ideas until the Church was forced to disfellowship him. Davidians respond that Houteff's teachings were not officially declared heresy at the time he was disfellowshipped or for several years thereafter, and there were no other grounds upon which to do so. Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders also contend that the panel of twelve ministers heard Houteff's views even after he was disfellowshipped and found the views to be unsound. Davidians assert that Houteff's hearing was unfair because it reportedly violated the Fullerton Agreement and his teachings had already been judged. Davidians point out that, in their view, the leadership were underhanded in convening a meeting in Washington, D.C. behind Houteff's back before the Committee's decision was made.[25] There is also contention about whether Houteff voluntarily forfeited his membership or not. However, official Seventh-day Adventist Church history states that he was disfellowshipped and did not voluntarily forfeit his membership.[6][26]

In 1934–1936 the Seventh-day Adventist Church declared the Shepherd's Rod message to be heresy. Today, it continues to identify the Davidian movement as a "disloyal, divisive movement."[27] Any member choosing to identify with either the Davidian message or its originator subjects himself/herself to Church discipline, up to and including being disfellowshipped.[citation needed]

Official organization

On March 12, 1934, the Shepherd's Rod was officially organized. Houteff argued that this was done because the Fullerton Agreement stipulated that the Seventh-day Adventist Conference Committee should have responded to his first study in approximately 24 hours and several weeks had passed with no communication from the Committee after abruptly adjourning the meeting.[13] The Seventh-day Adventist Church responded that he was informed at the close of the first study that the Committee would need time to study and compare notes.[28]

On July 15, 1934, the organization's first newsletter, The Symbolic Code, was published. In the August 15, 1934 issue, Houteff wrote,

Being deprived of all denominational advantages such as sanitariums, health food factories, printing presses, etc., perhaps it may be necessary for a rural location for the establishment of a combined unit to assist in carrying the message to the church until the "siege against it" shall be successfully culminated in a glorious victory when "the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this." (Isa. 9:7.) This has been suggested by a sister and her husband who have had considerable experience in this line. Therefore we call the attention of all who are standing in the light to give consideration to such an enterprise. Anyone having knowledge of such a location and the necessary information regarding it, please communicate it to this office. Our prayers for such an undertaking on behalf of God's people will be answered by whatever the results to this call might be.[29]

In 1937, the organization took a more definite form naming nine persons to form an Executive Council, listing field secretaries and other officers and composing a constitution and by-laws under the name "The General Association of Shepherd's Rod Seventh-day Adventists.[30]

In 1942, the organization name was officially changed to "Davidian Seventh-day Adventists"[3][31] and three organizational tracts were issued in early 1943 identifying additional components of the existing organization. The organization became known as The General Association of Davidian Seventh-day Adventists. It was also called The Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Association in one of its organizational tracts.

 
This was the largest building within the Davidian grounds in Waco, Texas, known as the administration building (c. 1950s)

Mount Carmel Center

Main article: Mount Carmel Center

Soon after organizing in 1934, Shepherd's Rod leaders began to desire a larger, more centrally located place to establish headquarters. In April 1935, 189 acres were purchased just outside Waco, Texas, and the headquarters' office was relocated to that property in September 1935. Envisioning the work that they desired to be accomplished from there, the new home for their work was named "Mount Carmel Center" after the place where Elijah called the Israelites back to worshiping God.[32][33] Up to 125 persons resided at the Center.[33] In 1937 an additional 186 acres were added.[30]

One of Houteff's primary complaints was that the mainstream Seventh-day Adventist Church's institutions were compromising their message and mission by seeking approval and accreditation of the applicable medical and educational boards.[34][35][36] Ironically, some of Houteff's critics issued similar complaints.[37][38] The Davidian organization established institutions of its own, claiming to strictly follow the guidelines of the Adventist church founders.[39][40] Over the next twenty years a children's school, sanitarium, rest home, vocational and home economics school, and other improvements were established on the property.[41] There was also an extensive farming operation with an orchard of approximately 900 trees, dairy cows and a large vegetable garden.[42] The flagship structure was the multi-level administration building, which housed the main office, additional staff offices, chapel, printing equipment and Houteff's sleeping quarters. This building is currently in the possession of Vanguard College Preparatory School.

Peak years

Through Houteff's evangelistic endeavors, several thousand Adventists accepted the doctrine of The Shepherd's Rod. It is believed that Benjamin Roden accepted these teachings in 1946,[43] and together with his wife, Lois, tried to share the message with others within the Seventh-day Adventist Church.[43][44]

The height of Davidian strength and activity occurred in the early 1950s. By the mid-1950s, its regular subscribers, students, and devotees may have numbered close to 100,000 worldwide.[44] Believing that the predicted events in Houteff's writings may have been on the verge of fulfillment and seizing on apparent momentum from a failed prediction that the church made regarding the return of the Jews to Palestine,[45] the movement launched a "hunting campaign" in 1953. This was a door-to-door effort to reach Adventists with the Davidian publications. To help accomplish this, the Association began to sell Mount Carmel Center property [46] and purchased half a dozen new automobiles.[47] An additional factor fueling the sale of Mount Carmel's property was its encroachment onto Waco's city limits.[48] The anticipation was that the encroachment of the city limits upon the property would coalesce with the completion of the door-to-door effort. It was believed that this would have led to witnessing the fulfillment of Houteff's predictions and going to "the Kingdom."[46]

The Shepherd's Rod fractures

 
Florence Houteff

Victor Houteff unexpectedly died at age 69 on February 5, 1955, in the midst of the hunting campaign. His death caused an immediate power struggle and fracturing of the Shepherd's Rod organization into several factions.

Victor's widow Florence Houteff, the Association's Secretary, immediately sought to eject E. T. Wilson, who had personally been appointed Vice-President of the Association by Houteff during the 1934 organization process, and would have become acting President by default.[30] Florence Houteff convened an Executive Council meeting the day after her husband's death, with Wilson missing because of illness. In Wilson's absence, Houteff successfully convinced the Executive Council to appoint her Vice-President and remove Wilson. Her argument rested on the assertion that these actions "were in harmony with recommendations made by Brother Houteff prior to his death". This request seemed so unusual that, in a meeting the next day, an Executive Council member challenged her to provide evidence for her claim.[49] Despite acknowledging that she could not provide any proof, the Executive Council yielded and continued to uphold her request. Once established as Vice-President, Mrs. Houteff announced that she had some procedural changes in mind, and increased the veto power of the Vice-President.[49]

Several months after Victor Houteff's death, Shepherd's Rod member Benjamin Roden began to claim that he had received new revelations from God and that he should be recognized as the new leader of the Shepherd's Rod.[50] Mrs. Houteff and the Executive Council rebuffed Roden's claims.

Houteff published a prediction that the forty-two month period told of in Revelation 11:3–6 would begin in November 1955 and terminate on April 22, 1959.[51] This prediction has been allegedly attributed to Victor Houteff, but no statement from his writings has ever been produced supporting this interpretation.[citation needed] Roden opposed Houteff's prediction[50] and founded the Branch Davidian organization several months later[when?]. The Branch Davidians differed from the original Davidians in several areas, such as the requirement that the Feast days must be kept and that the Holy Spirit is a female being. The name is an allusion to the anointed "Branch" mentioned in Zechariah 3:8; 6:12.[52][53]

On April 9, 1959, a group of Branch Davidians sent a protest letter to the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists clarifying their opposition to Mrs. Houteff's predictions and their rationale for doing so.

Houteff and the Executive Council published an open challenge to the Seventh-day Adventist Church leadership shortly before the termination of the 42 months on April 22, 1959.[54] Mrs. Houteff's challenge stated that the fulfillment of her prediction would determine whether her late husband's message was true or not.

April 22, 1959, passed without the predicted events materializing. Confusion and embarrassment set in and the Davidian movement continued to fracture. Many adherents left.

In 1962, another group of Davidians sent a protest letter to Seventh-day Adventist Church leadership, rejecting Houteff's 42-month prediction. This group went to California to reorganize and continue the distribution of Houteff's original literature.[55] These individuals became the forerunners of the Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Association of today.

Houteff announced her intention to disband the Davidian organization, with the assets to be sold off and the proceeds disbursed among her Executive Council. This arrangement was opposed by many members. She and the Executive Council members that remained loyal to her resigned on March 1, 1962, took five thousand dollars in cash with them, and left the remaining assets in the hands of a lawyer for distribution.[56]

Most of the Mount Carmel Center property ended up in the hands of the EE Ranch, but the Branch Davidians retained a core 77 acres (310,000 m2) around the administrative building.

Resulting groups

  • Branch Davidians
  • Advanced Truth Laymen's Movement, Florida
  • General Association of Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, Waco, Texas
  • Mt. Carmel Center, Salem SC (Adair)
  • General Association of Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, Mountaindale, NY
  • Bashan Hill, Exeter, Missouri (Bingham)
  • Assembly of God, Eldon, Iowa

In popular culture

One faction of the Shepherd's Rod known as the Branch Davidians was involved in a siege at the Mount Carmel Center in 1993, in which both law enforcement agents and Branch Davidians were killed. This event received significant sustained media attention.

Eight of Victor Houteff's prophetic charts were featured in an art exhibit entitled "At the Eleventh Hour" at Cabinet in Brooklyn, New York, in 2009.[57]

Name

Followers of Victor Houteff's writings are referred to as The Shepherd's Rod (or The Rod), but also use the term to refer to Davidian Seventh-day Adventists.[58] The appellation "Shepherd's Rod" is derived from the title of a two-volume series authored by Houteff, the first volume of which was released in 1930.

 
The Shepherd's Rod, Volume 1 and 2. The first publications of the Davidian movement, published in 1930 and 1932 respectively.

In both volumes of his work, Houteff made references to the biblical book of Micah:

The Lord's voice crieth unto the city and the man of wisdom shall see thy name: Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it, (Micah 6:9)

and

Feed thy people with thy rod, the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood, in the midst of Carmel: let them feed in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old. (Micah 7:14)

The by-laws of the DSDA, written by Houteff in February 1943, and known as "The Leviticus of D.S.D.A." state:

The name, Davidian, deriving from the name of the king of Ancient Israel, accrues to this Association by reason of its following aspects: First, it is dedicated to the work of announcing and bringing forth the restoration (as predicted in Hosea 1:11; 3:5) of David's kingdom in antitype, upon the throne of which Christ, "the son of David," is to sit. Second, it purports itself to be the first of the first fruits of the living, the vanguard from among the present-day descendants of those Jews who composed the Early Christian Church. With the emergence of this vanguard and its army, the first fruits, from which are elected the 12,000 out of each of the twelve tribes of Jacob, "the 144,000" (Rev. 14:1; 7:2–8) who stand on Mount Zion with the Lamb (Rev. 14:1; 7:2–8), the reign of antitypical David begins.[59]

Mission

The Davidian Seventh-day organization's mission is to announce and prepare the way for what it says will be the restoration of David's kingdom of peace predicted in the Bible.[60] This Davidic kingdom is to bring about "peace on earth and good will toward men." The mission states that it will accomplish this by first calling for a reformation in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and then spreading the "Three Angels' Messages" of Revelation 14 throughout the world. It is believed that this will prepare a people for Christ's Second Coming and usher in the end of all sorrow and suffering.

Main doctrine

Davidians claim the same fundamental beliefs as their Adventist counterparts and that the divergence of views begins with the interpretation of additional subjects of prophecy. However, due to differing interpretations of prophetic subjects from the mainstream Seventh-day Adventist Church, Davidians add fifteen fundamental beliefs.[61]

The Davidians' message largely focuses on the interpretation of symbolic prophecy. Because of this, it has been criticized as leading its believers to be legalistic and neglecting what is considered "more important" matters, such as love and devotion to God. Houteff addressed these criticisms both directly and indirectly in his publications.[62][63]

The major themes of The Rod message published by Victor Houteff are listed below with brief explanations:

  • A Call for Reformation: Davidians believe that the Seventh-day Adventist Church has become lax in its standards, practices, and devotion to God and that the Church's institutions have changed from the original founder's pattern of operation and purpose.[64]
  • The 144,000: Revelation Chapter 7: The fundamental purpose of the Shepherd's Rod message is to identify the corporate identity of the 144,000 of Revelation 7. This topic has been a much-discussed subject in Adventism for many years. Houteff believed that he received revelations that unlocked the mystery. First, he asserted that Davidians were the same company as the "marked ones" found in Ezekiel 9 (see the next section).[65] Next, Houteff described Davidians as Christian Jews that had lost their racial identity over the centuries.[66] Finally, he described Davidians as those who would preach to all nations and gather an innumerable company of people who would accept Davidians' teachings.[67] Regarding this final point, Houteff stated that the Seventh-day Adventist Church had taught nearly identical views just three years prior to the publication of his first book, The Shepherd's Rod,[68] and Houteff felt that it should not have been a point of contention.
  • Ezekiel 9: Though it is largely attributed to his views, Houteff was not the first writer connected with Adventism to fuse Ezekiel 9 with Revelation 7. Seventh-day Adventist pioneer James White was the first to make the link in the Seventh-day Adventist Church's first publication.[69] His wife, church prophetess Ellen G. White, made the connection later in more detail.[70][71] Houteff relied heavily on the link from James White, but is unique in describing the event in detail as the beginning of the "investigative judgment for the living" (see the next section).[72] Houteff is also unique in describing it as the final purification of the church and placing its fulfillment just prior to the gathering of the innumerable company.[citation needed]Houteff maintained that the "slaying" mentioned in the text was a literal, future event performed by angels. A statement published by the Ellen G. White Estate twenty-five years after Houteff's death appears to substantiate this assertion.[73] He is also sometimes credited with teaching that Davidians will perform the slaying depicted; however, Houteff's writings do not reflect such teachings and contain a direct denial of this claim, dismissing such notion as "absurd."[74][75]
  • The Investigative Judgment for the Living: The concept of the "investigative judgment" is almost exclusive to Seventh-day Adventists. The coming of Christ is believed to be imminent. Just prior to the Second Coming of Christ, a judgment is to take place in heaven that constitutes a review of the records to see who will be saved and lost (see Dan. 7:9, 10). In common with Seventh-day Adventists, Davidians believe that this judgment began in 1844 with the dead. Houteff explained that the judgment for the living was not only an investigation of the records in Heaven but also an investigation of the people on earth; first in the church, then in the world. He never set a date for when this would occur,[76] but he did assert that it would begin in the Adventist church and was depicted in Ezekiel 9 and Matthew 13:30.[77] According to Houteff, the 144,000 would be those who survived the judgment in the church.[77]
  • The Pre-Millennial Kingdom: This concept represents Davidians' widest departure from Seventh-day Adventist theology. The Middle East has a significant role in the Davidians' understanding of end-time events. In modern Seventh-day Adventist eschatology, it has little to none. Davidians believe that a kingdom will be set up in Palestine just prior to Christ's return based primarily upon numerous Old Testament prophecies (such as Hosea 3: 4, 5; Mic. 4, Eze. 36, 37; Jer. 30, 31; Isa. 11). It is believed that it will be a kingdom of peace where none, human or animal, will harm another.[78] Houteff claimed that every prophet in the Old Testament scriptures predicted this kingdom,[78] and went on to explain how the current State of Israel did not fulfill those prophecies.[78] Mainstream Seventh-day Adventists view these prophecies as conditional based on ancient Israel's obedience; some may never be fulfilled and some may be fulfilled in principle but not necessarily in every detail.[79] In addition to symbolic prophecy, the Shepherd's Rod message contains counsel regarding healthful living,[80] a successful marriage and family life,[81][82] education,[83] prayer,[84] and other practical topics.

Organizational structure

The governing document for Davidian Seventh-day Adventists is entitled The Leviticus of the Davidian Seventh-day Adventists. It is referred to as one of "three organizational tracts... of 102 pages"[85] and the "literature of reformation.".[86] This tract contains the constitution and by-laws as well as the Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Association's purpose and pattern. While it claims to constitute the literature of "reformation," it acknowledges that its constitution and by-laws will not be fully operational until the proposed "kingdom of peace" is established.[87]

 
Cover page for the Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Constitution and By-laws

The Executive Council constitutes the governing body. Ideally, it consists of seven members: four officers and three non-officers. The Executive Council has full administrative and executive authority between sessions of the Association. When the Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Association is in Session, the Executive Council yields its authority to the Session. The regular officers of the council are President, Vice-President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The scriptural examples referred to in the constitution outline that the President is chosen directly by God through a direct, face-to-face encounter. This process is without any other human involvement.[88] The President has the dual role as prophet and chief administrator of the Association.

The scriptural examples connected with all of the other officers outline three methods of appointment: direct appointment by the President, indirect appointment by the President and direct appointment by the body of believers.[89] In the absence of someone to fill the position of President, some Davidian groups have a Vice-President as their chief administrator. The vice-president assumes the administrative role and the prophetic role (by other Davidic Group. This position is taken based on the understanding that no additional inspired interpreters (prophets) are due to the church until after the establishment of the kingdom.[90]

Davidian ministers may be either licensed or ordained. Ordained ministers are qualified to officially teach and represent the Davidian movement as well as perform ceremonies such as baptisms, funerals and weddings. Licensed ministers may teach and represent the movement, but may not perform scriptural ceremonies unless specially authorized by the Executive Council. Since there is no desire to establish separate houses of worship, the ministers do not function in the traditional sense but have the capacity to do so if and when the need arises. The ceremonies are usually performed for believers to the Davidian message when mainstream Seventh-day Adventist ministers refuse to do so.[91]

Field Secretaries are credentialed ministers or Bible workers who are responsible for a particular geographic area within a designated territory.[citation needed] They may make contact with interested parties, answer inquiries and direct individuals to workers within their territory.[citation needed]

Bible workers are individuals who have demonstrated competency with teaching the Davidian message.[citation needed] They may engage in this activity on a full-time or part-time basis. Under most circumstances, those who became credentialed Bible workers and ministers graduated from the training school: the Davidic-Levitical Institute (D.L.I.).[92] These training schools are held at various times in various locations domestically and internationally.

Members generally fall into two classifications: accredited and non-accredited.[93] The accredited member is one who has applied for and been granted a Certificate of Fellowship.[93] A non-accredited member is someone who has not been granted a Certificate of Fellowship but supports the movement through various means and believes in its publications.[93]

Writings

Victor Houteff continued to publish additional volumes of his prophetic writings until his death in 1955. These publications contain, but are not limited to, no fewer than 15 numbered tracts, five volumes of "The Answerer" (questions submitted to his office from believers and non-believers of his message), two volumes of "Timely Greetings", (Volume 1 containing 52 books and Volume 2 containing 46 books), and a series of monthly publications entitled "The Symbolic Code" containing many of Houteff's Sabbath sermons. These sermons were given after believers in both "the Spirit of Prophecy" (Ellen G. White), and Davidian messages were disfellowshipped and chose to have private worship rather than begin a new church denomination. These publications included questions and answers, recipes for healthful living, spiritual encouragement and admonition, letters from the field of their work in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, and many other practical Christian-living topics. He also published miscellaneous publications and public letters to the leadership of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (nine "Jezreel Letters"). All of these publications were distributed and mailed free of charge to many thousands of recipients throughout the world. (See "1950 General Conference Special" p. 34–35, p. 44.)

Criticism of the Seventh-day Adventist Church

Houteff's teachings include a message intended directly to the members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Viewing the Adventist Church as backsliding from the beliefs upon which it had been founded a hundred years before, Houteff saw his message as a method of solving the many doctrinal disagreements which had arisen as the Church expanded in the 1900s after the death of Ellen G. White.[65]

Davidian representatives were implicated by certain Seventh-day Adventist Church leaders in setting a fire that resulted in four deaths in San Francisco, California, at the time of the General Conference Session in 1936.[94] The Davidians suspected were detained, questioned and were cleared and released within thirty minutes.[94]

While the Seventh-day Adventist Church has a uniform policy regarding views of the Davidian message and movement, there is not a church-wide policy regarding church attendance. Consequently, local and regional perceptions of Davidians are varied. In some localities, Davidians experience tepid tolerance to mild acceptance. Attitudes toward them range from being a mild annoyance to a serious threat to the stability and mission of the church. This has led to some far-reaching policies and recommendations regarding how to deal with them. At the very least, church members are instructed not to study with Davidians.[95] According to Dr. William Pitts, Professor of Religion at Baylor University and noted Davidian expert, "Adventists have told me of their counselors who collected Davidian tracts from campers as soon as they were distributed and deposited them in trash cans."[47] Some Adventist leaders have published that Davidians were so apostate that they should be denied participation in communion services held by the church even though the church traditionally allows non-members to participate.[96] Published testimonies by adherents at the time suggest that those instructions were carried out.[97]

In a 2012 memo to its area pastors, the Georgia-Cumberland Conference of the Seventh-day Adventist Church referred to adherents of the Davidian message as "hardcore aggressors against the church" and compared them to "cancer cells."[98] The memo also includes a form letter that is to be given to any individual identified with the Davidian movement requesting that they cease and desist from coming onto church property immediately. It further states that if the individual decides to recant The Rod message, he or she will not receive help from the local congregation, but must communicate with local conference officials. There is evidence that this policy has been implemented. In countering and dispelling these allegations, Davidians generally point to historical incidents in which their adherents were treated with unprovoked physical and psychological abuse, from the Seventh-day Adventist Church leadership or church personnel.[97][99] As a result, Davidians advocate that The Rod message strictly teaches to be non-disruptive and peaceful.[100]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Shepherd's Rod".
  2. ^ a b "A Prophecy That Mr. Houtiff Tolled – Ellen G. White Estate". ellenwhite.org.
  3. ^ a b "The Branch Davidians – Christian Research Institute".
  4. ^ "(Waco Tx) Inspiration And Its Work: Symbolic Codes 1-13". Davidian Today.
  5. ^ "DAVIDIANS AND BRANCH DAVIDIANS | The Handbook of Texas Online| Texas State Historical Association (TSHA)". Tshaonline.org. 12 June 2010. Retrieved 2015-10-18.
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External links

  • The official website of the message of the Shepherd's Rod
  • The official website of the Universal Publishing Association
  • The official website for the original publications of Victor Houteff
  • The official website of the apologetic arm of the GADSDA
  • Shepherd's Rod Information Center
  • Davidian.org
  • The Universal Publishing Association
  • The Shepherd's Rod: Message to the Seventh-day Adventist Church
  • General Association of DSDA

January 05, 2023
shepherd, literal, shepherd, shepherd, crook, davidians, american, offshoot, worldwide, seventh, adventist, church, founded, 1929, victor, houteff, president, prophet, houteff, joined, seventh, adventist, church, 1919, excommunicated, 1930, promoting, heretica. For the literal shepherd s rod see Shepherd s crook The Shepherd s Rod or The Rod or the Davidians is an American offshoot of the worldwide Seventh day Adventist Church It was founded in 1929 by Victor Houteff its President and Prophet 1 2 Houteff joined the Seventh day Adventist church in 1919 but was excommunicated in 1930 for promoting heretical doctrines Victor T Houteff c 1950 The official organisation name was changed in 1942 to Davidian Seventh day Adventists but was still referred to as The Rod by both members and critics The group was headquartered at a property known as the Mount Carmel Center near Waco Texas and reached its peak in the early 1950s with thousands of adherents before splintering into various factions after Houteff s death in 1955 3 The name is a reference to Houteff s initial and most important publication The Shepherd s Rod 4 The various groups claiming Houteff s theology continue to be known as the Shepherd s Rod and Davidians Contents 1 History 1 1 Houteff s early questions 1 2 Publication of The Shepherd s Rod 1 3 The Spread of Controversy 1 4 1934 Hearing 1 5 Official organization 1 6 Mount Carmel Center 1 7 Peak years 1 8 The Shepherd s Rod fractures 1 9 Resulting groups 2 In popular culture 3 Name 4 Mission 5 Main doctrine 6 Organizational structure 7 Writings 7 1 Criticism of the Seventh day Adventist Church 8 References 9 External linksHistory EditHouteff s early questions Edit The Shepherd s Rod traces its roots to Victor Tasho Houteff who was then a Seventh day Adventist Church member in a local California congregation During the first quarter of 1929 Houteff came into conflict with church authorities over differing interpretations of chapters 54 66 of the book of Isaiah He believed that the church was becoming lax in its standards and needed reform 5 Houteff shared these concepts in his Sabbath School lessons and afternoon study classes at the church After church members complained the local leadership determined that his interpretations were not compatible with Adventist theology He was then asked to discontinue his classes Shortly thereafter Houteff had an informal meeting with some local and regional church administrators to share his views The leaders dismissed his views as fanciful and did not take him seriously 6 In November 1930 Houteff was disfellowshipped by the local Seventh day Adventist congregation for the protection of the church just before he published his book 7 Houteff saw himself as a messenger of God and was regarded by his followers as a prophet 2 Publication of The Shepherd s Rod Edit By the summer of 1930 Victor Houteff compiled his ideas in a 172 page manuscript entitled The Shepherd s Rod 8 He called for a worldwide denominational reform and allegedly brought new thought to Seventh day Adventists eschatology 9 Houteff listed twelve specific areas that he felt the church needed to address under the heading Partial List of Abominations 10 According to Houteff the book s chief purpose was a call for reformation 11 It also included information attempting to define the identity of the 144 000 of the Book of Revelation as well as his disputed interpretations of Isaiah 54 66 Houteff personally handed thirty three copies of his manuscript to church leaders at the General Conference held from May 29 to June 12 1930 in San Francisco California According to Houteff each recipient promised to read the manuscript thoroughly and respond to him either in person or by letter 10 12 In the subsequent six years only two recipients responded The official church explanation was that the recipients were preoccupied with the tasks of the Session and did not have sufficient time to review the manuscript 6 One of the recipients F C Gilbert a field secretary for the General Conference of Seventh day Adventists and respected author of Adventist theology books responded by letter approximately two weeks later 1 13 Gilbert advised Houteff to give up his ideas 1 To Houteff s disappointment he did not address his twelve points or views on the 144 000 Instead Gilbert challenged Houteff s application of certain symbols questioned his method of analysis and rejected his manuscript as unsound Gilbert also sent copies of his findings to church leaders in the Los Angeles area 6 Church leaders were satisfied that Houteff s interpretations had been refuted Houteff however remained sure of his teachings He completed his book by adding 83 pages and had 5 000 copies of The Shepherd s Rod printed in November 1930 which he then distributed to various Adventist ministers workers and laymen 9 The Spread of Controversy Edit Despite being disfellowshipped in 1930 Houteff remained opposed to establishing a new movement 14 He told his followers in case some one s name is taken off the church books for carrying on the message do not be discouraged in any way but press onward as though nothing happened Pay your honest tithe and offering to your church and feel like IT IS your Father s house 15 Collections of study groups began to form in various Adventist churches across the country for the purpose of reviewing Houteff s new doctrines Those who accepted his conclusions and promoted his material were also disfellowshipped 16 In 1932 Houteff published The Shepherd s Rod Volume 2 a 304 page book Two additional booklets followed in 1933 comprising the beginning of a series of tracts that would be later referred to as Volume Three 17 Allegations began to surface that believers of Houteff s teachings were being physically removed from worship services simply due to their study of Houteff s materials 18 Reports also spread that Houteff himself was brutally assaulted upon attempting to enter a Seventh day Adventist Church in Los Angeles California 19 20 Finding no other recourse after the Seventh day Adventist Church rebuffed Houteff s claims and demands for reformation Rod believers organized the Universal Publishing Association UPA in 1934 in Los Angeles California 21 The purpose of the UPA was the publishing of the Rod s message which Rod adherents believe is the Lord s fulfillment of Micah 6 9 and 7 14 22 In December 1933 Carolina Conference President E T Wilson publicly embraced Houteff s views and began promoting them becoming the Shepherd s Rod Vice President on organization in 1934 23 1934 Hearing Edit On January 18 1934 a formal hearing was granted when the Tabernacle Seventh day Adventist Church of Fullerton California sent a request to regional administrators requesting an official hearing to examine Houteff s teachings The agreement stipulated that twelve ministers were to assemble as a panel to hear Houteff s views Houteff was to present five studies to the panel in one week After each study the panel was to review his study determine its veracity and reconvene the meeting If an error was found in the study the meeting was to be discontinued 7 The hearing took place on Monday February 19 1934 in Los Angeles California According to Houteff he only learned of the details of the hearing on the previous Thursday 6 Twelve experienced ministers were chosen to hear Houteff s views and decide if those views were consistent with the Church s understanding of prophecy The twelve ministers were A G Daniells Field Secretary Glenn A Calkins President of the Pacific Union Conference G A Roberts President of the Southern California Conference C S Prout President of the Southeastern California Arizona Conference W G Wirth Bible Teacher at the College of Medical Evangelists H M S Richards Evangelist C M Sorenson Bible Teacher at Southern California Junior College J A Burden Manager of Paradise Valley Sanitarium J C Stevens Pastor of the Seventh day Adventist Church in Glendale California W M Adams Religious Liberty Secretary of the Pacific Union Conference J E Fulton President of the Northern California Conference and F C Gilbert Field Secretary of the General Conference Unknown to Houteff the highest ecclesiastical body of the church met that same day in Washington D C declared his teaching to be heresy and appointed a committee to prepare a document refuting his arguments for general circulation 6 In Los Angeles the meeting began with prayer and a verbatim reading of the agreement that brought the panel together It was expressed by the Chairman A G Daniells that the meeting would be conducted in strict harmony with the terms of the agreement set forth in the written request 6 Houteff presented his first study on the topic of The Harvest Despite the Chairman s statement and the terms of the agreement the Panel requested that Houteff continue with the remainder of his studies after the conclusion of his first study so the Panel could get the full picture 6 When Houteff declined in harmony with the terms of the agreement the meeting was abruptly adjourned 6 The Committee presented its findings in writing four weeks later on March 18 1934 6 unanimously declaring that his teachings were false 24 After feeling that he was treated unjustly at his hearing Houteff started to form an association for the purpose of promoting revival and reformation among Seventh day Adventists Despite taking this step 18 Houteff continued to advocate that adherents continue to maintain membership within the Seventh day Adventist Church The events of the first few years of the Davidian movement provide to a degree some insight into the reasons that the controversy continues in the Seventh day Adventist Church today Seventh day Adventist Church leaders felt that Houteff was incorrigible and headstrong listening to no voice but his own and persisted in teaching his ideas until the Church was forced to disfellowship him Davidians respond that Houteff s teachings were not officially declared heresy at the time he was disfellowshipped or for several years thereafter and there were no other grounds upon which to do so Seventh day Adventist Church leaders also contend that the panel of twelve ministers heard Houteff s views even after he was disfellowshipped and found the views to be unsound Davidians assert that Houteff s hearing was unfair because it reportedly violated the Fullerton Agreement and his teachings had already been judged Davidians point out that in their view the leadership were underhanded in convening a meeting in Washington D C behind Houteff s back before the Committee s decision was made 25 There is also contention about whether Houteff voluntarily forfeited his membership or not However official Seventh day Adventist Church history states that he was disfellowshipped and did not voluntarily forfeit his membership 6 26 In 1934 1936 the Seventh day Adventist Church declared the Shepherd s Rod message to be heresy Today it continues to identify the Davidian movement as a disloyal divisive movement 27 Any member choosing to identify with either the Davidian message or its originator subjects himself herself to Church discipline up to and including being disfellowshipped citation needed Official organization Edit On March 12 1934 the Shepherd s Rod was officially organized Houteff argued that this was done because the Fullerton Agreement stipulated that the Seventh day Adventist Conference Committee should have responded to his first study in approximately 24 hours and several weeks had passed with no communication from the Committee after abruptly adjourning the meeting 13 The Seventh day Adventist Church responded that he was informed at the close of the first study that the Committee would need time to study and compare notes 28 On July 15 1934 the organization s first newsletter The Symbolic Code was published In the August 15 1934 issue Houteff wrote Being deprived of all denominational advantages such as sanitariums health food factories printing presses etc perhaps it may be necessary for a rural location for the establishment of a combined unit to assist in carrying the message to the church until the siege against it shall be successfully culminated in a glorious victory when the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this Isa 9 7 This has been suggested by a sister and her husband who have had considerable experience in this line Therefore we call the attention of all who are standing in the light to give consideration to such an enterprise Anyone having knowledge of such a location and the necessary information regarding it please communicate it to this office Our prayers for such an undertaking on behalf of God s people will be answered by whatever the results to this call might be 29 In 1937 the organization took a more definite form naming nine persons to form an Executive Council listing field secretaries and other officers and composing a constitution and by laws under the name The General Association of Shepherd s Rod Seventh day Adventists 30 In 1942 the organization name was officially changed to Davidian Seventh day Adventists 3 31 and three organizational tracts were issued in early 1943 identifying additional components of the existing organization The organization became known as The General Association of Davidian Seventh day Adventists It was also called The Davidian Seventh day Adventist Association in one of its organizational tracts This was the largest building within the Davidian grounds in Waco Texas known as the administration building c 1950s Mount Carmel Center Edit Main article Mount Carmel Center Soon after organizing in 1934 Shepherd s Rod leaders began to desire a larger more centrally located place to establish headquarters In April 1935 189 acres were purchased just outside Waco Texas and the headquarters office was relocated to that property in September 1935 Envisioning the work that they desired to be accomplished from there the new home for their work was named Mount Carmel Center after the place where Elijah called the Israelites back to worshiping God 32 33 Up to 125 persons resided at the Center 33 In 1937 an additional 186 acres were added 30 One of Houteff s primary complaints was that the mainstream Seventh day Adventist Church s institutions were compromising their message and mission by seeking approval and accreditation of the applicable medical and educational boards 34 35 36 Ironically some of Houteff s critics issued similar complaints 37 38 The Davidian organization established institutions of its own claiming to strictly follow the guidelines of the Adventist church founders 39 40 Over the next twenty years a children s school sanitarium rest home vocational and home economics school and other improvements were established on the property 41 There was also an extensive farming operation with an orchard of approximately 900 trees dairy cows and a large vegetable garden 42 The flagship structure was the multi level administration building which housed the main office additional staff offices chapel printing equipment and Houteff s sleeping quarters This building is currently in the possession of Vanguard College Preparatory School Peak years Edit Through Houteff s evangelistic endeavors several thousand Adventists accepted the doctrine of The Shepherd s Rod It is believed that Benjamin Roden accepted these teachings in 1946 43 and together with his wife Lois tried to share the message with others within the Seventh day Adventist Church 43 44 The height of Davidian strength and activity occurred in the early 1950s By the mid 1950s its regular subscribers students and devotees may have numbered close to 100 000 worldwide 44 Believing that the predicted events in Houteff s writings may have been on the verge of fulfillment and seizing on apparent momentum from a failed prediction that the church made regarding the return of the Jews to Palestine 45 the movement launched a hunting campaign in 1953 This was a door to door effort to reach Adventists with the Davidian publications To help accomplish this the Association began to sell Mount Carmel Center property 46 and purchased half a dozen new automobiles 47 An additional factor fueling the sale of Mount Carmel s property was its encroachment onto Waco s city limits 48 The anticipation was that the encroachment of the city limits upon the property would coalesce with the completion of the door to door effort It was believed that this would have led to witnessing the fulfillment of Houteff s predictions and going to the Kingdom 46 The Shepherd s Rod fractures Edit Florence Houteff Victor Houteff unexpectedly died at age 69 on February 5 1955 in the midst of the hunting campaign His death caused an immediate power struggle and fracturing of the Shepherd s Rod organization into several factions Victor s widow Florence Houteff the Association s Secretary immediately sought to eject E T Wilson who had personally been appointed Vice President of the Association by Houteff during the 1934 organization process and would have become acting President by default 30 Florence Houteff convened an Executive Council meeting the day after her husband s death with Wilson missing because of illness In Wilson s absence Houteff successfully convinced the Executive Council to appoint her Vice President and remove Wilson Her argument rested on the assertion that these actions were in harmony with recommendations made by Brother Houteff prior to his death This request seemed so unusual that in a meeting the next day an Executive Council member challenged her to provide evidence for her claim 49 Despite acknowledging that she could not provide any proof the Executive Council yielded and continued to uphold her request Once established as Vice President Mrs Houteff announced that she had some procedural changes in mind and increased the veto power of the Vice President 49 Several months after Victor Houteff s death Shepherd s Rod member Benjamin Roden began to claim that he had received new revelations from God and that he should be recognized as the new leader of the Shepherd s Rod 50 Mrs Houteff and the Executive Council rebuffed Roden s claims Houteff published a prediction that the forty two month period told of in Revelation 11 3 6 would begin in November 1955 and terminate on April 22 1959 51 This prediction has been allegedly attributed to Victor Houteff but no statement from his writings has ever been produced supporting this interpretation citation needed Roden opposed Houteff s prediction 50 and founded the Branch Davidian organization several months later when The Branch Davidians differed from the original Davidians in several areas such as the requirement that the Feast days must be kept and that the Holy Spirit is a female being The name is an allusion to the anointed Branch mentioned in Zechariah 3 8 6 12 52 53 On April 9 1959 a group of Branch Davidians sent a protest letter to the General Conference of Seventh day Adventists clarifying their opposition to Mrs Houteff s predictions and their rationale for doing so Houteff and the Executive Council published an open challenge to the Seventh day Adventist Church leadership shortly before the termination of the 42 months on April 22 1959 54 Mrs Houteff s challenge stated that the fulfillment of her prediction would determine whether her late husband s message was true or not April 22 1959 passed without the predicted events materializing Confusion and embarrassment set in and the Davidian movement continued to fracture Many adherents left In 1962 another group of Davidians sent a protest letter to Seventh day Adventist Church leadership rejecting Houteff s 42 month prediction This group went to California to reorganize and continue the distribution of Houteff s original literature 55 These individuals became the forerunners of the Davidian Seventh day Adventist Association of today Houteff announced her intention to disband the Davidian organization with the assets to be sold off and the proceeds disbursed among her Executive Council This arrangement was opposed by many members She and the Executive Council members that remained loyal to her resigned on March 1 1962 took five thousand dollars in cash with them and left the remaining assets in the hands of a lawyer for distribution 56 Most of the Mount Carmel Center property ended up in the hands of the EE Ranch but the Branch Davidians retained a core 77 acres 310 000 m2 around the administrative building Resulting groups Edit Branch Davidians Advanced Truth Laymen s Movement Florida General Association of Davidian Seventh day Adventists Waco Texas Mt Carmel Center Salem SC Adair General Association of Davidian Seventh day Adventists Mountaindale NY Bashan Hill Exeter Missouri Bingham Assembly of God Eldon IowaIn popular culture EditOne faction of the Shepherd s Rod known as the Branch Davidians was involved in a siege at the Mount Carmel Center in 1993 in which both law enforcement agents and Branch Davidians were killed This event received significant sustained media attention Eight of Victor Houteff s prophetic charts were featured in an art exhibit entitled At the Eleventh Hour at Cabinet in Brooklyn New York in 2009 57 Name EditFollowers of Victor Houteff s writings are referred to as The Shepherd s Rod or The Rod but also use the term to refer to Davidian Seventh day Adventists 58 The appellation Shepherd s Rod is derived from the title of a two volume series authored by Houteff the first volume of which was released in 1930 The Shepherd s Rod Volume 1 and 2 The first publications of the Davidian movement published in 1930 and 1932 respectively In both volumes of his work Houteff made references to the biblical book of Micah The Lord s voice crieth unto the city and the man of wisdom shall see thy name Hear ye the rod and who hath appointed it Micah 6 9 andFeed thy people with thy rod the flock of thine heritage which dwell solitarily in the wood in the midst of Carmel let them feed in Bashan and Gilead as in the days of old Micah 7 14 The by laws of the DSDA written by Houteff in February 1943 and known as The Leviticus of D S D A state The name Davidian deriving from the name of the king of Ancient Israel accrues to this Association by reason of its following aspects First it is dedicated to the work of announcing and bringing forth the restoration as predicted in Hosea 1 11 3 5 of David s kingdom in antitype upon the throne of which Christ the son of David is to sit Second it purports itself to be the first of the first fruits of the living the vanguard from among the present day descendants of those Jews who composed the Early Christian Church With the emergence of this vanguard and its army the first fruits from which are elected the 12 000 out of each of the twelve tribes of Jacob the 144 000 Rev 14 1 7 2 8 who stand on Mount Zion with the Lamb Rev 14 1 7 2 8 the reign of antitypical David begins 59 Mission EditThe Davidian Seventh day organization s mission is to announce and prepare the way for what it says will be the restoration of David s kingdom of peace predicted in the Bible 60 This Davidic kingdom is to bring about peace on earth and good will toward men The mission states that it will accomplish this by first calling for a reformation in the Seventh day Adventist Church and then spreading the Three Angels Messages of Revelation 14 throughout the world It is believed that this will prepare a people for Christ s Second Coming and usher in the end of all sorrow and suffering Main doctrine EditDavidians claim the same fundamental beliefs as their Adventist counterparts and that the divergence of views begins with the interpretation of additional subjects of prophecy However due to differing interpretations of prophetic subjects from the mainstream Seventh day Adventist Church Davidians add fifteen fundamental beliefs 61 The Davidians message largely focuses on the interpretation of symbolic prophecy Because of this it has been criticized as leading its believers to be legalistic and neglecting what is considered more important matters such as love and devotion to God Houteff addressed these criticisms both directly and indirectly in his publications 62 63 The major themes of The Rod message published by Victor Houteff are listed below with brief explanations A Call for Reformation Davidians believe that the Seventh day Adventist Church has become lax in its standards practices and devotion to God and that the Church s institutions have changed from the original founder s pattern of operation and purpose 64 The 144 000 Revelation Chapter 7 The fundamental purpose of the Shepherd s Rod message is to identify the corporate identity of the 144 000 of Revelation 7 This topic has been a much discussed subject in Adventism for many years Houteff believed that he received revelations that unlocked the mystery First he asserted that Davidians were the same company as the marked ones found in Ezekiel 9 see the next section 65 Next Houteff described Davidians as Christian Jews that had lost their racial identity over the centuries 66 Finally he described Davidians as those who would preach to all nations and gather an innumerable company of people who would accept Davidians teachings 67 Regarding this final point Houteff stated that the Seventh day Adventist Church had taught nearly identical views just three years prior to the publication of his first book The Shepherd s Rod 68 and Houteff felt that it should not have been a point of contention Ezekiel 9 Though it is largely attributed to his views Houteff was not the first writer connected with Adventism to fuse Ezekiel 9 with Revelation 7 Seventh day Adventist pioneer James White was the first to make the link in the Seventh day Adventist Church s first publication 69 His wife church prophetess Ellen G White made the connection later in more detail 70 71 Houteff relied heavily on the link from James White but is unique in describing the event in detail as the beginning of the investigative judgment for the living see the next section 72 Houteff is also unique in describing it as the final purification of the church and placing its fulfillment just prior to the gathering of the innumerable company citation needed Houteff maintained that the slaying mentioned in the text was a literal future event performed by angels A statement published by the Ellen G White Estate twenty five years after Houteff s death appears to substantiate this assertion 73 He is also sometimes credited with teaching that Davidians will perform the slaying depicted however Houteff s writings do not reflect such teachings and contain a direct denial of this claim dismissing such notion as absurd 74 75 The Investigative Judgment for the Living The concept of the investigative judgment is almost exclusive to Seventh day Adventists The coming of Christ is believed to be imminent Just prior to the Second Coming of Christ a judgment is to take place in heaven that constitutes a review of the records to see who will be saved and lost see Dan 7 9 10 In common with Seventh day Adventists Davidians believe that this judgment began in 1844 with the dead Houteff explained that the judgment for the living was not only an investigation of the records in Heaven but also an investigation of the people on earth first in the church then in the world He never set a date for when this would occur 76 but he did assert that it would begin in the Adventist church and was depicted in Ezekiel 9 and Matthew 13 30 77 According to Houteff the 144 000 would be those who survived the judgment in the church 77 The Pre Millennial Kingdom This concept represents Davidians widest departure from Seventh day Adventist theology The Middle East has a significant role in the Davidians understanding of end time events In modern Seventh day Adventist eschatology it has little to none Davidians believe that a kingdom will be set up in Palestine just prior to Christ s return based primarily upon numerous Old Testament prophecies such as Hosea 3 4 5 Mic 4 Eze 36 37 Jer 30 31 Isa 11 It is believed that it will be a kingdom of peace where none human or animal will harm another 78 Houteff claimed that every prophet in the Old Testament scriptures predicted this kingdom 78 and went on to explain how the current State of Israel did not fulfill those prophecies 78 Mainstream Seventh day Adventists view these prophecies as conditional based on ancient Israel s obedience some may never be fulfilled and some may be fulfilled in principle but not necessarily in every detail 79 In addition to symbolic prophecy the Shepherd s Rod message contains counsel regarding healthful living 80 a successful marriage and family life 81 82 education 83 prayer 84 and other practical topics Organizational structure EditThe governing document for Davidian Seventh day Adventists is entitled The Leviticus of the Davidian Seventh day Adventists It is referred to as one of three organizational tracts of 102 pages 85 and the literature of reformation 86 This tract contains the constitution and by laws as well as the Davidian Seventh day Adventist Association s purpose and pattern While it claims to constitute the literature of reformation it acknowledges that its constitution and by laws will not be fully operational until the proposed kingdom of peace is established 87 Cover page for the Davidian Seventh day Adventist Constitution and By laws The Executive Council constitutes the governing body Ideally it consists of seven members four officers and three non officers The Executive Council has full administrative and executive authority between sessions of the Association When the Davidian Seventh day Adventist Association is in Session the Executive Council yields its authority to the Session The regular officers of the council are President Vice President Treasurer and Secretary The scriptural examples referred to in the constitution outline that the President is chosen directly by God through a direct face to face encounter This process is without any other human involvement 88 The President has the dual role as prophet and chief administrator of the Association The scriptural examples connected with all of the other officers outline three methods of appointment direct appointment by the President indirect appointment by the President and direct appointment by the body of believers 89 In the absence of someone to fill the position of President some Davidian groups have a Vice President as their chief administrator The vice president assumes the administrative role and the prophetic role by other Davidic Group This position is taken based on the understanding that no additional inspired interpreters prophets are due to the church until after the establishment of the kingdom 90 Davidian ministers may be either licensed or ordained Ordained ministers are qualified to officially teach and represent the Davidian movement as well as perform ceremonies such as baptisms funerals and weddings Licensed ministers may teach and represent the movement but may not perform scriptural ceremonies unless specially authorized by the Executive Council Since there is no desire to establish separate houses of worship the ministers do not function in the traditional sense but have the capacity to do so if and when the need arises The ceremonies are usually performed for believers to the Davidian message when mainstream Seventh day Adventist ministers refuse to do so 91 Field Secretaries are credentialed ministers or Bible workers who are responsible for a particular geographic area within a designated territory citation needed They may make contact with interested parties answer inquiries and direct individuals to workers within their territory citation needed Bible workers are individuals who have demonstrated competency with teaching the Davidian message citation needed They may engage in this activity on a full time or part time basis Under most circumstances those who became credentialed Bible workers and ministers graduated from the training school the Davidic Levitical Institute D L I 92 These training schools are held at various times in various locations domestically and internationally Members generally fall into two classifications accredited and non accredited 93 The accredited member is one who has applied for and been granted a Certificate of Fellowship 93 A non accredited member is someone who has not been granted a Certificate of Fellowship but supports the movement through various means and believes in its publications 93 Writings EditVictor Houteff continued to publish additional volumes of his prophetic writings until his death in 1955 These publications contain but are not limited to no fewer than 15 numbered tracts five volumes of The Answerer questions submitted to his office from believers and non believers of his message two volumes of Timely Greetings Volume 1 containing 52 books and Volume 2 containing 46 books and a series of monthly publications entitled The Symbolic Code containing many of Houteff s Sabbath sermons These sermons were given after believers in both the Spirit of Prophecy Ellen G White and Davidian messages were disfellowshipped and chose to have private worship rather than begin a new church denomination These publications included questions and answers recipes for healthful living spiritual encouragement and admonition letters from the field of their work in the Seventh day Adventist Church and many other practical Christian living topics He also published miscellaneous publications and public letters to the leadership of the Seventh day Adventist Church nine Jezreel Letters All of these publications were distributed and mailed free of charge to many thousands of recipients throughout the world See 1950 General Conference Special p 34 35 p 44 Criticism of the Seventh day Adventist Church Edit Houteff s teachings include a message intended directly to the members of the Seventh day Adventist Church Viewing the Adventist Church as backsliding from the beliefs upon which it had been founded a hundred years before Houteff saw his message as a method of solving the many doctrinal disagreements which had arisen as the Church expanded in the 1900s after the death of Ellen G White 65 Davidian representatives were implicated by certain Seventh day Adventist Church leaders in setting a fire that resulted in four deaths in San Francisco California at the time of the General Conference Session in 1936 94 The Davidians suspected were detained questioned and were cleared and released within thirty minutes 94 While the Seventh day Adventist Church has a uniform policy regarding views of the Davidian message and movement there is not a church wide policy regarding church attendance Consequently local and regional perceptions of Davidians are varied In some localities Davidians experience tepid tolerance to mild acceptance Attitudes toward them range from being a mild annoyance to a serious threat to the stability and mission of the church This has led to some far reaching policies and recommendations regarding how to deal with them At the very least church members are instructed not to study with Davidians 95 According to Dr William Pitts Professor of Religion at Baylor University and noted Davidian expert Adventists have told me of their counselors who collected Davidian tracts from campers as soon as they were distributed and deposited them in trash cans 47 Some Adventist leaders have published that Davidians were so apostate that they should be denied participation in communion services held by the church even though the church traditionally allows non members to participate 96 Published testimonies by adherents at the time suggest that those instructions were carried out 97 In a 2012 memo to its area pastors the Georgia Cumberland Conference of the Seventh day Adventist Church referred to adherents of the Davidian message as hardcore aggressors against the church and compared them to cancer cells 98 The memo also includes a form letter that is to be given to any individual identified with the Davidian movement requesting that they cease and desist from coming onto church property immediately It further states that if the individual decides to recant The Rod message he or she will not receive help from the local congregation but must communicate with local conference officials There is evidence that this policy has been implemented In countering and dispelling these allegations Davidians generally point to historical incidents in which their adherents were treated with unprovoked physical and psychological abuse from the Seventh day Adventist Church leadership or church personnel 97 99 As a result Davidians advocate that The Rod message strictly teaches to be non disruptive and peaceful 100 References Edit a b c Shepherd s Rod a b A Prophecy That Mr Houtiff Tolled Ellen G White Estate ellenwhite org a b The Branch Davidians Christian Research Institute Waco Tx Inspiration And Its Work Symbolic Codes 1 13 Davidian Today DAVIDIANS AND BRANCH DAVIDIANS The Handbook of Texas Online Texas State Historical Association TSHA Tshaonline org 12 June 2010 Retrieved 2015 10 18 a b c d e f g h i j The Story of the Shepherd s Rod shepherdsrod org Archived from the original on 16 January 2016 Retrieved 20 October 2015 a b The Story of the Shepherd s Rod Scribd Retrieved 20 October 2015 permanent dead link SRvol 1 Matters Not So Long as one does right shepherds rod org a b Shepherd s Rod index page shepherds rod org a b SRvol 1 Matters Not So Long as one does right Retrieved 20 October 2015 The Shepherd s Rod Retrieved 20 October 2015 The Great Controversy pp 5 6 a b Shepherd s Rod Message shepherds rod message org Archived from the original on 21 November 2015 Retrieved 20 October 2015 The Little Armageddon The Great Controversy Within the Seventh day Adventist Church p 21 scroll to p 251 Archived from the original on 2013 05 07 Retrieved 2013 10 13 ref no 75 Shepherd s Rod Message shepherds rod message org Retrieved 20 October 2015 a b THE GREAT CONTROVERSY shepherds rod org Retrieved 20 October 2015 http www shepherds rod org OldCodes 2No9 html Scroll to page 5 ref no 74 75 Archived 2014 01 12 at the Wayback Machine The New World Order www shepherds rod message org Retrieved 2017 11 22 Houteff VT Old Codes shepherds rod org p 5 Shepherd s Rod Message Shepherds rod message org Archived from the original on 2015 11 21 Retrieved 2015 10 18 http www shepherds rod org Tracts trac007 html http mtccamp org see Secret tribunals of the SDA p 6 14 The Story of the Shepherd s Rod shepherdsrod org Archived from the original on 16 January 2016 Retrieved 20 October 2015 Church manual PDF docs adventistarchives org Retrieved January 15 2014 The Story of the Shepherd s Rod Shepherd s Rod Information Site Page 4 p 13 Archived from the original on 2016 01 16 Retrieved 2015 10 20 THE SYMBOLIC CODE www davidiansda org a b c Mt Carmel RevivalReformation Reorganization pp 3 4 Archived from the original on 2013 03 09 page 24 Archived from the original on 2013 03 09 Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements p 296 a b A Brief History of the Shepherd s Rod davidiantoday org Retrieved 27 May 2017 SRvol 1 Matters Not So Long as one does right shepherds rod org Retrieved 20 October 2015 SRvol2 THE TWENTY FOURTH CHAPTER OF MATTHEW shepherds rod org Retrieved 20 October 2015 page 24 PDF page 15 PDF page 121 124 PDF Old Codes shepherds rod org Retrieved 20 October 2015 History of Mount Carmel Photo Album shepherds rod org Retrieved 20 October 2015 Ref no 83 84 Ref no 85 a b Benjamin Roden a b Home bdsda com page 7 PDF a b page 3 6 Archived from the original on 2014 01 02 a b CESNUR 2005 International Conference The Davidians The Branch Davidians and Globalization by Bill Pitts Cesnur org Retrieved 2015 10 18 page 13 Archived from the original on 2014 01 02 a b Exhibit D page 4 PDF a b Seven Letters to Florence Houteff the branch org Retrieved 20 October 2015 Expecting the End Millennialism in Social and Historical Context page 133 Zechariah 3 8 Listen High Priest Joshua you and your associates seated before you who are men symbolic of things to come I am going to bring my servant the Branch www bible com Retrieved 2017 05 17 Zechariah 6 12 Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says Here is the man whose name is the Branch and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord www bible com Retrieved 2017 05 17 Report of a Meeting between a Group of Shepherd s Rod Leaders and a Group of General Conference Ministers PDF Drc whiteestate org Retrieved 2015 10 18 Expecting the End Millennialism in Social and Historical Context page 135 General Ass N Of Davidian S D A V General Ass N Etc Leagle com 1966 11 23 Retrieved 2015 10 18 Victor Houteff At the Eleventh Hour Cabinet Magazine September 16 2009 Retrieved 2015 10 18 Timely Greetings Vol 2 No 10 shepherds rod org Retrieved 20 October 2015 Houteff Victor February 12 1943 Leviticus Article I Name The Bread of Life Internet Ministry Retrieved October 20 2015 Leviticus Page 3 Archived December 24 2013 at the Wayback Machine Shepherd s Rod Message shepherds rod message org Retrieved 20 October 2015 The Answerer Book No 2 Archived from the original on 2013 12 24 Retrieved 2013 10 14 pages 9 26 28 Archived from the original on 2013 12 24 page 54 58 Archived from the original on 2013 12 24 Retrieved 2013 10 15 a b Victor Houteff MOUNT SION shepherds rod org Retrieved 20 October 2015 SRvol 1 Matters Not So Long as one does right shepherds rod org Retrieved 20 October 2015 Shepherd s Rod Message shepherds rod message org Retrieved 20 October 2015 Page 2 3 PDF Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers Page 445 Ellen G White Writings Text egwwritings org ISBN 9781612530963 Retrieved 2015 10 18 Testimonies for the Church vol 3 Page 266 Ellen G White Writings Egwtext whiteestate org 1872 ISBN 9781612530925 Retrieved 2015 10 18 page 43 Archived from the original on 2013 12 24 Manuscript Releases vol 1 Nos 19 96 Page 260 Ellen G White Writings Text egwwritings org 1909 09 26 Retrieved 2015 10 18 page 8 9 Archived from the original on 2014 01 02 Retrieved 2014 01 01 page 1 Archived from the original on 2013 12 24 page 94 95 Archived from the original on 2013 10 17 Retrieved 2013 10 15 a b The Judgment amp The Harvest shepherds rod org Retrieved 20 October 2015 a b c BEHOLD I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW shepherds rod org Retrieved 20 October 2015 page 36 37 PDF The Entering Wedge Shepherds rod org Retrieved 2015 10 18 page 69 78 Archived from the original on 2013 10 17 Retrieved 2013 10 17 page 81 94 Archived from the original on 2013 10 17 Retrieved 2013 10 17 Questions amp Answers shepherds rod org Retrieved 20 October 2015 page 12 Archived from the original on 2013 10 17 Retrieved 2013 10 13 Everybody Likes to be It but Nobody Cares to Have ITS Name Archived from the original on 2013 10 17 Retrieved 2013 10 17 page 24 page 38 Archived from the original on 2013 10 17 Retrieved 2013 10 15 preface Archived December 24 2013 at the Wayback Machine The Leviticus of DSDA Archived from the original on 2013 12 24 Retrieved 2013 10 16 page 6 The Leviticus of DSDA shepherdsroddavidian org Archived from the original on December 24 2013 http www shepherds rod org Misc GCS html page 23 24 http www shepherds rod org Misc GCS html page 36 37 https archive today 20131013075145 http shepherdsroddavidian org miscellaneous 5ans html page 92 93 a b c https archive today 20131013075145 http shepherdsroddavidian org miscellaneous 5ans html page 84 a b Old Codes shepherds rod org Retrieved 20 October 2015 Citation needed page 3 PDF a b Old Codes shepherds rod org Retrieved 20 October 2015 Georgia Cumberland Conference Response by Randy Moeller We Believe SDA org 2012 06 06 Archived from the original on 2015 12 10 Retrieved 2015 10 18 page 4 6 Archived 2014 01 02 at the Wayback Machine vol 1 Feb 5 1935 page 8 Archived from the original on 2013 10 30 Retrieved 2014 01 01 External links EditThe official website of the message of the Shepherd s Rod The official website of the Universal Publishing Association The official website for the original publications of Victor Houteff The official website of the apologetic arm of the GADSDA Shepherd s Rod Information Center Davidian org The Universal Publishing Association The Shepherd s Rod Message to the Seventh day Adventist Church General Association of DSDA Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Shepherd 27s Rod amp oldid 1128238303, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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