Will there be Marriages and Births on the New Earth?

Background:

During an upa7.org Davidian Sabbath School Zoom meeting held on February 12, 2022 a certain brother Harold Julimess from the Bahamas gave a study entitled “The Restoration of the Message of Elijah” in which he introduced the idea that the Shepherd’s Rod message was teaching that there will be marriages and births on the New Earth. This came as a surprise to many in attendance and brought forth many questions. As the topic was somewhat unexpected the meeting host decided to transfer the discussion over to the upa7.org Worldwide WhatsApp group to air out some of the claims being made. A vigorous discussion ensued over the next two weeks and allowed everyone an opportunity to state their beliefs and provide whatever proofs they had to defend their position. In order to facilitate participation by all on this important matter the group administrator posted an assignment as follows.

Original assignment 2/20/22:  Dear upa7.org brethren here is your assignment to help solve a  theological issue in our midst between those who do not believe in marriages and births on the New Earth (NNM’s) and those who do (NEM’s). Please prayerfully review all of the following references so that we can answer the question of whether there will be marriages and new births on the New Earth. 3 SC No. 2, pp. 6, 7, 1 TG 44:10, 1 SM 172, 2 SM 25.2, DA 605:2-4,  MM 99.4 and Luke 20:34-36, Matt. 22:29, 30. In one week (Sunday Feb. 27) please post where you stand remembering this is not a time to remain silent or neutral. Once all of your answers are compiled upa7.org will issue a formal position statement where we stand on the issue. May God bless your search for truth as for hidden treasure.

Executive Summary:

Based on the authority of several definitive statements from the Bible (Luke 20:34-36, Matt. 22:29, 30) and the Spirit of Prophecy (1 SM 172, 2 SM 25.2, DA 605.2-4, and MM 99.4) we at upa7.org recognize that the institution of marriage was originally formed in the Garden of Eden before the fall of man into sin. We also believe that there will be no marriages or new births on the New Earth as we presently understand the marriage institution as it existed after the fall (not before) up until the second advent in “this world” (Luke 20:35) of sin. However, we do not state unequivocally that the marriage institution will cease to exist in “that world” (Luke 20:36), i.e., the New Earth, but rather based on clear statements from both the SRod and the SOP (MM 100.1) we believe that “God has not yet fully made known to us the state of our future life, we are, just now, unable fully to comprehend either the marriage or the family relationship after the resurrection.”—Symbolic Code, No. 3, Vol, 2, p. 7.10. Thus, in complete harmony with counsels from the pen of Ellen White we at upa7.org stand by the following statements coming from the golden bowl.

“I would say to those who hold views contrary to this plain declaration of Christ, upon such matters silence is eloquence. It is presumption to indulge in suppositions and theories regarding matters that God has not made known to us in His Word. We need not enter into speculation regarding our future state.” — Selected Messages, Vol. 1, p. 173.1 

“Some are now teaching that children will be born in the new earth. Is this present truth? Who has inspired these men to present such a theory? Did the Lord give anyone such views?–No; those things which are revealed are for us and our children, but upon subjects not revealed, and having nought to do with our salvation, silence is eloquence. These strange ideas should not even be mentioned, much less taught as essential truths.”  — Selected Messages, Vol. 2, p. 25.2 

Addressing Symbolic Code Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 4-9

The article entitled “Mt. Carmel in the Process of Restoring all Things as in the Beginning” is focused on the restitution of the marriage to its original estate as it was established at the climax of the creation week. Since the fall this institution has been greatly corrupted and now as we approach the end of time the institutions of marriage and the Sabbath are to be restored to their original estate. Since the beginning of the great Advent movement in 1844 God has been working to bring about the reform in these twin institutions from creation ever since the founding of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. One can review the extensive writings of the SOP that address much of this reform as it has progressed up to the appearance the Shepherd’s Rod message in 1930.

The article from Symbolic Code Vol, 3, No. 2, pp. 4-9 is the premiere effort to reestablish the marriage institution in the writings of The Shepherd’s Rod. After reviewing the origin and history of the marriage institution the question was asked “When and how will the first dominion be restored?” (3 SC No. 2, p. 6:2) and the answer is right then in 1937 when this Code was published announcing that “Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things.”  (Mk. 9:12.)  Therefore, Elijah’s coming must precede both the great and dreadful day of the Lord and His second coming; and when he comes, he must restore all things.” (3 SC No. 2, p. 6:4). This is summarized in the following statement.

“The foregoing passages make clear at least three main facts; namely:

1. That the first institution which God ordained and established on earth was that of marriage; and that the second was that of the Sabbath.
2. That God intended that both of these institutions should endure intact, but that Satan has perverted and corrupted them, until today they retain but little of their pristine purity.
3. That consequently, in the time of the end, God will send Elijah the prophet to restore not only both of these, but also all other desecrated, divine institutions.

Hence, as all things must be restored, and as Elijah must effect their restoration, it follows that, as the joint institutions of marriage and the Sabbath were the first to be instituted, and the first to be profaned and debased, they must, therefore, be the first to be restored.”– 3 SC No. 2, p. 8:3-7

A careful reading of the article, especially pages 6-7 proves that the restitution of the marriage institution is to be premillennial and in the active present tense in the very time this article was published. As conclusive evidence of this process was the announcement:

“Exactly at the close of the seventh year of the sealing message, and, as with our father Adam, on Friday, the sixth day of the week, January 1, the outworking of Providential purpose and design, restoring type in antitype, united in holy wedlock Brother V.T. Houteff and Miss Florence Hermanson, who has been connected with the message of Present Truth from its inception, and who, for the past three years, has been in active service to this cause.  The ceremony, performed by Elder E.T. Wilson, was simple, solemn, and unforgettable, beautifully befitting the occasion.  Moreover, it was the first marriage on Mt. Carmel, the home of the Elijah message, which is now in the process of restoring ‘every divine institution.’ — 3 SC No. 2, p. 8:13

The marriage of Brother Houteff was the first of dozens of marriages that were solemnized at old Mt. Carmel Center Waco, Texas up until his death in 1955.[1] So the case is quite clear that of the many reforms the Rod message was calling for, marriage was one of the aspects of the message of Elijah to restore all things which was an active ongoing process during the whole period that old Mt. Carmel Center existed under the direction of the prophet. So, the question becomes how much of this article about restitution of the marriage institution was addressing marriage and new births on the New Earth? The answer may shock you but essentially nothing, contrary to what the NEM’s are trying to make us believe. In fact, the only real commentary in this regard comes from the following passage.

“The words of Christ: “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in Heaven” (Matt. 22:30), reveal that we have lost sight of the true marriage institution.  And as God has not yet fully made known to us the state of our future life, we are, just now, unable fully to comprehend either the marriage or the family relationship after the resurrection.: — 3 SC No. 2, p. 6:10

To those recent advocates pushing their private uninspired ideas about marriages and births on the New Earth the following warning from the Rod is applicable.

Do Not Deeper Fall Into the Pit, But Get Out

“Teachers of Present Truth, having before them the example of the tragic results caused by conflicting teachings by the S.D.A. ministry and, in addition to this, having been repeatedly warned to teach only that which has been revealed, and published, stand in great condemnation before God when they set forth conflicting or unauthorized views on any subject.  Be absolutely certain that you are teaching according to that which is written, and not according to that which you may think should be or will someday be written.

Failure to comply with this requirement will disqualify anyone as a worker in this cause.” — Symbolic Code, Vol. 3, Nos. 5, 6, p. 14

How do we understand Isaiah 65:23?

The most reliable way to find what inspiration comments on a particular Bible verse to go to the SRod Scripture Index and look up every passage to gain the prophets full perspective. In the case of Isa. 65:23 where it mentions “offspring with them (the saints). The setting of Isaiah 65:17-25 is the New Earth as most Davidians understand. There is only one comment from the SRod on this verse which is used by the advocates of marriage on the new earth (NEM’s) as one of their primary proof texts.

Isa. 65:23 — “They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them.”

Much of our labor on this earth is done in vain, and many of our sons and daughters are also born in vain.  But in the earth made new, no one shall labor in vain, and nothing shall be brought forth for trouble.” — Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 44, p. 9, 10

Advocates of marriages and births on the New Earth (NEM’s) use this passage as one of their main proofs, but could this be the case of reading into an inspired statement more than that is there in order to fit a preconceived idea? Consider the words “their offspring”, NEM’s presume that these offspring are babies that are going to be born on the New Earth as procreation continues through the marriage relation. But is this what Bro. Houteff is saying? Taking his comments as they read it is difficult to read into them more that what is there.  A more logical and biblical sound explanation of who “these offspring” are and where they came from is that they are the children who are born from faithful parents this side of the millennium who were not born in vain. Please note, Bro. Houteff comments that many of our sons and daughters are born in vain, but not all. We cannot read any more into the nature of the family relation at this time since God has not made it known to us as mentioned earlier (3 SC 2:7:10).

Brother Houteff makes a contrast between “this earth” (same as “this world” Luke 20:35) and “the earth made new” (“that world” in Luke 20:36) but there is no explicit explanation stating that there will be marriages or births in the New Earth. In so doing this puts the NEM’s in direct contradiction with the words of Jesus (Luke 20:35, 36) backed up by the Spirit of Prophecy (1 SM 172, 2 SM 25.2, DA 605.2-4, and MM 99.4). This is sufficient evidence to make the charge that they have entered the trap of private interpretation which the Bible clearly warns us to avoid (2 Peter 1:20). The Bible would further characterize such as “lean cattle” who “have eaten up the good pasture, but ye must tread down with your feet the residue of your pastures” (Eze. 34:20, 18) (see: 5 SC Nos. 1-5, p. 2)

What about the Flood chart showing the boy on the New Earth?

It was pointed out that that the Flood chart showed and illustration of a child which was labeled “The New Earth”.

Question: How do we harmonize this with the weight of evidence coming from the golden bowl as it seems to suggest that there will be children on the New Earth which contradicts with the plain statements of Jesus and the comments of Sister White?

Response:  At first glance this seems to be a bit of a paradox but closer inspection affords a reasonable explanation of why Brother Houteff may have used this scene depicting a child with some other animals (wolf, lion, lamb, leopard, and a calf) and believing it was on the New Earth. What part of the Bible is this illustration depicting? It is clear this is Isaiah 11:6. Also, notice the copyright date on this chart. It is 1932. What was the common Adventist understanding on Isaiah chapter 11 in 1932? Any well-informed student of the original SRod knows that Seventh-day Adventists generally believe that Isaiah chapter 11 applies to the New Earth to this day. Is it possible that Brother Houteff still held this belief in 1932? It is certainly likely because we know that the proper placement of Isaiah 11 to the premillennial kingdom could not have arisen until that light was revealed to Brother Houteff as first published in 1937 in Tract No. 8 and further detailed in Tract No. 9. Furthermore, when one reads the entire study on the flood from Shepherd’s Rod Vol. 2 we see no commentary whatsoever explaining this portion of the chart. Thus, it would be prudent for us today as students of the Rod to remain silent and not speculate or read into this illustration more that what is there and what can be explained by the common belief of the day.

We should also point out that Isa. 65:25 sounds a lot like Isa. 11:6 except there is no child or leopard in the former verse which is on the New Earth whereas the latter is during the premillennial kingdom. This is what Brother Houteff commented on Isa. 65:25, giving no mention of marriages or new births.

Isa. 65:25 — “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat.  They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, saith the Lord.”

   There shall be peace all around.  We shall not see men quarreling nor beasts fighting and eating one another.  There shall be real and perfect peace among them all.” — Timely Greetings, Vol. 1, No. 44, p. 10

“Of necessity, any statements relative to a subject which is still out of sight in the unfolding of the Scroll, are made only in incidental terms of truth as it is at the time seen or commonly understood. And if the common understanding of these incidental statements be wrong, the writer cannot be held responsible for that which he has borrowed from others or seen but very dimly and therefore expressed very indefinitely.” – Answerer Book No. 2, p.77.

Conclusion

As a collective body of active members of the upa7.org ministry we have carefully examined and discussed the weight of evidence coming from the Holy Bible, the Spirit of Prophecy, and Shepherd’s Rod message regarding the claims of Harold Julimess that there will be marriages and births on the New Earth and have found them to be wanting. In this process we have discovered four specific claims and methods of how this brother approaches the study of the Bible and the writings of Ellen White which are cause for great concern. We will address these dangerous and deceptive practices in a follow up document which you can download by clicking (Four Teaching Errors of Harold Julimess-Marriage New Earth

“To all careless or doubting or recusant spirits who tread the side edges of the road of Present Truth, the following words of Inspiration stand as faithful sentinels, warning of the grim fact that unless all side-edge travelers get over into the middle of the road, and walk in the light, they shall eventually go the way of all aberrant Present Truth professors–“out from the ‘Shepherd’s Rod,’–out from the light, and back into the pews of Laodiceanism,–back into the darkness of “sad” and “terrible” and “fearful” “deception.”–“Testimonies for the Church,” Vol. 3, pp. 253, 254, 260.” — Symbolic Code, Vol. 4, Nos. 4-9, p. 2

End of Study

upa7.org Worldwide Publishing Committee

March 14, 2022

Footnotes:

[1] We have extensive notes on the principles of Davidian marriages and records of many weddings conducted at old Mt. Carmel from the Dudley Goff collection. Please contact us at upa5453@gmail.com to request a copy of these documents.