Emerging
in 1930 from within the Seventh-day Adventist denomination ("the church of the
Laodiceans"), the Davidian Seventh-day Adventist Association has 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 "in all the world." Matt. 24:14.
This Association, in common with the Seventh-day
Adventist denomination, holds ''certain fundamental beliefs, the principal features of
which, together with a portion of the Scriptural references upon which they are
based," are originally summarized as follows:
"1. That the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New
Testaments were given by inspiration of God, contain an all-sufficient revelation of His
will to men, and are the only unerring rule of faith and practice. 2 Tim 3:1517.
"2. That the Godhead, or Trinity, consists of the
Eternal Father, a personal, spiritual Being, omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, infinite
in wisdom and love; the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal Father, through whom all
things were created and through whom the salvation of the redeemed hosts will be
accomplished; the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead, the great regenerating
power in the work of redemption. Matt. 28:19.
"3. That Jesus Christ is very God, being of the
same nature and essence as the Eternal Father. While retaining His divine nature He took
upon Himself the nature of the human family, lived on the earth as a man, exemplified in
His life as our Example the principles of righteousness, attested His relationship to God
by many mighty miracles, died for our sins on the cross, was raised from the dead, and
ascended to the Father where He ever lives to make intercession for us John 1:1, 14; Heb.
2:9-18; 8:1, 2; 4:14-16; 7:25.
"4. That every person in order to obtain salvation
must experience the new birth; that this comprises an entire transformation of life and
character by the recreative power of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. John
3:16; Matt. 18:3; Acts 2:37-39.
"5. That baptism is an ordinance of the Christian
church and should follow repentance and forgiveness of sins. By its observance faith is
shown in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. That the proper form of baptism is
by immersion.
"6. That the will of God as it relates to moral conduct
is comprehended in His law of ten commandments; that these are great moral, unchangeable
precepts, binding upon all men, in every age. Ex. 20:1-17.
"7. That the fourth commandment of this
unchangeable law requires the observance of the seventh day Sabbath. This holy institution
is at the same time a memorial of creation and a sign of sanctification, a sign of the
believer's rest from his own works of sin, and his entrance into the rest of soul which
Jesus promises to those who come to Him. Gen. 2:1-3; 1; Ex. 20:8-11; 31:12-17; Heb.
4:1-10.
"8. That the law of ten commandments points out
sin, the penalty of which is death. The law can not save the transgressor from his sin,
nor impart power to keep Him from sinning. In infinite love and mercy, God provides a way
whereby this may be done. He furnishes a substitute, even Christ the Righteous One, to die
in man's stead, making 'Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him.' 2 Cor. 5:21. That one is justified, not by obedience to the
law, but by the grace that is in Christ Jesus. By accepting Christ, man is reconciled to
God, justified by His blood for the sins of the past, and saved from the power of sin by
his indwelling life. Thus the gospel becomes 'the power of God unto salvation to every one
that believeth.' This experience is wrought by the divine agency of the Holy Spirit, who
convinces of sin and leads to the Sin-Bearer, inducting the believer into the new covenant
relationship, where the law of God is written on his heart, and through the enabling power
of the indwelling Christ, his life is brought into conformity to the divine precepts. The
honor and merit of this wonderful transformation belong wholly to Christ. 1 John 3:4; Rom.
7:7; Rom. 3:20; Eph. 2:8-10; 1 John 2:1, 2; Rom. 5:8-10; Gal. 2:20; Eph. 3:17; Heb.
8:8-12.
"9. That God 'only hath immortality.' 1 Tim. 6:15.
Mortal man possesses a nature inherently sinful and dying. Eternal life is the gift of God
through faith in Christ. Rom.
"10. That the condition of man in death is one of
unconsciousness. That all men, good and evil alike, remain in the grave from death to the
resurrection. Eccl. 9:5, 6; Ps. 146:3, 4; John 5:28, 29.
"11. That there shall be a resurrection both of
the just and of the unjust. The resurrection of the just will take place at the second
coming of Christ; the resurrection of the unjust will take place a thousand years later,
at the close of the millennium. John 5:28, 29; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Rev. 20:5-10.
"12. That the finally impenitent, including Satan,
the author of sin, will, by the fires of the last day be reduced to a state of
non-existence becoming as though they had not been, thus purging God's universe of sin and
sinners. Rom.
"13. That no prophetic period [meaning prophetic
time-setting of the exact date of Christ's coming] is given in the Bible to reach to the
second advent, but that the longest one the 2300 days of Dan. 8:14, terminated in 1844,
and brought us to an event called the cleansing of the sanctuary.
"14. That the true sanctuary, of which the
tabernacle on earth was a type, is the temple of God in Heaven, of which Paul speaks in
Hebrews 8 and onward, and of which the Lord Jesus, as our great high priest, is minister;
and that the priestly work of our Lord is the antitype of the work of the Jewish priests
of the former dispensation; that this heavenly sanctuary is the one to be cleansed at the
end of the 2300 days of Dan. 8:14; its cleansing being, as in the type, a work of
judgment, beginning with the entrance of Christ as the high priest upon the judgment phase
of His ministry in the heavenly sanctuary foreshadowed in the earthly service of cleansing
the sanctuary on the day of atonement. This work of judgment in the heavenly sanctuary
began in 1844. Its completion will close human probation.
"15. That God, in the time of the judgment and in
accordance with His uniform dealing with the human family in warning them of coming events
vitally affecting their destiny (Amos 3:6, 7), sends forth a proclamation of the approach
of the second advent of Christ; that this work is symbolized by the three angels of
Revelation 14; and that their three-fold message brings to view a work of reform to
prepare a people to meet him at His coming.
"16. That the time of the cleansing of the
sanctuary, synchronizing with the period of the proclamation of the message of Revelation
14, is a time of investigative judgment, first with reference to the dead, and secondly,
with reference to the living. This investigative judgment determines who of the myriads
sleeping in the dust of the earth are worthy of a part in the first resurrection, and who
of its living multitudes are worthy of translation. 1 Pet. 4:17, 18; Dan. 7:9, 10; Rev.
14:6, 7; Luke 20:35.
"17. That the followers of Christ should be a
godly people, not adopting the unholy maxims nor conforming to the unrighteous ways of the
world, not loving its sinful pleasures nor countenancing its follies. That the believer
should recognize his body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that therefore he should
clothe that body in neat, modest, dignified apparel. Further, that in eating and drinking
and in his entire course of conduct he should shape his life as becometh a follower of the
meek and lowly Master. Thus the believer will be led to abstain from all intoxicating
drinks, tobacco, and other narcotics, and the avoidance of every body-and-soul-defiling
habit and practice. 1 Cor. 3:16, 17;
"18. That the divine principle of tithes and
offerings for the support of the gospel is an acknowledgment of God's ownership in our
lives, and that we are stewards who must render account to him of all that He has
committed to our possession. Lev. 27:30; Mal. 3:8-12; Matt. 23:23; 1 Cor. 9:9-14; 2 Cor.
9:6-15.
"20. That the second coming of Christ is the great
hope of the church, the grand climax of the gospel and plan of salvation. His coming will
be literal, personal, and visible. Many important events will be associated with His
return, such as the resurrection of the dead, the destruction of the wicked, the
purification of the earth, the reward of the righteous, the establishment of His
everlasting kingdom. The almost complete fulfillment of various lines of prophecy
particularly those found in the books of Daniel and the Revelation, with existing
conditions in the physical, social, industrial, political, and religious worlds, indicates
that Christ's coming 'is near, even at the doors.' The exact time of that event has not
been foretold. Believers are exhorted to be ready, for 'in such an hour as ye think not,
the Son of man' will be revealed. Luke 21:25-27; 17:26-30; John 14:1-3; Acts 1:9-11; Rev.
1:7; Heb. 9:28; James 5:1-8; Joel 3:9-16; 2 Tim. 3:1-5; Dan. 7:27; Matt. 24:36, 44.
21. That the millennial reign of Christ covers the
period between the first and the second resurrections, during which time the saints of all
ages will live with their blessed Redeemer in Heaven. At the end of the millennium, the
"22. That God will make all things new. The earth,
restored to its pristine beauty, will become forever the abode of the saints of the Lord.
The promise to Abraham, that through Christ he and his seed should possess the earth
throughout the endless ages of eternity, will be fulfilled. The kingdom and dominion and
the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the
saints of the Most High whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall
serve and obey Him. Christ, the Lord, will reign supreme and every creature which is in
heaven and on the earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea will ascribe
blessing and honor and glory and power unto Him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the
Lamb forever and ever. Gen. 13:14-17; Rom. 4:13; Heb. 11:8-16; Matt. 5:5; Isa. 35; Rev.
21:1-7; Dan. 7:27; Rev. 5:13." -- Year Book of the Seventh-day Adventist
Denomination, 1940 Edition, pp. 5-8.
IN ADDITION to these fundamental tenets of faith held
in common with the Seventh-day Adventists, the Davidian Association holds:
1. That the prophetic gift in the Seventh-day Adventist
church (through the medium of which the church was brought forth in 1844 and nurtured and
preserved for seven decades) ceased its manifestation in 1915 and was not remanifested
until 1930, and that this cessation and this remanifestation are paralleled by the
cessation of the prophetic gift in the Old Testament and the remanifestation of it in the
New.
2. That the present manifestation was timed to the
430-year prophecy of Ezekiel 4, and that it is the "addition" anticipated in
Early Writings, p. 277.
3. That it was manifested anew in the closing work for
the church to effect the sealing of the 144,000 servants of God (Testimonies, Vol. 3, p.
266), and to give power and force (Early Writings, p. 277) to the Three Angel's Messages
(Rev. 14:6-11) so that the 144,000 might be empowered to accomplish the closing work for
the world, and to gather all their brethren out of all nations (Isa. 66:19, 20; Rev.
18:4).
4. That the destruction of the tares from among the
first fruits of the living (Matt. 13:30, 48, 49; Ezek. 9:6, 7) results in the purification
of the church.
5. That immediately thereafter, the angels let loose
the four winds (Rev. 7:1-3), whereupon ensues the time of trouble and Michael's standing
up to deliver from it, all whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Dan. 12:1).
6. That the angels' letting loose the four winds to
blow over the four corners of the earth (Rev. 7:1), does not anticipate a World war but
rather a world wide decree enforced throughout Babylon by the image-beast, and that then
no one may buy or sell save he who worships "the image." Rev. 13:15-17.
7. That subsequently, the time of Jacob's trouble (Jer.
30:7) for the 144,000, the sons of Jacob, logically develops on their way home (Gen. 32:1,
24) to the land of their fathers (Ezek. 36:28; 37:21, 25).
8. That the foregoing epochal event shall cause the
144,000 to have their names changed as did their father, Jacob (Gen. 32:28), and as a body
receive a new name which the mouth of the Lord shall name (Isa. 62:2).
9. That these events shall ultimate in the setting up of the
Kingdom (Dan. 2:44; Isa. 2:1-4; Mic. 4; Ezek. 37), wherein the 144,000, those who follow
the Lamb "withersoever He goeth" (Rev. 14:4), shall stand with Him on Mt. Zion
(Rev. 14:1), and there "receive the forces of the GentiIes. " Isa. 60:5, 11.
10. That with this sequence of events will ensure the
Loud Cry of the angel that lightens the earth with his glory (Rev. 18:1), as the other
Voice cries, "Come out of her, My people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and
that ye receive not of her plagues." Rev. 18:4.
11. That in response to this call, many nations will
say: "Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God
of Jacob and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk in His paths: for the law
shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem." Mic. 4:2.
12. That the Voice will cease to cry when all the saints
shall have been gathered out of all nations. Then shall "the days come, saith the
Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for
water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and
from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord,
and shall not find it." Amos 8:11, 12.
13. That then will follow the dissolution of the
world-wide organization of the image of the beast (Rev. 19:1-3), the close of the
investigative judgment of the living (Rev. 15:5-8), the end of probationary time (Rev.
22:11), and the pouring out of the seven last plagues upon the wicked (Rev. 16).
14. That under the seventh plague, the hosts arrayed
for the battle of Armageddon will fight with, and will be decimated by, the armies of
Heaven (Testimonies, Vol. 6, p. 406), and that Christ shall appear in all His glory,
destroy the remaining wicked, resurrect the righteous dead (1 Thess. 4:15-17), and usher
in the millennium (Rev. 20:5).
15. That for a little season (Rev. 20:3), a hundred
years (Isa. 65:20), after the millennium, the wicked shall live again and then finally be
destroyed by fire (Rev. 20:9), whereupon all things shall be renewed, and God's original
plan shall proceed to perfect fulfillment in an uninterrupted eternity of heavenly joy
(Rev. 21:4).