{BL-19}

Introduction:

Almost without exception Davidian Seventh-day Adventists today do not correctly understand the meaning of the term, "the living Spirit of Prophecy," even though the Shepherd's Rod message has, many years ago, clearly and precisely defined this term. Davidians have in past years toiled to teach "Mother" (SDA) that she needed a spirit-filled, Truth-producing human agent or "the living Spirit of Prophecy" active in her midst.

Sad to say, despite Davidian's instruction to "Mother," she herself has lost sight of this "landmark" of the Rod message; one hears Davidians on every hand repeating the long disproven Laodicean idea that the "writings of the prophets is the living Spirit of Prophecy." Others in the Davidian ranks even say that they aren't sure just what it means to have "the living Spirit of Prophecy," even though much money, time, and effort have been spent to teach SDA the correct definition of this very term.

Therefore, at this time of disappointment in the Davidian camp, the Lord in His great mercy designs to bring Inspiration's cure for the Davidian dilemna by herewith re-activating the Rod's positive declarations as to the exact meaning of "the living Spirit of Prophecy" so that all may realize their need of It and quickly fill that need.

I. Inspiration's definition of "the living Spirit of Prophecy."

1. "Then it was that the prophets Haggai and Zechariah were called to their prophetic office and commissioned to receive and to reorganize the builders for the deserted temple project... The happy and surprising result was that within four short years the stately spiritual edifice was quickly finished, whereas all previous and strenuous efforts of kings and people, covering a period of over thirty years completely failed...

   "Let us now realistically consider why the builders' efforts and the king's decrees at first failed and why at last they succeeded: Before Haggai and Zechariah were called to the prophetic office, many of the Jews returned from Babylon to Jerusalem, although the majority remained in Babylon; that is, the builders voluntarily went to build only because the captivity had ended and because the king had decreed that the temple of God should be built. But both the builders' and the kings' efforts were a complete failure -- all came to naught. Then it was that through His prophets, Haggai and Zechariah God directed the work, and then it was that they quickly finished. In other words not before the Lord took the reins in His Own hands through the Spirit of Prophecy did the work prosper. In fact, sacred history proves that nothing has ever prospered in God's work without the living Spirit of Prophecy in its midst." Revised 1TG 10-20

Conclusion:

From this excellent record of the experience of God's people in the building of the typical temple, we may see clearly what the experience of God's people must be in the building of the antitypical temple -- the 144,000. The type demands that the builders of today, to be successful, must have God's inspired representative in their "midst" to tell them what God wants done and how. Only a foolish virgin, in the light of this type, would dare insist that the written word is "the Living Spirit of Prophecy."

Therefore:

• Note: Even though the foregoing portion of Inspiration is sufficient within itself to show concretely what it means to have "the living Spirit of Prophecy" in our midst, additional testimony is presented in the remaining portion of this lesson to show that God has given an abundant and undeniable "weight of evidence" to clarify the matter once and for all.

2. "Not long ago a certain minister said: 'My conception of the Spirit of Prophecy is different from yours; the prophecies in the Bible are my Spirit of Prophecy.' Now so he must say if the Spirit of Prophecy were not ever-active. But if the Spirit of prophecy begins and ends with the Bible then all Christians have the Spirit of Prophecy. If this is so though why does the Revelation make a distinction between Christians who have the Spirit of Prophecy and those who do not? This minister's idea is, to say the least, illogical, for it puts Rev. 12:17 and 19:10 in the realm of the meaningless.
   
   "But what is still worse, this same minister in later speaking to his congregation made The Shepherd's Rod teachings appear contradictory to Mrs. White's writings, which he termed the 'Spirit of Prophecy'!" Tract 6:46.

Conclusion:

Although all Christians have the truths that the Prophesying Spirit (or the Spirit of Prophecy) brought, and some, such as the Seventh-day Adventists and the Davidian Seventh-day Adventists have very recent truths brought by the Spirit, yet none of them have the living Spirit Prophesying (Spirit of Prophecy) in their midst, for their prophets are dead.

"...By cutting down the tree, to the heathen it symbolized their dead chief, and by propping it up, it symbolized life though one be dead. Now the fact that the spurious Christmas tree is widely celebrated not only by Christians, but also by non-Christians, the world by this act is worshiping the dead, a form of Shintoism. Worshiping the dead prophets and killing the live ones, is a brutal effort to block the progress of Truth, to deceive self and others. There is no doubt, the Church from creation till today has been led and preserved by the prophets and she can continue in no other way from here on." 2TG 26-23:1, 3.

One must be careful to differentiate between the "publications" containing that which the Spirit has prophesied and the Prophesying Spirit Itself. All Christendom has the product of the Spirit of Prophecy, but Revelation 19:10 and 12:17 refer to those who have the Prophesying Spirit of Prophecy active in their midst when the earth opens and swallows the flood.

The wise will ever keep in mind "That without the living Spirit of Prophecy in our midst there can be no success in any revival and reformation, and that the sooner we know it the quicker we shall achieve our goal. " 1TGr 10-27:2.

The wise, again, will at this point realize that "the living Spirit of Prophecy" cannot be the publications termed the Bible, the Testimonies, the Shepherd's Rod, for they are just ink and paper, the product of the Holy Prophesying Spirit (Spirit of Prophecy).

3. "To have the Spirit of Prophecy, is to have the Spirit Who uttered the prophecies and who only can interpret them, for 'no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation," nor without the inspiration of the same Spirit. 'For prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. (2 Peter 1:20, 21), and consequently only holy men of God in the Spirit can interpret the Scriptures." u2TG 14:17.

• Note: "...the Scriptures are not privately interpreted -- not without the Spirit of God in the man, not by the man alone and not without God's own appointment. " 2TG 45:7.

Conclusion:

Thus we see that to have "the living Spirit of Prophecy" is to have a holy man filled with the Spirit for the purpose of interpreting. Do Seventh-day Adventists or Davidians have a Spirit-filled man (prophet) in their midst so that they may be successful in their revival and reformation? The answer is, obviously, NO. Then, Brethren, you had better appropriate the truth presented here for "the sooner (you) know is (that you must have a living Spirit-moved interpreter) the quicker (you) shall achieve (your) goal."

4. "Obviously, the remnant are those who are left after the earth opens her mouth and swallows up the flood. They as a body keep the commandments of God, and have the living Spirit of Prophecy, the Spirit Who dictated the Scriptures, Who has led God's people into all Truth down through the ages, and Who still is." u 2TG 16:22

Conclusion:

To those who would continue to insist that "the writings of the prophets" are the living Spirit of Prophecy, let them now tell us how the writings could be the living Spirit of Prophecy. Did the writings dictate themselves? Brethren, make sure you differentiate

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between the product of the Spirit (the Bible, Sr. White's and Bro. Houteff's writings) and the dictating SPIRIT OF PROPHECY ITSELF. To make a mistake in this matter is to deify the ink and paper upon which the product of the Spirit is written and to steal away the office of the Holy Prophesying Spirit. None wish to be guilty of this.

Even Catholics realize that they must have a living connection with Heaven and that is why they always keep a pope on the throne. Think this over, Brethren, and take a lesson even from them. Though wrong in application they are right in the principle itself.

5. "...after the earth swallows the dragon's flood... the remnant as a body truly keeps the commandments of God, STILL HAS the Spirit of Prophecy in its midst,..." u2TG 45-9, 10.
   
   "The remnant that are left, the saints who were not swallowed by the Dragon's flood as the earth opened her mouth, you note HAVE the 'testimony of Jesus Christ,' the living Spirit of Prophecy active in their midst...
   
   "Let now no one deceive himself by thinking that the Bible Itself is the active Spirit of Prophecy. Let us be God's real people, logical thinkers, not bait hunters. The Bible, you know, without the human channel is as inactive as though It were but ink and paper. Moreover the Spirit too apart from man, is also inactive: He, too, works through the human agent. Hence, without an inspired interpreter the concealed prophecies and the Spirit that unfolds them are inactive. Moreover, how could it be said of one particular group having the Spirit of Prophecy, when all the sects in Christendom have the Bible?" u2TG 24-23, 24.

• Special Note: The Timely Greeting (2TG 24-23, 24 u) reference given above that states the remnant "have...the living Spirit of Prophecy active in their midst..." does not read the same in the revised version. Please make special note that the revised version is not copyrighted by Bro. V.T. Houteff and therefore cannot be accepted as Inspiration's Word. Evidently, from the way the revised has been written, the Enemy has tried to make it appear that God's people will not have a living prophet until after Eze. 9. Make the comparison for yourself between 2TG 24 page 23 unrevised and revised. Bro. Houteff says the remnant "have" a prophet at Ezekiel 9, and the usurper says they "do not" until after.

6. "Let us now note that they (Israel) fell into ruin only because they refused to give heed to the prophets who were sent to reform their ways, to correct their erroneous interpretation of Moses' writings and to lighten the path of their feet the rest of the way – clear to Paradise. Having deprived themselves of the gift of the Spirit of Prophecy by doing away with the prophets they completely cut off Heaven's communication line and were thus left in gross darkness and led into error, fanaticism, and crime...Of Moses writings the Jews made a mighty weapon against Christ and the prophets of that day." 1TG 15-5, 6.

Conclusion:

The fact that the Jews used Moses' writings as a weapon to do away with Christ and the prophets, the gift of the Spirit of Prophecy, shows pointedly that the writings were not the Spirit of prophecy, but rather, the tool used to do away with the Spirit-filled

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prophecy-interpreting human agent. So today: The writings of Bro. Houteff (the only Moses with a Rod in modern times) are being used to do away with the living Spirit of Prophecy in the Branch.

7. Finally, Brethren:
   
   "Since it now is clear as sunlight that the ever-unfolding, Inspired interpretation of the Scriptures is the ever-living Spirit of Prophecy, the eyes of the church at work, (1 Samuel 9:9) – parenthesis theirs– then to be without these spiritual eyes is to try to walk, as it were, in dense darkness." 2TG 45-8.
   
   "...His seers are His 'eyes'. See 1 Samuel 9:9. That is, God's Spirit-filled servants who lead into all Truth..." 1TGr 5-18.

Conclusion:

Again, we see that to have "the living Spirit of Prophecy" in our midst "active" is to have a prophet in the church. When the prophet dies the "eyes" are closed and the church is left in darkness, as far as the unrevealed prophecies are concerned.

"Upon the death of Sister White, in 1915, the gift of Inspiration, the active Spirit of Prophecy, became quiescent, no longer manifesting Itself for a time. With the church thus cut off from the very source of its life...how could it maintain its vitality and growth? Hence, now as then, there has followed the same inevitable spiritual malnutrition and deformity, accompanied with a long train of woes. " 3AB 60.

The principle stated above points out that when a prophet dies (and the "eyes" are closed) the church is cut off from life and falls into woes, etc. This principle holds true whether it be applied to Sr. White, Moses, Isaiah, Bro. Houteff, or any prophet of the past.

Since it is "...God's chosen instrument, (the ground wire) – parenthesis theirs – (prophet) fused to the Spirit of God, (the live wire) – parenthesis theirs – ...(that)...electrifies the church..." 2TG 45-8, then when the connection is broken by the death of the ground wire (prophet), the Spirit of God becomes inactive, quiescent, because "...the Spirit, too, apart from man, is also inactive..." 2TG 24-23, 24. In God's electrical system a live man is used for the ground wire, while in man's electrical system a dead man is used for the ground wire.

SUMMARY:

1. Mark these points with care unto your salvation:
   
   The living Spirit of Prophecy is not just the Truth.
   
   The living Spirit of Prophecy is not just the Holy Spirit.
   
   The living Spirit of Prophecy is not just the human agent.
   
   The living Spirit of Prophecy IS a Truth-producing, Holy Spirit-filled human agent (at work, not dead in a grave) 2TG 45-8
   
   God + Jesus + Holy Spirit + human agent = Heaven's Powerhouse. Id.
   
   Are you connected with Heaven's Powerhouse, Brother, Sister?
   
   "...the church's contact with God's chosen instrument (prophet)...fused to the Spirit of God...is what electrifies the church, and thus opens the line of communication between the church and Heaven...a church not having this vital connection with Heaven is a spiritually dead church...wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked...Hence likewise is every individual who is not in contact with the church." Id.
   
   Where is God's Spirit-filled "chosen instrument" – the "eyes" – prophet, of the church "at work" today in SDA? DSDA?
   
   answer: In the grave, disconnected from the live wire – Spirit. The
   
   
   

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ground-wires, Sr. White and Bro. Houteff, have through death been disconnected from the Holy Spirit live wire.

What say you, Brethren, are you going to continue attempting to build God's temple without the living Spirit of Prophecy?

To do so, Brethren, means failure for "...without the living Spirit of Prophecy in our midst there can be no success in any revival and reformation, and the sooner we know it the quicker we shall achieve our goal. " 1TGr 26-23

Davidians, how are you continuing from here on?

You say, "No more prophets, no more light" but God says that He "...will continue speaking unto her until she become a great and powerful resplendent light in all the world..." Tract 8:3.

2. Elijah, the "closing-work for the church" prophet:
   
   Since Elijah directs the "closing work," (2TG 30-22)
   
   Since V.T. Houteff is dead and cannot direct it,
   
   Since at Ezekiel 9 the remnant STILL HAVE a prophet, (2TG 45:9)
   
   Since V.T. Houteff isn't resurrected until Jacob is delivered from his trouble (E. W. 285), which is after Ezekiel 9 (2TG 10:29 #4 -- #5),
   
   

   THEN:

   Elijah cannot be V.T. Houteff, for Elijah is on hand before, at, and after Ezekiel 9 just as the Tishbite was on Mt. Carmel, and Joshua before, at, and after Valley of Achor. Elijah must be on hand now to finish the work in fulfillment of the Rod's declaration that Elijah is "imminent" – future, from the time Jezreel Letter #9, page 1, para. 6 was written.

"...there is to be a people who will have the Testimony of Jesus Christ at the time the earth swallows up the flood...and since this incident is yet future, it shows that there is to be a prophet in the Church...(deleted in revision)

"Divine vision, Spirit-filled interpreter, and unfailing faith, is what we all need to have, lest we all perish." Unrevised – u2TG 24-23:1 and 27:3.

Yes, INSPIRATION'S CURE FOR THE DAVIDIAN AND SO-CALLED 100% ROD'S DILEMMA IS TO ACCEPT THE LIVING SPIRIT OF PROPHECY – THE BRANCH MESSAGE AND MESSENGER.

"...And since God so declares, it must be that there is but one such people at this particular time who have the living testimony of Jesus Christ, the Gift of the Spirit of Prophecy. Moreover, for God to place the Gift with more than one people, would be for Him to cause confusion and disaster to His own work, to thwart His own purpose. Still further, if more than one has the Gift, then they all would necessarily have to agree as one. But since there are no two sects that agree with each other, the truth that there is but one sect that has the Gift is an absolute reality. And while you may choose to keep the Sabbath commandment, you cannot inspire yourself with the Spirit of Prophecy – this Gift is bestowed upon the remnant by God Himself." 2TG 34-23

                                                                      Yours to accept the Living Spirit of Prophecy – the eyes of the Church,
                                                                      Benjamin Roden

Note: Emphases & Parentheses in quotations ours unless otherwise indicated.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Send all tithes and correspondence to Box 3088, Odessa, Texas until otherwise instructed.

Travel funds must be on deposit at Odessa office for those going with Branch groups to Israel. Have openings for 25 more families and 1,000 young people between ages 16-25. MOVE OUT OF YOUR TENTS IN AMERICA TO HOUSES IN ISRAEL!!!

LET US JOIN TOGETHER IN AN ALL-OUT EFFORT TO SWELL THE THIRD ANGEL'S MESSAGE INTO A LOUD CRY! Write in for the needed literature.

[PUBLISHER'S NOTE]

[The foregoing address is no longer in use, and the announcement regarding moving to Israel was relevant to the time then present (1959). Keep your eyes and ears open to the Living Spirit of Prophecy for further information regarding this heaven-predicted move.]