Vol. 1 Timely
Greetings No. 8
THE ONLY
PEACE OF MIND
Volume 1
Number 8
Copyright, 1953 Reprint
All rights reserved
V.T. HOUTEFF
LAODICEAN OR
DAVIDIAN--WHICH?
OPENING PRAYER THOUGHT
I shall read from The Mount of Blessing,
beginning with the first paragraph on page 157.
M.B., pg. 157--"To hallow the name of
the Lord requires that the words in which we speak of the Supreme Being be
uttered with reverence. 'Holy and
reverend is His name.' We are never in any manner to treat lightly the titles
or appellations of the Deity.
"But to hallow the name of the Lord
means much more than this.... Of the
"In every act of life you are to make
manifest the name of God. This petition
calls upon you to possess His character. You can not hallow His name, you can not represent Him to the world, unless in life
and character you represent the very life and character of God. This you can do only through the acceptance
of the grace and righteousness of Christ."
Realizing that God has acknowledged us
before men and angels as His children, let us pray that we "may do no
dishonor to 'the worthy name by the which ye are
called.'" Let us pray that we be His true representatives.
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LAODICEAN
OR DAVIDIAN -- WHICH?
TEXT OF ADDRESS BY V.T. HOUTEFF,
MINISTER OF DAVIDIAN 7TH-DAY ADVENTISTS
SABBATH,
This afternoon I am to answer the question:
How do I know that I am not still a Laodicean, that I
am now a true Davidian? In order intelligently to discuss this
question, we must first have a mental picture of what Laodiceans
are like, and what Davidians must be like. I shall read
Rev 3:14-18 -- "And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans
write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and
true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou
art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and
neither cold nor hot, I will spue
thee out of My Mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need
of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched,
and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of Me gold
tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and
white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that
the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine
eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest
see."
What is wrong with the angel of
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stay lukewarm, well contented with his spiritual
attainments, supposedly rich and increased with goods (with Truth). Not knowing that he is spiritually poor,
blind and naked, he is warned of it by the All Knowing One and asked to
repent. If the Lord's own warning fails
to change his mind, then the only thing left for the Lord to do is to spue him out of His mouth.
By the words, "I am rich, and increased
with goods," the angel of
The angel of
What is represented by the salve? First let us see what makes a man spiritually
blind. The One Who knows even the number
of hairs on our heads, points out that if the "light that is in thee be
darkness,
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how great is that darkness!" Matt. 6:23. If negligence of making proper use of
spiritual light makes the offender blind, then something having power to arouse
in him zeal to discover his true condition, is his
only remedy. Only such an eyesalve can possibly open his eyes. Let me concretely illustrate:
Individuals often write to the office
saying: "I heard so much against 'The Shepherd's Rod,' and what I heard
made me unmercifully prejudiced. But I
happened to get hold of one of your little tracts,...and
for courtesy's sake, I thought I'd see what it is about. But as I read a few pages of it, and as my eyes began to open, I read the whole
tract. I am now anxious to read the rest
of your books. Will you please send me
whatever reading matter you can?"
Another such Providential incident came to
our attention from far-away China: "I picked up half of your booklet
(Tract No. 13) on the street, and my wife a few days later picked up the other
half beside the curb of the same drive.
I pieced them together, and got your address. I am deeply interested in all it contains,
and am anxiously waiting to hear from you.
Could you tell me everything that will help me find my joy?"
These truth-searching brethren obviously
represent those who can be pried out of their Laodiceanism. Their experiences well illustrate that the
"salve" represents Inspiration's timely Truth.
Now let me tell you of another class of
individuals from whom I often hear.
Listen to what they say: "Please keep your 'Rod' to yourself, take
my name from your mailing list. I am not
in the least interested in what you are doing.
Your booklets go into the
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fire just as soon as they come. I never read them and I never will -- no, not
a line. I am satisfied [lukewarm] with
my religion. I belong to the true
remnant church and I expect to go with it.
How dare you try to deceive me?"
Another says: "Please do not send me
any more of your literature, as I am satisfied with my own views."
This kind of talk is typically Laodicean. It
perfectly expresses their lukewarmness. The Lord, though, is against their
attitude. Is there anything which could
more completely and more quickly sever one's communication line with God
forever than an attitude of having all the Truth and of having need of no
more? If the language in the letters
from which I have just read to you does not say, "I am rich, and in need
of nothing more," then what could say it?
This group of Laodiceans
will never, never have their eyes opened, will never be anything but wretched,
miserable, poor, blind, and naked. They
can never be reached by Heaven, not even by the Lord Himself. If they thus continue, then the only thing
Christ can do is to spue them out of His mouth, never
again to mention their names at the Throne of Grace. Anything new from the Bible that is brought
out by anyone but themselves, even though purported to be through Inspiration,
they hastily brand "deception," though they are already in a gross
self deception. They read the Bible with
the hope of finding proof by which to disagree with everyone but themselves.
Let me illustrate: I may be on the way to
the bank with a million dollars, and I may seriously believe that I am a
millionaire. But suppose the banker
tells
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me, "Your money is counterfeit," and suppose
I have no other. Then how rich would I
be? -- I would be as rich as is the angel of
What they now see at a distance,
appears to them for sure to be the "sea of glass." But when they get to the end of the way, and
take a close look, they will in indescribable grief and with quivering voice
cry out "Mirage, mirage! Not the
sea of glass!" Then will they be
anxious to know the Truth; and will pay anything to get It, but it will be too
late and they will, to change the figure, get to the door only to hear the
Voice from within say, "I know you not." Matt. 25:12.
By a person's facial characteristics we are
able to identify his race; and similarly we can judge one's profession by the
type of clothes he wears: If a person wears fine clothes and is not decked with
everything he can put on, we judge him to be a business man. If he wears lower grade clothes and has on
his body every trinket he can pin on, then we judge him to be a cheap sport. If he is clothed in overalls, we judge him to
be a laborer. If he is dressed
otherwise, we judge him to be a white-collar worker. But if he wears no clothes, then no one but
God can tell what he is. Such is a Laodicean.
Now, if the white garment represents
Christ's righteousness, then if one has on no garment at all,
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is naked, then whose righteousness would he have? -- self- righteousness, only the skin in which he was
born. The Laodicean's
nakedness represents just that, but they know it not. In all respect, I realize this is saying
much, but it is not saying too much, because it is the Lord Who says it.
He invites the Laodiceans
to buy of Him gold, the kind that is tried in the fire (inspired Truth), so
that they might be truly rich. He
invites them to put on the wedding raiment, so that they be not cast into
"outer darkness," there to weep and to gnash their teeth. If they do not accept his invitation now --
yes, now -- their nakedness will be exposed and they thus put to shame.
If you do the opposite of what the Laodiceans do, then of course you cannot still be a Laodicean. And it is
just as easy to know whether you are a Davidian or
not. To find out if you are a Davidian, you must first know what a Davidian
is. Well, briefly stated, a Davidian is recognized by his garment, by the source from
which he gets it, and by what he gives in exchange for it. The prophet Zechariah explains:
Zech. 3:1-4 -- "And he shewed me Joshua the high priest
standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to
resist him. And the Lord said unto
Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord
that hath chosen
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The first one to be given the garment is
Joshua, the high priest, the highest official in the church. If he has not the garment, then no one else
has it either. From this we see that the
genuine revival and reformation starts at the head, not at the feet, and that
before one is given the right to put the garment on, his iniquity is taken away
-- he repents of his sins, and the Lord blots them
out. Satan, though, is right there to resist and accuse him; but, thanks be to God that the Lord is also there to rebuke the
enemy. Do you catch the lesson, Brother,
Sister? While you are getting the
garment you will have to meet strong opposition. But what of it? Is it too much to stand firmly for Truth and
righteousness when the majority forsake?
And how else shall you become a hero for God? (Read Matthew 5:10-12.)
The apostles and the prophets not only
withstood opposition from their own brethren, but they even gladly died for
their white garment. You, though, are
not now asked to give up your life, but to save it. The "tables" are now reversed. The
Lord will not permit you to be consumed by the flame. He is to rescue you as a
"brand plucked out of the fire."
From this we see that the Joshua of today is
having his filthy garments exchanged for white robes, for the righteousness of
Christ.
Zech. 3:5 --
"And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his
head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and
clothed him with garments. And the angel
of the Lord stood by."
Not only is he clothed in a white garment,
but he is also crowned with a fair mitre. And what could such a mitre
denote other than the authority vested
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in him as Heaven's appointed ruler? As such he is clothed from his head to his
feet," and the angel of the Lord stood by." What a gift! and what a bodyguard
for one to have in a world such as ours!
In spite of it, though, human beings are very slow and hesitant to take
their stand on the Lord's side. Most of
them had rather lean on a man.
Zech. 3:8 --
"Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before
thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth My servant the Branch."
Not only Joshua, but also those who sit
before him (the congregation) are admonished to hear this charge. And what kind of men are they? -- Men
wondered at. This symbolism shows that
at the fulfillment of this prophecy the angel of the church of the Laodiceans is no longer in charge of the Lord's house, and
that God's people are to be made up wholly of men wondered at!
Obviously, then, as a result of this revival
and reformation within the Laodicean church, another
church emerges of which Joshua is in charge, not the angel of
Who is to bring this revival
and reformation, this great change? -- The BRANCH. And according to Isaiah 11:1 to 5, the Branch
is the Lord, the Son of David. We shall
now read-
Zech.3:9 --
"For behold the stone that I have laid before
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Joshua; upon one stone shall
be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith
the Lord of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one
day."
Those who sit before Joshua are "men
wondered at." As such they are
depicted by the "stone" (church, or Kingdom) that is in Joshua's
sight. It has seven eye-perfect vision. When this
purification of the church takes place then the sin in the land is quickly
removed -- "in one day."
Here is seen genuine revival and reformation
accompanied by the purification of the church.
The Lord is to have a pure church and a clean people.
Zech.
"In that day," in the day this
purification takes place, the gospel work is to be quickly finished by having
every member of the Lord's house call his neighbor to his own patch of land, to
that which God has pre-ordained that everyone should have. Every member, therefore, is to be a
missionary in one capacity or in another.
This indeed is the layman's movement that shall finish the gospel work.
The statement, "Call every man his
neighbor under the vine and under the fig tree," appears also in Micah
4. It teaches the same thing that
Zechariah teaches.
This subject, however, does not stop with
Zechariah three, it continues on.
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Zech.
The angel is commanded to take silver and
gold, and to make crowns -- not one, but more than one. These are set upon Joshua's head.
Zech.
Verse 14 reveals that Joshua is to pass the
crowns on to his helpers whom the Lord Himself names. This is to be a memorial, an everlasting
reminder in the temple of the Lord.
What can all this mean? -- Just this: Joshua
is Heaven's appointed judge, ruler. He
himself is crowned as such. And in
response to the Lord's Own command, Joshua crowns (authorizes) his helpers whom
the Lord Himself names. In other words,
as members of "the house of David," Joshua authorizes them to engage
in the work. So, Joshua is responsible
to the Lord, but his helpers are responsible to Joshua. Here is seen an organization having a Leader
and an under leader -- the Lord and Joshua.
Thus it is that whatever is to be bound on earth, is also to be bound in
Heaven (Matt.
As concretely as Heaven can make it, this symbolism
depicts that God's people in this final work are not to labor at cross
purposes. All are to speak the same
thing. So it is that His "Watchmen
shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they
shall see eye to eye, when the Lord shall bring again
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called "The Holy people, The redeemed of the
Lord," "Sought out, A city not forsaken" (Isa.
62:12).
Zech. 6:12 -- "And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh
the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and He
shall grow up out of His place, and He shall build the temple of the
Lord."
Joshua is well instructed that the burden
and the ingenuity for building this spiritual temple, belongs to Him Whose name is "the BRANCH." He is to grow out of
His place. To Him be
the glory. He alone is to be
exalted. He is to build the temple of
the Lord.
Zech.
Thus shall the prophecies of Isaiah,
chapters two and four, also the fourth chapter of Micah be fulfilled.
Finally, how do we know for certain that this
message was planned and recorded especially for the church of today? -- We know
it from the fact that the revelation of these scriptures is now, never before,
unveiled and proclaimed. Now its
proclamation makes known that the Lord "is taking the reins in His Own
hands" (Testimonies to Ministers, pg. 300); that the time of the
purification of the church (the Judgment of the Living in the house of God -- 1
Pet. 4:17) is at hand (Testimonies, Vol. 5, pg. 80); that the purified ones,
the 144,000 (the wheat) -- Rev. 14:1 are to be put in the barn (Matt. 13:30),
no longer to be commingled with the tares; that an innumerable multitude from
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all nations (Rev. 7:9), are to be brought to the house
of the Lord (Isa. 66:19, 20).
You, yourself, can now answer the question
as to whether you are a Davidian or still a Laodicean. If you
are satisfied with yourself, with your spiritual attainments, with your man-made
gospel program; if you think that the Lord is speaking to you by whatever
happens to "click" in your mind; if you think you have all the Truth,
and that you have need of nothing more; if you think that everyone who does not
have your stamp of approval on his belief, is a false prophet; and if you are
in constant fear that someone is everlastingly trying to deceive you because he
teaches something new; if you never give it a thought that you may be slamming
your door against a Truth-bearer who may be bringing to you the Lord's "eyesalve," and the "wedding garment" -- if
you do all these or any part of them, then you must be as good a Laodicean as you can possibly be, not a Davidian.
But if you are aware that your garments are
filthy, and your iniquity not blotted out; if you realize that you are to walk
in God's ways as He directs through the Joshua of today, if you are all for God
and not at all for self or for the world, then, of course, you either are, or
are beginning to be, a Davidian. If you have not attained to all of these, you
should see that you do; and if you already have, then keep advancing in the
light, and for certain you shall finally stand on
Now take the counsel of the Lord, and no
longer be like a piece of bark drifting in the sea with every wind of doctrine.
"...The people of God are represented
in the message
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to the Laodiceans as in a
position of carnal security. They are at
ease, believing themselves to be in an exalted
condition of spiritual attainments....
"What greater deception can come upon
human minds than a confidence that they are right, when they are all wrong! The message of
the True Witness finds the people of God in a sad deception, yet honest in that
deception. They know not that their
condition is deplorable in the sight of God.
While those addressed are flattering themselves that they are in an
exalted spiritual condition, the message of the True Witness breaks their security
by the startling denunciation of their true condition of spiritual blindness,
poverty, and wretchedness. The
testimony, so cutting and severe, cannot be a mistake, for it is the True
Witness who speaks, and his testimony must be correct." -- Testimonies for
the Church, Vol. 3, pp. 252, 253.
We have no right to judge a man
Until he's fairly tried;
Should we not like his company,
We know the world is wide.
Some may have faults -- and who has not?
The old as well as young;
Perhaps we may, for aught we know,
Have fifty to their one.
--Joseph Kronthal
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No. 8 29
Trust And Obey
When we walk with the Lord
in the
light of His Word,
What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will,
He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Not a burden we bear,
not a
sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief nor a loss,
not a
frown nor a cross,
But is blest if we trust and obey.
But we never can prove
the
delights of His love,
Until all on the altar we lay,
For the favor He shows,
and the
joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
--J.H. Sammis
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