Victor Houteff on the Godhead | Part 1: The Trinity

Written by Samuel Gonzalez

Introduction

In the last few years, Davidians have been flooded with the dogmas of the semi-arian movement. Unfortunately, social media has given these individuals a platform to disseminate their false teachings which are primarily extracted from surface readings of the Spirit of Prophecy and the early writings of the Adventist pioneers. Its proponents have called their persuasion the "True God" or "Father and Son" movement. They are stout anti-Trinitarians. Their semi-arian fallacies have taken many different forms and are ever changing. Many of these individuals are very pious and demonstrate much commitment to the advent cause but are essentially on the fringes of Adventism.

Victor Houteff did not endeavor to elaborate on the Godhead/Trinity but made clear his stance on the matter. His mission was not to teach something that was already established as truth by Adventists before the death of Ellen G. White in 1915 but to interpret the prophecies that have long been in obscurity especially as it relates to the truth of the 144,000. Nevertheless, the truth of the Trinity is well established in The Shepherd’s Rod and the advocates of truth will see its validity in God’s last day message.

This exposition is almost entirely composed of the writings of Victor Houteff to give you his take on the Godhead as he understood it. He believed in the Biblically correct version of the Trinity which promotes a three-person Godhead as promulgated by Ellen G. White and the Adventist Pioneers after 1890.

Thoughts to Consider

Should we go beyond what the Rod has explained?

“Do not go beyond what the SRod has explained.”—The Symbolic Code, Vol. 1, No. 4, pg. 1.2

Answer: Here’s where the danger lies. Many of us are trying to adjust the Rod to meet our ideas, private interpretations, and opinions instead of allowing the Rod to form them. Inspiration should be our only guide in respect to truth. We should reply with an “it is written” as Christ did when tempted of Satan. Strict adherence to what the Rod teaches is our only solution to not be lead astray by the deceptions of the enemy sent with a “more correct” or “thorough” understanding of the nature of God. Be aware, these uninspired men with their private interpretations and misapplications of the Bible and the Spirit of Prophecy have been sent by the enemy of souls to take your crown. Victor Houteff said, “Plainly, then, whatever things Inspiration Itself does not teach and interpret, are not worth remembering, teaching, or even listening to.”—Tract 15: To the Seven Churches, 1947, pgs. 31, 32. We must turn our eyes and ears from these uninspired individuals that fight against what the Spirit of God has already established as truth.

Can I accept one truth in the Rod but reject another?

“Some of our brethren wish to know the position we hold on the message in the ‘Rod.’ The question is, Do we allow mistakes in it, or do we hold that the contents in the ‘Rod’ are unquestionable? This we answer as follows: Analysis proves that truth has never come at any time by the power and wisdom of men, but by the Spirit of God through instruments of His own choice. Said Jesus, ‘When the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into ALL truth.’ If we should believe the words of the Master, then we must conclude that the ‘Rod’ contains either ALL truth or there is NO truth in it, save the quotations of truth. Therefore, if we admit one truth revealed by the ‘Rod,’ then we must accept it ALL. If God has been able to guide His servants in the past into ALL truth, He is able now. Therefore, we take the position that the message in the Rod’ is free from error in so far as the ideas put forth are concerned.”—The Symbolic Code, 1935, California, Vol. 1, No. 8, pg. 1

Answer: Many are under the impression that they can accept the Rod but reject the Trinity. The Rod makes it clear that “…the ‘Rod’ contains either ALL truth or there is NO truth in it…” Thinking one can pick and choice what they want to believe or not believe in the Rod is going contrary to the words of Victor Houteff. He clearly states, “…if we admit one truth revealed by the ‘Rod,’ then we must accept it ALL.” Be mindful, the rejection of one truth equates with the rejection of the whole truth, “…to reject one truth is to reject the whole truth.” Emphasis Added—Tract 5: Final Warning, (third-edition), 1942 pg. 79

Victor Houteff on the Godhead

Did Victor Houteff believe in the Trinity?

"…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.” Emphasis added—Fundamental Beliefs and Directory, 1943, pg. 3

Answer: Victor Houteff makes it emphatically clear that the Godhead or Trinity, as delineated in the Fundamental Beliefs and Directory, is composed of the Eternal Father, Jesus Christ, the Son of the Eternal Father, and the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Godhead. The terms Godhead and Trinity here are used interchangeably. This a fundamental belief of Seventh-day Adventists as well as Davidian Seventh-Day Adventists. The doctrinal statement in Fundamental Beliefs and Directory, pg. 3 was taken from the 1940 Year Book of the Seventh-day Adventist Denomination, pg. 5 (see Figure 1). These fundamental beliefs can also be found in Timely Greetings, 1953, Vol. 1, Nos. 9, 10, pgs. 21, 22. The statement of doctrinal beliefs found in Timely Greetings was taken from the 1947 Year Book of the Seventh-day Adventist Denomination. The 1940 and 1947 year books practically read the same. Victor Houteff believed and accepted the doctrine of the Trinity as adopted by the church and retained this belief up until his death.

 Further investigation of this Trinitarian statement of faith from the Adventist yearbook finds its inception before the death of Ellen G. White in The Review and Herald, Oct. 9, 1913, Vol. 90, No. 41, pg. 21 (see Figure 2). This is what the Adventist church believed at the time. This view of the Trinity was unofficially adopted two years before Ellen G. White’s death and officially accepted by the church in 1931. She never uttered a condemnatory word about its adoption by church leaders or ever condemned the Trinity in part or as a whole.

Figure 1

Figure 2

What did Victor Houteff say the terms of the Trinity are best expressed?

“The numerals of the Bible are like rich veins of metal beneath the surface of the earth.  Thousands walk over these unknown treasures until some unseen power brings them to the surface.  We know that the Trinity is best expressed by the use of the terms, Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  Likewise we express God's attributes in three terms, namely, omnipresence, omniscience, and omnipotence.” Emphasis added—The Shepherd’s Rod (1932), Vol. 2, pg. 54

Answer: The terms Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are universally used to refer to the persons of the Godhead or Trinity. They are titles associated with these persons but are not their absolute names, “Moreover the names given in the Scriptures are not absolute names, but rather titles--equivalent to the names Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Still further, even if the absolute names of the Trinity were known, their use would lead to irreverent address.  For example, suppose the Father's name is George; the Son's, Thomas; and the Holy Ghost's, William.  Could any God-fearing human being even dare think of its being reverent to say, I now baptize you in the name of George, Thomas, and William!” Emphasis added—Symbolic Code (1941), Vol. 7 Nos. 1-6, pg. 13

How else does Victor Houteff refer to God?

“If three is the symbol of the Triune Jehovah, four must designate that which proceeds from Him, as revealed in creation.” Emphasis Added.—The Shepherd’s Rod (1932), Vol. 2, pg. 54

Answer: Not only did Victor Houteff believe in the correct understanding of the Trinity but he also used Trinitarian verbiage to refer to God by using the term Triune Jehovah. Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines the term: “TRI'UNE, adjective [Latin tres and unus.] Three in one; an epithet applied to God, to express the unity of the Godhead in a trinity of persons.”

How many persons did Victor Houteff say are there in the Godhead?

 “Thus being as they were the product of the omnipotent power of the three persons of the Godhead (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost) at work for 40 days through the personal ministry of their triune representative. Christ, this preternatural little group consequently preserved and continued the line of the church.” Emphasis added—The Judgment and the Harvest, Tract 3, 1942, pg. 91

Answer: This statement really requires no comment. Victor Houteff tells us that there are three persons of the Godhead and they are composed of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. The believer also needs “…to bear in mind that he is dedicated to God, to Christ and to the Holy Spirit.” Emphasis added—The Leviticus of D.S.D.A., 1943, pgs. 95, 96.

What does Victor Houteff say is the first indispensable fundamental fact?

“Let it be understood by all that our existence is dependent upon four indispensable fundamental facts each of which is subdivided into three undeniable factors. …The first of these fundamentals is the indwelling of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, and ‘whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God for there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.’ (1 John 4:15; 5:7.)” Emphasis Added—The Symbolic Code (1937), Vol. 1, No. 15, pg. 10

Answer: The Shepherd’s Rod tells us that for us to prosper and be in health due to this sin cursed earth we must understand that “…our existence is dependent upon four indispensable fundamental facts each of which is subdivided into three undeniable factors.” Emphasis added—The Symbolic Code (1937), Vol. 1, No. 15, pg. 10. “The first of these is the indwelling of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.­” These “indispensable fundamental facts” are also invaluable gifts: “These four groups of invaluable gifts make us complete in God's creation the same as the four directions of the compass, the four seasons of the year, the four periods of time (before noon, afternoon, before midnight, after midnight) complete the earth's mechanism. … Hence, only the one who possesses all these God-given gifts is complete in God's creation, and though he may decease in the flesh as Christ did, he will be ‘quickened by the Spirit’ which was in him. (1 Pet. 3:18.)” Emphasis added—The Symbolic Code (1937), Vol. 1, No. 15, pg. 10

Does Victor Houteff attribute 1 John 5:7 to the Trinity?

“‘This is He that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood.  And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is Truth.  For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are One.’ 1 John 5:6, 7. When we are baptized in the name (singular, not ‘names’) of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, we are baptized in our Maker, the blood, and the Truth, and these three are One.  Thus we are baptized in the ‘name,’ not names, because these three are one -- The Trinity -- Creation, Redemption, Truth.  Most people, though, act as if they were baptized to the church, to a society, to Paul or to Apollos, so to speak, but we as reformers and Present Truth believers, must go on with the Truth wherever it leads us, always remembering that we have been baptized to the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost.” Emphasis added—Timely Greetings, 1948, Vol. 2, No. 19, pg. 16

Answer: Victor Houteff referred to 1 John 5:7 as descriptive of the Trinity. He tells us “When we are baptized in the “…name (singular, not ‘names’) of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, we are baptized in our Maker, the blood, and the Truth, and these three are One.” In interpreting this verse, he did not say the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost are one person or one God as some have applied this verse to mean. We have already established that he believed that the Trinity—The Father, Son, the Holy Ghost are three persons. Inasmuch as he utilized these verses (1 John 5:6, 7) to refer to the Trinity, he said they are one in name not names. Furthermore, he also tells us what these persons in the Trinity signify: “…Maker, the blood, and the Truth…” and “…Creation, Redemption, Truth.”

What did poem "No. 8" in the The Symbolic Code say?

“Three—Affinity Of trinity, Divinity, Eternity!”—The Symbolic Code (1937), Vol. 3, Nos. 3, 4, pg. 3

Answer: This poem No. 8 in this Symbolic Code is another testament to the evidences already provided that Victor Houteff was a firm believer in the Trinity.

Does Victor Houteff say that the Trinity is numerically figurative?

“When reduced to its primary significance, this succession of numerical facts leads to the conclusion that 3, the number of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, is therefore numerically figurative of the Trinity, and that 120, the number of the Father, Son, Holy Ghost times the number of the saints, is therefore numerically figurative of the Pentecost---a basic factor in the equation of salvation, and one inseparably linked to the relation of Christ and the Bible.” Emphasis added—Tract 3: The Judgment and the Harvest (third-edition), 1942, pg. 92

“Also there are two distinct parables of the talents (Matt. 25:15-30; Luke 19:13-27), both of which pointedly enter the picture in its present setting. In the one, are three servants; in the other, ten servants.  This significant difference shows that the former has only a local application, whereas the latter has a world-wide application (incidentally showing, as does The Shepherd's Rod, Vol. 2, pp. 85, 86, that in the Scriptures, number ‘ten’ stands for universality, and number ‘three’ for the Trinity in the church.)” Emphasis added—Tract 8: Mount Sion at "The Eleventh Hour" (second-edition), 1941, pg. 29

Answer: The number three is the number figurative of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost—the Trinity. It also stands for the Trinity in the church. Furthermore, not only is the number three figurative but it’s also symbolic, “If three is the symbol of the Triune Jehovah...” Emphasis added—The Shepherd’s Rod (1932), Vol. 2, pg. 54. If the truth of the Trinity is denied how are we to rightly understand certain doctrines that are interpreted with this figurative number; moreover, “...the Bible reveals its tremendous truths in divers ways -- in numerics, in symbols and figures, in parables and allegories, in dreams and visions, in types and providences...” Emphasis added—The Shepherd's Rod (pocket edition), pg. 37 In fact, The Shepherd’s Rod cannot be properly understood without the existence of the Triune Jehovah.

Who does Jesus Christ represent?

“… [Jesus Christ is] the visible representative of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost…” Brackets added—The Judgment and the Harvest, Tract 3, 1942, pg. 91

Answer: Jesus Christ represents the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the Trinity! “Shall we not consider why Christ remained with His disciples just 40 days not more or less? If so, then inasmuch as we are confronted with a numerical subject, we are compelled to confine ourselves to Biblical numbers and their values. It is widely understood that number three stands for the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. As Jesus was the representative of the Trinity, the number of His name in this connection must be number Three. Thus, if Jesus of Nazareth is the Savior of the Old and New Testaments, and the representative of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, then the numerical value of His name (the person), and His stay of 40 days in the ingathering of His people (gathering time), must reveal Him as the One.” Emphasis added—Tract 3: The Judgment and the Harvest (first-edition), 1934, pg. 68

Is Jesus Christ God?

“…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.” Emphasis added—Fundamental Beliefs and Directory, 1943, pg. 4

Answer: Victor Houteff believed that Jesus Christ was God and was of the same nature and essence of the Eternal Father. The word “very” means true or real: “VER'Y, adjective [Latin verus.] True; real. Whether thou be my very son Esau or not. Genesis 27:21.”—Webster’s Dictionary 1828. The author of this fundamental statement of faith statement was F.M. Wilcox. He explained in Review and Herald, October 29 1931 pg. 3 under the subheading “Christ is Very God” that Jesus Christ being very God is deity itself. A number of earlier pioneers, in battling the Catholic Church and its dogmas, rejected the Trinity as a whole on the basis of certain features which were unbiblical but as time progressed and more light came many of them accepted the correct version of the Trinity and ultimately the church. Unfortunately, a number of dissidents remained convinced that the Trinity was a false doctrine despite all the evidences stacked-up against them.

Was Jesus Christ born?

 “For Jesus to become one with us He had to be born again; He had to become an earthly man.  And for us to be one with Him, we have to be born again, born of the Spirit.  The difference is that Jesus was first born a spiritual, a Divine being, and second a human being; whereas we are first born human beings, and second spiritual beings.” Emphasis added —Timely Greeting, Vol. 1, Nos. 49, 50 pg. 6.3

“Having been pre-existent with His Father (Heb. 1:1, 2; John 1:1, 2), and then having been re-born in Bethlehem, Immanuel manifestly represents the ‘born again’ Christians (John 3:3); whereas never having been pre-existent, Maher-shalal-hash-baz can only symbolize those not ‘born again’ -- that part of the church membership which cannot be represented by Immanuel.  A parallel is found in the allegory of Ishmael and Isaac, typifying the ‘born after the flesh’ and the ‘born after the Spirit’ -- the non-Christian Jew and the Christian Jew. (See Galatians 4:22-31.)” Emphasis added—Tract 14: War News Forecast (second-edition), 1947 (pg. 51), pg. 35

Answer: Yes, this reads how it reads and means what it means: Jesus Christ “…was…born a spiritual being…” [Emphasis added]. Not only was he “born a spiritual being” but he was born twice: “Jesus was first born a spiritual, a Divine being, and second a human being.” [Emphasis added]. Victor Houteff was not the only one to express this truth about the Deity of Christ. The pioneers bore the same sentiments in how they spoke of Jesus Christ. Consider the following quotes:

W.W. Prescott

“As Christ was twice born, - once in eternity, the only begotten of the Father, and again here in the flesh, thus uniting the divine with the human in that second birth, - so we, who have been born once already in the flesh, are to have the second birth, being born again of the Spirit, in order that our experience may be the same, - the human and the divine being joined in a life union.’’ Emphasis added—W. W. Prescott, Review & Herald, April 14, 1896

​A.T. Jones

“He who was born in the form of God took the form of man.” Emphasis added—A.T. Jones, General Conference Bulletin, Vol. 1 1895, page 448

“He was born of the Holy Ghost. In other words, Jesus Christ was born again. He came from heaven, God’s first-born, to the earth, and was born again. But all in Christ’s work goes by opposites for us: he, the sinless one, was made to be sin, in order that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He, the living one, the prince and author of life, died that we might live. He whose goings forth have been from the days of eternity, the first-born of God, was born again, in order that we might be born again. If Jesus Christ had never been born again, could you and I have ever been born again?—No. But he was born again, from the world of righteousness into the world of sin; that we might be born again, from the world of sin into the world of righteousness. He was born again, and was made partaker of the human nature, that we might be born again, and so made partakers of the divine nature. He was born again, unto earth, unto sin, and unto man, that we might be born again unto heaven, unto righteousness, and unto God.”—A.T. Jones, The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 76 August 1, 1899, page 487