The Questions we want to answer in this study are:
We will begin our study by determining from the writings of V. T. Houteff, in his own words, that Jesus Christ is NOT, to be the Antitypical King David. We will be reading from Timely Greetings, Vol. 2, No. 43, pages 15-16:
Read Hos. 3:4, 5:
"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 David must have a throne for Him to sit on." Timely Greetings, Vol. 2, No. 43, pg. 15-16.
In, Timely Greetings, Vol. 2, No. 2, pages, 14, 15, he says; "The self-centered shepherds against whom the prophet is told to write, are to be replaced by one shepherd, David. When this takes place God's people will then have but one shepherd. This, of course, cannot be Christ Himself, for Inspiration never calls Him David, but rather It calls Him the Son of David. Since God's people have always had, and still do have many shepherds, the truth stands out as clear as crystal that the David of verses 23 and 24 is yet to come, and that the shepherds whom Inspiration addresses are in particular those whom David is to succeed."
Having answered our first question let us proceed to the following questions. Since we know now that the Antitypical King David is not Jesus Christ, the question needs to be answered, where does he come from? The Bible and the Shepherd's Rod answer that question very plainly in the following:
"But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them." Jer. 30:9.
"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." Tract 8, pg. 13.
"For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim: 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." Hosea 3:4, 5. . . .
These scriptures plainly set forth the fact that God was to scatter Israel throughout the nations, leave them without a king or a home-land for "many days," and finally gather them one by one from every nation. At that time shall they choose David their king, and be "the holy people." Isa. 62:12." Tract 10, pg. 45-46.
It would appear that The Lord is to raise up from among those who "seek the Lord" in the "Latter days" the antitypical King David.
How then will we reconcile the references in the Shepherd's Rod and Bible that show Jesus has taken the reins into His own hands during the time of the "Loud Cry", the time of the Antitypical King David. Like this one from Timely Greetings, Vol. 1 No. 31, p. 3.
"Here is a family tree in which three persons are introduced. This verse does not say whom the rod represents; it does not say whom the Branch represents; but it does say that the stem is Jesse, the father of king David. The rod, of course, which came out of the stem, could be none other than the son of Jesse -- David, the king of ancient Israel. The verses following this verse explain that the Branch is the Lord Himself. Clearly, then, this family tree represents Jesse, David, and Christ.
"The remaining verses of the chapter are concerning Christ, His work, and His kingdom." Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 31, pg. 3.
Again let us turn to the writings of V. T. Houteff, for our answers, we will find our answer in Tract No. 8 page 47 (Please read pages 44-48 for a full understanding of the subject.)
"Since therefore from the 'stem' of Jesse came the 'rod' (David), and from the rod sprang the Branch (Christ), David the visible king and Christ the invisible King of kings shall 'in that day' -- in our time -- constitute the 'ensign,' and 'to it shall the Gentiles seek: and His rest [or His resting place, -- the location where the 'rod' or ensign stands -- the kingdom] shall be glorious.' Yea 'I will make the place of My feet glorious' (Isa. 60:13), saith the Lord." Tract No. 8 page 47.
It is plane from this excerpt that Christ is to rule through the Antitypical David as the invisible king of Kings.
" As 'God has promised that where the shepherds are not true He will take charge of the flock Himself' (Testimonies, Vol. 5, p. 80; Testimonies to Ministers, p. 300; Jer. 3:17), and as the descendants of Jacob, again becoming a kingdom, appoint to themselves one head (Hos. 1:11), 'David their king' (Hos. 3:5), 'and seek the Lord their God,' it is evident that the church in the time of the Loud Cry of the Third Angel's Message, Will Be A Theocracy." Tract 8 page 43.
"There are two principals brought to light in this statement: One is religious and the other is civil. The one religious is none other than the Lord their God; and the one civil is David their king. If He is to raise David to them then it must be that they are going to have a theocratic form of government as they had in David's time." Symbolic Code, Vol. 13, Nos. 1, 2, pg. 11-12.
"Thus His church, or kingdom, is again reflected without 'spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing' (Eph. 5:27), a theocracy of peace, safety, and invincibility, under the rule of one shepherd and a king -- David, His servant. But the fact that many kings reigned over Israel, may in the minds of some give rise to the question: Why David A Type?
Inevitably because he is the only one who perfectly fits the antitype -- the leadership in the time of the Loud Cry of the Third Angel's Message. This being so, then it necessarily follows that Saul, the first king who reigned over Israel, and who was largely responsible for the early experience of David's life, is a type of the church leadership in the period preceding the Loud Cry -- the leadership which was raised up in 1844, and for the sole purpose of gathering the 144,000, the first fruits of the kingdom. In each case, type perfectly matches antitype. Tract 8, pg. 47-48.
Is there any sin in accepting doctrine that Christ is to be our visible leader in the kingdom during the time of the Loud Cry, what does this matter to us now anyway, the kingdom is still in the future, when we get there we will then be a part of whatever is to take place.
Will, Brothers and Sisters, if that was all there was to it then why did the pen of inspiration write the following words.
"Observe that in the message which they "sent after Him," his servants did not say, "We will not have You to reign over us," but rather, "we will not have this man to reign over us." What they objected to was Christ's reigning over them through someone else. Clearly, then, before He is coronated, and prior to His return to reckon with His servants, He appoints a "man" to reign over them in His stead. Whereupon they say to Him, by their attitude and stand toward His message, "We will not have this man to reign over us," although "this man," as we now see, is the antitypical David (the "simple means"), the visible king." Tract 8, pg. 71.
We know that this Antitypical David could not be Victor T. Houteff, for he said himself In, Timely Greetings, Vol. 2, No. 2, pages, 14, 15, he says; "The self-centered shepherds against whom the prophet is told to write, are to be replaced by one shepherd, David. When this takes place God's people will then have but one shepherd. This, of course, cannot be Christ Himself, for Inspiration never calls Him David, but rather It calls Him the Son of David. Since God's people have always had, and still do have many shepherds, the truth stands out as clear as crystal that the David of (Ezek. 37) verses 23 and 24 is yet to come, and that the shepherds whom Inspiration addresses are in particular those whom David is to succeed."
As you can see, the Antitypical David was not Victor Houteff, he did not fill that roll while he lived for he himself said, the David of (Ezek. 37) verses 23 and 24 is yet to come.
We still have the Shepherd's Rod quote from The Leviticus of D.S.D.A., pg. 3, which reads.
"The name, Davidian, deriving from the name of the king 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 David's kingdom in antitype, upon the throne of which Christ, 'the son of David,' is to sit. . . ." The Leviticus of D.S.D.A., pg. 3.
There is no conflict with this if you understand when Christ is to begin to sit on David's throne. To learn when that will be it is essential to know when the antitypical King David's reign will end. Again we find our answer in the writings of the Shepherd's Rod.
"Here you see that not only will God cleanse His church (Judah and Israel) by taking away all those who pollute His house of prayer, but that afterwards He will gather into His purified church all the dispersed who have descended from both the Kingdom of Israel (the ten tribes) and of the Kingdom of Judah (the two tribes) -- all who are now out among the nations, not in the church of the Laodiceans. He will make them one nation, over which, prior to the Millennium, shall rule antitypical David, their king. No more shall they be annoyed by the heathen; no more shall they be among the sinners; no more shall they be fed by a multitude of shepherds, but only by one -- by God's appointed shepherd. Great, indeed, shall be the day of Jezreel! His efforts and the efforts of his co-workers, the laity, shall succeed whether the mother (the ministry) hears or forbears." Timely Greetings, Vol. 2, No. 43, pg. 24.
So we now know that the antitypical David is to reign "prior to the Millennium" and we all know that the Millennium begins with Christ's coming in glory to take us to heaven to reign with Him a thousand years. So it is seen that Christ begins to reign on David's throne when He come to retrieve His church (Bride). (Which takes place after he throws down the censor and proclaims "It is done. . .". Read Early Writings page 279.)
"Jer. 30:9 -- 'But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them.'
"No longer shall the followers of Truth serve others, but they shall serve the Lord, and a king whom God Himself shall provide." Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 47, pg. 15.
"This careless attitude on the part of the shepherds is causing the laity to wander from one ism to another in search of spiritual food and physical care. Yes, they wander, so to speak, from one hill to another, many of whom have figuratively become meat for beasts (isms) because there is no shepherd to care for the sheep, but there are shearers to take the wool In the days of this antitypical David God gathers His flock from all the countries where they have been scattered, and brings them into their own land. God will no longer leave them in the mountains and the hills of the Gentiles. '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. 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.' Hosea 1:11; 3:5." Timely Greetings, Vol. 2, No. 2, pg. 16-17.
"In a similar symbolism, the prophet was told that after many days of obscurity and wandering, 'shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king [evidently David is the 'one head' whom they appoint], and shall fear the Lord and His goodness in the latter days.' Hos. 3:5." Timely Greetings, Vol. 2, No. 6. Pg. 17.