Although the Most High Horizon is devoid of trivial possessions of the earth, we have nevertheless bequeathed unto our heirs a noble and peerless heritage within the treasure-house of trust and resignation.
 

We have left no treasure nor have we added to man’s pains.
 

By the Life of God! In earthly riches fear is hidden and peril is concealed. Consider, then take warning by what the God of Mercy hath revealed in the Qur’án:–“Woe unto those who malign and speak evil of their fellows; who hoard earthly goods and count their riches.”
 

Earthly possessions are unstable; wherefore whatsoever passeth or suffereth vicissitudes is unworthy of regard except to a limited measure.
 

In bearing hardships and tribulations and in revealing verses and expounding proofs, it has been the purpose of this oppressed One to extinguish the fire of hate and animosity, that, haply, the horizons of the hearts of mankind be illumined with the light of concord and attain real tranquillity.
 

The light of the following utterance shineth from the horizon of the Divine Tablet, which should be observed by all: Oh people of the world! I counsel you to act in a manner which shall tend to elevate your stations. Cling to divine virtue and obey the divine law. Truly I say, the tongue is for mentioning that which is good; do not defile it by evil speech. “God hath forgiven your past ways.” You must henceforth speak that which is worthy. Shun reviling, maligning, and whatsoever will offend your fellowmen.
 

Man’s station is great. Ere this, the following exalted words have flowed forth from the Pen of Abhá:
 

This is a Day great and blessed. Whatsoever was hidden in man is today being revealed. The station of man is great, were he to cling to truth and righteousness and be firm and steadfast in the Cause. Before the God of Mercy, a true man appears like unto heaven. The sun and the moon of that heaven are his sight and hearing and its stars are his shining attributes. His station is the highest and his signs are the educator of the world.
 

In this Day, every believer who discovered the fragrance of the garment and turned with a pure heart unto the most high horizon is indeed recorded in the Crimson Tablet as of the people of Bahá
 

Hold the chalice of My grace in My name. Then drain it in My mention, the mighty, the wonderful!
 

Oh people of the world! The religion of God is to create love and unity; do not make it the Cause of enmity and discord. All that is regarded by men of insight and the people of the most lofty outlook as the means for safeguarding and effecting the peace and tranquillity of man, has flowed from the Supreme Pen. But the ignorant ones who are the victim of self and desire, are heedless of the consummate wisdom of the truly wise One, and their words and deeds are prompted by fancy and superstition.
 

Oh ye chosen of God and His trusted ones! Kings are the manifestors of God’s power and the source of His majesty and affluence. Pray ye in their behalf. The government of the earth has been vouchsafed unto them. But the hearts of men He decreed unto Himself. He forbade conflict and strife–a rigid prohibition in the Book. This is the Decree of God in this most great Manifestation; and God hath preserved it from annulment and clothed it with the broidered garment of confirmation. Verily, He is the all-knowing, the all-wise!
 

It is incumbent upon everyone to aid those daysprings of authority and sources of command who are adorned with the ornament of equity and justice. Blessed are the rulers and learned among the people of Baha. They are My trustees among My servants and the manifestations of My commandments amidst My people. Upon them rest My glory, My blessing and My grace which have pervaded the world of being. In this connection the utterances revealed in the Kitab-i-Aqdas are such that from the horizon of their words the light of divine grace shineth luminous and resplendent.
 

Oh my Branches! A mighty power and supreme potency is hidden and concealed in the world of being. Focus your gaze upon it and upon the direction of its unity, not upon the differences which are apparent therein.
 

God’s Will and Testament enjoins upon the branches, the twigs, and the kinsfolk, one and all, to gaze unto the most great Branch Consider what we have revealed in my Book of Aqdas, to Wit:
 

“When the sea of My Presence is exhausted and the Book of Origin hath reached its end, turn you unto him (‘Abdu’l-Bahá) who is desired by God–he who is issued from this ancient Root.”
 

The purpose of this sacred verse is the most great Branch. Thus have we declared the matter as a favor on our part, and we are the gracious, the beneficent!
 

God hath, verily, decreed the station of the great Branch next to that of the most great Branch. Verily He is the wise ordainer. We have chosen el-Akbar after the el’A’sam, as a command on the part of God, the all-knowing, the omniscient.
 

All must regard the other Branches with affection, but God hath not decreed unto them any right to the people’s property.
 

Oh my branches, my twigs, and my kinsfolk! I counsel you to manifest divine virtue, and to act in accord with the Law, and with whatsoever is befitting and will elevate your stations.
 

Truly I say, virtue is the greatest commander which leads the Cause of God to victory, and the legions which deserve this commander are pure, sanctified and praiseworthy deeds and attributes.
 

Say: Oh servants! Do not make the cause of order a cause for disorder, nor the means of unity a means for disunity. It is hoped that the people of Baha will observe the sacred verse: “Say, all are created by God.” This lofty utterance is like unto water for quenching the fire of hate and hostility which is hidden and stored in men’s hearts and minds. This single utterance will cause the various sects and creeds to attain the light of true unity. Verily He speaketh truth and guideth to the right path; and He is the mighty, the glorious, the omnipotent.
 

For the honor of the Cause and the promotion of the Word—it is necessary that all shall respect and have regard for the Branches. This command has been recorded once and again in the divine Book. Blessed is he who obeys whatsoever hath been ordained on the part of God, the ancient ruler. All shall also have respect for the women-members of Our household and for the Afnán and kinsfolk. We likewise counsel you to serve mankind and bring peace to the world.
 

All that leads to the quickening of the peoples and the salvation of the world hath been revealed from the kingdom of utterance by the Lord of mankind. Hearken to the exhortations of the Supreme Pen with ideal ears. These are preferable unto you above all that is on the earth. Whereunto beareth witness my Book, the blessed, the glorious!
 

WHOSO LAYETH CLAIM TO A REVELATION
 

Whoso layeth claim to a Revelation direct from God, ere the expiration of a full thousand years, such a man is assuredly a lying impostor. We pray God that He may graciously assist him to retract and repudiate such claim. Should he repent, God will, no doubt, forgive him. If, however, he persisteth in his error, God will, assuredly, send down one who will deal mercilessly with him. Terrible, indeed, is God in punishing! Whosoever interpreteth this verse otherwise than its obvious meaning is deprived of the Spirit of God and of His mercy which encompasseth all created things. Fear God, and follow not your idle fancies. Nay, rather follow the bidding of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Wise.  

  The most important thing about Baha’u’llah fulfilling the prophecies for the second Messiah is that He was a direct descendant of King David. The word “Messiah” or “Christ” means “a descendant of King David who is anointed. ” Had Baha’u’llah fulfilled the name, date, address and mission prophecies–the calling card–without being a descendant of David, He couldn’t have been the second Messiah. The same applies to Jesus. Although Jesus fulfilled the prophecies, had He not been a direct descendant of David, He couldn’t have been the first Messiah.
 

This is why Jesus gave His genealogy through His father Joseph back to David. Without this genealogy, Jesus would have been a gross impostor as far as being the Christ or Messiah was concerned.
 

And in order for Baha’u’llah to be the second Christ, the second Messiah, He had to be a direct descendant of David, specifically in the royal line, because the second Messiah is to be seated on David’s throne (Isaiah 9:6-7). To understand this point about David’s throne, we will look at the Covenant God made with David. This Covenant appears in Psalms 89, verses 3 and 4, and verses 27 through 37:
 

“Thou hast said, I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant, ‘I will establish your descendants forever, and build your throne for all generations’” (Psalm 89:3,4).
 

And further:
 

“And I will make him the first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth. My steadfast love I will keep for him for ever, and my covenant will stand firm for him. I will establish his line for ever and his throne as the days of the heavens. If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my ordinances, if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments, then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with scourges; but I will not remove from him my steadfast love, or be false to my faithfulness. I will not violate my covenant, or alter the word that went forth from my lips. Once for all I have sworn by my holiness; I will not lie to David. His line shall endure for ever, and his throne as long as the sun before me. Like the moon it shall be established forever; it shall stand firm while the skies endure” (Psalms 89:27-37).
 

This Covenant says that David’s throne will exist forever, and David’s descendants will exist forever. God says loud and clear, “I will not violate My Covenant.” This is very important because the Covenant-breaking Baha’is say just exactly the opposite–they say that God broke His Covenant with David. But God says here that He will not break His Covenant. Who’s the liar, God, or these Covenant-breaking Baha’is? God makes a Covenant to prevent us from going astray and following just any old person who arises and says, for instance, “Look at me, I’m Jesus,” or “Look at me, I’m Christ.” The Covenant protects us from going astray and falling for someone’s gimmick.
 

The Covenant concerning the throne of David is the most important thing we need to understand. God does not break His Covenants. He’s going to establish David’s throne forever. And Baha’u’llah’s father sat on that throne, which goes all the way back through the Exilarchs to King Jehoiachin, and from Jehoiachin back to Solomon and back to David himself. There has not been a break in the continuation of this throne–it goes from Baha’u’llah directly back to King David.
 

Another passage referring to this Covenant with David is in the Second Book of Samuel, the seventh chapter, verses 13-17:
 

“‘He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my son. When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men; but I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you, And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established forever. ‘In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David.”
 

Here God gives this Covenant through the prophet Nathan. Nathan was David’s son, as was Solomon. Nathan was a prophet, but Solomon was the son of David who inherited David’s throne and became the next king. In the third chapter of Luke, the genealogy of Jesus Christ goes back to David, not through King Solomon, but through Nathan the prophet. This is why Jesus said that His throne was not of this world (John 18:36). Baha’u’llah, on the other hand, sat upon David’s throne as a direct descendant of David and all the kings down to Himself.
 

The most important thing that the people need to realize is that the reigning Messiah seated on David’s throne has come. This throne has been established, and it’s forever. Baha’u’llah continues this throne in His Covenant. This is very, very important because it ratifies that Baha’u’llah fulfills the prophecies for the coming of the second Messiah, and then He continues this throne in His descendants on down.
 

The Book of Revelations describes a book written on the inside and on the back cover (Revelations 5:1), This is Baha’u’llah’s Covenant appointing His Son ‘Abdu’l-Baha to succeed Him on the throne of David. Written ”on the back cover” is the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, which delineates the provisions of the Covenant -0f Baha’u’llah and the institutions of the Kingdom of God on earth. This Will and Testament continues the throne of David in the sons of ‘Abdu’l-Baha. It cannot be separated from Baha’u’llah’s Covenant, therefore Baha’u’llah’s Covenant and The Will and Testament together are described as a book written on the inside and on the back cover.
 

We will be looking at Baha’u’llah’s Covenant and the Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha, which establish the throne of David in the world forever. If anyone wants to break this Covenant, no matter what pretext they give, be it, “God broke His Covenant,” or anything else, we should let them go ahead and break the Covenant. They will have to pay the penalty for being a Covenant-breaker. This Covenant is inviolable, that is it cannot be violated. It must continue forever because this is God’s Covenant and God is all-powerful. Anybody who violates the Covenant merely separates himself from the Cause of God and is for the fire. And with the great trouble in the Middle East, we’re ready for the fire.
 

We will start by looking at Baha’u’llah’s Kitab-i-Ahd, which means “Book of the Covenant. ” Before we begin, we need to define two Arabic words which we will come across. The first word is “Aghsan.” This is an Arabic word which translates into English as “branch,” meaning son. In the Orient they use the word “branch” to refer to a son. The Bible also uses the word “branch,”: where it says a “branch” will come forth out of the root of Jesse, this means a ”son.” The other word is “Afnan,” which is the plural for “twig.” This refers to the collateral relatives of the Bab, who were descendants of Muhammad as was the Bab. The Aghsan and Afnan lineages intermarried in the genealogy of the guardian Shoghi Effendi, which will be discussed further on.
 

The entire Kitab-i-Ahd is quoted here with pauses for explanation. The text is enclosed in quotation marks and the commentary is set off by two hyphens. Words or phrases in parentheses within the holy text are in the original version which the text is quoted. This version of the Kitab-i-Ahd is taken from the compilation Baha’i World Faith (Wilmette, Illinois: Baha’i Publishing Trust, 1956 edition), pp. 207-211.
 

THE KITAB-I-AHD
 

“Although the Host High Horizon is devoid of trivial possessions of the earth, we have nevertheless bequeathed unto our heirs a noble and peerless heritage within the treasure-house of trust and resignation.”
 

–“The Most High Horizon” is the Revelation of Baha’u’llah. Baha’u’llah begins by saying He is leaving a heritage. This Book of the Covenant serves as a will leaving to His descendants the throne of David.
 

“We have left no treasure nor have we added to man’s pains. “By the Life of God! In earthly riches fear is hidden and peril is concealed. Consider, then take warning by what the God of Mercy hath revealed in the Qur’an:
 

‘Woe unto those who malign and speak evil of their fellows; who hoard earthly goods and count their riches.’
 

“Earthly possessions are unstable; wherefore whatsoever passeth or suffereth vicissitudes is unworthy of regard except to a limited measure.
 

“In bearing hardships and tribulations and in revealing verses and expounding proofs, it has been the purpose of this oppressed One to extinguish the fire of hate and animosity, that, haply, the horizons of the hearts of mankind be illumined with the light of concord and attain real tranquility.
 

“The light of the following utterance shineth from the horizon of the Divine Tablet, which should be observed by all: Oh people of the world! I counsel you to act in a manner which shall tend to elevate your stations. Cling to divine virtue and obey the divine law. Truly I say, the tongue is for mentioning that which is good; do not defile it by evil speech. ‘God hath forgiven your past ways.’”
 

–Here Baha’u’llah tells us that when you accept His Covenant, at that particular point your past ways are forgiven. As all rivers lead to the sea, all lives, all religions, and all pathways lead to God. If your pathway brings you to God and you recognize it, and you accept this Covenant, then your past ways are forgiven. He does not say, “Your ways are forgiven,” but rather your past ways. He then continues and adds on to this, telling us what it means to have your past ways forgiven.
 

“You must henceforth speak that which is worthy. Shun reviling, maligning, and whatsoever will offend your fellowmen.
 

“Man’s station is great. Ere this, the following exalted words have flowed forth from the pen of Abha:
 

“This is a Day great and blessed. Whatsoever was hidden in man is today being revealed. The station of man is great, were he to cling to truth and righteousness and be firm and steadfast in the Cause. Before the God of Mercy, a true man appears like unto heaven. The sun and the moon of that heaven are his sight and hearing and its stars are his shining attributes. His station is the highest and his signs are the educator of the world.
 

“In this Day, every believer who discovered the fragrance of the garment and turned with a pure heart unto the most high horizon is indeed recorded in the Crimson Tablet as of the people of Baha.”
 

–Baha’u’llah refers to His Revelation as a garment. Jesus also spoke along the same lines. He said that when the Manifestation of God comes, He doesn’t patch up the old garment with new patches; the old garment might fall off and nothing would be left but the patches (Matthew 9:16). When the Manifestation of God comes He brings a completely new garment. Those who “discover the fragrance of the garment ‘‘are those who discover this Revelation.
 

“Hold the chalice of My grace in My name. Then drain it in my mention, the mighty, the wonderful!
 

“Oh people of the world! The religion of God is to create love and unity; do not make it the cause of enmity and discord.”
 

–The word “religion” comes from the Latin word religio which means “to unify.” The religion of God must create love and unity among the sons of men.
 

“All that is regarded by men of insight and the people of the most lofty outlook as the means for safeguarding and effecting the peace and tranquility of man, has flowed from the Supreme Pen. But the ignorant ones who are the victim of self and desire, are heedless of the consummate wisdom of the truly wise One, and their words and deeds are prompted by fancy and superstition.
 

“Oh ye chosen of God and His trusted ones! Kings are the manifestors of God’s power and the source of His majesty and affluence. Pray ye in their behalf. The government of the earth has been vouchsafed unto them. But the hearts of men He decreed unto Himself. He forbade conflict and strife – a rigid prohibition in the Book. This is the decree of God in this most great Manifestation; and God hath preserved it from annulment and clothed it with the broidered garment of confirmation. Verily, He is the all-knowing, the all-wise!
 

“It is incumbent upon all to support those rulers and chiefs of state who are adorned with the raiment of justice and equity. Blessed are the rulers and the learned in el-Baha! They verily are My trustees amongst My servants, and the sources of My decrees amongst My people. Upon them rest My Baha, My mercy, and My grace which hath encircled the. world!
 

“Anent this matter….”
 

–The word “Anent” means to pay special attention to what He will say next. This is where He appoints His Son, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, to be His successor.
 

“We have revealed in the book of Aqdas the following words which radiate the light of divine mercy:
 

“Oh my Branches! A mighty power and supreme potency is hidden and concealed in the world of being. Focus your gaze upon it and upon the direction of its unity, not upon the differences which are apparent therein.
 

“God’s Will and Testament enjoins upon the branches, the twigs, and the kinsfolk, one and all, to gaze unto the most great Branch. Consider what we have revealed in my Book of Aqdas to wit:”
 

–When Baha’u’llah says, “Oh my Branches,” He is saying, “Oh my sons.” He had more than one son. When speaking of a “Mighty power and supreme potency” which is “hidden and concealed in the world of being,” Baha’u’llah is referring to the Davidic kingship.
 

‘”When the sea of His presence is exhausted and the Book of Origin hath reached its end, turn you unto him (‘Abdu’l-Baha) who is desired by God – he who is issued from this ancient Root. ‘”
 

–Baha’u’llah is speaking of His fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah 11:1 which says, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots.” Baha’u’llah is the Ancient Root from which the Branch, ‘Abdu’l-Baha, grows out, as prophesied in Isaiah.
 

“The purpose of this sacred verse is the most great Branch. Thus have we declared the matter as a favor on our part, and we are the gracious, the beneficent!”
 

–‘Abdu’l-Baha was referred to as the Most Great Branch and His brother, Muhammad Ali, was referred to as the Great Branch. The word “el-Akbar” means “Great” and “el A’sam” means “Host Great”. Here Baha’u’llah appoints both of His sons to succeed Him, but first ‘Abdu’l-Baha and then the other son. Because ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s son died in infancy, leaving Him without any male heirs, Baha’u’llah appointed ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s brother to succeed to this kingship after ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s passing.
 

“God hath, verily, decreed the station of the great Branch next to that of the most great Branch. Verily He is the wise ordainer. We have chosen el-Akbar after. the el’Asam, as a command on the part of God, the all-knowing, the omniscient.
 

“All must regard the other Branches with affection, but God hath not decreed unto them any right to the people’s property.”
 

–This means that the other sons of Baha’u’llah besides the Host Great Branch and the Great Branch do not have the right to the Davidic kingship.
 

“Oh my branches, my twigs, and my kinsfolk! I counsel you to manifest divine virtue, and to act in accord with the Law, and with whatsoever is befitting and will elevate your stations.
 

“Truly I say, virtue is the greatest commander which leads the Cause of God to victory, and the legions which deserve this commander are pure, sanctified and praiseworthy deeds and attributes.
 

“Say: Oh servants! Do not make the cause of order a cause for disorder, nor the means of unity a means for disunity.”
 

–Baha’u’llah is saying, “I’m giving you this Covenant. Don’t mess it up.” Don’t go inventing something else like the Covenant­-breaking Hands did. He gives the Covenant as a means of unity, and when the Covenant-breakers devise something else such as their republic of God, saying that God broke His own Covenant, the mass of Baha’is shouldn’t have followed them. They should have known the Hands were full of baloney when they said God broke His Covenant.
 

“It is hoped that the people of Baha will observe the sacred verse: ‘Say, all are created by God” This lofty utterance is like unto water for quenching the fire of hate and hostility which is hidden and stored in men’s hearts and minds. This single utterance will cause the various sects and creeds to attain the light of true unity. Verily He speaketh truth and guideth to the right path; and He is the mighty, the glorious, the omnipotent.
 

“For the honor of the Cause and the promotion of the Word–it is necessary that all shall respect and have regard for the Branches. This command has been recorded once and again in the divine Book. Blessed is he who obeys whatsoever hath been ordained on the part of God, the ancient ruler. All shall also have respect for the women-members of Our household and for the Afnan and kinsfolk. We likewise counsel you to serve mankind and bring peace to the world.
 

“All that leads to the quickening of the peoples and the salvation of the world hath been revealed from the kingdom of utterance by the Lord of mankind. Hearken to the exhortations of the Supreme Pen with ideal ears. These are preferable unto you above all that is on the earth. Whereunto beareth witness my Book, the blessed, the glorious!”
 

–That concludes the Covenant of Baha’u’llah, but there is an addendum which tells us the next Manifestation will not come for another one thousand years
 

“Whoso layeth claim to a Revelation direct from God, ere the expiration of a full thousand years, such a man is assuredly a lying impostor. We pray to God that He may graciously assist him to retract and repudiate such a claim. Should he repent, God will, no doubt, forgive him. If, however, he persisteth in his error, God will, assuredly, send down one who will deal mercilessly with him. Terrible, indeed is God in punishing! Whosoever interpreteth this verse otherwise than it’s obvious meaning is deprived of the spirit of God and of His mercy which encompasseth all created things. Fear God, and do not follow your idle fancies. Nay, rather follow the bidding of your Lord, the Almighty, the All-Wise.”
 

–This addendum prevents people who come after Baha’u’llah from saying that they are another Manifestation and then doing away with the Davidic kingship and everything else.
 

Although Baha’u’llah appointed Muhammad Ali, the Great Branch, to succeed ‘Abdu’l-Baha, after Baha’u’llah’s passing Muhammad Ali came to ‘Abdu’l-Baha.
 

He said to Him, “‘Abdu’l-Baha, we’re both in the Covenant to succeed Baha’u’llah.”
 

“Yes,” ‘Abdu’l-Baha said, “first Me and then you.”
 

Muhammad Ali then said, “I want to lead the Faith jointly with you.”
 

‘Abdu’l-Baha said, “No, two can’t do that, it has to be one, then the other. I’m first, then you.”
 

Muhammad Ali said, “But I might not outlive you.”
 

‘Abdu’l-Baha said, “That’s tough, but you’re many years my junior and there’s no reason why you can’t.”
 

Muhammad Ali did outlive ‘Abdu’l-Baha by many years, but he made war on ‘Abdu’l-Baha during His lifetime. He aroused suspicion against ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Akka and Haifa where they lived, causing the Turkish government which was ruling Palestine to send a committee of investigation to ‘Abdu’l-Baha. This resulted in ‘Abdu’l-Baha being returned to prison. ‘Abdu’l-Baha, after all of this, used His prerogative of expelling Muhammad Ali from the kingdom.
 

Then ‘Abdu’l-Baha adopted a son who became His successor. This was provided for in the 49th chapter of Genesis, verse 10 (KJV). Here Jacob says, ” The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.” Between the feet or legs are the reproductive organs, thus this verse tells us that the kingship will depart from the bloodline descendancy of the tribe of Judah when Shiloh comes.
 

With Shiloh being born in 1914 as the 7th Angel who will establish the kingdom of God on earth, the blood line descendancy within the royal line of the tribe of Judah came to an end. From the time of David to the coming of this adoption, the throne was passed from father to son in an unbroken line of blood descendants. By having this adoption take place, God opened up the throne to all peoples through adoption.
 

We will now look closely at certain parts of the Will and Testament, the book written on the back of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant. Many people are handed this Will and Testament, and upon reading it they don’t get the meat out of it, and they miss the main point.
 

The first part we will look at tells us to teach the Cause. In the Baha’i Faith there is no clergy, as in early Christianity there was no clergy–all the Christians taught the Cause. Later on a clergy was established. Baha’u’llah outlawed a clergy being established in the Baha’i Faith and, ‘Abdu’l-Baha continues this principle of everybody teaching.
 

We will begin on the top of page 10 of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament. The same notations used in looking at the Kitab­i-Ahd will be used to distinguish the commentary from the text.
 

The text used is The Will and Testament of ‘Abdu’l-Baha (Wilmette, Illinois: Baha’i Publishing Trust), issued by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States and Canada, 1944, pp. 10-15.
 

THE WILL AND TESTAMENT OF ‘ABDU’L-BAHA
 

“O ye that stand fast in the Covenant! When the hour cometh that this wronged and broken-winged bird will have taken its flight unto the celestial Concourse,…”
 

–Here ‘Abdu’l-Baha refers to Himself as a “wronged and broken winged bird.”
 

“…when it will have hastened to the Realm of the Unseen and its mortal frame will have been either lost or hidden neath the dust, it is incumbent upon the Afnan, that are steadfast in the Covenant of God, and have branched from the Tree of Holiness; the Hands, {pillars) of the Cause of God, (the glory of the Lord rest upon them ), and all the friends and loved ones, one and all to bestir themselves and arise with heart and soul and in one accord, to diffuse the sweet savors of God, to teach His Cause and to promote His faith. It behooveth them not to rest for a moment, neither to seek repose. They must disperse themselves in every land, pass by every clime and travel throughout all regions. Bestirred, without rest and steadfast to the end they must raise in every land the triumphal cry “O Thou the Glory of the Glories!” (Ya Baha’il’Abha), must achieve renown in the world wherever they go, must burn brightly even as a candle in every meeting, and must kindle the flame of divine love in every assembly ; that the light of truth may rise resplendent in the midmost heart of the world, that throughout the East and throughout the West a vast concourse may gather under the shadow of the Word of God, that the sweet savors of holiness may be diffused, that faces may shine radiantly, hearts be filled with the Divine spirit and souls be made heavenly.
 

“In these days, the most important of all things is the guidance of the nations and peoples of the world. Teaching the Cause is of utmost importance for it is the head corner-stone of the foundation itself. This wronged servant has spent his days and nights in promoting the Cause and urging the peoples to service. He rested not a moment, till the fame of the Cause of
 

God was noised abroad in the world and the celestial strains from the Abha Kingdom roused the East and the West. The beloved of God must also follow the same example. This is the secret of faithfulness, this is the requirement of servitude to the Threshold of Baha!
 

“The disciples of Christ forgot themselves and all earthly things, forsook all their cares and belongings, purged themselves of self and passion and with absolute detachment scattered far and wide and engaged in calling the peoples of the world to the Divine Guidance, till at last they made the world another world, illumined the surface of the earth and even to their last hour proved self-sacrificing in the pathway of that Beloved One of God. Finally in various lands they suffered glorious martyrdom. Let them that are men of action follow in their footsteps!”
 

–The next paragraph is very important. It pertains to the continuation of the Davidic kingship in ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament.
 

“O my loving friends! After the passing away of this wronged one, it is incumbent upon the Aghsan (Branches), the Afnan {Twigs) of the Sacred Lote-Tree, the Hands (pillars of the Cause of God and the loved ones of the Abha Beauty to turn unto Shoghi Effendi–the youthful branch branched from the two hallowed and sacred Lote-Trees and the fruit grown from the union of the two offshoots of the Tree of Holiness….”
 

–Here He talks about the lote tree. The lote tree is the banyan tree, and in the time of Buddha it was the Bo tree. This tree grows many trunks, and it keeps getting wider until it becomes from fifteen to twenty-five feet wide. In the Orient they plant these trees at the end of dead end streets. This is a tree beyond which there is no passing, thus it is symbolic of the Manifestation of God.
 

Each of these Manifestations has something that we don’t have–They have the Holy Spirit. For example, Jesus was born of the Holy Spirit, He was raised of the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him as a dove. As we turn to the Manifestations that have the logos, which is the Thought of God expressed in a word, we take on the divine virtues and the divine qualities. We cannot go past the Manifestations and go on to God to learn about God without Them, because we don’t have the Holy Spirit–we can only receive the Holy Spirit from Them. This is called our branch of the Holy Spirit.
 

Here ‘Abdu’l-Baha refers to Shoghi Effendi as descended from the two hallowed and sacred Lote-Trees: the Bab and Baha’u’llah. Shoghi Effendi’s and his father’s family name and title was “Afnan,” meaning the collateral relatives of the Bab, Who were descended from Muhammad like the Bab. Shoghi Effendi was also a descendant of Baha’u’llah through ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s daughter. When ‘Abdu’l-Baha appointed Shoghi Effendi, the descendants of Muhammad and the descendants of David became united in a guardian.
 

‘Abdu’l-Baha referred to Shoghi Effendi as the guardian of the Cause of God, whereas ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s son, Mason Remey, is the first guardian of the Baha’i Faith, being the first Aghsan to be guard ian. When Shoghi Effendi appointed ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s son, the kingship passed from the tribe of Judah to the gentiles. The purpose of this happening is that the Davidic kingship is for the unification of the world. As all of the peoples of the world will come into unity under this guardianship, the throne of David is now open to all the peoples of the world through adoption. This is the Plan of God as we read before in the verse from Genesis, in which Jacob said that the Davidic kingship wouldn’t pass from between the feet or legs of Judah until the coming of Shiloh. (Genesis 49:10).
 

Continuing in the Will:
 

“…as he is the sign of God, the chosen branch, the guardian of the Cause of God, he unto whom all the Aghsan, the Afnan, the Hands of the Cause of God and His loved ones must turn.”
 

–Here ‘Abdu’l-Baha makes the descendancy of David the guardian of the Cause of God, just as a bank has guards to keep the money from being stolen or an estate might have some guard dogs to guard the estate. The purpose of the David ic kingship is to guard the Baha’i Faith from falling into the hands of the mischief makers who want to take over the Cause and pervert it for their own benefit. This happened with the passing of Shoghi Effendi.
 

When Shoghi Effendi passed away he had already appointed Mason Remey, ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s son, to be his successor. The Will and Testament gives two provisions which the one the guardian appoints must fulfill: 1) he must be a descendant of Baha’u’llah, an Aghsan, and 2) he must be appointed by the previous guardian. (We will be reading this shortly). These are the two qualifications for a guardian–there are no other qualifications for us to consider. The Will says that all the people must turn to the guardian.
 

“He is the expounder of the words of God and after him will succeed the first-born of his lineal descendants.”
 

In all other religions there is a dispute as to the real meaning of the Manifestation’s Revelation. God created the Davidic kingship for this day so that the guardian will be the expounder of the word. This does not mean that we lack the right to investigate and study for ourselves to glean the meaning of the writings. But when a squabble or conflict arises–something which might split the Faith or cause dissension–then we must accept the guardian’s word. God provided the guardian, the Davidic king, in order to uphold the first principle of Baha’u’llah–the oneness of the world of mankind. God provided the guardian in order to avoid a split.
 

“The sacred and youthful branch, the guardian of the Cause of God as well as the Universal House of Justice, to be universally elected and established, are both under the care and protection of the Abha Beauty, under the shelter and unerring guidance of His Holiness, the Exalted One (may my life be offered up for them both).”
 

–The “both” here refers to the Universal House of Justice and the guardian. The “Abha Beauty” and the “Exalted One” both refer to Baha’u’llah, this does not refer to Baha’u’llah and the Bab. According to Shoghi Effendi and ‘Abdu’l-Baha, the Babi Dispensation came to an end with the coming of Baha’u’llah. It lasted 19 years. The Baha’i Faith did not start with the Bab in 1844 but w ith the proclamation of Baha’u’llah in 1863. Therefore the Dispensation of Baha’u’llah is the guidance of the Baha’i Faith. Other interpretations have been suggested but the guardian Mason Remey has stated that this explanation is correct.
 

“Whatsoever they decide is of God. Whoso obeyeth him not, neither obeyeth them, hath not obeyed God;”
 

–Here ‘Abdu’l-Baha is clearly referring to the Universal House of Justice and the Guardian, thus it is apparent He does not refer to the Bab and Baha’u’llah when He says “may my life be offered up for them both.”
 

“Whoso rebelleth against him and against them hath rebelled against God;”
 

–The Covenant-breakers have rebelled against the guardian, and knowing what they do, they deliberately go against God. They say that God broke His Covenant, and we ·read that God made a Covenant to Nathan and to David saying that He would not break His Covenant with David. God Himself said He would not break His Covenant.
 

God does not break His Covenant–man breaks Covenants. God is trustworthy. Man breaks the Covenant and does it for selfish reasons. The Covenant-breakers wanted to usurp the authority of the Baha’i Faith and put forth their own concoction in place of what God gave. They decided to lead the Faith down a different path which would lead to the Faith’s destruction if it continued.
 

“Whoso opposeth him hath opposed God; whoso contendeth with them hath contended with God; whoso disputeth with him hath disputed with God;”
 

–‘Abdu’l-Baha is referring to the guardian; whoever goes against the guardian goes against God.
 

“Whoso denieth him hath denied God;
 

–These Covenant-breakers have denied the guardianship: they deny God.
 

“Whoso disbelieveth in him hath disbelieved in God;”
 

–The followers of the Covenant-breakers disbelieve guardian because the Covenant-breakers tell them to do s disbelieve in God.
 

“Whoso deviateth, separateth himself and turneth as him hath in truth deviated, separated himself and turned from God.”
 

–These people who call themselves Baha ‘is are Covenant-breakers. They have turned aside from the guardian, mean have broken the Covenant, have turned aside from God, and are out of the Cause.
 

“May the wrath, the fierce indignation, the vengeance rest upon him!”
 

–In other words, there’s going to be a calamity, a calamity will come down upon these Covenant-breakers.
 

“The mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable and through obedience to him who is the guardian of the Cause. It is incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice all the Aghsan, the Afnan, the Hands of the Cause of God their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto t guardian of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lo before him. He that opposeth him hath opposed the True One make a breach in the Cause of God, will subvert His word become a manifestation of the Center of Sedition.”
 

–Here the Will says it is “incumbent” to obey the “Incumbent” means obligatory or necessary. The language so strong that no one can go against the guardian and clauses in the Cause of God. The language is strong so that any breaking Baha’i reading this will know that they have break every provision of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament. How anyone claim to be innocent? Anybody reading this Will and Testament can see that the Covenant-breakers have broken single provision of it. But they break it under certain pretenses and ‘Abdu’l-Baha says they will do it under certain pretexts. They have a whole lingo of pretext under which they break Covenant.
 

“Beware, Beware, lest the days after the ascension Baha’u’llah be repeated when the Center of Sedition wax haughty and rebellious and with Divine Unity for his excuse deprived himself and perturbed and poisoned others. No every vainglorious one that purposeth dissension· and did not openly declare his evil purposes.”
 

–‘Abdu’l-Baha is saying that the snakes who are going to break the Covenant do not come with a neon sign flashing on and off reading: “I’m breaking the Covenant! I’m breaking the Covenant! ” They are snakes in the grass–they slither around and break the Covenant, disguising themselves in the grass. They slithering around to try to hide their violation.
 

“Nay rather, even as impure gold, would he seize upon diverse measures and various pretexts that he may separate the gathering of the people of Baha. My object is to show that the Hands of the Cause of God must be ever watchful and so soon as they find anyone beginning to oppose and protest against the guardian of the Cause of God cast him out from the congregation of the people of Baha and in no wise accept any excuse from him.”
 

“How often hath grievous error been disguised in the garb of truth, that it might sow the seeds of doubt in the hearts of men! ”
 

–Here is the function of the Hands. If they find anybody turning against the guardian, they are supposed to cast him out. Yet it was the Hands of the Cause of God that turned against the guardian–the ones who were supposed to protect the guardianship turned against the guardian himself.
 

We will examine the following paragraph very closely. It is very simple but sometimes it goes over the heads of the people.
 

“O ye beloved of the Lord! It is incumbent upon the guardian of the Cause of God to appoint in his own life-time him that shall become his successor, that differences may not arise after his passing. ”
 

–Number one, it says the guardian must appoint in his own lifetime his successor. No place in this book or any other book does it say how the guardian must appoint his successor, only that he must do it in his lifetime and not in a will and testament which only goes into effect after he dies (see Hebrews 9:17). During his lifetime he’s supposed to name who his successor to prevent any confusion after his death. If the appointment were in a will and testament there might be confusion. Aside from this, ‘Abdu’ l-Baha leaves how and when the appointment is to be made completely up to the guardian as he sees fit.
 

Shoghi Effendi, six years before he passed away, appointed Mason Remey to be the next guardian in an unusual fashion, but not in a will. If he had appointed him in a will it wouldn’t have been right. But the Covenant-breakers said that since Shoghi Effendi didn’t appoint his successor in a will the guardianship came to an end. But nowhere does the Will and Testament say that the guardian must appoint his successor in a will. In fact, ‘Abdu’l-Baha clearly instructs the guardian to appoint his successor in any way except in a will.   ​“He that is appointed must manifest in himself detachment from all worldly things, must be the essence of purity, must show in himself the fear of God, knowledge, wisdom and learning ….”
 

–Here ‘Abdu’l-Baha explains the qualities that the succeeding guardian must possess. But, He leaves it entirely up to the previous guardian to decide if he has these qualities or not. It is not up to us to test him to see if he has these qualities. Once the guardian has appointed someone, we must accept it because only the guardian can know if he has these qualities or not.
 

“Thus should the first-born of the guardian of the Cause of God not manifest in himself the truth of the words: ‘The child is the secret essence of its sire,’ that is, should he not inherit
 

of the spiritual within him (the guardian of the Cause of God) and his glorious lineage not be matched with a goodly character, then must he, (the guardian of the Cause of God) choose another branch to succeed him.”
 

–If, after the guardian appoints one to be his successor and he is a son, an Aghsan, nobody in this world should question his decision saying, “Does he have a goodly character? Does he have this? Does he have that?” The guardian has already made his decision when he appoints him that he has this goodly character. Nobody but the guardian would know if he does or does not have this character. It is not up to anybody else to be this judge-­ ‘Abdu ‘1-Baha leaves it entirely up to the guardian.
 

If the guardian decides that the first born does not have a goodly character, then he must choose another Aghsan—another son–to succeed him. In the case of Shoghi Effendi appointing Mason Remey, ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s son, all the rest of His family had broken the Covenant. The entire Holy Family was expelled from the Cause by Shoghi Effendi for Covenant-breaking. He could appoint nobody other than ‘Abdu’ l-Baha’s adopted son Mason Remey to be His successor. Shoghi Effendi appointed ‘Abdu’ l-Baha’s son to be the guardian and everybody in the world should accept this.
 

“The Hands of the Cause of God must elect from their own number nine persons that shall at all times be occupied in the important services in the work of the guardian of the Cause of God. The election of these nine must be carried either unanimously or by majority from the company of the Hands of the Cause of God and these, whether unanimously or by a majority vote, must give their assent to the choice of the one whom the guardian of the Cause of God hath chosen as his successor. This assent must be given in such wise as the assenting and dissenting voices may not be distinguished (i.e., secret ballot).”
 

–Shoghi Effendi said this section regarding the majority vote pertains to the election of the nine Hands from among the body of the Hands. All the Hands must give their assent to who the guardian of the Cause of God has chosen as his successor. That is, they must accept the one who the guardian chooses to be his successor or they cannot be a Hand of the Cause. Shoghi Effendi ruled on this as did the guardian Mason Remey.
 

“O friends! The Hands of the Cause of God must be nominated and appointed by the guardian of the Cause of God.”
 

–The Hands of the Cause must be nominated and appointed by the Guardian of the Cause of God. There is no other way to get the Hands.
 

“All must be under his shadow and obey his command.”
 

–The Hands must be under the shadow of the guardian and obey his commands. If, like the Hands say, there is no guardian, then there are no Hands, because the Hands must be under the shadow of the guardian and obey his commands. If there is no guardian, how can they obey his commands?
 

“Should any, within or without the company of the Hands of the Cause of God disobey and seek division, the wrath of God and His vengeance will be upon him, for he will have caused a breach in the true Faith of God.”
 

–If any Hand of the Cause seeks division by doing away with the guardianship, like these Hands did, the wrath of God and His vengeance will be upon him.
 

“The obligations of the Hands of the Cause of God are to diffuse the Divine Fragrances, to edify the souls of men, to promote learning, to improve the character of all men and to be, at all times and under all conditions, sanctified and detached from earthly things. They must manifest the fear of God by their conduct, their manners, their deeds and their words.
 

“This body of the Hands of the Cause of God is under the direction of the guardian of the Cause of God.”
 

–This body of the Hands is under the direction of the guardian. But these Hands saw that if they were going to take over the Cause they had to get rid of the guardian–then they would not have to be under his direction.
 

All they had to do is get rid of the guard dog to rob the factory. This is exactly what the Hands did–they robbed the till, taking over the guardian ‘s fund which is called the “Huquq. ”
 

“He must continually urge them to strive and endeavor to the utmost of their ability to diffuse the sweet savors of God, and to guide all the peoples of the world, for it is the light of Divine Guidance that causeth all the universe to be illumined.
 

To disregard, though it be for a moment, this absolute command which is binding upon everyone, is in no wise permitted, that the existent world may become even as the Abha Paradise, that the surface of the earth may become heavenly, that contention and conflict amidst peoples, kindreds, nations and governments may disappear, that all the dwellers on earth may become one people and one race, that the world may become even as one home. Should differences arise they shall be amicably and conclusively settled by the Supreme Tribunal, that shall include members from all the governments and peoples of the world.”
 

–The Supreme Tribunal is a World Court that will soon be set up. Czar Nicholas II was trying to set up the Supreme Tribunal when he set up The Hague, or the World Court. Of course, he failed to proclaim Baha’u’llah and it fell. Shoghi Effendi said that by 1963 the International Baha’i Council should become a World Court. He appointed all the members of the International Baha’i Council and said that once it became a World Court, then the members would be elected, and then it would blossom into the Universal House of Justice. This was to take place by the end of this century.
 

But the Hands of the Cause of God, with their mischief, aborted the International Baha ‘i Council. They did this so they could do away with the next guardian, who was the head of the International Baha’i Council. That is how they got rid of the guardianship–by aborting Shoghi Effendi’s International Baha’i Council. In the place of this Council becoming a World Court on Mt. Carmel, which Shoghi Effendi decreed should be set up by 1963, they said they would skip the International Tribunal stage and set up the Universal House of Justice. Further on in the Will and Testament, we will look at the criteria for a Universal House of Justice, and it will be very apparent that they could not have set up a Universal House of Justice. What they set up is just absolutely ridiculous.
 

This International Tribunal will come about after the great catastrophe. The International Tribunal will be formed by the first four countries to become Baha’i after the catastrophe, which will be the United States, England, France, and Russia.
 

These four nations will become Baha’i states and will take out the charter for this Tribunal, which will establish peace in the world. As the majority of the populations of the other nations become Baha’ i , by the end of this century we will have the Universal House of Justice. It is very important to have a clear understanding of what this Supreme Tribunal consists of.
 

“O ye beloved of the Lord! In this sacred Dispensation, conflict and contention are in no wise permitted. Every aggressor deprives himself of God’s grace. It is incumbent upon everyone to show the utmost love, rectitude of conduct, straightforwardness and sincere kindliness unto all the peoples and kindreds of the world, be they friends or strangers. So intense must be the spirit of love and loving kindness, that the stranger may find himself a friend, the enemy a true brother, no difference whatsoever existing between them. For universality is of God and all limitations earthly. Thus man must strive that his reality may manifest virtues and perfections, the light whereof may shine upon everyone. The light of the sun shineth upon all the world and the merciful showers of Divine Providence fall upon all peoples. The vivifying breeze reviveth every living creature and all beings endued with life obtain their share and portion at His heavenly board. In like manner, the affections and loving kindness of the servants of the One True God must be bountifully and universally extended to all mankind. Regarding this, restrictions and limitations are in no wise permitted.
 

“Wherefore, 0 my loving friends! Consort with all the peoples, kindreds and religions of the world with the utmost truthfulness, uprightness, faithfulness, kindliness, good-will and friendliness, that all the world of being may be filled with the holy ecstasy of the grace of Baha, that ignorance, enmity, hate and rancor may vanish from the world and the darkness of estrangement amidst the peoples and kindreds of the world may give way to the Light of Unity. Should other peoples and nations be unfaithful to you show your fidelity unto them, should they be unjust toward you show justice towards them, should they keep aloof from you attract them to yourself, should they show enmity be friendly towards them, should they poison your lives, sweeten their souls, should they inflict a wound upon you, be a salve to their sores. Such are the attributes of the sincere! Such are the attributes of the truthful.”
 

–Now we are coming to a very important passage regarding the Universal House of Justice.
 

“And now, concerning the Universal House of Justice, which God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from all error….”
 

–This is the first time ‘Abdu’ l-Baha speaks of something being freed from error. In all of history, we have never had justice in the world. Other Manifestations dwelt on other things–Moses on the Law, Jesus on Love, Buddha on Enlightenment, Zoroaster on Purity, and Baha’u’llah on Justice. Being unified and not being able to rebel is the worst thing that could happen to a people if there was no justice. In order to have world unity, one thing has to be established and established well—that in this unity there must be absolute justice. Then there will be no more reason for rebelling.
 

The Universal House of Justice is different from the Supreme Tribunal. God has ordained the Universal House of Justice as the source of all good and freed from all error. That means justice without error.
 

“It must be elected by universal suffrage.”
 

–Universal suffrage means that people all over the world will vote.
 

“That is by the believers.”
 

–When it is elected all over the world, those voting must be Baha’is.
 

“Its members must be manifestations of the fear of God and daysprings of knowledge and understanding, must be steadfast in God’s faith and the well-wishers of all mankind. By this House is meant the Universal House of Justice, that is, in all countries a secondary House of Justice must be instituted.”
 

–‘Abdu’ l-Baha says all countries must have the secondary House of Justice. The Covenant-breaking Baha’is, in 1963, elected what they call a Universal House of Justice, but just a few countries elected it. No country from behind the iron curtain or the bamboo curtain participated in this, and no country in the world had a secondary House of Justice.
 

“In all countries a secondary House of Justice must be instituted, and these secondary Houses of Justice must elect the members of the Universal one.”
 

–There was not a single Baha’i country in the world and not a single secondary House of Justice. They elected it by National Spiritual Assemblies which are not Houses of Justice. Bogus as a nine-dollar bill. Bogus as bogus can be.
 

“Unto this body all things must be referred. It enacteth all ordinances and regulations that are not to be found in the explicit Holy Text.”
 

–The Universal House of Justice cannot regulate those things found in the explicit Holy Text. That means they cannot change a word of this Will and Testament. But the phony Universal House of Justice that the Covenant-breakers elected said that the guardianship came to an end. They separated themselves from the guardianship, but it has already been explicitly stated that there would be a guardianship; God said to David and to Nathan and to Solomon that this Davidic kingship would last forever. The Covenant-breakers said it came to an end. It didn’t come to an end, they just hijacked the Baha’i Faith, and the people were asleep at the switch, so to speak. All the Baha’is had this book in their hands when they did this. How could they allow this violation to happen when ‘Abdu’l-Baha makes these things so clear? They are dead, rotten meat. Baha’u’llah says that the carrion will be preyed upon by ferocious beasts in His Kitab-i-Iqan (Book of Certitude).
 

“By this body, all the difficult problems are to be resolved and the guardian of the Cause of God is its sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body.”
 

–These Covenant-breakers do not have a guardian at the head of their Universal House of Justice. How can they have a Universal House of Justice–how can they have a body without a head? You can’t have a head without a body or a body without a head. Both have to exist. At the time of ‘Abdu’l-Baha ‘s passing an embryonic guardian and an embryonic Universal House of Justice existed. When all the nations become Baha’i this embryo will become a Universal House of Justice with the guardian at its head. Without the guardian at its head and without it being elected by secondary Houses of Justice, there is no Universal House of Justice. They have a bogus, ridiculous republic.
 

“Should he not attend in person its deliberations, he must appoint one to represent him. Should any of the members commit a sin injurious to the common weal, the guardian of the Cause of God hath at his own discretion the right to expel him, whereupon the people must elect another one in his stead. This House of Justice enacteth the laws and the government enforceth them. The legislative body must reinforce the executive, the executive must aid and assist the legislative body so that through the close union and harmony of these two forces, the foundation of fairness and justice may become firm and strong, that all the regions of the world may become even as Paradise itself.”
 

–In other words, the executive branch consists of the guardianship and the Hands of the Faith, just like the President of the United States has a cabinet. There is also a legislative body, the Universal House of Justice, just like the United States has the Congress.
 

In the Baha’i faith there are only two branches of government: the executive and the legislative. While in the United States we have three: the legislative, the executive, and the judicial. The Universal House of Justice serves as the legislative and the judicial.
 

“O Lord , my God! Assist Thy loved ones to be firm in Thy Faith, to walk in Thy ways, to be steadfast in Thy Cause. Give them Thy grace to withstand the onslaught of self and passion, to follow the light of Divine Guidance. Thou art the Powerful, the Gracious, the Self-Subsisting, the Bestower, the Compassionate, the Almighty, the All-Bountiful.
 

“O friends of ‘Abdu’l-Baha! The Lord, as a sign of His infinite bounties, hath graciously favored His servants by providing for a fixed money offering (Huquq), to be dutifully presented unto Him though He, the True One and His servants have been at all times independent of all created things, and God verily is the All-Possessing, exalted above the need of any gift from His Creature. This fixed money offering, however, causeth the people to become firm and steadfast and draweth Divine increase upon them. It is to be offered through the guardian of the Cause of God, that it may be expended for the diffusion of the Fragrances of God and the exaltation of His word, for benevolent pursuits and for the common weal.”
 

–This is very, very important. The money offering called the Huquq is to be offered to the guardian. We have two branches of government: the legislative and judicial, which is the Universal House of Justice, and the executive, which is the guardian. The purpose of the Huquq is so that the guardian is independent of the legislative for funds. The legislative, which will be a world government, will have the right to tax. But perhaps the legislative branch, after this kingdom is set up, would decide to starve the guardian out. They might not give him any money to carry out his business. Then they could do as they please–starve him out and do away with the guardianship. So to give the guardian some independence, God has fixed a money offering for him to carry out the executive duty, which is the diffusion of the sweet fragrances of God.
 

The Covenant-breaking Hands had their eye on this money that was to be paid to the guardian. After they separated themselves from the guardian, they had the Huquq paid to them. Since the setting up of their phony Universal House of Justice in 1963, this “House of Justice” collects the Huquq. We have a Baha’i-gate on our hands. They are pilfering the money that is to be paid to God through the guardian. They have stolen it, hijacked it. embezzled it.
 

This is a felony punishable in a court of law. These Covenant-breaking Baha’is have their phony House of Justice in Israel which is where they are doing the hijacking and where they will be brought to justice. It will resound throughout the world in the news media, just like the PTL ministry debacle. It will seem to people like yet another example of the religious fighting taking place in the Middle East. You may wonder, “Why go to Israel and bring the Covenant-breakers to justice and create another big scene?”
 

Why did Jesus go into the temple and overturn the tables of the money-changers? He took a whip and beat them and drove them out of the temple. He said, “You have turned My Father ‘s house into a den of thieves.” (Matthew 21:13). This is exactly what the Covenant-breaking Hands have done. They have turned the House of God into a house of thieves. They have taken over the Faith to steal the money and to take over the authority. They know what the Will and Testament says. Everybody in the Faith knows what the Will and Testament says, but the Hands saw that the Baha’is didn’t give a darn. They were asleep. They didn’t read the Will and Testament. Like Baha’u’llah said, wherever the carrion is, the ferocious beasts will gather. Carrion means rotten meat, not only dead but already rotten, like Lazarus, who was rotting in the grave. These ferocious beasts are the Hands of the Faith that assembled and plotted their takeover of the Faith. The reason for exposing the Covenant-breakers is to show that the Will and Testament is the charter for the kingdom of God on earth and it has been violated by these Covenant-breakers on Mt. Carmel.
 

Baha’u’llah predicted that this would come about. He said that what is written in the Will and Testament would be reversed. One of the things the Hands reversed is that according to the
 

Will they should protect the guardian, but the Hands named the guardian a Covenant-breaker.
 

Earlier in the Will and Testament, in the pages that we didn’t read, it says that we must avoid entirely the Covenant­ breakers. Instead of the followers of Baha’u’llah investigating for themselves to see if the guardian was a Covenant-breaker, they took the word of the Hands. Nowhere does the Will say that the Hands have the authority to proclaim who is and who is not a Covenant-breaker. Shoghi Effendi says that only the guardian can determine who is a Covenant-breaker. But the Hands said the guardian Mason Remey was a Covenant-breaker, and then they said why. They said, “Well, he claims to be the guardian of the Cause of God.” Just like they nailed Jesus to the Cross because He claimed to be the Messiah.
 

Mason Remey didn’t do anything wrong, he didn’t break any provisions of the Covenant–he just explained that he was the guardian appointed by Shoghi Effendi. There are only two criteria by which we can determine who is a guardian: 1) ls he a son? and 2} Is he appointed? We don’t look to see if he has two left feet or if he parts his hair on the wrong side, or if he’s a hunchback or if he’s black or something else. All we look at is to see if he is a son and if he is appointed in the lifetime of the previous guardian. Mason Remey fulfilled both of these provisions.
 

God allowed all this to happen as a test to the people to show them that they were all asleep. These Covenant-breaking Baha’is are going to go into the fire, and they are going to suffer for this. Jesus said that iniquities must come but woe betide them by whom they come. He was talking about Judas, the betrayal (Matthew 26:24).
 

So here we have the betrayal of the Cause by those that Shoghi Effendi appointed as the Hands to help him in his work. God allowed this to happen now because maybe one hundred or five hundred years from now, after the kingdom is established, someone might say, “I’ve come up with a scheme to take over the kingdom. We’ll just say that the guardianship came to an end and everybody will believe us, and we’ll take over the Cause.” If they were able to do it now, they would have been able to do it five hundred years down the road. But God set a trap for them. He let this happen, and He is going to let these people go into the fire to show what the punishment is for doing this. So once the kingdom is established it will never happen again.
 

How do I know that this was a test? I met with the guardian in 1961 in Washington, D.C., and I spent about a week and a half with him. There were several other friends with me from Missouri. We had a very enjoyable time, and he explained a lot of things to us that were very, very important.
 

And among the things that he explained to us, he said, “You people that have been firm in the Covenant, that have stuck to the principles of the Will and Testament, that accept the continuation of the guardianship, you have passed this test. The mass of the Baha’is have not passed this test. But once this test is passed, and the world accepts this, this will never happen again. This shows once and for all that the guardianship does not come to an end. This is the purpose of the test.”
 

In the Qur’an Muhammad said, “Do men think when they say, ‘We believe,’ they shall be let alone and not be put to proof?” (Qur’an 29:2). All the things that happen to us are tests. When these tests come they are not on a neon sign flashing on and off, saying “This is a test!” Either you know the Will and Testament and you go according to it and pass the test, or you have a pure heart and pass the test. Otherwise, if you don ‘t know the Will and Testament or you don ‘t have a pure heart, you don’t pass the test.
 

But then he said, “There’s going to be another test. The next test is going to be a little different from this one. You’ll know that there will be a guardian, but you won’t know who he is.”
 

Also, he talked for a while, and he told us he’d made a medallion, which was a golden nine-pointed star, and each of the points of the star were studded with a diamond. He attached it to a gold chain of eighteen links. He had made it for the guardian Shoghi Effendi so that when he was in a procession, such as the funeral procession of Ben Gurion in Israel which he led, the people would know that he was the guardian of the Baha’i Faith.
 

At this funeral, Shoghi Effendi led the procession because he was the head of a world religion. The other religious figures attending such as cardinals and bishops and rabbis were not the heads of their religions; the Pope did not attend in other words. Shoghi Effendi was the only one that was the head of a religion so the Israeli Government placed him at the head of the procession.
 

Shoghi Effendi was dressed in a business suit, wearing a fez, but the others were wearing beautiful flowing robes, and they had all kinds of regalia and artifacts to designate who they were. The people were wondering who was this short fellow dressed in a business suit leading the procession with all the other great prelates following. Mason Remey, who was quite tall, six foot six, said that he walked directly behind the guardian with his elbows akimbo to keep the other prelates from passing and getting ahead of the guardian.
 

So he said he decided to make this medallion, but he never found an occasion to give it to Shoghi Effendi. We asked him, “Well what are you going to do with it?”
 

He said, “Well, I don ‘t think that I will wear it, I’ve had it on several times. After I die, the one that you see having this medallion, you’ll know that he is the next guardian.”
 

We asked him, “Is this how you’re going to appoint your successor?”
 

He said, “No.”
 

And actually, he can’t appoint his successor in this manner because it has to be a son and it has to be an appointment. But he told us that when you see someone with this medallion, you’ll know that he is the guardian.
 

Then he proceeded to appoint a number of people to be the guardian. The first thing he did was to institute another International Baha’i Council. The first one, that Shoghi Effendi set up, was aborted in embryo by the Covenant-breaking Hands.
 

Mason set up the International Baha’i Council, appointed all the members, but called them all Vice Presidents. He gave them rankings such as Vice President number one, Vice President number two, and so on, like in a bank. He said that if he should die in the coming catastrophe, and if some of the Vice Presidents die, the one among the survivors that is highest on the list will be the succeeding guardian.
 

He had also appointed Joel Marangella in a letter some time before that to be the successor, but Mason said that he should not open the letter before Mason died, and Joel opened it while Mason was still alive. The International Baha ‘i Council got into a fight, so Mason disbanded the council and it died in embryo, it never materialized. Then he appointed another International
 

Baha’i Council, but this time he called the members the Elders. He had twenty-four, each assigned a number: Elder number one, Elder number two, and so on. Mason said that if he should die in a common catastrophe, the highest one on the list of Elders would be the succeeding guardian.
 

In 1966 Mason Remey expelled from the Baha’i Faith the administration that Shoghi Effendi had set up. He said it did not have its roots in the Baha ‘i Faith, that as the guardian he had the right to expel it. This set all of the friends on end, because they had the misconception that the administration under Shoghi Effendi was the Baha’i Faith. Just like the apostles of Jesus at the time of the crucifixion thought that he was the reigning Messiah that was going to establish the Jews over the rest of the world. They all became disbelievers because they thought he was the one who was going to establish the kingdom, whereas he was the suffering Messiah.
 

They were confused, and therefore, they became disbelievers. The same thing happened when the guardian expelled the administration out of the Baha’i Faith. The people thought the administration was the Baha’i Faith and, therefore, they became disbelievers thinking the guardian had lost his marbles. The only reason they thought that was because several people in the Baha’i Faith were spreading this lie about Mason to support plans they had to usurp the guardianship, especially a person by the name of Rex King.
 

Rex King was trying to usurp the guardianship for himself and take over the Faith. It gave him fertile ground to attack the guardian once he convinced the followers that Mason was getting old and that they needed another guardian. After he got all the people away from the guardian and following him, he went to the guardian and asked him to appoint him to be regent guardian. The guardian called him the Satan of this era for doing this.
 

The guardian expelled the administration out of the Baha’i Faith, and of course, this was another test to the believers.
 

Most of them failed the test and started following different guardians while the guardian was still alive. By the time the guardian passed on only a handful of believers was left. The purpose of this test was to prove that there is only one way to recognize who is the successor guardian. All of the Vice Presidents and Elders, and Joel Marangella, who had been appointed, could not possibly be a guardian because they were not sons, they were not Aghsan.
 

Even those who followed the guardian Mason Remey were put through a test. He told me and those that were with me that they wouldn ‘t know who is the guardian, and that is because they did not understand the Will and Testament. The Will and Testament makes it clear that there are two criteria to recognize the guardian. 1) He must be a son (Aghsan); and 2) He must be appointed in the lifetime of the previous guardian. This is the test that Mason Remey put all the believers through. The friends went after all of these other people who claimed to be the guardian. They were looking at the qualities of these people, not the criteria which they are required to follow by the Will and Testament.
 

The one that Mason Remey appointed to be his successor was his adopted son. He adopted Joseph Pepe, just like he was adopted by ‘Abdu’l-Baha. Pepe inherited all of Mason’s property, including the diamond studded medallion Mason had talked about. But the Baha’is were looking to see if Pepe had the spiritual qualities to be the guardian. But if the guardian, Mason Remey, appointed him to be the guardian, we must be assured he has these qualities, because only the guardian can tell whether or not he has them. It is not up to us to decide whether or not the one the guardian chooses has the spiritual qualities. This is the test he put them through so that when this kingdom is established, people will not be able monkey with this process that ‘Abdu’l-Baha sets up here that we just got through reading: 1) He must be a son, and 2) He must be appointed in the lifetime of the previous guardian. It is not up to us to see if he’s got two left feet, or if he’s a hunchback, or black, or whatever. We are not concerned with this. We are concerned with was he appointed, and was he a son.
 

Pepe fulfilled the two criteria, and he is the guardian today. But when the guardian Mason Remey died, there were no believers in the world except my wife and I. And we were the two remaining Knights of the Lord. ​     e

 In the following article are many quotes from an out-of-print book titled “Ministry of the Custodians 1957-1963” (MC), published in 1992 by the “Universal House of Justice.” It contains all the “messages of the Hands of the Cause, from the passing of the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, in November 1957, to the formation of the first Universal House of Justice in 1963” (Preface, p. xix).
 

Early on November 4, 1957, Shoghi Effendi suddenly passed away while traveling in London, after contracting the Asiatic flu. On the evening of November 4, Ruhiyyih Khanum, now Shoghi Effendi’s widow, called Leroy Ioas, a member of the International Baha’i Council (IBC), and had him seal Shoghi Effendi’s office and apartment. By November 15, Ruhiyyih was able to return to Haifa. With the utmost attention to detail, along with others, she was able to peruse the “safe where sacred documents were preserved, and the logical place where the Will of the beloved Guardian would be kept” (from Hands in the Holy Land, “Official Statement,” Nov. 15, 1957, MC, p. 26).
 

According to the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha, the guardian must “appoint in his own life-time him that shall become his successor, that differences may not arise after his passing” (p. 12). The reason Abdu’l-Baha required the guardian to appoint his successor “in his own lifetime,” rather than “after his passing,” for example, in a will, is so “differences may not arise:”
 

“For a will takes effect only at death, since it is not in force as long as the one who made it is alive” (Hebrews 9:16).
 

Baha’u’llah bequeathed His inheritance to Abdu’l-Baha in a will, and Abdu’l-Baha used a will to appoint Shoghi Effendi. However, Abdu’l-Baha made it a requirement in his Will and Testament that from the time of Shoghi Effendi on, the guardian must appoint his successor “in his own life-time.” This was to avoid differences after the guardian’s passing. Thus, to look for Shoghi Effendi’s successor to be appointed in a will is not in accordance with the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha.
 

In terms of looking for a “personal” successor to Shoghi Effendi, it is true that Shoghi Effendi’s successor was not just one individual. Shoghi Effendi never even had a son. How could he appoint his son to succeed him? In fact, it would have been against the Will and Testament to appoint his son to succeed him. Why? Abdu’l-Baha did not confer infallibility or “unerring guidance” on an individual or “personal” successor to Shoghi Effendi. Rather, Abdu’l-Baha conferred infallibility on “the guardian of the Cause of God as well as the Universal House of Justice (UHJ),” saying they “are both under the care and protection of the Abha Beauty, under the shelter and unerring guidance of His Holiness” (Will and Testament, p. 11).
 

Why do you think Shoghi Effendi drove himself to an early death trying to establish the UHJ? He did this because he knew according to Abdu’l-Baha’s unerring guidance in his Will and Testament that the UHJ had to be his successor, as only a recipient of the “unerring guidance” could truly succeed him. Finally, in 1951, after years of working to establish the UHJ “in his own life-time,” so he could appoint it as his successor, Shoghi Effendi was infallibly guided by God to set up the UHJ in four stages and give it the mission to evolve itself through the various stages. This took the pressure off. Therefore, in setting up the International Baha’i Council (IBC) as the nascent institution that would progress through four stages and blossom into the UHJ, Shoghi Effendi fulfilled the requirements set forth in Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament. He appointed the IBC stating it was the “forerunner” to the UHJ. In so doing, he successfully appointed his successor “in his own life-time.”
 

Shoghi Effendi Appoints His Successor: the four-stage UHJ with the Guardian at its Head
 

“Greatly welcome assistance of the newly-formed International Council, particularly its President, Mason Remey….” – Shoghi [Cablegram, March 2, 1951] (Messages to the Baha’i World, p. 8).
 

“Proclaim National Assemblies of East and West weighty epoch-making decision of formation of first International Baha’i Council, forerunner of supreme administrative institution destined to emerge in fullness of time within precincts beneath shadow of World Spiritual Center of Faith already established in twin cities of Akka and Haifa. Fulfillment of prophecies uttered by Founder of Faith and Center of His Covenant culminating in establishment of Jewish State, signalizing birth after lapse of two thousand years of an independent nation in the Holy Land, the swift unfoldment of historic undertaking associated with construction of superstructure of the Bab’s Sepulcher on Mount Carmel, the present adequate maturity of nine vigorously functioning national administrative institutions throughout Baha’i World, combine to induce me to arrive at this historic decision marking most significant milestone in evolution of Administrative Order of the Faith of Baha’u’llah in course of last thirty years. Nascent Institution now created is invested with threefold function: first, to forge link with authorities of newly emerged State; second, to assist me to discharge responsibilities involved in erection of mighty superstructure of the Bab’s Holy Shrine; third, to conduct negotiations related to matters of personal status with civil authorities. To these will be added further functions in course of evolution of this first embryonic International Institution, marking its development into officially recognized Baha’i Court, its transformation into duly elected body, its efflorescence into Universal House of Justice, and its final fruition through erection of manifold auxiliary institutions constituting the World Administrative Center destined to arise and function and remain permanently established in close neighborhood of Twin Holy Shrines. Hail with thankful, joyous heart at long last the constitution of International Council which history will acclaim as the greatest event shedding luster upon second epoch of Formative Age of Baha’i Dispensation potentially unsurpassed by any enterprise undertaken since inception of Administrative Order of Faith on morrow of Abdu’l-Baha’s Ascension, ranking second only to glorious immortal events associated with Ministries of the Three Central Figures of Faith in course of First Age of most glorious Dispensation of the five thousand century Baha’i Cycle. Advise publicize announcement through Public Relations Committee.” – Shoghi [Cablegram, January 9, 1951] (Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World, pp. 7-8)
 

The IBC was the “first-born of his [Shoghi Effendi’s] lineal descendants.”
 

Shoghi Effendi said the IBC was “embryonic” and “nascent,” both indicating it was soon to be “the first-born of his lineal descendants” (Will and Testament, p. 11). “Lineal” means “in straight line,” and “descendant” means “someone or SOMETHING descended.” “Descend” means “to be transmitted by inheritance.” Truly, Shoghi Effendi appointed the IBC “in his own life-time,” as his successor, and upon his passing, planned for it to be “born,” and to receive its inherited “unerring guidance” as bequeathed upon it by Abdu’l-Baha. Thus when Shoghi Effendi set up the IBC, he meant for it to be the “first-born of his lineal descendants.”
 

“He [Shoghi Effendi] is the expounder of the words of God and after him will succeed the first-born of his lineal descendants” (Will and Testament, p. 11).
 

To explain, the UHJ, and not an individual infallible successor to Shoghi Effendi would be responsible for interpreting the words of God after Shoghi Effendi’s passing. This is borne out in other places in the sacred writings. The following writings show that if you don’t have a grasp of the interpretation or have an understanding of what the meaning of the sacred writings are, you should go to these Trustees for the interpretation that they may expound the meaning and unravel the mystery of it.
 

In the 13th Glad Tidings and the Eighth Ishraq, Baha’u’llah establishes that the “Trustees of God” are the people sitting on the UHJ: “God’s House of Justice… [has] been charged with the affairs of the people. They, in truth, are the Trustees of God….”
 

In Tablets of Baha’u’llah, Baha’u’llah says, “It is incumbent on the Trustees of the Houses of Justice to take counsel together regarding those things which have not been outwardly revealed in the Book, and to enforce that which is agreeable to them. God will verily inspire them with whatsoever He willeth, and He, verily, is the Provider, the Omniscient.”
 

What this is talking about here is that this body receives the Divine Guidance, the inspiration from God, to come forth with the truth and with justice. Also, in the Kitab-I-Iqan Baha’u’llah says, “Those words uttered by the Luminaries of Truth must needs be pondered and should the significance be not grasped, enlightenment should be sought from the Trustees of the depositories of Knowledge that these may expound their meaning, and unravel their mystery.”
 

The Luminaries of Truth are the Manifestations, so this is saying if you don’t understand the meaning of a sacred writing, you should go to these Trustees for the interpretation that they may expound the meaning and unravel the mystery of it. Thus it is proven that the “expounder of the words of God” after Shoghi Effendi was the four-stage UHJ. After the two individual successors to Baha’u’llah: Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi, the UHJ has the interpretive authority. Therefore the meaning of “he is the expounder of the words of God and after him will succeed the first-born of his lineal descendants” becomes clear. Shoghi Effendi’s lineal descendant was the IBC.
 

The fact that the UHJ is the expounder of the words of God is also borne out in other places in the writings. The following was written by Abdu’l-Baha, translated by Shoghi Effendi, and published in Star of the West (Volume 10, Number 13: November 4, 1919, p. 246), in an article titled “Recent Tablets from Abdu’l-Baha to American Baha’is:”
 

“The Central House of Justice, likewise, disentangles every complication and whatever it prescribes must be accepted and he who transgresses is rejected; but this Universal House of Justice, which plays the role of an expounder, has not yet been instituted.”
 

Finally, the Will and Testament speaks of this role of the UHJ:
 

“It is incumbent upon these members (of the Universal House of Justice) to gather in a certain place and deliberate upon all problems which have caused difference, questions that are obscure and matters that are not expressly recorded in the Book. Whatsoever they decide has the same effect as the Text itself” (Will and Testament, p. 20).
 

The IBC was the “Branch” that Shoghi Effendi chose to succeed him
 

In his Will and Testament, Abdu’l-Baha gave Shoghi Effendi the right to “choose” a “branch” to succeed him: “…should he [the first-born son of the guardian] not inherit of the spiritual within him… then must he, (the guardian of the Cause of God) choose another branch to succeed him” (Will and Testament, p. 12).
 

No natural son was ever born to Shoghi Effendi. However, there is nothing saying the IBC didn’t qualify as the “branch” that Shoghi Effendi chose to succeed him. In fact, the IBC was the only “branch” that could possibly have inherited the “unerring guidance” of God. Branch normally means “son,” but Shoghi Effendi’s “baby,” so-to-speak, was his IBC. It was composed of an executive “branch” and a legislative “branch.”
 

In additions to this, Shoghi Effendi’s lineal descendant, the IBC, had an adopted “branch” or “son” of Abdu’l-Baha’s, as its president. A direct lineal son, grandson, great grandson, and so on, of Baha’u’llah, is referred to as an “Aghsan.” Either a natural or adopted son could be a direct lineal son. Therefore, someone adopted by Abdu’l-Baha (whose title was the “Most Great Branch”) would be referred to as an “Aghsan.” Abdu’l-Baha adopted Mason Remey to be his son (see proofs of this later in this article), and Shoghi Effendi appointed Mason Remey to be the president of the International Baha’i Council. Therefore, the International Baha’i Council (IBC) that was set up to evolve through four stages and develop into the Universal House of Justice, was Shoghi Effendi’s successor because it fulfilled every provision of Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament that spoke of Shoghi Effendi’s successor.
 

The IBC was the “first-born of his lineal descendants” (p. 11);
It was his choice as the “branch to succeed him” (p. 12);
It received the “unerring guidance of His Holiness, the Exalted One…” (p.11);
It had an Aghsan as its “sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body” (p. 14).
 

To get a clearer picture of this, peruse to following quote:
 

“The sacred and youthful branch, the Guardian of the Cause of God, as well as the Universal House of Justice to be universally elected and established, are both under the care and protection of the Abha Beauty, under the shelter and unerring guidance of the Exalted One (may my life be offered up for them both). Whatsoever they decide is of God. Whoso obeyeth him not, neither obeyeth them, hath not obeyed God; whoso rebelleth against him and against them hath rebelled against God; whoso opposeth him hath opposed God; whoso contendeth with them hath contended with God; whoso disputeth with him hath disputed with God; whoso denieth him hath denied God; whoso disbelieveth in him hath disbelieved in God; whoso deviateth, separateth himself and turneth aside from him hath in truth deviated, separated himself and turned aside from God. May the wrath, the fierce indignation, the vengeance of God rest upon him! The mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable and safe through obedience to him who is the Guardian of the Cause of God. It is incumbent upon the members of the House of Justice, upon all the Aghsan, the Afnan, the Hands of the Cause of God to show their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the Guardian of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him” (Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 11).
 

The above passage from the Will and Testament gives “conferred infallibility” to both Shoghi Effendi and the Universal House of Justice (UHJ), but not to an individual successor to Shoghi Effendi. The “unerring guidance of His Holiness, the Exalted One” is the same as “conferred infallibility:”
 

An Explanation of Conferred Infallibility
 

“…[T]hat House of Justice will be under the protection and the unerring guidance of God. If that House of Justice shall decide unanimously, or by a majority, upon any question not mentioned in the Book, that decision and command will be guarded from mistake. Now the members of the House of Justice have not, individually, essential infallibility; but the body of the House of Justice is under the protection and unerring guidance of God: this is called conferred infallibility” (`Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, pp. 172-173).
 

To further clarify what is meant by “conferred infallibility,” it is not the same as the “Most Great Infallibility” of the Manifestation: “He Who is the Dawning-place of God’s Cause hath no partner in the Most Great Infallibility. He it is Who, in the kingdom of creation, is the Manifestation of ‘He doeth whatsoever He willeth.’ God hath reserved this distinction unto His own Self, and ordained for none a share in so sublime and transcendent a station. This is the Decree of God…” (Baha’u’llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, pp. 36-37).
 

“Conferred infallibility” in no way gives either Shoghi Effendi or the UHJ the right to “lessen the binding effect much less to abrogate the provisions” of Baha’u’llah’s Aqdas. This fact was stated in a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to a National Spiritual Assembly in 1935.
 

“What has not been formulated in the Aqdas, in addition to matters of detail and of secondary importance arising out of the application of the laws already formulated by Baha’u’llah, will have to be enacted by the Universal House of Justice. This body can supplement but never invalidate or modify in the least degree what has already been formulated by Baha’u’llah. Nor has the Guardian any right whatsoever to lessen the binding effect much less to abrogate the provisions of so fundamental and sacred a Book” (Baha’u’llah, Kitab-i-Aqdas, Other Sections, pp. 4-7).
 

The IBC did not have Conferred Infallibility until After Shoghi Effendi’s Death
 

In his Will and Testament, Abdu’l-Baha conferred infallibility first upon Shoghi Effendi, and then upon the Universal House of Justice. The fact that Shoghi Effendi set up the UHJ in four stages in no way lessens the IBC’s right to inherit this conferred infallibility as the entity that was the “first-born lineal descendant” of Shoghi Effendi. This inheritance of the “unerring guidance” of God was IBC’s “birthright,” meaning it was one of its “rights and privileges to which one is entitled by birth.” Shoghi Effendi called his IBC “embryonic” and “nascent” [meaning “in the process of being born”]. Shoghi Effendi’s intention was for the IBC to be “born” upon his passing. It was “embryonic” during Shoghi’s lifetime because to fully activate it would have set up a conflict of authority in the faith. God will not allow for a conflict of authority in the faith.
 

“There can be no conflict of authority, no duality under any form or circumstances in any sphere of Baha’i jurisdiction whether local, national or international” (Shoghi Effendi, Directives of the Guardian, p. 50).
 

Other examples of God not allowing for a conflict of authority are the fact that the Bab and Baha’u’llah never met. The Manifestations are the Presence of God on earth, and the Presence of God cannot meet the presence of God, for the Presence of God is One, not two. Also, Moses was not allowed to enter the temple He built to house the Presence of God upon His passing (Exodus 40:35).
 

Similarly, since Shoghi Effendi had the “unerring guidance of His Holiness, the Exalted One” conferred upon him, and the IBC/UHJ had the “unerring guidance of His Holiness, the Exalted One” conferred upon it after Shoghi’s passing, these two could not operate simultaneously or contemporaneously. The IBC was called “embryonic” and “nascent” because it was not fully functioning, or “born” yet. Using cablegrams to disseminate his announcements, Shoghi Effendi appointed his successor, the International Baha’i Council, and made Mason Remey its president, the “sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body” (Will and Testament, p. 14).
 

Therefore, upon Shoghi Effendi’s passing, the IBC was to step forward as the infallible successor to Shoghi Effendi, and the supreme authority in the faith, but it did not. How, in God’s name, could this have happened?
 

Corruption Sneaks In at the Top through Shoghi Effendi’s Jealous Widow
 

“What an extraordinary situation now obtains, when no one, hearing a claim advanced, asks himself what the speaker’s real motive might be, and what selfish purpose he might not have hidden behind the mask of words. You find, for example, that an individual seeking to further his own petty and personal concerns, will block the advancement of an entire people…. To maintain his own leadership, he will everlastingly direct the masses toward that prejudice and fanaticism which subvert the very base of civilization.
 

“…Open your eyes! Pay heed! Release yourselves from this blind following of the bigots, this senseless imitation which is the principal reason why men fall away into paths of ignorance and degradation” (Abdu’l-Baha, Secret of Divine Civilization, pp. 103-104).
 

The reason the IBC members did not step forward and activate the IBC is because the majority of its members were also Hands, and the Hands were led astray by Ruhiyyih Khanum, who was seeking to further her own aims.
 

Ruhiyyih Khanum was jealous of Mason Remey. Mason Remey was the president of the IBC, which was to be the successor to Shoghi Effendi. He was the not the personal successor to Shoghi Effendi, but he was the president of the IBC. He was obliged to operate within the confines of the IBC; and he did not receive, in and of himself, the “unerring guidance of His Holiness, the Exalted One.”
 

Mason Remey had been Abdu’l-Baha’s and Shoghi Effendi’s right-hand man, so-to-speak. When he came around, Ruhiyyih had to take her seat on the left of the guardian, because Mason was given the seat on the right. The seat on the right is the seat of honor. The sheep go to the right, the goats go to the left. “The people of the left hand sigh and bemoan. The people of the right abide in noble habitations: they quaff the Wine that is life indeed, from the hands of the All-Merciful, and are, verily, the blissful” (Baha’u’llah, Proclamation of Baha’u’llah, p. 100).
 

As president of the IBC, which was to be the successor to Shoghi Effendi, Mason was meant to be in charge of the funds of the Huquq, which is a money offered from the believers, as stipulated in Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament:
 

“The Lord, as a sign of His infinite bounties, hath graciously favored His servants by providing for a fixed money offering (Huquq), to be dutifully presented unto Him…. It is to be offered through the guardian of the Cause of God, that it may be expended for the diffusion of the Fragrances of God and the exaltation of His word, for benevolent pursuits and for the common weal” (Will and Testament, p. 15).
 

“The Huquq is payable to the Guardian individually by the believers” (Shoghi Effendi, Huququ’llah, p. 518).
 

Ruhiyyih Khanum could not allow herself to even consider that Mason Remey and the IBC were the successor to Shoghi Effendi, because this would mean she would have given them the “large deposit, invested for safekeeping in Switzerland” (Introduction, Ministry of the Custodians, p. 11). This account was undoubtedly an accumulation of the monies from the “fixed money offering” given to Shoghi Effendi as the guardian. Instead of relinquishing the fund to Mason Remey and the IBC, and recognizing the IBC as the true successor to Shoghi Effendi, Ruhiyyih Khanum devised the ruse [a piece of cunning: crafty, skillful, ingenious, sweet and charming] that the IBC was not the recipient of the “unerring guidance of His Holiness, the Exalted One,” to justify keeping control of this “large deposit.” To cover her tracks, she turned this over to the elected body that she arranged to have elected in 1963, well after the entire IBC had been laid to rest in a grave of her making. At that time she claimed “once again a precious source of divine infallibility… return[ed] to the earth.”
 

“A further large deposit, invested for safekeeping in Switzerland in both his [Shoghi Effendi’s] and my name, I later turned over to the Universal House of Justice after its election [in 1963]” (MC, Introduction, p. 11). Who did she think she was kidding? Obviously, she hoodwinked the entire Baha’i world into breaking away from Shoghi Effendi’s plan. To go against Shoghi Effendi is to go against God. Let us be clear, Ruhiyyih Khanum went against Shoghi Effendi and God.
 

“The Hands of the Faith eagerly… anticipate… the Universal House of Justice, and once again a precious source of divine infallibility will return to the earth…” (Conclave Message, 1958, MC, p. 122).
 

In addition to having to relinquish the Baha’i world’s accounts in Switzerland to Mason Remey and the IBC, admitting to herself that Mason Remey was the executive of the IBC and the IBC was the successor to Shoghi Effendi, would mean Ruhiyyih Khanum would have to move out of the guardian’s home so Mason Remey could move in. Instead, due to her conniving, manipulative actions to persuade the Baha’is to go against Shoghi Effendi’s plans, Ruhiyyih Khanum lived until the day she died in Abdu’l-Baha’s home, which was supposed to be occupied by the executive or president of the IBC. She played a dirty, rotten, deceptive trick on the Baha’is and now the whole world is going to have to pay for her dirty deeds because mankind has gone against God and great catastrophes, “grievous afflictions” will soon ensue. This was foretold in the Holy Mariner Prayer by Baha’u’lah. ““Study the Tablet of the Holy Mariner that ye may know the truth, and consider that the Blessed Beauty hath fully foretold future events.  Let them who perceive, take warning!”  —‘Abdu’l-Bahá”
 

From the Holy Mariner prayer: “I found not from these idle claimants the breeze of Faithfulness! …And she [the handmaiden of the maid of heaven. The maid of heaven is the Holy Spirit] fell upon the dust and gave up the spirit.  It seemeth she was called and hearkened unto Him that summoned her unto the Realm on High. …Thereupon the maids of heaven… bared their heads, rent their garments asunder, beat upon their faces, forgot their joy, shed tears and smote with their hands upon their cheeks, and this is verily one of the mysterious grievous afflictions.”
 

Furthermore, if Ruhiyyih Khanum admitted the IBC was Shoghi Effendi’s successor, Mason Remey would outrank her as the president and presiding officer on the IBC. Prior to Shoghi Effendi’s death, Ruhiyyih Khanum held the highest-ranking office on the IBC, that of Shoghi Effendi’s “liaison” to the IBC: the liaison officer. After Shoghi Effendi’s death, Mason Remey, the president of the IBC, would outrank her because she would no longer be the liaison officer. She would just be a regular member. She would hold no office whatsoever on the IBC. Whereas with the Custodian Hands, it was the unwritten letter and spirit of the law that Ruhiyyih Khanum was the “head” Hand.
 

Finally, none of the IBC members would have been allowed to live off the Baha’i fund, but there is a provision in the Will and Testament for nine Hands to justify living off the Baha’i fund. I use the word “Hands” loosely here, because after Shoghi Effendi’s death, he had no Hands. Hands are to be in service to the guardian’s role of having to act as the executive of the Baha’i world. Mason Remey would have had the right to appoint new Hands if the Baha’is had not gone against Shoghi Effendi’s plans for the IBC to succeed him. According to the Will and Testament, up to nine of the guardian’s Hands could be supported by the guardian’s fund, the Huquq’u’llah, if they were occupied in full-time service to the guardian. The intent is to have these people help the executive carry out the numerous and weighty duties of the office which acts as the “executive” and “enforcement” branch of the World Baha’i Commonwealth. According to the Will and Testament: “The Hands of the Cause of God must elect from their own number nine persons that shall at all times be occupied in the important services in the work of the Guardian of the Cause of God” (Will and Testament, p. 12).
 

In denying that the IBC was Shoghi Effendi’s successor, nine of the people that Shoghi Effendi had appointed as Hands, including of course Ruhiyyih Khanum, were able to maneuver themselves into a position of being able to live off the Baha’i fund. “…[T]hose who were chosen to live at the World Centre as Custodians… obviously had to be supported as part of the expense of running our International Headquarters” (Preface, MC, pp. xix-xx).
 

“The main income of the Hands was from the contributions of the Persian Baha’i community…. This monetary aid we estimated at about $100,000 a year…” (Introduction, MC, p. 15). Let’s see, $100,000 a year, divided between nine Hands… Hmmm, that means each Custodian Hand received over $11,000 a year, starting in the year 1957. That was quite a substantial living in those days. Gee whiz, these Hands accorded themselves a nice monetary reward for breaking the Covenant! Who was there to monitor these Hands? No one! It’s like the line from Jim Carrey in one of his movies: “SOMEBODY STOP ME!”
 

Aside from living off the contributions from the Persian Baha’is, the Hands lived off of contributions from a fellow-Hand: “The munificent [lavish, extremely generous] contributions of our fellow-Hand and Custodian Amelia Collins were of great assistance to the Hands; her outstanding generosity afforded infinite comfort…” (Introduction, Ministry of the Custodians, p. 15).
 

Shoghi Effendi’s Hands were no longer his Hands after he died. Mason Remey, as the executive and head of the IBC/UHJ, should have been afforded the opportunity to appoint new Hands. Therefore, it was crucial to the implementation of the Hands’ plan to set themselves up as the successors to Shoghi Effendi, that they eliminate the executive branch from the entire Baha’i faith. They were then able to live out their days in wonderful pomp and circumstance, parading themselves before the Baha’i world as saints. Disgusting!
 

To summarize, if Ruhiyyih Khanum would have admitted that the IBC was Shoghi Effendi’s successor, she would have lost numerous important things. She would have lost:
 

Her highest-ranking POSITION as liaison officer;
The POWER she had as Shoghi Effendi’s main assistant;
The MONEY she was able to secure control of that had been invested in Switzerland;
The INCOME she was able to secure as a Custodian Hand who lived off the Baha’i fund;
The HOUSE she had, which was supposed to be the home of the executive branch of the Baha’i faith.
 

Furthermore, she would have lost much of this to a man she was jealous of, namely, Mason Remey. So due to JEALOUSLY, and to secure her own POSITION, POWER, MONEY, INCOME and HOUSING, she chose to lead the “Hands” astray and to turn the Baha’i world away from the IBC as the successor to Shoghi Effendi, using the pretext that it did not inherit the “conferred infallibility” that Abdu’l-Baha conferred upon the UHJ. Furthermore, the fact that the IBC was the UHJ in the first of its four stages, and the fact that it was “embryonic,” waiting to be born and take its birthright, meant no son of hers would ever be the guardian. So she ABORTED Shoghi Effendi’s “firstborn lineal descendant,” the IBC.
 

The Hands then allowed themselves to break the Covenant along with her, by refusing “to show their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the Guardian of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him.” They refused to turn to the successor Shoghi Effendi had appointed “during his own life-time:” the IBC. They then had to cover their tracks by breaking pretty much every provision of the Will and Testament that could possibly be broken.
 

Abdu’l-Baha’s Will & Testament Explains the Attributes of the True World Order of Baha’u’llah
 

In one of the quotes contained below, Shoghi Effendi explains that Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament is the Charter for the World Order of Baha’u’llah. If something is not according to that Charter, it is not that World Order! Recall the words of Baha’u’llah regarding Abdu’l-Baha:
 

“God’s Will and Testament enjoins upon the branches, the twigs, and the kinsfolk, one and all, to gaze upon the Most Great Branch. Consider what We have revealed in My Book of Aqdas, to wit: ‘When the sea of My Presence is exhausted and the Book of Origin hath reached its end, turn you unto him (‘Abdu’l-Baha) who is desired by God — He Who is issued from this Ancient Root.’”
 

Shoghi Effendi explains that the Will and Testament is as weighty as the Kitab-I-Aqdas, and he explains the provisions established in Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament, which are binding upon EVERYONE:
 

“The Document establishing that Order, the Charter of a future world civilization, which may be regarded in some of its features as supplementary to no less weighty a Book than the Kitab-i-Aqdas; signed and sealed by Abdu’l-Baha; entirely written with His own hand; its first section composed during one of the darkest periods of His incarceration in the prison-fortress of Akka, proclaims, categorically and unequivocally, the fundamental beliefs of the followers of the Faith of Baha’u’llah; reveals, in unmistakable language, the twofold character of the Mission of the Bab; discloses the full station of the Author of the Baha’i Revelation; asserts that “all others are servants unto Him and do His bidding”; stresses the importance of the Kitab-i-Aqdas; establishes the institution of the Guardianship as a hereditary office and outlines its essential functions; provides the measures for the election of the International House of Justice, defines its scope and sets forth its relationship to that Institution; prescribes the obligations, and emphasizes the responsibilities, of the Hands of the Cause of God; and extols the virtues of the indestructible Covenant established by Baha’u’llah. That Document, furthermore, lauds the courage and constancy of the supporters of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 328).
 

Note that Abdu’l-Baha “establishes the institution of the Guardianship as a hereditary office,” and “provides the measures for the election of the International House of Justice.”
 

The Role of the Hereditary Guardianship as the International Executive is explained
 

Following are some quotes that speak of the hereditary executive branch of the World Order of Baha’u’llah, including some of its essential functions:
 

“A world executive, backed by an international Force, will carry out the decisions arrived at, and apply the laws enacted by, this world legislature, and will safeguard the organic unity of the whole commonwealth. A world tribunal will adjudicate and deliver its compulsory and final verdict in all and any disputes that may arise between the various elements constituting this universal system” (Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 203).
 

“Over sixty years ago, in His Tablet to Queen Victoria, Baha’u’llah, addressing ‘the concourse of the rulers of the earth,’ revealed the following: ‘Take ye counsel together, and let your concern be only for that which profiteth mankind and bettereth the condition thereof…..’
 

“In a further passage Baha’u’llah adds these words: ‘We see you adding every year unto your expenditures and laying the burden thereof on the people whom ye rule; this verily is naught but grievous injustice. Fear the sighs and tears of this Wronged One, and burden not your peoples beyond that which they can endure…. Be reconciled among yourselves, that ye may need armaments no more save in a measure to safeguard your territories and dominions. Be united, O concourse of the sovereigns of the world, for thereby will the tempest of discord be stilled amongst you and your peoples find rest. Should any one among you take up arms against another, rise ye all against him, for this is naught but manifest justice.’
 

“What else could these weighty words signify if they did not point to the inevitable curtailment of unfettered national sovereignty as an indispensable preliminary to the formation of the future Commonwealth of all the nations of the world? Some form of a world super-state must needs be evolved, in whose favor all the nations of the world will have willingly ceded every claim to make war, certain rights to impose taxation and all rights to maintain armaments, except for purposes of maintaining internal order within their respective dominions. Such a state will have to include within its orbit an international executive adequate to enforce supreme and unchallengeable authority on every recalcitrant member of the commonwealth; a world parliament whose members shall be elected by the people in their respective countries and whose election shall be confirmed by their respective governments; and a supreme tribunal whose judgment will have a binding effect even in such cases where the parties concerned did not voluntarily agree to submit their case to its consideration” (Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Baha’u’llah, pp. 39-41).
 

The “measures for the election of the International House of Justice” are explained
 

According to Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament, one of the measures for the election of the Universal House of Justice is that it is to be “universally elected and established” (p. 11). But first, “in all countries a secondary House of Justice must be instituted” (p. 14). It is “to be elected from all countries.” Abdu’l-Baha explains what he means by “all countries” in other Tablets:
 

“And His plan is this: that the national assemblies of each country and nation – that is to say parliaments – should elect two or three persons who are the choicest men of that nation, and are well informed concerning international laws and the relations between governments and aware of the essential needs of the world of humanity in this day. The number of these representatives should be in proportion to the number of inhabitants of that country. The election of these souls who are chosen by the national assembly, that is, the parliament, must be confirmed by the upper house, the congress and the cabinet and also by the president or monarch so these persons may be the elected ones of all the nation and the government. From among these people the members of the Supreme Tribunal will be elected, and all mankind will thus have a share therein, for every one of these delegates is fully representative of his nation. When the Supreme Tribunal gives a ruling on any international question, either unanimously or by majority rule, there will no longer be any pretext for the plaintiff or ground of objection for the defendant. In case any of the governments or nations, in the execution of the irrefutable decision of the Supreme Tribunal, be negligent or dilatory, the rest of the nations will rise up against it, because all the governments and nations of the world are the supporters of this Supreme Tribunal. Consider what a firm foundation this is! But by a limited and restricted League the purpose will not be realized as it ought and should. This is the truth about the situation, which has been stated…” (`Abdu’l-Baha: Selections from the Writings of `Abdu’l-Baha, pp. 306-307).
 

Those who Shoghi Effendi appointed as Hands, Broke the Covenant
 

Shoghi Effendi’s “Hands,” who were no longer legitimate Hands as soon as Shoghi Effendi passed, had no right whatsoever to “seize the helm of their Faith” (Preface, Ministry of the Custodians, p. xix). Why? This was not provided for in Baha’u’llah’s Covenant or in Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament, period. They broke the Covenant. They made up their own plan. They went against God. They lead humanity astray. They were wolves that preyed upon the flock of true believers. What they did was dastardly, despicable, atrocious, horrible, horrifying, wrong, in error, and not in accordance with the Covenant of Baha’u’llah or the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha.
 

On November 25, 1957, Shoghi Effendi’s bogus Hands published four documents: 1. A “Unanimous Proclamation of the 27 Hands of the Cause of God;” 2 & 3. Two documents titled “Resolution of the Hands of the Cause of God,” and a 4. “Proclamation” from the Hands’ “First Conclave.”
The “Unanimous Proclamation of the 27 Hands of the Cause of God” eliminated the executive branch from the Baha’i faith, and in so doing, completely usurped the entire foundation of justice that was the point of Baha’u’llah’s revelation: “The legislative body must reinforce the executive, the executive must aid and assist the legislative body so that through the close union and harmony of these two forces, the foundation of fairness and justice may become firm and strong, that all the regions of the world may become even as Paradise itself.”
 

Following are excerpts from the “Unanimous Proclamation of the 27 Hands of the Cause of God.” In it, the Hands (who were no longer Hands at all, since Shoghi was dead) broke the Covenant by assigning themselves “all such functions, rights and powers in succession to the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, His Eminence the last Shoghi Effendi Rabbani….”
 

“We the undersigned… in our capacity as Hands of the Cause of God… do Hereby Unanimously Resolve and Proclaim As Follows:
 

“Whereas The Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, His Eminence the late Shoghi Effendi Rabbani, passed away in London (England) on the 4th of November, 1957, without having appointed his successor [hmmm, what about the IBC?];
 

“And Whereas it is now fallen upon us as Chief Stewards of the Baha’i World Faith to preserve the UNITY, the security and the development of the Baha’i World Community and all its institutions;
 

“And Whereas in accordance with the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha ‘the Hands of the Cause of God must elect from their own number nine persons that shall at all times be occupied in the important services in the work of the Guardian of the Cause of God;’
 

“We nominate and appoint from our own number to act on our behalf as the Custodians of the Baha’i World Faith… [Nine names follow, with Ruhiyyih Khanum, Shoghi Effendi’s widow, at the top of the list].
 

“…to exercise… all such functions, rights and powers in succession to the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, His Eminence the last Shoghi Effendi Rabbani… until such time as the Universal House of Justice… may otherwise determine.”
 

Thus in the above Proclamation printed on pp. 28-31 of “Ministry of the Custodians,” the Hands declared that:
 

Shoghi Effendi had broken the Covenant by neglecting to appoint a successor “in his own life-time” as was “incumbent” upon him according to Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament;
The successor Shoghi Effendi did appoint in accordance with the provisions of Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament, the International Baha’i Council, was not really his successor;
The Hands were therefore, without any proof whatsoever from Abdu’l-Baha or Baha’u’llah, the successor to Shoghi Effendi.
 

Thus it was that the Hands took over all the “functions, rights and powers” that should have gone to Shoghi Effendi’s true successor, the IBC. In one fell swoop, these Hands eliminated both the executive and legislative branches of the Baha’i World Commonwealth, both of which had been promised to be everlasting according to numerous everlasting Covenants of God, not the least of which was the Covenant of the everlasting Father, Baha’u’llah. The believers then followed these Hands into the black pit of error!
 

Baha’u’llah Foretold that an Oppression would Enter the Baha’i Faith
 

This “darkness of the night of error,” which is the “essential feature of every Revelation,” was prophesied by Baha’u’llah:
 

“As to the words – ‘Immediately after the oppression of those days’ – they refer to the time when men shall become oppressed and afflicted, the time when the lingering traces of the Sun of Truth and the fruit of the Tree of knowledge and wisdom will have vanished from the midst of men, when the reins of mankind will have fallen into the grasp of the foolish and ignorant, when the portals of divine unity and understanding – the essential and highest purpose in creation – will have been closed, when certain knowledge will have given way to idle fancy, and corruption will have usurped the station of righteousness. Such a condition as this is witnessed in this day when the reins of every community have fallen into the grasp of foolish leaders, who lead after their own whims and desire. On their tongue the mention of God hath become an empty name; in their midst His holy Word a dead letter….
 

“Their hearts seem not to be inclined to knowledge and the door thereof, neither think they of its manifestations, inasmuch as in idle fancy they have found the door that leadeth unto earthly riches, whereas in the manifestation of the Revealer of knowledge they find naught but the call to self-sacrifice. They therefore naturally hold fast unto the former, and flee from the latter. Though they recognize in their hearts the Law of God to be one and the same, yet from every direction they issue a new command, and in every season proclaim a fresh decree. No two are found to agree on one and the same law, for they seek no God but their own desire, and tread no path but the path of error. In leadership they have recognized the ultimate object of their endeavour, and account pride and haughtiness as the highest attainments of their heart’s desire. They have placed their sordid machinations above the divine decree, have renounced resignation unto the will of God, busied themselves with selfish calculation, and walked in the way of the hypocrite. With all their power and strength they strive to secure themselves in their petty pursuits, fearful lest the least discredit undermine their authority or blemish the display of their magnificence. Were the eye to be anointed and illumined with the collyrium of the knowledge of God, it would surely discover that a number of voracious beasts have gathered and preyed upon the carrion of the souls of men.
 

“What ‘oppression’ is greater than that which hath been recounted? What ‘oppression’ is more grievous than that a soul seeking the truth, and wishing to attain unto the knowledge of God, should know not where to go for it and from whom to seek it? For opinions have sorely differed, and the ways unto the attainment of God have multiplied. This ‘oppression’ is the ESSENTIAL FEATURE OF EVERY REVELATION. Unless it cometh to pass, the Sun of Truth will not be made manifest. For the break of the morn of divine guidance must needs follow the darkness of the night of error. For this reason, in all chronicles and traditions reference hath been made unto these things, namely that iniquity shall cover the surface of the earth and darkness shall envelop mankind… by ‘oppression’ is meant the want of capacity to acquire spiritual knowledge and apprehend the Word of God. By it is meant that when the Day-star of Truth hath set, and the mirrors that reflect His light have departed, mankind will become afflicted with “oppression” and hardship, knowing not whither to turn for guidance” (Baha’u’llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, pp. 29-32).
 

The Hands who broke the Covenant were Bogus, But the Baha’is Didn’t Protest
 

Again, the “Hands” who executed this coup were not even legitimately Hands any more! Upon Shoghi’s death, the next executive had the right to choose new Hands. When the executive or president appoints an assistant, a “Hand,” this Hand is supposed to operate in complete obedience to the instructions of the executive or president.
 

“It is incumbent upon… the Hands of the Cause of God to show their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the Guardian of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him. He that opposeth him hath opposed the True One, will make a breach in the Cause of God, will subvert His Word and will become a manifestation of the Center of Sedition. Beware, beware, lest the days after the ascension (of Baha’u’llah) be repeated when the Center of Sedition waxed haughty and rebellious and with Divine Unity for his excuse deprived himself and perturbed and poisoned others. No doubt every vainglorious one that purposeth dissension and discord will not openly declare his evil purposes, nay rather, even as impure gold, will he seize upon divers measures and various pretexts that he may separate the gathering of the people of Baha. My object is to show that the Hands of the Cause of God must be ever watchful and so soon as they find anyone beginning to oppose and protest against the Guardian of the Cause of God, cast him out from the congregation of the people of Baha and in no wise accept any excuse from him. How often hath grievous error been disguised in the garb of truth, that it might sow the seeds of doubt in the hearts of men!” (Will and Testament, pp. 11-12)
 

“The Hands of the Cause of God must be nominated and appointed by the Guardian of the Cause of God. All must be under his shadow and obey his command. Should any, within or without the company of the Hands of the Cause of God disobey and seek division, the wrath of God and His vengeance will be upon him, for he will have caused a breach in the true Faith of God….
 

“This body of the Hands of the Cause of God is under the direction of the Guardian of the Cause of God…. To disregard, though it be for a moment, this absolute command which is binding upon everyone, is in no wise permitted…” (Will and Testament, pp. 12-13).
 

Abdu’l-Baha makes it indisputably clear that the “Hands” are to obey the “head,” which is the guardian. Once the head has passed into the next realm, there is no one to be obedient to, so the Hands can no longer function as Hands. They are meant to retire and allow the next executive to choose his own Hands. Therefore, these “Hands” that broke the Covenant were bogus [someone who pretends to be what he’s not].
 

Furthermore, all this took place without the remotest ripple of protest from the believers! Not one person stood up to question the Hands’ doings, when they claimed they “found themselves called upon to seize the helm of their Faith” (Preface, MC, p. xix). Obviously, these believers were not firm in the Covenant! They were not educated! “…Open your eyes! Pay heed! Release yourselves from this blind following of the bigots, this senseless imitation which is the principal reason why men fall away into paths of ignorance and degradation” (Abdu’l-Baha, Secret of Divine Civilization, pp. 103-104).
 

In spite of the fact that there was no protest from the believers directly after Shoghi Effendi’s death, most people, including Ruhiyyih Khanum, had been well aware that Shoghi Effendi had set up the IBC as his successor.
 

For example, in 1958, the “Israeli Year Book,” an encyclopedia of Israeli history published yearly, listed the IBC as the head of the Baha’i Faith, with Mason Remey as its president. In 1959, this had been changed so the Custodian Hands were listed as the head of the Baha’i Faith.
 

As well, people from all over the world wrote to the IBC, and not to the Hands, to express their condolences for Shoghi Effendi’s death. “Messages of condolence continue to arrive at the International Baha’i Council from all parts of the world, from government heads, educators and people from all walks of life” (MC, p. 27).
 

The Hands put a stop to this practice right away. In a letter to the Baha’i Friends dated December 2, 1957 they stated: “P.S. All correspondence should be addressed from now on to ‘The Baha’i Hands of the Cause in the Holy Land, P.O. Box 155, Haifa, Israel.’ Cable address HANDSFAITH HAIFA” (Ministry of the Custodians, 1957-1963, p. 41).
 

The Hands Usurp the Powers of the IBC in their “Proclamation” from their First Conclave
 

Again, on November 25, 1957, the Hands published their “Proclamation” from their “First Conclave.” A conclave is a “private or secret meeting.” There were six secret conclaves held, one each in ’57, ’58, ’59, ‘60, ’61 and ’62.
 

Obviously these conclaves were all about getting at the truth, and using proofs to do it… NOT!
If these Hands were just, they would have used proofs to validate their stance on the issues. After all, Baha’u’llah spoke of the use of proof in high and lofty terms: “Through this Cause the day-star of testimony hath dawned, and the luminary of PROOF hath shed its radiance upon all that dwell on earth” (Baha’u’llah, The Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 80).
 

The Hands went into these conclaves without proof. They were not interested in proof during the conclaves. And they came out of the conclaves without proof.
 

They admit they went into the conclaves with no proof: “…we were faced with problems of inconceivable magnitude. How to assume the reins of authority, with NO DOCUMENT TO SUPPORT US, other than general theological statements about the Hands?” (Ministry of the Custodians, p. 9)
 

So, rather than ask themselves how the sacred decree of God was fulfilled in Shoghi Effendi’s plans, these Hands went into their conclaves with this attitude: “It is foolish to ask questions of history; it is even more foolish to ask questions of the Almighty” (Preface, Ministry of the Custodians, p. xxi).
 

The Hands were not interested in proof during the conclaves. If they were, they would not have pulled the following stunt to conceal their doings. At the first conclave, “a policy was established that no notes of individual Hands would be taken out of that hall, but would be gathered and burned at the end of the day by one of the Hands…. Any carelessness, any gossip or speculation… could have divided the Hands from each other and split the Baha’i Faith” (Ministry of the Custodians, Introduction, p. 10).
 

Finally, the Hands put forth no proof whatsoever from the Will and Testament to substantiate their claim to be the successor to Shoghi Effendi. They burned their notes and made it an anathema [the gravest ecclesiastical censure… involves total expulsion… excommunication] to deviate from the dogma they contrived during these conclaves.
 

To return to our subject, on November 25, 1957, the Hands published their “Proclamation” from their “First Conclave.” In it they stated:
 

“It was likewise certified that the beloved Guardian had left no heir. …Meanwhile the entire body of the Hands, assembled by the nine Hands of the World Centre, will decide when and how the International Baha’i Council is to evolve through the successive stages outlined by the Guardian, culminating in the call to election of the Universal House of Justice by the membership of all National Spiritual Assemblies. When that divinely ordained Body comes into existence, all the conditions of the Faith can be examined anew and the measures necessary for its future operation determined in consultation with the Hands of the Cause.”
 

Later, when the Hands republished the statement above, they added: “This includes the subject of the Guardianship” (Ministry of the Custodians, p. 169).
 

I’d like to make two basic points about the above quote.
 

(1) The IBC was a living organism prior to the passing of Shoghi Effendi. It was a living organism in embryo. In carefully choosing the terms to describe the IBC, it is intrinsic in Shoghi Effendi’s statements that he had given the IBC, and NOT THE HANDS the responsibility of deciding how and when the IBC is to EVOLVE. The words Shoghi Effendi used to describe the IBC were: “Nascent,” “embryonic,” “evolution,” “development,” “transformation,” “efflorescence,” and “fruition.” Following is what Shoghi Effendi published to the entire Baha’i World in a cablegram:
 

“NASCENT [meaning in the process of being born] Institution now created is invested with threefold function… To these will be added further functions in course of EVOLUTION of this first EMBRYONIC International Institution, marking its DEVELOPMENT into officially recognized Baha’i Court, its TRANSFORMATION into duly elected body, its EFFLORESCENCE into Universal House of Justice, and its final FRUITION through erection of manifold auxiliary institutions constituting the World Administrative Center destined to arise and function and remain permanently established in close neighborhood of Twin Holy Shrines….” – Shoghi [Cablegram, January 9, 1951] (Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World, pp. 7-8)
 

In any EMBRYO, the plan for its own EVOLUTION is latent within it. This fact is explained by Abdu’l-Baha:
 

“All beings, whether large or small, were created perfect and complete from the first, but their perfections appear in them by degrees. The organization of God is one; the EVOLUTION of existence is one; the divine system is one. Whether they be small or great beings, all are subject to one law and system. Each seed has in it from the first all the vegetable perfections. For example, in the seed all the vegetable perfections exist from the beginning, but not visibly; afterward little by little they appear. So it is first the shoot which appears from the seed, then the branches, leaves, blossoms and fruits; but from the beginning of its existence all these things are in the seed, potentially, though not apparently.
 

“In the same way, the EMBRYO POSSESSES FROM THE FIRST all perfections, such as the spirit, the mind, the sight, the smell, the taste – in one word, all the powers – but they are not visible and become so only by degrees…. For the supreme organization of God, and the universal natural system, surround all beings, and ALL ARE SUBJECT TO THIS RULE” (`Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 199).
 

Again, the Hands stated that THEY, and not the IBC, “will decide when and how the International Baha’i Council is to evolve through the successive stages outlined by the Guardian.” In stating this, the Hands usurped some of the primary functions, powers and responsibilities that Shoghi Effendi had assigned to the IBC.
 

(2) The next statement made by the Hands in their Proclamation that I take issue with is the following: “…culminating in the call to election of the Universal House of Justice by the membership of all National Spiritual Assemblies.” Abdu’l-Baha planned for the Universal House of Justice to be elected by secondary Houses of Justice, not National Spiritual Assemblies, as the Hands stated above. According to Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament, p. 14: “And now, concerning the House of Justice which God hath ordained as the source of all good and freed from all error, it must be elected by universal suffrage, that is, by the believers…. By this House is meant the Universal House of Justice, that is, in all countries a secondary House of Justice must be instituted, and these secondary Houses of Justice must elect the members of the Universal one.”
 

What is the difference between a secondary House of Justice and a National Spiritual Assembly (NSA)? Shoghi Effendi explains that the National Spiritual Assemblies must evolve until they “acquire the weight” that will enable them to “approach their sacred task, and provide the spiritual basis for the constitution of so august a body.” This “august body” is the third stage of Shoghi Effendi’s four-stage UHJ: the “”duly elected body.” Shoghi Effendi said the National Spiritual Assemblies must: “…add to their present functions those powers, duties, and prerogatives necessitated by the recognition of the Faith of Baha’u’llah, not merely as one of the recognized religious systems of the world, but as the State Religion of an independent and Sovereign Power.”
 

“Regarding the establishment of ‘National Assemblies,’ it is of vital importance that in every country, where the conditions are favorable and the number of the friends has grown and reached a considerable size… a ‘National Spiritual Assembly’ be immediately established, representative of the friends throughout that country.
 

“It serves also another purpose…, as in the course of time it shall evolve into the National House of Justice (referred to in Abdu’l-Baha’s Will as the ‘secondary House of Justice’)” (Shoghi Effendi, Baha’i Administration, p. 39).
 

“For reasons which are not difficult to discover, it has been found advisable to bestow upon the elected representatives of Baha’i communities throughout the world the temporary appellation of Spiritual Assemblies, a term which, as the position and aims of the Baha’i Faith are better understood and more fully recognized, will gradually be superseded by the permanent and more appropriate designation of House of Justice. Not only will the present-day Spiritual Assemblies be styled differently in future, but they will be enabled also to add to their present functions those powers, duties, and prerogatives necessitated by the recognition of the Faith of Baha’u’llah, not merely as one of the recognized religious systems of the world, but as the State Religion of an independent and Sovereign Power. …not until they have acquired the weight and the experience that will enable them to function vigorously in the organic life of the Cause, can they approach their sacred task, and provide the spiritual basis for the constitution of so august a body in the Baha’i world” (Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Baha’u’llah, pp. 6-7).
 

Therefore, the difference between a National Spiritual Assembly and a secondary or National House of Justice is that the National Houses of Justice will have powers, duties and prerogatives of a religious court within a Sovereign Power wherein the Baha’i Faith is the State Religion. This is not the plan that the Hands executed. This is a far cry from what they did.
 

The fact that Baha’u’llah, Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi planned for the Baha’i World Commonwealth to be at a much more evolved stage of evolution prior to the election of the third stage of the UHJ, titled the “duly elected body,” or the “world tribunal” is proven by other quotes as well. This duly elected body is designed to begin ruling on disputes between its member nations. In order to rule on disputes between nations, this means the governments of the nations themselves must be involved in sending the representatives to this “duly elected body:”
 

“…the institution of a world tribunal for the adjudication of disputes between nations” (Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, p. 281).
 

“In His Epistles He asked the parliaments of the world to send their wisest and best men to an international world conference which should decide all questions between the peoples and establish universal peace. This would be the highest court of appeal, and the parliament of man so long dreamed of by poets and idealists would be realized. Its accomplishment would be more far-reaching than the Hague tribunal” (Abdu’l-Baha, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 389).
 

“…[A] world parliament whose members shall be elected by the people in their respective countries and whose election shall be confirmed by their respective governments…” (World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 41).
 

“It is necessary that the nations and governments organize an international tribunal to which all their disputes and differences shall be referred” (`Abdu’l-Baha, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 301).
 

“He exhorted them to peace and international agreement, making it incumbent upon them to establish a board of international arbitration — that from all nations and governments of the world there should be delegates selected for a congress of nations which should constitute a universal arbitral court of justice to settle international disputes” (`Abdu’l-Baha, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 203).
 

“It is necessary that the nations and governments organize an international tribunal to which all their disputes and differences shall be referred…” (`Abdu’l-Baha, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 301).
 

“Once the Parliament of Man is established and its constituent parts organized, the governments of the world having entered into a covenant of eternal friendship will have no need of keeping large standing armies and navies” (`Abdu’l-Baha, Peace, p. 172).
 

Once the first duly elected body includes charter members from nations and governments, then this body can evolve to include “all the governments” from “every nation,” as has been foretold:
 

“For example, the question of universal peace, about which Baha’u’llah says that the Supreme Tribunal must be established: although the League of Nations has been brought into existence, yet it is incapable of establishing universal peace. But the Supreme Tribunal which Baha’u’llah has described will fulfil this sacred task with the utmost might and power. And His plan is this: that the national assemblies of each country and nation – that is to say parliaments – should elect two or three persons who are the choicest men of that nation, and are well informed concerning international laws and the relations between governments and aware of the essential needs of the world of humanity in this day. The number of these representatives should be in proportion to the number of inhabitants of that country. The election of these souls who are chosen by the national assembly, that is, the parliament, must be confirmed by the upper house, the congress and the cabinet and also by the president or monarch so these persons may be the elected ones of all the nation and the government. From among these people the members of the Supreme Tribunal will be elected, and all mankind will thus have a share therein, for every one of these delegates is fully representative of his nation. When the Supreme Tribunal gives a ruling on any international question, either unanimously or by majority rule, there will no longer be any pretext for the plaintiff or ground of objection for the defendant. In case any of the governments or nations, in the execution of the irrefutable decision of the Supreme Tribunal, be negligent or dilatory, the rest of the nations will rise up against it, because all the governments and nations of the world are the supporters of this Supreme Tribunal. Consider what a firm foundation this is! But by a limited and restricted League the purpose will not be realized as it ought and should. This is the truth about the situation, which has been stated…” (Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of `Abdu’l-Baha, pp. 306-307).
 

“Should differences arise, they shall be amicably and conclusively settled by the Supreme Tribunal, that shall include members from all the governments and peoples of the world” (`Abdu’l-Baha, Will and Testament, p. 13).
 

“A Supreme Tribunal shall be elected by the peoples and Governments of every nation, where members from each country and Government shall assemble in unity” (Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 132).
 

“A Supreme Tribunal shall be established by the peoples and Governments of every nation, composed of members elected from each country and Government.” (Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 155)
 

“Disarmament is surely coming, but it must come, and it will come, by the universal consent of the civilized nations of the earth. By international agreement they will lay down their arms and the great era of peace will be ushered in. In this and no other way can peace be established upon the earth” (Extracts from interview with newspaper reporter, quoted in “Abdu’l-Baha in Canada” — Thornhill: Baha’i Canada Publications, 1987, pp. 34-35; Abdu’l-Baha, Peace, pp. 171-172).
 

Also, the nations who send elected representatives to this duly elected body, will have evolved to the point where the entire nation can confirm the representative. This warrants a “blending of church and state.”
 

“He has ordained and established the House of Justice, which is endowed with a political as well as a religious function, the consummate union and blending of church and state” (Abdu’l-Baha, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 455).
 

Shoghi Effendi also elaborates on an epistle written by Baha’u’llah, saying it refers to the “curtailment of unfettered national sovereignty as an indispensable preliminary to the formation of the future Commonwealth of all the nations of the world… Some form of a world super-state must needs be evolved… such indeed, appears, in its broadest outline, the Order anticipated by Baha’u’llah, an Order that shall come to be regarded as the fairest fruit of a slowly maturing age” (Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Baha’u’llah, pp. 40-41).
 

(3) In the “Proclamation” of the “First Conclave” the Hands decided: “…the entire body of the Hands… will decide when and how the International Baha’i Council is to evolve through the successive stages outlined by the Guardian.” Here, they forgot the word “whether:” The Hands will decide when, how and WHETHER the IBC is to evolve through the successive stages outlined by the Guardian. The reason I say this is because the Hands completely eliminated the second stage outlined by the Guardian, that of the “officially recognized Baha’i Court.” Their excuse for not doing this stage was: “We wish to assure the believers that every effort will be made to establish a Baha’i Court in the Holy Land prior to the date for this election [the election of the “Hands” version of the IBC and UHJ]. We should bear in mind that the Guardian himself clearly indicated this goal, due to the strong trend towards the secularization of Religious Courts in this part of the world, might not be achieved” (Conclave Message, 1959, pp. 166-170). This was the only excuse they gave for skipping stage #2 of Shoghi Effendi’s four-stage plan for the Universal House of Justice.

  Mason Remey had a right to think he was the next guardian, even though he was not an infallible guardian or the individual successor to Shoghi Effendi’s unique station. Nevertheless, Mason Remey was warmly welcomed as the president of the IBC, which made him the “sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body.” He was the head of the IBC that would evolve into the UHJ. He was also the head of a body that was to be the recipient of the “conferred infallibility.” The entire IBC was Shoghi Effendi’s successor, and its president, Mason Remey, was the heir to the title of guardian. However Mason Remey was not, and none of his successors ever would be, in and of themselves, infallible.
 

To go into this a little deeper, there were two blessings given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that are fulfilled in the World Order of Baha’u’llah: “A company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall spring from you” (Gen. 35:11). Both these promises are fulfilled with the government brought by Baha’u’llah. The nations are those nations whose people send representatives to the UHJ. These people are “grafted in” to the inheritance, promise, or Covenant, based on their belief in it. These people are the heirs to the kingdom of God on earth. The first line of Baha’u’llah’s Covenant states: “Although the Most High Horizon is devoid of the trivial possessions of the earth, We have bequeathed to Our heirs an noble and peerless heritage, taken out from the treasure house of trust and resignation” (Baha’u’llah, Kitab-I-Ahd, p. 1).
 

Baha’u’llah speaks in other places of the kingdom of God on earth being the inheritance given to those who believe in Him: “Grieve thou not over those that have busied themselves with the things of this world, and have forgotten the remembrance of God, the Most Great. By Him Who is the Eternal Truth! The day is approaching when the wrathful anger of the Almighty will have taken hold of them. He, verily, is the Omnipotent, the All-Subduing, the Most Powerful. He shall cleanse the earth from the defilement of their corruption, and shall give it for an heritage unto such of His servants as are nigh unto Him” (Baha’u’llah, Gleanings, p. 208).
 

Even the Bible foretold this: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt. 5:5).
 

The Covenant is often represented as the tree of life: “This Tree of Life is the Book of the Covenant” (`Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith, p. 429). The principle of grafting the believers onto the tree of life or Covenant, and cutting off the dry and weak natural branches, was spoken about in the Bible. Part of Jesus’ mission was to save the sinners, who were often gentiles. A gentile was anyone who was not Jewish. According to Paul’s letter to the Galatians, believers in Jesus would be heirs to the blessings promised to Abraham and his descendants: “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise” (Galatians 3:29). Paul also speaks of this in his letter to the Romans: “You will say, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe” (Romans 11:19-20).
 

Baha’u’llah’s government fulfills the promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob that a company of nations would come from among their descendants. Baha’u’llah’s government also fulfills the promise that kings would come forth from a specific lineage of their descendants. Baha’u’llah was seated on the throne of David. He was a direct descendant of King David through Bostanai, the last exiled monarch on the throne of David. This man married the oldest daughter of Yazdigird III, the last king of the throne of Persia. Upon his death, he wanted his sons with his Persian wife to be his heirs, but his first wife who was Jewish, opposed this and tried to prevent the sons of the Persian princess from becoming the heirs to the throne of David. So the Persian princess fled from Baghdad where she had lived with Bostanai prior to his death with her three young boys, the younger sons of Bostanai. She went to live with her brother in Persia, and changed her name and the names of her sons to be the same as the name of her brother. From then on in, the kings of the lineage of Persia were one and the same with the kings of the lineage of King David. Baha’u’llah descended from these sons of the Persian princess and the last well-known man seated on the throne of David, the Exilarch named Bostanai.
 

Baha’u’llah stated on p. 89 of His Proclamation of Baha’u’llah, that He ruled on the throne of David. Therefore Baha’u’llah’s kingdom, or more specifically the UHJ, fulfills both the promises to Abraham: 1. That “kings shall spring from you” and 2. a “company of nations shall come from you” (Genesis 17:6). The company of nations are the believers who send representatives to the UHJ, and make up the legislative branch; and the kings are the guardians who chair the meetings and make up the executive branch.
 

The promise of the kings went from Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to Judah, to David, all the way down, most often from father to son in the male line, to Baha’u’llah. Baha’u’llah then bequeathed this inheritance to Abdu’l-Baha, and Abdu’l-Baha adopted a gentile, Mason Remey. At this point, the scepter of the kings departed from the line of Judah, and went to a gentile. This “chosen branch” was then appointed to be the president and head of the IBC, thus the “sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body.” That body is the IBC that would evolve through four stages to become the UHJ. The fact that Mason Remey was adopted into the lineage of Baha’u’llah by Abdu’l-Baha was no secret to Shoghi Effendi. In fact, Shoghi Effendi sealed the adoption according to the laws of Palestine where Abdu’l-Baha lived, by passing onto Mason Remey a token of inheritance.
 

To explain: Abdu’l-Baha lived in Palestine, which was part of the Ottoman empire. According to Ottoman law, the adoption of a son was to be carried out in this way — the adopter was responsible to publicly declare the adoption of a son or daughter, and upon their death, a token of inheritance was given to the adopted son or daughter by the adopter, thus sealing the adoption and giving them the hereditary rights to the inheritance of their adoptive parent. They would be given a token of what they would be inheriting from their adoptive parent. For instance, if the inheritance were a plot of ground, the adopted son or daughter would be given a clod of earth as a token of that inheritance.
 

At the time of the sealing of the agreement the adopted son or daughter would, by law, attain to all rights of a natural-born son or daughter. Whatever rights and privileges a father had by birth, would be passed on to the adopted son or daughter. The son or daughter would also acquire all the rights to the parent’s physical property that were specified by law or by their will.
 

Abdu’l-Baha made a public proclamation that he was adopting Mason Remey as his son and adopted heir to the throne of David that Baha’u’llah sat upon. Several announcements were made. One announcement came out in the Star of the West, a Baha’i publication that was distributed throughout the Baha’i world. In Volume Ten, Number Eight, page 144, Abdu’l-Baha writes: “To his honor Mr. Remey, O my dear Son….”
 

In Star of the West, Volume Eleven, Number 13, page 229, in a “Recent Tablet of Abdu’l-Baha to Charles Mason Remey,” Abdu’l-Baha writes: “O thou enlightened beloved Son.”
 

In addition, in a book written by one of the early believers is a quote from a letter Abdu’l-Baha wrote to Mason. It says: “You are very dear to me. You are so dear that I think of you day and night. You are my real son, therefore I have an idea for you, I hope it may come to pass.”
 

Abdu’l-Baha’s adoption of Mason Remey was then sealed when Shoghi Effendi passed a token of inheritance on to Mason. Shoghi Effendi, as the executor of `Abdu’l-Baha’s estate, delivered to Mason Remey an envelope containing a small packet with blood and hair from Baha’u’llah. The blood is a token of the fact that Mason inherited Baha’u’llah’s lineage or bloodline. The hair was a token of the fact that Mason inherited the right to be seated at the “head” of the UHJ, which would be the supreme authority in the kingdom of God on earth. A note was written on the outside envelope in Shoghi Effendi’s handwriting:
 

“Of all the remnants of Baha’u’llah’s all-sacred Person, the most hallowed, the most precious, confidently delivered into the hands of my brother and co-worker in the Cause of God, Mr. Remey” (Shoghi, March 1922).
 

Another note was hand-written on the packet itself:
 

This is the paper that contained the blood and hair of Baha’u’llah, passed from Shoghi Effendi to Mason Remey as a token of the sacred inheritance that Abdu’l-Baha wanted to bequeath upon Mason Remey.
 

“Coagulated drops of Baha’u’llah’s All-Sacred Blood and Ringlets of His Most Blessed Locks presented as my most precious possession to `Abdu’l-Baha’s ‘dear son’ Mr. Charles Mason Remey as a token of my Baha’i affection and brotherly love. Shoghi”
 

Shoghi Effendi sealed the adoption by passing along this blood and hair of Baha’u’llah, a sacred inheritance, from Abdu’l-Baha’s estate to Mason Remey. `Abdu’l-Baha, a descendant of King David, adopted Mason Remey, making Mason Remey an adopted descendant of King David. This lineage is to last forever. When Shoghi Effendi appointed Mason Remey to be seated at the head of the IBC, the embryonic Universal House of Justice, he was continuing this lineage of David. He intended for Mason Remey and his descendants to be the presidents of the Universal House of Justice. Thus Mason inherited the blessing of the kings from Abdu’l-Baha.
 

I will now return to the subject of the arguments the Hands gave as to why Mason Remey could not be the guardian.
 

“If the President of the International Baha’i Council is ipso facto [by that very fact] the Guardian of the Baha’i Faith, then the beloved Guardian, himself, Shoghi Effendi, would have had to be the President of the first International Baha’i Council” (Ministry of the Custodians, p. 234).
 

The reason Shoghi Effendi was not seated as the president of the first International Baha’i Council is, he was a “unique and priceless pearl,” grafted into Muhammad Ali’s place as the “Greater Branch.” He was the only individual who, according to Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament, had the “unerring guidance of His Holiness, the Exalted One.” After Shoghi Effendi, only the UHJ, set up to evolve through four stages, could have this unerring guidance according to Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament. This unerring guidance should therefore have gone to the IBC with the guardian at its head. All the guardians after Shoghi Effendi would be seated at the head of the IBC/UHJ. However as individuals, none of them would ever be infallible. Rather, they would be seated at the head of an infallible body whose members, after praying to God and searching the Baha’i revelation, would settle matters through unanimous consent or majority rule vote.
 

Shoghi Effendi had the conferred infallibility in and of himself, so there is no way he could have been seated at the head of the IBC. This would have compromised his “unique” station as the Center of the Cause. It was no mistake that Shoghi Effendi did not place himself at the head of the IBC. Keep in mind, to be infallible or to have the unerring guidance of His Holiness, means you are guarded from mistake: “…that House of Justice will be under the protection and the unerring guidance of God. If that House of Justice shall decide unanimously, or by a majority, upon any question not mentioned in the Book, that decision and command will be guarded from mistake” (`Abdu’l-Baha, Some Answered Questions, p. 172).
 

Again, another bogus argument put forth by the “Hands:” “If the presidency of the first International Baha’i Council, which was not an elected body but appointed by Shoghi Effendi, was a permanent thing, why did the beloved Guardian himself call for an elected International Baha’i Council in the future as part of the evolution of this institution and its eventual efflorescence into the Universal House of Justice?” (Ministry of the Custodians, p. 234).
 

Actually, Shoghi Effendi did not call for “an elected International Baha’i Council.” Shoghi Effendi’s words were: “in course of evolution of this first embryonic International Institution, marking its development into officially recognized Baha’i Court, its transformation into DULY ELECTED BODY, its efflorescence into Universal House of Justice….” [Cablegram, January 9, 1951] (Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World, pp. 7-8)
 

The Hands completely eliminated the IBC’s “development into officially recognized Baha’i Court.” This court would eliminate the title “International Baha’i Council,” because it would not be a council any more, it would be a court, an “international Baha’i court” (Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World, p. 152).
 

To go into this a little deeper, I will have to explain Shoghi Effendi’s cablegram wherein he set up the IBC. “Nascent Institution now created is invested with threefold function: first, to forge link with authorities of newly emerged State; second, to assist me to discharge responsibilities involved in erection of mighty superstructure of the Bab’s Holy Shrine; third, to conduct negotiations related to matters of personal status with civil authorities. To these will be added further functions in course of evolution of this first embryonic International Institution, marking its development into officially recognized Baha’i Court, its transformation into duly elected body, its efflorescence into Universal House of Justice…” [Cablegram, January 9, 1951] (Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World, pp. 7-8).
 

I’d like to call attention to the IBC’s assigned functions to “forge link with authorities of newly emerged State,” and “to conduct negotiations related to matters of personal statues with civil authorities.” The newly emerged State was the State of Israel. The State of Israel was set up as an independent republic on May 14, 1948, on the day the British mandate over Palestine ended. The British mandate began in 1920 after World War I ended. In World War I the Allied Powers, which included Great Britain, won over the Central Powers, which included Turkey. Turkey was the seat of the Ottoman Empire, and had control of Palestine. During World War I Turkey became allies with Germany, Austria-Hungary and Bulgaria, and lost.
 

The winners were the Allied Powers, and these included Great Britain. The Allied Powers divided up the spoils, so-to-speak, and the League of Nations set up a British mandate over Palestine. The League of Nations had been set up back in 1920 to promote international cooperation and to achieve international peace and security. The League lacked the means to enforce its decisions and was unable to prevent World War II. The League of Nations was dissolved in 1946, only to be succeeded by the United Nations. The League of Nations was fashioned after Baha’u’llah’s plan for settling international disputes, but Abdu’l-Baha predicted it would not be capable of preventing war: “For example, the question of universal peace, about which Baha’u’llah says that the Supreme Tribunal must be established: although the League of Nations has been brought into existence, yet it is incapable of establishing universal peace. But the Supreme Tribunal which Baha’u’llah has described will fulfill this sacred task with the utmost might and power” (`Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of `Abdu’l-Baha, p. 306).
 

The “mandate” of Great Britain over Palestine meant that Great Britain was given a commission to administer Palestine as a trustee. After the mandate ended, the State of Israel was set up. It was Shoghi Effendi’s intention that the IBC should “forge link with authorities of newly emerged State.” This meant that Shoghi Effendi wanted the communication between the Baha’is and the State of Israel to be done through the IBC. Why? The IBC would succeed him, of course! This gave the State of Israel the idea that the IBC was the official body over the Baha’i Faith. This is why the “Israeli Year Book of 1958″ listed the IBC with Mason Remey as its president, as the head of the Baha’i Faith. By the time of the “Israeli Year Book of 1959,” the Hands had made sure they were now as the head of the Baha’i Faith.
 

They wanted the WHOLE WORLD to just simply FORGET Shoghi Effendi’s plan. Why? …because their hearts “hath not the fragrance of the love of the exalted and glorious Arabian Youth….” (Holy Mariner prayer, Baha’ullah).
 

Prior to when the British were on the winning side in World War I, they had passed a declaration put forth by Lord Balfour in 1917 called the “Balfour Declaration.” This declaration stated that the British were supportive of “a national homeland for the Jews in Palestine.” As a result of this declaration, when the British mandate over Palestine ended in 1948 and the State of Israel was set up, it was set up with the intent that the Jews should have a homeland.
 

Since this “State” was freshly invented, its laws were freshly invented along with it. Included in these laws were provisions for religious courts, so Israeli Jews could have matters of personal status such as marriage, divorce, inheritance, etc., dealt with according to the laws of their own religion. In addition, Moslems should have a Moslem religious court. Following that pattern, Shoghi Effendi wanted the IBC to set up a Baha’i religious court. This is what he meant in his cablegram when he said he wanted the IBC to “conduct negotiations related to matters of personal status with civil authorities.” Personal status has to do with one’s legal status in matters related to themselves as person, rather than, for example, related to their property. One’s marital status is a matter of personal status, etc. Many of the laws of Baha’u’llah’s book of laws titled the Kitab-I-Aqdas (Most Holy Book) have to do with regulating matters of personal status.
 

Therefore, Shoghi Effendi’s plans for the IBC to mark its “development into officially recognized Baha’i court” had everything to do with these “negotiations related to matters of personal status with civil authorities.” In other words, Shoghi Effendi wanted the IBC to develop a relationship with the civil authorities of the newly formed State of Israel so it could begin establishing itself as an officially recognized religious court that would be allowed to make legal rulings on matters of personal status. From that time forward, the development of the UHJ would be the development of a court, not a council. It was Shoghi Effendi’s intention that the international level of administration of the Baha’i faith would evolve into an international appeals court for Baha’i religious courts in various nations. After it transformed itself into an international religious appeals court, it would no longer be titled a “council.” Following are some quotes referring to the development of this court.
 

“…The establishment of a Baha’i Court in the Holy Land, preliminary to the emergence of the Universal House of Justice” (Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World, p. 42).
 

“…The transformation of the International Baha’i Council into an international Baha’i court” (Shoghi Effendi, Messages to the Baha’i World, p. 152).
 

(Note: the following quote is not about the international Baha’i court, but about the establishment of a national Baha’i court, but it explains Shoghi Effendi’s basic ideas):
 

“It must be explained, however, that in the Muslim countries of the Near and Middle East, with the exception of Turkey which has lately abolished all ecclesiastical courts under its rule, every recognized religious community has, in matters of personal status such as marriage, divorce and
inheritance, its own ecclesiastical court, totally independent of the civil and criminal tribunals, there being in such instances no civil code promulgated by the government and embracing all the different religious communities. Hitherto regarded as a sect of Islam, the Baha’is of Egypt, who for the most part are of Muslim origin, and unable therefore to refer for purposes of marriage and divorce to the recognized religious tribunals of any other denomination, find themselves in consequence in a delicate and anomalous position. They have naturally resolved to refer their case to the Egyptian Government, and have prepared for this purpose a petition to be addressed to the head of the Egyptian Cabinet. In this document they have set forth the motives compelling them to seek recognition from their rulers, have asserted their readiness and their qualifications to exercise the functions of an independent Baha’i court, have assured them of their implicit obedience and loyalty to the State, and of their abstinence from interference in the politics of their country. They have also decided to accompany the text of their petition with a copy of the judgment of the Court, with selections from Baha’i writings, and with the document that sets forth the principles of their national constitution which, with few exceptions, is identical with the Declaration and By-laws promulgated by your Assembly.
 

“I have insisted that the provisions of their constitution should, in all its details, conform to the text of the Declaration of Trust and By-laws which you have established, endeavoring thereby to preserve the uniformity which I feel is essential in all Baha’i National Constitutions. I would like, therefore, in this connection to request of you what I have already intimated to them, that whatever amendments you may decide to introduce in the text of the Declaration and By-laws should be duly communicated to me, that I may take the necessary steps for the introduction of similar changes in the text of all other National Baha’i Constitutions” (Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Baha’u’llah, pp. 10-11).
 

“Other examples [of the principles of Baha’u’llah’s Revelation] are: the institution of the Supreme Court of Arbitration” (Abdu’l-Baha, Japan Will Turn Ablaze, p. 36)
 

“He [Baha’u’llah] exhorted them to peace and international agreement, making it incumbent upon them to establish a board of international arbitration — that from all nations and governments of the world there should be delegates selected for a congress of nations which should constitute a universal arbitral court of justice to settle international disputes” (`Abdu’l-Baha, Promulgation of
Universal Peace, p. 203).
 

“A Supreme Tribunal shall be established by the peoples and Governments of every nation, composed of members elected from each country and Government. The members of this Great Council shall assemble in unity. All disputes of an international character shall be submitted to this Court, its work being to arrange by arbitration everything which otherwise would be a cause
of war. The mission of this Tribunal would be to prevent war” (`Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 155).
 

“An arbitral court of justice shall be established by which international disputes are to be settled” (`Abdu’l-Baha, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 317).
 

“In His Epistles He asked the parliaments of the world to send their wisest and best men to an international world conference which should decide all questions between the peoples and establish universal peace. This would be the highest court of appeal, and the parliament of man so long dreamed of by poets and idealists would be realized. Its accomplishment would be more
far-reaching than the Hague tribunal” (`Abdu’l-Baha, Promulgation of Universal Peace, p. 389).
 

“Touching the point raised in the Secretary’s letter regarding the nature and scope of the Universal Court of Arbitration, this and other similar matters will have to be explained and elucidated by the Universal House of Justice, to which, according to the Master’s explicit instructions, all important and fundamental questions must be referred. At present the exact implication and full significance of the provisions of the Master’s Will are as yet imperfectly understood, and time will serve to reveal the wisdom and the far-reaching effects of His words” (Shoghi Effendi, Baha’i Administration, p. 47).
 

“For example, the question of universal peace, about which Baha’u’llah says that the Supreme Tribunal must be established: although the League of Nations has been brought into existence, yet it is incapable of establishing universal peace. But the Supreme Tribunal which Baha’u’llah has described will fulfil this sacred task with the utmost might and power. And His plan is this: that the national assemblies of each country and nation – that is to say parliaments – should elect two or three persons who are the choicest men of that nation, and are well informed concerning international laws and the relations between governments and aware of the essential needs of the world of humanity in this day. The number of these representatives should be in proportion to the number of inhabitants of that country. The election of these souls who are chosen by the national assembly, that is, the parliament, must be confirmed by the upper house, the congress and the cabinet and also by the president or monarch so these persons may be the elected ones of all the nation and the government. From among these people the members of the Supreme Tribunal will be elected, and all mankind will thus have a share therein, for every one of these delegates is fully representative of his nation. When the Supreme Tribunal gives a ruling on any international question, either unanimously or by majority rule, there will no longer be any pretext for the plaintiff or ground of objection for the defendant. In case any of the governments or nations, in the execution of the irrefutable decision of the Supreme Tribunal, be negligent or dilatory, the rest of the nations will rise up against it, because all the governments and nations of the world are the supporters of this Supreme Tribunal. Consider what a firm foundation this is! But by a limited and restricted League the purpose will not be realized as it ought and should. This is the truth about the situation, which has been stated…” (Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, pp. 306-307).
 

According to the above quotes, this “officially recognized Baha’i court,” and “its transformation into duly elected body,” would include the “parliaments of the world” which would “send their wisest and best men” who would decide “questions between people and establish universal peace.”
 

“International disputes would be settled” in this court, and its purpose would be “to prevent war.”
 

The “duly elected body,” therefore, must be “duly elected.” To be “duly elected,” it must not be “limited and restricted,” for example an “elected International Baha’i Council.” If it is, its “purpose will not be realized as it ought and should. This is the truth of the situation, which has been stated.” Even Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament points out that the “duly elected body” should include members from the “governments and peoples” (Will and Testament, p. 13). No government had any say whatsoever in the election of the bogus “Hands’” International Baha’i Council. Simply put, the IBC that the “Hands” had the believers elect, was not “duly elected!”
 

Hopefully I have adequately addressed the fact that the plan of Shoghi Effendi far surpassed in its vision the plan the Hands came up with for an elected IBC.
 

I will now repeat the Hands’ argument against Mason Remey being the guardian, and add to it their supporting points.
 

“If the presidency of the first International Baha’i Council, which was not an elected body but appointed by Shoghi Effendi, was a permanent thing, why did the beloved Guardian himself call for an elected International Baha’i Council in the future as part of the evolution of this institution and its eventual efflorescence into the Universal House of Justice?
 

“We have not even an intimation in any writing of Shoghi Effendi that the officers of the first appointed International Baha’i Council would be carried forward into the elected International Baha’i Council.
 

Excuse me, but what about the Will and Testament where it talks about the “sacred head and the distinguished member for life of that body?” Again, these bogus “Hands” would stop at NOTHING to hoodwink the believers, disguise their own motives, advance pretexts, confuse the situation, and so on. Once people break the Covenant, the sky is the limit on what they can dream up: “Follow not, therefore, your earthly desires, and violate not the Covenant of God, nor break your pledge to Him. With firm determination, with the whole affection of your heart, and with the full force of your words, turn ye unto Him, and walk not in the ways of the foolish” (Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 328).
 

According to the bogus “Hands:” “There is nothing to indicate anywhere in the Teachings that the officers of the elected International Baha’i Council would not be elected according to the pattern of election of every other Baha’i elected body” (Ministry of the Custodians, p. 234).
 

These Hands just blatantly went against the Will and Testament! Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi both spoke of the “law of primogeniture” as being an extremely important law that is preserved in the Baha’i dispensation via the guardianship. The “law of primogeniture” is the state or fact of being the firstborn of parents and this fact conferring the right to inherit in the event of intestacy, which is when someone dies without making a valid will.
 

“In a Tablet, Abdu’l-Baha… explains that this… is an expression of the law of primogeniture, which has invariably been upheld by the Law of God. In a Tablet to a follower of the Faith in Persia He wrote: ‘In all the Divine Dispensations the eldest son hath been given extraordinary distinctions. Even the station of prophethood hath been his birthright.’ With the distinctions given to the eldest son, however, go concomitant duties” (Baha’u’llah: Aqdas: Notes, p. 186).
 

“…in the verses of the Kitab-i-Aqdas the implications of which clearly anticipate the institution of the Guardianship; in the explanation which Abdu’l-Baha, in one of His Tablets, has given to, and the emphasis He has placed upon, the hereditary principle and the law of primogeniture as having been upheld by the Prophets of the past – in these we can discern the faint glimmerings and discover the earliest intimation of the nature and working of the Administrative Order which the Will of Abdu’l-Baha was at a later time destined to proclaim and formally establish” (Shoghi Effendi, World Order of Baha’u’llah, p. 147).
 

“Baha’u’llah designated Abdu’l-Baha, His eldest Son, as His Successor and the Interpreter of His Teachings. Abdu’l-Baha in His turn appointed His eldest grandson, Shoghi Effendi, to succeed Him as interpreter of the holy Writ and Guardian of the Cause. The interpretations of Abdu’l-Baha and Shoghi Effendi are considered divinely guided and are binding on the Baha’is” (Baha’u’llah, Aqdas, Notes, p. 221).
 

The bogus, trumped up, lying, deceitful “Hands” go on: “There is no possible reason for concluding that Mason Remey or any other Council member would automatically be carried forward into membership in that body” (Ministry of the Custodians, p. 234).
 

Well, I can think of a few reasons, even if the Hands couldn’t. To name only a few: The Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha, Tablets and Abdu’l-Baha, the writings of Shoghi Effendi, and the Covenants of God that go back thousands of years regarding the everlasting kings of the kingdom of God on earth.
 

Are you convinced that the Hands are Covenant-breakers yet?
 

The bogus “Hands,” lead by their fearless leader Ruhiyyih Khanum, go on and give another argument for why Mason Remey could not be the guardian:
 

“How can Mason Remey reconcile his assertion that he was appointed by Shoghi Effendi as his successor during his lifetime with the provisions in the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha that during the lifetime of the Guardian, nine of the Hands of the Cause of God must be elected by the fellow-Hands, and give their assent to the choice made by him of his successor? If the Guardian appointed Mason Remey, why did he go against the provisions of the Will in this important respect? Such an implication is a flagrant attack on Shoghi Effendi himself.”
 

That is the most contorted, narrow-minded argument ever. The fact that Shoghi Effendi never had the nine Hands take a secret ballot vote to give their assent to his successor has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that he did indeed appoint a successor. If you read the Will and Testament carefully, you will see that to accept Abdu’l-Baha’s authority as the Center of the Covenant is to accept that:
 

“This body of the Hands of the Cause of God is under the direction of the guardian of the Cause of God…. To disregard, though it be for a moment, this absolute command which is binding upon everyone, is in no wise permitted….”
 

Furthermore, Abdu’l-Baha states: “these [Hands]… MUST GIVE THEIR ASSENT to the choice of the one whom the guardian of the Cause of God hath chosen as his successor.”
 

Assent means: “to give expressed OR UNEXPESSED mental acceptance to the truth or rightness.”
 

To explain the difference between assent and consent, consider the following policy stated by the regulatory attorney at the Quorum Review Independent Review Board at quorumreview.com: “Consent, in the context of research, is generally understood to describe the legally effective consent that a person provides…. the regulations regarding participation of children in research use the term “permission” in the context of parent/guardian consent…. Assent is generally understood to describe the affirmative agreement of the individual involved in the research [for example] the adult with diminished capacity that cannot provide consent for themselves would be providing assent.”
 

In other words, to give one’s assent is not akin to giving legal permission or consent. It is an implicit agreement shown by one’s actions. The Will and Testament requires nine people to give their assent  to the guardian’s choice for his succssor, and this has to be done by secret ballot, so the guardian can be assured that once he passes, at least nine people will go to bat to make sure that his wishes for his successor would be upheld by at least nine people who more or less act as witnesses to his decision. Furthermore, it would more or less constitute covenant-breaking if a Hand did not give their assent, because the Hands pledge to be completely obedient to the guardian’s wishes when they assume their duties. In NO WAY does the following passage in the Will and Testament mean that the Hands had ANY RIGHT WHATSOEVER to vote whether or not to uphold Shoghi Effendi’s decision as to his successor: “The election of these nine must be carried either unanimously or by majority from the company of the Hands of the Cause of God and these, whether unanimously or by a majority vote, must give their assent to the choice of the one whom the Guardian of the Cause of God hath chosen as his successor. This assent must be given in such wise as the assenting and dissenting voices may not be distinguished (i.e., secret ballot)” (Will and Testament, p. 12).
 

In fact, Shoghi Effendi MADE THIS FACT CLEAR in a newsletter published by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of the United States in February, 1955, the following letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi by his Secretary and addressed on June 6, 1954, to Mr. Rex King, Shoghi Effendi states:
 

“The statement in the Will of Abdu’l-Baha* (*The passage in the Master’s Will which provides for the successor to the Guardian, in which reference is made to the Hands of the Cause) does not imply that the Hands of the Cause of God have been GIVEN THE AUTHORITY TO OVERRULE THE GUARDIAN. Abdu’l-Baha COULD NOT HAVE PROVIDED FOR A CONFLICT OF AUTHORITY in the Faith. This is OBVIOUS, in view of His own words, which you will find on page 13 [p. 11 of 1944 U.S. edition] of the Will and Testament of Abdu’l-Baha. ‘The mighty stronghold shall remain impregnable and safe through obedience to him who is the guardian of the Cause of God. It is incumbent upon… the Hands of the Cause of God to show their obedience, submissiveness and subordination unto the guardian of the Cause of God, to turn unto him and be lowly before him. He that opposeth him hath opposed the True One,’ etc.”
 

Abdu’l-Baha, as the infallible Center of the Covenant, set up the everlasting Father’s everlasting successorship in two stages: first Shoghi Effendi, and then the UHJ. Period. No bogus “Hands” were EVER supposed to be in charge of the Baha’i faith!
 

“The sacred and youthful branch, the guardian of the Cause of God, as well as the Universal House of Justice… are both under the care and protection of the Abha Beauty, under the shelter and UNERRING GUIDANCE of His Holiness, the Exalted One…. Whatsoever they decide is of God. Whoso obeyeth him not, neither obeyeth them, hath not obeyed God.”
 

On Dec. 24, 1951, Shoghi Effendi published in “Messages to the Baha’i World,” a description of the International Baha’i Council:
 

“International Baha’i Council in precincts of Holy Shrine, FORERUNNER OF INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE, SUPREME LEGISLATIVE ORGAN OF NASCENT [meaning “beginning to develop” or “in the process of being born”], DIVINELY-CONCEIVED, world-encircling Baha’i Administration.”
 

In “The Baha’i World,” p. 388, under the subtitle “Embryo of the Universal House of Justice,” Shoghi Effendi reiterated:
 

“…the Charter upon which the Spiritual and Administrative activities of the Faith in Israel rest is the Tablet of Carmel, revealed by Baha’u’llah on Mt. Carmel. The ‘City of God’ mentioned in this Tablet, is the Shrine of the Bab, and the ‘Ark’ means the Laws of God, and refers to the Universal House of Justice, the EMBRYO OF WHICH IS THE PRESENT INTERNATIONAL BAHA’I COUNCIL, WHICH THROUGH SUCCESSIVE STAGES WILL DEVELOP INTO THE UNIVERSAL HOUSE OF JUSTICE TO BE ESTABLISHED AND FUNCTION on this Holy Mountain.”
 

And last but not least, in Shoghi Effendi’s cablegram of December 16, 1950, titled “Formation of First International Baha’i Council,” he announces its formation as a:
 

“weighty epoch-making [epoch-making means “significant by virtue of ensuing historical developments”] decision of formation of first International Baha’i Council, FORERUNNER OF SUPREME ADMINISTRATIVE ADMINISTRATIVE INSTITUTION DESTINED TO EMERGE IN FULLNESS OF TIME…. RANKING SECOND ONLY TO … THE THREE CENTRAL FIGURES OF FAITH….”
 

My point is, how on earth could a body of nine Hands, supposedly loyal to Shoghi Effendi, EVER, in any way, conceive of the preposterous notion that they, with their secret ballot vote, had the right to create a CONFLICT OF AUTHORITY, as well as to over-rule, supersede, and annul Abdu’l-Baha’s Will and Testament and Shoghi Effendi’s infallible plans? A firm-in- the-Covenant Baha’i would NEVER do this! ASOLUTELY NOT! According to the Will and Testament, they MUST GIVE THEIR ASSENT to Shoghi Effendi’s “weighty epoch-making decision” to form the forerunner to the SUPREME institution mandated as the IMMEDIATE SUCCESSOR to Shoghi Effendi!
 

I repeat, Abdu’l-Baha wrote of an enduring succession of guardians in his Will and Testament: “It is INCUMBENT [meaning “an obligation or duty”] upon the guardian of the Cause of God to appoint in his own life-time him that shall become his successor…. should the first-born of the guardian of the Cause of God… not inherit the spiritual within him…, then MUST he, (the guardian of the Cause of God) choose another branch to succeed him.”
 

Have you ever heard about a government with an executive and legislative BRANCH? Well, Shoghi Effendi fulfilled his God-given DUTY to choose a successor, by CHOOSING ANOTHER BRANCH to succeed him! This was a weighty, epoch-making DECISION, meaning he CHOSE it. This duty was incumbent upon him, and he did what God expected him to do he had the UNERRING GUIDANCE of GOD. Shoghi Effendi CHOSE for the inheritance bequeathed upon to go from him, not to his genealogical son, but to the first of the four stages of the UHJ! Since it became clear throughout time that there was no way he was going to get the full-fledged UHJ set up during his lifetime, he therefore made the “weighty, epoch-making DECISION” to set up the International Baha’i Council as the “nascent,” beginning to develop, in the process of being born, “divinely-conceived,” “embryonic,” “forerunner of supreme administrative institution” that was “destined to emerge” in the “fullness of time!” This lineal successor would have the unerring guidance of God, because Abdu’l-Baha had promised it would in his Will and Testament! Furthermore, this direct successor would have all the component parts, since it contained “another branch” [meaning another son of Abdu’l-Baha’s] as its president!
 

Therefore, if one needs proof of an everlasting set of guardians, look no further than the Will and Testament of the Center of the Covenant, and to his successor Shoghi Effendi, of whom it is said: “To go against him is to go against God!”
 

Shoghi Effendi was brilliant! He really thought things through! Under these circumstances, when your direct successor is announced to the whole Baha’i world in a cablegram, published far and wide in messages to the Baha’i world, and announced in glorious terms that quantify its establishment as being second only to the three central figures of the Baha’i faith, well, in that case, being it’s directly according to the Will and Testament and all, would you ask ANYONE to give their assent, on the possibility that someone might DISSENT, thus breaking the Covenant? It seems a little silly in this case to even ask for anyone’s assent, being it was such an “epoch-making” event to get the whole thing going. Had Shoghi Effendi not died an early death, certainly he would have given his Hands an opportunity to show their obedience by casting their secret ballot vote in which they MUST GIVE THEIR ASSENT to allowing the International Baha’i Council to succeed him.
 

But instead: “…with many stratagems, [they] are seeking leadership, and in order to reach this position they instil doubts among the friends that they may cause differences, and that these differences may result in their drawing a party to themselves. But the friends of God must be awake and must know that the scattering of these doubts hath as its motive personal desires and the achievement of leadership.
 

“Do not disrupt Bahá’í unity, and know that this unity cannot be maintained save through faith in the Covenant of God” (Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, pp. 214-215).  

  Universal Compulsory Education
 

Education is one of the most important factors in the evolution of humanity. Only one department of life is more potent, and that is religion. In epochs characterized by religious zeal and piety, religion and education work hand in hand. Together they constitute a single unifying, inspirational, guiding force, which coordinates all human thought and expression within a traditionally accepted pattern. In such periods, education serves what is in reality its most basic purpose, the training of character. Education cannot change characters, which are all different, but it can assist them to develop to their utmost capacity.
 

“The Prophets also acknowledge this opinion, to wit: That education hath a great effect upon the human race, but they declare that minds and comprehensions are originally different. And this matter is self-evident; it cannot be refuted. We see that certain children of the same age, nativity and race, nay from the same household, under the tutorship of one teacher, differ in their minds and comprehensions. No matter how much the shell is polished, it can never become the radiant pearl. The black stone will not become the world illumining gem…That is to say, training doth not change the human substance, but it produces a marvelous effect. By this effective power all that is registered, in latency, of virtues and capacities in the human reality will be revealed. It is for this reason that, in this new cycle, education and training are recorded in the Books of God as obligatory and not voluntary.”
 

Modern civilization has been stirred to its depths by this new principle. Compulsory education for children, and the extension of education facilities for adults, has become a new primary policy of governments. Nations which deliberately seek to restrict the independence of mind and spirit among their citizens, by that very policy, have aroused revolution within, and suspicion and fear outside their boundaries. Bahá’u’lláh had two great world aims, to build up a spiritually regenerate humanity, and to establish a functionally united world. To both of these aims, education is intrinsic.
 

Bahá’u’lláh gave great prominence to education in delineating the structure of a future world society. It is chiefly through educative influences that we must build up an ideology and loyalty consecrated to the goal of world peace. Only through education of youth and adult can the adverse and chaotic elements, which now compose human society, be guided and fused into that dynamically functioning world unity, which we now have come to believe, is the keystone of the arch of human progress.
 

“Man is the supreme Talisman. Lack of a proper education, hath, however, deprived him of that which he doth inherently possess.”
 

Literacy is only the barest foundation for education, not education itself. First and foremost, as a means towards world unity and world-federation, youth must be trained in wider and nobler values than at present. The loyalties to family, tribe, clan, and nation, which have gradually evolved in human society, are not enough to satisfy the wider horizons and needs of today. There must be a new and more universal loyalty to mankind itself as a whole, a “one world” zeal and dedication. Loves of family, of clan, of nation are praiseworthy, and will continue to hold their legitimate place in the social pattern. But unless and until a greater love is bred in humans, love of one’s world, a United Nations, cannot successfully function.
 

Conversely, it may be stated that no system of education in the future will satisfactorily spiritualize its curriculum until it is able to harmonize religion with science. This is so pressing a need for humanity that Bahá’u’lláh made it one of the major principles of the New World Order. He envisaged this harmonization taking place, and the spiritual factors of human existence being taught in a scientific way.
 

A deep respect for law will be engendered in each citizen by the inculcation of spiritual values. It is a fact that law itself rests ultimately upon spiritual foundations. If we have no spiritual training then we would remain ignorant of Justice, Mercy and Wisdom. Our juvenile delinquency problems, our divorce problems, our crime problems, all witness the lack of stress in spiritual character building in our educational systems. Through education, by such spiritual training, a character would be formed more capable of meeting the strains and temptations of everyday life. We would all become more resolute in enterprise, more fertile in creative imagination, more responsible to the calls of duty, and more worthy and capable as a true citizen of a world democracy.
 

It is incumbent upon the world of humankind to provide the best means for the education, progress and development of children. We must promote, by every means within our power, the material, as well as the spiritual enlightenment of the youth. It becomes not only progress towards world unity, but is also the brightest outlook for the future generations of children. They shall possess a common knowledge of all things, illiteracy shall disappear, moral and spiritual worthiness strengthened, and oneness achieved through the education of all.
 

A Spiritual Solution to the Economic Problem
 

There is a danger of the popular term “new world order” conjuring up a picture of something for nothing — of state supported individuals enjoying all the advantages of prosperity without any adequate contribution of hard work, sacrifice and service.
 

There remains no cut and dried system of economics. While Bahá’u’lláh has established certain principles, he leaves it up to us to build the structure. He has required that everyone should work at some trade, eliminating the idle rich and no idle poor.
 

“The most despised of men before God is he who sits and begs…The best men are they that earn a livelihood by their calling and spend upon themselves and upon their kindred for the love of God, the Lord of all worlds.”
 

The tragic story of modern waste is now commonplace. Fruit rotting on the trees and vines, sugar falling from wharves into the sea, wheat being burned. Millions of people go hungry every day and are in need of these things. Producers are anxious to sell and workers are eager to gather. Yet today, the destruction of food and the starvation of people, face each other across the world, even across the very same country. In spite of the fact that ‘laissez faire’ and unrestricted competition give way to socialization and cooperation, the very basis of prosperity is still individual effort, hard work and independence.
 

“…it is incumbent on everyone to engage in crafts and professions, for therein lies the secret of wealth to men of understanding…Trees that yield no fruit have been and will ever be for the fire.”
 

Future generations, looking back at this time period, will forever be amazed at a generation that could capture a beam from Arcturus to light the opening of the World’s Fair and at the same time, tolerated the poverty and misery of millions in the midst of an overwhelming plenty, a generation that spends a huge proportion of its wealth on war and destruction.
 

“The fundamentals of the whole economic structure are Divine in nature and are associated with the world of the heart and spirit.
 

Although the body politic is one family, yet because of the lack of harmonious relations, some members are comfortable and some in direct misery, some members are satisfied and some members are hungry, some members are clothed in most costly garments and some families are in need of food and shelter. Why? Because this family [of humankind] lacks the necessary reciprocity and symmetry. This household is not well arranged. This household is not living under a perfect law. All the laws, which are legislated, do not insure happiness. They do not provide comfort. Therefore, a law must be given to this family by means of which all the members will enjoy well being and happiness.”
 

Reciprocity and symmetry are the needs of a new social order. Cooperation must replace unbridled competition and a planned economic system must take the place of the present situation. This is the real economic problem, that in an age when cooperation is needed in human affairs, principles that served mankind successfully during the age of competition are still being upheld and regarded as inviolate. They are lamentably effete as shown by their results.
 

Tariffs, currency manipulation, monopoly of raw materials, low wages — these are the great saboteurs of world prosperity. They are, however, only agents. The real monster is economic self-sufficiency. Nearly every nation, or groups of nations, has tried to practice this. They have glorified themselves in what is believed to be its ability to be self-supporting. At the same time, every effort has been made to keep up “foreign” trade, that is, to sell the other man something without buying anything in return.
 

Economic self-sufficiency is born of fear and selfishness, leading straight to war. In this modern world, all people and nations are in need of each other, can supply each other’s wants, and by the reciprocal action of buying and selling, contribute to an ever-increasing standard of living. This can only be provided if the results of labor are equitably shared and not concentrated in the hands of a minority. The basis of equity must be universal, otherwise, some nations will attempt to undersell all the others by using cheaper labor, and that will start the same vicious cycle all over again.
 

Like every major difficulty facing us today, the economic problem is insoluble except on a world scale. We cannot have poverty in one country and prosperity in the next. The Atlantic Charter recognized this. Neither can we cure poverty and unemployment in one country alone — it is a world problem.
 

A spiritually united body can solve the economic problem once given the authority to set the world’s standards. It can remove the barriers to international trade, which result from the attempts of nations to be self-sufficient. It can liberate the energies now devoted to war for service to the art of peace, and it can provide the necessary machinery for an easier and greater interchange of goods and services. Such things as a world currency, a world bank, a single system of weights and measures, would come from within its charter. It must maintain free access to the raw materials of the planet, and protect the rights of all peoples. It should maintain a universal minimum standard of living and limit the economic power of individuals.
 

“God is not partial and is no respecter of persons. He has made provisions for all. The harvest comes forth for everyone. The rain showers upon everybody and the heat of the sun is destined to warm everyone. Therefore there should be for all humanity the utmost happiness, the utmost comfort, the utmost well-being.”
 

A Universal Auxiliary Language
 

“In all the world there is nothing more important than to be understood by your fellow men, for upon this depends the progress of civilization itself.”
 

One of the major causes of differences today among the peoples and nations of the world is the diversity of their languages. Each nation and people has their culture, history, territory and language, isolated by boundaries from a neighboring people. Wars, misunderstandings, conflicts and disputes arise from the lack of clear understanding and communications between them. Although they belong to the same race, the lack of common language is the greatest barrier between them. Were a universal auxiliary language in operation, they would all be considered as one.
 

“Only think how the International Language will facilitate intercommunication among all the nations of the earth. Half of our lives are consumed in acquiring a knowledge of language, for in this enlightened age, every man who hopes to travel in Asia and Africa and Europe must learn several languages, in order that he may converse with their peoples. But no sooner does he acquire one language than another is needed. Thus one’s whole life may be passed in acquiring those languages, which are a hindrance to international communication. The International Language frees humanity from all these problems.”
 

The greatest means of progress between the East and West would be to have a union of a common language. It would give the world the strongest impulse to become unified for human advancement. It will upraise the standard of the oneness of humanity. It will make the earth one universal commonwealth. It will be the cause of love between the children of men and it shall cause good fellowship between the various races.
 

“Oneness of language will transform mankind into one world, remove religious misunderstandings and unite East and West in the spirit of brotherhood and love. Oneness of language will change this world from many families into one family. This auxiliary international language will gather the nations under one standard, as if the five continents of the world had become one, for then mutual interchange of thought will be possible for all. It will remove ignorance and superstition, since each child of whatever race or nation can pursue his studies in science and art, needing but two languages — his own and the international.”
 

Since this principle of a universal auxiliary language was proclaimed by Bahá’u’lláh, basic English and a few other world languages have been invented to aid the world in a common means of understanding.
 

Ludovic Zamenhof, through the result of his devoted labors, was the invention and widespread adoption of the language known as “Esperanto.” Gaining the most popular support throughout the world communities, it has now stood the test of many years and has proved to be encouraging and a very satisfactory medium of international intercourse. New efforts shall always continue to establish a common means of communication between the races of men. The unity of humankind depends upon its abilities to understand the thoughts of his brother’s heart.
 

“The Sixth Ishraq [Effulgence] is concord and union amongst men. Through the radiance of union have the regions of the world at all times been illumined, and the greatest of all means thereunto is the understanding of one another’s writing and speech. Ere this, in our epistles, have We commanded the Trustees of the House of Justice, either to choose one of the existing tongues, or to originate a new one, and in like manner to adopt a common script, teaching these to the children in all the schools of the world, that the world may become even as one land and one home.”
 

It is not intended that there should be only one language. The international tongue and script is to be auxiliary. National culture, literature, art, genius, are to be preserved and developed, but all people must learn at least two languages, i.e., their native tongue and the international tongue. Unity in diversity is the desired result and not uniformity. It is hoped that the world language will be spoken with enthusiasm to understand one’s neighbor
 

“The world of matter will become the expression of the world of mind. Then discoveries will be revealed, inventions will multiply, the sciences advance by leaps and bounds, the scientific culture of the earth will develop along broader lines. Then the nations will be enabled to utilize the latest and best thought, because expressed in an international tongue.”
 

Bahá’u’lláh wrote about this international language during the years of his life more than 100 years ago. He says:
 

“That as long as an international language is not adopted, complete union between the various sections of the world will not be realized, for we observe that misunderstanding keep people from mutual association, and these misunderstandings will not be dispelled except through an international auxiliary language.”
 

Universal Peace Upheld by a Spiritual World Government
 

The world longs for peace. None of its respective nations, not even America, is prepared to relinquish nationalism to the extent that Bahá’u’lláh pointed out would be necessary in an effective world organization.
 

Two mandatory considerations are still withheld from fulfillment in the United Nations. The first is the relinquishment of national sovereignty to the point of accepting without right of veto the adjudications of a world court. The second inevitable requirement of stable peace is national disarmament down to the point of internal security only and the establishment of an international police force. The world is not yet ready for these two momentous steps. Nor can they be accomplished without due caution.
 

World peace is not merely a matter to be arranged between governments by treaties. It is the concern of every citizen of this one-world home of humanity. This is the point of exercising our free will to avoid that nullification of progress — the annihilation of our race that threatens us.
 

“The unity of the human race, as envisaged by Bahá’u’lláh, implies the establishment of a world commonwealth in which all nations, races, creeds and classes are closely and permanently united, and in which the autonomy of its state members and the personal freedom and initiative of the individuals that compose them are definitely and completely safeguarded.”
 

The abolition of war is to be only the first step in a colossal plan for a world organized in effective unity. Fully functioning as a federated unit, and dedicated to the establishment of a universal civilization founded on justice and good will, it expresses itself in forms of prosperity, beauty, and joy-of-living more glorious than even the world’s great poets and seers have envisioned and conceived.
 

The miracle of the rapid growth of a will-to-peace throughout the world is directly concomitant with the development of new and terrifying death-dealing military weapons. War on the ground had always been tragically destructive. War from the air, on the scale attained since World War I became even more terrifying and destructive. With the advent of nuclear weapons, we now could conceivably eradicate the human race.
 

“…instrumentations of warfare would become so deadly and all-destructive as to eventually compel humanity to desist from war entirely.”
 

There exists today that which did not exist in 1870, therefore the world, in 1870, paid little attention to the proclamations of Bahá’u’lláh. It overlooked one item, which would eventually induce a desperate search for permanent peace, changing world events. These world events have proved the truth of this prognostication. Sadly enough, it is not idealism, which is at last inducing humanity to outlaw war. It is not the moral sense but the fear of race annihilation, which under entirely new and unexpected conditions, forces governments to entertain new and unexpected convictions and goals. Human nature may not greatly change, as the cynics maintain. But the directives of human activity often change, and never are they more potently active than today. There now exists a universal will to avoid war, which is equivalent to a universal will-to-peace.
 

“Peace is not something we fall into because we react against war. Peace is a positive achievement involving an organized world community of law and order, which we must want so much that we are willing to pay the full price it costs.”  Harry Emerson Fosdick
 

World peace is no magic millennium that will result from any form of mere political or economic action. Such actions are only a temporary solution. True unity and world peace is founded upon the spiritual principle of the oneness of mankind, as well as by raising a structure through which this unity may be developed and preserved.
 

A Universal House of Justice
 

We cannot live under twenty-first century conditions guided by eighteenth century concepts. The pace of our modern world has upset our equilibrium and our present day problems can be laid at the door of our unwillingness to make a correspondingly swift change in our thinking.
 

Just as nationalism emerged from the wreckage of feudalism, so too, will a united planetary civilization emerge from the wreckage of nationalism. Nationalism has run its course but is unwilling to relinquish its prerogatives.  Old forms must give way for new ones to evolve. Under the experience and duress of world wars, world depressions, and world revolutions, we are witnessing this very change take place.
 

Our present day picture of events can bring little comfort to most people who struggle under this duress. Living through world events today is similar to undergoing major surgery for a critical disease. How the patient goes through it and how he or she recovers depends in great measure upon the faith in the skilled surgeon. If there is any doubt the operation will cure or that the surgeon truly has the ability to operate successfully, then the patient’s fears will put him through a hell of suffering in addition to the physical pain. The fright is likely to kill as the disease itself. There must be assurance that the operation will cure and that the surgeon is entirely worthy of confidence that will pull the patient through the crisis on a tide of hope that actually controls the physical recovery. Psychosomatic science confirms this.
 

Bahá’u’lláh did not simply rehash previous spiritual laws. His world order was not offered as a philosophic treatise and his viewpoint was not merely that of a sociologist. He spoke with the same spiritual authority as Moses and Jesus and Muhammad. He founded a religion dedicated to the service of a one-world civilization. He had a definite and concrete faith that the necessary spiritual dynamics had been divinely released into the consciousness of humanity to bring about this new World Order.
 

It is apparent, then, that if we are to survive today and carry forward civilization to the only development possible in its evolution, a one-world society, we must undergo some surgical operations in our thinking and behavior as citizens.
 

National rivalries, hatreds and intrigues must cease. Radical animosity and prejudices will be replaced by racial amity, understanding and cooperation. The causes of religious strife will be permanently removed, economic barriers and restrictions will be completely abolished, and the inordinate distinction between classes will be obliterated. Destitution on the one hand, and gross accumulation of ownership on the other, will disappear.
 

The enormous energy dissipated and wasted on war, whether economic or political, will be consecrated to such ends as will extend the range of human inventions and technical development, to the increase of the productivity of humankind, to the extermination of disease, to the extension of scientific research. It will raise the standard of physical health, to the sharpening and refinement of the human brain, to the exploitation of the unused and unsuspected resources of the planet, to the prolongation of human life, and to the furtherance of any other agency that can stimulate the intellectual, the moral, and spiritual life of the entire human race.
 

A world federal system will rule the whole earth and exercise its unchallengeable authority over its unimaginably vast resources. It will blend and embody the ideals of both East and West. Liberated from the curse of war and its miseries, bent on the exploitation of all the available sources of energy on the surface of the planet, a new system will emerge in which force is made the servant of Justice. Life will be sustained by its universal recognition of one God and by its allegiance to one common Revelation.
 

This is not a dream or wishful thinking. That which has been given unto all of humanity is nothing less than the fulfillment of the words spoken by all the prophets of old. It is the promise of the Kingdom of God here on earth.
 

A Universal House of Justice with a descendant of David seated at its head will be a universally elected body by all the nations of the world. The hearts of all humankind shall joyfully and willfully turn their trust and loyalty to this world governing body. The world has already seen three prototypes of this Parliament: the World Court, the League of Nations and the United Nations. They failed, however, to achieve the unifying force to unite all the peoples and nations of the world. They have lacked the spiritual endowment of authority to unite the world together as one family.
 

The world commonwealth as outlined by Bahá’u’lláh is governed by the Universal House of Justice, that is, a World Parliament, freely elected by all the nations and peoples of the earth. It must have the authority to enforce its decisions upon any dilatory or rebellious member of the commonwealth, and such action must be as swift and certain, as it would be in the case of an individual who breaks the law. No such world government can succeed unless backed by the authority of the whole human race. This is the principle of unity and oneness of mankind with the complete relatedness of all people. It preserves national culture, language and accomplishments; it holds local tradition and custom, and repudiates excessive centralization; it requires no one to relinquish sane local and national loyalties. It sets the standard of a wider vision, a broader scope, of membership in the human family. It demands the contribution of every nation, every part of the world to the greater structure of the temple of humankind. The world is but one country and it will have one language, spoken and understood by every individual of the race, but everybody will speak the language of their own locality as well. Humankind is but one race, and the highest loyalty of the new age is loyalty to one’s race, but this does not lessen the affection that we will feel for our native land. The Unity of the world is the linking together of all its component parts in a single body, each giving something of beauty and worth, so that the resultant harmony is the expression of each part skillfully blended into the strength and majesty of the full symphony.
 

These are days of titanic spiritual struggle. A new world is coming to birth. As the old one passes, in passion and violence, have no regrets. Be thankful and radiant, confident that the shining day of human brotherhood is here.
 

“The time fore-ordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the Holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled. Out of Zion hath gone forth the Law of God, and Jerusalem, and the hills and land thereof, are filled with the glory of His Revelation. Happy is the man that pondereth in his heart that which hath been revealed in the Books of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting… Soon will the present day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead.” Bahá’u’lláh
 

“The world’s equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind’s ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency of this unique, this wondrous System — the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed.” Bahá’u’lláh
 

A New Era of Humankind
 

The promised new era of humankind is no superstitious illusion; it has been gestating during these troubled years and is now being born in the labor and agony of economic depression and a universal war on terror. This is the darkest hour before the dawn, a dawn vibrant with power, clear with certainty and fresh with the breath of a new spirit. The dark night of misery and oppression will soon be ended. The reveille has been sounded, calling the human race to brotherhood and peace, and service in a more thrilling Cause than any past ages could offer.
 

That Cause is the Cause of Unity, of human solidarity, and it demands a remolding of the attitudes, institutions and customs, which have been developed in an era of a divided humanity.
 

We cannot misunderstand the significance of unity. It is the principle of the universe and is opposed to uniformity. Unity requires a difference in all things; uniformity requires congruency. Unity is strong, beautiful, and flexible; uniformity is rigid and colorless of personal independence. Unity is achieved through strong bonds of attraction, cooperation, common interest and a realization of the abandonment of prejudices, on which the future of humankind depends.
 

This world authority must, in the interests of the whole human race, establish law in the place of war. It must strictly limit the armed forces of every nation according to their internal needs. All nations must unilaterally put aside all weapons of mass destruction. It must plan and put into practice a world system of economics, which will remove the present evils of waste, inferior quality, and want in the midst of plenty. It must assume sole control over tariffs, excise, and sources of raw materials. It must foster a spirit of world civilization among all the peoples of the planet.
 

The president of the Universal House of Justice is the promised return of the descendants of the lineage of David – the Executive branch. The universally elected body is the Legislative branch. This lineage was re-established in the world with Bahá’u’lláh, a male descendant of David. The Executive branch carries with it the right and obligation to interpret the Sacred Texts that are not explicitly revealed, a duty that is permitted by no one else.
 

These twin institutions, the Universal House of Justice and guardian as President, will form the nucleus of the new World Order. It will, as its component parts, its organic institutions, begin to function with efficiency and vigor, assert its claims and demonstrate its capacity to be regarded not only as the nucleus, but the very pattern of the new World Order destined to embrace in the fullness of time the whole of humankind.
 

Without the spiritual decrees as given through the Manifestations, our existence would still be as the animal, never changing, never being able to progress to a higher state of being. It is by the light of the revealed word that the foundation of civilization is brought about.
 

The very purpose of religion is to draw the hearts of humankind together, to form one family, united as one through love and harmony. Even at the start of our spiritual cycle, an established pattern was revealed that through each age, we would come one step closer to world peace and unity. This achievement can only be realized through the spiritual fundamentals of the revealed revelation from the All-Mighty and Loving God.
 

“That all nations should become one in faith, and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled…”
 

The call for unity is to the hearts of the spiritual creations of the earth. We are all of the same origin; likewise, religious truths are all from the same source. As one family, let us recognize the essential need to join together in oneness. This unifying endeavor, will one day, achieve its goal. Once and for all, there will be an undying love among humankind for his neighbor. We shall see them as ourselves — one family.