In The Light of Prophecies: Chapter 6

Chapter 6:
The Father Foretold

THE INFINITE REALITY

The Bahá’i Faith has made clear that God, the Infinite Reality, is eternally concealed from the finite world of man. In order to teach and lovingly guide His creation, God sends forth His Manifestations, thus gradually lifting mankind stage by stage to ever higher levels of understanding and behavior. The following quotations help to further our understanding of this deep subject. It will be clear from these quotations that Bahá’u’lláh has the figurative title of ‘the Father,’ just as Jesus has the title of ‘the Son’.

The Word which the Son concealed is made manifest. It hath been sent down in the form of the human temple in this day. Blessed be the Lord Who is the Father! He, verily, is come unto the nations in His most great majesty. Turn your faces towards Him, O concourse of the righteous... This is the day whereon the Rock (Peter) crieth out and shouteth, and celebrateth the praise of its Lord, the All-Possessing, the Most High, saying: ‘Lo! The Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled!...’ My body longeth for the cross, and Mine head waiteth the thrust of the spear, in the path of the All-Merciful, that the world may be purged from its transgressions....

(Baha’u’llah, The Proclamation of Baha’u’llah, p. 84)

Rely upon God, thy God and the Lord of thy fathers. For the people are wandering in the paths of delusion, bereft of discernment to see God with their own eyes, or hear His Melody with their own ears. Thus have We found them, as thou also dost witness.

Thus have their superstitions become veils between them and their own hearts and kept them from the path of God, the Exalted, the Great.

Be thou assured in thyself that verily, he who turns away from this Beauty hath also turned away from the Messengers of the past and showeth pride towards God from all eternity to all eternity.

(Baha’u’llah: Tablet of Ahmad, Baha’i Prayers, p. 210)

And now, with reference to His words: “And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”[1] These words signify that in those days men will lament the loss of the Sun of the divine beauty, of the Moon of knowledge, and of the Stars of divine wisdom. Thereupon, they will behold the countenance of the promised One, the adored Beauty, descending from heaven and riding upon the clouds. By this is meant that the divine Beauty will be made manifest from the heaven of the will of God, and will appear in the form of the human temple. The term “heaven” denoteth loftiness and exaltation, inasmuch as it is the seat of the revelation of those Manifestations of Holiness, the Day-springs of ancient glory. These ancient Beings, though delivered from the womb of their mother, have in reality descended from the heaven of the will of God. Though they be dwelling on this earth, yet their true habitations are the retreats of glory in the realms above. Whilst walking amongst mortals, they soar in the heaven of the divine presence.

Without feet they tread the path of the spirit, and without wings they rise unto the exalted heights of divine unity. With every fleeting breath they cover the immensity of space, and at every moment traverse the kingdoms of the visible and the invisible. Upon their thrones is written: “Nothing whatsoever keepeth Him from being occupied with any other thing;” and on their seats is inscribed: “Verily, His ways differ every day.”[2] They are sent forth though the tanscedepower of the Ancient of Days, and are raised up by the exalted will of God, the most mighty King. This is what is meant by the words: “coming in the clouds of heaven.”

(Baha’u’llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 66)

When a great force is liberated by the entrance of a divine being into the world arena, it must of necessity express itself through the vehicle of a human temple, and the objective expression of this force manifests itself in thoughts of different grades and degrees according to the capacity of the people. The master-teachers are the expounders of divine common sense which is the pathway to a knowledge of universal law, the result of which will be a harmonious humanity. Man confines his consciousness to this material plane. This new force will liberate him and he will become conscious of many planes and of the ultimate oneness of them all.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 8)

Wert thou to consider in this station the last of them to be the first, or conversely, thou wouldst indeed be speaking the truth, as hath been ordained by Him Who is the Wellspring of Divinity and the Source of Lordship: “Say: Call upon God or call upon the All-Merciful: by whichsoever name ye will, invoke him, for He hath most excellent names.” For they are all the Manifestations of the name of God, the Dawning-Places of His attributes, the Repositories of His might, and the Focal Points of His sovereignty, whilst God - magnified be His might and glory - is in His Essence sanctified above all names and exalted beyond even the loftiest attributes. Consider likewise the evidences of divine omnipotence both in their Souls and in their human Temples, that thine heart may be assured and that thou mayest be of them that speed through the realms of His nearness.

(Baha’u’llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 33)

I shall restate here My theme, that perchance this may assist thee in recognizing thy Creator. Know thou that God - exalted and glorified be He - doth in no wise manifest His inmost Essence and Reality. From time immemorial He hath been veiled in the eternity of His Essence and concealed in the infinitude of His own Being. And when He purposed to manifest His beauty in the kingdom of names and to reveal His glory in the realm of attributes, He brought forth His Prophets from the invisible plane to the visible, that His name “the Manifest” might be distinguished from “the Hidden” and His name “the Last” might be discerned from “the First”, and that there may be fulfilled the words: “He is the First and the Last; the Seen and the Hidden; and He knoweth all things!” Thus hath He revealed these most excellent names and most exalted words in the Manifestations of His Self and the Mirrors of His Being.

(Baha’u’llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 34)

Among the proofs demonstrating this Cause is that in every time and age, when the invisible Divinity appeared in a human temple, some people who were of no repute, and who had no attachment for the world or any other object, sought illumination from the Sun of Prophethood, were directed to the lights of the Moon of Guidance and attained to the Meeting o God. For this reason, the divines of the age and the wealthy of the time derided; as is related of those erring ones: -- “Among His people the concourse of those who believe no said: ‘We see thee (to be) no other than a man like unto us; and we do not see that anyfollow thee, except those who are the most aject among us, and ar of a rashjudgmntneither do we perceive any excellence in thee above us; but we deem you to be liars.’”

(Compilations, Baha’i Scriptures, p. 56)

The door of the knowledge of the Ancient of Days being thus closed in the face of all beings, the Source of infinite grace, according to His saying, “His grace hath transcended all things; My grace hath encompassed them all,” hath caused those luminous Gems of Holiness to appear out of the realm of the spirit, in the noble form of the human temple, and be made manifest unto all men, that they may impart unto the world the mysteries of the unchangeable Being, and tell of the subtleties of His imperishable Essence.

(Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 47)

We have brought forth all Lights from the Orb of Our name, the True One, have caused them to return unto It, and have again made them manifest in the form of a human temple. All glory be unto the Lord of strength, might, and power! None can withstand the operation of My will or the exercise of My might. I am He Who hath raised up all creatures through a word of My mouth, and My power is, in truth, equal to My purpose.

(Baha’u’llah, The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, p. 29)

I AM THE WAY

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)

This Scripture in John, chapter 14, verse 6, has commonly been perceived and interpreted by the respected Christians to declare that man could only come ‘unto the Father,’ if he, or she, only believed in His Holiness Jesus Christ.

However, the Bahá’i Faith reveals the fundamental truth that All of the Manifestations of God, whenever made manifest, were also ‘the way,’ to ‘the truth’; that God has been sending His Divine Messengers to this earth from before the times of Abraham, and that it is through the agency of the same Holy Spirit manifest in each of the Divine Messengers, and the word they revealed, that we may come ‘unto the Father.’

The songs which the bird of thine heart had uttered in its great love for its friends have reached their ears, and moved Me to answer thy questions, and reveal to thee such secrets as I am allowed to unfold. In thine esteemed letter thou hadst inquired which of the Prophets of God should be regarded as superior to others. Know thou assuredly that the essence of all the Prophets of God is one and the same. Their unity is absolute. God, the Creator, saith: There is no distinction whatsoever among the Bearers of My Message. They all have but one purpose; their secret is the same secret. To prefer one in honor to another, to exalt certain ones above the rest, is in no wise to be permitted. Every true Prophet hath regarded His Message as fundamentally the same as the Revelation of every other Prophet gone before Him. If any man, therefore, should fail to comprehend this truth, and should consequently indulge in vain and unseemly language, no one whose sight is keen and whose understanding is enlightened would ever allow such idle talk to cause him to waver in his belief.

(Baha’u’llah: Gleanings, Pages: 78-79)

Each religion teaches that a mediator is necessary between man and the Creator -- one who receives the full light of the divine splendor and radiates it over the human world, as the earth’s atmosphere receives and diffuses the warmth of the sun’s rays. This mediator between God and humanity has different designations though he always brings the same spiritual command.

In one era he is called Abraham, at another time Moses, again he is called Buddha, another time Jesus, and yet another time Muhammad. All turned to the divine reality for their strength. Those who followed Moses accepted him as their mediator; those who followed Zoroaster accepted him as their mediator; but all the Israelites deny Zoroaster, and the Zoroastrians deny Moses. They fail to see in both the one light. Had the Zoroastrians comprehended the reality of Zoroaster, they would have understood Moses and Jesus. Alas! the majority of men attach themselves to the name of the mediator and lose sight of the real purport.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Divine Philosophy, p. 32)

The Divine Reality is Unthinkable, Limitless, Eternal, Immortal and Invisible.

The world of creation is bound by natural law, finite and mortal.

The Infinite Reality cannot be said to ascend or descend. It is beyond the understanding of man, and cannot be described in terms which apply to the phenomenal sphere of the created world.

Man, then, is in extreme need of the only Power by which he is able to receive help from the Divine Reality, that Power alone bringing him into contact with the Source of all life.

An intermediary is needed to bring two extremes into relation with each other. Riches and poverty, plenty and need: without an intermediary power there could be no relation between these pairs of opposites.

So we can say there must be a Mediator between God and Man, and this is none other than the Holy Spirit, which brings the created earth into relation with the ‘Unthinkable One’, the Divine Reality.

The Divine Reality may be likened to the sun and the Holy Spirit to the rays of the sun. As the rays of the sun bring the light and warmth of the sun to the earth, giving life to all created beings, so do the ‘Manifestations’[3] bring the power of the Holy Spirit from the Divine Sun of Reality to give light and life to the souls of men.

Behold, there is an intermediary necessary between the sun and the earth; the sun does not descend to the earth, neither does the earth ascend to the sun. This contact is made by the rays of the sun which bring light and warmth and heat.

The Holy Spirit is the Light from the Sun of Truth bringing, by its infinite power, life and illumination to all mankind, flooding all souls with Divine Radiance, conveying the blessings of God’s Mercy to the whole world. The earth, without the medium of the warmth and light of the rays of the sun, could receive no benefits from the sun.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 58)

I AM IN THE FATHER

“Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” (John 14:10)

Question. - What is the meaning of the Trinity, of the Three Persons in One?

Answer. - The Divine Reality, which is purified and sanctified from the understanding of human beings and which can never be imagined by the people of wisdom and of intelligence, is exempt from all conception. That Lordly Reality admits of no division; for division and multiplicity are properties of creatures which are contingent existences, and not accidents which happen to the self-existent.

The Divine Reality is sanctified from singleness, then how much more from plurality. The descent of that Lordly Reality into conditions and degrees would be equivalent to imperfection and contrary to perfection, and is, therefore, absolutely impossible. It perpetually has been, and is, in the exaltation of holiness and sanctity. All that is mentioned of the Manifestations and Dawning-places of God signifies the divine reflection, and not a descent into the conditions of existence.[4]

God is pure perfection, and creatures are but imperfections. For God to descend into the conditions of existence would be the greatest of imperfections; on the contrary, His manifestation, His appearance, His rising are like the reflection of the sun in a clear, pure, polished mirror. All the creatures are evident signs of God, like the earthly beings upon all of which the rays of the sun shine. But upon the plains, the mountains, the trees and fruits, only a portion of the light shines, through which they become visible, and are reared, and attain to the object of their existence, while the Perfect Man[5] is in the condition of a clear mirror in which the Sun of Reality becomes visible and manifest with all its qualities and perfections. So the Reality of Christ was a clear and polished mirror of the greatest purity and fineness. The Sun of Reality, the Essence of Divinity, reflected itself in this mirror and manifested its light and heat in it; but from the exaltation of its holiness, and the heaven of its sanctity, the Sun did not descend to dwell and abide in the mirror. No, it continues to subsist in its exaltation and sublimity, while appearing and becoming manifest in the mirror in beauty and perfection.

Now if we say that we have seen the Sun in two mirrors - one the Christ and one the Holy Spirit - that is to say, that we have seen three Suns, one in heaven and the two others on the earth, we speak truly. And if we say that there is one Sun, and it is pure singleness, and has no partner and equal, we again speak truly.

The epitome of the discourse is that the Reality of Christ was a clear mirror, and the Sun of Reality - that is to say, the Essence of Oneness, with its infinite perfections and attributes - became visible in the mirror. The meaning is not that the Sun, which is the Essence of the Divinity, became divided and multiplied - for the Sun is one - but it appeared in the mirror. This is why Christ said, “The Father is in the Son,” meaning that the Sun is visible and manifest in this mirror.

The Holy Spirit is the Bounty of God which becomes visible and evident in the Reality of Christ. The Sonship station is the heart of Christ, and the Holy Spirit is the station of the spirit of Christ. Hence it has become certain and proved that the Essence of Divinity is absolutely unique and has no equal, no likeness, no equivalent.

This is the signification of the Three Persons of the Trinity. If it wre otherwise, the foundations of the Relgion of God would ret upon anilloicproposition which the mind could never conceive, and how can the mind be forced to believe a thing which it cannot conceive? A thing cannot be grasped by the intelligence except when it is clothed in an intelligible form; otherwise, it is but an effort of the imagination.

It has now become clear, from this explanation, what is the meaning of the Three Persons of the Trinity. The Oneness of God is also proved.

(`Abdu’l-Baha: Some Answered Questions, Pages: 113-115)

In the Old Testament we read that God said, ‘Let us make man in Our own image’. In the Gospel, Christ said, ‘I am in the Father, and the Father in Me’.[6] In the Qur’án, God says, ‘Man is my Mystery and I am his’. Bahá’u’lláh writes that God says, ‘Thy heart is My home; purify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation’.

All these sacred words show us that man is made in God’s image: yet the Essence of God is incomprehensible to the human mind, for the finite understanding cannot be applied to this infinite Mystery. God contains all: He cannot be contained. That which contains is superior to that which is contained. The whole is greater than its parts.

Things which are understood by men cannot be outside their capacity for understanding, so that it is impossible for the heart of man to comprehend the nature of the Majesty of God. Our imagination can only picture that which it is able to create.

The power of the understanding differs in degree in the various kingdoms of creation. The mineral, vegetable, and animal realms are each incapable of understanding any creation beyond their own. The mineral cannot imagine the growing power of the plant. The tree cannot understand the power of movement in the animal, neither can it comprehend what it would mean to possess sight, hearing or the sense of smell. These all belong to the physical creation.

Man also shares in this creation; but it is not possible for either of the lower kingdoms to understand that which takes place in the mind of man. The animal cannot realize the intelligence of a human being, he only knows that which is perceived by his animal senses, he cannot imagine anything in the abstract. An animal could not learn that the world is round, that the earth revolves round the sun, or the construction of the electric telegraph. These things are only possible to man. Man is the highest work of creation, the nearest to God of all creatures.

All superior kingdoms are incomprehensible to the inferior; how therefore could it be possible that the creature, man, should understand the almighty Creator of all?

That which we imagine, is not the Reality of God; He, the Unknowable, the Unthinkable, is far beyond the highest conception of man.

All creatures that exist are dependent upon the Divine Bounty. Divine Mercy gives life itself. As the light of the sun shines on the whole world, so the Mercy of the infinite God is shed on all creatures. As the sun ripens the fruits of the earth, and gives life and warmth to all living beings, so shines the Sun of Truth on all souls, filling them with the fire of Divine love and understanding.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 24)

MY FATHER IS GREATER

“If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.” (John 14:28)

“My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all;” (John 10:29)

“Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me.” (John 12:44)

The Bahá’i Faith has revealed that the utterance of Christ in John, chapter 14, verse 28: ‘…my Father is greater than I’ clarifies that the glory in which He promised to appear the Second time, would be greater than His First. For He had foretold that ‘the Son of man,’ ‘Christ,’ would appear again, but this time, ‘in the glory of his Father’:

“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.” (Matthew 16:27)

…if we reflect upon the Cause of God we realize that Bahá’u’lláh has ushered in the Day of God, a Day that all the Prophets and Messengers of the past were longing to attain. His Revelation is the Revelation of God Himself, the Heavenly Father spoken of by Christ. Let us for a moment examine the station of Bahá’u’lláh in the light of the New Testament. Christ was manifested in the station of the Son. This does not mean that God, the Inaccessible, the All-Glorious, had a physical son. Such a literal interpretation would reduce God from the realm of the Infinite to that of the finite. In His essence He is exalted above all things, even His own attributes. Therefore, when Christ spoke about His station as the Son of God, He was establishing a relationship. He introduced Himself as the Son, and God as the Heavenly Father. A son who appears in public on behalf of his father must possess two major signs. He must have the authority of the father and manifest similar characteristics which he has inherited from him. In order to demonstrate the source of His authority, Christ chose to describe Himself as the Son of God and portrayed God as the Father. The terms ‘Son’ and ‘Father’ are both figurative in the New Testament.

Christ also made it clear that it was the Father who sent Him.

“For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.” (John 12:49)

He also made it clear that He would return in the ‘glory of the Father’.

“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels...” (Matthew 16:27)

Bahá’u’lláh, in many Tablets, has clearly proclaimed His station as that of the Father. Addressing the religious leaders of Christendom, He declares:

O concourse of bishops!... He Who is the Everlasting Father calleth aloud between earth and heaven. Blessed the ear that hath heard, and the eye that hath seen, and the heart that hath turned unto Him Who is the Point of Adoration of all who are in the heavens and all who are on earth...

(Baha’u’llah: Proclamation of Baha’u’llah, Page: 93)

And in another Tablet He announces this joyful tiding:

He, verily, is come with His Kingdom, and all the atoms cry aloud: ‘Lo! The Lord is come in His great majesty!’ He Who is the Father is come, and the Son (Jesus), in the holy vale, crieth out: ‘Here am I, here am I, O Lord, My God!’ whilst Sinai circleth round the House, and the Burning Bush calleth aloud: ‘The All-Bounteous is come mounted upon the clouds!’

(Baha’u’llah: Proclamation of Baha’u’llah, Page: 27)

As we have already observed, the Reality of God is indivisible. In the world of creation, His Essence is manifested through His attributes. But in his own domain His Essence and attributes are one and the same. To describe Him by any attribute is tantamount to bringing Him down into the realm of limitations. These are the words of Bahá’u’lláh as He extols the Almighty in His inaccessible heights of glory.

Too high art Thou for the praise of those who are nigh unto Thee to ascend unto the heaven of Thy nearness, or for the birds of the hearts of them who are devoted to Thee to attain to the door of Thy gate. I testify that Thou hast been sanctified above all attributes and holy above all names. No God is there but Thee, the Most Exalted, the All-Glorious.

(Baha’u’llah: Aqdas: Other Sections, Page: 95)

(Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha’u’llah v 2, p. 182-184)

The Tablet to Pope Pius IX (in Arabic) was revealed by Bahá’u’lláh around the same time as that to Napoleon. In it Bahá’u’lláh identifies Himself as the Lord of Lords and addresses the Pope with the authority and majesty of God, proclaiming to him in unequivocal language the promised return of Christ in the glory of the Father, and summoning him with the commanding voice of the Almighty to leave his palaces and hasten to present himself before the throne of his Lord.

Here are some extracts from this mighty Tablet:

Dwellest thou in palaces whilst He Who is the King of Revelation liveth in the most desolate of abodes? Leave them unto such as desire them, and set thy face with joy and delight towards the Kingdom...

Arise in the name of thy Lord, the God of Mercy, amidst the peoples of the earth, and seize thou the Cup of Life with the hand of confidence and first drink thou therefrom, and proffer it the to such as turn towards it amonst the peoples f all fith. Call thou to remembrance Him Who was the Spirit (Jesus), Who when He came, the most learned of His age pronounced judgment against Him in His own country, whilst he who was only a fisherman believed in Him. Take heed., then, ye men of understanding heart!...

O Supreme Pontiff! Incline thine ear unto that which the Fashioner of mouldering bones counselleth thee, as voiced by Him Who is His Most Great Name. Sell all the embellished ornaments thou dost possess, and expend them in the path of God, Who causeth the night to return upon the day, and the day to return upon the night. Abandon thy kingdom unto the kings, and emerge from thy habitation, with thy face set towards the Kingdom, and, detached from the world, then speak forth the praises of thy Lord betwixt earth and heaven. Thus hath bidden thee He Who is the Possessor of Names, on the part of thy Lord, the Almighty, the All-Knowing.

(Baha’u’llah: Proclamation of Baha’u’llah, Pages: 83-85)

It is significant that very soon after the revelation of this Tablet, the temporal sovereignty of the Pope, which for centuries had proved to be the most powerful in Christendom but which had been diminishing in its power and influence for some time, was, through the potency of the words of the heavenly Father, dramatically extinguished.

Shoghi Effendi in his evaluation of this event has written:

In 1870, after Bahá’u’lláh had revealed His Epistle to Pius IX, King Victor Emmanuel I went to war with the Papal states, and his troops entered Rome and seized it. On the eve of its seizure, the Pope repaired to the Lateran and, despite his age and with his face bathed in tears, ascended on bended knees the Scala Santa. The following morning, as the cannonade began, he ordered the white flag to be hoisted above the dome of St. Peter. Despoiled, he refused to recognize this ‘creation of revolution,’ excommunicated the invaders of his states, denounced Victor Emmanuel as the ‘robber King’ and as ‘forgetful of every religious principle, despising every right, trampling upon every law.’ Rome, ‘the Eternal City, on which rest twenty-five centuries of glory,’ and over which the Popes had ruled in unchallengeable right for ten centuries, finally became the seat of the new kingdom, and the scene of that humiliation which Bahá’u’lláh had anticipated and which the Prisoner of the Vatican had imposed upon himself.

(Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 54)

(Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha’u’llah v 3, p. 117)

This is a reference to the passage in the Gospels about the falling of the stars which must signalize the advent of the Lord. In His Tablets Bahá’u’lláh has explained that by ‘stars’ are meant the clergy, who were shining in the firmament of Christendom but who have now fallen for not recognizing Him in this day when He has returned in the glory of the Father. This subject…has been discussed in greater detail in a previous volume.[7]

(Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha’u’llah v 4, p. 229)

GOD has ordained that the Christians of the West shall be foremost among all he peoples of the world in recognizingand acknowledging te second omin Christ in the glory of the Father and in carrying the glad tidings through the earth.[8]

The Kingdom of God has come! The Lord of Hosts has appeared with all the prophesied tokens! His teachings have gone through the earth and He has proclaimed His message to the kings and religious leaders. But the Christians hesitate, the churches will not acknowledge not even investigate. They do not heed nor understand the prophetic outline which Christ in Palestine gave to the disciples on the nature of the first Christian era -- the period between the first and second coming -- and of the special dangers and difficulties which would beset the Church during the whole of that time. He declared that there would be no certain knowledge of Christian truth in those centuries, no agreement, but endless doubt and dispute and difficulty. The enemies of the Church would not be open and notorious foes but would be within its own ranks. The Christian community, He warned them, would be like a ripening cornfield, infested with masses of weeds growing so close and strong they could not be dug out but would have to be left to do their evil work right through to the harvest time.[9] Then they would reach their highest point. The typical enemy of the Church would be the false prophet who would pervert the true meaning of the Gospel and would mystify people’s minds so cunningly that he might even deceive the very elect, at the last, at harvest, when the reapers would gather the weeds, bind them in bundles and burn them.[10] The teaching position would become so bad that men would fear the gates of hell might prevail against the true doctrine. Christ reassured His little flock, bade them not fear because it was their Father’s good pleasure to give them the Kingdom.

The Christians of to-day and yesterday have not noticed the accuracy of Christ’s forecast, nor do they see that the very things of which Christ warned them are happening to-day.

Now the promised change has come. This is the time which Christ foresaw when He affirmed that He had many more things to tell the disciples but He must withhold them because they were not mature enough to bear them At last the age of maturity has been reached. The time of uncertainty and doubt, of self-delusion and idle fancy and vain imaginings has gone by. The “Spirit of Truth” has come. A new heaven and a new earth are spread before mankind and every man is required to “prove all things” and “hold fast that which is good”.

This book is written lest Christian men and women confused by past errors and falsities, should neglect to observe the newness of the age, to heed the warnings of Christ and should fall into the snare of which He told them so often and so emphatically. Let them not, through lack of discernment or courage, play into the hands of those who are bringing destruction.

This book is written to prove, from the undoubted facts of history, what is the true interpretation of Jesus’ prophecies about the character of His era, to show the justice of His warning, especially at this time when the events He foretold have reached the crisis of their fulfillment.

May the Father, in His mercy, grant that the Christians of the West may be shaken out of their composure, may be moved before it is too late to investigate the truth and may at last arise to meet the tremendous, unprecedented emergency which opens before them.

(George Townshend, Christ and Baha’u’llah, p. 13)

“Now as regards the signs that would herald the advent of the new Manifestation. The Guardian wishes you to read over very carefully Bahá’u’lláh’s explanation as recorded in the Íqán’. There it is made clear that what is meant by the appearance of the Son of God after the calamitous events preceding His coming is the revelation of His full glory and its recognition and acceptance by the peoples of the world, and not his physical appearance. For Bahá’u’lláh, Whose advent marks the return of the Son in the Glory of the Father, has already appeared, and the signs predicted in the Gospel have not yet fully been realized. Their complete fulfilment, however, would mark the beginning of the recognition of His full station by the peoples of the world, Then and only then will His appearance be made completely manifest.”

[(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, November 29, 1937) (Compilations, Lights of Guidance, p. 492)]

PLAINLY OF THE FATHER

I found ample evidence that Christ never tried to ‘unseal’ the Books Himself. He left this for a future date. Rather, He spoke in parables and hidden meanings. He even prophesied that while He (Christ) spoke in parables, there would be a time in the future, when the Son would return in the Glory of the Father, and would speak plainly to them. Christ said:

‘These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall speak no more unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.’ (John 16:25)

This promise to explain the hidden meanings is given by Jesus in the very same chapter in which He speaks of the coming of the Spirit of Truth who will guide His followers unto all truth. When this ‘Comforter’ comes, Christ promises:

‘...he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.’ (John 14:26)

Christ, in these words, seems to offer the clear promise that the new Messiah would, in the day of His coming, ‘unseal the books’ and bring to light the ‘hidden things of darkness’.

If He had appeared in 1844, that would certainly account for all the renewed enthusiasm.

(William Sears, Thief in the Night, p. 46)

…Having decided to search along these lines, I combed the Scriptures for other clues which Christ might have given concerning the coming of One other than Himself. I found this symbolical interpretation of His return to be strongly fortified by His own words. I discovered that Christ repeatedly made two clear distinctions regarding His second coming. On some occasions He would refer to His own appearance, at other times He would refer to the appearance of One other than Himself. A few examples of this dual reference of Christ make the point evident:

1. That He would return Himself:

‘I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.’ (John 14:18)

‘I go away, and come again unto you.’ (John 14:28)

‘A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me.’ (John 16:16)

‘And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again...’ (John 14:3)

2. That another other than Himself would come:

‘Nevertheless I tell you the truth; it is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you.’ (John 16:7)

‘...but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin...’ (John 16:7-8)

‘I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth.’ (John 16:12-13)

‘But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me.’ (John 15:26)

In the following words Christ made it clear that He, as well as the One Who would return in His name would be human channels for the same Holy Spirit. Of Himself Christ said:

‘...the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.’ (John 14:24)

In yet another place, Christ repeats this:

‘the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself.’ (John 14:10)

Christ makes this same statement about the One Whom He promises will return after He, Christ, departs:

‘...he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak.’ (John 16:13)

That another Messenger would come in His (Christ’s) name with the same power of the Holy Spirit is made unmistakably clear from still other words of Christ to His disciples:

‘...the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.’ (John 14:26)

Christ issued a stern warning to the people of Jerusalem, telling them that since they had denied Him in His day, they would have no opportunity to believe in Him again until the day of His return.

In one single sentence He links Himself once more with the One to come after Him:

‘For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.’ (Matthew 23:39)

There seemed sufficient evidence to show that when Christ spoke of His own return, He was speaking of the Christ-spirit, the Holy Spirit, within Him, which would reappear; and when He spoke of the coming of another, He was speaking of a different human channel, a man with a new name other than Christ, but Who would be filled with this same Holy Spirit. In yet another way Christ expressed the same truth, that it is not the name and the flesh that matter, but the Spirit which the Messenger brings:

‘God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.’ (John 4:24)

(William Sears, Thief in the Night, p. 58-60)

There was a widespread belief that when Christ spoke of His own return, or of the One who would come after Him, He was not speaking of an actual return, but of a symbolical one. This theory proposed that the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, the One who would come in His name, all these in reality refereed to the Holy Ghost Which had descended on the Church at the time of Pentecost; therefore, it was said, the return had been fulfilled at that time. It was over and done with. In my search, I found that this particular doctrine that Christ had returned in the Holy Ghost at the time of Pentecost was more a doctrine of expediency than one of desire. It had developed long after the time of Jesus. When He did not return as expected, some explanation for this failure had to be discovered. Since Christ’s words were true words, therefore His return must be figurative. But belief in the return of Christ did not cease shortly after the crucifixion, never to be revived until 1844, not by any means. In fact, the Christian world suffered so many disappointments because of ‘days of expectancy’ down through the ages, that after the seventeenth century there was little sincere belief in the return until men’s hearts were once again caught up by the vision, in the advent of the early nineteenth century. Rather, strong measures were taken to stamp out such ‘vain hopes’ and the Pentecostal theory gained great favour. Those who adopted the Pentecostal theory of the return as the only possible answer to the enigma, sincerely believed that although Christ used such terms as the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth, as well as the pronoun he upon several occasions, still He (Christ) was alluding to the symbolical coming of the Holy Ghost at that time. This, of course, aroused a flood of opposition.

It was pointed out that, according to this theory, when the Holy Ghost appeared in the Spirit of Truth, it was ‘to lead men to all truth,’ while in reality since that time the Church had become separated and divided into hundreds and hundreds of sects – each claiming the true path, and each going its own way.

Rev. William B. Riley in Is Christ Coming Again writes:

‘To speak of the Lord’s return as a mere figure of speech that is to know no literal fulfilment, is little less sacrilegious than the total denial of inspiration.’ He adds, ‘If the plain references to the return of the Lord do not involve a personal coming, language has lost its meaning.’ With such a raging controversy on the second coming of Christ being waged, even after all these years, among the Christians themselves, I decided to make my own investigation from the Scriptures. I would settle the point in my own mind, and then either go on with my search or abandon it. It would depend on what I found. Until I knew the truth I would not be willing to admit that no answer could be found to the century-old mystery of The Case of the Missing Millenium. I realised by now, of course, that even if Christ had returned in the 1844 period, there was no reason to expect that the knowledge of that return would be general, any more than it had been a hundred years after His first coming. If a World Council of Jews had been held a century after the crucifixion, it is obvious that the historical fact of the first Advent would have been unknown to it. I was determined not to be influenced by any of the conflicting views until I had made my own personal search into the promises of Christ concerning His return. Either He promised to return or He didn’t. I decided to find out which.

(William Sears, Thief in the Night, p. 64-66)

THE COMFORTER, WHICH IS THE HOLY GHOST

‘These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs: but the time cometh, when I shall speak no more unto you in proverbs, but I shall shew you plainly of the Father.’ (John 16:25)

‘...he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.’ (John 14:26)

Christ, in these words, seems to offer the clear promise that the new Messiah would, in the day of His coming, ‘unseal the books’ and bring to light the ‘hidden things of darkness’.

If He had appeared in 1844, that would certainly account for all the renewed enthusiasm.

[William Sears, Thief in the Night, pp. 47.]

In the following words Christ made it clear that He, as well as the One Who would return in His name would be human channels for the same Holy Spirit. Of Himself Christ said:

‘...the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.’ (John 14:24)

In yet another place, Christ repeats this:

‘the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself.’ (John 14:10)

Christ makes this same statement about the One Whom He promises will return after He, Christ, departs:

‘...he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak.’ (John 16:13)

That another Messenger would come in His (Christ’s) name with the same power of the Holy Spirit is made unmistakably clear from still other words of Christ to His disciples:

[William Sears, Thief in the Night, pp. 59.]

Christ foretold that the One Who came in His name at the time of the end would be the ‘Spirit of Truth’:

‘...he will guide you into all truth...’ (John 16:13)

In another place, He said:

‘...he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.’ (John 14:26)

And yet again:

‘...he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.’ (John 16:14)

I was determined to seek for the inward truth behind the outward symbol in Christ’s words, for I found written in yet another place:

‘...the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him (the believer) in the last day.’ (John 12:48)

Bahá’u’lláh, I found, had written over a hundred volumes. Here it is possible for me to mention but a few of His teachings, and in only the briefest manner. It is like trying to catch the ocean in a cup.

The scholar Charles Baudouin, in his book Contemporary Studies, writes of Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings, saying that this:

‘ethical code is dominated by the law of love taught by Jesus and by all the prophets. In the thousand and one details of practical life, this law is subject to manifold interpretations. That of Bahá’u’lláh is unquestionably one of the most comprehensive of these, one of the most exalted, one of the most satisfactory to the modern mind...’

[Appreciations of the Bahá’í Faith, pp 25-26.]

The former President of Czechoslovakia, Eduard Benes wrote of Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings:

‘The Bahá’í Cause is one of the great moral and social forces in all the world today.’

[Appreciations of the Bahá’í Faith, 62.]

Mr. Benes wrote on another occasion:

‘The Bahá’í Teaching is one of the spiritual forces now absolutely necessary to put the spirit first in this battle against material forces...The Bahá’í Teaching is one of the great instruments for the final victory of the spirit and of humanity.’

[Appreciations of the Bahá’í Faith, P. 62.]

The scientist, Dr. Glenn A. Shook, inventor of the colour-organ, and former head of the Physics Department at Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts, wrote of Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings:

‘Here is a mighty river of knowledge. It appeals to the scientist as well as to the layman. Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings meet the challenge of our age head-on, and offer sound, reasonable solutions. They have been an invaluable discovery to me as a scientist, and a treasure and comfort to me as an individual human being.’

[Glenn A. Shook, letter, July 1946.]

Queen Marie of Rumania wrote in the Daily Star of Toronto, Canada, on May 4th, 1926:

‘If ever the name of Bahá’u’lláh (or His son) comes to your attention, do not put their writings from you. Search out their Books, and let their glorious, peace-bringing, love-creating words and lessons sink into your hearts as they have into mine.’

[Appreciations of the Bahá’í Faith, P10.]

Eight years later, she wrote:

‘These books have strengthened me beyond belief and I am now ready to die any day full of hope....The Bahá’í Teaching brings peace and understanding ....It accepts all great prophets gone before, it destroys no other creeds and leaves all doors open....To those in search of assurance, the words of the Father are as a fountain in the desert after long wandering.’

[Appreciations of the Bahá’í Faith, p 13.]

The following words of Bahá’u’lláh, I felt, reflected the spirit of His entire Teaching:

‘O ye children of men! The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men.’

[Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Section cx.]

(William Sears, Thief in the Night,pp. 208-210)

HE SHALL GLORIFY ME

Jesus Himself had promised that when the Messiah came:

‘He shall glorify me.’ (John 16:14)

‘He will reprove the world of sin...because they believe not on me.’ (John 16:8-9)

‘He shall take of mine, and show it unto you.’ (John 16:15)

‘He shall...bring all things to your remembrance , whatsoever I have said unto you.’ (John 14:26)

Had Bahá’u’lláh done this?

My final clue in The Case of the Missing Millenium was answered with the most resounding proof of all. I found the following words which Bahá’u’lláh had written about Jesus, the Christ. He had indeed glorified Jesus:

‘...Whatsoever hath proceeded out of His (Christ’s) blameless, His truth-speaking, trustworthy mouth, can never be altered.’

[Bahá’í World Faith, p. 60.]

Bahá’u’lláh penned the following tribute upon the crucifixion of Christ:

‘Know thou that when the Son of man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee.’

[The Bahá’í Revelation, 1955, p. 58.]

In his letters to the kings of the earth, Bahá’u’lláh ‘reproved’ the world for not believing in Christ. He pointed the similarity of his own reception to that of Christ in the day of His first coming:

‘And...when I came unto them in My glory, they turned aside. They indeed are of the fallen. This is, truly, that which the Spirit of God (Christ) hath announced, when He came with (the) truth...(and) they perpetrated what hath made the Holy Spirit to lament, and the tears of them that have near access to God flow.’

[The Bahá’í Revelation, 1955, p. 14.]

Bahá’u’lláh throughout his writings called to ‘remembrance’ the words of Christ. He did, as Christ foretold, ‘take of mine, and show it unto you’. Bahá’u’lláh called upon the people of the world to:

‘Consort with the people of religions with joy and fragrance; to show forth that which is declared by the Speaker of the Mount (Jesus Christ); and to render justice in (all) affairs.’

[The Bahá’í Revelation, 1955, p. 148.]

As prophesied by Jesus, Bahá’u’lláh frequently brought to mind the words of Christ: ‘whatsoever I have said unto you’. In the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh’s Faith, I read:

‘Unity is the very spirit of the body of the world...His Holiness Jesus Christ -- may My life be a sacrifice to Him -- promulgated this unity among mankind. Every soul who believed in Jesus Christ became revivified and resuscitated through this spirit, attained to the zenith of eternal glory, realised the life everlasting, experienced the second birth and rose to the acme of good fortune.’

[The Bahá’í Revelation, 1955, pp. 235-236.]

I was convinced that no honest and sincere Christian would ever consider Bahá’u’lláh or the Bahá’í Faith an enemy of Christ or Christianity, once they had read such words as these in Bahá’í teaching:

‘Jesus was a Manifestation (Messenger) of God. Everything of Him pertained to God. To know Him (Christ) was to know God...To obey Him was to obey God. He was the source of all divine virtues. He was a vision of all divine qualities...through this mirror (of Jesus) the energy of God was transmitted to the world. The whole disc of the Sun of Reality (God) was reflected in Him (Christ).’

[Star of the West Magazine, Vol. xii, p. 188.]

Bahá’u’lláh linked his own life with that of Christ throughout his mission. After having suffered stoning, scourging and imprisonment, Bahá’u’lláh lifted up his voice to cry out:

‘If ye be intent on crucifying once again Jesus, the Spirit of God, put Me to death, for He hath once more, in My person been made manifest unto you. Deal with Me as ye wish, for I have vowed to lay down My life in the path of God.’

[The Bahá’í Revelation, 1955, p. 59.]

Bahá’u’lláh, expressing the oneness of the Holy Spirit which appears in all the Messengers of God, associates Himself with Christ, and offers Himself as a target for the indignities which the world hurled against Jesus:

‘Lay hands on Me and persecute Me, for I am His Well-Beloved, the revelation of His own Self, though My name be not His name. I have come in the shadows of the clouds of glory.’

[The Bahá’í Revelation, 1955, p. 59 (the passage refers to several prophets.)]

As Christ had foretold, Bahá’u’lláh ‘reproved’ the world ‘because the Prince of the world (Christ) is judged’ by the people. Wishing to share this same suffering at their hands, Bahá’u’lláh wrote:

‘If ye have resolved to shed the blood of Him Whose coming...Jesus Christ Himself hath announced, behold Me standing, ready and defenceless before you. Deal with Me after your own desires.’

[The Bahá’í Revelation, 1955, p. 59 (the passage refers to several prophets.)]

Bahá’u’lláh ‘glorified’ the name of Christ for all time in his writings. The greatness of Jesus Christ was a much-loved theme of Bahá’u’lláh, who said:

‘We testify that He (Jesus Christ) came into the world, He shed the plendor of His glory upon all creted things. Throgh Him te lprecovered from the leprosy of perversity and ignorance. Through Him, the unchaste and wayward were healed. Through His power, born of Almighty God, the eyes of the blind were opened, and the soul of the sinner sanctified.’

[The Bahá’í Revelation, 1955, p. 58.]

Of the glory of Christ, Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed:

‘He (Christ) it is Who purified the world. Blessed is the man who, with a face beaming with light, hath turned towards Him.’

[The Bahá’í Revelation, 1955, p. 59.]

In one volume alone in the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh’s Faith, I found nearly one hundred references to the beauty, the majesty, the greatness, and the glory of His Holiness Jesus the Christ.

[The Promulgation of Universal Peace, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1922, Vol. i.]

Thus Bahá’u’lláh had fulfilled the final, and one of the most important proofs. Christ had prophesied that when the Spirit of Truth came:

‘He shall glorify me.’

To this proof I wrote the words: Fulfilled.

[William Sears, Thiefin the Night, pp. 172-175.]

HE SHALL TESTIFY OF ME

“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:” (John 15:26)

We testify that when He came into the world, He shed the splendor of His glory upon all created things. Through Him the leper recovered from the leprosy of perversity and ignorance. Through Him, the unchaste and wayward were healed. Through His power, born of Almighty God, the eyes of the blind were opened, and the soul of the sinner sanctified.

Leprosy may be interpreted as any veil that interveneth between man and the recognition of the Lord, his God. Whoso alloweth himself to be shut out from Him is indeed a leper, who shall not be remembered in the Kingdom of God, the Mighty, the All-Praised. We bear witness that through the power of the Word of God every leper was cleansed, every sickness was healed, every human infirmity was banished. He it is Who purified the world. Blessed is the man who, with a face beaming with light, hath turned towards Him.

(Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 86)

O Pope! Rend the veils asunder. He Who is the Lord of Lords is come overshadowed with clouds, and the decree hath been fulfilled by God, the Almighty, the Unrestrained... He, verily, hath again come down from Heaven even as He came down from it the first time. Beware that thou dispute not with Him even as the Pharisees disputed with Him (Jesus) without a clear token or proof…Call thou to remembrance Him Who was the Spirit (Jesus), Who when He came, the most learned of His age pronounced judgment against Him in His own country, whilst he who was only a fisherman believed in Him…Consider those who opposed the Son (Jesus), when He came unto them with sovereignty and power. How many the Pharisees who were waiting to behold Him, and were lamenting over their separation from Him! And yet, when the fragrance of His coming was wafted over them, and His beauty was unveiled, they turned aside from Him and disputed with Him... None save a very few, who were destitute of any power amongst men, turned towards His face. And yet, today, every man endowed with power and invested with sovereignty prideth himself on His Name!

(Baha’u’llah: Proclamation of Baha’u’llah, Pages: 83-84)

Through Christ the oneness of the world of humanity received its expression and proved to be the cause of spiritual illumination for mankind. The breaths of the Holy Spirit became effective in the hearts of people.

(`Abdu’l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace*, Page: 371)

…through Christ, through the blessing of the New Testament of Jesus Christ, the Old Testament, the Torah, was translated into six hundred different tongues and spread throughout the world. It was through Christianity that the Torah reached Persia. Before that time there was no knowledge in that country of such a book, but Christ caused its spread and acceptance. Through Him the name of Moses was elevated and revered. He was instrumental in publishing the name and greatness of the Israelitish prophets, and He proved to the world that the Israelites constituted the people of God. Which of the kings of Israel could have accomplished this? Were it not for Jesus Christ, would the Bible, the Torah have reached this land of America? Would the name of Moses be spread throughout the world? Refer to history. Everyone knows that when Christianity was spread, there was a simultaneous spread of the knowledge of Judaism and the Torah. Throughout the length and breadth of Persia there was not a single volume of the Old Testament until the religion of Jesus Christ caused it to appear everywhere so that today the Holy Bible is a household book in that country. It is evident, then, that Christ was a friend of Moses, that He loved and believed in Moses; otherwise, He would not have commemorated His name and Prophethood. This is self-evident. Therefore, Christians and Jews should have the greatest love for each other because the Founders of these two great religions have been in perfect agreement in Book and teaching. Their followers should be likewise.

(`Abdu’l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace*, Page: 408)

HE SHALL BRING TO YOUR REMEMBRANCE

“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14:26)

The revelations of Bahá’u’lláh, many times, bring to our remembrance the Words of Christ.

Of the common purpose and aim of the Prophets of God in this world, Christ said:

“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.” (Matthew 5:17)

Bahá’u’lláh said:

(Baha’u’llah: Gleanings, Pages: 78-79)

Of the bond of love and union between God and man, Christ said:

“Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” (John 17:11)

“And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:” (John 17:22)

“And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26)

Bahá’u’lláh said:

By the righteousness of the Lord! Ye were created to show love one to another and not perversity and rancour.

(Baha’u’llah: Tablets of Baha’u’llah, Page: 138)

The Great Being saith: O well-beloved ones! The tabernacle of unity hath been raised; regard ye not one another as strangers. Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch.

(Baha’u’llah: Gleanings, Page: 218)

Be as brilliant as the light and as splendid as the fire that blazed in the Burning Bush. The brightness of the fire of your love will no doubt fuse and unify the contending peoples and kindreds of the earth, whilst the fierceness of the flame of enmity and hatred cannot but result in strife and ruin.

(Baha’u’llah: Tablets of Baha’u’llah, Page: 88)

Of the union of mankind as ‘one fold’, Christ said:

“And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.” (John 10:16)

Bahá’u’lláh said:

The well-being of mankind, its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established.

(Baha’u’llah: Aqdas: Other Sections, Page: 11)

That the divers communions of the earth, and the manifold systems of religious belief, should never be allowed to foster the feelings of animosity among men, is, in this Day, of the essence of the Faith of God and His Religion.

(Baha’u’llah: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Page: 13)

That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith.

(Baha’u’llah: Gleanings, Page: 255)

Of peace and tranquillity among men, Christ said:

“Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9)

Bahá’u’lláh said:

Arise and, armed with the power of faith, shatter to pieces the gods of your vain imaginings, the sowers of dissension amongst you. Cleave unto that which draweth you together and uniteth you. This, verily, is the most exalted Word which the Mother Book hath sent down and revealed unto you. To this beareth witness the Tongue of Grandeur from His habitation of glory.

(Baha’u’llah: Gleanings, Pages: 217-218)

That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should bestrengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled - what harm is there in this?... Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the “Most Great Peace” shall come.

(Baha’u’llah: Peace, Page: 157)

His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh proclaimed this one reality and spread the message of the “Most Great Peace”. Even in prison he rested not until he lighted this lamp in the East. Praise be to God! all who have accepted his teachings are lovers of peace, peacemakers ready to sacrifice their lives and expend their possessions for it.

(Abdu’l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 27)

Concerning the sacrifice of one’s life in the path of God, Christ said:

“He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.” (Matthew 10:37-40)

“So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:33)

Bahá’u’lláh said:

O SON OF MAN!

Ponder and reflect. Is it thy wish to die upon thy bed, or to shed thy life-blood on the dust, a martyr in My path, and so become the manifestation of My command and the revealer of My light in the highest paradise? Judge thou aright, O servant!

(Baha’u’llah: Arabic Hidden Words, Page: 46)

Of those who desire the riches and wealth, Christ said:

“And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:23-25)

Bahá’u’lláh said:

O YE THAT PRIDE YOURSELVES ON MORTAL RICHES!

Know ye in truth that wealth is a mighty barrier between the seeker and his desire, the lover and his beloved. The rich, but for a few, shall in no wise attain the court of His presence nor enter the city of content and resignation. Well is it then with him, who, being rich, is not hindered by his riches from the eternal kingdom, nor deprived by them of imperishable dominion. By the Most Great Name! The splendor of such a wealthy manshall illuminate the dwellers of heaven even as the sun enlightens the people of the earth!

(Baha’u’llah: Persian Hidden Words, Page: 53)

O SON OF MAN!

Thou dost wish for gold and I desire thy freedom from it. Thou thinkest thyself rich in its possession, and I recognize thy wealth in thy sanctity therefrom. By My life! This is My knowledge, and that is thy fancy; how can My way accord with thine?

(Baha’u’llah: Arabic Hidden Words, Page: 56)

O SON OF BEING!

Busy not thyself with this world, for with fire We test the gold, and with gold We test Our servants.

(Baha’u’llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

The essence of wealth is love for Me; whoso loveth Me is the possessor of all things, and he that loveth Me not is indeed of the poor and needy. This is that which the Finger of Glory and Splendour hath revealed.

(Baha’u’llah: Tablets of Baha’u’llah, Page: 156)

Nothing that existeth in the world of being hath ever been or ever will be worthy of mention. However, if a person be graciously favoured to offer a penny-worth - nay even less - in the path of God, this would in His sight be preferable and superior to all the treasures of the earth. It is for this reason that the one true God - exalted be His glory - hath in all His heavenly Scriptures praised those who observe His precepts and bestow their wealth for His sake.

(Baha’u’llah: Huququ’llah, Page: 489)

Divine nearness is dependent upon attainment to the knowledge of God, upon severance from all else save God. It is contingent upon self-sacrifice and to be found only through forfeiting wealth and worldly possessions. It is made possible through the baptism of water and fire revealed in the Gospels. Water symbolizes the water of life, which is knowledge, and fire is the fire of the love of God; therefore, man must be baptized with the water of life, the Holy Spirit and the fire of the love of the Kingdom.

(`Abdu’l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace*, Page: 147)

Concerning adultery, Christ said:

“Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.” (Matthew 5:27-28)

Bahá’u’lláh said:

Ye are forbidden to commit adultery, sodomy and lechery. Avoid them, O concourse of the faithful. By the righteousness of God! Ye have been called into being to purge the world from the defilement of evil passions. This is what the Lord of all mankind hath enjoined upon you, could ye butperceive it. He who relateth himself to the All-Merciful and committeth satanic deeds, verily he is not of Me. Unto this beareth witness every atom, pebble, tree and fruit, and beyond them this ever-proclaiming, truthful and trustworthy Tongue.

(Baha’u’llah: A Chaste and Holy Life, Page: 57)

Of breathing the sins, and judging others, Christ said:

“Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged, and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.” (Mathew 7:1-2)

“And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? …But… Jesus…said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” (John 8:3-7)

Bahá’u’lláh said:

O SON OF MAN!

Breathe not the sins of others so long as thou art thyself a sinner. Shouldst thou transgress this command, accursed wouldst thou be, and to this I bear witness.

(Baha’u’llah: Arabic Hidden Words, Page: 27)

O SON OF BEING!

How couldst thou forget thine own faults and busy thyself with the faults of others? Whoso doeth this is accursed of Me.

(Baha’u’llah: Arabic Hidden Words, Page: 26)

Verily I say, the tongue is for mentioning what is good, defile it not with unseemly talk. God hath forgiven what is past. Henceforward everyone should utter that which is meet and seemly, and should refrain from slander, abuse and whatever causeth sadness in men.

(Baha’u’llah: Tablets of Baha’u’llah, Pages: 219-220)

To the hearer of His call, Christ said:

“Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” (John 18:37)

Bahá’u’lláh said:

Thus doth the Nightingale utter His call unto you from this prison. He hath but to deliver this clear message. Whosoever desireth, let him turn aside from this counsel and whosoever desireth let him choose the path to his Lord. O people, if ye deny these verses, by what proof have ye believed in God? Produce it, O assemblage of false ones. Nay, by the One in Whose hand is my soul, they are not, and never shall be able to do this, even should they combine to assist one another.

(Baha’u’llah: Tablet of Ahmad, Baha’i Prayers, p. 209)

Of sowing the seeds of wisdom, and divine knowledge, Christ said:

“And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up: Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth: And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them: But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” (Matthew 13:3-11)

Bahá’u’lláh said:

O SON OF DUST!

The wise are they that speak not unless they obtain a hearing, even as the cup-bearer, who proffereth not his cup till he findeth a seeker, and the lover who crieth not out from the depths of his heart until he gazeth upon the beauty of his beloved. Wherefore sow the seeds of wisdom and knowledge in the pure soil of the heart, and keep them hidden, till the hyacinths of divine wisdom spring from the heart and not from mire and clay.

(Baha’u’llah: Persian Hidden Words, Pages: 36-37)

O SON OF MY HANDMAID!

Quaff from the tongue of the merciful the stream of divine mystery, and behold from the day-spring of divine utterance the unveiled splendor of the day-star of wisdom. Sow the seeds of My divine wisdom in the pure soil of the heart, and water them with the waters of certitude, that the hyacinths of knowledge and wisdom may spring up fresh and green from the holy city of the heart.

(Baha’u’llah: Persian Hidden Words, Page: 78)

I pray in behalf of these children and beg confirmation and assistance for them from the Kingdom of Abha so that each one may be trained under the shadow of the protection of God, each may become like a lighted candle in the world of humanity, a tender and growing plant in the rose garden of Abha; that these children may be so trained and educated that they shall give life to the world of humanity; that they may receive insight; that they may bestow hearing upon the people of the world; that they may sow the seeds of eternal life and be accepted in the threshold of God; that they may become characterized with such virtues, perfections and qualities that their mothers, fathers and relatives will be thankful to God, well pleased and hopeful. This is my wish and prayer.

(`Abdu’l-Baha: Promulgation of Universal Peace*, Page: 53)

Of steadfastness in proclaiming the Kingdom of God, Christ said:

“And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:61-62)

Bahá’u’lláh said:

Be unrestrained as the wind, while carrying the Message of Him Who hath caused the Dawn of Divine Guidance to break. Consider, how the wind, faithful to that which God hath ordained, bloweth upon all the regions of the earth, be they inhabited or desolate. Neither the sight of desolation, nor the evidences of prosperity, can either pain or please it. It bloweth in every direction, as bidden by its Creator. So should be every one that claimeth to be a lover of the one true God. It behoveth him to fix his gaze upon the fundamentals of His Faith, and to labor diligently for its propagation. Wholly for the sake of God he should proclaim His Message, and with that same spirit accept whatever response his words may evoke in his hearer. He who shall accept and believe, shall receive his reward; and he who shall turn away, shall receive none other than his own punishment.

(Baha’u’llah: Gleanings, Page: 339)

Of the apparent variation in God’s message in every dispensation, Bahá’u’lláh said:

The measure of the revelation of the Prophets of God in this world, however, must differ. Each and every one of them hath been the Bearer of a distinct Message, and hath been commissioned to reveal Himself through specific acts. It is for this reason that they appear to vary in their greatness. Their Revelation may be likened unto the light of the moon that sheddeth its radiance upon the earth. Though every time it appeareth, it revealeth a fresh measure of its brightness, yet its inherent splendor can never diminish, nor can its light suffer extinction.

It is clear and evident, therefore, that any apparent variation in the intensity of their light is not inherent in the light itself, but should rather be attributed to the varying receptivity of an ever-changing world. Every Prophet Whom the Almighty and Peerless Creator hath purposed to send to the peoples of the earth hath been entrusted with a Message, and charged to act in a manner that would best meet the requirements of the age in which He appeared. God’s purpose in sending His Prophets unto men is twofold. The first is to liberate the children of men from the darkness of ignorance, and guide them to the light of true understanding. The second is to ensure the peace and tranquillity of mankind, and provide all the means by which they can be established.

(Baha’u’llah: Gleanings, Pages: 79-80)

Lastly, the perfect man, the Prophet, is one who is transfigured, one who has the purity and clearness of a perfect mirror - one who reflects the Sun of Truth. Of such a one - of such a Prophet and Messenger - we can say that the Light of Divinity with the heavenly Perfections dwells in him. If we claim that the sun is seen in the mirror, we do not mean that the sun itself has descended from the holy heights of his heaven and entered into the mirror! This is impossible. The Divine Nature is seen in the Manifestations and its Light and Splendor are visible in extreme glory.

Therefore, men have always been taught and led by the Prophets of God. The Prophets of God are the Mediators of God. All the Prophets and Messengers have come from One Holy Spirit and bear the Message of God, fitted to the age in which they appear. The One Light is in them and they are One with each other. But the Eternal does not become phenomenal; neither can the phenomenal become Eternal.

Saint Paul, the great Apostle, said: “We all, with open face beholding as in a mirror the glory of God, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

(`Abdu’l-Baha: Abdu’l-Baha in London*, Pages: 23-24)

HE SHALL COME WITH HIS ANGELS

The Báb Himself was the “Primal Point” and, with the eighteen to be by him appointed as they should come to Him, constituted “The Nineteen Letters of the Living.”

This declaration was made on the twenty-third day of the month of May, in the year 1844. What a day in the history of the world!

The Báb, the Herald of Bahá’u’lláh, the Promised one, opened the new age of mankind. On this day was born ‘Abbas Effendi, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Son of Bahá’u’lláh and Centre of His Covenant.

On this day the first telegraphic message was flashed along the wires in these remarkable words: “Behold what God hath wrought!”

(Lady Blomfield, The Chosen Highway, p. 16)

As to those whose supreme privilege it was to be enrolled by the Báb in the Book of His Revelation as His chosen Letters of the Living, their names are as follows:

Mulla Husayn-i-Bushru’i,

Muhammad-Hasan, his brother,

Muhammad-Baqir, his nephew,

Mulla Aliy-i-Bastami,

Mulla Khuda-Bakhsh-i-Quchani, later named Mulla Ali

Mulla Hasan-i-Bajistani,

Siyyid Husayn-i-Yazdi,

Mirza Muhammad Rawdih-Khan-i-Yazdi,

Sa’id-i-Hindi,

Mulla Mahmud-i-Khu’i,

Mulla Jalil-i-Urumi,

Mulla Ahmad-i-Ibdal-i-Maraghi’i,

Mulla Baqir-i-Tabrizi,

Mulla Yusif-i-Ardibili,

Mirza Hadi, son of Mulla Abdu’l-Vahhab-i-Qazvini,

Mirza Muhammad-’Aliy-i-Qazvini.

Tahirih,[11]

Quddus.

These all, with the single exception of Tahirih, attained the presence of the Báb, and were personally invested by Him with the distinction of this rank.

(Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 80)

The first eighteen disciples of the Báb (with Himself as nineteenth) became known as “Letters of the Living.” These disciples He sent to different parts of Persia and Turkistan to spread the news of His advent. Meantime He Himsel set out on a pilgrimage to Mecca, where He arrived in December 1844, and there openly declared His mission. On Hi return to Bushihr great excitement was caused by the anouncement of His Bábhood. Th fire of His loquene, hwonder of His rapid and inspired writings, His extraordinary wisdom and knowledge, His courage and zeal as a reformer, aroused the greatest enthusiasm among His followers, but excited a corresponding degree of alarm and enmity among the orthodox Muslims. The Shi’ih doctors vehemently denounced Him, and persuaded the Governor of Fars, namely Husayn Khan, a fanatical and tyrannical ruler, to undertake the suppression of the new heresy. Then commenced for the Báb a long series of imprisonments, deportations, examinations before tribunals, scourgings and indignities, which ended only with His martyrdom in 1850.

The hostility aroused by the claim of Bábhood was redoubled when the young reformer proceeded to declare that He was Himself the Mihdi (Mahdi) Whose coming Muhammad had foretold. The Shi’ihs identified this Mihdi with the 12th Imam [1] who, according to their beliefs, had mysteriously disappeared from the sight of men about a thousand years previously. They believed that he was still alive and would reappear in the same body as before, and they interpreted in a material sense the prophecies regarding his dominion, his glory, his conquests and the “signs” of his advent, just as the Jews in the time of Christ interpreted similar prophecies regarding the Messiah. They expected that he would appear with earthly sovereignty and an innumerable army and declare his revelation, that he would raise dead bodies and restore them to life, and so on. As these signs did not appear, the Shi’his rejected the Báb with the same fierce scorn which the Jews displayed towards Jesus.

The Imam of the Shi’ihs is the divinely ordained successor of the Prophet whom all the faithful must obey. Eleven persons successively held the office of Imam, the first being Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet. The majority of the Shi’ihs hold that the twelfth Imam, called by them the Imam Mihdi, disappeared as a child into an underground passage in 329 A.H., and that in the fullness of time he will come forth, overthrow the infidels and inaugurate an era of blessedness.

(Dr. J.E. Esslemont, Baha’u’llah and the New Era, p. 14-15 )

In the Holy Bible, Matthew chapter16, verse 27, we read of ‘angels’ who were to follow the Second Advent of Christ in ‘the glory of his Father’:

“the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels.”

In the Qur’an we read:

“Over it are Nineteen. And We have set none but angels as Guardians of the Fire; and We have fixed their number only as a trial for Unbelievers,- in order that the People of the Book may arrive at certainty, and the Believers may increase in Faith,- and that no doubts may be left for the People of the Book and the Believers…Thus doth Allah leave to stray whom He pleaseth, and guide whom He pleaseth: and none can know the forces of thy Lord, except He and this is no other than a warning to mankind.” (Qur’án 74:30-31)

In this particularly interesting reference, Muhammad makes clear that he is quoting a specific figure ‘nineteen’ as the number of the ‘Guardians of the Fire,’ as a ‘trial for the unbelievers,’ and a clear proof for His followers and the ‘People of the Book’ (the Jews and Christians).

THE COMFORTER IS NOW COME

“Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.” (John 18:37)

He, verily, is come with His Kingdom, and all the atoms cry aloud: `Lo! The Lord is come in His great majesty!’ He Who is the Father is come, and the Son (Jesus), in the holy vale, crieth out: `Here am I, here am I, O Lord, My God!’ whilst Sinai circleth round the House, and the Burning Bush calleth aloud: `The All-Bounteous is come mounted upon the clouds! Blessed is he that draweth nigh unto Him, and woe betide them that are far away.’

(Baha’u’llah: Proclamation of Baha’u’llah, Pages: 27-28)

“Followers of the Gospel,” Baha’u’llah addressing the whole of Christendom exclaims, “behold the gates of heaven are flung open. He that had ascended unto it is now come. Give ear to His voice calling aloud over land and sea, announcing to all mankind the advent of this Revelation - a Revelation through the agency of which the Tongue of Grandeur is now proclaiming: `Lo, the sacred Pledge hath been fulfilled, for He, the Promised One, is come!’”

“The voice of the Son of Man is calling aloud from the sacred vale: `Here am I, here am I, O God my God!’ ... whilst from the Burning Bush breaketh forth the cry: `Lo, the Desire of the world is made manifest in His transcendent glory!’ The Father hath come. That which ye were promised in the Kingdom of God is fulfilled. This is the Word which the Son veiled when He said to those around Him that at that time they could not bear it... Verily the Spirit of Truth is come to guide you unto all truth... He is the One Who glorified the Son and exalted His Cause...” “The Comforter Whose advent all the scriptures have promised is now come that He may reveal unto you all knowledge and wisdom. Seek Him over the entire surface of the earth, haply ye may find Him.”

(Shoghi Effendi: World Order of Baha’u’llah, Pages: 104-105)

And in the fourth Gospel, according to John, it is recorded: “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me: and ye also shall bear witness.” (John 15:26) And elsewhere He saith: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”(John 14:26) And: “But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou? But because I have said these things unto you...” (John 16:5-6) And yet again: “Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” (John 16:7) And: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.” (John 16:13)

Such is the text of the verses revealed in the past. By Him besides Whom there is none other God, I have chosen to be brief, for were I to recount all the words that have been sent down unto the Prophets of God from the realm of His supernal glory and the kingdom of His sovereign might, all the pages and tablets of the world would not suffice to exhaust My theme. References similar to those mentioned, nay even more sublime and exalted, have been made in all the Books and Scriptures of old. Should it be My wish to recount all that hath been revealed in the past, I would most certainly be able to do so by virtue of that which God hath bestowed upon Me of the wonders of His knowledge and power. I have, however, contented Myself with that which was mentioned, lest thou becomewearied in thy journey or feel inclined to turn back, or lest thou be overtaken by sadness and sorrow and overcome with despondency, trouble and fatigue.

Be fair in thy judgement and reflect upon these exalted utterances. Inquire, then, of those who lay claim to knowledge without a proof or testimony from God, and who remain heedless of these days wherein the Orb of knowledge and wisdom hath dawned above the horizon of Divinity, rendering unto each his due and assigning unto all their rank and measure, as to what they can say concerning these allusions. Verily, their meaning hath bewildered the minds of men, and that which they conceal of the consummate wisdom and latent knowledge of God even the most sanctified souls have been powerless to uncover.

Should they say: “These words are indeed from God, and have no interpretation other than their outward meaning”, then what objection can they raise against the unbelievers among the people of the Book? For when the latter saw the aforementioned passages in their Scriptures and heard the literal interpretations of their divines, they refused to recognize God in those who are the Manifestations of His unity, the Exponents of His singleness, and the Embodiments of His sanctity, and failed to believe in them and submit to their authority. The reason was that they did not see the sun darken, or the stars of heaven fall to the ground, or the angels visibly descend upon the earth, and hence they contended with the Prophets and Messengers of God. Nay, inasmuch as they found them at variance with their own faith and creed, they hurled against them such accusations of imposture, folly, waywardness, and misbelief as I am ashamed to recount. Refer to the Qur’án, that thou mayest find mention of all this and be of them that understand its meaning. Even to this day do these people await the appearance of that which they have learned from their doctors and imbibed from their divines. Thus do they say: “When shall these signs be made manifest, that we may believe?” But if this be the case, how could ye refute their arguments, invalidate their proofs, and challenge them concerning their faith and their understanding of their Books and the sayings of their leaders?

(Baha’u’llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries, p. 11)

O thou yearner after the Kingdom! Each Manifestation is the heart of the world and the proficient Physician of every patient. The world of humanity is sick, but that skilled Physician hath the healing remedy and He bestoweth divine teachings, exhortations and advices which are the remedy of every ailment and the dressing for every wound. Undoubtedly, the wise physician discovereth the needs of the patient at every season and prescribeth medicine. Therefore, when thou wilt compare the teachings of the Beauty of Abha with the requisitions and necessities of the present time, thou wilt conclude that they are to the sick body of the world the swift healing antidote; nay, rather they are the remedy of everlasting health. The prescription of the proficient physicians of the past and the future will not be the same; nay, rather they will be in accord with the ailment of the patient. Although the medicine is changed, yet all of these are for the sole purpose of the healing of the sick. In former dispensations the sick body of the world could not bear the strong and overpowering remedies. That is why His Highness the Christ said: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of the Comforter, who is sent by the Father, is come, He will guide you into all truth.” Therefore, in this age of lights, specific teachings have become universal, in order that the outpouring of the Merciful One environ both the East and the West, the oneness of the kingdom of humanity become visible and the luminosity of truth enlighten the world of consciousness. The descent of the New Jerusalem is the heavenly religion which secures the prosperity of the human world and is the effulgence of the illumination of the realm of God. (Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith - Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 381)

Say: O people! The Lamp of God is burning; take heed, lest the fierce winds of your disobedience extinguish its light. Now is the time to arise and magnify the Lord, your God. Strive not after bodily comforts, and keep your heart pure and stainless. The Evil One is lying in wait, ready to entrap you. Gird yourselves against his wicked devices, and, led by the light of the name of the one true God, deliver yourselves from the darkness that surroundeth you. Center your thoughts in the Well-Beloved, rather than in your own selves.

Say: O ye that have strayed and lost your way! The Divine Messenger, Who speaketh naught but the truth, hath announced unto you the coming of the Best-Beloved. Behold, He is now come.

(Baha’u’llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, p. 167)

The Heavenly Father gave the priceless gift of intelligence to man so that he might become a spiritual light, piercing the darkness of materiality, and bringing goodness and truth into the world. If ye will follow earnestly the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, ye shall indeed become the light of the world, the soul for the body of the world, the comfort and help for humanity, and the source of salvation for the whole universe. Strive therefore, with heart and soul, to follow the precepts of the Blessed Perfection, and rest assured that if ye succeed in living the life he marks out for you, Eternal Life and everlasting joy in the Heavenly Kingdom will be yours, and celestial sustenance will be sent to strengthen you all your days.

It is my heartfelt prayer that each one of you may attain to this perfect joy!

(Abdu’l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 113)

[1] Matthew (24:30)

[2] Qur’án (55:29)

[3] Manifestations of God

[4] Cf. “Pantheism,” p. 290

[5] The Divine Manifestation

[6] John (14:10)

[7] See vol. 2, p. 270, and Appendix 1, pp. 422-6

[8] Bahá’u’lláh, Tablet to Napoleon III. Shoghi Effendi, America & The Most Great Peace

[9] Matt. xiii 24-30

[10] Mark xiii 22. Matt. xxiv 24

[11] One of the ‘Letters of the Living’, the great heroine and the most outstanding woman among the apostles of the Báb. Her name was Umm-Salamih, Qurratu’l-’Ayn - the Solace of the Eyes. Bahá’í history knows her best as Tahirih - the Pure - a designation bestowed on her by Bahá’u’lláh. Although she never attained the presence of the Báb, yet she arose with burning zeal, all ardour and steadfastness and with determination, to declare and promote His Faith, giving up kith and kin and finally life itself in His path. (H.M. Balyuzi, Baha’u’llah - The King of Glory, p. 30)