HE WAS A MAN AFTER GOD'S OWN HEART

"A few miles south of Jerusalem, 'the city of the great King,' is Bethlehem," (P.P. pg. 637), a small village in the tribe of Judah where David (1 Sam. 16:1, 4) was born. God chose him to be the second king of Israel because he would obey Him. The first king was Saul, but he did not obey God; therefore, Samuel the prophet rebuked him and said:

"But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after His own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over His people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee."--1 Samuel 13:14 (bold emphasis added).

Concerning Saul's removal as the first king, and David's anointment as the second king of Israel, Paul the apostle referred to this historical event, which was recorded in God's word, and said:

"And when He had removed him {Saul}, He raised up unto them {Israel} David to be their {second} king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after Mine own heart, which shall fulfill all My will."--Acts 13:22 (bold emphasis, braces added).

The difference between these two kings clearly indicates why one (David) was a man after God's own heart, and the other one (Saul) was not. Samuel said of Saul "thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee" (1 Sam. 13:14), which proved that God could not say he was "a man after Mine own heart." Whereas Paul said that God chose David because he would "fulfill all My will" (Acts 13:22), which proved that he was the one whom God said is "a man after Mine own heart." It is obvious, then, that the king who obeyed God to work for His kingdom was a man after God's own heart.

But why did David's obedience make him become a man after God's own heart? How can a man be "after" God's own heart? The word "after" is a preposition, which means to be "behind in place" (Webster's Dictionary). This definition clearly indicates that David was a man who put his heart "behind in place" of the heart of God. That is, he put his own will (carnal heart) last and God's will (heart) first; whereas Saul put his own will (carnal heart) first and God's will (heart) last!

The word "after" also has another definition: it can be "used as a function word to indicate the object of a stated or implied action <go after gold>" (Webster's Dictionary). This definition reveals the difference between these two kings--Saul and David. Since Saul did not want to seek God's will, much less obey His will, then he was the king who did not "go after" God's own heart. Whereas David, being a man who desired to obey God's will, was the king who sought an object which he highly esteemed, and that was to "go after" God's own heart. Though these two definitions of the word "after" does help the reader to understand that a man who desires to obey God's will is seeking "after" His own heart, it does not explain the significant meaning of God's "heart."

Jesus said: "God is a spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24). God does not really have a literal "heart" of flesh and blood as we do; so His use of the word "heart" teaches us a lesson based upon our understanding of the purpose and function of the human heart.

THE HEART DENOTES INTELLIGENCE

"The function of the heart is to preserve the life energy in the body. Let the heart stop and all is lost. This most vital organ is a governor of the body....The human intellect does not consist in the external image of mankind, but it rather exists in the human heart. This thought is emphatically entertained by the scriptures: 'For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.' {Matt. 12:34}. Therefore, the symbol (man's heart) may denote intelligence."--2 Shepherd's Rod, pg. 45 (bold emphasis, braces added).

Man speaks from his fleshly heart because "the life of the flesh is in the blood" (Lev. 17:11), which the heart pumps to the brain so the mind receives the needed oxygen and nourishment to promote intellegence. It is from this intelligence, which is motivated by the heart, that causes man to speak "out of the abundance of the heart." For this reason, "the human intellect...exists in the human heart" (2 S.R. pg. 45).

MAN'S THOUGHTS ARE MOTIVATED BY THE HEART

The heart of man is inherently carnal, because everyone is born with the natural inclinations of the flesh. The word "carnal" means: "relating to or given to crude bodily pleasures and appetites." It also means "temporal" and "worldly" (Webster's Dictionary). This definition clearly indicates that the carnal heart of man, being worldly, is totally devoid of spiritual things. And if it is not controlled by the Holy Spirit, it will lead him on a downward course to debauchery and death.

"If the feelings of the natural {carnal} heart are not restrained and brought into subjection by the sanctifying influence of the grace of God received through the channel of faith, the thoughts of the heart are not pure and holy."--1 Testimonies, pg. 440 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"Heavenly angels are acquainted with our words and actions, and even with the thoughts and intents of the {carnal} heart."--1 Testimonies, pg. 544 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the {carnal} heart."--Hebrews 4:12 (bold emphasis, braces added).

Man thinks that his thoughts are his own, but not so. They are either motivated by the carnal heart of the devil or by the Holy Spirit of God. Its true, he may generate them in his mind, but they were first originated in the carnal heart, which is "deceitful above all things" (Jer. 17:9), and then motivated into action by its evil intents, because it is "desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9). For this reason Jeremiah asked, "Who can know it" (Jer. 17:9), because man cannot of himself know the source of the "deceitful" intents of his carnal heart, which inspires the abominable words of his mouth and the evil deeds of his flesh.

Since the carnal heart is "deceitful above all things" (Jer. 17:9), it can inspire men and women to believe, for example, that they are serving God by casting out devils; but all the time they are serving the intents of their own carnal hearts. Therefore, in the judgment day when they shall say, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?" (Matt. 7:22); the Lord will say unto them, "I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity." (Matt. 7:23). Though they may cast out devils, the "carnal mind" did not inspire them to do this to honor God; instead, its deceiteful purpose inspired them to do this for self-exaltation, or for popularity, or for money. Thus, their intelligence, not based upon "a proper understanding of God," but guided by the "carnal mind," led them to cast out devils for the wrong motive.

"Therefore, the symbol (man's heart) may denote intelligence. However, the symbol cannot infer human vision, but rather a proper understanding of God, for the Bible says: 'The fool hath said in his {carnal} heart, there is no God.' (Psa. 53:1.) Obtaining a clear vision of the infinite power of the Eternal One is what God calls true education."--2 Shepherd's Rod, pgs. 45, 46 (bold emphasis, braces added).

MAN CHOOSES ONE OF TWO HEARTS--FLESH OR SPIRIT

After man sinned, "His heart was at war with the principles of God's law. 'The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.'" (G.C. 467). And so all men are born with the human heart, but it is carnal (Jer. 17:9); and because it is at war with God's law, the "carnal mind" not only promotes all manner of evil thoughts, but also the evil words which are spoken out of "the abundance of the heart" (Matt. 12:34), as well as many violent deeds of the flesh. This kind of heart cannot know God, nor worship Him, because He is "a Spirit" which must be worshiped in "spirit and truth" (John 4:24). For this reason, we must be "born again" "of water and of the Spirit" (John. 3:3, 5) before we can truly worship God and know Him; for "we know Him, if we keep His commandments." (1 John 2:3).

A man, therefore, who is born again, will no longer use the blood pumped from the human heart to his brain to think the evil thoughts which are generated by the "carnal mind;" instead, he will use this blood in the brain to think the thoughts of God which are generated in the mind (spiritual heart) by the Holy Ghost. And even though it is the literal heart which pumps the life-giving blood to the mind, and activates the human intelligence in the brain needed to generate both the thoughts of the carnal heart and the spiritual heart; yet, man must choose which thoughts he will "seek after" and speak "out of the abundance of the heart." That is, will he "seek after" the thoughts of the "worldly" carnal heart, and speak of them? or will he "seek after" the thoughts of God's heart and speak of them?

DAVID SOUGHT AFTER THE THOUGHTS OF GOD

"The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not at all in their thoughts."--Psalms 10:4

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord."--Isaiah 55:8.

God chose David to be His king in place of king Saul, because he was "a man after His own heart" (1 Sam. 13:14) who would "seek after" His thoughts to know His will and obey His commands. When the children of Israel desired a king, they looked upon the outward appearance of Saul and chose him to be their king; and like all men he had thoughts and spoke them out of his mouth, but they were carnal (worldly). And that is why he did not care to know the spiritual thoughts from the heart of God, much less obey them. So Saul disobeyed the Lord, because "God was not at all in" his "thoughts" (Ps. 10:4).

Therefore God sent Samuel to the house of Jesse to secretly choose another king. "But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I had refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." (1 Sam. 16:7). And since God knew that David was "a man after His own heart" (1 Sam. 13:14) who loved Him and His people Israel, He chose him in the place of king Saul; because David desired to know His heart (His thoughts and plans in regard to His kingdom), and would obey His commandments to build up that kingdom. Therefore, He not only made him a great king, but He also made a covenant with David.

GOD'S COVENANT PROMISE TO ANCIENT DAVID

"Howbeit the Lord would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that He has made with David, and as a light to him and to his sons for ever."--2 Chronicles 21:7 (bold emphasis added).

Because the house of David (kingdom of Judah) was taken captive by Babylon, Medo-Persia, Grecia, Rome, and destroyed in A.D. 70 by Titus the Roman General (P.K. 712,713), some have thought that the covenant with David was broken. But not so, because there were Christian Jews of Judah (house of David) who were descendants of David, and they continued his seed from Christ's day down to the latter days; so that the Lord can choose antitypical David in our day from among these descendants to be the visible king on David's throne.

"The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; He will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne."--Psalms 132:11.

Ancient David was inspired to say in the Psalms that God will choose somebody as the antitypical David, because he is a descendant from the "fruit of" David's "body" and set him on David's "throne" in the latter days!

"For thus saith the Lord; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;...Thus saith the Lord; If ye can break My covenant of the day and My covenant of the night, and that there should not be day and night in their season; then may also My covenant be broken with David My servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon his throne;..."--Jeremiah 33:17, 20, 21.

"Having abode 'many days without a king' (their lot from the days of their captivity in Babylon even to this very day), 'the children of Israel shall...afterward' (sometime in the future), says the scripture, '...return, and seek the Lord their God {invisible King}, and David their {visible} king; and shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.' Hosea 3:4, 5.

"But as David, the king of ancient Israel, had been dead for many years when this prophecy was made, and as it has never been fulfilled, he was the type of the David to come.

"Accordingly, it is those who 'fear the Lord and His goodness [the Christian Israelites] in the latter days' (our time), who shall appoint one 'head' or 'king'--the antitypical David."--8 Tract, pg. 13 (brackets added by Elijah) (bold emphasis, braces added)

"Who is the earthly head, king, whom the Scriptures say the people "appoint" at the gathering time?--Let us read,

"Hos. 3:4, 5--'For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king,...afterward, 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.'"--2 Timely Greetings, No. 43, pg. 15, 16 (bold emphasis added).

"In this part of the prophecy, you see, we are told that after they have sojourned among the Gentiles for "many days" without a king, and without any sign of identification (having been entirely lost sight of as a nation and as a people), they shall finally have antitypical David rule over them. This would not be ancient David as he was already dead when this prophecy was made. Neither could this promised David be Christ Himself, for Christ is the son of David (Matt. 22:42), not David himself; and if He shall, moreover, sit on the throne of David (Lu. 1:32), then {this latter-day} David {the visible king} must have a throne for Him {Jesus the invisible king} to sit on."--2 Timely Greetings, No. 43, pg. 17 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"Hosea 1:11--'Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.'

THE LATTER-DAY KINGDOM WILL BE A THEOCRACY

The kingdom set up in the latter days is a "theocracy"--"a government of a state by immediate divine guidance" (Web. Dict.); which means it has an earthly king guided by a heavenly King. This definition means, then, that this kingdom must have a visible king David who is to be the civil ruler, while he is divinely ruled and guided by Christ, who is the invisible King sitting on his throne. Some Bible students, of course, can understand this fact to some degree, because they know about king David in the Old Testament Scriptures, and also Christ the Son of David (Mt. 1:1) in the New Testament Scriptures. But many Christians do not know why the Bible says that there must be another David in the latter days. Jeremiah tells us that it is because of God's covenant with ancient David:

GOD'S COVENANT TO DAVID COMPARED TO COVENANT OF DAY AND NIGHT

"Thus saith the Lord; If ye can break my covenant of the day {sun}, and my covenant of the night {moon}, and that there should not be day and night in their season; then may also my covenant with David my servant, that he should not have a son {literal descendant} to reign upon his throne {in the latter days}."--Jeremiah 33: 20, 21 (bold emphasis, braces added).

And what was this covenant that the Lord had made with ancient David?

"The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body {a literal descendant of David} will I set upon thy throne {in the latter days}."--Psalms 132:11 (boldings, braces added by author).

That covenant with David will be broken when the covenant of "day" (sun) and of the "night" (moon) is broken. But when is it broken?

"I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light {no sun or moon shining}."--Jeremiah 4:23 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"At Christ's {2nd} Coming...the cities are to be broken down 'at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger' (Jer. 4:23-26,)...at the appearing of Christ the earth shall be made void and without form {no sun or moon shining}."--9 Tract, pgs. 11, 12--by VTH (bold emphasis, braces added).

There are some well-meaning Christians who say that it is after Jesus comes the second time and takes the saints to heaven (1 Thess. 4:16,17), that He will sit on the throne of David in heaven; while others say He will sit on the earth. But the fact that His covenant with David is broken when day and night ceases (Jer. 33:20) at His second coming to take the saints to heaven, which leaves the earth "without form and void"--no sun or moon shining (Jer. 4:23-26), proves that Jesus will not sit on the throne of David in heaven or in the earth after He comes, but on earth in the latter days before He comes, when His covenant with David has not been broken.

Jeremiah's prophecy (Jer. 4:23), therefore, proves that God's covenant with David (2 Chron. 21:7) has not yet been broken (Jer. 33:21), because His covenant of "day and night" is not broken until Christ's second advent. Since we are living in the latter days when there is day and night and the earth is not "void," and God has not yet set up His theocratic kingdom, then this fact proves irrefutably that a descendant of David, "the fruit of his body" (Ps. 132:11)--antitypical David, is yet to sit on David's throne before Christ's second advent. But why? Because Isaiah and Hosea both prophesied of two David's who will sit, not on a carnal throne of the world (Jn. 18:36), but on the same throne in the earth (Mt. 6:10).

A CHILD (JESUS CHRIST) WAS BORN TO SIT UPON THE THRONE OF DAVID

"For unto us a child {Jesus} is born, unto us a son is given: and the {theocratic} government {in the latter days} shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, {invisibly He sits} upon the throne of David {a visible king}, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."--Isaiah 9:6, 7 (boldings, braces added by author).

"Afterward shall the children of Israel return {to Jerusalem}, and seek the Lord their {invisible} God, and David their {visible} king; and shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days."--Hosea 3:5 (boldings, braces added by author).

"In this part of the prophecy {Hos. 3:5}, you see, we are told that after they have sojourned among the Gentiles for 'many days' without a king, and without any sign of identification (having been entirely lost sight of as a nation and as a people), they shall finally have antitypical David {a visible king to} rule over them. This would not be ancient David as he was already dead when this prophecy was made. Neither could this promised David be Christ Himself, for Christ is the son of David (Matt. 22:42), not David himself; and if He {Christ} shall, moreover, sit on the throne of David (Lu. 1:32), then {antitypical} David must have a throne for Him to sit on {in the latter days}."--2 Timely Greetings, No. 43, pg. 17:1--by VTH (bold emphasis, braces added).

TWO DAVIDS SIT ON SAME THRONE IN THE LATTER DAYS

The fact that "David must have a throne for" Christ "to sit on" proves from the two quotations above (Isa. 9:6,7; Hos. 3:5) that two persons are referred to as David: (1) David the visible king who sits on a throne, and (2) Christ the invisible David who sits on his throne to rule it; as noted in the prophecy of Ezekiel:

"And I will set up one shepherd over them {in the latter days}, and he shall feed them, even My servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. And I the Lord will be their {invisible} God, and My servant David a prince {visible king} among them; I the Lord have spoken it."--Ezekiel 34:23, 24 (bold emphasis, braces added).

Sis. White wrote about this verse in her "Testimonies For The Church" and plainly stated that the "shepherd" who is "My servant David" (Ezek. 34:23, 24), has a direct application to Jesus Christ:

"And the Holy Spirit through Ezekiel had declared: 'I will set one shepherd {David} over them, and He shall feed them.'...Christ applied these prophecies to Himself."--Desire of Ages, pg. 477:0,1--by EGW (bold emphasis, braces added).

Some may think that Ezekiel's prophecy of the "one shepherd" refers only to Christ as David, but it must include another David; because the prophecy of Hosea speaks of two Davids in the latter days: a visible king, and an invisible King, both of which sit on the same throne!

"Hos. 3:4, 5--'For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king,...afterward, shall the children of Israel return {to the Holy Land}, and seek the Lord their God {Jesus--invisible King David}, and David their {visible} king; and shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.'"--2 Timely Greetings, No. 43, pg. 15, 16.

"...David the visible king and Christ the invisible King of kings shall 'in that day'--in our time {latter days}--constitute the 'ensign'...--the kingdom...."--8 Tract, pg. 47:1--by VTH (bold emphasis, braces added).

"When this takes place {removal of the false shepherds} God's people will then have but one shepherd . This {visible David}, of course, cannot be Christ Himself {the invisible David}, for Inspiration never calls Him David, but rather It calls Him the Son of David {D.A. 609:0}. Since God's people have always had, and still do have many shepherds {ministers}, the truth stands out as clear as crystal that the David of verses 23 and 24 is yet to come {and sit on ancient David's throne restored in the latter days}, and that the {false} shepherds whom Inspiration addresses are in particular those whom {antitypical} David is to succeed."--2 Timely Greetings, No. 2, pgs. 14, 15--by VTH (bold emphasis, braces added).

"Ezekiel, then, was not given a vision of the shepherds in his day, nor of those before his day, but of the shepherds after his day--the day in which God raises up this antitypical David to feed His hungry and neglected flock. God's people shall then no longer serve strangers, 'But they shall serve the Lord their God {the invisible King}, and David their {visible} king, whom I will raise up unto them.' Jer. 30:9. Here we see that not only Ezekiel, but Jeremiah also was given a vision of this same truth. Yes, all the prophets."--2 Timely Greetings, No. 2, pg. 15:1--by VTH (bolds added).

ANTITYPICAL DAVID--A MAN LIKE DAVID

It is obvious, then, that the Lord will choose someone in the latter days, as predicted in God's Word (Jer 33:17; Hos. 3:5), who will be a descendant of ancient king David. He will be a man after God's own heart (1 Sam. 13:14) just like ancient David, because God knew that he would "fulfill all My will" (Acts 13:22) to restore God's latter-day kingdom (Dan. 2:28, 44)! And since "the kingdom of God begins in the heart" (D.A. 506) "within you" (Luke 17:21) by a born-again conversion, because Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3), then this antitypical David must have the truth of God's kingdom in his heart. And those born-again Christians in God's church who have received this kingdom truth into their hearts from this antitypical David, have been rightly named "Davidians, because they, too, are to be as David.

TRUE DAVIDIAN SAINTS WILL BE AS DAVID

"Those who have been timid and self-distrustful will declare themselves openly for Christ and His truth {of the kingdom}. The most weak and hesitating in the church {of God} will be as David--{Davidians who are} willing to do and dare."--5 Testimonies, pg. 81 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"If you {Davidians} ever achieve success in the Christian life {to have a place in God's soon-coming kingdom}, you must resolve that you will be men after God's own heart {like ancient David}."--4 Testimonies, pg. 543 (bold emphasis, braces added).

Only those Christians who are like "David--willing to do and dare" to obey God, and who are "men after God's own heart" to fulfill His will (teach His kingdom truth), will be the saints that will make up the 144,000 Davidians who will be "as David" (5 Test. 81)--the "nucleus of the kingdom" (2 T.G. 46:30:2).

FAITHFULNESS--THE CHARACTER OF ANCIENT DAVID

"Zech. 12:8--'In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem {kingdom in the latter days}; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the Lord before them.'"--1 Timely Greetings, No. 9, pg. 6:4 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"Now, in order for one to know what it means to be 'as David' {Zech. 12:8; 4 Test. 543} one must know what kind of person ancient David was.

"To begin with, he was a first-rate shepherd, he risked his own life for the sheep. You remember that in order to save the lambs he courageously went after the lion and the bear, and killed them with his bare hands. And to save his nation's independence and God's great honor, on another occasion, he again risked his life by bravely facing the giant Goliath. Because of David's faithfulness, God delivered him from the beasts and from the giant, and made him king over His people!

"The faithfulness of a person {a Davidian} in little things indicates his faithfulness in greater things also. Faithfulness always brings promotion. So, in order to be as David, one {a Davidian} must be as faithful, as dependable, and as zealous for God's Kingdom as was David of old."--1 Timely Greetings, No. 9, pg. 7;1-3 (bold emphasis, braces added).

THE CHARACTER OF A TRUE AND FAITHFUL DAVIDIAN

The antitypical David is to be "as David" by seeking after the heart of God to restore His kingdom in the latter days. And those who are also teaching and working to restore this kingdom shall be "as David;" and that is the reason why they are called "DAVIDIANS"! Some of the major characteristics of the faithful Davidians who will obey all of the requirements of God in the SRod message, are listed as follows:

(1) A faithful Davidian who would be "as David" will study and believe every word, every line, and every page (5 Ans. 29) of The Shepherd's Rod message.

(2) A faithful Davidian who would be "as David" will "take orders" (1 T.G. 7:5), and "comply with the demands of the SRod message for today" (1 T.G. 31:9)

(3) A faithful Davidian who would be "as David" will know the location of God's Headquarters in America (8 Tr. 24; 1 T.G. 5:10; 1 T.G. 29:10), which is at MT. CARMEL CENTER, 282 Davidian Way, Tamassee, SC 29686 Phone/Fax (864) 944-1254.

(4) A faithful Davidian who would be "as David" will be a faithful steward of God and pay his tithes and offerings to the "storehouse" (2 T.G. 30:18) at God's Headquarters.

(5) A faithful Davidian who would be "as David" will be a vegetarian (5 Ans. 80), because none of the saints or the animals in God's soon-coming kingdom will eat dead flesh (Isa. 11:6-9).

(6) A faithful Davidian who would be "as David" will risk his own life (Rev. 9:6) for the Davidian sheep, as did ancient David.

(7) And a faithful Davidian who would be "as David" will know by name who is the antitypical David that is to sit on David's throne as the visible king in God's soon-coming kingdom.

DAVIDIANS ARE THOSE WHO WOULD BE "AS DAVID" IN GOD'S KINGDOM

Those who believe and teach the kingdom message of antitypical David are called "Davidians." They are also known as "Davidian Seventh-day Adventists," because they are or were members of the Seventh-day Adventist church. They also have an international name, which is "The General Association of Davidian Seventh-day Adventists." In the quotations below from The Shepherd's Rod message, these names are mentioned:

"The double team of horses {Zech. 6:3}, and their two kinds of colors, pulling in two different directions are immediately seen to symbolize a double set of church leaders (the Seventh-day Adventist leaders and the Davidian Seventh-day Adventist leaders) unlike in character and aim."--2 Timely Greetings, No. 22, pg. 22 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"The Davidians are the upshoot from decadent Seventh-day Adventism...Thus being separated from their church and denied its name because of their having given heed to the voice of the Rod, the voice of the Good Shepherd, they are called by the name imbedded in the work of the Rod, 'Davidian Seventh-day Adventists,' until the time when they shall be 'called by a new name {in God's latter-day kingdom}, which the mouth of the Lord shall name.' Isa. 62:2."--The Leviticus of Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, pg. 12 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"Prophetically called into the Lord's vineyard at 'the eleventh hour,' The Davidian Seventh-day Adventists are proclaiming the Present Truth {of God's latter-day kingdom} revealed in the unrolling of the prophetic scroll (Testimonies for the Church, Vol. 6, p. 17)."--Leviticus of Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, pg. 13 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"Hence the logical name that would represent her work from this time down to the time the {latter-day} Kingdom is set up, is to be Davidian Seventh-day Adventists,--a name that testifies of the Kingdom message, of keeping the commandments of which the seventh-day Sabbath is a part, and of the second advent of Christ."--2 Timely Greetings, No. 34, pg. 25 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"Emerging in 1930 from within the Seventh-day Adventist denomination ('the church of the Laodiceans'), the Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Association as ever been committed to the prophetic work (predicted in Isaiah 52:1) of preparing the Laodicean church, the last with the 'tares among the wheat,' for the final proclamation of the gospel {restoration of God's kingdom} 'in all the world.' Matt. 14:14."--2 Timely Greetings, No. 10, pg. 21 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"...the Truth stands out that the Keys of the {latter-day} Kingdom of Heaven today have passed from the hands of the General Conference to the hands of The General Association of Davidian Seventh-day Adventists, as verily as they passed from the Sanhedrin to Peter in the days of Christ's first Advent."--2 Timely Greetings, No. 29, pg. 10 (bold emphasis, braces added).

DAVIDIAN NAME DERIVED FROM THE HOUSE OF DAVID

"Since...we are the only people who have the message of the re-establishment of the House of David, and of restoring 'all things' (Mark 9:12) and are therefore named Davidians, there is no escaping the conclusion but that the time for the fulfillment of these prophecies {of the latter-day kingdom} is very close at hand even at the door, the reason for which the announcement of these events is now being trumpeted throughout the Adventist world."--1 Timely Greetings, No. 9, pg. 6 (bold emphasis, braces added).

"Since this {The Shepherd's Rod publications} is the addition to the 'Third Angel's Message' ('Early Writings,' p. 277) {1 Ans. pg. 82} and since it is the message of the hour, consequently the day of the Davidian Kingdom is at hand."--2 Timely Greetings, No. 2, pg. 15 (bold emphasis, braces added).

DAVIDIAN NAME DERIVED FROM ANCIENT KING DAVID

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

The name of the Davidians who believe in the message of The Shepherd's Rod, as well as the name of their Headquarters (The General Association of Davidian Seventh-day Adventists), is derived from the name of ancient king David. "This Association" of Davidians is "dedicated to the work of announcing and bringing forth the restoration (as predicted in Hosea 1:11; 3:5) of David's kingdom in antitype" (LD 3). And the fact that God sent Bro. V.T. Houteff, the "last prophet to the church today" (G.C.S. 23), to give them that message, its name, and its work, proves irrefutably that God has chosen him to be the antitypical David of "David's kingdom in antitype" (LD 3), after the 144,000 stand on Mt. Zion when the "reign of antitypical David begins" (LD 3).