VERNON HOWELL AND
                             THE 1995 DEADLINE

                             by Marc A. Breault

                     (c)Copyright 1992 by Marc Breault
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INTRODUCTION:

Ever since I knew Vernon, the year 1995 has been an important year in his
eschatology. Vernon taught that the end would come at this time. The
purpose of this paper is to show how Vernon, and the Branches, come to the
1995 deadline.

BACKGROUND

To understand how 1995 became important, it is important to establish
certain rules of Branch interpretation.

The first rule is that the Bible can be interpreted both historically and
prophetically. If a passage of scripture is obviously historical, then it
can be interpreted prophetically by saying that the historical account has
a future counterpart. A good example of this is King David. The historical
King David has a modern counterpart. In this case it happens to be Vernon.

This rule holds true for prophetic writings as well. If the prophet Isaiah,
for example, is writing for the people of his time, it is Branch practice
to interpret it in modern times. Hence, for example, Branch prophetic
interpretation holds that when the Bible speaks of Assyria, Tyre, Babylon,
Syria, Israel Judah, or other ancient nations, it speaks not only of those
ancient nations, but of modern equivalents. The United States of America,
for example, is modern day Assyria.

For purposes of our discussion, two ancient-modern pairs are important. In
ancient times, the nation of Israel split into two nations after the death
of King Solomon. In the Bible, these two nations are called Israel and
Judah. The Jews of today stem from ancient Judah. The Branch modern
equivalents for these ancient nations are as follows.

Israel = Seventh-day Adventist church Judah = Shepherd's Rod (Davidian
Seventh-day Adventists)

So all the prophecies relating to Israel and Judah in the Bible relate to
the Seventh-day Adventist, and Davidian Seventh-day Adventist church in our
time. I will provide one example of Branch thinking to show how this works.

On 1 April, 1978 Ben Roden was giving a study in Glendale California. The
study was titled The Time Of The Kingdom. Ben Roden was attempting to show
the time at which God's kingdom would begin. To accomplish this, Ben Roden
began his discussion with Ezekiel 24:1-9, which is a prophecy that clearly
tells the Jews in Ezekiel's day that Babylon would conquer Jerusalem. Ben
Roden, however, as you will see from this quotation, ignores the obvious
meaning of the scripture. Here is a blatant example of the Judah =
Davidians equation. In the quote below, any text not associated
specifically with a name, i.e., George or Carmen, is that of Ben Roden.

George: Is this [Ezekiel 24:1-9] a parable of what actually happened in
Ezekiel's day?

This is a...no...this is not a...this a...well.

Carmen: It's something that's going to happen in the future.

George: Nebuchadnezzar took Jerusalem captive in Ezekiel's day.

Yes, but Ezekiel was in...at the time he gave this parable he was nine
years in Babylon. Now so this is a parable. In 1940 I accepted the
Adventist message. And in 1946 I accepted the truth of the Davidian
message. And nine years after that is when the Lord gave me the
understanding of this parable. 1946 - 1955.

Now it says: Again in the ninth year, in the tenth month,

This is according to our time, Babylonian time, you know, because he's in
Babylon. We're not using bible calendar here on this one at this time. And
so we were to go to Jerusalem, and utter a parable, and tell them that this
same day that the king of Babylon set himself against Jerusalem to take it
captive, and so we were what? We were antitypical king of Babylon then
weren't we? Nebuchadnezzar. And so we went to Mount Carmel center, the city
upon a rock you know, it was set on a ledge of rocks, up on a hill, high
hill.

Vernon's 1995 deadline came about by employing similar thinking. Vernon
believed that Israel's modern equivalent was the Seventh-day Adventist
church.

The 70 years prophecy of Isaiah 23

Vernon's 1995 doctrine is based on this passage, quoted from the King James
Bible.

Isaiah 23:15 And it shall come to pass in that day, that Tyre shall be
forgotten seventy years, according to the days of one king: after the end
of seventy years shall Tyre sing as an harlot. 16 Take an harp, go about
the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing
many songs, that thou mayest be remembered. 17 And it shall come to pass
after the end of seventy years, that the LORD will visit Tyre, and she
shall turn to her hire, and shall commit fornication with all the kingdoms
of the world upon the face of the earth. 18 And her merchandise and her
hire shall be holiness to the LORD: it shall not be treasured nor laid up;
for her merchandise shall be for them that dwell before the LORD, to eat
sufficiently, and for durable clothing. (KJV)

Vernon interpreted Tyre to refer to the Seventh-day Adventist church. He
accomplished this by a series of equations, using Hosea 9:13 as his Bible
proof.

Hosea 9:13 Ephraim, as I saw Tyrus, [is] planted in a pleasant place: but
Ephraim shall bring forth his children to the murderer. (KJV)

Ephraim was one of the tribes of Israel anciently. Thus, Vernon believed
that this verse provided the justification to formulate the following
equations.

1. Ephraim = Israel

2. Ephraim = Tyrus = Israel

3. Israel = Seventh-day Adventist Church

4. Therefore, Tyre = Seventh-day Adventist church.

Of course, Vernon did not present his studies in this area as equations as
presented here, but these illustrate his logic. So now we have a Seventy
year prophecy relating to Tyre. Tyre is the same as Israel/Ephraim which is
the same as the Seventh-day Adventist church. Finally, we arrive, then, at
a seventy year prophecy concerning the Seventh-day Adventist church.

The Isaiah 23 passage states that the Lord would forget Tyre for seventy
years. Vernon interpreted this as meaning that the church would not have a
prophet for seventy years. Vernon believed that only a living prophet could
speak to, and lead a church. Without a prophet, a church had no divine
communication whatsoever. Thus, God forgets his church by not having a
living prophet in the midst of that church.

Ellen G. White, the prophetess of the Seventh-day Adventist church, died in
1915. With her death, said Vernon, the church was without a prophet. Hence,
the Seventy year period began in 1915. Seventy years from 1915 brings us to
1985. Thus, the Seventh-day Adventist church could expect to be without a
prophet from 1915 to 1985.

What happened in 1985?

The year 1985 was a significant year to Vernon. 1985 was the year Vernon
first learned that he was Cyrus, the one destined to destroy Babylon. Cyrus
of old liberated the Jews after 70 years of captivity. It was natural for
Vernon, therefore, to hold that he would deliver the Seventh-day Adventist
church from 70 years of having been forgotten by God.

In the summer of 1985 Vernon visited the Seventh-day Adventist General
Conference (the world assembly held every five years by the SDA church).
Vernon attempted to give his message to the church there. His message
essentially was that the church needed to acknowledge him as a prophet and
hold to his teachings (Vernon was very conservative at this stage when
compared to where he is now). In short, the church did not give him the
time of day.

The General Conference was held in New Orleans. One of the events at this
conference was a parade of nations. Seventh-day Adventists from all nations
marched in the streets of New Orleans in a rather spectacular parade.

Vernon interpreted this as meaning that the church, instead of listening to
himself, the true prophet, paraded to the world acting the part of the
harlot. The church had fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 23:15-18. Seventy
years after White's death, another prophet visited them (God remembered
Tyre). After rejecting that prophet Tyre became a harlot and paraded to the
world instead.

I should point out here that Vernon believed that New Orleans meant "House
of the rising sun." Vernon, in learning that he was Cyrus, also learned
that he was the angel from the east, and compared himself to the rising Sun
of Righteousness (See Rev. 7:1-5; Malachi 4:1-5). It is ironic that
Vernon's belief that New Orleans meant "House of the rising sun" came from
a song by The Animals titled, appropriately House Of The Rising Sun.

Isaiah 23:15-18 ends, however, with the promise that all the profits from
Tyre would be given to God's people. (See the NIV translation). Obviously,
God's people (the Vernonites) did not have access to the funds and/or
assets of the Seventh-day Adventist church. To fill this, and other gaps,
Vernon found an extra ten years. It is these ten years that bring us to the
1995 deadline.

The Extra Ten Years

Vernon's problem was that Isaiah 23:15-18 was not the only 70 year prophecy
in the Bible. The other main ones, Zech. 1-2; Jeremiah 25, 29 culminated in
some very major events. Jeremiah 25's 70 year prophecy, for example,
culminated in the destruction of all enemy nations. Zechariah's essentially
ended with the establishment of Jerusalem as God's kingdom, complete with a
wall of fire round about it.

None of these, of course, happened in 1985. To compensate for this Vernon
found yet another 70 year passage in scripture, this one belonging to Psalm
90.

Vernon believes that all 150 Psalms are prophetic. So by using Psalm 90, he
found an extra ten years.

Psalm 90:10 The days of our years [are] threescore years and ten; and if by
reason of strength [they be] fourscore years, yet [is] their strength
labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. (KJV)

Vernon took this passage to mean that God had ordained 70 years for his
people to labor in toil and futility (see earlier verses). But if God's
people still had strength at the end of 70 years, God would add an
additional ten years of futility for God's people.

To Vernon, the "strength" consisted of doing one's own thing, thinking
one's own thoughts, and basically disobeying him. Vernon maintained that in
1985, God's people (Branches) were still using their own minds and doing
their own thing, as he liked to phrase it. Hence, they still had strength.
Hence, God had decided to add another 10 years to the toil and futility.

At the end of the 10 year extra period, according to Psalm 90:10, the labor
and futility of God's people would be "cut off" and they would fly away. To
Vernon, that meant the setting up of God's kingdom. There were two main
scriptures he tied into this passage.

Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew [their] strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary;
[and] they shall walk, and not faint. (KJV)

They that wait, have waited the extra ten years. Isaiah 40 is a big
Vernonite passage as Vernon taught that his 1985 vision revealed to him
that Isaiah 40- 66 dealt with the message of Cyrus. Isaiah 40 deals with
the deliverance of God's people. When God establishes His kingdom, said
Vernon, God's people would be like the angels and be able to fly. They
would never grow tired again etc. So the flying away mentioned in Psalm 90
was linked to this verse. In other words, God would add an extra ten years
and then establish His kingdom.

I mentioned earlier that Vernon wavered in belief between ending it all in
1995, and starting the countdown to the end in that year. However, in
countless studies, especially beginning in 1987, Vernon went over Psalm 90
as I have described it here, leading most to believe that God's kingdom
would begin in 1995.

The second linked passage is Daniel 12:7.

Daniel 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which [was] upon the
waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto
heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that [it shall be] for a
time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter
the power of the holy people, all these [things] shall be finished. (KJV)

In essence, this scripture was used to show that God must first scatter the
power of the "holy people" before deliverance could be wrought. This usage
of the verse (which is probably correct exegetically if one eliminates the
Psalm 90 link), has unfortunate consequences as we shall see shortly.

This passage brings in the 3½ year prophecy which many believed would begin
around 3½ years before Atonement of 1995. I would have left by then so I am
not certain whether they believe they are in this period now. At any rate,
the Vernonites expect to be scattered.

So this is how Vernon arrived at his 1995 deadline. So far, this may sound
like meaningless theological time setting. Unfortunately, with Vernon, the
setting up of the kingdom of God has some unfortunate side effects on the
nonbelievers. When God's kingdom gets established, the good guys (Vernon
and his followers) will be exalted. Unpleasant things will, however, happen
to the unbelievers. These include:

• Their women get raped by the Vernonites as well as the 200 million good
guys from all ages.

• The men get slaughtered.

• Before the women get raped, and the men get slaughtered, however, they
get to watch their children being dashed to pieces, or gutted with weapons.

• Not all are killed, however. In His mercy, God will allow some to become
slaves of the Vernonites and the saints of all ages.

This list stems from a terrible misunderstanding of Isaiah 13 and Psalm
137.

So while God's people fly away in 1995, the rest of us, especially his
enemies, meet the consequences of disobedience.

Cut Short In Righteousness

Vernon did allow for the possibility that God would establish his kingdom
earlier. Vernon used the following passage to establish this.

Romans 9:28 For he will finish the work, and cut [it] short in
righteousness: because a short work will the Lord make upon the earth.
(KJV)

The reader should easily understand how Vernon used this verse. He
interpreted this to mean that God would finish his work, but he would
shorten the duration of God's peoples' toil in this world. God would cut it
short. Hence, even though Vernon taught that the kingdom would be
established in 1995, he also taught that God would or might (depending on
what he wanted the people to do) shorten that period.

This doctrine helps explain why Vernonites are desperately trying not to
think their own thoughts, and do their own thing. To a Vernonite, these
things constitute strength, and God will not deliver them if they have
strength. Vernon also taught that if God's people did not rid themselves of
their strength by the end of the 80 years, God would bi-pass them and use
angels to finish his work.

All this is probably confusing. On the one hand Vernon teaches a definite
prophecy while on the other, he says "maybe." The reader should bear in
mind, however, that Vernon was and is a master manipulator of peoples'
emotions. If Vernon wanted to snap the people into line, or quell a
possible rebellion, he would threaten them with the bi-pass doctrine. If,
on the other hand, he wanted to encourage the people to endure so they
would obey him, he would emphasize that only a few short years stood
between them and glory. So Vernon changed his emphasis depending on what he
wanted to accomplish with the people.

My Relationship To 1995

When I first heard Vernon's Tyre, Israel, Seventh-day Adventist Church
interpretation of Isaiah 23 I thought that was interesting but just an
object lesson. I believed that Tyre meant Tyre. But I reasoned that God had
both a literal and a spiritual application of scripture.

It did not take me long, however, to discover flaws in Vernon's spiritual
interpretation. For example, if God had forgotten the Seventh-day Adventist
church for 70 years by not giving them a prophet, why was Victor Houteff
raised as a prophet in the SDA church? Why did he constantly try to deal
with Seventh-day Adventists? From 1930 to 1985 Victor Houteff, Ben Roden,
and Lois Roden had been trying to convert Seventh-day Adventists, writing
letters to the church leaders, and publishing a number of SDA specific
tracts.

Branch history contradicted Vernon's teaching since the Branch taught that
three prophets after E. G. White, had been given to the SDA church. The
difference between these three and Ellen White, however, was that the
latter three were rejected outright. So by this logic, God could not have
forgotten the SDA church for 70 years.

In my private discussions with Vernon, he saw the inconsistency brought to
light by this logic and also adopted my spiritual object lesson theory. I
guess this is a prime example of the blind leading the blind. Even though
my logic was correct, my conclusion was wrong. I should have concluded that
Vernon had uttered a false interpretation of scripture. Instead I concluded
that Vernon had simply provided a spiritual interpretation which was not
meant to be exact, much as we say that analogies do not exactly match that
which they describe.

Vernon tried to adopt the attitude that even though he had given the
1915-1985 study, that was not the real meaning of Isaiah 23. That is the
way matters stood until 5 August 1989.

On 5 August, 1989, Vernon began his "new light" which I have described in
previous documents. Unfortunately for Vernon, he used Zechariah (another 70
year prophecy mentioned earlier in this document) as a central proof of
that new light. For reasons too complicated to describe here, Vernon was
forced to return to his 1915-1985 interpretation of prophecy in order to
justify his new light.

When Vernon and I joined battle (after I came to my senses), Zechariah was
the main battle ground and the 70 years, along with 1995, became a very
major dividing line in the Branch movement. Vernon ended up teaching that
the 1915-1985 interpretation was not only spiritual, but the actual meaning
behind both Isaiah 23 and Zechariah 1, 2. By this time, many Vernonites
were so used to believing everything he said that they failed to see the
many logical holes in this line of thinking.

The 70, or 80 year prophecy is a strong sore point with Vernon because it
holds a glaring weakness in his supposedly infallible biblical
interpretation. As I have stated above, the theology behind all this is
very complex and confusing. The reader is probably wondering what the 70/80
years have to do with Vernon's right to all women. Perhaps I will go into
more detail in a later document. For now, I will only say that Vernonite
theology is very confusing and twisted and I thank God I am no longer
caught in that entangled net.

The upshot of the whole thing is that Vernonites believe that God's kingdom
will be established some time before or during 1995. At least that is what
they believed when I was there. Earlier in 1992, we received confirmation
that Vernonites still maintained this 1995 doctrine. Unfortunately, I am
bound to keep that source anonymous for the time being.

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