THE BOOK OF REVELATION

CHAPTER TWELVE

Revised Standard Version
(Unless Otherwise Indicated)

'ABDU'L-BAHA in the book Some Answered Questions explained the first six verses of this prophecy of the dragon as pertaining to Islam and "the dynasty Umayyeds who dominated the Muhammadan religion," and the son of the woman (the law of God) as the advent of the Bab. The Babi dispensation only lasted for 19 years and was replaced by the Revelation of Baha'u'llah. Although 'Abdu'l-Baha's explanations of the first six verses of chapter 12 were true and fit the situation, he didn't explain the rest of the verses 13-17. The reason being that there is another explanation of chapter 12 that pertains to the Revelation of Baha'u'llah, and the establishing of His Kingdom in the world today:

Verse 1: "And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars";

A "portent" is a sign.

"heaven" again symbolizes the Revelation of God.

"woman" refers to the Law of God, or the Covenant. 'Abdu'l-Baha explains on page 77 of the book "Some Answered Questions" that the Holy City is most frequently used to refer to the Law of God. He explains that this Law may also be referred to as a bride, Jerusalem, and/or the new heaven and earth. To clarify this, He explains the meaning of verses one, two and three of the twenty-first chapter of the Book of Revelation. We have used His explanation for those verses in this writing and suggest that you turn to that explanation if this meaning is not clear. This "woman"—Law of God, or Covenant—is that Revelation which was Revealed by Baha'u'llah.

"the sun" symbolizes Baha'u'llah and the moon is 'Abdu'l-Baha, as he perfectly reflects the light of Baha'u'llah.

Verse 2: "she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery."

The child is the first embryonic International Baha'i Council (IBC) that was to succeed Shoghi Effendi. "She cried out in her pangs of birth in anguish for delivery;" is due to the fact that the Covenant-breaking "Hands" by-passed this embryonic IBC, for a plan of their own.

"her pangs of birth" refer to the great difficulties, troubles and afflictions on this woman.

She was "in anguish for delivery" meaning that the appearance of the Promised One: the return of Jesus the Lamb, who was Dr. Leland Jensen—that was to deliver her.

Verse 3: "And another portent appeared in heaven; behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems upon his heads."

The red dragon represents the "Hands" of the Cause of God, who had no real existence after the passing of Shoghi Effendi. Ruhiyyih Khanum resurrected them, and had the Baha'is to turn to them instead of Shoghi Effendi's son, the first International Baha'i Council, of whom Shoghi Effendi designated as his successor. The red being associated with the Baha'i faith. A dragon is a winged serpent, indicating the religious intellect, in this case the twisted intellect of these "Hands." With the passing of Shoghi Effendi, his widow, Ruhiyyih Khanum, said she seized the power and authority from Shoghi Effendi's son, the first International Baha'i Council, and had the Baha'i world turn to the "Hands" instead, as the religious head (or clergy) of the Baha'i faith. These "Hands" then had a conclave, and voted themselves to be ones to carry out Shoghi Effendi's plan, which two years later, in 1959, they abolished (Shoghi's Plan) for a plan of their own. Shoghi Effendi's Plan was for the International Baha'i Council, of which he had appointed the members, to go through four stages: a world court to be established on Mt. Carmel in 1963, then at a later date its body would be elected, and become the Supreme Tribunal, and then in the fullness of time would effloresce (blossom), when the world became Baha'i, into the Universal House of Justice. Shoghi Effendi's Council had 'Abdu'l-Baha's son to be its head, or president. The Covenant-breaking "Hands" did away with the Executive Branch altogether, establishing a headless monster in its place in 1963, which they shamefully called the Universal House of Justice.

The "seven heads" represent, as in 'Abdu'l-Baha's explanation, seven dominions. When Shoghi Effendi appointed his Hands he assigned them to a region or dominion. These assignments were divided up into 7 areas of the world: the Holy Land (Palestine); America (North and South); Africa; Asia including the Middle East; Europe; Britain; and the Pacific (Australia, including the islands in the Pacific Ocean). The "ten horns" of this dragon were the ten auxiliary boards, two on each continent, that reported to the "Hands," through which the "Hands" controlled and intimidated the National Spiritual Assemblies and thus all the believers.

The "seven diadems upon its heads" are seven powers and authorities that the "Hands" usurped in order to permanently assure their position:

1) Direction of the Institution of the Hands of the Cause of God, instead of the guardian.

2) Making and implementing the decisions as an assembled body of members constituting the leadership of the Faith, in the place of the International Baha'i Council.

3) Appointment of the successor to Shoghi Effendi, instead of his son; the first International Baha'i Council.

4) Direction of the National Spiritual assemblies, instead of the International Baha'i Council.

5) Direction of Shoghi Effendi's ten year plan, instead of the International Baha'i Council.

6) Direction of the International Baha'i Council, instead of the Council directing them.

7) Naming and expelling "Covenant-breakers" instead of the guardian (that appoints them) expelling them. Without the guardian the "Hands" ceased to exist (Will and Testament, pp. 12, 13).

Verse 4: "His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth";

"a third of the stars of heaven" The stars here are the laws. The laws can be divided into three parts: Teaching the Cause, Firmness in the Covenant, and Living the Life. The third part the "Hands" threw out of the Baha'i faith was firmness in the Covenant as they threw out the Covenant (this inevitably lead to other parts being thrown out as well).

"And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child that he might devour her child when she brought it forth": The child that was to be born into the world was set up by Shoghi Effendi in 1951. This child was the first International Baha'i Council, the Universal House of Justice in embryo. This Council never met as a body and was not activated, meaning it was still in the womb and not yet born into this world of activity during the days of Shoghi Effendi. The members of this council were appointed by Shoghi Effendi and not elected, they received individual instructions from Shoghi Effendi, and he announced to the entire Baha'i World that this embryo would be born into the world of activity by 1963. The "Hands" sought to take over this entity.

Verse 5: "she brought forth a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne."

In 1959, the "Hands" ignored this child in embryo and set up something quite different, going against Shoghi Effendi. The "child was caught up to God" meaning that it was preserved in God's Plan with God's Promised One, the return of Jesus the High Priest, or the Lamb. It was caught up to his throne, the Davidic throne that 'Abdu'l-Baha's son, Mason Remey, sat upon. The male child is Shoghi Effendi's son, the first International Baha'i Council who was born into the world as the second International Baha'i Council in 1991. The "rod of iron" by which the child rules the nations is the mandate of the Lesser Covenant through which the International Baha'i Council (IBC) has conferred infallibility (see Isaiah 11:6)[1].

Verse 6: "and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which to be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days."

"the woman" is the Covenant of Baha'u'llah; "the wilderness where she has a place prepared by God" was America, the vast desert of non-scriptural understanding of the meaning of the prophecies where the woman fled to. The 1260 days designates the period of time to which the believers were completely confused concerning the state of the Baha'i Covenant. Taking the 1260 as literal days, it converts to three and a half years. This period of time begins from the date on which the believers received a public proclamation from the "Hands" calling for the election of the IBC. The announcement was dated November 7th, 1959 and was received on November 8th of 1959: 1260 days brings us to April 21, 1963, the date when Dr. Leland Jensen began his mission, fulfilling the first part of the prophecy of Joshua (Jesus) in Zechariah chapter 3.

The IBC was not to be elected, but become the world court with the appointed members of Shoghi Effendi. They are getting this whole thing all messed up, making it a great debacle. Their object was to set up a Universal House of Justice, before it went through the four stages, as Shoghi Effendi's plan called for. This eliminated the world court stage and the elected Supreme Tribunal stage, and zipped to electing what they designated a Universal House of Justice, without it being elected by all nations, as there were no Baha'is in Russia, or in the many nations of the Soviet Union [2] at that time. "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" (W&T, p. 14). And if that isn't enough it was also exclusive of the Guardian, which is a must to have Baha'u'llah's Universal House of Justice, as set forth in the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha. This was such a glaring violation of the Covenant that the guardian, in his First Encyclical Letter, expelled them from the Baha'i religious faith for Covenant-breaking. Making them Covenant-breakers of the worst sort.

All of the Baha'is should have shunned them. Instead they stayed with them and caught their spiritual disease of Leprosy. In order to get rid of this horrible disease it requires the remedy of the divine physician, Dr. Leland Jensen, who was sent by God. That is, he was prophesied by the Name [3] he would come in; the Address [4] where he would be found; the Date of his arrival 1963;[5] and his Mission: to cure this Dreadful, almost fatal spiritual disease. For those lepers who refuse his medicine will die in their sins, and there is no freedom of choice in the next life, and they can't come back and have a second chance. They have to have his medicine now in this life.

Verse 7: "Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,"

The name Michael means "one like God." This Michael is mentioned in chapter 12 of Daniel as "the great prince." Baha'u'llah's father sat on the throne of King David, making Baha'u'llah the great prince, and in this verse it refers to Baha'u'llah, who Manifested God. Therefore Michael (one like God) is Baha'u'llah, Who is a Manifestation of God. "His angels" are God's heavenly army led by the Knight of Baha'u'llah seated upon a white horse (Rev. 6:1, 2, and 19:11-16). This Knight is Dr. Leland Jensen who was knighted, a Knight of Baha'u'llah, by Shoghi Effendi in 1954.

They fight against the dragon, that is, the cult of the Covenant-breakers. These Covenant-breakers that follow the "Hands" accuses the true Baha'is, who are faithful to the Covenant, of being the Covenant-breakers—shunning them— and thus have created a wall of oppression, which keeps the pure-hearted and sincere seekers trapped and captive in their apostate group from investigating the truth of the Covenant. This Heavenly Army is the prophesied 144,000 in chapter 14. The false teachings of the dragon are thrown down from having a position of ascendancy in their minds. These false teachings of the Covenant-breakers will be thrown down once and for all, and that will mark the point in time when the Kingdom is established.

Verse 8: "but they were defeated and there was no longer any place for them in heaven."

That is, they were no longer spiritual. The dragon is not spiritual, but a concept of an ugly mythical winged monster that was concocted by the Arch Covenant-breakers to replace the provisions of the Covenant that they abandoned. Therefore there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

Verse 9: "And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him."

This dragon appropriately applies to the Covenant-breakers, that with the passing of Shoghi Effendi, setup a headless monster in the Baha'i faith, in the place of the true Universal House of Justice. Thus, the dragon was "thrown down to the earth" meaning it was no longer spiritual, but secular. Earth symbolizes that it lost all of its spirituality becoming completely apostate. Ruhiyyih Khanum, the wife of the guardian, Shoghi Effendi, was spiritual. Shoghi Effendi gave his wife, Mary Maxwell, the name Ruhiyyih Khanum which means: "spirit like lady". The "Hands" of Shoghi Effendi were also spiritual. But when Ruhiyyih Khanum murdered her husband and seized the reigns of authority, and set the "Hands" up to make the decisions in the place of Shoghi Effendi's son (the first International Baha'i Council), they were no longer spiritual, but counterfeit, a fake. The "ancient serpent" is the twisted intellect of the Arch Covenant-breakers, and his angels, who are the goon squads (nincompoops), that they send out to keep their deluded followers ignorant.

Verse 10: "And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, 'Now the salvation and the power and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God.'"

"Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come" refers to the re-establishment of the Davidic Kingship (that the Covenant-breakers threw out), back into the Baha'i faith. The Greek word Christ means Messiah Ben David, a descendant of David that is anointed. Baha'u'llah is a descendant of David through the line of Kings seated upon the throne of David, from Solomon on down; and He was anointed with the Holy Spirit as Jesus was. Baha'u'llah's descendants are the re-established Davidic Kingship beginning with Abdu'l-Baha, then His son, Mason Remey, and now Mason's son, Joseph Pepe Remey Aghsan, and his son. "the accuser of our brethren" is the Arch Covenant-breakers which is the dragon. They, without foundation, accuse the brethren that are loyal to the Covenant as Covenant-breakers. This artifice and stratagem, is a maneuver to deceive, or out-wit the defenders of the Covenant. It's a devise, a trick, a red herring,[6] to conversely obtain advantage, by twisting the facts, by calling the faithful, Covenant-breakers, to detour the "mainstream Baha'is" from realizing that they themselves are the Covenant-breakers. This keeps them from investigating and recognizing their plight as followers of the treacherous corruption of the violation of the Covenant of Baha'u'llah and the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha by the Arch Covenant-breakers, that they are now loyal to.

Verse 11: "And they have conquered him [the dragon] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death."

Blood is the symbol of the Covenant. "And he [Jesus] took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, 'Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the Covenant'..." (Matt. 26:27, 28). Thus, the blood of the Lamb is the Covenant that he conquers both the apostate Christians and the dragon with.

"and they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony," means that the Lamb, with seven horns and seven eyes, has explained the testimony of the sacrificial Lamb, who is the Spirit of Prophecy. In Revelation, chapter 19 verse 10 it says: "For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy." By these explanations of the prophecies, by Jesus the Lamb, the Kingdom of God is established.

Verse 12: "'Rejoice then, O heaven and you that dwell therein! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!'"

"the devil" symbolizes the minds rejection of the truth and the Promised One.

When the Covenant-breakers see that their wickedness is exposed they will come down in great wrath for they know that their time is short. They are the great losers in both this life and in the next, as God has prophesied complete victory for the legions of the Covenant, led by Jesus the Lamb.

Verse 13: "And when the dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth, he pursued the woman who had borne the male child."

After the dragon had been "thrown down to earth," they were secular, no longer spiritual, but apostate, that is, untrue. Then the Arch Covenant-breakers knew that their time was short.

Verse 14: "But the woman was given the two wings of the great eagle that she might fly from the serpent into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times and half a time."

Time is a continuation, or successive existence, capable of division into measurable proportions. This wilderness is America (freedom from religion) as having two wings of the eagle, which is the symbol of the United States. As time is a continuation or successive existence capable of division into measurable proportions: a decade is a period of ten years. The times, two times, and half, is three and a half decades, or 35 years. This woman, the law of God (Covenant), was brought to America in 1963, when the Covenant-breakers established a headless monster on Mt. Carmel in place of the woman in 1963. This period began in 1963, when Jesus the Lamb began his mission, and thirty-five years later brings us to 1998 when he will have a complete victory. Daniel prophesied this date: "Blessed is he who waits and comes to the thousand three hundred and thirty five days." These are 1335 solar years, from the victory of Muhammad in 628 AD: 628 + 1335 = 1963. Also "'Abdu'l-Baha's Tablets make it clear that this prophecy refers to the one-hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Baha'u'llah in Baghdad, or the year of 1963.[7] This is the date that "Blessed is he" Jesus the Lamb (Leland) began his mission.

The "time, times, and a half time" is also expressed in some places as three-score and a half, which is 3 times (20 years each) plus a half time (ten more years) which takes us from 1921, when 'Abdu'l-Baha's Will and Testament took effect upon his death, to 1991, when the embryonic first International Baha'i Council was finally born into this world. This 70-year gestation period—which starts the conception (1921)—during which the spirit of the Covenant is nourished, then gives birth to the second International Baha'i Council (1991).

Verse 15: "The serpent poured water like a river out of his mouth after the woman, to sweep her away with the flood."

The serpent is the twisted intellect of the Covenant-breakers. The water is their twisted concepts that comes from their mouth, against the Covenant of Baha'u'llah, which is the woman. The flood is the mainstream Covenant-breaking "Baha'is" pouring out their venom (corruption) against the Covenant.

Verse 16: "But the earth came to the help of the woman, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed the river which the dragon had poured from his mouth."

The earth is "the land" (Leland) who came to the help of the woman, the Revelation of Baha'u'llah. And "the land," Leland, swallowed up the river, like Moses' serpents (intellect) swallowed up the Pharaoh's priest's serpents. That is, his arguments won out over Pharaoh's priest's arguments. So the explanations and commentaries of Jesus the Lamb will win out over the five to eight million Covenant-breaking "Baha'is." Their lives will be cut very short as this argument will be cut off by the thermonuclear war that is upon us, and they will perish in its fire (Hell's fire).

Verse 17: "Then the dragon was angry with the woman, and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus. And he stood on the sand of the sea."

"the dragon angry with the woman," that is, angry with the Covenant of Baha'u'llah. That is, they make war on any one who abides by the Covenant of Baha'u'llah. "Those who keep the commandments of God and bear the testimony of Jesus" are the Baha'is under the Provisions of the Covenant. They accept the explanations and commentaries of Jesus the Lamb.

The 144,000 have signed a card with the apostate group, and when they leave it and come under the provisions of the Covenant they will be persecuted by their past Covenant-breaking administration.

The dragon is seen standing on the sea-shore. The Faith is often symbolized as an ocean in which the impurities are brought up out of it by the waves and cast onto the shore as foam. Thus the Ocean cleanses itself. So it is upon the shore or the beach, where all the sand is found, that the impurities have been cast out to, and this is where the dragon stands, again showing that this dragon is the apostasy. The sands are the millions of Baha'is under the apostasy of the "Hands."

ENDNOTES

1 "Regarding the infallibility of the International Baha'i Council," Dr. Jensen wrote: "The body is infallible as long as it is the body that acknowledges him [the living guardian] as its president... The second International Baha'i Council/Universal House of Justice is a branch of gold [iron + wood = gold] because it recognizes the hereditary position of the guardianship in the World Order of Baha'u'llah, as the president of the second International Baha'i Council and the head of the Universal House of Justice in all its stages of development. The second International Baha'i Council must accept and acknowledge that the guardian is the president" (Dr. Leland Jensen, Book of Order of the Second International Baha'i Council, pp. 71-72. [back]