SEVEN LETTERS TO FLORENCE HOUTEFF AND THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL OF THE DAVIDIAN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST ASSOCIATION

1st Printing – Sept. 1955 – Mar. 1956

Reprint Edition – 1978

Copyright, 1978

"Doth our law judge any man, before it hear him, and knoweth what he doeth?" – John 7:51.

The seven letters reproduced herein have been copied from the original. Some references only alluded to in the original have been quoted in full in this edition. Several explanations have been added to the original text for the purpose of clarifying some of the subject matter.

September 23, 1955

Executive Council

Davidian Seventh-day Adventists

Mt. Carmel Center

Waco, Texas

Dear Brethren:

God has placed a great responsibility upon you. The greatest responsibility any group of people could have in the world at this time. Even more important, shall we say, than President Eisenhower and the lawmaking bodies of the United States. Although as grave and important as their position may be, it cannot compare in seriousness and importance to the position you hold.

We make the foregoing statement in view of the fact that their position is important to the extent of things temporal, such as seeing to it that the nation is governed, clothed, and fed. Not only that, but at this time it seems that the grave responsibility of negotiating peace for ourselves and other nations is added.

The prophecies of the Bible teach us that this negotiation for peace will fail in its purpose. There will be opportunity for this people, through the power of the Lord, to care for the temporal needs of the nations and to bring in peace and everlasting righteousness.

With this high calling set before us, we are enabled to see the true responsibility that rests upon the Executive Council, in particular, and the field workers and our people in general.

As the existing governmental problems and perplexities of the nations are multitudinous, we can anticipate proportionate problems to arise in our work.

In view of the fact that God has placed us in this position, it is imperative that we work in unity - as a harmonious whole – looking to Christ as the "Author and Finisher of our faith."

You, brethren of the Executive Council, at this very moment, are having your perplexing problems and they will increase and mount higher and higher as time goes on, you can be assured. We, as workers of good

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standing in the field, are having our problems and we are very concerned about them. Our concerns are your concerns; our problems your problems. If we, in the field, are to work harmoniously with you brethren at the head of the work, it is of vital importance that we are all to work as a well-oiled machine – each one of us as an integral part of the whole. We should hold back nothing from each other that would keep this machine from operating to the highest degree of efficiency.

Now that conditions in the field have grown to mountainous proportions, some of us have gotten together and discussed some of the things that confront us as a people. As a result of the meeting, I AM was delegated as a committee of One to present to you the existing conditions that are prevalent everywhere we go.

The people are asking us questions that we are at a loss to answer, either from the Bible, the Spirit of Prophecy by Sister E. G. White, or the inspired writings of The Shepherd's Rod by Brother V. T. Houteff.

What is to be done "must be done quickly" (Early Writings, p. 118), if we are to keep these things from spreading to the Denomination. If we should fail to act quickly in regard to this situation, we can be assured the work in the field will be greatly hindered, if not entirely stopped. Some say they are withholding their tithes till a satisfactory answer to their questions can be given from a"thus saith the Lord."

We all know what this means to us as a people. Our workers would be automatically cut off from their field duties. Those of the proper age would be inducted into the Armed Service. The older workers would then have to get jobs in order to sustain themselves. This condition needs to be avoided at all costs.

The people are pointing out to us that as Laodicea has had her upshoots and offshoots, we are having ours. They point out Bachand, Zumstein, Buda Kahn and others. They refer us to Micah 7:14 and ask us to please tell them where Bashan and Gilead are. Does not Bachand mean Bashan and Zumstein, Gilead, or maybe one of the others? When we tell them that these are two places in Palestine, they still do not seem to understand. They overlook the fact that people are feeding in the midst of Carmel.

They ask us about the hurting angels of Revelation 7:2.

When we tell them they are just angels that have power to hurt they are not satisfied because we can't give them Scriptural proof for our

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stand. To make it further embarrassing, they come back with the idea that the angels might be messages. They put forth their idea that since the angel that comes from the East is a message (Shepherd's Rod) the other angels are messages. They name them thus: 1. Moses and the children of Israel, or the Ceremonial System. 2. Christ and the apostles. 3. William Miller, First-day Adventists. 4. E. G. White and the Seventh-day Adventist church with the Third Angel's message. They give us their proof from the Bible and The Shepherd's Rod.

For example: The locusts that came out of the "bottomless pit" hurt the men that did not have the seal, Revelation 9:4 ("when Truth cannot save, it kills." – Timely Greetings, Vol. 2, No. 15, p. 10). Another reference found in Final Warning, Tract No. 5, p. 42, shows that it was Noah's message that destroyed the antediluvians.

They conclude that if Jesus had come immediately after Ellen G. White finished her work He would not have had the 144,000 to take to Heaven with Him for they were not yet sealed.

Furthermore, they add to our confusion by telling us the four holding angels of this same prophecy represent messages; also, that these four have no swords in their hands. That is, they are not prophetic messages. But they, like the moon, get their light from the sun.

By this time, brethren, our face begins to flush a bit because we cannot prove from any Inspired writings that they are wrong. So, in order to cover up our embarrassment, we graciously agree with them that they may be right. We try to console them by the fact it might not have been necessary for the Lord to show every little detail in this symbolism.

They come back with an even harder question. "If it was not necessary for The Shepherd's Rod to show every little detail, then why did Brother Houteff put swords in the hands of the four angels to whom it was given to hurt? The Bible does not say anything about swords in this prophecy.

"And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea." Rev. 7:2.

You can be sure our faces have begun to turn red by now. But they are very generous and let us down easy. They concluded that since Rrother Houteff was writing under Inspiration the Lord permitted him

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to make this mistake, if it were a mistake, for some purpose. Of course, this little discussion cut our stay shorter than we had expected and the visit was not as profitable as it might have been. So, we prepared to take our leave; but they, being like Abraham of old, were very hospitable folk. It was about suppertime and they prevailed upon us to stay and eat with them.

By the time we were seated, they began to shower us with more questions we could not answer. They read Isaiah 11:1 to us, "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots." They asked us where God's true people of today are depicted in this symbolism. Of course, we had a vast amount of references to show that the Rod represents the Shepherd's Rod people. They were honest folk and believed from the evidence presented that the Davidians were put out of the Adventist church and that we might be right. This made us feel better and we began to enjoy the meal.

They didn't stop asking us questions. The next thing they wanted to know was, "Did we think that since the Rods (Davidians) were put out of Jesse, that Jesse might represent the Laodiceans?" Since we had no proof to the contrary from the message, we smiled and conceded they might be right. By this time the meal had progressed and we were about filled except for dessert. They began serving another course although we were ready to finish right there. After all, they were nice people and very hospitable, besides they were big eaters and seemed to be very hungry.

Although we were anxious to finish, the next dish was brought. Because it was a dish we so disliked, the food we were eating began to choke us and we began to see we would have indigestion. Though we felt like leaving, our training persuaded us to remain.

Their next point of reasoning was: "If the Rods were the ones put out of Jesse; then, the Branch must logically be those put out of the Rod." We agreed that it could be possible, or perhaps, the results of the Rod's efforts.

We were very much pleased when they had finished their feasting and suggested we return to the parlor. Again we wanted to take our departure but for fear of offense, as we had no legitimate reason for leaving so soon after the meal, we remained.

They were very zealous folk and very tactful in the manner in which they asked their questions; one couldn't get offended.

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Before we finally got away, they asked us many more questions that were hard for us but easy for them. Their explanations seemed to be logical with sound reasoning and their answers quite simple.

After some time our pains subsided and we began to enjoy discussing the various Scriptures we had, heretofore, not understood. Our discussions went on far into the night.

After leaving Isaiah 11:1 our attention was called to the chart of God's Traveling Throne that Ezekiel saw in vision (read Ezekiel 1). They pointed out that the living creatures were not fully clothed, as they did not have on shoes and their heads are uncovered.

Whereas, they explained, Isaiah saw the same chariot and creatures fully clothed with the feet and face covered. Not this, only, but the Creatures have been changed to Seraphims.

The "living creatures" of Ezekiel 1 represent the 144,000 living saints and as the living creatures have only four wings, two wings are to fly, or as John saw, three angels flying in the midst of heaven (Revelation 14:6-10). The two flying wings are, therefore, comparable to the Sabbath and Sanctuary truth. In other words, Righteousness by Grace supplied during infancy, the first stage of Christian growth – the message of 1844, a two-fold message.

When the "living creatures" arrived in 1929, they had added two more wings covering the body. The infant of 1844 had grown into a youth, eating strong meat – meat in due season – the message of the purification of the church and setting up of the Kingdom, a two-fold message, Righteousness by Faith imputed.

The next time the chariot arrives the "living creatures" are changed to Seraphims and have added two wings, Righteousness of Christ imparted, a full grown Christian – a two-fold message. The day the chariot arrives, a nation is born. No more names of sinners will be placed on the books of Judah. "Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows: for the wicked shall no more pass through thee; he is utterly cut off." Nah. 1:15. Furthermore, the names of sinners that are on the books will be removed – a pure church from then and throughout eternity. This was the manner in which we studied and understood the chariots.

Next, we read Ezekiel, chapter 9. In this chapter, they told us, is

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found the same story told in Revelation 7. Read Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 444,445. Revelation 7 tells of the progress of the work in the church and the world; whereas, Ezekiel 9 deals with the church alone. In order to unlock the mystery of Ezekiel 9, however, one must have the key that unlocks both mysteries which is found in Revelation 7.

The key which is found in Revelation 7:2 (the angel with the seal) represents a message. In other words, we take the known quantity and work back and forth, as one would do in solving a mathematical equation. These two chapters are no longer mysteries. They have become plain and simple revelations.

The angel that comes from the East, we understand, started in 1844 but he didn't arrive until 1929. When he arrived he simply said to all Divinely-revealed Truth (which is contained in the four great prophetic movements of Moses, Christ, William Miller, and Mrs. E. G. White), "do not destroy the inhabitants of the earth but let me have all your truth and I will seal 144,000 Israelites first." "And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel." Rev. 7:1-4. "When I seal them, I will seal a great multitude of others, that no man can number." "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands." Rev. 7:9.

No greater message has ever come to this earth than came in 1929. At that time God sent Victor T. Houteff, a Seventh-day Adventist layman, with the message to save 144,000 Israelites first.

Take courage, honest hearts, in the world everywhere; Michael has stood up or is in the act of standing up to deliver you! "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time the people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in th book." Dan. 12:1. As soon as He separates the wicked from among

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the 144,000 in the books, He will then separate the wicked from you.

Now since the sealing angel of Revelation 7:2 is a message without a sword in his hand, only a seal, we conclude that he has not come to judge, but to seal us.

With this part of the equation solved, we then move to the ninth chapter of Ezekiel.

First, let us have one more look at Revelation 7. In solving this part of the equation we started from the outside, with the known quantity; then, worked our way into the heart of this symbolism.

In solving the symbolism of Isaiah 11:1, the Davidian ministers at the supper were like the dogs and cats – they started right in the center of the pie and began eating outward.

The pie was so good and they ate so fast that they filled themselves on the very choice part of the pie and were ready to take their leave. But their hospitable hosts said, "No, you are not going to eat the choice bit of the pie and leave that which you have trampled for us to eat. Stay right there and help us eat the other two-thirds of the pie." You know the story from here (Eze. 34:17-19). A very crude and simple narrative, indeed; nevertheless, there is no possible chance to miss the lesson, brethren.

Now, back to our mathematical equation. Since we have worked our way into the center of the problem, we do not continue on through the center, but we pull out and go around on the other side and start working our way in toward the center.

In Revelation 7, the known quantity was the sealing angel. In Ezekiel 9, the unknown quantity is the marking Man, the Man in linen (Ezekiel 9:2). How do we know this? Because in Revelation 7 the sealing angel is the fifth angel or message but in Ezekiel 9, the marking Man is not the fifth but the sixth.

You see, brethren, what we know to be truth in Revelation 7 we do not have light on in Ezekiel 9. Therefore, we conclude these two, angel and Man, are not the same. They are two different entities. If one should say, they know who the Man in linen is they are telling us that they know something they do not. This would be hypocrisy of the worst kind. No one, deep down, wants to be a hypocrite.

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Now that we are settled on the part of the symbolism of Ezekiel 9, that we do not know, let us go to the other end of the problem and begin with the part that we do know.

When we start to solve the symbol of Ezekiel 9, we find that if the truth hidden in Revelation 7 becomes the truth that is revealed in Ezekiel 9. For instance, the four angels in Revelation 7 have a hurting weapon in their hands, ready to hurt. We, then, come to the conclusion that if we find an angel elsewhere in the Bible, regardless where, with the same characteristics and the same numerical value, he must assuredly be the same.

On the other hand, take an angel in one part of the Bible that has a seal and a numerical value of five; then, in some other place in the Bible you should find where it tells of a man doing the same kind of work, but his numerical value is six, the logical conclusion is that they are not one and the same because their numerical value is different.

In Revelation 7, there are four angels getting ready to hurt. The Lord's servant reasoned that if they were going to hurt, they logically must have something with which to hurt. Now, truth, "if it cannot save them it will eventually destroy them." – Timely Greetings,Vol. 1, No. 20, p. 14.

Since the Bible is the Sword of the Spirit, the angels, therefore, must have it in their hands, the truth, a prophetic message.

Coming back to Ezekiel 9, we have five men with slaughter weapons or something with which to kill. We agree a slaughter weapon is a sword. You say, how does this fit in with Revelation 7:2 when there are only four angels with hurting weapons, or instruments; whereas, in Ezekiel 9 there are six men with destroying instruments?

Here the mark of division narrows to a very fine line. Without Inspiration, one is likely to run into deep water. Not only that, but it is possible he could get into a whirlpool and be taken under. So the safe thing to do is put this, as all other writings, to the test of the Law and the Testimony.

Let us reason in this manner: say the first four men in Ezekiel 9 have the same thing in their hands as is in the hands of the first four angels in Revelation 7:2. Furthermore, we conclude it is possible these instruments of destruction and hurting could represent four great prophetic messages or movements. Matthew saw them as calls from early morning

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to, and including the ninth hour.

"For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And he said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise." Matt. 20:1-5.

Each of these prophetic movements have finished their sealing work.

The Shepherd's Rod was the next prophetic message. It is a sealing message in Revelation 7; but in Ezekiel 9, it is a message of destruction, the fifth man with a slaughter weapon in his hand. In other words, the angel that came from the East to seal 144,000 has finished his work of sealing. He has laid down his seal and taken up his slaughter weapon joining his four predecessors.

Now that we have solved the, heretofore, unsolved equation and the answer is correct and without a flaw, we have no trouble in identifying the sixth man. Yes, we can conclude beyond a shadow of a doubt that the sixth man is God's next great prophetic movement on earth, that of the separation.

"Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. And it shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein." Zech. 13: 7,8.

"In this separation, according to verse 8, the people are divided in three parts: Evidently they are the saints, the hypocrites, and the heathen. The two latter parts are to be cut off (separated from the saints), and they are to die. Concerning the future of the former third...read verse 9." – Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 18 (Revised), p. 18. (Parenthesis belongs to quotation)

With this information in hand, we should have little difficulty in solving the remainder of the equation.

In Revelation 7, the swords are in the hands of the four angels while

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in Ezekiel 9, the swords are in the hands of the six men. This shows, we repeat, that the fifth or sealing angel had laid down his seal and a man had taken it up as a slaughter weapon.

Evidently, John saw the work under the sealing time during which the swords only hurt. Ezekiel saw in vision beyond the sealing and at the beginning of the Judgment of the Living, a time in which men know how to use the sword of the Spirit. At the beginning of the Judgment of the Living, then, God's people will evidently receive a measure of the power of the Holy Spirit. For example, Peter questioned Ananias and Sapphira who lied to the Holy Ghost. This is a type of the Judgment of the Living.

If Brother Houteff is this man in linen, it is time for him to come forth from the grave for he (the man in linen) is to announce the day the Judgment of the Living is to begin. He has the seal of life and a sword of death.

Now, brethren, you can begin to see what we workers have to face in the field. The people are saying all this and much more. When we do not give them an answer from the Rod message, they say, "We are going to hold back our tithes until this thing is straightened out."

This thing has just begun. If something is not done and done quickly, it will spread until the Denomination gets the news that is going around. Don't think that Adventist ministers will not use these things against us. They would jump at the chance to tell how the Davidians are holding back the tithes.

It was recommended, brethren, at the recent field-workers meeting that you call a General Field Workers meeting from everywhere, say, October the 10th. This would give us time to solve this solemn situation before the people come for the 25th.

You know better than we do how slow the tithes are coming in nowadays. It may be, Joel looked down through the stream of time and saw this condition which caused him to write:

"Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord." Joel 1:14.

"He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly

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with thy God?" Mic. 6:8.

Let us know immediately if October 10th is satisfactory. If we do not get your answer by September 27th, we will conclude October 10th to be satisfactory. This invitation is for both workers and laymen.

Yours to finish the work that God has given us,

THE BRANCH

NOTE: October 10th is THE DATE SET for the field workers meeting.

"...he (Ezekiel) will bear it (the message of the Judgment of the Living - 1 Pet. 4:17) to the people at the commencement of the 'LOUD CRY (one of the 'four main facts.')." – Pre-Eleventh Hour Extra, Tract No. 1, p. 37. The Judgment of the Living or the "Loud Cry" did not begin in 1929 (see chart: The Harvest Period and the Close of Probation).

"Because it is a trial, and what if the sword contemn even the rod? it shall be no more, saith the Lord God." Eze. 21:13.

"And the Lord hath given a commandment concerning thee, that no more of thy name (Shepherd's Rod) be sown: out of the house of thy gods will I cut off the graven image and the molten image: I will make thy grave; for thou art vile. Behold upon the mountains the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace! O Judah (Davidian Seventh-day Adventists), keep thy solemn feasts, perform thy vows FOR THE WICKED SHALL NO MORE PASS THROUGH THEE; HE IS UTTERLY CUTOFF." Nah. 1:14,15.

"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple (Judgment of the Living), even the messenger of the covenant whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts." Mal. 3:1.

"Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and

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obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him." Ex. 23:20,21.

"Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of HIS PLACE (not at the head of the work), and he shall build the temple of the Lord." Zech. 6:12.

"...Behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH." Zech. 3:8.

"Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him." Matt. 25:6.

"Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, sound an alarm in my holy mountain (Davidian Seventh-day Adventist church): let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." Joel 2:1. Israel blew the trumpet ten days before the Day of Atonement.

"For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many. They that sanctify themselves and purify themselves in the gardens behind one tree in the midst, eating swine's flesh, and the abomination, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, saith the Lord." Isa. 66:15-17.

"Then said I, Ah Lord God! behold, my soul hath not been polluted: for from my youth up even till now have I not eaten of that which dieth of itself, or is torn in pieces; neither came there abominable flesh into my mouth." Eze. 4:14.

The warning is to put all abominations out of our houses, if we are to live in His sight "...for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the Lord." Hos. 1:2. All foods contaminated with swine products and preservatives – commercial flours, white sugar and shortenings. Idols are to be put away – those that speak, and those that do not.

"Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments." Mal. 4:4.

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WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE SAYING

October 3, 1955

Executive Council

Davidian Seventh-day Adventists

Mt. Carmel Center

Waco, Texas

Dear Brethren:

By the time this letter is in the mail, many will have received their copies of the first letter. And by the time they receive this word they will have read and digested the first.

Because of the shortness of time, these letters are written so simply that the most unschooled will have no trouble understanding them.

It is the desire of this organization to keep its people well posted on the happenings of the day. Each layman, each child, is to know the most secret things, even of the highest branch of the organization.

The NOTE in the first letter sounded an alarm in the Davidian Seventh-day Adventist church. This letter must be the second trumpet that Joel wrote about. The children of Israel blew the trumpets for ten days before the Atonement. These trumpets will be heard throughout the Davidian Seventh-day Adventist church for ten days.

This movement began with a fast (Joel 1:14). It will spread to all honest Davidian Seventh-day Adventists. October 10 IS THE DATE SET for this most solemn occasion. As in the days of Israel, all will want to be there that day. This, therefore, must be the first direct fulfillment of Joel's trumpet.

"Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps: set thine heart toward the highway, even the way which thou wentest: turn again, O virgin of Israel (144,000, "for they are virgins." Rev. 14:4), turn again, to these thy cities." Jer. 31:21. No doubt, this meeting, October 10, will be one of the waymarks recorded here in Jeremiah's prophecy.

"How long wilt thou go about, O thou backsliding daughter? for the Lord hath created a new thing (a new message) in the earth. A woman

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shall compass a man (before the spiritual birth)." Jer. 31:22.

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool." Isa. 1:18.

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9.

Now, if the message of 1929 did all of this for us, and there is not one sinner among us as a people, then Jeremiah 31:22 and the last part of Nahum 1:15 were fulfilled at that time.

If Brother Houteff did not sin after receiving the message of 1929 – a Heaven-sent message, we all agree – he is the man prophesied in Jeremiah 31:22 – a man compassed by a woman – a full grown Christian, with the Righteousness of Christ imparted to him.

John says, "Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." 1 John 3:9.

If the Scriptures here quoted were the burden of the message in 1929, we can easily see it was wrongly named Shepherd's Rod. It should have been called The Branch, "The Lord our Righteousness."

Ezekiel saw the same man, as recorded in Ezekiel 9, as Jeremiah saw in Jeremiah 31:22. The sixth man in Ezekiel's vision had a writer's inkhorn by his side, a weapon in his hand, and had on a linen suit (linen is the symbol of Christ's Righteousness). Therefore, if Brother Houteff is to fulfill the work of the man in linen, he must hastily come forth from the grave, announce the Judgment Day (of the living), and rename the literature.

In Chapter 3, Zechariah saw Joshua clothed, first with his own righteousness, then with Christ's after the Lord rebuked Satan.

At first, Isaiah saw himself an unclean person, living among an unclean people. Then he saw himself after the Seraphim gave him "a live coal (symbol of purification or baptism of the Holy Ghost)." Isa. 6:6. Will Jeremiah, or Zechariah, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Brother Houteff or someone else fulfill these prophecies?

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These are some of the questions the people are asking us.

Another example is Ezekiel 37. We all know that the Shepherd's Rod teaches that the Seventh-day Adventist church is Judah – law giver two tribes, and that the ten tribes (Ephraim) are scattered throughout the world. It also teaches that the 144,000, or 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes are sealed while in the true church – virgins. How do we account for this?

God tells Ezekiel to take one stick and write on it, or point out who is Judah; then take another stick and write on it, or point out who is Joseph.

"Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions." Eze. 37:16.

There must be a type for this prophecy recorded somewhere in the Bible. Where there is no type there is no truth (or antitype). The Bible gives us a record of just such a division. The twelve tribes were divided when Rehoboam, Solomon's son, became king. The new king put a double burden upon the people and this caused the ten northern tribes to pull away from the Union. Jeroboam became their king. His kingdom was known as Ephraim, Joseph, or Israel, and sometimes is called Samaria. The two southern tribes, with Rehoboam as their king, became known as Judah. Their capital city was Jerusalem; so they became known also as Jews. This happened according to prophecy and the Lord's will, so the Bible says.

Paul tells us these things were recorded for our learning; or, what they did, we will do. Sister White says, "We are repeating the history of that people." –Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 160. We have an exact parallel to that division of Israel in the Advent Movement. When the Lord gave Brother Houteff the message in 1929, it came as a fulfillment of prophecy. Whatever he did, it was prophesied and it was the Lord's will.

Brother Houteff, like Rehoboam, spoke harsh words to the people and put a double taxation upon them. When we were Seventh-day Adventists we paid one tithe. To be a Davidian Seventh-day Adventist we must pay the second tithe. This is what caused the shaking in the church.

"I asked the meaning of the shaking I had seen, and was shown that

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it would be caused by the straight testimony called forth by the counsel of the True Witness to the Laodiceans. This will have its effect upon the heart of the receiver, and will lead him to exalt the standard and pour forth the straight truth. Some will not bear this straight testimony. They will rise up against it, and this is what will cause a shaking among God's people." – Early Writings, p. 270.

You see, friends, we have two groups of Advent people. Seventh-day Adventists (Ephraim) looking for Jesus to come in the clouds and take them to Heaven; Davidian Seventh-day Adventists (Judah – law giver) looking for Jesus to come and purge the rebels from among us, and take us to the Kingdom; therefore, two sticks.

This information adds power and force to the fact that the Advent people are spiritual Israel of today.

God told Ezekiel to write the names on the two sticks (Eze. 37:16). We know that God would not have told Ezekiel to do something and not have told him how to do it. He is not like we are. He is very exact in His business. These statements are true and cannot be denied.

The Advent people are shown also in Ezekiel 23. "Son of man, there were two women, the daughters of one mother: And they committed whoredoms in Egypt; ...And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters (converts). Thus were their names; Samaria (Seventh-day Adventists, Egypt, and Assyria) is Aholah, and Jerusalem (Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, Assyria and Babylon of Chaldea) is Aholibah." Eze. 23:2-4.

"Behold, everyone that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter. Thou art thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister (Davidian Seventh-day Adventists) of thy sisters (Seventh-day Adventists), which loathed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite. And thine elder sister (Seventh-day Adventist) is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister (Davidian Seventh-day Adventist), that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters." Eze. 16:44-46.

One person could accuse another of wrong conduct and the accusation be true, but the guilty, by words, proves himself innocent. When God points out our sins He does not give place for argument. Then,

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friends, are we going to accuse God, and say, "let man be true," or do we say, "let God be true, and every man a liar?" Rom. 3:4.

Are we going to be like the Laodicean angel who says, "I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing;" when God says he is "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked?" Rev. 3:17.

Isaiah tells us what we really ought to do: "Sanctify the Lord of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a STONE of stumbling and for a rock of offense to BOTH THE HOUSES OF ISRAEL, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem." Isa. 8:13,14.

In 1929, God set a stumbling block (a message – Righteousness by Faith) before the Laodiceans and many stumbled over it. If those that stumbled will humble themselves, rise up and shake off the dust, the Lord can save them.

At this time God lays a stone of stumbling or a stumbling stone (a much harder saying, or message – The Righteousness of Christ) before his people (Davidian Seventh-day Adventists). If we fall on the stone (Christ) and be broken, He will save us. If we stumble over the stone (message) the Stone (Christ) will fall on us and grind us to pieces.

The following are a few more of the many things the people are saying which apply to us:

"Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom (Davidian Seventh-day Adventists), pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good. Neither hath Samaria (Seventh-day Adventists) committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast JUSTIFIED thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done." Eze. 16:49-51.

"When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate. For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride." Eze. 16:55,56.

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These verses of Scripture evidently mean that Ezekiel is a person who took pride in the church and did not expose her sins. It may mean also that he more or less tried to shield her from criticism. In other words, Ezekiel does not trust his own wisdom.

Now that God has given him a message of stern rebuke, it is not his own words he uses, but God's. When the two sisters, Sodom (Davidian Seventh-day Adventists) and Samaria (Seventh-day Adventists), verse 55, return to their first love and innocence, then Ezekiel will (verse 55, last part) have no more to say against them. Where God speaks, Ezekiel speaks and where God is silent, Ezekiel is silent. This shows that he is God's representative on earth and God's mind or will is in him.

The people say that the prophets, Zechariah, Isaiah, Malachi, Ezekiel, and Jeremiah did not see a person being raised from the dead to be God's representative, but that all five saw him as one living and receiving Christ's righteousness in the place of his own righteousness; also, they say Brother Houteff proves in General Conference Special, p. 23, that he is not this person.

They say furthermore, brethren, that the people are not only saying these things but that God is saying them too. This should erase from our minds all doubts as to the identity of the "man in linen" and "Elijah."

So, brethren, we assume that you have notified all of our people of this most solemn event; also, that you will be looking forward to meeting with the Lord on October 10.

Yours to finish the task that God has set before us,

THE BRANCH

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WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE SAYING

October 7, 1955

Executive Council

Davidian Seventh-day Adventists

Mt. Carmel Center

Waco, Texas

Dear Brethren:

The Lord is coming in His chariot October 10 to purify the Davidian camp. And they send a warning to all honest souls at Mt. Carmel to flee the Hill shortly after the meeting. For the Lord is going to rain terror on the Hill because of her sins.

This is what they say; then, they give us their proof from Inspiration.

The stick, Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, has the name Judah written on it; "Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions." Eze. 37:16. The names Jerusalem and Aholibah are also written on the stick. "And the names of them were Aholah the elder, and Aholibah her sister: and they were mine, and they bare sons and daughters. Thus were their names; Samaria is Aholah, and Jerusalem Aholibah." Eze. 23:4.

"And when her sister (Aholah's sister) Aholibah saw this, she (Aholibah) was more corrupt in her inordinate love than she, and in her whoredoms more than her sister (Aholah, Seventh-day Adventists) in her whoredoms." Eze. 23:11.

"And thine elder sister is Samaria (Seventh-day Adventists), she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister (Davidian Seventh-day Adventists), that dwelleth at thy right hand, is SODOM and her daughters." Eze. 16:46.

"Samaria (Seventh-day Adventists) ...prophesied in Baal." Jer. 23:13. The Lord saw in the prophets of Jerusalem (Davidian Seventh-day Adventists) horrible things of wickedness. And says they are unto Him as SODOM and GOMORRAH. "I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies: they strengthen also the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his

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wickedness: they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah." Jer. 23:14.

If the first part of Jeremiah 23:1-8 applies to the 144,000 after the purification, then, Jeremiah 23:10-40 applies to Seventh-day Adventist and Davidian Seventh-day Adventists before the purification; "...in the latter days ye shall consider it perfectly." Jer. 23:20.

It is not right for us to accept all the nice things the Lord says about us and then deny all the bad things of which He says we are guilty.

"And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, the were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is REVEALED. In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is in the field, let him likewise not return back. REMEMBER LOT'S WIFE." Luke 17:26-32.

"Son of man, speak to the children of thy people, and say unto them, When I bring the sword upon a land, if the people of the land take a man of their coasts, and set him for their watchman: If when he seeth the sword come upon the land, he blow the trumpet, and warn the people; Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and TAKETH NOT WARNING; IF THE SWORD COME, AND TAKE HlM AWAY, HIS BLOOD SHALL BE UPON HIS OWN HEAD. He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul." Eze. 33:2-5.

"So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore THOU SHALT HEAR THE WORD AT MY MOUTH, AND WARN THEM FROM ME ....HIS BLOOD WILL I REQUIRE AT THINE HAND." Eze. 33:7,8.

So everyone is to flee from Sodom and not look back. "REMEMBER LOT'S WIFE." Luke 17:32. This is what the people are saying, and they say God is saying it, too.

THE BRANCH

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WHAT THE PEOPLE ARE SAYING

October 18, 1955

Executive Council

Davidian Seventh-day Adventists

Mt. Carmel Center

Waco, Texas

Dear Brethren:

They say that Brother Houteff was the true interpreter God called in 1929 and that he started a true reformation in the Seventh-day Adventist church – modern day Israel (Judah – 2 tribes – lawgiver).

"The 'city' (Jerusalem) is God's church; namely, the Seventh-day Adventists (Israel)." – The Shepherd's Rod, Vol. 1, p. 129. (Parentheses belong to quotation)

Example: "Let Leah represent the true church of Christ (Seventh-day Adventists); Rachael, a sister church, but not the true (Protestant); Zilpah and Bilhah, the world (religious and irreligious). These are the mothers of the 144,000, and the way they (144,000) are gathered. But while the twelve tribes come from many mothers, they were begotten by the same father. So with the true – the 144,000. While they are gathered from all churches and the world, they must be brought into one church, at the same period of church history, by the same message (the third angel's message)." – Ibid., p. 62. (Parentheses belong to quotation)

"If the first Pharaoh makes a perfect type of the church leadership in the days of the apostles, then we must accept the last Pharaoh who knows not Joseph, as a perfect type of the church leadership who have turned from following Christ their Leader. Volume 5, page 217: 'The church has turned back from following Christ, her Leader, and is steadily retreating toward Egypt.' Thus Israel the true (the 144,000) became slaves under Egyptian bondage (the sins in the world)." – Ibid., pp. 106,107. (Parentheses belong to quotation)

With the sword of true interpretation of the Scripture, Brother Houteff, in 1929, took Judah captive. Therefore, she is no longer the property of King Pharaoh and Egypt (or Seventh-day Adventists).

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About 1935, after five years of besieging Jerusalem, the king of Babylon (Brother V. T. Houteff) took Judah to Mt. Carmel and she became his property. He was king of Mt. Carmel. Tract No. 8, Mt. Zion at the Eleventh Hour. Mt. Carmel became Jerusalem, because Jerusalem is the capital of Judah.

Some say this is very deep and hard to understand. When you take into consideration the key of the king of Babylon found in Ezekiel 24:1-3; also the key of king Pharaoh, king of Egypt, found in The Shepherd's Rod, Vol. 1, p. 106,107 (quoted previous page), it all becomes quite simple.

"Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem this same day. And utter a parable unto the rebellious house, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Set on a pot, set it on, and pour water into it." Eze. 24:1-3.

The key found in Ezekiel 37:15-17 gives us understanding of all the religious names of Seventh-day Adventists and Davidian Seventh-day Adventists found in the book of Ezekiel. One key for the religious names and another key for the civil, help us understand who and what we are talking about in the book of Ezekiel.

"Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they shall become one in thine hand." Eze. 37:15-17.

These bright and shining keys never before used by any prophet – Brother Houteff or any before him – open up for us the mystery of Ezekiel's prophecies as never before.

God gave Brother Houteff the keys to the hard prophecies in the book of Ezekiel. Today, He is furnishing the keys to the easy portion of that same book.

The king of Babylon prophesied in Ezekiel 24:1-3 is not the same as the one of 1930. No, not any more than the fifth man with a slaughter weapon is the same as the man in linen the sixth man with the writer's inkhorn.

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We all agree that Brother Houteff was Ezekiel since he opened up those hard prophecies of Ezekiel 4 etc. This being the case, he could not be the man in linen (Ezekiel 10:2). For Ezekiel says he saw the man in linen go in between the wheels. "And he went in in my sight." A man just does not see himself go some place in his own sight. The wrong kind of speech for man to use, let alone God.

Yes, we will have to admit there are two Ezekiels in this prophecy. Just as there are two kings of Babylon.

Brethren, we should let the Lord's Spirit work, for it is not by might the work will be finished, but it is "by my spirit, saith the Lord." Zech. 4:6.

When the Lord throws light on a subject in the Bible, that subject becomes so clear and simple even the children can see and understand it. All the prying, studying, and speculating man might do will avail nothing but confusion.

Considering these prophecies in the light of the foregoing explanations, the subject is quite clear. Brother Houteff (Ezekiel or king of Babylon) came to Jerusalem (the Seventh-day Adventist church) in 1929-1930 and divided the sanctuary – one at Takoma Park (Seventh-day Adventists — Ephraim, Samaria, Aholah, Assyria and Egypt) – the other, later at Mt. Carmel Center (Davidian Seventh-day Adventists Judah, Jerusalem, Aholibah, Assyria, Babylon of Chaldea and Sodom). See Ezekiel 37:15-17; also chapters 23 and 16.

When Judah was in the Seventh-day Adventist church she had the name of Egypt (Eze. 23:19) but when she was taken out of Egypt (in reality Egypt or Ephraim separated herself from Judah), she dropped only the name of Egypt and added the names Assyria, Babylon of Chaldea and Sodom.

You see, friends, the call today is not to come out of Egypt but to come out of Babylon of Chaldea or Sodom, before she burns (What The People Are Saying, Letter No. 3). Letter No. 3 arrived at Mt. Carmel the morning of October 10. The trumpets are to sound ten days from that date.

Are his people at Mt. Carmel going to do as the Sodomites of old and be stubborn and remain? God is giving all ten days to make up their minds. The Scriptures teach us that if as much had been done for Sodom as has been done for us, she would have repented. Are His

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people going to take God at His Word or will an angel have to take them by the hand and lead them out as they did Lot in Sodom?

According to the parable of Ezekiel 24:1-3, October 22, 1955 is the last day of the Jewish civil year and also the 10th day of the seventh month of the religious year or the Atonement Day. Therefore, October 22 must be the day of the showdown on Mt. Carmel. Since the trumpets are to be heard for only ten days it must be that one has to make his decision by October 20.

There is one thing certain: Ezekiel appeared in the 9th year of his captivity at Mt. Carmel Center, speaking a parable of the king of BabyIon coming to Jerusalem on the day and at the time that God told him.

"When considered in the light of the four main facts so far established, these questions are virtually self-answering: (1) the Lord comes to earth in this chariot; (2) from it He commands Ezekiel to go speak to His people; (3) Ezekiel did not bear the message to the people of his day; (4) he will bear it to the people at the commencement of the 'Loud Cry' (Rev. 18:1)." – Pre-Eleventh Hour Extra, Tract No. 1, pp. 36,37.

Ezekiel is to deliver his message to king Pharaoh on October 12, one year later. "The Lord said moreover unto me; Son of man, wilt thou judge Aholah and Aholibah? yea, declare unto them their abominations." Eze. 23:36. Almost one year later he is to deliver his message to Tyre, not on the 10th or 12th, but on the 1st day of the month.

Why these different days on which Ezekiel is to deliver his message? We do not exactly know as yet. If, though, it is necessary for us to know, the Lord will reveal it to us.

It seems as though the Lord is especially good to Davidians in this case. He seems to take into consideration that we have been so busy warning the Laodiceans of the impending doom that we overlooked the fact that He is going to judge us also.

Since the day comes so suddenly, the Lord gives us ten days to make up our minds to move. Then He allows two days for those to move who make up their minds at the last moment. This would give everyone time to get settled and ready for the Sabbath. Then they could be back on the 22nd for the showdown.

What was supposed to have happened on October 10 really did happen. Ezekiel through his letters and presence uttered the parable of

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Ezekiel 24:1-3. So the Lord took away the desire of Ezekiel's eyes (the Sanctuary) with a stroke. "Son of man, behold, I take away from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke: yet neither shalt thou mourn nor weep, neither shall thy tears run down." Eze. 24:16. The people are to know that the Lord will profane His sanctuary, the desire of their eyes. (Eze. 24:21). The house of Israel is to do as Ezekiel did. "Thus Ezekiel is unto you a sign." Eze. 24:24.

This shows that Ezekiel has come and written on the sticks. His next job is to join the sticks (Ephraim and Judah) together. By this simple means the Lord will cause all Davidian up-shoots and off-shoots to pass away. When Judah has only one sanctuary left, Ezekiel is to deliver the message that will join the two sticks. They are to be one stick one kingdom – twelve tribes. With no sinners among them, they will live in peace and harmony forever.

Brother Houteff tells us that the 430 year prophecy of Ezekiel 4 and also the 430 years of Genesis 15:13 run parallel in our time. "The typical 430 years prophesied to Abraham began in the true (our time) with Martin Luther ... therefore both prophecies – the one to Abraham and the one to Ezekiel – refer to the same period in our time. The one to Abraham stands as a type, but the other is a direct prophecy, and both run parallel in our time."– The Shepherd's Rod, Vol. 1, p. 116. (Parenthesis belongs to quotation). He also states that they run to the fulfillment of Ezekiel 9.

"The question may be asked, Why would God make a double prophecy for the same thing? - because the old prophecy (the type) only gives the details from the beginning of the third angel's message to the fulfillment of Ezekiel 9. The prophecy by Ezekiel gives the information in detail from the beginning of Luther's reformation to Ezekiel 9, marking of the 144,000, and unrolling of the scroll. ('Not all in regard to this matter is yet understood, nor will it be understood until the unrolling of the scroll.' Volume 6, page 17.)" – Ibid. (Parentheses belong to quotation) Read the unrolling of the scroll, Revelation 14:14-17.

In the light of this key statement let us reason together.

We know that Ezekiel 9 did not begin in 1930, but we did have an unrolling of the scroll at that time. The statement says that the 430 years started with Luther's reformation and fulfills at Ezekiel 9 and the unrolling of the scroll. This statement is saying that there is to be another unrolling of the scroll at Ezekiel 9.

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In other words Brother Houteff (Ezekiel) is simply saying that he not this man in linen. But he saw him (either by faith or vision) go in between the wheels. If these prophecies that we have no understanding of, heretofore, are opening up now; then the scroll is unrolling before our very eyes, and some are too stupified with one thing or another to see it.

Since the two 430 year periods run parallel with each other to Ezekiel 9, our figures should correspond to our prediction.

Example No. 1-A:

Ezekiel 4 prophecy: 1530 (Augsburg Confession) + 390 = 1920 (Brother Houteff joined the Seventh-day Adventist church) + 40 = 1960 – Ezekiel 9 or end of the 70 years of captivity since 1890.

Example No. 1-B:

Genesis 15:13 – Abraham's prophecy: 1530 (Augsburg Confession) + 400 = 1930 (Shepherd's Rod message) + 30 = 1960 – Ezekiel 9 or end of the 70 years of captivity since 1890.

Example No. 2-A:

Ezekiel 4 prophecy: 1525 (Luther marries Kathryn von Bora) + 390 = 1915 (Sister White dies) + 40 = 1955 – Ezekiel 9 or the 70 years of captivity since 1890 cut short in righteousness.

Example No. 2-B:

Genesis 15:13 – Abraham's prophecy: 1525 (Luther marries Kathryn von Bora) + 400 = 1925 (compilation of Christ Our Righteousness) + 30 = 1955 – Ezekiel 9 or the 70 years of captivity since 1890, cut short in righteousness.

The coincidences of the children of Israel would work out about the same. Which date was the more important to Luther? When he became 17 years of age, 1500, or when he married Kathryn von Bora? Which year is important to the Lord and His people, 1930, when the sealing message started or the year He starts to redeem His people, in 1955?

"Jesus has left us word: 'Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning: LEST COMING SUDDENLY HE FIND

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YOU SLEEPING. And what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch.' We are waiting and watching for the return of the Master, who is to bring the morning, LEST COMING SUDDENLY HE FIND US SLEEPING. What time is here referred to? Not to the revelation of Christ in the clouds of heaven to find a people asleep. No, but to His return from His ministration in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, when He lays off His priestly attire and clothes Himself with garments of vengeance, and when the mandate goes forth: 'He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.' " Testimonies Vol. 2, pp. 190,191.

When the 144,000 are marked (sealed) and our High Priest lays off His priestly attire in the atonement for the living in the house of God (1 Pet. 4:17), He will clothe Himself with garments of vengeance. Those who have failed to make the preparation will lament and mourn, "The harvest (Investigative Judgment of the Living) is past and we are not saved." Jer. 8:20.

"THIS IS THE TIME OF RECKONING WITH HIS SERVANTS." Ibid., p. 191.

"Probation closes; Christ's intercessions cease in heaven. This time finally comes suddenly upon all, and those who have neglected to purify their souls by obeying the truth are found sleeping. They became weary of waiting and watching; they became indifferent in regard to the coming of their Master." – Ibid.

"If such had only known that the work of Christ in the heavenly sanctuary would close so soon, how differently would they have conducted themselves, how earnestly would they have watched! The Master, anticipating all this, gives them timely warning in the command to watch. He distinctly states the suddenness of His coming... The Master comes, and instead of their being ready to open unto Him immediately, they are locked in worldly slumber, and are lost at last." Ibid., pp. 191,192.

Yes, the Lord's people are locked in worldly slumber so deeply they think as do the Seventh-day Adventists, that the Lord does not mean to let the wheat and tares grow together. They think it is their duty to root up the tares. The Scripture says: "Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." Matt. 13:30.

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We seem to forget that this is to be done by the angels. The fact that the church is still casting out, shows us that we are still in the sealing time and not in the marking, slaying time. Therefore, the man in linen is not directing the work at Mt. Carmel. Neither is the sealing angel directing the work. But men are directing the work and doing the best they know how, no doubt. They are to be commended for doing the very best they know how. This does not alter the fact that they will reject the very messages God sends because it does not come in a way that pleases them. "This work of separation or cleansing, brought to view in the parable of Matthew 13:30 and again in that of Matthew 13:47-49; also in the prophecy of Malachi 3:1-3 and in that of Ezekiel 9, a well as in Revelation 14, is directly applicable to the judgment day for the living." – The Judgment and the Harvest, Tract No. 3, p. 49.

"...the Lord's coming to His temple (Mal. 3:1-3), His coming with all His angels (Matt. 25), and His coming enthroned above the living creatures (Ezek. 1), – all three representing the same event, as has beer shown, – take place at the beginning of the Judgment of the Living: the time in which the judicial activities of the heavenly sanctuary extend to the earthly sanctuary – the church." – Ibid., p. 47.

Compare Ezekiel 9 with Malachi 3:1-3; Revelation 14; Matthew 13 and 25 as Tract No. 3 did in the two preceeding statements; then we have a better understanding of Ezekiel 9. We see too, that Ezekiel does not begin at the passover as a slaughter but on the Atonement Day with the investigation.

Furthermore, if we read Ezekiel 9 in the light we now have, we see that Ezekiel 9 begins with us – Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem first – not Ephraim, Israel, Samaria. Ezekiel 9 does not stop with Judah. It runs through Ephraim (the Seventh-day Adventists) and then the world.

In other words we can not say probation closes for the church, then, boom, Ezekiel 9! This is what we have been guilty of without realizing what we were doing. We are just as guilty of lowering the harvest boom on the Seventh-day Adventists as they do on the world.

"Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitfull hill: And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress (printing press) therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. And now, O inhabitants

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of Jerusalem, and men of Judah (Davidian Seventh-day Adventists), judge, I pray you, betwixt me (God) and my vineyard. What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain (spiritual rain) upon it. For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel (Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry." Isa. 5:1-7.

These verses of Scripture tell a sad story for us Davidians but the Lord gives us a remedy in verse three. He says to choose betwixt Him and His vineyard.

What is your decision, brethren, are you going to choose the Lord by accepting His message, "The Lord Our Righteousness?" Jer. 23:6. Or are you going to hang onto the old ship and go down with it (Isa. 5:6)?

There are seven woes passed upon this vineyard. Six are found in Isaiah 5. Read them. The seventh is found in Isaiah 33:1.

"Woe to thee that spoilest, and thou wast not spoiled; and dealest treacherously, and they dealt not treacherously with thee! when thou shalt cease to spoil (when your light quits coming with which to spoil), thou shalt be spoiled; and when thou shalt make an end to deal treacherously (Jezreel Letters cease), they (The Branch letters) shall deal treacherously with thee." Isa. 33:1.

Read the remainder of this chapter, and you will see a much brighter picture in contrast to that of Isaiah 5.

The king of Babylon spoiled Jerusalem October 10, 1955. Just how much spoil he got will be determined on the Atonement Day, October 22, 1955 and forward.

"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." Mal. 4:5,6.

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"Let Heaven Guide. Prophecy must be fulfilled. The Lord says: ‘Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.' Somebody is to come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and when he appears, men may say: 'You are to earnest, you do not interpret the Scriptures in the proper way. Let me tell you how to teach your message.' " – Testimonies to Ministers, p. 475

"However, I would remind you, Brethren, that no prophet of God has ever been welcomed by the church... For this very reason we must remember that when the LAST PROPHET comes he will have the greatest opposition to meet, for Satan well knows that if he loses now he loses forever. What makes Elijah's work especially hard is that Christendom has long been drilled in the idea that no prophet is to come that there is no necessity for one, that it has enough revealed Truth to carry it inside the Pearly Gates." – General Conference Special, 1954 edition, pp. 6,7.

"It is therefore only to be expected that the predicted Elijah will be denounced as a false prophet, perhaps even as the ANTI-CHRIST, off shoot, or what not." – Ibid., p. 7.

"Moreover, the old Devil has already put all his forces to work, piping pleasing tunes to lure Truth seekers to climb aboard his golden bandwagon. Its glittering tinsel of truth is already beguiling many with his wares while his captains and generals are to the top of their voice! shouting their 'Hallelujahs,' 'Holy Ghost,' 'gift of healing,' 'gift of tongues,' 'gift of miracles,' and all the rest, although the entire fanfare is devoid even of a spark of life." – Ibid.

"This will be the Devil's deal while the day of God is approaching and while Elijah is making the announcement of it..." – Ibid.

"Nevertheless, one's only safety will be in the teaching of Elijah, for there will be no other VOICE of timely Truth and authority to whom one may turn. Any others will lead their victims blind-folded into perdition." – Ibid., p. 8.

" . . . no priest or prelate can decide for you who the Elijah may or may not be... The message he brings is the only thing to go by." Ibid.

"Likewise, irrespective of considerations of personnel faults, frailties, and failings, Elijah's message and movement will be the only God-sent ones, the only ones to fear, to love, to stand by, to live or to die for

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No, there will be no other shield when heaven opens and the storm breaks in all its dread fury upon the world, to unavoidably pour down its lethal lightning from the skies." – Ibid., p. 9.

" 'Behold, I will send My messenger [Elijah the Prophet, chapter 4, verse 5] , and he shall prepare the way before Me: and the Lord, Whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple...' " – Ibid., p. 11.

"All may for a surety know both 'the day' and the Elijah as he proclaims it... All will see that no one but Elijah can proclaim the day." – General Conference Special, p. 12.

"Joel's two chapters give us a most compact and vivid view of 'the great and dreadful day of the Lord.' From these alone we can clearly see what it is like. And as Elijah comes JUST BEFORE that DAY begins, he must necessarily be the one who is to interpret these prophecies of the day, and who consequently announces that the day is at hand." – Ibid., p. 19.

"This surely confirms the conclusion that since Elijah is to herald the great day, he can therefore be the only one who will rightly interpret the prophecies of the day . . ." – Ibid.

"To re-emphasize the fact, let it be said again that being the last of the prophets Elijah is, therefore, the only one who can open to our understanding all the prophecies of the Scriptures pertaining to the great and dreadful day of the Lord – prophecies which heretofore have been only mysteries to all. Thus he is, as the Scriptures say, to BLOW THE TRUMPET IN ZION, and to sound an alarm in God's holy mountain, in the church." – Ibid.

Brother Houteff did not blow the trumpet in Zion. Many of the mysteries in the book of Ezekiel were not explained in the Rod.

"Since the Scriptures clearly picture Elijah and his work, and also what the day is to be like, none who will humbly inquire about him and his work need to guess or to be in the dark concerning either his identity or his mission, for it is his God-given duty to publish the timely truths as revealed to him out of the prophecies." – Ibid., p. 22.

Brother Houteff links Elijah of today with that of the Judgment of the Living. "...and since the last work on earth is the Judgment for the Living, the truth stands forth like the light of day that Elijah's message is the message of the Judgment for the Living, the last, which in

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the very nature of the gospel is of far more importance and consquence than any other message ever borne to a people." – Ibid., pp. 23,24. We all well know that his work was the sealing work, not that of the separation. The separation takes place after the Shepherd (Brother Houteff) is smitten.

"Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones." Zech. 3:7. (See Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 18 Revised, pp. 17,18.)

How anyone could imagine to take an angel whose number is five in one part of a problem and use the same angel as number six in another part of the problem and think to get the correct answer is more than we are able to see.

Now let us look at this situation squarely in the face. As has been pointed out, there are two unrollings of the scroll with which we are dealing, one in 1929 and one at Ezekiel 9; two kings of Babylon – one to the Seventh-day Adventist church in 1929, the other to Davidian Seventh-day Adventists on October 10, 1955.

We have a sealing angel or an angel with a seal in his hand whose number is five and a MAN in linen with a writer's inkhorn by his side and a slaughter weapon in his hand whose number is six: or a message that divides the two sticks and a message that writes on the sticks and later, joins the sticks together in one sanctuary – one stick.

There is an interpretation of the 430 year prophecy ending at Ezekiel 9, and a 430 year prophecy, running parallel, ending in 1929-1930.

One Elijah writing of the great and terrible day of the Lord, and another Elijah pointing out the day. Reread General Conference Special on Elijah in connection with the Judgment of the Living.

There are some mystery parables that could be explained. If you are not yet convinced that the scroll is taking another turn; then, you would not be convinced though one arose from the dead.

After reading the above suggested references, one is able to get a better picture of how the Lord is to work at this time.

There is at least one thing the Elijah of today is to do and that is to turn hearts from the course they have, heretofore, been pursuing. If he

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fails in this one task, then he is a complete failure. All that would be left for the Lord to do is to smite with a curse.

The first thing for Elijah to do is to consult with the fathers. This consultation should be on a most vital subject. What could be more important to a parent than his children?

In order to talk to parents about their children we must first talk to the parents about themselves. Since the Judgment of the Living begins so soon it must be that God's heart has been turned toward us. Our relationship with God from here determines to what degree our hearts are turned to Him. If our hearts are in one hundred percent agreement with God, then we will be enabled to do what should be done for our children. In this manner and this alone is the heavenly family to grow, bear fruit, and multiply.

Elijah's work is to bring to our memory the law of Moses and to turn the heart of the parents to their children, and to turn the heart of the children to their parents lest the Lord our God smite those who continue in transgression with a curse (Mal. 4:4-6).

God is going to bring His work closer and closer. Parents, we need to prepare a close examination of self; this is for all of us. When our hearts are in tune with Heaven we will be enabled to do the necessary