Associated Authors / **Historical Essays, Papers, and Notes** # **The Golden Branch** #### **Victor Woods** ##### August 10, 1991 📄 [↓ PDF](https://leland-jensen-info.netlify.app/1991-08-10-woods-golden-branch.pdf) ---   >The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity by contributing to the establishment of the kingdom of God, which can only be done by the recognition and profession of the truth by every man. > >(Leo Tolstoy, *The Kingdom of God Is Within You: Christianity Not as a Mystic Religion But as a New Theory of Life*, 1894, p. 368.)   As dictated by history, it has been made evident that mankind has known that there will either be an eventual culmination of all human experience in a universal global society, or that we as a species will wear out our welcome in an unsparing and unprecedented destruction of our own creation. We have the choice to either turn away from our own feeble conceptions of the destiny of the human race, or to build upon the foundations of an already forming world society emerging in the heart of America as the New World Order of Baha'u'llah — the second International Baha'i Council. With this choice we are faced with adhering to the laws put forth by God, or rejecting His laws and turning to the plan put forth by man, thereby dragging this world into its self-imposed destruction. This long awaited Day is the fulfillment of all the great visionaries and prophets alike. We are standing at the threshold of an era, the magnitude of which cannot easily be comprehended. This is the Day of the Golden Age where the world will live in peace and grow in knowledge and prosperity; where war will be realized as an archaic lesson of the past and peace and justice will speak louder than the loudest gun ever fired. This is the Day of True Justice, the Day of God, the Day of the Golden Branch. The greatest News of today is about a Divine legislative council, a Golden Branch of Justice in which all the difficult problems of the world are to be solved, being established and formed upon the explicit dictates of the Promised Redeemer, the Second Christ and His appointed successors.   **The Return of Christ** Two thousand years ago, Jesus the first Christ delivered a message of the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth, while fulfilling the Jewish expectation for the coming of a Messiah. Jesus was rejected by his own people and crucified because he was not the one the Jews were expecting. In the Old Testament there are two Christs or Messiahs described, with each one fulfilling a specific mission. The first Christ, Jesus, was prophesied to deliver the good news of the coming of the Kingdom of God on earth and then was to suffer and be crucified at the hands of his own people. Jesus gave us the good news of the kingdom and also the name of the second Christ who would deliver this kingdom. Jesus often referred to the books of the Old Testament and the prophecies they contain. This is why Jesus spoke of the "Glory of the Lord" or the "Glory of the Father" referring to the many descriptions of Baha'u'llah in the Old Testament. Jesus did not speak English, he spoke the ancient Middle East language of Aramaic which translates "Glory of God" as "Baha'u'llah." "Baha" is Glory, "u" is of and "Allah" is God or Lord. The prophet Daniel, to whom Jesus refers His apostles when asked for the date of His return (Matthew 24:3), gives us a time span of 2300 years from the time the Jews of Israel were allowed to return to Jerusalem in 457 B.C. after being held captive by the Babylonians, to the date of 1844 A.D., marking the beginning of the Baha'i Era. At this time the news of the Kingdom of God on earth is made manifest in the person of the Bab, Baha'u'llah's forerunner and herald, with his proclamation in Shiraz, Persia. To look upon the scenes of the first chapters of the Baha'i Era, is to look thousands of years into the past and see the persecutions of the Hebrews who followed Moses or the innumerable martyrdoms of Christians who followed the teachings of Jesus. Less than 150 years ago, this world has again experienced the tragedy of a Promised Revelation from God being delivered by one of His Messengers only to be vehemently opposed, rejected and persecuted by the very ones to whom this message was delivered. This was a message of the Oneness of Humanity and the Oneness of God; that all religions have come from the same source differing only in their content according to the capacity of the people. Baha'u'llah's message is a message for a Universal Age that fulfills all religious expectations; from the return of Christ to the coming of the fifth Buddha Amitabha. An acceptance of the essential harmony between science and religion, the importance of compulsory education, a world economy based on spiritual ideals, the equality of Men and Women and a universal auxiliary language are some of the fundamental principals for this unified civilization. In essence, this Golden Branch is a true world civilization based on the intellectual and spiritual progression and development of humankind. This world society, being grounded on spiritual principals, is built upon the foundation of True Justice as a universal governmental system of elected legislative members from all nations of the world with a male descendant of King David through Baha'u'llah as its president and executive head. Baha'u'llah (1817-1892) descended from the royal line of King David through the exiled Davidic monarchs who had moved from the region of their captivity near Babylon to the mountains of the province of Tabarastan, Persia. It is from this Throne of David that Jews today expect their Messiah to be descended, and whose coming they patiently await. The Exilarchs were the kings over Israel seated upon the ruling Throne of David while in Babylonian captivity. Instead of returning with the rest of the Jews back to Israel, the kings remained in this area as the exiled Davidic monarchs and continued to govern the Israelites. In 817 A.D., exactly one thousand years before Baha'u'llah's birth, Isaac Ben Moses, the Exilarch seated upon the Throne of David, converted to Shi'a Islam and moved himself and his family to the area of Tabarastan, Persia. Here the Throne of David continued in an unbroken chain of father to son descendants down to the governor of the province, Mirza Burzurg, Baha'u'llah's father. The word "Christ" is a title pertaining to a Manifestation's genealogy from King David. The word "Christ" and the word "Messiah" are the same word in different languages. "Christ" is Greek and "Messiah" is Hebrew, both designating a genealogy from King David. God made a covenant with King David that his descendants would be the kings of Israel and would sit on an earthly throne for all time. >thus says the Lord: David shall never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel > >(Jeremiah 33:17 RSV) The line of David is like a growing tree continually putting forth new branches and leaves. This tree has its roots in the beginnings of civilization with the coming of the first Manifestation of God, Adam. The Manifestations are like pure and finely polished mirrors that reflect God to the people. There have been nine such Manifestations sent by God to educate the world; Baha'u'llah being the ninth. The Manifestations reflect God's message to the people via the spoken word. Baha'u'llah teaches that there will always continue to be this outpouring of God's love to the world in the form of the Manifestations who are like Divine Educators for the world of Humanity. The first Manifestation Adam taught the basics of civilization to the people of Mesopotamia. The second, Moses, gave a ruling system to the nation of Israel that was symbolical of the future Kingdom of God on earth. The third was Krishna who came to the people of the Indus River Valley and gave to them a progressive system of civilization and community with laws and spiritual teachings. Next came Zoroaster to the people of ancient Persia and delivered a great civilization with the essential concepts of good and evil. The fifth was Buddha who came also to the people of the Indus River Valley but his message went to China. Jesus, the sixth, delivered the message of the coming of the Kingdom of God on Earth as it is in heaven and prophesied of the ones who would bring and establish this kingdom. The seventh, Muhammad, delivered a great civilization to the people of Arabia. He fulfills the prophesies of Jesus for the one to come as the "Comforter" or "Counselor." The eighth Manifestation, is the Bab (pronounced "bob"), which means "Gate" in the Aramaic language that Jesus spoke. The Bab was the herald for Baha'u'llah, preparing the way for the coming of His message to the people of Shi'a Islam. The ninth Manifestation Baha'u'llah fulfills the prophecies for the coming of the Redeeming Messiah, the second Christ. As Jesus himself did not sit upon an earthly throne, he puts his covenant in the heaven of prophecy and speaks of the one who is to come after him to bring this earthly kingdom. By sitting on the Throne of David, Baha'u'llah brings this Kingdom of God on earth. The prophet Isaiah speaks of this Redeeming Messiah in the ninth chapter: >For to us a son is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. > >(Isaiah 9:6–7 RSV) This passage is commonly misinterpreted as applying to Jesus, but Jesus never brought a government. In fact the only thing Jesus ever said about government was "… render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's"(Luke 20:25). Jesus was not the "Prince of Peace" and he says "Do not think I have come to bring peace on earth, I have not come to bring peace, but a sword"(Matthew 10:34 RSV). The one who comes bringing a government upon his shoulders would deliver the Kingdom of God on earth, yet Jesus says his kingdom is not of this world: >"My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world." > >(John 18:36 RSV) Baha'u'llah brought a world government that is to be established on the top of Mount Carmel, for He Himself was imprisoned in the penal colony of Akka at the foot of Mount Carmel in the valley of Sharon located in the nation of Israel. >The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. > >(Isaiah 35:1–2 RSV) Baha'u'llah began to outline the institutions of this wondrous kingdom to His son 'Abdu'l-Baha and instructed him in the delicate unfoldment of this great message to an unknowing world. The foundations at the time needed to be laid, so Baha'u'llah designated 'Abdu'l-Baha as His successor and appointed him to carry on with the outlining of these all important institutions. Baha'u'llah died in 1892 leaving 'Abdu'l-Baha behind to guide the Baha'is of the world and delineate the essential features of this kingdom.   **World Courts of Arbitration** Baha'u'llah's world government is the government of God on earth, and many attempts have been made at copying it. The first imitation of Baha'u'llah's Plan was by the Czar Nicolas II of Russia, who had copies of Baha'u'llah's writings he had received from his grandfather Alexander II. Alexander began to implement some of the fundamental teachings on government given by Baha'u'llah by creating a "Zemstvo," consisting of Russian local assemblies functioning as the body of a provincial government. Nicholas, on the other hand, took this government a step further and implemented it on the broader scale of a world assembly. He called for the first Hague Peace Conference in 1899, which was able to aid in the modification of some of the rules of war. He also set up a "Permanent Court of Arbitration" located in the Hague, Netherlands. Nicholas failed, though, to publish the source of his efforts and fully educate the people of the world as to the Divine Promise that had been fulfilled through Baha'u'llah. Consequently the attempt at reproducing this Divine Plan failed to bring peace to the world and we experienced World War I. The second attempt to reproduce Baha'u'llah's Plan was directly after World War I, when the Allied Nations met for the Paris Peace Conference to which seventy delegates of twenty seven nations were present. Among these delegates was President Woodrow Wilson of the United States who brought his ideas he wanted included in the Treaty of Versailles. Included in these ideas was a proposal for the formation of a League of Nations that would oversee the arbitration of international disputes. The League of Nations was to act as an Executive branch of this system with the World Court, the offshoot of the Hague Tribunal, as the Legislative branch. Wilson separated this system of Executive and Legislative government into two different bodies, whereas the teachings of the Divine Plan as the Golden Branch combine these two inseparable forces into one. >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 … even as a Paradise itself. > >('Abdu'l-Baha, *Will and Testament*, p. 15.) This body of both the legislative and executive branches of government is called the "Universal House of Justice" by 'Abdu'l-Baha and is defined by him in this way: >This, the House of Justice, will be not only a body for the legislation of laws according to the spirit and requirement of the time, but a board of arbitration for the settlement of all disputes arising between peoples. > >('Abdu'l-Baha, "The Social Teachings of the Baha'i Movement," in *Star of the West*, vol. 7, no. 15, comp. George O. Latimer (December 12, 1916): 138–139.) The reason the League of Nations, which became an official body in 1920, had so many similarities to the teachings of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha was due to the fact that president Wilson's daughter was a Baha'i and had helped her father in the formation of his ideas. >Woodrow Wilson's daughter was an ardent student of the Baha'i teachings; it is said that she was instrumental in influencing her father to include the Baha'i principals in his "Fourteen Points" at Versailles. > >(Guy Murchie, *I Am A Baha'i*, Chicago Sunday Tribune, July 13, 1958, p. 4.) As this plan was an imitation, and not the true Golden Branch brought by Baha'u'llah and his successors, the plan failed to keep peace in post-war Europe. The United States senate had refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles and join the League of Nations. Afterwards, the world had its second World War. After World War II the Allied nations again came together in another attempt at copying the Divine Plan of Baha'u'llah. President Franklin D. Roosevelt and his wife Eleanor both attended Baha'i educational classes in Washington D.C. called "Firesides." This was a phrase coined by 'Abdu'l-Baha when he visited the United States in 1912 and told the believers to gather their friends together in their homes and have "Fireside chats." After the classes in Washington, Roosevelt began to hold his own "Fireside Chats" on the radio each week to the nation. As the war against Germany and Japan was coming to an end, the nations of England, Russia and the United States began to formulate the basis for another world parliament of arbitration. This structuring was done with the greater influence of President Roosevelt and the Baha'i concepts he had learned in the firesides. The plan of President Roosevelt was to set up the UN and gather the leaders of the nations together to demonstrate the destructive force of his secret Manhattan Project - the atom bomb. After all the nations had witnessed the power of this terrible weapon, it would then be handed over to the UN with all nations having possession of it within a court of arbitration. If any one nation would arise to attack another, all the nations of the world would then come together as one force with this weapon to stop them. Roosevelt also knew it was necessary to incorporate the Baha'i teachings into the government until the time when he could safely proclaim its true Author, Baha'u'llah. But as Roosevelt died before the UN was set up, Harry Truman used the bomb on Japan thus throwing out Roosevelt's plan and turning the UN into just another imitation. As a result of this third imitation the world is heading for World War III.   **The Branches of Wood and Iron** 'Abdu'l-Baha designated his grandson Shoghi Effendi to succeed him after his death in 1921, naming him the "Center of the Cause of God" and instructing the Baha'is throughout the world to obey Shoghi Effendi as one would obey God. Shoghi Effendi had a unique genealogy because he was of both the lineage of Baha'u'llah and the Bab. Because the Bab was also a direct descendant of Muhammad, within Shoghi Effendi the two lines of the Davidic Kings and Muhammad became one. These two lineages are represented in the two inseparable forces of the Universal House of Justice (UHJ). The Executive branch of the UHJ is the continuing line of guardians who are the male descendants of Baha'u'llah. These are the "Branches" of David that continue to branch forth and grow from this exalted lineage. The Arabic word used to denote "Sons of David" by 'Abdu'l-Baha in his Will and Testament is "Aghsan" which in English is "Branch," like the branch of a tree. The son is the one who branches forth from the father. Thus the guardians of the UHJ are as the branches of wood. During the formative stages of the nation of Israel, it was guided by a Branch of Wood, the Davidic Kings. This guidance was only for those people who were of Jewish descent and a part of the nation of Israel. In the days of Moses, the people were also guided by this branch of wood because it was only to the Hebrew people that Moses gave his message. As all other nations were in opposition to these people, this Branch of Wood was the shepherding staff guiding this flock to their heritage of the promised land of Israel. The Branch of Wood after Moses then continued to be a system of preservation for the chosen lineage of the Davidic Kings and was only designated for those who were a part of that heritage. On the other hand, the Legislative branch of the elected members of the UHJ is represented by the line of Muhammad and the Bab because these Manifestations ruled with a rod of Iron. The Branch of Iron was the authority by which these Manifestations came to guide the people by fulfilling the prophecies of Name, Date, Address, and Mission. By this authority, these Manifestations were able to educate the masses in the Word of God. Jesus Christ on his first coming ruled with a rod of Iron because he was prophesied of by Name, Date, Address, and Mission. By this authority he instructed his apostles to teach the nations of the world. Jesus was of the lineage of David but he did not sit upon the throne. The one who sat upon the Throne of David was the Exilarch in Babylon at the time. The Exilarch was the Branch of Wood who preserved the lineage of the Throne of David and ruled the nation of Israel. Jesus, being a Branch of Iron, had twelve apostles who took the message of Christianity to the Jews as well as to the Gentiles and made the nations of the world Christian through their Gospels and Epistles. Muhammad fulfilled the prophecies that Jesus gave for the one who was to come by the name "Comforter" or "Counselor" in the Gospel of John. "Comforter" in the Aramaic language Jesus spoke is "Ahamad" so when Jesus said "the Comforter" he said "mu-Ahamad". Muhammad was prophesied by Name, Date, Address and Mission and taught not only Arabs, but Jews and Christians and Africans and Europeans alike. This is the Branch of Iron, the education of the peoples of the world. The Kingdom of God is the uniting of the two Branches of Wood and Iron; the education of the world and the Davidic Kings, into one Branch of purest Gold. As the body of Jesus on his first coming was represented by twelve apostles, he returns with twelve apostles whom he organizes into a functioning legislative body called the International Baha'i Council.   **Shoghi Effendi** Shoghi Effendi was both a Branch of Wood and a Branch of Iron united in one person, and was thus the absolute authority in the Baha'i World. The Universal House of Justice, in its final stages of development, becomes the body to which all difficult problems of the world are referred to. >By this House is meant the 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. Unto this body all thngs muist be referred. It enacteth all ordinances and regulations that are not to be found in the explicit Holy Text. By this body all the difficult problems are to be resolved and the guardian of the Cause of God is its sacred head and distinguished member for life of that body. > >('Abdu'l-Baha, *Will and Testament*, p. 14.) The members of the House of Justice with a guardian at its head, the Golden Branch, was the successor to Shoghi Effendi when he died. But this House of Justice was in its formative stages at the time of Shoghi's death as the first International Baha'i Council. The Divine Plan of Baha'u'llah is like a living organism which from its point of conception, is born, develops and evolves into maturity. As the faith was destined to evolve into a World Order Shoghi Effendi needed to have a successor to his authority, but as his successor was not fully understood by the Baha'is of the world, they failed to carry out Shoghi's Plan. There has been a fourth attempt at instituting the Divine Plan of Baha'u'llah without following the specific guidelines of those appointed to delineate such a system. This attempt has been made by the Baha'i World Faith Inc. whose international headquarters are atop Mount Carmel in Haifa, Israel. The Baha'is knew that Shoghi Effendi was to have a successor, but since Shoghi had no sons and did not appoint any in a will, the "Hands of the Cause of God," who act as assistants to the guardian, sent out the message to the world that there was no son to succeed Shoghi Effendi and declared that the guardianship had come to an end. They ignored the explicit instructions of Shoghi Effendi on how the International Baha'i Council was to evolve into the Universal House of Justice. Shoghi created the first IBC in 1951 and proclaimed this event in a cablegram to the world. >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 … 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 > >(Shoghi Effendi, cablegram, January 9, 1951, in *Messages to the Baha'i World: 1950–1957*, pp. 7–8.) As Shoghi was in himself a Golden Branch, being both of the line of the Davidic Kings (Wood) and the line of Muhammad and the Bab (Iron), this was what needed to be his successor. The IBC was this Golden Branch that succeeded Shoghi Effendi by being comprised of a legislative body (Iron) and having the adopted son of Abdu'l-Baha, Mason Remey, as its president and head (Wood). >Announce to friends East and West the following: … Greatly welcome the assistance of the newly-formed International Baha'i Council, particularly its President, Mason Remey > >(Shoghi Effendi, cablegram, March 2, 1951, in *Messages to the Baha'i World: 1950–1957*, pp. 8–9.) As 'Abdu'l-Baha's only son died in infancy, he adopted Mason Remey as his son to continue the lineage of the Davidic Kings. Mason Remey was an American who had come into the faith in 1899 and had been a firm supporter of 'Abdu'l-Baha. When 'Abdu'l-Baha died, he appointed Shoghi Effendi to be the executor of his Will, and further delineate the institutions of the faith from Haifa, Israel. As Shoghi Effendi was a Golden Branch of authority, he set up the International Baha'i Council and appointed Mason Remey, the Branch of Wood, as its president making it the Branch of Gold and his only true successor. The World Faith Baha'i Administration, not wanting a successor to Shoghi Effendi, did away with the IBC in 1959 and announced the formation of a false Universal House of Justice by the year 1963 without following the detailed plan of Shoghi's for the IBC to evolve gradually into first a Baha'i Court and then into a duly elected body and finally into the UHJ once all the nations of the world had become Baha'i.   **The Return of Jesus** Today the authority of this New World Order is given to the Son, Jesus, who has returned to establish his Father's Kingdom. As Jesus brought the Word of God to the people of Israel, he instructed his apostles to deliver this Word to the rest of the world and proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God on earth. He then gave his Revelation to his servant John on the Isle of Patmos in 94 A.D. in a cryptic and allegorical vision, which he recorded and gave to the churches in Asia Minor. In this Revelation, Jesus promises that he would return and break the seven seals that have kept the meaning of his Revelation obscure. The return of Jesus comes fulfilling biblical prophecy by Name, Date, Address and Mission just as he had two thousand years ago. With this criteria, he is given the authority of the Iron Branch = and teaches by The Word educating the masses of the people. >He is clad in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. … From his mouth issues a sharp sword with which to smite the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron > >(Revelation 19:13, 15 RSV) Jesus upon his return is also the Promised One of the Baha'i Faith who is prophesied to come and establish the Kingdom of God. >O thou dear friend! Know thou that the Distinguished Individual of every age is according to the virtues of that age. The Distinguished Personage who was in the former cycle, His power and virtues were according to the former age, but in this brilliant age and divine cycle, the Noble Personage, the Radiant Star, the Distinguished One, will manifest with virtues which will eventually amaze the peoples, for He is in spiritual virtues and divine perfections loftier than all the Individuals; nay, rather He is the Source of Divine Benediction and the Center of the Radiant Circle. He is certainly comprehensive. There is no doubt that He will reveal Himself to such a degree as to bring all under His over-shadowing shelter. > >('Abdu'l-Baha, *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Baha*, p. 541.) 'Abdu'l-Baha made mention of this nobel Personage many times and even told the Baha'is of the world that he had been born and existed. >Verily that Infant is born and exists and there will appear from his cause a wonder which thou wilt hear in the future. Thou shalt see Him with the most perfect form, most great gift, most complete perfection, most great power and strongest might! His face glisteneth a glistening whereby the horizons are illumined! Therefore, forget not this account as long as thou art living, for as much as there are signs for it in the passing centuries and ages. > >('Abdu'l-Baha, *Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Baha*, p. 484.) In this prophecy, 'Abdu'l-Baha announces to the world that this person had been born and that he was an infant. This Tablet had been written in the year 1915 and was published throughout the Baha'i world. Just a few months before 'Abdu'l-Baha's announcement, in a small town near Racine, Wisconsin, a child was born to a Baha'i couple. They named their child Leland while still in the womb of his mother, and raised him as a Baha'i. This Promised Individual, this Radiant Star has been prophesied of in the passing centuries and ages to establish this Kingdom of God, and has been a hidden treasure for all the world to now finally discover. >The Lord called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name. He made my mouth a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away. >… >And now the Lord says, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord, and my God has become my strength — he says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." > >(Isaiah 49:1–2, 5–6 RSV) Dr. Leland Jensen is this "light to the nations." He establishes the Golden Branch in the world and brings the medicine for a sick world to the nations in the form of the second International Baha'i Council.   **The Twelve Apostles** Shoghi Effendi entitled the appointed council he formed in Haifa, Israel as the "first" IBC, knowing that there would be a second. The first IBC was thrown out by the corrupt Hands of the Baha'i Faith, but has since been re-established with the grandson of 'Abdu'l-Baha at its head. This body is the "light to the nations" and is comprised of the twelve apostles of the Lamb who function as an educative body to the nations of the world. 'Abdu'l-Baha prophesied of this transition of the spiritual center of the world from Haifa, Israel, to the United States: >America will assuredly evolve into a center from which waves of spiritual power will emanate, and the throne of the Kingdom of God will, in the plenitude of its majesty and glory, be firmly established." > >('Abdu'l-Baha, quoted in Shoghi Effendi, *World Order of Baha'u'llah*, p. 78.) As the return of Jesus is described as ruling with a "Rod of Iron" this authority is passed down to his twelve apostles that make up the body of the second IBC. The president of this council is the son of Mason Remey, Joseph Pepe Remey (Branch of Wood) who evolves with this body into the duly elected Supreme Tribunal, which then effloresces into the Universal House of Justice by the end of this century. The guardian of the Baha'i Faith is the executive head of this evolving council, and as delineated by 'Abdu'l-Baha, has only one vote in the body of legislation. The guardian does not have the capacity or sphere of power to be the authority over the other members of the body, but must act as the central figure and mouthpiece that the world turns to for information on the decisions of that assembly. The essence of this administrative order is the close union of these two institutions into one House. This system is a just system of legislation excluding any form of absolute monarchy or despotism. >Though the Guardian of the Faith has been made the permanent head of so august a body he can never, even temporarily assume the right of exclusive legislation. He cannot override the decision of the majority of his fellow-members, but is bound to insist upon a reconsideration by them of any enactment he conscientiously believes to conflict with the meaning and to depart from the spirit of Baha'u'llah's revealed utterances. He interprets what has been specifically revealed, and cannot legislate except in his capacity as member of the Universal House of Justice. > >(Shoghi Effendi, *World Order of Baha'u'llah*, p. 150.)   **The Temple is Rebuilt** This International Baha'i Council is the restored Temple of God fulfilling the expectations of the Jews of Israel for the institution of the Messianic Age. The Temple of Israel was destroyed first by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in the year 586 B.C. and again by the Roman General Titus in 70 A.D. The Temple was destroyed in both years on the same date, August 9th. In Jewish expectation, the Temple will be rebuilt on this date and the Messiah will come and deliver the Kingdom of God to the nation of Israel. In the Jewish holidays this is known as Tish'Abav, or the 9th of Av. In the first destruction, the Ark of the Covenant was taken by the Babylonians and lost in the wilderness forever. The Jews have been apostate in their religious practices ever since, with their only hope being the advent of the Messiah to come and deliver the Kingdom of God. With the absence of the Ark, after the destruction of the first Temple and the rebuilding of the second, the Divine Presence had departed from the people of Israel. The Temple was the focus for all of Israel with the two rooms of the Sanctuary and the Holy of Holy's that contained the Ark. The High Priest would offer sacrifices for all of Israel and would then consult the scrolls of the law contained within the Ark. The nation was unified under this one explanation of the law by the High Priest and it became the greatest kingdom on earth. The Ark of the Covenant within the Temple has today returned with the Covenant of Baha'u'llah and the second IBC with the High Priest, the return of Jesus, to look into and explain the Covenant to the people. As 'Abdu'l-Baha prophesied that this infant was born and that he would eventually bring all under his over shadowing shelter, he made reference to how this person would be made known through the "signs of passing centuries and ages." It was to this same day, August 9, that the first homesteading pioneers of the Deer Lodge valley in Montana, the Morrisites, over one hundred years ago founded their hopes in the coming of the return of Jesus. They accurately described the stone temple he was to come to in the Deer Lodge valley which was to have been built from the stones of the surrounding mountains and was to have towers. This description fits the prophecies in the Book of Ezekiel for the coming of the Messianic Temple. The coming of this Temple has been fulfilled in the Old Montana State Prison in Deer Lodge, Montana with its stone wall and seven watch towers. Here Dr. Leland Jensen was sent to after a frame-up to have him removed as competition to the businesses of the rest of the Chiropractors in Missoula. He arrived at the prison on the afternoon of August 8th, 1969, fulfilling the promise of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew that he would return in prison. Dr. Jensen spent his first full day in the prison, August 9th. For over one hundred years the Morrisites held celebrations on the morning of every August 9th in preparation for Jesus' return. Today this has been fulfilled and the true body of Jesus' twelve apostles have come. The authority by which Jesus, upon his return, has to set up such an institution is vested in him by being able to place all rule, power and authority under his feet in subjection to him. As this International Baha'i Council is established, the world will be given the opportunity to recognize this Great Day and turn toward the Divine Plan of God. The return of Jesus, Dr. Leland Jensen, gives the world this opportunity with the news of the establishment of this Divine Plan of Baha'u'llah, the Golden Branch. After this Kingdom is established then he himself will become subjected to it, because the Universal House of Justice is the body that makes decisions as the decisions of God. The authority of the second IBC is as the apostles of the return of Jesus through his liaison officer of that council, his wife Wind Jensen. This council is guided by the Promised One of God and will be until this body becomes the elected body of the UHJ and is firmly established atop the promised mountain of God, Mount Carmel. >Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. “For God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “All things are put in subjection under him,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things under him, that God may be everything to every one. > >(I Corinthians 15:24–28 RSV) This is the Golden Branch, the guidance and education of the peoples of the world. With the teachings for a true civilization as brought by Baha'u'llah, the world can now be assured of its final phase of development towards being the promised Kingdom of God on Earth. >It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of mountains, and shall be raised above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, and many people shall come and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths." > >For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. > >(Isaiah 2:2–6 RSV)   --- **Document Details** - **Type:** Historical Paper - **Date:** August 10, 1991 - **Author:** Victor Woods - **Length:** 12 pages, original pagination. - **Summary Note:** - **Editorial Note:** **Archivist Notes:** Victor Woods was an appointed member of the Second International Baha'i Council who opposed the sIBC in 2001 and was declared a Covenant-breaker. He passed away on November 20, 2017. **Archivist Classification** - **Collection:** Associated Authors → Historical Papers and Notes - **Period:** First years of the sIBC. **Reference Information** - **Permanent Link:** https://leland-jensen.info/associated-authors/1991-08-10-woods-golden-branch/ - **Download PDF:** [1991-08-10-woods-golden-branch.pdf](https://leland-jensen-info.netlify.app/1991-08-10-woods-golden-branch.pdf) - **Citation (Chicago Style):** Woods, Victor "The Golden Branch." Unpublished paper, August 10, 1991. Informally circulated among students. Leland Jensen Archive. Accessed [Month Day, Year]. https://leland-jensen.info/associated-authors/1991-08-10-woods-golden-branch/ - **Archive Home:** https://leland-jensen.info - **Last Updated:** 26 August 2026 --- [Site Guide](site%20guide.md)  |   [Sitemap](Clickable%20Sitemap.md)  |   [Downloads](downloads.md)  |  [Contact Us](contact%20us.md) **Dr. Leland Jensen**: Teachings and Commentaries Archive © 2026 Baha'i Council of Dane County, all rights reserved.  [Copyright & Usage Policy](copyright.md) ---