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Chinvat

November 29, 2007

"The Covenant of God and His Testament is a bounty to the righteous and a curse to the wicked."

The Mysterious Force that protects and guards the Cause of God is the Power of the Covenant itself. On the one hand this is the attractive force of the Love of God that unites the hearts and minds of all the lovers of God throughout all the world; and on the other it is as the light of the knowledge of God Himself. Paul relates that Jesus called out "ABBA, Father"; and in Hebrew AHBH is Love. Thus we see the fullest expression of the Love of God (AHBH) united with the Knowledge of God (ABBA) in the single expression of the Kingdom of el ABHA, which literally means light of lights, brightest of brights, most glorious of the all-glorious, splendor of splendors. Like the electrical charge which is manifested or produced through the combination or certain elements such as carbon (from wood) and iron in a battery, the rational soul of the mind of the human being alone has the capacity and potential to combine the potency of the Love of God united and inseparable from the Knowledge of God and thus produce or obtain this stimulating force of everlasting life from within and without and around the condition of the soul in the presence of its Maker. This is one of the many secrets and mysteries enshrined with the true meaning of the Kingdom of el ABHA, the Kingdom of God (Davidic) established on earth as it is in heaven.

Another mysterious reality is found, in fact paradoxically, in that one of the ways in which the Cause is guarded is through violation. Thus it is written: "The Covenant of God and His Testament is [at once] a bounty to the righteous and a curse to the wicked"; and again "Iniquity must come, but woe betide him by whom it comes!"

Though the Covenant in its most basic form is a simple father to son succession upon the throne - the mechanism of violation, therefore, creates confusion in the minds of certain people and `Abdu'l-Baha explains, "muddies the waters" so to speak, so that the violators can fish. This muddying of the water deprives the people of the crystal clear view of the truth. As this occurs the veils are brought down upon the people and the Presence of God is lost to them, withdrawn, so to speak, through clutter, confusion and man made doctrines, dogmas and creeds – all of which become a barrier between the unity of the clear knowledge and certain love of the truth. Thus the bond disintegrates and the force is lost, and they are lost as well. In no way does this affect the power of the Cause itself, but only their very own selves in relation to it, like the cloud that blocks out the sun in no way effects the Sun itself.

In this way the truth, which always remains in existence – is then occulted from the eyes of the people. Thus in times of violation, when the Cause needs to be protected, the effects of violation itself helps to protect the Cause, by camouflage, from being recognized and identified by those who would even more seek to exterminate it. The reason for this is that violators attack in order to DENY the Cause and make room for themselves. This DENIAL causes other weak souls to become confused and fall away, while those fit for the experiment arise and move on to the next level. Thus a spiritual survival of the fittest is set up by the mechanism of the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Baha, by simply passing the throne of King David down through the aghsan lineage of Mason, Pepe and Neal. Only a certain type of individual, like gold that is not tarnished and does not rust, will remain unalloyed by violation. Those being of lead, copper, tin or iron, are doomed to rust the mirrors of self and the reflection of the Divine Being will cease to be perceived within the immediate experience of their ruinous lives, explains `Abdu'l-Baha.

Now at any time, any one can turn to the center of authority and receive the divine elixir from the hands of power to remove all such rust and dross, as be so transformed into the spiritual gold that does not rust and that which reflects the image of the Divine Being within its own self and in the sight of others - but for the most part this condition is undesirable by the people of the world dominated by irrelevant distractions which keep them subdued day after day in a strange complacency which Jesus and Paul termed spiritual death.

The month of the Covenant – November – since the days of prehistory, has commenced as the harvest time and the festival of the resurrection of the dead, as the power of the Covenant alone is the regenerative force capable of raising dead men to life once again and eternally so. Some people have said that the world is shrinking with technology's effects of the TV an Internet in that far away lands are now close next door neighbors.

Yet violence and problems still occur amongst the peoples and nations. In fact when we step outside and look around due to the curve of the world we only really observe about a 20 mile area in our immediate environment, and thus we cannot actual see the wars and poverty and starvation and problems unless they are in our immediate environment. Thus for most, they are `out of sight, out of mind'.

Instead, imagine we live on the inside of a globe instead of the outside. Thus when we look up we would see the people on the other side of the world. As we looked to the left and right we would see the world curving up on both sides and would be able to observe every living being and all countries. We would see the wars and fires burning, the death of the people, explosions and pollution occurring everywhere as they happen on the inside surface of this globe. It would shortly become intolerable to be faced day in and day out with such a circumstance that instead of hidden outside an immediate 20 mile area due the curvature externally, was brought to our attention by that same curvature inside the globe face to face. In fact this is what Baha'u'llah explains when He reveals in the Book of the Covenant, that "This is a Day great and blessed. Whatsoever was hidden in man is today being revealed." Thus the world is not only shrinking it is literally being turned inside out!

Those who are not fit for this transition spiritually, physically, psychologically will not survive the Test and their psychromes will snap. Many will fall by the wayside, lose their stations, and others will lose their minds and very souls. On the other hand, the Power of the Covenant concentrated as if by a lens on that specific appointed focal center of unity given in the provisions of the covenant, has the ability to heal, transform and mollify these circumstances. In Baha'i World, page 80 we find this clear translation of the original writing of Baha'u'llah from The Book of the Covenant, the Kitab-i-Ahd:

"The TEST of God is this: Aghsan, Afnan and kindred should all turn to the Most great Branch" "I am the Gracious, the Bountiful." (Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Ahd)

By turning to the Most Great Branch (`Abdu'l-Baha) means turning to the throne-line and every single provision of the Will and Testament of `Abdu'l-Baha in which the TEST of God is continued in the appointed successorship of the line of aghsan – branches – that the individuals seated upon David's throne in succession to one another beginning with Charles Mason Remey Aghsan (ibn Abbas) the adopted and appointed son of `Abdu'l-Baha. Thus at once through these appointments, father to son, the Cause is both unified in community and cleared of dissenters in a single stoke, a blessing to the righteous and a curse to the wicked in which `Abdu'l-Baha tells us: "On hearing this Command some faces have rejoiced by this Glowing Lamp, and others become gloomy and in their hearts the fire of jealousy and rebellion hath been kindled."

"The Cause has become very great. Many souls are entering it - souls with different mentalities and range of understanding. Complex difficulties constantly rise before us. The administration of the Cause has become most difficult. Conflicting thoughts and theories attack the Cause from every side. Now consider to what extent the believers of God must become firm and soul-sacrificing. Every one of the friends must become the essence of essences; each one must become a brilliant lamp. People all around the world are entering the Cause, people of various tribes and nations and religions and sects. It is most difficult to administer to such heterogeneous elements. Wisdom and Divine insight are necessary. Firmness and steadfastness are needed at such a crucial period of the Cause.

"All the meetings must be for teaching the Cause and spreading the Message, and suffering the souls to enter into the Kingdom of Baha'u'llah. Look at me. All my thoughts are centered around the proclamation of the Kingdom. I have a lamp in my hand searching throughout the lands and seas to find souls who can become heralds of the Cause. Day and night I am engaged in this work. Any other deliberations in the meetings are futile and fruitless. Convey the Message! Attract the hearts! Sow the seeds! Teach the Cause to those who do not know. It is now six months that Siyyid Asadu'llah implored that I write a few lines to my sister, my daughters. I have not done this because I find I must teach. I enter all meetings, all churches, so that the Cause may be spread. When the `Most Important' work is before our sight, we must let go the `Important' one. If the meeting or spiritual assembly has any other occupations the time is spent in futility. All the deliberations, all consultations, all the talks and addresses must revolve around one focal centre, and that is: Teach the Cause. Teach. Teach. Convey the Message. Awaken the souls. Now is the time of laying the foundation. Now must we gather brick, stone, wood, iron, and other building materials. Now is not the time of decoration. We must strive day and night and think and work; what can I say that may become effective? What can I do that may bring results? What can I write that may bring forth fruits? Nothing else will be useful today. The interests of such a Glorious Cause will not advance without such undivided attention. While we are carrying this load we cannot carry any other load!" (`Abdu'l-Baha, cited from the Chosen Highway)

On the one hand therefore we have the Faith which is unorganized and spiritual. On the other hand we have the administration which is separate and different from the faith which is a channel and not a substitute through which the blessings of the faith must flow in order to heal a sore sick world. We can never substitute the administration for the faith. Now on the other hand we have something else the Covenant. The Covenant. This covenant provides a point of unity between the unorganized faith, the spiritual; and the organized administration which is the channel. That point of contact and point of unity is the person of the living guardian. In regards to the faith, the guardian is one of the fellow believers equal to all others. Those communities who revile or shun this person from their presence have in fact separated themselves from the faith and from the unorganized world wide community of believers. On the other hand, those whose faith of whatsoever outer persuasion remains in fellowship with this person as one of the faithful throughout all the world remains in harmony with the provisions of the Covenant and in full communion with God through the principles he has revealed through any of the Great Revelators of the Adamic cycle such as, Adam, Moses, Krishna, Zoroaster, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, the Bab and Baha'u'llah. To accept any one of Them is to accept Them all, and to reject any one, even the least of any, such as a guardian, is to reject them all. This is why the criteria in the Will is the Test of God that appoints only one aghsan-son per generation to accede to the throne (Will and Testament page 12 and 14) as the test to the people.

`Abdu'l-Baha explains it is like the stone of Kabba, the black meteorite. It has no power in and of itself - it is just a rock. The point was that in commanding the people to turn to it, this created room for those to deny and reject and disobey and thus separate the deniers from the faithful. This is the test of God. There must always be room to disobey, for without this true love based upon free choice cannot be born into this world. Peter and Paul tell us today that the "rock" is Christ (1 Cor. 10:4; 1 Pet. 2:4-8) that is the anointed son of King David, and the establisher, Dr. Jensen writes that the "guardian, the living Davidic king is the Christ of the Baha'i world order". Thus some have failed the test while many have passed through it. "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." (Baha'u'llah, Book of the Covenant).

In continuing this test, the guardian also occupies the integral administrative post as chairman and executive of the true Universal House of Justice of Baha'u'llah. The power of the UHJ is within the legislative/judicial branch of which the guardian has only a vote of one amongst his fellow members, men and women both. The executive function is authorized to channel the forces released by the UHJ and those forces of the explicit texts into a combined healing remedy and true compress for the education and restoration of health for the ills, ignorance and imbalances of the world.

Now without the administration the faith lives on. The power of the Covenant and our faith in God's Promise is what sustains our spiritual life. For this reason, both the Covenant and Administration have come under attack. But this attack galvanizes the truth and tests the wisdom of every command. Thus in passing through these tests, the community, and the covenant and administration, become more firmly rooted in the truth of the Knowledge and Love of God in both this world and the next. It is a true saying that God created the world to test and train the faithful. For "there is no God but God and in Him the Trusting Trust."

WORDS OF `ABDU'L-BAHA

"Become ye firm and steadfast in the Covenant and Testament to such a degree that your meeting become the expression of one soul and endeavor ye with your hearts and minds so that ye may become the cause of the illumination of this darkened world and that through your efforts the lights of the Kingdom dawn upon this nether sphere. Whatever hath and will transpire in this land is through the conspiracy of the brothers who are not resting, neither day nor night, and are thirsting for the blood of `Abdu'l-Baha. The government is not responsible at all. These difficulties are brought about through the evil slanders and machinations of the Nakazeen1. O thou whose heart is attracted and whose breast is dilated with joy by the Holy Fragrances! Give the glad-tidings to the assemblies of the beloved who are firm in the Covenant and say: "Verily the Lord hath manifested Himself in this new and wonderful age with the greatest bounty and mercy, which have never been preceded and whereof the eye of existence hath never seen the like; and it is His Great Covenant and New Testament, as appointed by the trace of His Supreme Pen, through which, and according to clear ordinances and explicit statements, the matter was plainly shown and the branches (sons), twigs (relations), kinsmen and beloved were commanded to obey the "appointed Center of the Covenant."

"The TEST of God is this: Aghsan, Afnan and kindred should all turn to the Most Great Branch [`Abdu'l-Baha]" "I am the Gracious, the Bountiful." (Baha'u'llah, Kitab-i-Ahd)

"But the Covenant of God and His Testament is a bounty to the righteous and a curse to the wicked. On hearing this Command some faces have rejoiced by this Glowing Lamp, and others become gloomy and in their hearts the fire of jealousy and rebellion hath been kindled. They disobeyed the Command of their Lord the Merciful, endeavored to spread lies and arose to divulge seditious rumors contrary to that which was descended from God. They imagine that they are able to resist this Power, which penetrates into the heart of the contingent world, or to cover the Truth through their false tongues and complicated opinions, and to withhold this Sea from surging, the holy fragrances from being spread, and the breaths of the Spirit of the Ancient from reaching the beloved! No, by no means! Verily, the Word of God penetrates into the core of all things and cannot be resisted either by the hosts of the world or by the armies of the enemies! In the past ages there is a warning to every intelligent one!

"Ye shall see their banners reversed, their sign abolished, their happiness destroyed in those regions in a similar way to the disappointment of their hopes in the East. But, as the people of the West are still children in the Cause and have not perfect knowledge of its reality and validity, the Nakazeen thought it to be an easy prey and availed themselves of this opportunity for laying doubts and suspicions, speaking false words, divulging seditious calumnies among the people. Ye shall see all this as scattered dust, and all these thick, dark clouds which were gathered in those far regions, will disappear and the Sun of Certainty and Reality shall shine with the Most Dazzling Light; the darkness will vanish, the firm believers will be in great joy, and the nakazeen shall be in evident loss."

1. i.e., those who reject after having professed allegiance. Here it refers particularly to any of those who profess to be a believer in Baha'u'llah but who refuse to follow His command to turn to the succession of heirs seated upon David's throne originating with `Abdu'l-Baha, the Center of the Covenant, as appointed by Baha'u'llah.

On behalf of the Council,
Neal Chase,
Guardian/President.


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