Every word of God [is] pure: he [is] a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. — Proverbs 30:5, 6
Ever since the death of Brother Houteff professed Davidians who claim to follow his message have been busy remodeling and corrupting the message to suit their whims all the while thinking they are doing a great service to advance the cause. Starting with Florence Houteff’s ever so subtle tampering of Timely Greetings Vol. 2, Nos. 23, 24 (1956 reprint) copyrighted in her name, a train of errors emerged that ended in the publication of the unauthorized New Code sermon addresses (Vol. 10, No. 7 to Vol. 13, No. 12) and the 11th Hour Radio Message tract series. What a trainwreck indeed. With this alarming precedent before us you would think any wide awake Davidian would be exceedingly cautious to meddle with the original Rod message. But no, in a strange bewitching paradox almost every Davidian group that has arisen since 1955 has emulated the example of Florence and tampered the Rod in a multitude of hideous ways including corrupted literature, tampered artwork, false doctrines, and unauthorized translations. The subject of this current post is to examine the latter abomination as it has erupted in controversy once again with the rise of the pre-11th Hour Ministry in 2023 (a Mountain Dale splinter) who are adamant in defending their corrupted Spanish translation which they claim to publish in Mexico, El Salvador and Columbia.
Does the Rod Authorize Translation of the Message?
“Hence, as even the very hairs of our heads are numbered (Matt. 10:30) I am sure that God knew the spelling rules of the English tongue before the English speaking people did, and as He also knew that He would use the English instead of the Hebrew tongue by which to reveal the truth that “The Shepherd’s Rod” contains, He instructed the prophet Isaiah to thus write:“With stammering lips and another tongue will He speak to this people.” (Isa. 28:11.) If the numerical symbolism of the letters was in the Hebrew spelling rule instead of in the English, it would have been hard to discover it and would not have been as great a wonder; namely, not showing God’s foreknowledge of the language He was to use in fulfillment of Isaiah 28:11 at “the unrolling of the scroll.”
“Therefore, here it is seen that when one sinks the shaft deep into the mine of truth the facts brought neither “invalidate” the “Shepherd’s Rod” “system of exegesis,” nor do they “destroy its claim of interpretation,” but completely support it.” — Symbolic Code, Vol. 2, No. 3, 4, p. 10.
It is clear from this statement that God specified by Divine design that the Rod message was to come in one language only and that language is the English tongue. So if there is to be translation of this same message then where do we find the authorization to do so? It would have to come from within the message itself or another legal document such as a will. Anyone can search the Rod for themselves, no instruction to translate the message into other tongues exists. No will from Brother Houteff has ever been located that would specify what to do with the message. Contrast this with the case of Ellen White who did leave a detailed last will and testament for her estate and what was to be done with her writing, both published and unpublished.
But the Bible is translated into many languages, why not the Rod?
From the beginning God has been working by His Holy Spirit through human instrumentalities for the accomplishment of His purpose in behalf of the fallen race. This was manifest in the lives of the patriarchs. To the church in the wilderness also, in the time of Moses, God gave His “good Spirit to instruct them.” And in the days of the apostles He wrought mightily for His church through the agency of the Holy Spirit. The same power that sustained the patriarchs, that gave Caleb and Joshua faith and courage, and that made the work of the apostolic church effective, has upheld God’s faithful children in every succeeding age. It was through the power of the Holy Spirit that during the Dark Ages the Waldensian Christians helped to prepare the way for the Reformation. It was the same power that made successful the efforts of the noble men and women who pioneered the way for the establishment of modern missions, and for the translation of the Bible into the languages and dialects of all nations and peoples.—The Acts of the Apostles, 53. ChS 256.1
The problem with this argument is that it is an inductive fallacy. Because God allowed the Bible to be translated into many languages and Ellen White’s writings were translated into many languages therefore it is okay to translate the Shepherd’s Rod into other languages. The problem with this reasoning is that the circumstances by which the Bible and Ellen White’s writings came into existence and were spread around the world are substantially different than the circumstances by which the Rod message came into being. One cannot assume they are the same because they are not. Any specification to translate the Rod into other tongues would have to be proven from within the message itself or a relavent legal document such as Brother Houteff’s last will and testament. None exists therefore there is no authority to tamper with the Rod message lest one prove themselves to be a Modernist in principle rather than a Fundamentalist. You decide whom God approves.
“As we view with alarm the rapid spread of Modernism among the various Protestant churches, it is well to consider our own lives, to see if the same principles and trends may not have begun to operate there. While the doctrines and principles of Seventh-day Adventists are Fundamentalistic, there is grave danger that we as individuals may become Modernistic.
“In order better to appreciate this danger, it is well to consider the essential difference between Fundamentalist believes in the word of God as a final authority; while the Modernist believes in the interpretation of the word of God according to his human reasoning, thus putting reasoning above the God of revelation.” — Answerer Book No. 3, p. 56
If you translate the Rod who is responsible for errors introduced?
Who is going to take care of the errors which might come with the translation? As for the KJV Bible 1611 version, we know that God used His inspired messengers Sister E. G. White to correct Daniel 8:12 and Brother Houteff to correct the punctuation in Revelation 4:6. Now, since Bro. Houteff is dead who will take care of the errors which inherently come with translation into Spanish or any other tongue?
Are Davidians aware that Bro. Houteff received request from Africa in Symbolic Code Vol. 10, No. 1, p. 19 to translate to French which he never responded to. Are you then taking it upon your own hands to do the work which he never did?
How can we reach brethren who don’t speak English?
This is a primary argument used by the pro-translation Davidians is how are we to reach those poor illiterate brethren who don’t speak the English language. Sadly, their only response is that we must translate into their native tongue for them to understand the Rod message. This reasoning is faulty because it does not consider other ways to address the language barrier.
- Reading the text is not the only way to share the Rod message. The visual mode of revelation (e.g., Tract 12, p. 6) is just as powerful and effective. Use the original colored SRod study charts and explain the various symbols and lessons using a Bible worker who is fluent in English and the native tongue and the message will be communicated to the level that the reciepent can comprehend the truth and accept it for which God will hold them accountable to the light they recieve.
- Teach the students to reach the KJV Bible, SOP, and original SRod message in English and they will receive the dual benefit of learning not only the truths found in the Rod message but the English language as an added bonus!
- Do Davidians who insist in unauthorized translations of the Rod message still believe in the miraculous gift of tongues and that God can still bestow this upon the willing agent if they only have faith and claim His promises? (see 1 Cor. 12:28, 2 TG 46:7)
- It is remarkable that Brother Houteff came to the United States not speaking English but somehow managed to publish the entire Rod message in the English language in harmony with Isaiah 28:11. He has set an example for all of us. What account would you give him if he came from the grave and asked you what have you done to the message God has entrusted to me? You will probably find yourself speechless. Best to stay with the original in English and stop telling the prophet how to teach his message.
Summary Points
- The original SRod message is clear that God purposed by Divine design that the message was to come in the English language (2SC 3, 4. p.10).
- When asked about translating the message into French, Brother Houteff never responded.
- Brother Houteff was a Bulgarian immigrant who spoke no English yet managed to publish the entire SRod message and learn the English language at the same time. This is our example to follow.
- There is no reference in the original SRod message specifying that anyone is authorized to translate the message into other language.
- There is no legal document such as a will authorizing the translation of the Rod message into any other language.
- There are well established methods to teach the Rod message to those who may not understand the English language such as use of the original SRod study charts with a fluent bi- or multi-ligual teacher.
- Established teachers of the message can teach students how to read the KJV of the Bible, SOP books, and the original SRod literature in English which has a two-fold benefit of learning the message and the English language at the same time.
Leave a Reply