The Jewish church, in which reposed the truth up to the time of Christ, was ever to be "the storehouse," and the priests were to ever to be its stewards. But when they rejected Christ, they forced God to transfer His "storehouse" to the little handful who did accept the added message for that day. The unbelieving thereby unwittingly forfeited their stewardship. Their followers who paid tithes to them from then on were diverting the Lord's money from His treasury to His enemies, to persecute His people. But those who were God's true people, followed "the Lamb whithersoever" He went, and " as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostle's feet." Acts 4:34,35.

For the benefit of those who thing that the tithe is used for the preaching of the gospel to the heathen only , we call their attention to the following instruction: "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying , Go not into the way of the Gentiles, . . . but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Matt. 10:5,6. Nevertheless they received the tithes and offerings, and all that was laid at their feet before the message was extended to the Gentiles.

Later, God again transferred His storehouse, entrusting its goods to the reformers who were stirred by the spirit of the down trodden truth. Accordingly, His new and faithful stewards were appointed to care for the "candlestick," church, from then on, The third chapter of Malachi, as we have previously seen, is directly applicable to the purification of the church (see pages 33,34). And the command, "bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse," being placed in this particular chapter of the Bible, shows beyond peradventure that God entrusts His "Storehouse" to the messengers of the special truth for the time. And as this message is of as great importance to the church today as Christ's was to the Jewish church, we are equally bound by His command: "Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs" (heathen). Mark 7:27. Therefor, my brothers and sisters, take heed to the word of God, and strictly comply with His command, lest with the workers of iniquity you fall under the "slaughter weapons" in the horrible fulfillment of Ezekiel's vision.

Those who lived in the period of the old message, the Judgment of the dead, were under the obligation to support it, but now that we are entering into the period of the new message, the judgment of the living, we are duty-bound to support it. No longer is there either need or justification for our supporting the old message by itself, aloof from the new. No more so than there is in preaching Noah's prediction of the flood divorced from the future significance which derives from it.

". . .God does not want any man to think that no other message is to be heard but that which he may have given. We want the past message and the fresh message," says the Spirit Of Prophecy. -- Review and Herald, March 18, 1890,

Brother, Sister, unless you heed this solemn call, how shall you save your own souls, and how shall this message reach our brethren in the church, swell to a Loud cry of the third angel's Message, and sound the judgment of the living? Will you take the bread from your own to feed it to the Gentiles, and thus have them both fall together in the "valley of achor"?
 
 

The instructions in The Shepherd's Rod, Vol. 1, p. 251, "Pay your honest tithe and offering to your church, and feel that 'IT IS' your Father's house." Came near the close of 1930, before the leading brethren, as a denomination, had rejected the sealing message. Clearly, then, The Shepherd's Rod has faithfully discharged its duty in refusing to accept any tithes or offerings until after the books were scattered throughout the denomination, and after the brethren began bitterly to oppose t he message. Now, though, since the opposition is no longer passive, but intensely active, and the proclamation of the message supremely urgent, the only course open is apparent. It will take an army of workers, including the tithes and the offerings, to reach the people.

Consequently, as our leading brethren have inadvertently shown themselves unworthy stewards of God's "Storehouse" for the time of the "Loud Cry of the Third Angel's Message, " He has transferred the "candlestick" and is also calling for the tithes and offerings to be transferred into "His storehouse" of Present Truth.

It follows, therefore, that unless the entire denomination be robbing Him, the Lord would not declare: "Ye have robbed me, even this whole nation" (Mal.3:9). But as most of the membership are paying tithes and offerings, the indictment proves that the funds are turned into a wrong treasury. And when could this be true save at the present time, when the denomination is fighting against God and His message with His Own money-- the tithe? So it is that "Even this whole nation" is robbing God. "Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Isreae?" Ezek. 33:11. -- 4 Tract, pg. 63-67. 

These verses do not blame the individual members of the church for robbing the Lord, but the whole denomination, the "whole nation." Moreover, you will note that the story of Malachi chapter three begins with chapter two. There you will note that the Lord addresses the ministry, not the laity, saying, "...O ye priests, this commandment is for you." Mal. 2:1. Plainly, then, the trouble lies in the fact that though the laity as a rule pay faithful tithe and offerings God nevertheless is robbed because the Denomination is taking the tithes and at the same time is fighting rather than accepting and promulgating His message for today -- the Judgment for the Living. His money is used to cheat His people from His Truth instead of enlightening them with It -- keeping His people in darkness and deception, even barring them from investigating the message of the hour for themselves. What a charge!

Where is one to look for God's storehouse? -- wherever God's Truth is for today, from wherever "meat in due season" is dispensed.

The statement, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse," implies that some are already bringing into it, but not all. This, along with the charge that the whole nation is robbing God, positively shows that the tithes are now brought, not to God's storehouse, but to some other house. To repeat, God's storehouse has ever been and ever will be where "the message of the Hour" is, where "Present Truth" is, the house from which "meat in due season" is dispensed at the time the tithes are paid.

Since the old message, the "Judgment for the Dead," is out of date as is the message of Noah's flood, it is plainly seen that inasmuch as the Denomination as a whole has rejected and is fighting the message of the hour, but is still collecting the tithes of the people, it is indeed robbing God.

His people are, therefore, asked to send their tithes to the "storehouse" whence Present Truth is dispensed, for it is Present Truth that the flock needs now. "There are many precious truths contained in the word of God, but it is 'present truth' that the flock needs now." -- "Early Writings," pg. 63. Those who obey have this promise:

"And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts." Mal. 3:11-12

Under no other conditions does He promise His blessings. You have hard luck? You cannot make ends meet? Start paying your tithes. Note carefully that God requires not only tithe but tithes; that is, tithe and free will offering. He does not want them spent on something of your own devising. You are to bring them into the "store house." "...Concerning the first tithe, the Lord had declared, 'I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel.' But in regard to the second he commanded, 'Thou shalt eat before the Lord thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always.' This tithe, or its equivalent in money, they were for two years to bring to the place where the sanctuary was established. After presenting a thank-offering to God, and a specified portion to the priest, the offerers were to use the remainder for a religious feast, in which the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow should participate. Thus provision was made for the thank-offerings and feast at the yearly festivals, and the people were drawn to the society of the priests and Levites, that they might receive instruction and encouragement in the service of God. -- 2 Timely Greeting No. 30, page. 17-19. 

God's ministers are not called to be salesmen, promoters, or auctioneers in order to raise means with which to carry on His work. Rather they are called to be preachers of the Truth and under-shepherds of His people, tenderly watching over every sheep, for such are worthy of being well cared for and protected not only in health but in sickness, not only in life but in death.

We cannot resort to the Denomination's practice of raising goals during church services, for such a practice detracts from the object of the meetings, and desecrates both the house of God and His Holy Day. Such unholy trafficking on holy ground must cease! Do not wait until the Lord manifests His great power, and drives out the sheep and oxen along with the money changers, overturns their tables, and scatters their illicit revenues!

The Message therefore announces unequivocally that the Davidians who will please the Lord, will faithfully and systematically contribute a second tithe of his increase to this necessary fund, and thereby help build a defense-wall against the possibility of the Enemy's bringing unholy, time-and-spirit-killing traffic into our devotional and educational gatherings.

Let all Present-truth believers faithfully pay a first and second tithe as far as possible, then the Association can maintain its ministerial school, in addition to its boarding school for all needy and worthy children in Present Truth who are of school age, and provide a home for the aged, medical care for the needy sick, food for the hungry, and burial for those who fall at their posts of duty. -- 4 Answerer Book, pg. 50-52.

So while it is imperative that all Present-truth believers avail themselves to this Certificate of Fellowship, it is even more urgent that all such should be first and second tithe payers, because if a Certificate of Fellowship is extended to those who could be but are not such tithe payers, they would become not only a demoralizing influence among believers but also deadly parasites in their midst. For this obvious reason the Association is therefore obliged to grant the Certificate of Fellowship only to full-fledged believers and cheerful doers of the Word. (In cases where it is impossible to pay a full second tithe, then, of course, a part is acceptable.) -- 4 Answerer Book, pg. 63. 

Question No. 96:

While still holding membership in the Seventh-day Adventist denomination, should one pay tithe to the Davidians?

Answer:

One can best answer this question by asking himself the following questions:

Do I believe that The Shepherd's Rod contains the message of the hour, the sealing message of the 144,000? Have I received any spiritual help from it? Has it caused me to repent of formerly indulged sins? Am I now a better Seventh-day Adventist than I was before I accepted it? Has it made me love the Bible, the Spirit of Prophecy, and the brethren more than ever before?

If one's answer to each of these questions is "No," then he should pay his tithe to the church of which he is still a member. If his answer to them is "Yes," and if he is still in doubt as to where he should pay his tithe, then he should further question himself:

Had I continued in the Laodicean course in which the Rod found me, could I be saved and ready to meet the Lord at His coming? Can my Seventh-day Adventist brethren be saved by remaining in their present condition?

If to these questions one's answer is "No," then his answers to the following questions will instruct him where to pay this tithe.

Since I am responsible for the light which is now shining upon my pathway, and since I must help give it to my brethren, should I pay my tithe to the Denomination so that the ministry may have more money with which to fight both the message and my personal endeavors to reach the people with it, and thereby, working at cross-purposes, only help to keep them in darkness? Or, should I pay it to the Davidians, the "storehouse" of Present Truth, where it naturally should go to promote the advancement of a heart-searching reformation and to rescue my Seventh-day Adventist brethren from eternal ruin? And as they themselves are not prepared to meet the Lord (Testimonies, Vol. 6, p. 371), then how can they adequately prepare the heathen? In view of all these facts, shall my tithe go to the Seventh-day Adventist denomination in behalf of the heathen or to the sealing message in behalf of the brethren? If I dare not place my tithe to the support of what I believe to be Present Truth, then how will it be supported, and where else can I conscientiously place my tithe?

Furthermore, if I place it in the Denomination to be used largely for the evangelizing of worldlings, rather than in the storehouse of Present Truth to be used for the benefit of my brethren, then am I not doing so to the neglect of my own brethren, and thus denying that I am my brother's keeper? -- 4 Answerer, pg, 41-43. (See Also 4 Answerer 44-47; 5 Answerer 84-86)