OVER THE WALL OF OPPRESSION
PART II, THE BOOK OF REVELATION
By Dr. Leland Jensen
CHAPTER 3
1 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: ‘The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars. I know your works; you have the name of being alive, and you are dead.’”
The people in the church in Sardis are those who have fallen into the quagmire. In Christianity, they are those who struggle with Jesus on his return. The more they struggle, the deeper they go down in the bog. Jesus throws a strong cord for them to grab a hold of (his explanations and commentaries). The more they struggle to defend their paganism (three gods in one god), the deeper they go. Some of them have become Baha'is under the violation. Their second condition is worse than the first, for in Christianity they don’t close their minds to the explanations of the Lamb. The Covenant-breakers are also deep into the mire, but they are the most narrow-minded people in the world. They swallow the gobbledygook of their captors. They are told that the ones who are firm in the Covenant are Covenant-breakers. They are so closed-minded that they believe this LIE without investigation, so the strong cord Jesus throws them is rejected. Therefore, they go deeper and deeper into the bog. When their whole body is sunk into this filth, they are dead and unable to grab hold of the strong cord.
2 “‘Awake, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God.’”
These Covenant-breakers are under a wall of oppression, forbidden by their slave masters to know the truth. This oppression keeps them asleep. Here God is telling them to awake and come out from their stupor so they can strengthen that which remains of the truth, but is to the point of extinction; for what they are doing in this great violation is imperfection in the sight of God. Here God is telling the Covenant-breaking Baha'is to come out of this hellhole they are in.
3 “‘Remember then what you received and heard; keep that, and repent. If you will not awake, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come upon you.’”
Here He is telling them to remember the Revelation of Baha'u'llah that they had received, and the plan of Shoghi Effendi that was thrown out by their slave masters, and to keep that plan and repent from going along with the Covenant-breakers. Also, if they don’t awake, the great catastrophe will fall upon them, and they will lose everything.
4 “‘Yet you have still a few names in Sardis, people who have not soiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy.’
There are some in this Covenant-breaking outfit who are innocent; that is, they haven’t gobbled the gobbledygook of the violators of the Covenant, but they don’t know where to turn to get the truth. These innocent ones will grab hold of the strong cord of Jesus the Lamb, but the goon squad will try to indoctrinate them into becoming full-fledged Covenant-breakers.
5 “‘He who conquers shall be clad thus in white garments, and I will not blot his name out of the book of life; I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.’”
He “who conquers” refers to those who grab hold of the strong cord of Jesus the Lamb, and are pulled out of quagmire of Covenant-breaking. The “white garments” are the pure teachings of Baha'u'llah. Jesus the Lamb on his return will not blot their names out of his book, the Lamb’s Book of Life, and the Lamb will confess their names to his Father, Baha'u'llah. The angels are the congregation surrounding Jesus on his return.
6 “‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
Those who have an ear, that is, those who don’t have earplugs in their ears as the Covenant-breaking Baha'is do, should lend an ear, because God is leading them aright. The Spirit here refers to Jesus.
7 “And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one shall shut, who shuts and no one opens.’”
“Philadelphia” is the city of brotherly love. It is the only city where Jesus finds no defects. This refers to the Baha'is that are raised up by the explanations of Jesus on his second coming. He has the key of David. None of the other Baha'is know that Baha'u'llah is a descendant of King David. If you ask a Baha'i under the violation who Baha'u'llah is descended from, they will say, “Zoroaster.” This is true, but Zoroaster had only daughters, so Baha'u'llah is a descendant of Zoroaster, but through the female line. One of Zoroaster’s daughters married the king, and Baha'u'llah descended from this lineage through Zoroaster’s daughter. Zoroaster means “seed of the woman.”
This lineage of Zoroaster through his daughter united with the lineage of David at the time of Bostanai, who was seated on the throne of David. The first Imam, Ali, arranged the marriage between Dara, the daughter of the last king of the Zoroastrian, Sassanian dynasty, and Bostanai, who was a descendant of David seated on the throne of David. Baha'u'llah descended from this union between Dara and Bostanai.
If you ask a Christian, “What is the meaning of the word ‘Christ’”? They may say, “Lord,” or “God,” or “Savior,” or maybe, “It’s the last name of Jesus, as in Mary Christ or Joseph Christ.” Or they may say, “The anointed.” But the anointed of what? The full meaning of the word “Christ” is an anointed, male (sperm) descendant of King David. The very first verse of the New Testament is, “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Luke gives the true genealogy of Jesus back to King David (Luke 3:23-31). If Jesus was not a son of David through his genetic father Joseph, He could not be the Christ. Christians will tell you that God was the father of Jesus, but if God was Jesus’ physical father, Jesus could not be the Christ, for God is not a descendant of King David.
Paul said in Romans, “Concerning his Son Jesus our Lord, which was made of the seed [“sperma,” in Greek] of David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3, KJV). Also, for Baha'u'llah to be the return of Christ, He had of a necessity to be descended from King David. The following prophecy refers to Baha'u'llah. ”For to us a child 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. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this” (Isaiah 9:6,7).
8 “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut; I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.’”
This refers to the Baha'is who have been educated by the return of Jesus the Lamb, who are few in number, and who have “an open door, that no one is able to shut.” That is, whatever they establish that is in accordance with the provisions of the Covenant of Baha'u'llah and the Will and Testament of 'Abdu'l-Baha, no one can do away with. The return of Jesus set up the second International Baha'i Council with both the legislative branch and the executive branch that the Covenant-breakers (mainstream Baha'is) threw out. The legislative branch and the executive branch are integral parts of one another. They cannot be separated and still be Baha'u'llah’s House of Justice. The Baha'is who are firm in the provisions of the Covenant have kept the word of God (Will and Testament), therefore, that which they set up, and which God will establish in this world, is the true House of Justice.
9 “‘Behold, I will make those of the synagogue of Satan who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie - behold, I will make them come and bow down before your feet, and learn that I have loved you.’”
The word “Jews” here refers to the Baha'i faith. Baha'u'llah was of the tribe of Judah (a Jew); therefore, the believers in His Revelation were prophesied as “Jews.” Here the Covenant-breakers who claim to be Baha'is (Jews) are not, but rather they are a “synagogue of Satan.” In the great catastrophe, these Covenant-breakers will come and beg to get back into the true Baha'i faith.
10 “‘Because you [Philadelphia] have kept my word of patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial which is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell upon the earth.’”
The Baha'is who have been educated by the explanations and commentaries given in this book, from the return of Jesus the Lamb (Philadelphia), are those who have kept His word, will be kept from the “hour of trial” the nuclear war, which will only last one hour.
11 “‘I am coming soon; hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.
12 He who conquers, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God; never shall he go out of it, and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem which comes down from my God out of heaven, and my own new name.’”
The peoples of any religion who overcome their indoctrination and become part of the congregation of Philadelphia, the Baha'is who have been educated by the explanations and commentaries of Jesus the Lamb on his return, will become as “pillars in the temple of God,” the true Baha'i faith. That is, they will be the strong ones in faith, and in activity, and in teaching and spreading the faith. They will be given the Greatest Name of God. The name of the city of God is “ Baha'i” and Christ’s new name is “Baha'u'llah.”
13 “‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’
14 And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: ‘The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.
15 I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were cold or hot!
16 So, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth.’”
These are those who are neither for, nor against the Baha'i Revelation or those who are the true Baha'is, so God spews them out of His mouth.
17 “‘For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing; not knowing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
18 Therefore I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may be rich, and white garments to clothe you and to keep the shame of your nakedness from being seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see.’”
The gold refers to the golden criteria that the Promised Ones are prophesied by, that is, they are prophesied by name, address, date, and mission. In scriptures, Baha'u'llah was prophesied by the name “Baha'u'llah” (translated into English as the “Glory of God, or Lord”). This is found all throughout the Bible. The address where He is to be found is as prophesied in Isaiah 35:1,2, on Mount Carmel in the valley of Sharon. The date is prophesied in Daniel 12:11 as 1290 days/years; that is, it was 1290 years from the proclamation of Muhammad to the proclamation of Baha'u'llah in 1863. The 1290 years were Muslim calendar years. Baha'u'llah’s mission is that of the Prince of Peace: “For to us a child 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).
The “white garments” refer to the explanations and commentaries of Jesus the Lamb, which keep their nakedness of understanding from being seen. The “salve to anoint their eyes” makes it so they can see the proofs showing how the Promised Ones fulfill prophecies. That is, Jesus Christ on His first coming, Christ on His second coming as Baha'u'llah, and Jesus on his second coming as the high priest or Jesus the Lamb, are each prophesied by the name in which they will come, the address where they will be at, the date of their advent, and the nature of their mission. This is so only one person fulfills the prophecies for each Promised One when He comes.
19 “‘Those whom I love, I reprove and chasten; so be zealous and repent.’”
That is, if those whom God has chosen to be His believers at the coming of a Promised One don’t fulfill their calling, God will “reprove and chasten” them. In the Bible, its states that many are called, but only a few are chosen.
20 “’Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.’”
For instance, I send out this message that both the return of Christ (Baha'u'llah), and the return of Jesus have come, and if anyone “hears this voice and opens the door,” Jesus on his second coming will come into their life.
21 “‘He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I myself conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne.’”
“He who conquers” is one who overcomes his indoctrinations into the lies of the clergy, or the lies of the Arch Covenant-breakers. He will be invited to sit with Jesus the Lamb on his throne and share with him in his glory.
22 “‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
What is meant here is, those who don’t have their fingers in their ears, “let them hear what [Jesus] the Spirit, says to the churches,” or congregations, both Christian and Baha'i.