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Authorʼs Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1:
When is the Kingdom Set Up?
The Throne of David
The Cleansing Fountain
The Ensign of Isaiah Eleven
Broken in Pieces
Where and When Perfect Safety?
“This Man”
The Covenants
A Warning
Light to the Gentiles
The Two Pipes
The Overcomers
Prophecies Concerning Literal and Spiritual Israel
Prophecies to Be Fulfilled to Spiritual Israel
Peace and Safety
Foundations of Our Faith
The Return to Palestine
A False Foundation
A Solemn Warning

Chapter 2:
Ezekiel 9
Ezekielʼs Vision and Predictions
Shepherdʼs Rod Claims Refuted
Predictions Literally Fulfilled
Last-Day Fulfillment of Ezekiel Nine
Chapter 3:
Where Were the 144,000 Seen?
An Army With Banners
The Wheat and the Tares
Chapter 4:
Warnings Against Deception
Misguided Efforts to Reform the Church
Organization and the Platform of Truth
AUTHOR’S PREFACE
The Shepherd’s Rod teachings came to
me in the autumn of 1933. A book was sent to me which I
was asked to read through twice before saying anything to
anyone. I received it with joy, for across the page were the
words, “The 144,000--A Call for Reformation.” Just what I
was interested in!
I became an ardent supporter of the
Shepherd’s Rod. Though I had read the Bible through at
least three times and the Testimonies and other writings of
the Spirit of prophecy almost as many times, I could not see
that this new teaching was false, so the words and entreaties
of friends and ministers fell as stones at my feet. I worked
all the more to give this doctrine to others.
I realize now why I could not see the
falsehoods the Shepherd’s Rod teachings contain. I was
so busy searching through the Spirit of prophecy writings
to find quotations and statements to harmonize with the
Shepherd’s Rod that the thought never came to me that I
was taking the truth out of its setting and placing it in the
framework of error. How differently I would approach the
matter now! I would leave the quotations from the Spirit of
prophecy just where they belonged and read from cover to
cover and from book to book, then judge between truth and
error. I would bring the teachings to the light of the Spirit
of prophecy.
It took seven years to bring me to my
senses. Seven years of perplexity, confusion, heartache,
darkness, gloom, loneliness, and suffering, mentally, physi-
cally, and spiritually, finally brought me to the place where
my eyes could be opened. But, as I cried out for the Lord to
open my eyes and
3 With some clarifying revisions this edi-
let me see what was wrong, whether I was untrue to the
Shepherd’s Rod or to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, I
began to receive light.
The following blessed assurances were real-
ized in my experience:
“Satan can present a counterfeit so closely
resembling the truth that it deceives those who are willing
to be deceived; . . . but it is impossible for him to hold under
his power one soul who honestly desires, at whatever cost,
to know the truth., -The Great Controversy, p. 528.
“God will open the eyes of honest souls to
understand the cruel work of those who scatter and divide.
He will mark those who cause divisions, that every honest
one may escape from Satan’s snare.”-Testimonies, vol. 1, p.
334.
I send this booklet out with a prayer that it
will be of some help to those who have been led astray, as
well as to those who have remained upon the true platform.
My heart goes out to those in deception; for I know just
how they were ensnared, and how hard it is to get free. I
bad declared many times that if the Shepherd’s Rod were
not true, nothing was. But sincerely and honestly believing
a lie does not make it true.
“God will not condemn any at the judg-
ment because they honestly believed a lie, or conscien-
tiously cherished error; but it will be because they neglected
the opportunities of making themselves acquainted with
truth.”-Testimonies to Ministers, p. 437.
Let us study the Bible and the Spirit of
prophecy as we have never studied before, and may truth
be so embedded in our minds and hearts that we will stand
unshaken against the delusions of these last days.
My desire now is to help those who have been
deceived, and to redeem the time that is past. I
4
pray and beseech all those who are now in the clutches of
the enemy of truth to step back upon the platform of the
three angels’ messages, that the prayer of Christ may be
fulfilled: “That they all may be one.”
Appreciation is hereby expressed for the
hearty reception accorded the first edition of this booklet
and for the many expressions of gratitude from those who
have been helped by it to avoid or renounce this Shepherd’s
Rod delusion.
tion is sent forth with the prayer that it may continue to be
a blessing to the remnant church. May God help us all to
realize that “God has a church upon the earth, who are His
chosen people,” that “He is leading, not stray offshoots. .
. . but a people.” (Testimonies to Ministers, p. 61) ; and to
believe what Ellen White wrote to the General Conference
session before her death, that “the God of Israel is still guid-
ing His people, and that He will continue to be with them,
even to the end.” (The Remnant Church, p. 70.)
HAZEL HENDRICKS.
[Italics are mine throughout unless other-
wise noted.-H. H.]
INTRODUCTION
“To the law and to the testimony: if they
speak not according to this word, it is because there is no
light in them.” Isa. 8:20.
“We are forewarned that there would be
false prophets in the last days, and the Bible gives a test by
which to try their teachings, in order that we may distin-
guish between the true and the false. The grand test is the
law of God, which is applied both to the prophesyings and
to the moral character of the prophets. If there were to be
no true prophesyings in the last days, how much easier to
have stated the fact, and thus cut off all chance for decep-
tion, than to give a test by which to try them, as if there
would be the genuine as well as the false.”--R. F. COT-
TRELL in Early Writings, p. 138.
Because in the last days there are the true
as well as the false prophets, we are not to despise proph-
esyings, for we have the promise, “I will pour out my Spirit
upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy.” Joel 2:28.
“The words of a true prophet will harmo-
nize with the law of God and the testimony of all previous
prophets of God. One who claims to be a prophet may ful-
fill every other test, but if his instruction is contrary to the
Bible and the testimonies, he proves himself to be false.”-S.
N. HASKELL, Bible Handbook, pp. 138, 139.
“Truth is straight, plain, clear, and stands
out boldly in its own defense; but it is not so with error. It is
so winding and twisting that it needs a multitude of words
to explain it in its crooked form.”-Early Writings, p. 96.
6 By this great change they are prepared to receive the
--------
Chapter. I
WHEN IS THE KINGDOM SET UP?
The culmination of the teachings of the
Shepherd’s Rod is the setting up of the kingdom of God
during the loud cry and before the second,
visible coming of Christ. Many texts of
Scripture are quoted along with passages from the Spirit
of prophecy to try to prove this point, but let the Spirit of
prophecy speak for itself without any other interpretation,
and we shall see the truth.
Will the kingdom of God, the kingdom
of glory, be set up wholly or in part, at any time before the
second, visible coming of Christ?
The Shepherd’s Rod--”’And in mercy shall
the throne be established: and He shall sit upon it in truth
in the tabernacle of David, judging, and seeking judgment,
and hasting righteousness.’ Isa. 16:5.
“The fact that the establishment of Christ’s
throne, according to this scripture, is yet in the future, and
that He is to set His throne in the tabernacle of David on
the earth, which He did not at His first coming, it proves
that this time in the antitypical reign He will sit on the
throne of David; and as He is to judge, and seek judgment,
and hasten righteousness while sitting on the throne, it
further proves that He will do this before the close of proba-
tion, for He cannot hasten righteousness after the door of
probation (righteousness) has been closed to all nations.”-
Tract 8, p. 86.
The Spirit of Prophecy.-”Not until the personal
advent of Christ can His people receive the kingdom. The
Saviour said: ‘When the Son of
man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with
Him, then shall He sit upon the throne
7
of His glory: and before Him shall be gathered all nations:
and He shall separate them one from another, as a shep-
herd divideth his sheep from the goats: and He shall set the
sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then
shall the King say unto them on His right hand, Come, ye
blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world.’ We have seen by the
scriptures just given that when the Son of man comes, the
dead are raised incorruptible, and the living are changed.
kingdom; for Paul says, ‘Flesh and blood cannot inherit the
kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorrup-
tion.” Man in his present state is mortal, corruptible; but
the kingdom of God will be incorruptible, enduring for-
ever. Therefore man in his present state cannot enter into
the kingdom of God. But when Jesus comes, He confers
immortality upon His people; and then He calls them to
inherit the kingdom of which they have hitherto been only
heirs.”-The Great Controversy, pp. 322, 323.
“So the throne of glory represents the
kingdom of glory; and this kingdom is referred to in the
Saviour’s words, ‘When the Son of man shall come in His
glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit
upon the throne of His glory: and before Him shall be
gathered all nations.’ This kingdom is yet future. It is not to
be set up until the second advent of Christ.”--Ibid., p. 347.

“About His coming cluster the glories of
that ‘restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by
the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.’
Then the long-continued rule of evil shall be broken; ‘the
kingdoms of this world’ will become the ‘kingdoms of our
Lord, and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and
ever.’
8 The Spirit of Prophecy.---”The prophecies
‘The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall
see it together.’ ‘The Lord God will cause righteousness and
praise to spring forth before all the nations.’ He shall be
‘for a crown of glory, and for a diadem of beauty, unto the
residue of His people.’
“It is then that the peaceful and long-de-
sired kingdom of the Messiah shall be established under the
whole heaven.”-Ibid., pp. 301, 302.
The Spirit of prophecy plainly tells us that
the kingdom of God will not be set up in part or wholly be-
fore the second, visible coming of Christ; that man cannot
enter the kingdom until he is changed from mortal to im-
mortal, which change cannot take place until Christ comes.
The Throne of David
The Shepherd’s Rod quotes many Bible
texts that speak of David and Israel, to prove the setting
up of the kingdom of God before the close of probation.
To the surface reader, to the inexperienced, and to those
who do not “dig deep” it is confusing, but if one will bear
in mind what the Spirit of prophecy says, it is clear that the
kingdom of God cannot be set up until the Second Advent.
Let us take some of the texts that are quoted by the Shep-
herd’s Rod and see what light the Spirit of prophecy throws
on them.
The Shepherd’s Rod.-”Again we read in
Hosea 3:4, 5 that the children of Israel were to ‘abide many
days without a king;’ which has been their lot unto our time
ever since from the days when they were led into Babylon-
ish captivity. But ‘afterward,’ some time in the future says
the Scripture, ‘shall the children of Israel return, and seek
the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall fear the
Lord and His goodness in the latter days.’
“When this prophecy was made, David, the king
9 of David until Christ Himself shall receive it when He
of ancient Israel, had been dead for many years. Therefore,
the David of Hosea’s prophecy can only be the antitypi-
cal king who reigns in the ‘latter days’-our time. Thus we
see that, out of the twelve tribes, all those, and only those,
who ‘fear the Lord and His goodness’ (not the unconverted
Jews who even deny the divinity of Christ) shall be gathered
together, and shall appoint themselves one ‘head’ or ‘king’-
David in antitype.”-Tract 8, pp. 11, 12.
of judgment delivered by Amos and Hosea were accom-
panied by predictions of future glory. To the ten tribes,
long rebellious and impenitent, was given no promise of
complete restoration to their former power in Palestine.
Until the end of time, they were to be ‘wanderers among
the nations.’ But through Hosea was given a prophecy that
set before them the privilege of having a part in the final
restoration that is to be made to the people of God at the
close of earth’s history, when Christ shall appear as King of
kings and Lord of lords. ‘Many days,’ the prophet declared,
the ten tribes were to abide ‘without a king, and without a
prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and
without an ephod, and without teraphim.’ ‘Afterward,’ the
prophet continued, ‘shall the children of Israel return, and
seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall
fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.”,
-Prophets and Kings, p. 298.
“To the ‘profane wicked prince’ had come
the day of final reckoning. ‘Remove the diadem,’ the Lord
decreed, land take off the crown.’ Not until Christ Himself
should set up His kingdom, was Judah again to be permit-
ted to have a king. ‘I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it,’
was the divine edict concerning the throne of the house of
David; land it shall be no more, until He come
10
whose right it is; and I will give it Him. “Ibid., p. 451.
“He ‘shall sit and rule upon His throne;
and He shall be a priest upon His throne.’ Not now upon
the throne of His glory;’ the kingdom of glory has not yet
been ushered in. Not until His work as a mediator shall be
ended, will God ‘give unto Him the throne of His father
David,’ a kingdom of which ‘there shall be no end.’”--The
Great Controversy, p. 416.
We see by the above quotations from the
Spirit of prophecy that there is to be no king on the throne
appears as King of kings and Lord of lords. He is the one
raised up to sit on David’s throne. (See Acts 2:29-30.)
The Cleansing Fountain
The Shepherd’s Rod.--”Speaking of the
time when the descendants of the two ancient kingdoms,
Judah and Israel, are to be gathered together with the
antitypical David as their king, the prophet Zechariah says:
‘In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house
of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for
uncleanness.’ (Zech. 13:1.)
“The fact that ‘to the house of David’ there
is a fountain opened ‘for sin and for uncleanness,’ proves
that the consolidation of these two kingdoms is accom-
plished, and that then the gospel is proclaimed in all the
world, because no one can by that ‘fountain’ have his sin
and uncleanness washed away after the close of probation.”
-Tract 8, pp. 17, 18. (Italics theirs.)
In other words, the Shepherd’s Rod teaches
that there can be no “house of David” until the kingdoms
of Judah and Israel are literally reunited on this earth, and
that after this union takes place, the gospel is proclaimed to
all the
11
world. But according to the Spirit of prophecy, a spiritual
“house of David” is referred to, and the “fountain,” signi-
fies the divine provisions for our salvation.
The Spirit of Prophecy.--”In order to gain
a proper knowledge of ourselves, it is necessary to look into
the mirror, and there. discovering our own defects, avail
ourselves of the blood of Christ, the fountain opened for
sin and uncleanness, in which we may wash our robes of
character and remove the stains of sin. But many refuse to
see their errors and correct them; they do not want a true
knowledge of themselves.”-Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 59.
“To Jeremiah, Christ is ‘the fountain of liv-
ing waters;’ to Zechariah, ‘a fountain opened . . . for sin and
for uncleanness.’”--Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 413.
“Christ came as the Great Physician to heal
the wounds that sin has made in the human family, and His
Spirit, working through His servants, imparts to sinsick,
suffering human beings a mighty healing power, that is
efficacious for the body and the soul. ‘In that day,’ says the
Scripture, ‘there shall be a fountain opened to the house of
David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for
uncleanness.’ Zech. 13:1. The waters of this fountain con-
tain medicinal properties that will heal both physical and
spiritual infirmities.”-Testimonies, vol. 6, p. 227.
The Ensign of Isaiah Eleven
The Shepherd’s Rod.-”The above-quoted
scriptures [Isa. 11:2-5; Rev. 22:16] plainly show that from
the ‘stem’ of Jesse came the ‘rod’ (David), and that from the
rod sprang the Branch (Christ). Therefore, ‘in that day’--
in our time-David the visible king and Christ the invisible
King of kings shall constitute the ‘ensign,’ and ‘to it shall
12
the Gentiles seek,’ and His ‘rest’ (or His resting place,-the
location, where the ‘rod’ or ensign stands), and ‘it’ (the
kingdom) ‘shall be glorious proving that the church, or king-
dom, shall be without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing.
Saith the Lord, ‘I will make the place of My feet glorious.’
(Isa. 60:13.)”--Tract 8, p. 42.
These passages are used by the Shepherd’s
Rod to prove that Judah and Israel will be united into a lit-
eral kingdom under David as king. But the Spirit of proph-
ecy gives no such idea.
The Spirit of Prophecy--”The groups of
missionaries in heathen lands have been likened by the
prophet to ensigns set up for the guidance of those who are
looking for the light of truth.
“’In that day,’ says Isaiah, ‘there shall be a
root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people;
to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious;
and it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set
His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of
His people. . . . And He shall set up an ensign for the na-
tions, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather
together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of
the earth.”’ Isa. 11:10-12.--Prophets and Kings, pp. 375,
376.
Broken in Pieces
The Shepherd’s Rod.--”The prophet
Daniel plainly declares that ‘in the days of these kings,’ and
not after their destruction, ‘shall the God of heaven set up
a kingdom,’ and that instead of Christ’s second advent, as
understood by some, it is ‘the kingdom’ that ‘shall break in
pieces and consume all these kingdoms,’ and thus it shall fill
‘the whole earth.’ “-Tract 8, p. 56. (Dan. 2: 44, 35.)
Thus the Shepherd’s Rod teaches that a
kingdom which is set up before Christ’s second coming will
13
break in pieces and consume all these other kingdoms be-
fore Christ appears.
The Spirit of Prophecy.--”Our kingdom is
not of this world. We are waiting for our Lord from heaven
to come to earth to put down all authority and power, and
set up His everlasting kingdom.” -Testimonies, vol. 1, pp.
360, 361.
Where and When Perfect Safety?
The Shepherd’s Rod.--”The following
scripture reveals the fact that at the time God shall use this
spiritual kingdom to smite the nations, it will be in perfect
safety as though in heaven. ‘The wolf also shall dwell with
the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and
the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a
little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall
feed; their young ones shall He down together: and the
lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall
play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put
his hand on the cockatrice’s den. They shall not hurt nor
destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full
of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.’
(Isa. 11:6-9.)”--Tract 8, pp. 57, 58.
The Spirit of Prophecy.-”Those who ac-
cept the teachings of God’s word will not be wholly igno-
rant concerning the heavenly abode. And yet, ‘eye hath not
seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of
man, the things which God hath prepared for them that
love Him.’ Human language is inadequate to describe the
reward of the righteous. It will be known only to those who
behold it. No finite mind can comprehend the glory of the
Paradise of God.
“In the Bible the inheritance of the saved”’
called a country. There the heavenly Shepherd leads His
flock to fountains of living waters. . . .
14
‘My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in
sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places.’ . . . There, ‘the
wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and
the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.’ ‘Instead of
the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier
shall come up the myrtle tree.’ ‘The wolf also shall dwell
with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid;
. . . and a little child shall lead them.’ ‘They shall not hurt
nor destroy in all My holy mountain,’ saith the Lord.”--The
Great Controversy, pp. 675, 676.
The Shepherd’s Rod places the above-pic-
tured scene, which the Spirit of prophecy says is in the new
earth, or Paradise of God, in a kingdom on this earth be-
fore the second coming of Christ. As the Spirit of prophecy
has plainly stated that the kingdom cannot be set up before
the second, personal coming of Christ nor the saints receive
the kingdom, the Shepherd’s Rod falls before the test. Does
it not seem ridiculous to claim that Shepherd’s Rod teach-
ings are in perfect harmony with the Spirit of prophecy?
“This Men”
The Shepherd’s Rod also endeavors to
bolster its theory of a temporal kingdom of David before
the close of probation by Jesus’ parable of the pounds.
The Shepherd’s Rod.-”But as they ‘sent
a message after Him, saying, We will not have this man
to reign over us,’ it is plain that before Christ’s return,
the kingdom is to be set up. . . . There is to be a ‘man’ in
Christ’s visible stead reigning over them. Hence, while pro-
bation lingered, and while by ‘simple means’ He is ‘taking
the reins in His own hands’ (‘Testimonies to Ministers,’ p.
300), they said to Christ in their message, ‘We will not have
this man to reign over us.’ Hence
15
‘this man’ is the antitypical David, the ‘simple means’-the
visible king, and Christ the invisible King, as He was in the
exodus movement-the type.”--Tract 8, p. 63. (Italics theirs.)
Note that when one goes into error, to what
length it will take him, as the above application of Luke 19:
14 shows. But let the Spirit of prophecy speak again:
The Spirit of Prophecy.---”The whole
wicked world stand arraigned at the bar of God, on the
charge of high treason against the government of Heaven.
They have none to plead their cause; they are without
excuse; and the sentence of eternal death is pronounced
against them. . . . All see that their exclusion from heaven is
just. By their lives they have declared, ‘We will not have this
Jesus to reign over us.’ 1’”-The Great Controversy, p. 668.
“On whose side are we? The world cast
Christ out; the heavens received Him. Man, finite man, re-
jected the Prince of life; God, our Sovereign Ruler, received
Him into the heavens. God has exalted Him. . . . We must
all think candidly. Will you have this man Christ Jesus to
rule over you, or will you have Barabbas?”-Testimonies to
Ministers, p. 139.
“This man” referred to is none other than
Christ Himself, and not a human man reigning in His
stead, as the Shepherd’s Rod would have us believe.
In a careful study of the teachings of the
Shepherd’s Rod as compared with the Bible and the Spirit
of prophecy, one can see that the restoration of literal Israel
and the promises to them on condition of obedience, and
the promises and prophecies of the restoration of spiritual
Israel, have been confused and intermingled and mixed in
with one another. From this intermingling and twisting and
misapplication, the doctrine of
16
the setting up of the kingdom before the second, visible
coming of Christ is obtained. But if the reader will carefully
study the book, Prophets and Kings, which deals with the
restoration of literal and spiritual Israel and the promises
made to both, all will be made plain.
The Covenants
Let us note some examples of misapplica-
tion of the Bible and Spirit of prophecy by the Shepherd’s
Rod. Take the old and the new covenant. The old covenant
is found in Exodus 19:5-8, and the new is found in Jeremiah
31:31-34. Please read these texts in your Bible.
The Shepherd’s Rod.-”The old ‘covenant’
or agreement between God and His people was upon the
promises of both parties based thus. . . . [Deuteronomy 28:
1-9 and Exodus 19:8 are quoted in the tract. Please read
them.]
“The above paragraph describes the first
covenant, which covers the period from the time it was
made to the imminent and final ingathering of the twelve
tribes as a kingdom, and which covenant has been broken
by the Old and New Testament churches until this very day.
. . . But the new covenant, which the Lord is now about to
make, is to be unlike the old. The commandments of God
(Ex. 20:1-17) will not be written on tables of stone (Ex. 31:
18), but ‘in fleshy tables of the heart and at that time all
shall ‘know the Lord, . . . from the least of them unto the
greatest of them’-exhibiting a church without tares. (Jer. 31:
34.)
“This is the second covenant, which God
is about to make, and the law of God, being written on the
heart, will be perfectly kept; then, and not before, will the
blessings, which His ancient people failed to realize, be fully
ours.”--Tract 8, pp. 68-70. (Italics theirs.)
Notice that the Shepherd’s Rod says that the
17
-------------
old covenant is the only one in existence and that the new
covenant is yet to be made; that the old covenant covers the
period from the time it was made to the gathering in of the
twelve tribes into a kingdom. The Spirit of prophecy will
correct this false teaching and give the truth of the matter.
To state that the new covenant is yet future is virtually to
deny that Christ has come in the flesh, which we are told
false prophets do. (2 John 7.)
The Spirit of Prophecy.-”As the Bible
presents two laws, one changeless and eternal, the other
provisional and temporary, so there are two covenants. The
covenant of grace was first made with man in Eden, when
after the fall, there was given a divine promise that the Seed
of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head. To all men
this covenant offered pardon, and the assisting grace of
God for future obedience through faith in Christ. It also
promised them eternal life on condition of fidelity to God’s
law. Thus the patriarchs received the hope of salvation.
“This same covenant was renewed to Abra-
ham in the promise, ‘In thy seed shall all the nations of the
earth be blessed.’ This promise pointed to Christ. . . .
“Though this covenant was made with
Adam and renewed to Abraham, it could not be ratified un-
til the death of Christ. It had existed by the promise of God
since the first intimation of redemption had been given; it
had been accepted by faith; yet when ratified by Christ, it
is called a new covenant. The law of God was the basis of
this covenant, which was simply an arrangement for bring-
ing men again into harmony with the divine will, placing
them where they could obey God’s law.
“Another compact called in the Scripture
the ‘old’ covenant was formed between God and Is-
18
rael at Sinai, and was then ratified by the blood of a sac-
rifice. The Abrahamic covenant was ratified by the blood
of Christ, and it is called the ‘second,’ or ‘new’ covenant,
because the blood by which it was sealed was shed after
the blood of the first covenant. That the new covenant was
valid in the days of Abraham, is evident from the fact that it
was then confirmed both by the promise and by the oath of
God,--the ‘two immutable things, in which it was impossible
for God to lie,’ “--Patriarchs and Prophets, pp. 370, 371.
“Every Time a soul is converted, and learns
to love God and keep His commandments, the promise of
God is fulfilled, ‘A new heart also will I give you, and a new
spirit will I put within you.’”--The Desire of Ages, p. 407.
Here, as is so often true, the teaching of the
Shepherd’s Rod is in absolute contradiction to the Spirit of
prophecy. The Shepherd’s Rod doctrines cannot be addi-
tional light, as is claimed, for whatever new light may come
will not contradict what God has given before.

A Warning
Let the reader bear in mind that all these
texts of Scripture referred to or quoted by the Shepherd’s
Rod are to substantiate the theory of the setting up of a
kingdom before the second coming of Christ; but please
keep in mind the statements of the Bible and the Spirit of
prophecy that the kingdom is not set up until the second
coming of Christ. The kingdom cannot be established
before that time because it is incorruptible and eternal, and
flesh and blood cannot inherit it. Man is mortal and will not
receive immortality until Christ comes. The second com-
ing of Christ cannot be counterfeited, “for as the lightning
cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so
shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”
19
Light to the Gentiles
The Shepherd’s Rod.-”’And He said, It is a
light thing that thou shouldst be My servant to raise up the
tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel’ only:
‘I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou
mayest be My salvation unto the end of the earth.’ Isa. 49:
1-6. In other words, those (of ‘Israel’) who declare the seal-
ing message of the 144,000 to the church, shall also declare
God’s glory among the Gentiles, thus be His salvation unto
the end of the earth, and bring all their brethren for an of-
fering unto the Lord out of all nations. (Isa. 66:19, 20.)
“’Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of Is-
rael, and His Holy One, to him whom man despiseth’ (that
is, the one whom they called, ‘this man,’ Luke 19:14 ... .),
‘to him whom the nation abhorreth, to a servant of rulers,
Kings shall see and arise, princes also shall worship, because
of the Lord that is faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and
He shall choose thee.’ “-Tract 8, (Rev. ed.), p. 86.
The Spirit of Prophecy.-”The prophet was per-
mitted to look down the centuries to the time of
the advent of the promised Messiah. . . . This
glorious light of the world was to bring salva-
tion to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people.
Of that work before Him, the prophet heard the
eternal Father declare: ‘It is a light thing that
Thou shouldst be My servant to raise up the
tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of
Israel: I will also give Thee for a light to the
Gentiles, that Thou mayest be My salvation unto
the end of the earth.’ ‘In an acceptable time
have I heard Thee, and in a day of salvation have
I helped Thee: and I will preserve Thee, and give
Thee for a covenant of the people, to establish
the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate herit-
ages; that Thou mayest say to the prisoners, Go
20
forth; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves!
‘Behold, these shall come from far: and, lo, these from the
north and from the west; and these from the land of Sinim.’
“Looking on still farther through the ages,
the prophet behold the literal fulfillment of these glorious
promises. He saw the bearers of the glad tidings of salva-
tion going to the ends of the earth, to every kindred and
people. He heard the Lord saying of the gospel church,
‘Behold, I will extend peace to her Me a river, and the glory
of the Gentiles like a flowing stream . . . . I
“Jehovah declared to the prophet that He
would send His witnesses ‘unto the nations, to Tarshish,
Pul, and Lud. . . . to Tubal, and Javan, to the isles afar off.’ .
..
“The prophet heard the voice of God call-
ing His church to her appointed work, that the way might
be prepared for the ushering in of His everlasting kingdom.
The message was unmistakably plain: ‘Arise, shine; for thy
light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee
. . . . ‘ These prophecies of a great spiritual awakening in a
time of gross darkness, are today meeting fulfillment in the
advancing lines of mission stations that are reaching out
into the benighted regions of earth.”-Prophets and Kings,
pp. 373-375.
Let us consider the statement the Shep-
herd’s Rod makes concerning “Him whom man despiseth”
(Isa. 49:7), interpreting it to mean “this man” whom they
would not have rule over them (Luke 19:14). This is inter-
preted by the Spirit of prophecy as follows:
“The work of redemption involves consequences
of which it is difficult for man to have any conception. . . .
As the sinner, drawn by the power of Christ, approaches
the uplifted cross, and prostrates himself before it, there is a
new creation
21
A new heart is given him. He becomes a new creature in
Christ Jesus. . . . Great as is the shame and degradation
through sin, even greater will be the honor and exalta-
tion through redeeming love. To human beings striving for
conformity to the divine image there is imparted an outlay
of heaven’s treasure, an excellency of power, that will place
them higher than even the angels who have never fallen.
11 ‘Thus saith the Lord, the Redeemer of
Israel, and His Holy One, to him whom man despiseth, to
him whom the nation abhorreth, . . . Kings shall see and
arise, princes also shall worship, because of the Lord that is
faithful, and the Holy One of Israel, and He shall choose
thee.’
11 ‘For everyone that exalteth himself shall
be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.’
“--Christ’s Object lessons, pp. 162, 163.
The Two Pipes
Let us now take up some of the statements
made concerning the symbols found in Zechariah. Please
read Zechariah 4:1-6, 12-14.
Following are the comments made by the
Shepherd’s Rod. Note the idea conveyed as compared with
that expressed by the Spirit of prophecy:
The Shepherd’s Rod-”The two pipes
through which the oil is carried into the bowl, can only
represent the channels (prophets) through, whom the oil is
transferred from the Bible into the bowl, in the period dur-
ing which both olive trees (Old and New Testaments) live-in
the Christian Era.
“Let the reader take a searching look at
the visual illustration on page 19, and He will see the utter
impossibility of the candlestick’s (the church membership’s)
and of the tubes’ (ministers) themselves, extracting oil direct
from the olive trees. The interpretation of the Scriptures,
therefore, being entrusted to the two pipes (proph-
22
eta) in the Christian Era shows that ‘no prophecy of the
Scriptures is of any private interpretation,’ but is of inspira-
tion only. . . .
“The interpreters (the two golden pipes),
therefore, are the only ones who are enabled to bring forth
meat in due season (golden oil) from the Scriptures (olive
trees) into the storehouse (golden bowl) of present truth,
and by the aid of the ministers (seven tubes) to pass on the
oil to the church (candlestick), that it might illumine with
the light of life this dark and dying world of ours.”-Tract 6,
revised, pp. 23, 24.
The Spirit of Prophecy.-”The continued
communication of the Holy Spirit to the church is rep-
resented by the prophet Zechariah under another figure,
which contains a wonderful lesson of encouragement for us.
...
“From the two olive trees, the golden oil
was emptied through golden pipes into the bowl of the
candlestick and thence into the golden lamps that gave light
to the sanctuary. So from the holy ones that stand in God’s
presence, His Spirit is imparted to human instrumentali-
ties that are consecrated to His service. The mission of the
two anointed ones is to communicate light and power to
God’s people. It is to receive blessing for us that they stand
in God’s presence. As the olive trees empty themselves into
the golden pipes, so the heavenly messengers seek to com-
municate all that they receive from God. The whole heav-
enly treasure awaits our demand and reception; and as we
receive the blessing, we in our turn are to impart it. Thus
it is that the holy lamps are fed, and the church becomes a
light bearer in the world.
“This is the work that the Lord would have
every soul prepared to do at this time, when the four angels
are holding the four winds, that they shall not blow until the
servants of God are sealed
23
in their foreheads. . . . We should daily receive the holy
oil, that we may impart to others. . . . From the two olive
trees the golden oil flowing through the golden pipes has
been communicated to us. But those who do not cultivate
the spirit and habit of prayer cannot expect to receive the
golden oil of goodness, patience, long-suffering, gentleness,
love. . . . The dispensation in which we are now living is to
be, to those that ask, the dispensation of the Holy Spirit.”-
Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 509-511.
“Let every man who enters the pulpit know
that he has angels from heaven in his audience. And when
these angels empty from themselves the golden oil of truth
into the heart of him who is teaching the word, then the ap-
plication of the truth will be a solemn, serious matter. The
angel messengers will expel sin from the heart, unless the
door of the heart is padlocked and Christ is refused admis-
sion. . . .
“The Holy Spirit is doing its work on the
hearts. But if the ministers have not first received their mes-
sage from heaven, if they have not drawn their own supplies
from the refreshing, life-giving stream, how can they let that
flow forth which they have not received? . . . A man may
lavish all the treasures of his learning, he may exhaust the
moral energies of his nature, and yet accomplish nothing,
because he himself has not received the golden oil from the
heavenly messengers. . . . If the Christian minister receives
the golden oil, he has life.”-Ibid., p. 338.
The Shepherd’s Rod says that it is impossible for
the people or ministers to obtain the oil directly from the
Bible, but that they must obtain it through a prophet; but
the Spirit of prophecy tells us that the minister must obtain
the golden oil directly from the heavenly messengers, or
angels. The teaching of the Shepherd’s Rod on this
24
point is a subtle device of the enemy to cause men to trust
in the arm of flesh.
“The oil is a symbol of the Holy Spirit.
Thus the Spirit is represented in the prophecy of Zechari-
ah. . . . Without the Spirit of God a knowledge of His word
is of no avail. The theory of truth, unaccompanied by the
Holy Spirit, cannot quicken the soul or sanctify the heart.”-
Christ’s Object Lessons, pp. 407, 408.
The author of the Shepherd’s Rod would
convey the thought to God’s people that they can obtain
knowledge of the Scriptures only through him. According
to his teachings on this very point, the thought he wishes to
convey in his tract is that the two pipes represent Mrs. E. G.
White and himself; and as Mrs. White is dead, that leaves
him to communicate the “oil” to the church. He claims that
the church was without the Spirit of prophecy from 1915 to
1930, that is, from Sister White’s death to the beginning of
his revelations. The Spirit of prophecy tells us that the “oil”
represents the Holy Spirit, and each one of us can obtain
this “oil” only through faith and prayer. Each one is to ask
for it of God, and when it is obtained, then the fruits of the
Spirit will be seen in the character.
The Overcomers
The Shepherd’s Rod--”The church of the
Laodiceans, being the last of the seven churches, is the last
section of the Christian church in which the wheat and the
tares are commingled. The overcomers, the marked ones,
from it, those who hear the Rod, begin the eighth section
of the church-the one symbolized by the ‘barn’ (Matt.
13:30) and by the ‘vessels’ (verse 48), also by the ‘golden
candlestick’ of Zechariah 4. Of her the Lord says: 1. . . The
Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory:
and thou shalt
25
be called by a now name, which the mouth of the Lord
shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand
of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.’”-
Tract 9, pp. 61, 62 (second revised edition).
The Spirit of Prophecy.-Now note the ap-
plication of Isaiah 62:23 in the Spirit of prophecy. “There
is the New Jerusalem, the metropolis of the glorified new
earth, ‘a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a
royal diadem in the hand of thy God.’ ‘Her light was like
unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as
crystal.’ ‘The nations of them which are saved shall walk in
the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their
glory and honor into it.’ Saith the Lord, ‘I will rejoice in
Jerusalem, and joy in My people.’ ‘The tabernacle of God
is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be
His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be
their God.’ ‘”--The Great Controversy, p. 676.
“Him that overcometh will I make a pillar
in the temple of My God, and he shall go no more out: and
I will write upon him the name of My God, and the name
of the city of My God, which is New Jerusalem, which
cometh down out of heaven from My God: and I will write
upon him My new name.” Rev. 3:12.
In the quotation from the Shepherd’s Rod,
the author states that the overcomers, or marked ones,
are those that hear the Rod and who are gathered into
the kingdom, “barn,” or place of safety, before the second
coming of Christ; and that the church shall be called by a
new name and shall “be a crown of glory in the hand of
the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.” (Isa.
62:3). But the Spirit of prophecy definitely places this scene
after the coming of Christ, and says that it is the New Je-
rusalem, that is “a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord,
and a royal diadem in the
26
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hand of thy God,” and it is at that time that the overcomers
receive their new name.
Prophecies Concerning Literal
and Spiritual Israel
Theories concerning the setting up of a
temporal kingdom of David are due to a misinterpreta-
tion of Old Testament prophecies. The Jews of the time of
Christ misunderstood these prophecies and so were expect-
ing the Messiah to set up an earthly kingdom at that time.
Likewise, thousands of Christians of our day have fallen
into a similar error, and are expecting the literal fulfillment
of these prophecies by the establishment of a kingdom of
David in old Jerusalem.
The Shepherd’s Rod has taken the prophe-
cies concerning literal Israel, including promises given to
them on the condition of obedience, and uses all of them
to apply literally to spiritual Israel, thus forming the theory
of the setting up of the kingdom on this side of the second
coming of Christ.
Few seem to realize the great purpose of
God to be fulfilled through Israel, His chosen people. In
the introductory chapter of Prophets and Kings we are
told that “it was God’s purpose that by the revelation of
His character through Israel men should be drawn unto
Him. To all the world the gospel invitation was to be given.
Through the teaching of the sacrificial service, Christ was
to be uplifted before the nations, and all who would look
unto Him should live. All who . . . turned from idolatry
to the worship of the true God, were to unite themselves
with His chosen people.” And the astonishing statement is
made that “As the numbers of Israel increased, they were to
enlarge their borders, until their kingdom should embrace
the world.’”--Prophets and Kings, p. 19. Through Jeremiah
the Lord had told His people that if they would be faithful
to God in the observance
27
of the Sabbath, Jerusalem would “remain forever.” (Jer. 17:
24, 25.)
How different would have been the history
of our world had Israel fulfilled God’s great purpose for
them. “But,” says Mrs. White, “ancient Israel did not fulfill
God’s purpose. The Lord declared: ‘I had planted thee a
noble vine, wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned
into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?’ (Jer.
2:21) ‘Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto
himself.’ (Hosea 10:1).”-Ibid.
We are also told that “the withdrawal of
divine favor during the period of the exile led many to
repentance, yet after their return to the land of promise,
the Jewish people repeated the mistakes of former genera-
tions.”--Ibid., p. 21. Thus Israel failed, and many glorious
promises made on condition of obedience have never been
fulfilled nor ever will be. Finally, Israel, as a nation, rejected
and crucified their Messiah, and ceased to be the chosen
people of God; and the kingdom of David shall be no more
“until he come whose right it is.” Eze. 21:27. At that time-
His second coming--”the Lord God shall give unto him
the throne of his father David: and he shall reign over the
house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be
no end.” Luke 1:32, 33. Not a temporal kingdom with some
earthly representative of King David on the throne, but the
eternal kingdom of Christ in the earth made new. Let us
review some of the promises to Israel and see where and
when they apply to spiritual Israel.
The Shepherd’s Rod.-The Shepherd’s
Rod teaches that “the Scriptures plainly point out that the
Gentiles will be driven out of the Holy Land. [Zech. 1:1821
quoted. .]”-Tract 12, p. 53. And this, they say, is to be in the
near future.
But this is a prophecy which was fulfilled
concerning literal Israel:
28
The Spirit of Prophecy.-”The prophet was
now directed to predict, ‘Thus saith the Lord of hosts: My
cities through prosperity shall yet be spread abroad; and the
Lord shall yet comfort Zion, and shall yet choose Jerusa-
lem.’ (Zech. 1:17.)
“Zechariah then saw the powers that had
‘scattered Judah, Israel, and Jerusalem,’ symbolized by
four horns. Immediately afterward he saw four carpenters,
representing the agencies used by the Lord in restoring His
people and the house of His worship. . . . (See Zech. 1:18-
21.)
“God had commanded that Jerusalem
be rebuilt; the vision of the measuring of the city was an
assurance that He would give comfort and strength to His
afflicted ones, and fulfill to them the promises of His ever-
lasting covenant. His protecting care, He declared, would
be like ‘a wall of fire round about;’ and through them His
glory would be revealed to all the sons of men. That which
He was accomplishing for His people was to be known in
all the earth. ‘Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion:
for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.”’
Zech. 2:1-5.-Prophets and Kings, pp. 580, 581.
Concerning the time when Nebuchadnez-
zar’s armies were about to take the walls of Zion by storm,
the Spirit of prophecy says:
“The city was soon to fall into the hand of
the Chaldeans; its gates and palaces were to be set on fire
and burned; but notwithstanding the fact that destruction
was imminent, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem were to be
carried away captive, nevertheless the eternal purpose of
Jehovah for Israel was yet to be fulfilled. In further answer
to the prayer of His servant, the Lord declared concerning
those upon whom His chastisements were falling:
29
“Behold, I will gather them out of all
countries, whither I have driven them in Mine anger, and
in My fury, and in great wrath; and I will bring them again
unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: and
they shall be My people, and I will be their God: and I will
give them one heart, and one way, that they way fear Me
forever, for the good of them, and of their children after
them: and I will make an everlasting covenant with them,
that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; but
I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart
from Me. Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good,
and I will plant them in this land assuredly with My whole
heart and with My whole soul.’ (Jer. 32:37-41.) . . .
“In confirmation of these assurances of
deliverance and restoration, ‘the word of the Lord came
unto Jeremiah the second time, while he was yet shut up in
the court of the prison, saying,
11 ‘Thus saith the Lord the Maker thereof,
the Lord that formed it, to establish it; the Lord is His
name; call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee
great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. For thus
saith the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the houses of
this city, and concerning the houses of the kings of Judah,
which are thrown down by the mounts, and by the sword;
. . . I will cause the captivity of Judah and the captivity of
Israel to return, and will build them, as at the first. . . .
“’Behold, the days come, saith the Lord,
that I will perform that good thing which I have promised
unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah.’ (Jer. 33:
1-14.)
“Thus was the church of God comforted in
one of the darkest hours of her long conflict with the forces
of evil. Satan had seemingly triumphed in his efforts to
destroy Israel; but the Lord was
30
overruling the events of the present, and during the years
that were to follow, His people were to have opportunity to
redeem the past. . . .
“Humbled in the sight of the nations,
those who once had been recognized as favored of Heaven
above all other peoples of the earth were to learn in exile
the lesson of obedience so necessary for their future happi-
ness. Until they had learned this lesson, God could not do
for them all that He desired to do. . . . To the prophet was
given the message:
11 ‘He that scattereth Israel will gather
him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. For the
Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ransomed him from the
hand of him that was stronger than he. Therefore they shall
come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together
to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and
for oil, and for the young of the flock and of the herd: and
their soul shall be as a watered garden; and they shall not
sorrow any more at all.” (Jer. 31:10-12.) -Ibid., pp. 471-476.
The reader will notice that the above quo-
tations from the Spirit of prophecy were promises made to
Israel at the time they were taken captive by Nebuchadnez-
zar. Turn to page 551 of Prophets and Kings, where begins
the story of “The Return of the Exiles.” The promises
made through Jeremiah are beginning to be fulfilled. Please
read this and following chapters to get the complete history.
“At the end of the years of humiliating
exile, God graciously gave to His people Israel, through
Zechariah, the assurance: ‘I am returned unto Zion, and
will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem: and Jerusalem shall
be called a city of truth; and the mountain of the Lord of
hosts the holy mountain.’ (Zech. 8:3.) . . .
“These promises were conditional on obe-
dience. The sins that bad characterized the Israelites
31
prior to the captivity, were not to be repeated.” -Ibid., p.
704. (Italics supplied.)
But the Israelites failed, and thus separated
themselves from God.
“Through messages such as those borne
by Malachi, the last of the old Testament prophets, as well
as through oppression from heathen foes, the Israelites
finally learned the lesson that true prosperity depends upon
obedience to the law of God. But with many of the people,
obedience was not the outflow of faith and love. Their
motives were selfish. Outward service was rendered as a
means of attaining national greatness. The chosen people
did not become the light of the world, but shut themselves
away from the world as a safeguard against being seduced
into idolatry. . . . Thus ‘going about to establish their own
righteousness,’ they built themselves up in a self-sufficient
formalism. . . . Thus Satan had succeeded in preparing the
hearts of the people to reject the Saviour when He should
appear. Their own pride of heart, and their false concep-
tions of His character and mission, would prevent them
from honestly weighing the evidences of his Messiahship.”--
Ibid., pp. 708-710.
“Christ would have averted the doom of
the Jewish nation if the people had received Him. . . . They
determined that they would not receive Jesus of Nazareth
as the Messiah. They rejected the Light of the world, and
henceforth their lives were surrounded with darkness as the
darkness of midnight. The doom foretold came upon the
Jewish nation.’”-Ibid., p. 712.
In the previous quotations we have been
studying the history of literal Israel and the promises made
to them upon condition of obedience. Israel failed, and
thus received the promises only in part. Now let us study
spiritual Israel and see how these promises will be fulfilled
in them.

32
Promises to Be Fulfilled to Spiritual Israel
“That which God purposed to do for the
world through Israel, the chosen nation, He will finally
accomplish through His church on earth today. He has ‘let
out His vineyard unto other husbandmen,’ even to His cov-
enant-keeping people, who faithfully ‘render Him the fruits
in their seasons.’ Never has the Lord been without true
representatives on this earth who have made His interests
their own. These witnesses for God are numbered among
spiritual Israel, and to them will be fulfilled all the covenant
promises made by Jehovah to His ancient people.
“Today the church of God is free to carry
forward to completion the divine plan for the salvation of a
lost race. . . . God’s church on earth was as verily in captiv-
ity during this long period of relentless persecution, as were
the children of Israel held captive in Babylon, during the
period of the exile.
“But, thank God, His church is no lon-
ger in bondage. To spiritual Israel have been restored the
privileges accorded the people of God at the time of their
deliverance from Babylon. In every part of the earth men
and women are responding to the Heaven-sent message
which John the revelator prophesied would be proclaimed
prior to the second coming of Christ: ‘Fear God, and give
glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come.,
“No longer have the hosts of evil power
to keep the church captive; for ‘Babylon is fallen, is fallen,
that great city,’ which hath ‘made all nations drink of the
wine of the wrath of her fornication;’ and to spiritual Israel
is given the message, ‘Come out of her, My people, that ye
be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her
plagues.’ (Rev. 14:8; 18:4.) As the cap-
33
tive exiles heeded the message, ‘Flee out of the midst of
Babylon,’ and were restored to the Land of Promise so
those who fear God today are heeding the message to with-
draw from spiritual Babylon, and soon they are to stand as
trophies of divine grace in the earth made new, the heav-
enly Canaan.”--Ibid., pp. 713-715.
“’Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the
glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.’ (Isa. 60:1.) Christ is
coming with power and great glory. He is coming with His
own glory, and with the glory of the Father. And the holy
angels will attend Him on His way. While all the world is
plunged in darkness, there will be light in every dwelling
of the saints. They will catch the first light of His second
appearing. The unsullied light will shine from His splendor,
and Christ the Redeemer will be admired by all who have
served Him. While the wicked flee, Christ’s followers will
rejoice in His presence,
“Then it is that the redeemed from among
men will receive their promised inheritance. Thus God’s
purpose for Israel will meet with literal fulfillment. That
which God purposes, man is powerless to disannul. Even
amid the working of evil, God’s purposes have been moving
steadily forward to their accomplishment. It was thus with
the house of Israel throughout the history of the divided
monarchy; it is thus with spiritual Israel today.
“The seer of Patmos, looking down
through the ages to the time of this restoration of Israel in
the earth made new, testified:
“’I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which
no man could number, of all nations, and kin-
dreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the
throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white
robes, and palms in their hands; and cried with
a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which
34
sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.’ (Rev. 7:9,
10.)”-Ibid., pp. 720, 721.
Could the truth be more clearly expressed that the restora-
tion of Israel is “in the new earth,” and not in old Jerusa-
lem?
Peace and Safety
In misleading the people to believe that God’s people will
be in a kingdom, set up before the close of probation, in a
place of “perfect peace and absolute safety,” the Shepherd’s
Rod is joining in the last day “peace and safety” cry foretold
by the apostle Paul. (1 These. 5:3.) What a different picture
is given by the Spirit of prophecy!
“When the protection of human laws shall be withdrawn
from those who honor the law of God, there will be, in
different lands, a simultaneous movement for their destruc-
tion. . . .
“The people of God-some in prison cells, some hidden in
solitary retreats in the forests and the mountains-still plead
for divine protection, while in every quarter companies of
armed men, urged on by hosts of evil angels, are preparing
for the work of death. It is now, in the hour of utmost ex-
tremity, that the God of Israel will interpose for the deliver-
ance of His chosen. . . .
“With shouts of triumph, jeering, and imprecation, throngs
of evil men are about to rush upon their prey, when, lo,
a dense blackness, deeper than the darkness of the night,
falls upon the earth. Then a rainbow, shining with the glory
from the throne of God, spans the heavens, and seems to
encircle each praying company. . . .
“It is at midnight that God manifests His power for the de-
liverance of His people.”--The Great Controversy, pp. 635,
636. (Italics supplied.)
“The living righteous are changed ‘in a mo-
ment, in the twinkling of an eye.’ At the voice
35
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of God they were glorified; now they are made immortal,
and with the risen saints are caught up to meet their Lord
in the air.”-Ibid., p. 645.
In Early Writings we have the same scene
pictured again. One does not find the saints of God in a
kingdom of “perfect peace and absolute safety,” but quite
the contrary. Not until they stand around the throne in
heaven, do we see them in perfect peace and safety.
“I saw the saints leaving the cities and
villages, and associating together in companies, and living
in the most solitary places. Angels provided them food and
water, while the wicked were suffering from hunger and
thirst. Then I saw the leading men of the earth consulting
together, and Satan and his angels busy around them. I saw
a writing, copies of which were scattered in different parts
of the land, giving orders that unless the saints would yield
their peculiar faith, giving up the Sabbath, and observe
the first day of the week, the people were at liberty after
a certain time, to put them to death. But in this hour of
trial the saints were calm and composed, trusting in God,
and leaning upon His promise that a way of escape would
be made for them. In some places, before the time for the
decree to be executed, the wicked rushed upon the saints to
slay them; but angels in the form of men of war fought for
them. . . .
“Soon I saw the saints suffering great men-
tal anguish. They seemed to be surrounded by the wicked
inhabitants of the earth. Every appearance was against
them. Some began to fear that God had at last left them to
perish by the hand of the wicked. . . .
“It was an hour of fearful, terrible agony to
the saints. Day and night they cried unto God for deliver-
ance . . . . Like Jacob, they were wrestling with God . . . .
36
“As the saints left the cities and villages,
they were pursued by the wicked, who sought to slay them.
But the swords that were raised to kill God’s people broke
and fell as powerless as a straw. Angels of God shielded the
saints. As they cried day and night for deliverance, their cry
came up before the Lord. “Early Writings, pp. 282-285.
Foundations of Our Faith
The Shepherd’s Rod group claims to
believe in the inspiration of Mrs. White’s writings, but
confronted with such explicit quotations as these from her
pen, the only possible answer is that she did not understand
about the setting up of the kingdom of David. For instance,
the leader of this group was asked how he harmonized his
exposition of Zechariah 14:4, concerning the Lord de-
scending on the Mount of Olives before the close of proba-
tion, with the statement in Early Writings, pages 51 and 53,
that this will be fulfilled at the close of the thousand years,
when the New Jerusalem descends to the earth. His answer
was that what Sister White said was all right, but that hers
was a secondary application. Christ would descend at the
end of the thousand years, said he, but the primary appli-
cation of this passage is to the coming of Jesus before the
close of probation to establish the kingdom of David. He
did not explain how the Mount of Olives could twice part
asunder and become a great valley.
Is this new doctrine of the kingdom of Da-
vid being set up in Jerusalem before the close of probation a
part of this Advent message? Perhaps the greatest and most
comprehensive revelation that came through Ellen White
was the wonderful representation of the great conflict be-
tween good and evil, from the fall of Satan to the
37
restitution of the new earth. She tells us how in the early
days of this message, the little group of believers earnestly
prayed for guidance in their search for truth, and how at
times, explanations would be made to her in vision. She
said: “A line of truth extending from that time to the time
when we shall enter the city of God, was made plain to
me.” In telling of this, she said further: “Many of our
people do not realize how firmly the foundation of our faith
has been laid.” (Series B, No. 2, pp. 57, 56.)
Let us consider what the acceptance of this
central doctrine of the Shepherd’s Rod, “present truth”
(falsely so-called), would mean to “the foundations of our
faith.”
 In 1856 Mrs. White was given a vision in
which most of what she had been shown ten years before
was repeated, concerning this “line of truth,” covering the
last events in the great conflict. She was then instructed to
write it out. In obedience to this instruction we have that
remarkable series of books on the conflict of the ages. How
clearly and specifically the closing events are delineated-
the sealing, the loud cry, the time of trouble, the seven last
plagues, the second coming of Christ, the judgment of
the wicked dead, when the saints shall reign as priests and
kings, to the parting asunder of the Mount of Olives and
the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven, the second
resurrection, the second death, and the purification of the
earth by fire, on to the earth made new with New Jerusalem
as the capital of the universe.
Is it conceivable, after a hundred years of
preaching this revealed “line of truth,” more than half of
that time under the instruction and counsel of the Lord’s
messenger that God would now reveal to us that one of the
most important events in the history of the great conflict
had been omitted;
38
namely-the setting up of a temporal kingdom of David
before the close of probation and the second coming of
Christ? Certainly some “do not realize how firmly the foun-
dation of our faith has been laid.”
The Return to Palestine
This false doctrine of the establishment of
a kingdom of David in Palestine before the close of proba-
tion leads this Shepherd’s Rod group into an error against
which we were warned in the early days of the Advent
Movement. While, as far as we know, this particular fantas-
tic theory of “the land of our fathers” becoming “our final
and superb dressing chamber” for entrance into heaven,
had not been advanced at that time, the truths stated and
the warning given are certainly pertinent at this time. The
Lord’s messenger wrote:
“Then I was pointed to some who are in
the great error of believing that it is their duty to go to
old Jerusalem, and think that they have a work to do there
before the Lord comes. Such a view is calculated to take the
mind and interest from the present work of the Lord, under
the message of the third angel; for those who think that
they are yet to go to Jerusalem, will have their minds there,
and their means will be withheld from the cause of present
truth, to get themselves and others there. . . . I also saw that
old Jerusalem never would be built up; and that Satan was
doing his utmost to lead the minds of the children of the
Lord into these things now, in the gathering time, to keep
them from throwing their whole interest into the present
work of the Lord, and to cause them to neglect the neces-
sary preparation for the day of the Lord.”--Early Writings,
pp. 75, 76.
Believers in the Shepherd’s Rod are doing the
39
very things against which the Spirit of prophecy here warns
us. Some whom I know are saving up their means to get to
Palestine, and their minds and interests are centered there.
To be sure, they give many reasons that may be different
from those stated above, but the evil results are just the
same whatever the inducement. Satan certainly would pres-
ent other reasons to deceive, and this false doctrine of the
kingdom is his strongest.
A False Foundation
The setting up of the kingdom before the
close of probation and, therefore, before the second com-
ing of Christ, is the foundation of all the Shepherd’s Rod
teachings; and as it is contrary to the Bible and Spirit of
prophecy, as has been clearly shown, it is a false doctrine.
Thus, all the other points of doctrine presented by the
Shepherd’s Rod which lead up to this main issue of the
kingdom, can be proved false in like manner.
A Solemn Warning
Let everyone prayerfully consider the fol-
lowing statement and solemn warning from the Spirit of
prophecy. What is said here fits into my own experience to
the very detail:
“My soul is much burdened, for I know
what is before us. Every conceivable deception will be
brought to bear upon those who have not a daily, living
connection with God. In our work no side issues must be
advanced until there has been a thorough examination of
the ideas entertained that it may be ascertained from what
source they have originated. Satan’s angels are wise to do
evil, and they will create that which some will claim to be
advanced light, will proclaim as new and wonderful things,
and yet while in some respects the message is truth, it will
be mingled with men’s inventions, and will teach for doc-
40
trines the commandments of men. If there was ever a time
when we should watch and pray in real earnest, it is now.
There may be supposable things that appear as good things,
and yet they need to be carefully considered with much
prayer; for they are specious devices of the enemy to lead
souls in a path which lies so close to the path of truth that it
will be scarcely distinguishable from the path which leads to
holiness and heaven. But the eye of faith may discern that
it is diverging from the right path, though almost imper-
ceptibly. At first it may be thought positively right, but after
a while it is seen to be widely divergent from the path of
safety, from the path which leads to holiness and heaven.
My brethren, I warn you to make straight paths for your
feet, lest the lame be turned out of the way.”-Testimonies to
Ministers, p. 229.
Let us now take up some of the separate
issues that lead to the false doctrine of the kingdom.
41
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Chapter II
EZEKIEL 9
A subject of which the Shepherd’s Rod
makes an issue almost as strongly and as falsely as the king-
dom, is Ezekiel 9. Let us bring this also to the light of the
Spirit of prophecy:
The Shepherd’s Rod.-”According to Eze-
kiel 2: 3; 3:1, 4, 5, 7, the prophet was to bear his message
to the whole ‘house of Israel’ (the term ‘house of Israel,’
denoting either all twelve tribes or only the ten tribes as the
case might be). Yet he did not understand the meaning of
the vision. Had he, he would have explained it, rather than
declaring: ‘I came to them of the captivity of Telabib, that
dwelt by the river of Chebar, and I sat where they sat, and
remained there astonished among them seven days.’ Eze. 3:
15.
“Since at the time of the vision, the house
of Judah, the two-tribe kingdom, was in captivity in the
land of the Chaldeans, and the house of Israel, the ten-
tribe kingdom, was in dispersion among the nations whither
it had been carried away and scattered some years before (2
Kings 17:6), there was no possibility of Ezekiel’s delivering
the message to them. And as it is to both the house of Israel
and the house of Judah (Eze. 9:9),-the twelve tribes, conse-
quently it was prophetic in Ezekiel’s time. . . .
“And finally as no slaughter such as the one
described in Ezekiel 9 has ever occurred, its fulfillment is
obviously yet future.”--Tract 1, pp. 11, 12, second revised
edition. (Italics theirs.)
These are rather astonishing statements. Is it true
that Ezekiel did not understand the meaning of the mes-
sage he was sent to deliver? Is it
true that he did not go to those to whom he was
42
told to go? And is it true that the dire predictions of punish-
ment to be visited upon those who led God’s people into
idolatrous worship were never fulfilled? Let us see.
Ezekiel’s Vision and Predictions
The Spirit of Prophecy.-”While Jeremiah
continued to bear his testimony in the land of Judah, the
prophet Ezekiel was raised up from among the captives in
Babylon, to warn and to comfort the exiles, and also to con-
firm the word of the Lord that was being spoken through
Jeremiah. During the years that remained of Zedekiah’s
reign, Ezekiel made very plain the folly of trusting to the
false predictions of those who were causing the captives to
hope for an early return to Jerusalem. He was also instruct-
ed to foretell, by means of a variety of symbols and solemn
messages, the siege and utter destruction of Jerusalem.
“In the sixth year of the reign of Zedekiah,
the Lord revealed to Ezekiel in vision some of the abomina-
tions that were being practiced in Jerusalem, and within the
gate of the Lord’s house, and even in the inner court. The
chambers of images, and the pictured idols, ‘every form of
creeping things, and abominable beasts, and all the idols of
the house of Israel’ (Eze. 8:10)-all these in rapid succession
passed before the astonished gaze of the prophet.
“Those who should have been spiritual
leaders among the people, ‘the ancients of the house of
Israel,’ to the number of seventy, were seen offering incense
before the idolatrous representations that had been intro-
duced into hidden chambers within the sacred precincts of
the temple court. ‘The Lord seeth us not,’ the men of Judah
flattered themselves as they engaged in their heathenish
practices; ‘the Lord hath forsaken the
43
earth,’ they blasphemously declared. (Eze. 8: 11,
12.)
“There were still ‘greater abominations’ for
the prophet to behold. At a gate leading from the outer to
the inner court he was shown ‘women weeping for Tam-
muz;’ and within ‘the inner court of the Lord’s house. . . . at
the door of the temple of the Lord, between the porch and
the altar, were about five and twenty men, with their backs
toward the temple of the Lord, and their faces toward the
east; and they worshiped the sun toward the east.’ (Eze. 8:
13-16.)
“And now the glorious Being who ac-
companied Ezekiel throughout this astonishing vision of
wickedness in high places in the land of Judah, inquired of
the prophet: ‘Hast thou seen this, 0 son of man? Is it a light
thing to the house of Judah that they commit the abomina-
tions which they commit here? for they have filled the land
with violence, and have returned to provoke Me to anger
: and, lo, they put the branch to their nose. Therefore will
I also deal in fury: Mine eye shall not spare, neither will I
have pity: and though they cry in Mine ears with a loud
voice, yet will I not hear them.’ (Verses 17, 18) . . .
“The day of doom for the kingdom of
Judah was fast approaching. No longer could the Lord set
before them the hope of averting the severest of His judg-
ments. ‘Should ye be utterly unpunished?’ He inquired. ‘Ye
shall not be unpunished.’
“Even these words were received with
mocking derision. ‘The days are prolonged, and every
vision faileth,’ declared the impenitent. But through Eze-
kiel this denial of the sure word of prophecy was sternly
rebuked. ‘Tell them,’ the Lord declared, ‘I will make this
proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb
in Israel; but say unto them, the days are at hand, and the
effect of every vision. For there shall be no
44
more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the
house of Israel. For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the
word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no
more prolonged: for in your days, O rebellious house, will I
say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God.’
“’Again’ testifies Ezekiel, ‘the word of the
Lord came to me, saying, Son of man, behold they of the
house of Israel say, The vision that he seeth is for many
days to come, and he prophesieth of the times that are afar
off. Therefore say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God;
There shall none of My words be prolonged any more, but
the word which I have spoken shall be done, saith the Lord
God.”’ (Eze. 12:26-28.) -Prophets and Kings, pp. 448-450.
The second section of the book of Ezekiel,
chapters eight to nineteen, opens with the account of the
vision given “in the sixth year; in the sixth month; in the
fifth day of the month.” The eighth chapter consists of
a series of scenes of the heathen abominations that were
being practiced in the holy temple of God in Jerusalem.
The last words of this chapter introduce the account in the
ninth chapter, of the punishment to be meted out to the
perpetrators of this terrible desecration of God’s house of
worship. The Lord said to Ezekiel: “Hast thou seen this, O
son of man? Is it a light thing to the house of Judah that
they commit the abominations which they commit here? for
they have filled the land with violence, and have returned to
provoke me to anger: and, lo, they put the branch to their
nose. Therefore will I also deal in fury: mine eye shall not
spare, neither will I have pity: and though they cry in mine
ears with a loud voice, yet will I not hear them.” Eze. 8:17,
18.
It is very plain to be seen that chapter nine
is a continuation of chapter eight, where under the
45
symbol of “men” with slaughter weapons, the execution of
God’s judgment is foretold. First a mark was to be placed
on the foreheads of those in the city who were sighing and
crying for the abominations that were done, and then they
went forth to slay, without mercy, all upon whom no mark
had been placed.
Shepherd’s Rod Claims Refuted
It is certainly evident from these consid-
erations that Ezekiel understood the message to be given,
and gave it: He was raised up to “warn” and “comfort” the
exiles, and to “confirm” the word of the Lord spoken by
Jeremiah. The Lord said to Ezekiel: “All my words that I
shall speak unto thee receive in thine heart, and hear with
thine ears.” Eze. 3:10. That surely indicates understanding
of all God’s messages, including Ezekiel 9.
We are told that “through Jeremiah in
Jerusalem, through Daniel in the court of Babylon, through
Ezekiel on the banks of the Chebar, the Lord in mercy
made clear His eternal purpose, and gave assurance of
His willingness to fulfill to His chosen people the promises
recorded in the writings of Moses.”-Prophets and Kings,
p. 464. It is also said in Prophets and Kings that “Ezekiel
made very plain” the falsity of predictions that the exiles
would soon return to Jerusalem. Evidently he understood
and made plain all that God revealed to him.
As to whether Ezekiel really went to those
to whom the Lord commissioned him to deliver His mes-
sage, we learn that three times in chapters two and three
he was commanded to go. “I send thee to the children of
Israel, to a rebellious nation.” Eze. 2:3. “Thou shalt speak
my words unto them.” Verse 7. “Go, get thee to them of
the captivity.” Eze. 3:11. “Then,” says Ezek-
46
iel, “I came to them of the captivity of Telabib.” (Verse 15.)
Certainly there is no reason to assume that
Ezekiel’s message did not reach the whole house of Israel
then residing in the region of that eastern country where
the prophet himself was an exile.
 We have here some rather strange rea-
soning on the part of the leader and spokesman of the
Shepherd’s Rod. On the basis of Ezekiel’s statement that at
Telabib, he “sat where they sat, and remained there aston-
ished [“overwhelmed,”--A.R.V.] among them seven days,”
he concludes that Ezekiel did not understand the meaning
of the vision, and that “had he, he would have explained
it.” Does the fact that he remained among them seven days
prove that the Lord’s messenger was dumb? Mrs. White
says that the visions received by Ezekiel had “in rapid suc-
cession passed before the astonished gaze of the prophet.”
The very thought of the utter destruction of the city of
God and the slaughter of the priests, princes, and people
because of their apostasy must have been terrible to con-
template, both to Ezekiel and the other exiles. Doubtless,
too, Ezekiel’s astonishment was due to the fact that the cap-
tives did not accept his message, even though he had been
warned that they would not hearken unto him. (Verse 7.)
The final argument of the Shepherd’s
Rod on their theory of Ezekiel nine is that this prediction
has never been fulfilled; therefore it must be in the future.
Incidentally, it may be said that this Shepherd’s Rod theory
sounds like an echo of what was being said in Jerusalem
by those who were resisting the warnings of Ezekiel. The
vision, they said “is for many days to come, and he proph-
esieth of the times that are afar off.” What was the Lord’s
answer? “Thus saith the Lord God; There shall none of my
words be
47
prolonged any more, but the word which I have spoken
shall be done, saith the Lord God.” Eze. 12:27, 28. Ezekiel
nine is among the words which God had spoken, and there
is abundant evidence that all these predictions were fulfilled.
As already quoted from Prophets and
Kings “the day of doom of the kingdom of Judah was fast
approaching” and there was no longer any “hope of avert-
ing the severest of His judgments.” And what judgment
could be more severe than the slaughter of the religious
and civil leaders and the people? The Lord told Ezekiel to
say, “The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision.”
Eze. 12:23. Ezekiel nine is an integral part of one of those
visions; and as surely as God’s Word is true, those evil men
and women in Jerusalem who had engaged in sun worship
and practiced other heathenish abominations were marked
for slaughter in the siege and destruction of Jerusalem.
Ezekiel’s message was given by means of symbols. It is clear
from the record that the Lord used human agents in car-
rying out His decree. Again and again the slaughter of the
impenitent in Jerusalem is foretold, a reiteration of the pre-
diction in Ezekiel nine. In chapter 21 we read: “Thus saith
the Lord; Behold, I am against thee, and will draw forth my
sword out of his sheath.” Verse 3. “Thus saith the Lord;
Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished: it
is sharpened to make a sore slaughter.” Verses 9, 10. “This
sword is sharpened, ... to give it into the hand of the slayer.”
Verse 11. “It shall be upon all the princes of Israel: terrors
by reason of the sword shall be upon my people.” Verse 12.
“It is the sword of the great men that are slain.” Verse 14.
“I have set the point of the sword against all their gates,
that their heart may faint, and their ruins be multiplied: ah!
it is made bright, it is wrapped up for the slaughter.” Verse
15.
48
It was the Lord’s decree, and He chose
Nebuchadnezzar to execute the decree. “Behold, I will send
and take all the families of the north, saith the Lord, and
Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will
bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants
thereof.” Jer. 25:9.
Predictions Literally Fulfilled.
We find the history of the fulfillment of
these prophecies in the Bible and Spirit of prophecy. The
writer of Second Chronicles thus sums up the causes and
the final outcome in this tragic episode in the history of
God’s chosen people.
“All the chief of the priests, and the people,
transgressed very much after all the abominations of the
heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had
hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers
sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and send-
ing; because he had compassion on his people, and on his
dwelling place: but they mocked the messengers of God,
and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the
wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was
no remedy. Therefore he brought upon them the king of
the Chaldees who slew their young men with the sword in
the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon
young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for
age: he gave them all into his hand.” 2 Chron. 36:14-17.
As a conclusive evidence to Ezekiel and to
us that these predictions against Jerusalem were fulfilled,
it is significant that on the very day of the beginning of
their fulfillment, the Lord revealed it to Ezekiel in Babylon.
“Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month, in the tenth
day of the month, the word of the Lord came unto me, say-
ing, Son of man, write thee the name of the day, even
49
of this same day: the king of Babylon set himself against
Jerusalem this same day.” Eze. 24:1, 2.
It was also revealed to Ezekiel that he would have the ac-
count of the destruction from an eye witness who escaped.
“He that escapeth in that day shall come unto thee, to cause
thee to hear it with thine ears.” Eze. 24:26. And this prom-
ise to the prophet was fulfilled. “And it came to pass in the
twelfth year of our captivity, in the tenth month, in the fifth
day of the month, that one that bad escaped out of Jerusa-
lem came unto me, saying, The city is smitten.” Eze. 33:21.
“In the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, ‘Nebuchadnezzar
king of Babylon came, he, and all his host, against Jerusa-
lem,’ to besiege the city. The outlook for Judah was hope-
less. ‘Behold, I am against thee,’ the Lord Himself declared
through Ezekiel. ‘I the Lord have drawn forth My sword
out of his sheath: it shall not return any more. . . . Every
heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every
spirit shall faint, and all knees shall be weak as water.’ ‘I will
pour out Mine indignation upon thee, I will blow against
thee in the fire of My wrath, and deliver thee into the hand
of brutish men, and skillful to destroy.’ (Eze. 21:3, 5-7, 31.)-
Prophets and Kings, p. 452.
“The enemy swept down like a resistless avalanche, and
devastated the city. The Hebrew armies were beaten back
in confusion. The nation was conquered. Zedekiah was
taken prisoner, and his sons were slain before his eyes. The
king was led away from Jerusalem a captive, his eyes were
put out, and after arriving in Babylon he perished miser-
ably. The beautiful temple that for more than four centuries
had crowned the summit of Mount Zion, was not spared
by the Chaldeans. ‘They burnt the house of God, and
brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces
thereof
50
------------
with fire. and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof.’ (2
Chron. 36:19.)”-lbid., pp. 458, 459.
“But now Zion was utterly destroyed; the
people of God were in their captivity. Overwhelmed with
grief, the prophet exclaimed: ‘How doth the city sit solitary,
that was full of people! how is she become as a widow!
Lam. 1:1’”-1bid., pp. 461, 462.
From these inspired records is it not per-
fectly clear that all that the Lord foretold through Ezekiel
was fulfilled? In Prophets and Kings, page 448, quoted
above, we are told that Ezekiel was “instructed to foretell,
by means of a variety of symbols and solemn messages, the
siege and utter destruction of Jerusalem.” These warnings
and predictions were faithfully given, with the assurance
that “none” (not one) of God’s words should be prolonged,
and that the time was near. The Lord said to them that it
would be “in your days.” The Lord even named the agent
He had chosen for the execution of His judgments against
Jerusalem. Then we have the Sacred Record that those
foretellings were fulfilled.
But in the face of all this the false prophet
of the Shepherd’s Rod, claiming to speak by inspiration,
announces that “no slaughter such as the one described in
Ezekiel 9 has ever occurred,” but is yet to be fulfilled by the
slaughter of Seventh-day Adventists.
Can anyone with an open mind fail to see
that all Ezekiel’s predictions were fulfilled in the retribution
that came upon Jerusalem, her leaders, and people at the
hands of the Chaldeans?
NOTE.-Sad to say, in spite of this terrible punish-
ment of His chosen people for their idolatry and the mercy
of God In permitting them to return and restore the temple
and government, they eventually failed to carry out His
purpose for them. By the Babylonian captivity the Israelites
were effectually cured of the worship of graven images,”
but they failed to learn the all important lesson of complete
dependence on God for salva-
51
tion. The principle of salvation by works which “lay at the
foundation of every heathen religion” now became “the
principle of the Jewish religion.” “The people whom God
had called to be the pillar and ground of the truth” became
“representatives of Satan.”-The Desire of Ages, pp. 2 1 36.
Their rejection of their Messiah sealed the doom of the
Jewish nation. “Looking for the last time upon the interior
of the temple, Jesus said with mournful pathos, ‘Behold,
your house is left unto you desolate.’”-Ibid., p. 620. The
final siege and destruction of Jerusalem, which Jesus had
predicted (Matthew 24), was one of the most bloody and
pitiful in the annals of history.
“In the destruction of the impenitent city” says Mrs. White,
Jesus “saw a symbol of the final destruction of the world.”
Thus both the destruction of
Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in 636 B.C. and its final
destruction by Titus In A.D. 70 are referred to by the Spirit
of prophecy as examples,
or symbols of the general destruction of the wicked at the
end of the great conflict of the ages.
Last-Day Fulfillment of Ezekiel Nine
“Now all these things happened unto them
for ensamples [“types,” margin] : and they are written for
our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are
come.” I Cor. 10:11.
In Times of crises in the agelong conflict between
good and evil, there have been outstanding places, events,
and personalities which naturally have become designat-
ing symbols for future generations. Thus we have “Baby-
lon” and “Jezebel” to symbolize apostasy in the Christian
dispensation, and “Elijah” with a special message from God
just before the second coming of Christ. Likewise Ezekiel’s
symbolic vision, in a time of all but universal apostasy,
with a man going through Jerusalem placing a mark on
the faithful servants of God, and the subsequent slaughter
of all others, has been used by the Lord’s messenger to the
remnant church as an illustration or symbol of the sealing
of God’s servants just before the close of probation and the
general destruction of the wicked.
As already stated, the Shepherd’s Rod
teaches that Ezekiel did not understand the meaning of
52
the vision recorded in his ninth chapter, and that therefore
he did not give it and that this prediction has never been
fulfilled. These statements have clearly been disproved in
what has gone before. It is claimed that the meaning of
this prophecy has now been revealed through the inspired
leader of this offshoot, and that it will be fulfilled by the
slaughter of Seventh-day Adventists who reject the teach-
ings of the Shepherd’s Rod, that this slaughter is literal and
imminent and will take place just before or at the beginning
of the loud cry.
Recognizing that Mrs. White, in The Great
Controversy, applies Ezekiel nine to the final slaughter of all
the wicked, the Shepherd’s Rod claims that she teaches that
there are to be two fulfillments of this prophecy-first the
slaughter of Laodicean Seventh-day Adventists before the
finishing of God’s work in the earth, and later the general
slaughter of the wicked after probation has closed.
Let us see what the Spirit of prophecy
really says. Did Mrs. White see two slaughters: one on the
church and then another on the world?
In chapter 41 of The Great Controversy
we have a vivid picture of the final judgment to “fall upon
Babylon in the day of the visitation of God’s wrath,” (page
653), and upon all the people of the world, who now realize
that the time of their salvation has past. Among those in
despair there are ministers who have been false shepherds,
who have “sacrificed truth to gain the favor of men,” and
who by “setting aside the divine precept,” have contributed
to the terrible condition of lawlessness and corruption.
“The people see that they have been
deluded. They accuse one another of having led them to
destruction; but all unite in heaping their bitterest condem-
nation upon the ministers. Unfaithful pastors have proph-
esied smooth things;
53
they have led their bearers to make void the law of God
and to persecute those who would keep it holy. Now, in
their despair, these teachers confess before the world their
work of deception. The multitudes are filled with fury. ‘We
are lost,’ they cry, ‘and you are the cause of our ruin;’ and
they turn upon the false shepherds. The very ones that
once admired them most, will pronounce the most dread-
ful curses upon them. The very hands that once crowned
them with laurels, will be raised for their destruction. The
swords which were to slay God’s people, are now employed
to destroy their enemies. Everywhere there is strife and
bloodshed.
“’A noise shall come even to the ends of
the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations,
He will plead with all flesh; He will give them that are
wicked to the sword.’ (Jer. 25:31.) . . . The time has come
for God to vindicate the authority of His downtrodden law.
Now the controversy is not alone with Satan, but with men.
‘The Lord hath a controversy with the nations;’ ‘He will
give them that are wicked to the sword.’
“The mark of deliverance has been set
upon those ‘that sigh and that cry for all the abominations
that be done.’ Now the angel of death goes forth, repre-
sented in Ezekiel’s vision by the men with the slaughtering
weapons, to whom the command is given: ‘Slay utterly old
and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but
come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin
at My sanctuary.’ Says the prophet, ‘They began at the
ancient men which were before the house.’ (Eze. 9:1-6.) The
work of destruction begins among those who have professed
to be the spiritual guardians of the people. The false watch-
men are the first to fall. There are none to pity or to spare.
Men, women, maidens, and little children perish together.
54
“’The Lord cometh out of His place to
punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity:
the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more
cover her slain’ (Isa. 26:21)....
“At the coming of Christ the wicked are
blotted from the face of the whole earth,-consumed with
the spirit of His mouth, and destroyed by the brightness of
His glory. Christ takes His people to the city of God, and
the earth is emptied of its inhabitants.”-The Great Contro-
versy, pp. 655-657.
Here we have a vivid description of the
final act in God’s “controversy with the nations” and with
all who have stood on the side of Satan including the un-
faithful shepherds in the churches. It is the end of the great
controversy. The destruction of sinners is complete. The
saints are taken to heaven, and the earth is left desolate,
“emptied of its inhabitants.” It is the final destruction of
the wicked world, of which the destruction of old Jerusalem
was a symbol. The question is, Will there be a slaughter of
unfaithful Seventh-day Adventists at some time previous to
the general destruction of the wicked?
In the Testimonies to the Church, where
the Lord’s servant has so faithfully rebuked sin, and warned
ministers and people of the coming destruction that awaits
the unfaithful, very naturally she has made use of the sym-
bolic vision of Ezekiel nine. We quote quite fully what she
has written. Speaking of the “duty to reprove sin” “among
those who profess to be His commandment-keeping peo-
ple” she says:
“The true people of God, who have the spirit
of the work of the Lord and the salvation of
souls at heart, will ever view sin in its real, sin-
ful character. They will always be on the side
of faithful and plain dealing with sins which
easily beset the people of God. Especially in the
55
closing work for the church, in the sealing time of the one
hundred and forty-four thousand who are to stand without
fault before the throne of God, will they feel most deeply
the wrongs of God’s professed people. This is forcibly set
forth by the prophet’s illustration of the last work under
the figure of the men each having a slaughter weapon in
his hand. One man among them was clothed with linen,
with a writer’s inkhorn by his side. ‘And the Lord said unto
him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of
Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men
that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done
in the midst thereof.’
“Who are standing in the counsel of God
at this time? Is it those who virtually excuse wrongs among
the professed people of God, and who murmur in their
hearts, if not openly, against those who would reprove sin?
Is it those who take their stand against them, and sympa-
thize with those who commit wrong? No, indeed! Unless
they repent, and leave the work of Satan in oppressing
those who have the burden of the work, and in holding up
the hands of sinners in Zion, they will never receive the
mark of God’s sealing approval. They will fall in the general
destruction of the wicked, represented by the work of the
five men bearing slaughter weapons. Mark this point with
care: Those who receive the pure mark of truth, wrought
in them by the power of the Holy Ghost, represented by a
mark by the man in linen, are those ‘that sigh and that cry
for all the abominations that be done’ in the church. Their
love for purity and the honor and glory of God is such, and
they have so clear a view of the exceeding sinfulness of sin,
that they are represented as being in agony, even sighing
and crying. Read the ninth chapter of Ezekiel.
“But the general slaughter of all those who do
56
not thus see the wide contrast between sin and righteous-
ness, and do not feel as those do who stand in the counsel
of God and receive the mark, is described in the order
to the five men with slaughter weapons: ‘Go ye after him
through the city, and smite; let not your eye spare, neither
have ye pity; slay utterly old and young, both maids, and
little children, and women; but come not near any man
upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.’ “-Tes-
timonies, vol. 3, pp. 266, 267.
The foregoing quotation is one used by the
Shepherd’s Rod to prove that there is a special fulfillment of
Ezekiel 9 in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, but it does
not say so.
What does the Spirit of prophecy say is
“represented by the work of the five men bearing slaugh-
ter weapons”? Answer: “The general destruction of the
wicked.” And who is it that Mrs. White says “will never
receive the mark of God’s sealing approval,” but “will fall in
the general destruction of the wicked”? Answer: It is “those
who virtually excuse wrongs among the professed people of
God.” It is those “who sympathize with those who commit
wrong.” It is the ones who oppress “those who have the bur-
den of the work” and hold up “the hands of sinners in Zion
(the church).” Unless the people in the church “repent,”
they will not be sealed, but will go down “in the general
destruction of the wicked.”
If the leader of the Shepherd’s Rod is
speaking by inspiration, as he claims, would he contradict
what the Lord revealed through Mrs. White? His only
defense is to say that Mrs. White did not understand fully
the two slaughters. There is not an intimation or the faintest
suggestion in the writings of the Spirit of prophecy that the
slaughter in the vision of Ezekiel nine symbolized
57
the slaughter of the unfaithful in the Laodicean church.
The explanation is that this refers to the “general slaughter
of all those who do not thus see the wide contrast between
sin and righteousness.”
Let us turn to the Spirit of prophecy again
and get another view of the same subject. In a chapter on
“The Seal of God,” in Testimonies, volume 5, we read:
“’He cried also in mine ears with a loud
voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to
draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in
his hand.’ . . .
“Jesus is about to leave the mercy seat of
the heavenly sanctuary, to put on garments of vengeance,
and pour out His wrath in judgments upon those who have
not responded to the light God has given them. . . With
unerring accuracy, the Infinite One still keeps an account
with all nations. While His mercy is tendered, with calls to
repentance, this account will remain open; but when the
figures reach a certain amount which God has fixed, the
ministry of His wrath commences. The account is closed.
Divine patience ceases. There is no more pleading of mercy
in their behalf.”
“The command is, ‘Go through the midst
of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark
upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for
all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.’
These sighing, crying ones [in Jerusalem] had been holding
forth the words of life; they had reproved, counseled, and
entreated. Some who had been dishonoring God, repented
and humbled their hearts before Him. But the glory of the
Lord had departed from Israel; although many still con-
tinued the forms of religion, His power and presence were
lacking.
“In the time when His wrath shall go forth in
58
judgments, these humble, devoted followers of Christ will
be distinguished from the rest of the world by their soul
anguish, which is expressed in lamentations and weeping,
reproofs and warnings. . . .
“The class who do not feel grieved over
their own spiritual declension, nor mourn over the sins of
others, will be left without the seal of God. The Lord com-
missions His messengers, the men with slaughtering weap-
ons in their hands: ‘Go ye after him through the city, and
smite; let not your eye spare.’...
“Here we see that the church-the Lord’s
sanctuary-was the first to feel the stroke of the wrath of
God. The ancient men, those to whom God had given
great light, and who had stood as guardians of the spiritual
interests of the people, had betrayed their trust. . . .
“No superiority of rank, dignity, or worldly
wisdom, no position in sacred office, will preserve men from
sacrificing principle, when left to their own deceitful hearts.
Those who have been regarded as worthy and righteous,
prove to be ringleaders in apostasy, and examples in indif-
ference and in the abuse of God’s mercies. Their wicked
course He will tolerate no longer, and in His wrath He deals
with them without mercy. . . .
“The day of God’s vengeance is just upon
us. The seal of God will be placed upon the foreheads of
those only who sigh and cry for the abominations done in
the land. Those who link in sympathy with the world are
eating and drinking with the drunken, and will surely be
destroyed with the workers of iniquity. ‘The eyes of the
Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto
their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against them that
do evil.’
“Our own course of action will determine
whether we shall receive the seal of the living
59
God, or be cut down by the destroying weapons. Already
a few drops of God’s wrath have fallen upon the earth; but
when the seven last plagues shall be poured out without
mixture into the cup of His indignation, then it will be for-
ever too late to repent, and find shelter. No atoning blood
will then wash away the stains of sin. “Testimonies, vol. 5,
pp. 207-212.
The Shepherd’s Rod teaches that the 144,000 cannot be
perfected and fitted for translation until they go to Pales-
tine as citizens of that perfect kingdom of David. We are
told that “as long as His people are commingling with the
tares, and live among the Gentiles, they can never be fitted
for translation.” But that is not the teaching of the Bible
or Spirit of prophecy, as all Seventh-day Adventist Bible
students know. The following from Testimonies, volume 5,
gives a true picture of the final struggles of the people of
God in the days of purification of the church and the seal-
ing of the 144,000.
“While the followers of Christ have sinned, they have not
given themselves to the control of evil. They have put away
their sins, and have sought the Lord in humility and contri-
tion, and the Divine Advocate pleads in their behalf. . . .
“The assaults of Satan are strong, his delusions are ter-
rible; but the Lord’s eye is upon His people. Their affliction
is great, the flames of the furnace seem about to consume
them; but Jesus will bring them forth as gold tried in the
fire. Their earthliness must be removed that the image of
Christ may be perfectly reflected, unbelief must be over-
come; faith, hope, and patience are to be developed.
“The people of God are sighing and crying for the abomi-
nations done in the land. With tears they warn the wicked
of their danger in trampling upon the divine law, and with
unutterable
60
------------------
sorrow they humble themselves before the Lord on account
of their own transgressions. The wicked mock their sorrow,
ridicule their solemn appeals, and sneer at what they term
their weakness. But the anguish and humiliation of God’s
people is unmistakable evidence that they are regaining the
strength and nobility of character lost in consequence of
sin....
“The faithful, praying ones are, as it were,
shut in with God. They themselves know not how securely
they are shielded. Urged on by Satan, the rulers of this
world are seeking to destroy them; but could their eyes be
opened, as were the eyes of Elisha’s servant at Dothan,
they would see the angels of God encamped about them,
by their brightness and glory holding in check the hosts of
darkness.
“As the people of God afflict their souls
before Him, pleading for purity of heart, the command
is given, ‘Take away the filthy garments from them,’ and
the encouraging words are spoken, ‘Behold, I have caused
thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with
change of rainment.’ The spotless robe of Christ’s righ-
teousness is placed upon the tried, tempted, yet faithful chil-
dren of God. The despised remnant are clothed in glorious
apparel, never more to be defiled by the corruptions of the
world. Their names are retained in the Lamb’s book of life,
enrolled among the faithful of all ages. They have resisted
the wiles of the deceiver; they have not been turned from
their loyalty by the dragon’s roar. Now they are . . . not only
pardoned and accepted, but honored. A ‘fair miter’ is set
upon their heads. They are to be as kings and priests unto
God. While Satan was urging his accusations, and seeking
to destroy this company, holy angels, unseen, were passing
to and fro, placing upon them the seal of the living God.
These are
61
they that stand upon Mount Zion with the Lamb, having
the Father’s name written in their foreheads. They sing the
new song before the throne, that song which no man can
learn save the hundred and forty and four thousand, which
were redeemed from the earth. ‘These are they which
follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were
redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God
and to the Lamb. And in their mouth was found no guile;
for they are without fault before the throne of God.’ ‘”--
Testimonies, vol. 5, pp. 474-476.
In the quotations given above the whole
truth of the subject of Ezekiel 9 is clearly stated.
There is no mention made of a kingdom
set up before Christ comes, with the people of God, espe-
cially the 144,000, safely within; but just the opposite. The
144,000 are particularly mentioned during the time of
Jacob’s trouble. They are in anguish and trouble, with the
enemy of God’s law seeking to destroy them. They are puri-
fied during this time, and not in a perfect kingdom of David
in old Palestine, without which, says the Shepherd’s Rod,
“they can never be fitted for translation.” Their pilgrimage
on this earth is over, and now they stand before the throne
of God.
Surely, it behooves every Seventh-day
Adventist to study as never before to know what the Spirit
of prophecy really teaches, that he may not be ensnared by
the terrible delusions of Satan, who will if possible deceive
the very elect. Every one of us must be fortified by the truth
and with God’s Holy Spirit if he is to stand.
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Chapter III
THE 144,000
Where Were the 144,000 Seen?
As stated above, the teachings of the Shepherd’s Rod center
in the theory of a kingdom of David to be set up in old
Jerusalem before the close of probation and the Second
Advent. The 144,000, it is said, will have been sealed and
will be the sinless citizens of that perfect kingdom of David.
From Jerusalem as a center they are to go as missionaries
to give the “loud cry” to all the world, the results of which,
it is claimed, will be the conversion of the great multitude
mentioned in Revelation 7:9.
Therefore, in harmony with this theory, it must be that John
in vision (Rev. 14: 1) saw the 144,000, not in heaven, but on
earth.

The Shepherd’s Rod.-”Let it be carefully noted that in his
vision, John saw the 144,000 stand not on Mount Zion in
heaven, but upon earth, for had it not been otherwise, he
would not say ‘and I heard a voice from heaven.’”--Tract 8,
p. 4.
“In view of the fact that the 144,000 stood on Mount Zion
while the elders and the beasts were before the throne, the
144,000 were, therefore, sealed while the judgment was
in session. Moreover, Christ being seen with them in His
symbolical form (a lamb), again proves that they stand with
Him on Mount Zion during probationary time-while the
judgment is in session.”-Ibid., pp. 6, 7.
The Spirit of Prophecy.--”In holy vision the prophet saw
the ultimate triumph of God’s remnant church. He writes:
“’I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with
63
fire: and them that had gotten the victory . . . stand on the
sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the
song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the
Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are Thy works, Lord
God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of
saints. (Rev. 15:2, 3.)
“’And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on
the Mount Zion, and with Him a hundred and forty and
four thousand, having His Father’s name written in their
foreheads.’ In this world their minds were consecrated to
God; they served Him with the intellect and with the heart;
and now He can place His name ‘in their foreheads.’ ‘And
they shall reign forever and ever.’ . . .
“’These are they which follow the Lamb
whithersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from
among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the
Lamb.’ The vision of the prophet pictures them as standing
on Mount Zion, girt for holy service, clothed in white linen,
which is the righteousness of the saints. But all who follow
the Lamb in heaven must first have followed Him on earth,
not fretfully or capriciously, but in trustful, loving, willing
obedience, as the flock follows the shepherd.
“’I heard the voice of harpers harping with
their harps; and they sung as it were a new song
before the throne. . . . and no man could learn
that song but the hundred and forty and four
thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.
In their mouth was found no guile: for they
are without fault before the throne of God.’
Acts of the Apostles, pp. 590, 591.
“While John was shown the last great
struggles of the church with earthly powers, he was also
permitted to behold the final victory and deliverance of
the faithful. He saw the church brought into deadly conflict
with the beast and his image,
64
and the worship of that beast enforced on pain of death.
But looking beyond the smoke and din of the battle, he be-
held a company upon Mount Zion with the Lamb, having,
instead of the mark of the beast, the ‘Father’s name written
in their foreheads.’ And again he saw ‘them that had gotten
the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his
mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea
of glass, having the harps of God,’ and singing the song of
Moses and the Lamb.”-Testimonies, vol. 5, pp. 752, 753.
“We all entered the cloud together, and
were seven days ascending to the sea of glass, when Jesus
brought the crowns, and with His own right hand placed
them on our heads. He gave us harps of gold and palms
of victory. Here on the sea of glass the 144,000 stood in a
perfect square.” -Ibid., vol. 1, pp. 60, 61.
“Upon the crystal sea before the throne,
that sea of glass as it were mingled with fire,--so resplendent
is it with the glory of God,--are gathered the company that
have ‘gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image,
and over his mark, and over the number of his name.’ (Rev.
15:2.) With the Lamb upon Mount Zion, ‘having the harps
of God they stand, the hundred and forty and four thou-
sand that were redeemed from among men; . . . And they
sing ‘a new song’ before the throne, a song which no man
can learn save the hundred and forty and four thousand. It
is the song of Moses and the Lamb,-a song of deliverance.
None but the hundred and fortyfour thousand can learn
that song; for it is the song of their experience,-an experi-
ence such as no other company have ever had. . . . These,
having been translated from the earth, from among the
living, are counted as ‘the first fruits unto God and to the
Lamb.’ (Rev. 14:15; 15:3.) ‘These are they which came out
of great tribulation’
65
(Rev. 7:14-17) ; they have passed through the time of trou-
ble such as never was since there was a nation; they have
endured the anguish of the time of Jacob’s trouble; they
have stood without an Intercessor through the final out-
pouring of God’s judgments. But they have been delivered,
for they have ‘washed their robes, and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb.’ ‘In their mouth was found no guile:
for they are without fault’ before God. ‘Therefore are they
before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in
His temple: and He that sitteth on the throne shall dwell
among them.’”-The Great Controversy, pp. 648, 649.
It is plain by the foregoing quotations that
the Spirit of prophecy places this scene in heaven. It is the
time of “ultimate triumph,” “the final victory and deliver-
ance” of the church. The 144,000 are no longer “in the
world.” It has taken seven days to ascend to the sea of glass,
and there, with the Lamb upon Mount Zion, stand the
144,000.
The Shepherd’s Rod.--”As the 144,000 are
the ‘first fruits,’ there must be second fruits, for where there
is first, there must also be second. And as the first fruits are
the ‘servants of God,’ they must subsequently be sent to all
nations to gather the second fruits (Isa. 66:19, 20)-the great
multitude of Revelation 7:9, whom John saw after viewing
the sealing of the 144,000.”--Tract 8, pp. 16, 17.
This theory is false, because the 144,000
stand in heaven, after “final victory and deliverance,” “hav-
ing been translated from the earth, from among the living.”
Therefore they cannot “subsequently be sent to all nations
to gather the second fruits.” The fact that they are servants
of God does not prove the theory, for in Revelation 22:3 we
read concerning the new earth: “There shall be no more
curse: but the throne of
66
God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall
serve Him.” Further, we have the following definite com-
ment on Isaiah 66:19:
The Spirit of Prophecy.-”Jehovah declared
to the prophet that He would send His witnesses ‘unto the
nations, to Tarshish, Pul, and Lud, . . . to Tubal, and Javan,
to the isles afar off.’ . . .
“The prophet heard the voice of God call-
ing His church to her appointed work, that the way might
be prepared for the ushering in of His everlasting kingdom.
...
“These prophecies of a great spiritual
awakening in a time of gross darkness, are today meeting
fulfillment in the advancing lines of mission stations that
are reaching out into the benighted regions of earth.”--
Prophets and Kings, pp. 374, 375.
An Army With Banners
In the closing chapter of Prophets and
Kings, “Visions of Future Glory,” we have a vivid picture
of the last great struggle of the church militant and her
glorious triumph. No picture is given of a haven of “perfect
safety as though in heaven,” for we are told that “the dark-
est hour of the church’s struggle with the powers of evil, is
that which immediately precedes the day of her final deliv-
erance. But none who trust in God need fear; for ‘when the
blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall,’ God
will be to His church ‘a refuge from the storm’ (Isa. 25:4).
. . . The day of wrath to the enemies of God is the day of
final deliverance to His church.”--Prophets and Kings, pp.
725-727.
But of this remnant church, purified in the
fires of affliction, it is said, “Clad in the armor of Christ’s
righteousness, the church is to enter upon her final conflict.
‘Fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army
with banners,’ she is to go forth into all the world, conquer-
ing
67
and to conquer.”-Ibid., p. 725. This does not mean the
gathering in of the “great multitude” by the 144,000 as the
Shepherd’s Rod would have us believe. In this time of test
there is a mighty struggle with foes from without and with-
in, but it is a time of personal victory and the final triumph
of the church. In speaking of this time “when the test will
come to every soul,” the Spirit of prophecy has said:
“When trees without fruit are cut down as
cumberers of the ground, when multitudes of false breth-
ren are distinguished from the true, then the hidden ones
will be revealed to view, and with hosannas range under the
banner of Christ. Those who have been timid and self-dis-
trustful will declare themselves openly for Christ and His
truth. The most weak and hesitating in the church will be
as David-willing to do and dare. The deeper the night for
God’s people, the more brilliant the stars. Satan will sorely
harass the faithful; but, in the name of Jesus, they will come
off more than conquerors. Then will the church of Christ
appear ‘fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an
army with banners.”’ -Testimonies, vol. 5, pp. 81, 82.
“The decree that will finally go forth
against the remnant people of God will be very similar
to that issued by Ahasuerus against the Jews. Today the
enemies of the true church see in the little company keep-
ing the Sabbath commandment, a Mordecai at the gate. . .
. To secure popularity and patronage, legislators will yield
to the demand for Sunday laws. . . . On this battlefield will
be fought the last great conflict in the controversy between
truth and error.’ -Ibid., pp. 605, 606. “As the members of
the body of Christ approach the period of their last con-
flict, ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble,’ they will grow up into
Christ.” -Testimonies, vol. 1, p. 353.
68
“I was shown that the seven last plagues
will be poured out after Jesus leaves the sanctuary. Said the
angel, ‘It is the wrath of God and the Lamb that causes the
destruction or death of the wicked. At the voice of God the
saints will be mighty and terrible as an army with banners;
but they will not then execute the judgment written. The
execution of the judgment will be at the close of the one
thousand years.’”-Early Writings, p. 52.
The Wheat and the Tares
This theory of the slaughter of the un-
faithful in the Laodicean church and the establishment of
a kingdom of David before the close of probation, calls,
of course, for the separation of the good from the bad in
the church before the end. The Shepherd’s Rod, there-
fore, teaches that “the harvest is the loud cry of the third
angel’s message,” and that the “tares” are separated from
the “wheat” at this time. Let the Spirit of prophecy speak
again:
“It is the privilege of every Christian, not
only to look for, but to hasten the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Were all who profess His name bearing fruit to His
glory, how quickly the whole world would be sown with
the seed of the gospel. Quickly the last great harvest would
be ripened, and Christ would come to gather the precious
grain.”-Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 69.
“This warning is brought to view in
Revelation 14. Here is a threefold message represented as
proclaimed by heavenly beings, and immediately followed
by the coming of the Son of man ‘to reap the harvest of
the earth.’”--The Great Controversy, p. 311.
“The wheat and tares grow together until
the harvest, the end of the world. Then the tares are bound
in bundles to be burned, and the wheat
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is gathered into the garner of God. ‘Then shall the righ-
teous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father.’
“-Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 75.
“Again, these parables teach that there is to
be no probation after the judgment. When the work of the
gospel is completed, there immediately follows the separa-
tion between the good and the evil, and the destiny of each
class is forever fixed.”-Ibid., p. 123.
Now let us quote the paragraph containing
the sentence used so much by the Shepherd’s Rod:
“Many will be in heaven who their neigh-
bors supposed would never enter there. Man judges from
appearance, but God judges the heart. The tares and the
wheat are to grow together until the harvest; and the har-
vest is the end of probationary time.”-Ibid., p. 72.
It is just the last sentence in the above quo-
tation which is used by the Shepherd’s Rod. Notice that it
does not say the last part of probationary time, but the end;
and to fit in with the other quotations, it could mean only
what has already been stated above in all the other quota-
tions.
It would make too large a volume to take
up every point of controversy; neither is it necessary with
the main issues proved false. Let the reader bear in mind
this one principle: To find the truth of any subject men-
tioned in the Bible and the Spirit of prophecy, get all the
statements on that one subject and put them together as
one whole. Then the reader will have a full understanding
of the truth brought forth, and thus will not be confused
when points of controversy arise, as one would if only quo-
tations or texts are taken here and there, separate from the
context.
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-----------------
Chapter IV
WARNINGS AGAINST DECEPTION
“It will be found that those who bear false
messages will not have a high sense of honor and integrity.
They will deceive the people, and mix up with their error
the ‘Testimonies’ of Mrs. White, and use her name to give
influence to their work. They make such selections from the
‘Testimonies’ as they think they can twist to support their
positions, and place them in a setting of falsehood, so that
their error may have weight, and be accepted by the people.
They misinterpret and misapply that which God has given
to the church to warn, counsel, reprove, comfort, and
encourage those who shall make up the remnant people of
God. . . .
“Those who advocate error, will say, ‘The
Lord saith,’ ‘when the Lord hath not spoken.’ They testify
to falsehood, and not to truth.”-Testimonies to Ministers,
pp. 42, 43.
“When men arise, claiming to have a mes-
sage from God, but instead of warning against principalities
and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this world,
they form a hollow square, and turn the weapons of war-
fare against the church militant, be afraid of them. They do
not bear the divine credentials. God has not given them any
such burden of labor. They would tear down that which
God would restore by the Laodicean message.”--Ibid., pp.
22, 23.
“The conflict is to wax fiercer and fiercer.
Satan will take the field and personate Christ. He will mis-
represent, misapply, and pervert everything he possibly can,
to deceive, if possible, the very elect. Even in our day there
have been and will continue to be entire families who have
once
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rejoiced in the truth, but who will lose faith because of cal-
umnies and falsehoods brought to them in regard to those
whom they have loved and with whom they have had sweet
counsel.” -Ibid., p. 411.
To those who may be misled into thinking
the Shepherd’s Rod must be true because of the interpreta-
tions of figures and symbols, I would refer to these state-
ments:
“Others, who have an active imagination,
seize upon the figures and symbols of Holy Writ, interpret
them to suit their fancy, with little regard to the testimony
of Scripture as its own interpreter, and then they present
their vagaries as the teachings of the Bible.”-The Great
Controversy, p. 521.
Misguided Efforts to Reform the Church
“There are little companies continually arising who
believe that God is only with the very few, the very scat-
tered, and their influence is to tear down and scatter that
which God’s servants build up. Restless minds who want
to be seeing and believing something new continually, are
constantly arising, some in one place and some in another,
all doing a special work for the enemy, yet claiming to have
the truth. They stand separate from the people whom
God is leading out and prospering, and through whom He
is to do His great work. They are continually expressing
their fears that the body of Sabbathkeepers are becoming
like the world. . . . Some of these profess to have the gifts
among them; but are led by the influence and teachings of
these gifts to hold in doubt those upon whom God has laid
the special burden of His work, and to lead off a class from
the body. The people, who, in accordance with God’s word,
are putting forth every effort to be one, who are established
in the
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message of the third angel, are looked upon with suspicion,
for the reason that they are extending their labor, and are
gathering souls into the truth. . . . One man arises with
wild, erroneous views, and claims that God has sent him
with new and glorious light, and all must believe what he
brings.”-Testimonies, vol. 1, pp. 417, 418.
What is it that Satan would rejoice to do?
“O how Satan would rejoice to get in
among this people, and disorganize the work at a time when
thorough organization is essential, and will be the greatest
power to keep out spurious uprisings, and to refute claims
not endorsed by the word of God!”-Testimonies to Minis-
ters, p. 228.
We are told in an official publication of
the Shepherd’s Rod that this organization “exists solely to
accomplish a divinely appointed work within the Seventh-
day Adventist denomination, wherein it therefore strictly
confines its activities.” According to this there is no burden
for the salvation of sinners, either at home or abroad, who
never heard or accepted the Advent message. The words
of Mrs. White, quoted above, are definitely applicable to
the members of this offshoot. Let us repeat: “When men
arise claiming to have a message from God, but instead of
warning against principalities and powers, and the rulers of
the darkness of this world, they form a hollow square, and
turn the weapons of warfare against the church militant, be
afraid of them.”
This is a very accurate description of
Shepherd’s Rod work. It is negative. Church leaders are
called “conference prelates” who yield to “demon power”
“to prolong the lukewarm condition indefinitely,” and there
are many like denunciations. And what is the counsel of
the Spirit of prophecy? “Be afraid of them.” The following
counsel seems very applicable to those who pursue such a
course.
“Those who would be overcomers must be drawn
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out of themselves; and the only thing which will accom-
plish this great work, is to become intensely interested in
the salvation of others. This does not mean that you are to
convert men to your way of doing, or to compel them to
view things in the same light as you do; but you are to seek
to present the truth as it is in Jesus, and laboring to be a
blessing to others, you will be blessed of God abundantly.
That you have done and are doing something to enlarge the
boundaries of the kingdom of God in rescuing poor souls
from Satan’s yoke of superstition and error, will rejoice
the heart, and broaden your ideas and plans. . . . Some of
you will consider it your privilege to leave your homes that
you may labor in the islands of the sea, and rescue souls
from the bondage of sin and error. As you gain a new and
deeper experience, you will learn what it is to pray in the
Holy Spirit; and those who are backslidden from God will
be reclaimed, and there will be more anxiety manifested to
learn of Jesus to be meek and lowly of heart, than to point
out the mistakes and errors of your brethren.”-Fundamen-
tals of Christian Education, pp. 207, 208.
Organization and the Platform of Truth
“Our work was not sustained by large gifts
or legacies; for we have few wealthy men among us. What
is the secret of our prosperity? We have moved under the
orders of the Captain of our salvation. God has blessed our
united efforts. The truth has spread and flourished. Institu-
tions have multiplied. The mustard seed has grown to a
great tree. The system of organization has proved a grand
success. . . .
“Let none entertain the thought that we
can dispense with organization. It has cost us much study
and many prayers for wisdom that we know God has an-
swered, to erect this structure. It has
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been built up by His direction, through much sacrifice and
conflict. Let none of our brethren be so deceived as to
attempt to tear it down, for you will thus bring in a condi-
tion of things that you do not dream of. In the name of the
Lord I declare to you that it is to stand, strengthened, estab-
lished, and settled. “Testimonies to Ministers, pp. 27, 28.
“God is leading a people out from the
world upon the exalted platform of eternal truth, the
commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. He will
discipline and fit up His people. They will not be at vari-
ance, one believing one thing, and another having faith and
views entirely opposite, each moving independently of the
body. Through the diversity of the gifts and governments
that He has placed in the church, they will all come to the
unity of the faith. If one man takes his views of Bible truth
without regard to the opinions of his brethren, and justifies
his course, alleging that he has a right to his own peculiar
views, and then presses them upon others, how can he be
fulfilling the prayer of Christ?” -Ibid., pp. 29, 30.
“Ministers who have preached the truth
with all zeal and earnestness may apostatize, and join the
ranks of our enemies; but does this turn the truth of God
into a lie? ‘Nevertheless,’ says the apostle, ‘the foundation
of God standeth sure.’ The faith and feelings of men may
change; but the truth of God, never. The third angel’s mes-
sage is sounding; it is infallible. . . .
“It is as certain that we have the truth
as that God lives; and Satan, with all his arts and hellish
power, cannot change the truth of God into a lie. . . .
“The Lord has singled us out, and made us
subjects of His marvelous mercy. Shall we be charmed with
the pratings of the apostate? Shall
75
we choose to take our stand with Satan and his host? . . .
Rather let it be our prayer, ‘Lord, put enmity between me
and the serpent.’ If we are not at enmity with his works
of darkness, his powerful folds encircle us, and his sting is
ready at any moment to be driven to our hearts. We should
count him a deadly foe. We should oppose him in the name
of Christ. Our work is still onward. We must battle for
every inch of ground. Let all who name the name of Christ
clothe themselves with the armor of righteousness.”-Testi-
monies, vol. 4, pp. 595, 596.
“I saw a company who stood well guarded
and firm, giving no countenance to those who would
unsettle the established faith of the body. God looked upon
them with approbation. I was shown three steps,--the first,
second, and third angel’s messages. Said my accompanying
angel, ‘Woe to him who shall move a block or stir a pin of
these messages. The true understanding of these messages
is of vital importance. The destiny of souls hangs upon the
manner in which they are received.’ I was again brought
down through these messages, and saw how dearly the peo-
ple of God had purchased their experience. It had been ob-
tained through much suffering and severe conflict. God had
led them along step by step, until He had placed them upon
a solid, immovable platform. I saw individuals approach the
platform and examine the foundation. Some with rejoic-
ing immediately stepped upon it. Others commenced to
find fault with the foundation. They wished improvements
made, and then the platform would be more perfect, and
the people much happier. Some stepped off the platform to
examine it, and declared it to be laid wrong. But I saw that
nearly all stood firm upon the platform, and exhorted those
who had stepped off to cease their complaints; for God was
the
76
Master Builder, and they were fighting against Him.”-Early
Writings, pp. 258, 259.
“Let none seek to tear away the founda-
tions of our faith,-the foundations that were laid at the be-
ginning of our work, by prayerful study of the word and by
revelation. Upon these foundations we have been building
for more than fifty years. Men may suppose that they have ----------------
found a new way, that they can lay a stronger foundation ----------------
than that which has been laid; but this is a great deception.
‘Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid.’ In the Frontcover
past, many have undertaken to build a new faith, to estab-
lish new principles; but how long did their building stand? THE TRUE WITNESS SPEAKS
It soon fell; for it was not founded upon the Rock. . . .
The teachings of the Shepherd’s Rod in the Light of the
“Words of power have been sent by God bible and the Spirit of Prophecy
and by Christ to this people, bringing them out from the
world, point by point, into the clear light of present truth. by
With lips touched by holy fire, God’s servants have pro- HAZEL HENDRICKS
claimed the message. The divine utterance has set its seal to
the genuineness of the truth proclaimed.”-Gospel Workers, printed in u.s.a.
p. 307.

“Perilous times are before us. Everyone ----------------

who has a knowledge of the truth should awake, and place Backcover
himself, body, soul, and spirit, under the discipline of God.
The enemy is on our track. . . . We must follow the direc- The Committee on Defense Literature of the General
tions given through the Spirit of prophecy. We must love Conference of Seventh-day Adventists
and obey the truth for this time. This will save us from ac- Printed by the
cepting strong delusions. God has spoken to us through His Review & Herald Publishing Association
word. He has spoken to us through the testimonies to the Washington 12, D.C.
church, and through the books that have helped to make
plain our present duty and the position we should now
occupy. ... Let not erroneous theories receive countenance
from the people who ought to be standing firm on the plat-
form of eternal truth. God calls upon

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us to hold firmly to the fundamental principles that are
based upon unquestionable authority.” -Ibid., p. 308.

“Abundant light has been given to our

people in these last days. Whether or not my life is spared,
my writings will constantly speak, and their work will go
forward as long as time shall last. My writings are kept on
file in the office, and even though I should not live, these
words that have been given to me by the Lord will still have
life and will speak to the people. . . . Never have testimonies
been more clearly brought before the people than those that
have recently been traced by my pen. God bids me urge
upon the attention of our people the importance of their
study. Let this work begin now. Then, whether I am permit-
ted to labor or am laid away to rest until Jesus comes, these
messages are immortalized. . . . Every conceivable thing will
be brought in to deceive, if possible, the very elect; but the
Lord will certainly take care of His work.”-The Writing and
Sending Out of the Testimonies to the Church, pp. 13-16.
Sanitarium, California, Oct. 23, 1907.

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