Archive for July, 2015

Baha’i Sabbath: Kalimat 19, 172 B.E. (7/31/2015)

Friday, July 31st, 2015

Know then that “life” hath a twofold meaning. The first pertaineth to the appearance of man in an elemental body, and is as manifest to thine eminence and to others as the midday sun. This life cometh to an end with physical death, which is a God-ordained and inescapable reality. That life, however, which is mentioned in the Books of the Prophets and the Chosen Ones of God is the life of knowledge; that is to say, the servant’s recognition of the sign of the splendours wherewith He Who is the Source of all splendour hath Himself invested him, and his certitude of attaining unto the presence of God through the Manifestations of His Cause. This is that blessed and everlasting life that perisheth not: whosoever is quickened thereby shall never die, but will endure as long as His Lord and Creator will endure.

The first life, which pertaineth to the elemental body, will come to an end, as hath been revealed by God: “Every soul shall taste of death.”42 But the second life, which ariseth from the knowledge of God, knoweth no death, as hath been revealed aforetime: “Him will We surely quicken to a blessed life.”43 And in another passage concerning the martyrs: “Nay, they are alive and sustained by their Lord.”44 And from the Traditions: “He who is a true believer liveth both in this world and in the world to come.”45 Numerous examples of similar words are to be found in the Books of God and of the Embodiments of His justice. For the sake of brevity, however, We have contented Ourself with the above passages.

42 Qur’án 3:185.
43 Qur’án 16:97.
44 Qur’án 3:169.
45 From a Ḥadíth.

 

Baha’u’llah, Gems Of Divine Mysteries Paragraphs 64 & 65

Baha’i Sabbath: Kalimat 12, 172 B.E. (7/24/2015)

Friday, July 24th, 2015

24 July 1912
TALK BY ABDU’L-BAHA’ TO THEOSOPHICAL SOCIETY
THE KENSINGTON
EXETER AND BOYLSTON STREETS, BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

 

In the world of existence there is nothing so important as spirit, nothing so essential as the spirit of man. The spirit of man is the most noble of phenomena. The spirit of man is the meeting between man and God. The spirit of man is the animus of human life and the collective center of all human virtues. The spirit of man is the cause of the illumination of this world. The world may be likened to the body; man is the spirit of the body, because the light of the world is the human spirit. Man is the life of the world, and the life of man is the spirit. The happiness of the world depends upon man, and the happiness of man is dependent upon the spirit. The world may be likened to the lamp chimney, whereas man is the light. Man himself may be likened to the lamp; his spirit is the light within the lamp. Therefore, we will speak of this spirit.
The philosophers of the world are divided into two classes: materialists, who deny the spirit and its immortality, and the divine philosophers, the wise men of God, the true illuminati who believe in the spirit and its continuance hereafter. The ancient philosophers taught that man consists simply of the material elements which compose his cellular structure and that when this composition is disintegrated the life of man becomes extinct. They reasoned that man is body only, and from this elemental composition the organs and their functions, the senses, powers and attributes which characterize man have proceeded, and that these disappear completely with the physical body. This is practically the statement of all the materialists.
The divine philosophers proclaim that the spirit of man is ever-living and eternal, and because of the objections of the materialists, these wise men of God have advanced rational proofs to support the validity of their statement. Inasmuch as the materialistic philosophers deny the Books of God, scriptural demonstration is not evidence to them, and materialistic proofs are necessary. Answering them, the men of divine knowledge have said that all existing phenomena may be resolved into grades or kingdoms, classified progressively as mineral, vegetable, animal and human, each of which possesses its degree of function and intelligence. When we consider the mineral, we find that it exists and is possessed of the power of affinity or combination. The vegetable possesses the qualities of the mineral plus the augmentative virtue or power of growth. It is, therefore, evident that the vegetable kingdom is superior to the mineral. The animal kingdom in turn possesses the qualities of the mineral and vegetable plus the five senses of perception whereof the kingdoms below it are lacking. Likewise, the power of memory inherent in the animal does not exist in the lower kingdoms.
Just as the animal is more noble than the vegetable and mineral, so man is superior to the animal. The animal is bereft of ideality—that is to say, it is a captive of the world of nature and not in touch with that which lies within and beyond nature; it is without spiritual susceptibilities, deprived of the attractions of consciousness, unconscious of the world of God and incapable of deviating from the law of nature. It is different with man. Man is possessed of the emanations of consciousness; he has perception, ideality and is capable of discovering the mysteries of the universe. All the industries, inventions and facilities surrounding our daily life were at one time hidden secrets of nature, but the reality of man penetrated them and made them subject to his purposes. According to nature’s laws they should have remained latent and hidden; but man, having transcended those laws, discovered these mysteries and brought them out of the plane of the invisible into the realm of the known and visible. How wonderful is the spirit of man! One of the mysteries of natural phenomena is electricity. Man has discovered this illimitable power and made it captive to his uses. How many of nature’s secrets have been penetrated and revealed! Columbus, while in Spain, discovered America. Man has accurately determined that the sun is stationary while the earth revolves about it. The animal cannot do this. Man perceives the mirage to be an illusion. This is beyond the power of the animal. The animal can only know through sense impressions and cannot grasp intellectual realities. The animal cannot conceive of the power of thought. This is an abstract intellectual matter and not limited to the senses. The animal is incapable of knowing that the earth is round. In brief, abstract intellectual phenomena are human powers. All creation below the kingdom of man is the captive of nature; it cannot deviate in the slightest degree from nature’s laws. But man wrests the sword of dominion from nature’s hand and uses it upon nature’s head. For example, it is a natural exigency that man should be a dweller upon the earth, but the power of the human spirit transcends this limitation, and he soars aloft in airplanes. This is contrary to the law and requirement of nature. He sails at high speed upon the ocean and dives beneath its surface in submarines. He imprisons the human voice in a phonograph and communicates in the twinkling of an eye from East to West. These are things we know to be contrary to the limitations of natural law. Man transcends nature, while the mineral, vegetable and animal are helplessly subject to it. This can be done only through the power of the spirit, because the spirit is the reality.
In the physical powers and senses, however, man and the animal are partners. In fact, the animal is often superior to man in sense perception. For instance, the vision of some animals is exceedingly keen and the hearing of others most acute. Consider the instinct of a dog: how much greater than that of man. But, although the animal shares with man all the physical virtues and senses, a spiritual power has been bestowed upon man of which the animal is devoid. This is a proof that there is something in man above and beyond the endowment of the animal—a faculty and virtue peculiar to the human kingdom which is lacking in the lower kingdoms of existence. This is the spirit of man. All these wonderful human accomplishments are due to the efficacy and penetrating power of the spirit of man. If man were bereft of this spirit, none of these accomplishments would have been possible. This is as evident as the sun at midday.
All the organisms of material creation are limited to an image or form. That is to say, each created material being is possessed of a form; it cannot possess two forms at the same time. For example, a body may be spherical, triangular or square; but it is impossible for it to be two of these shapes simultaneously. It may be triangular, but if it is to become square, it must first rid itself of the triangular shape. It is absolutely impossible for it to be both at the same time. Therefore, it is evident in the reality of material organisms that different forms cannot be simultaneously possessed. In the spiritual reality of man, however, all geometrical figures can be simultaneously conceived, while in physical realities one image must be forsaken in order that another may be possible. This is the law of change and transformation, and change and transformation are precursors of mortality. Were it not for this change in form, phenomena would be immortal; but because the phenomenal existence is subject to transformation, it is mortal. The reality of man, however, is possessed of all virtues; it is not necessary for him to give up one image for another as mere physical bodies do. Therefore, in that reality there is no change or transformation; it is immortal and everlasting. The body of man may be in America while his spirit is laboring and working in the Far East, discovering, organizing and planning. While occupied in governing, making laws and erecting a building in Russia, his body is still here in America. What is this power which, notwithstanding that it is embodied in America, is operating at the same time in the Orient, organizing, destroying, upbuilding? It is the spirit of man. This is irrefutable.
When you wish to reflect upon or consider a matter, you consult something within you. You say, shall I do it, or shall I not do it? Is it better to make this journey or abandon it? Whom do you consult? Who is within you deciding this question? Surely there is a distinct power, an intelligent ego. Were it not distinct from your ego, you would not be consulting it. It is greater than the faculty of thought. It is your spirit which teaches you, which advises and decides upon matters. Who is it that interrogates? Who is it that answers? There is no doubt that it is the spirit and that there is no change or transformation in it, for it is not a composition of elements, and anything that is not composed of elements is eternal. Change and transformation are peculiarities of composition. There is no change and transformation in the spirit. In proof of this, the body may become weakened in its members. It may be dismembered, or one of its members may be incapacitated. The whole body may be paralyzed; and yet the mind, the spirit, remains ever the same. The mind decides; the thought is perfect; and yet the hand is withered, the feet have become useless, the spinal column is paralyzed, and there is no muscular movement at all, but the spirit is in the same status. Dismember a healthy man; the spirit is not dismembered. Amputate his feet; his spirit is there. He may become lame; the spirit is not affected. The spirit is ever the same; no change or transformation can you perceive, and because there is no change or transformation, it is everlasting and permanent.
Consider man while in the state of sleep; it is evident that all his parts and members are at a standstill, are functionless. His eye does not see, his ear does not hear, his feet and hands are motionless; but, nevertheless, he does see in the world of dreams, he does hear, he speaks, he walks, he may even fly in an airplane. Therefore, it becomes evident that though the body be dead, yet the spirit is alive and permanent. Nay, the perceptions may be keener when man’s body is asleep, the flight may be higher, the hearing may be more acute; all the functions are there, and yet the body is at a standstill. Hence it is proof that there is a spirit in the man, and in this spirit there is no distinction as to whether the body be asleep or absolutely dead and dependent. The spirit is not incapacitated by these conditions; it is not bereft of its existence; it is not bereft of its perfections. The proofs are many, innumerable.
These are all rational proofs. Nobody can refute them. As we have shown that there is a spirit and that this spirit is permanent and everlasting, we must strive to learn of it. May you become informed of its power, hasten to render it divine, to have it become sanctified and holy and make it the very light of the world illumining the East and the West.

Open Letter 7/17/2015

Tuesday, July 21st, 2015

Dear friends,

 

Please find attached a recent open letter that consolidates some important concepts for today.

 

In service,

 

Your servant,

 

Neal.

 

 

Dear Q.A.:

 

True science and true religion correspond. The purpose of this is to open up an experiential realm that can be articulated through a deeper scientific method–similar to the scientific method Dr. Jensen has uncovered regarding the special case of prophecy fulfillment.

 

In the meanwhile what is essential is that people deepen on my station and the station of Dr. Leland Jensen and understand the proofs of prophecy that the two of us fulfill so that their hearts may become purified and that no doubt should exist in their minds concerning the reality of The prophecies (see the online video Twin Establishers for more). Firmness in the Covenant is absolutely essential here in order that the truth be distinguished from error, and the light from the dark. This is why it is written that the 144,000 are sealed on the forehead. The forehead symbolizes the intellect which has the discerning power to recognize the proofs of myself and Dr. Leland Jensen as well as that of the Bab and Baha’u’llah that fulfill prophecy by their prophesied name, prophesied date, prophesied address, and prophesied missions (the four letters of the greatest name). The dates, addresses and missions that are prophesied always refer to the superior promised one. For example the date of March 23, 1844–the year 1260 is given. The superior promised one that fulfills that date is his Holiness the Bab. At this exact time Mullah Husayn who fulfills the prophecy for the return of “Muhammad” (see Surih-i-Vafa) was also present at both the prophesied time and the prophesied place (Shiraz–“I will place my throne in Elam”, that is Shiraz Persia). The presence of the return of Muhammad is an essential feature of the prophecy that the Bab fulfilled at that moment. However the Bab is the superior promised one who was delivering His message to Mullah Husayn. It would be violation of the Covenant for Mullah Husayn to claim that those prophecies refer to him and not to the Bab. In fact they refer to the Bab giving the message at that time, and place and the mission of the Bab as deliverer and Mullah Husayn–as that FIRM one– as the recipient. Thus Mullah Husayn is dependent upon the Bab and not the other way around.

 

Baha’u’llah states that because of Mullah Husayn, God was established upon the throne.

 

At the very time the Bab was giving birth to Mullah Husayn as his spiritual son, ‘Abdu’l-Baha was being physically born to Navaab and Baha’u’llah. Clearly Baha’u’llah is superior to ‘Abdu’l-Baha and in His own writings the Bab confesses that he is dependent upon Baha’u’llah as well. This is the message that was being given to Mullah Husayn. Thus Four Promised ones appeared at that exact moment in time in the East. While this was occurring in the East Joseph Smith and his brother Hiram Smith, and George Williams and Joseph Morris in the West were being prepared by God to establish the Mormon faith in preparation for the coming of the Baha’i Covenant to America. Immanuel Swedenborg, the disciple of Isaac Newton paved the way before them and Isaac and Swedenborg and Thomas Jefferson and others in the U.S. are similar to the Shaykhis of Shaykh Ahmad and Mullah Kazim who appeared in Persia prior to Mullah Husayn and the Bab. Like the Shaykhi faith many of the Mormon and Swedenborgian and Jeffersonian doctrines are like the fantasy of children who speculate before they are awakened to the reality of adulthood. The explanations and commentaries of Dr. Leland Jensen, and the scientific method and approaches of myself burn away the unreality of the inner fantasy and open up the true vista of the foundation of fact. This frees the people from their vain imaginations and allows them to have direct access to the reality of the Kingdom in both this life and the next, independent of all save God.

 

The first sign of violation of the Covenant is those that protest against the year 2001 A.D. being the date of the fulfillment of these prophecies for the establishment of the Kingdom and the event in which God brought forth myself as His “servant the BRANCH.” (Zech. 3:8 KJV). This sickness is not unto death because in deepening of the year 2001 date that I fulfill is the hinge that also liberates the people from all distress and disease. It does this because they have to use their intellect to work through the fulfillment of this date of 2001 A.D. As they work through the calculations of this date, that actual work spiritually and intellectually removes the virus of the Covenant-breaking disease. Then the people can see clearly that this is not secular but sacred and divine. And the healing can begin.

 

When they teach this date to others it aggravates the condition of the virus in them,–so that it can come to the surface and along with the other proofs of prophecy fulfilled be burned away in the fever of the Covenant and thus removed and expelled from the hapless victims who have been poisoned against the Covenant–and the person of the living Davidic king–in this day today. This is one of the reasons we have all been told to teach the faith–as you have been doing through translations–so that we can win our own stations and be purified. The people of Arabic, Persian, and Islamic backgrounds are free from this particular form of the disease of Covenant-breaking because of their Islamic hardwiring so to speak. They are able to perceive what the Mustaghath means and immediately accept this as 2001 A.D. without any further delays. This date is given in many faiths of all the world such as the Mayan, Aztec, Hopi, and Native American calendars and prophesies; the Hindu Kali Yug and Kalachakra Buddhism of Asia and Chinese prophetical calendars; the Great Pyramid of Giza located upon the African continent in Egypt; and in the Nordic and Scandinavian religions as well as the Abhrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity and Islam.

 

In the Bible and Koran six days of creation are given each of which is as 1000 years (2 Peter 3:8). This brings us from the foundation of civilization in 4000 BC to the year 2001 A.D. In Haggai, Zechariah and Daniel chapter 6 the “Seven Times” are given. A time being a cycle of 360 times 7 equals 2520 years taken from the foundation of the corner stone of the second temple in 520 BC brings us exactly to September 21, 2001 A.D.. Those that are poisoned into the secularization and have fallen are given this date of the 2520 as a ladder out of the pit of error, and as a strong cord and rope out of the bottomless grotto. This is why in David Davidson’s Pyramid book he shows the relation of the 2520 prophetical cycle to the overall structure of the pyramid. Those fallen into the pit can re-ascend from the violation and poison of the pit of error through the grotto that represents the prophet Muhammad and 12 Imams and come out though the broken stone of Jesus into the grand gallery to again enter the temple symbolized by the coming of the Bab and Baha’u’llah after the date given by the Great Step at the upper South end of the Grand Galley of the 7 Overlays of God.

 

This is why God allows the people to stumble and run the gamut of iniquities. This is like what it says in the Koran: “When you say you believe do you think that God will let you alone and not put you to the proof?” God never changes the way in which he tests the people. He sends them a living promised one that goes against their norms, and habits, and complacencies–who is sent to jar the people awake–by any means–out of their spiritual lethargy. When he does this, contrary to the wishes of some of the people, then they denounce him. But in reality they are declaring themselves as unworthy to associate with him in the Kingdom in either this life or the next. We see today that the main thing that they are against is the outer expression of the inner reality of the SPIRIT. Thus I have particularly focused upon this here in the West in order to reverse the current climate that is against God in every way, shape and form–and trigger the spiritually transformative experience meant by God through the activation of Biblical prophecies that He has sent to awaken all the people of the world to the truth.

 

The personal fall and restoration of the individual personalities of the people is so that the people of Christian background will directly experience being in the Kingdom and elated; and being expelled from the Kingdom and deleted in their own personal lives so that they can then make a real choice to enter the Kingdom and work ceaselessly and tirelessly in the Cause (as I do day and night) or choose against this–judging themselves unworthy in both this life and the next. I have nothing to do with their ultimate choice–and the writings state that “God is no respecter of persons.” Thus I work and associate with those who are alive (such as yourself) without prejudice; and those who are spiritually dead as Jesus says, leave buried to themselves “let the dead bury the dead”. If they again arise to the living–you will see me with them. When they are dead you won’t. This vacillation is on their part–not mine. I remain in the station of constancy, and their vacillations are for themselves so that by their death beds they will have made their choices and will rise or fall accordingly. But in this world we are sent to increase our capacities. Those who spend the most of their time outside the Kingdom while they are here in this life have not the capacity for it in the next and remain for the most part outside of it there as well. And when they are allowed to enter have a very low tolerance and capacity for the divine reality of the Lordly Will of God of which Jesus–obedient unto death states: “Not my will O Lord but Thine!” Thus it is written in the Koran that God has created the world to train the faithful. God already knows what the people are going to choose–because in the world of God there is no time and they have already chosen this. The test is thus not for me or for God–but for the people so that they will know where they are at. God already knows where they are at–but the people need to be tested so that they will know where they are at (where they spend the majority of their time physically and spiritually) so that they can use the leverage they have here in the world of opposites to move into a situation where they can be in the presence of God by all ways and in all means.

 

This is the Roman road of the apostle Paul who accepted the Covenant of Abraham through Gamaliel, and then rejected Jesus and held the coats while they stoned Stephen (I used to live on Stephens Avenue) and then who was struck blind by lightening strike on the road to Damascus and hurled out of the Kingdom altogether. Later he came and found the Apostle Peter and he healed him and he could see. Then it took Paul 14 years to spiritually recover before he was able to go forth and teach. When he was strengthened by God to do this he became the great establisher of Christianity in the West. ‘Abdu’l-Baha tells us that we should all have the deeds of Paul and the faith of Peter. Thus the prophecy of the 2520 is a spiritual ladder out of the pit–as depicted in the structure of the Great Pyramid of Giza–for the people of the Christian background who have fallen and can’t get up!

 

The coming of Dr. Jensen and myself in the West, and my own appearance in the year 2001 AD (Mustaghath) is the momentous event spoken of in all the books and religions of God. Baha’u’llah Himself swears fealty unto me personally as the one who appears from his own successorship in the Gleanings in the year Mustaghath–2001 A.D. The Bab and ‘Abdu’l-Baha both write of me as well. Dr. Jensen opened the way of using the intellect to recognize the proofs of prophecy fulfilled in order that the people should have a sound intellectual, psychological, emotional, spiritual and factual foundation upon myself as “the rock upon which is built this church,” the body of believers.

 

In the body all parts and members are connected. This body has nine great systems of the great world revelators of the 6000 years Adamic cycle. The outer body today is all of us in the world with myself as the head or president of the body. The inner reality is that of Baha’u’llah as the head of the body for the body of believers in both this world and the next are united even now. Thus Baha’u’llah is seated upon the throne of King David forever through his own aghsan that remain established upon the throne of King David on earth. The body of believers in both worlds are the Oneness of Humanity. Through the point of unity the believers in this world (conditional status of testing) have access to the body of the believers and the supreme concourse on high in the next (those who have won their stations, that is the perfection of themselves). As those here deepen in the Covenant they too can become “open gates” allowing the rest of the people of the nations and cultures who have chosen God to enter through them into this spiritual and material reality of the Kingdom now established upon the earth. As long as the connection remains unsevered–and the people remain firm in the Covenant with myself–this is the “uvatu’l-vuthqa” the indissoluble link.

 

This is why as soon as any violate the covenant–the true friends must immediately sever all contact material and spiritual with them for in these days of testing we cannot risk losing our own direct and immediate connection with God.

 

This is why in the Baha’i teachings on prayer (what Jesus gave as “I am the manna from heaven” John 6), Shoghi Effendi states that it is essential to know the difference in station between God and the Manifestation and ‘Abdu’l-Baha and the Guardian etc. This is what his holiness Muhammad has given in the Koran that “we have elevated some of the prophets above the others and to David we gave the Psalms”. In the Psalms is where the ever lasting covenant has been given to King David.

 

When asked about the date of May 23, 1844 being his birthday, ‘Abdu’l-Baha stated that this date refers to the proclamation of the Bab and not to himself. That this date should be celebrated as the recognition of the Bab and not him. He then gave the date Nov. 26 for the date they could commemorate himself as the date he was appointed in the Will and Testament. He also ascended on Nov. 28–thus this is the date the Covenant was activated. Abraham Lincoln and FDR, both American presidents knowing of Baha’u’llah, set the American holiday Thanksgiving on these dates Nov. 26-28. Thus all Americans celebrate the day of the Covenant whether they know it or not! They also celebrate Baha’u’llah’s birthday on Nov. 11/12 as the holiday Woodrow Wilson–also a Baha’i president–set for the Armistice Day that is now Veterans Day. The martyrdom of the Bab here is July 4 though 9. There are other parallels as well.

 

Thus this culture is being prepared by God to be transformed as the first society in the world that is international, as people of all persuasions and backgrounds are here in the US. For this reason it will be hit hardest in the oncoming nuclear war that is to kill one third of mankind in one hour–mostly here in the US and Europe–every city of population 100,000 or more being targeted.

 

The nation of Persia is not counted as one of the ten horns of the dragon in the Book of Revelation.

 

The pure of heart in Iran will ultimately unite with the US and with Russia to bring peace between these two nations. They will be assisted in this by the country of Germany.

 

May God guide and keep you well!

 

I remain yours,

 

Your servant,

 

Neal.

Baha’i Month: Kalimat/Words 1, 172 B.E. (7/13/2015)

Monday, July 13th, 2015

16 September 1912
TALK AT HOME OF MRS. CORINNE TRUE
5338 KENMORE AVENUE, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS

Alláh-u-Abhá! Praise be to God! I have spent a number of days among you, associating with you in love and fragrance. Praise be to God! Your hearts are pure, your faces radiant, your spirits exhilarated through the glad tidings of God. I pray in your behalf, seeking heavenly confirmations for you that each one may become a radiant candle, shedding light in the world of humanity. May you become the quintessence of love. May you prove to be the effulgence of God, replete with the efficacy of the Holy Spirit and the cause of unity and fellowship in the world of humanity, for today mankind has the greatest need of love and agreement. If the world should remain as it is today, great danger will face it. But if reconciliation and unity are witnessed, if security and confidence be established, if with heart and soul we strive in order that the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh may find effective penetration in the realities of humankind, inducing fellowship and accord, binding together the hearts of the various religions and uniting divergent peoples, the world of mankind shall attain peace and composure, the will of God will become the will of man and the earth a veritable habitation of angels. Souls shall be educated, vice be dispelled, the virtues of the world of humanity prevail, materialism pass away, religion be strengthened and prove to be the bond which shall cement together the hearts of men.

In the world of existence there are various bonds which unite human hearts, but not one of these bonds is completely effective. The first and foremost is the bond of family relationship, which is not an efficient unity, for how often it happens that disagreement and divergence rend asunder this close tie of association. The bond of patriotism may be a means of fellowship and agreement, but oneness of native land will not completely cement human hearts; for if we review history, we shall find that people of the same race and native land have frequently waged war against each other. Often in civil strife they have shed the same racial blood and destroyed the possessions of their own native kind. Therefore, this bond is not sufficient. Another means of seeming unity is the bond of political association, where governments and rulers have been allied for reasons of intercourse and mutual protection, but which agreement and union afterward became subject to change and violent hatred even to the extreme of war and bloodshed. It is evident that political oneness is not permanently effective.

The source of perfect unity and love in the world of existence is the bond and oneness of reality. When the divine and fundamental reality enters human hearts and lives, it conserves and protects all states and conditions of mankind, establishing that intrinsic oneness of the world of humanity which can only come into being through the efficacy of the Holy Spirit. For the Holy Spirit is like unto the life in the human body, which blends all differences of parts and members in unity and agreement. Consider how numerous are these parts and members, but the oneness of the animating spirit of life unites them all in perfect combination. It establishes such a unity in the bodily organism that if any part is subjected to injury or becomes diseased, all the other parts and functions sympathetically respond and suffer, owing to the perfect oneness existing. Just as the human spirit of life is the cause of coordination among the various parts of the human organism, the Holy Spirit is the controlling cause of the unity and coordination of mankind. That is to say, the bond or oneness of humanity cannot be effectively established save through the power of the Holy Spirit, for the world of humanity is a composite body, and the Holy Spirit is the animating principle of its life.

Therefore, we must strive in order that the power of the Holy Spirit may become effective throughout the world of mankind, that it may confer a new quickening life upon the body politic of the nations and peoples and that all may be guided to the protection and shelter of the Word of God. Then this human world will become angelic, earthly darkness pass away and celestial illumination flood the horizons, human defects be effaced and divine virtues become resplendent. This is possible and real, but only through the power of the Holy Spirit. Today the greatest need of the world is the animating, unifying presence of the Holy Spirit. Until it becomes effective, penetrating and interpenetrating hearts and spirits, and until perfect, reasoning faith shall be implanted in the minds of men, it will be impossible for the social body to be inspired with security and confidence. Nay, on the contrary, enmity and strife will increase day by day, and the differences and divergences of nations will be woefully augmented. Continual additions to the armies and navies of the world will be made, and the fear and certainty of the great pandemic war—the war unparalleled in history—will be intensified; for armament, heretofore limited, is now being increased upon a colossal scale. Conditions are becoming acute, drawing nigh unto the degree of men warring upon the seas, warring upon the plains, warring in the very atmosphere with a violence unknown in former centuries. With the growth of armament and preparation the dangers are increasingly great.

We must use our utmost endeavors in order that the Holy Spirit may influence minds and hearts toward peace, the bounties of God surround, the divine effulgences become successive, human souls advance, minds expand in wider vision, souls become more holy and the world of humanity be rid of its great menace. For the betterment of the world Bahá’u’lláh endured all the hardships, ordeals and vicissitudes of life, sacrificing His very being and comfort, forfeiting His estates, possessions and honor—all that pertains to human existence—not for one year, nay, rather, for nearly fifty years. During this long period He was subjected to persecution and abuse, was cast into prison, was banished from His native land, underwent severities and humiliation and was exiled four times. He was first exiled from Persia to Baghdád, thence to Constantinople, thence to Rumelia and finally to the great prison-fortress of ‘Akká in Syria, where He passed the remainder of His life. Every day a new oppression and abuse was heaped upon Him until He winged His flight from the dungeon to the supreme world and returned to His Lord. He endured these ordeals and difficulties in order that this earthly human world might become heavenly, that the illumination of the divine Kingdom should become a reality in human hearts, that the individual members of mankind might progress, the power of the Holy Spirit increase its efficacy and penetration and the happiness of the world of humanity be assured. He desired for all tranquillity and composure and exercised loving-kindness toward the nations regardless of conditions and differences. He addressed humanity, saying, “O humankind! Verily, ye are all the leaves and fruits of one tree; ye are all one. Therefore, associate in friendship; love one another; abandon prejudices of race; dispel forever this gloomy darkness of human ignorance, for the century of light, the Sun of Reality hath appeared. Now is the time for affiliation, and now is the period of unity and concord. For thousands of years ye have been contending in warfare and strife. It is enough. Now is the time for unity. Lay aside all self-purposes, and know for a certainty that all men are the servants of one God Who will bind them together in love and agreement.”

Inasmuch as great differences and divergences of denominational belief had arisen throughout the past, every man with a new idea attributing it to God, Bahá’u’lláh desired that there should not be any ground or reason for disagreement among the Bahá’ís. Therefore, with His own pen He wrote the Book of His Covenant, addressing His relations and all people of the world, saying, “Verily, I have appointed One Who is the Center of My Covenant. All must obey Him; all must turn to Him; He is the Expounder of My Book, and He is informed of My purpose. All must turn to Him. Whatsoever He says is correct, for, verily, He knoweth the texts of My Book. Other than He, no one doth know My Book.” The purpose of this statement is that there should never be discord and divergence among the Bahá’ís but that they should always be unified and agreed. In His prayers Bahá’u’lláh also said, “O God! Whosoever violates My Covenant, O God, humiliate him. Verily, whosoever violates My Covenant, O God, erase and efface him.” In all His Tablets, among which is the Tablet of the Branch, He has mentioned and explained the attributes and qualities of the Personage to Whom He referred in the Book of His Covenant. He has fully expounded the function and potency of that Personage, so that no one shall say, “I understand this from the writings of Bahá’u’lláh,” for He has appointed the Center, or Expounder, of the Book. He said, “Verily, He is the appointed one; other than He, there is none,” intending that no sects or prejudices should be formed, and preventing every man here and there with a new thought from creating dissension and variance. It is as though a king should appoint a governor-general. Whosoever obeys him, obeys the king. Whosoever violates and disobeys him, violates the king. Therefore, whosoever obeys the Center of the Covenant appointed by Bahá’u’lláh has obeyed Bahá’u’lláh, and whosoever disobeys Him has disobeyed Bahá’u’lláh. It has nothing to do with Him (‘Abdu’l‑Bahá) at all—precisely as the governor-general appointed by the king—whosoever obeys the governor-general obeys the king; whosoever disobeys the governor-general disobeys the king.

Therefore, you must read the Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh. You must read the Tablet of the Branch and regard that which He has so clearly stated. Beware! Beware! lest anyone should speak from the authority of his own thoughts or create a new thing out of himself. Beware! Beware! According to the explicit Covenant of Bahá’u’lláh you should care nothing at all for such a person. Bahá’u’lláh shuns such souls. I have expounded these things for you, for the conservation and protection of the teachings of Bahá’u’lláh, in order that you may be informed, lest any souls shall deceive you and lest any souls shall cause suspicion among you. You must love all people, and yet if any souls put you in doubt, you must know that Bahá’u’lláh is severed from them. Whosoever works for unity and fellowship is a servant of Bahá’u’lláh, and Bahá’u’lláh is his assistant and helper. I ask God that He may cause you to be the very means of agreement and unity, that He may make you radiant, merciful, heavenly children of the divine Kingdom; that you may advance day by day; that you may become as bright as these lamps, bestowing light upon all humanity. Salutations and farewell!

Baha’i Sabbath: Rahmat 17, 172 B.E. (7/10/2015)

Friday, July 10th, 2015

Quaff then, O My brother, from the living waters that We have caused to flow in the oceans of these words. Methinks the seas of grandeur are surging within them, and the gems of divine virtue are shining within and upon them. Divest then thyself of that which debarreth thee from this fathomless crimson sea, and to the cry of “In the name of God and by His grace!” immerse thyself therein. Let the fear of no one dismay thee. Trust in the Lord, thy God, for He is sufficient unto whosoever trusteth in Him. He, verily, shall protect thee, and in Him shalt thou abide in safety.

Know thou, moreover, that in this most hallowed and resplendent city thou shalt find the wayfarer to be lowly before all men and humble before all things. For naught doth he behold save that he perceiveth God therein. He beholdeth the effulgent glories of God in the lights of His Revelation that have encompassed the Sinai of creation. In this station the wayfarer must not claim the seat of honour in any gathering or walk before others in the desire to vaunt and exalt himself. Rather must he regard himself as standing at all times in the presence of his Lord. He must not wish for anyone that which he doth not wish for himself, nor speak that which he would not bear to hear spoken by another, nor yet desire for any soul that which he would not have desired for himself. It befitteth him, rather, to walk upon the earth with undeviating steps in the kingdom of His new creation.

Baha’u’llah, Gems Of Divine Mysteries (excerpt)

Holy Day: The Martyrdom Of The Bab. Rahmat 16, 172 B.E. (7/9/2015)

Thursday, July 9th, 2015

This treatise was written in reply to a seeker who had asked how the promised Mihdí could have become transformed into ‘Alí-Muḥammad (the Báb). The opportunity provided by this question was seized to elaborate on a number of subjects, all of which are of use and benefit both to them that seek and to those who have attained, could ye perceive with the eye of divine virtue.

Baha’u’llah, Preface to Gems of Divine Mysteries

*****

I heard, with Mine own ears, one of their divines proclaim: “Should all these signs come to pass and the long-awaited Qá’im appear, and should He ordain, with respect to even our secondary laws, aught beyond that which hath been revealed in the Qur’án, we would assuredly charge Him with imposture, put Him to death, and refuse forever to acknowledge Him”, and other statements such as these deniers make. And all this, when the Day of Resurrection hath been ushered in, and the Trumpet hath been sounded, and all the denizens of earth and heaven have been gathered together, and the Balance hath been appointed, and the Bridge hath been laid, and the Verses have been sent down, and the Sun hath shone forth, and the stars have been blotted out, and the souls have been raised to life, and the breath of the Spirit hath blown, and the angels have been arrayed in ranks, and Paradise hath been brought nigh, and Hell made to blaze! These things have all come to pass, and yet to this day not a single one of these people hath recognized them! They all lie as dead within their own shrouds, save those who have believed and repaired unto God, who rejoice in this day in His celestial paradise, and who tread the path of His good-pleasure.

Veiled as they remain within their own selves, the generality of the people have failed to perceive the sweet accents of holiness, inhale the fragrance of mercy, or seek guidance, as bidden by God, from those who are the custodians of the Scriptures. He proclaimeth, and His word, verily, is the truth: “Ask ye, therefore, of them that have the custody of the Scriptures, if ye know it not.” Nay rather, they have turned aside from them and followed instead the Sámirí of their own idle fancies. Thus have they strayed far from the mercy of their Lord and failed to attain unto His Beauty in the day of His presence. For no sooner had He come unto them with a sign and a testimony from God than the same people who had eagerly awaited the day of His Revelation, who had called upon Him in the daytime and in the night season, who had implored Him to gather them together in His presence and to grant that they may lay down their lives in His path, be led aright by His guidance and illumined by His light—this very people condemned and reviled Him, and inflicted upon Him such cruelties as transcend both My capacity to tell and thine ability to hear them. My very pen crieth out at this moment and the ink weepeth sore and groaneth. By God! Wert thou to hearken with thine inner ear, thou wouldst in truth hear the lamentations of the denizens of heaven; and wert thou to remove the veil from before thine eyes, thou wouldst behold the Maids of Heaven overcome and the holy souls overwhelmed, beating upon their faces and fallen upon the dust.

Alas, alas, for that which befell Him Who was the Manifestation of the Self of God, and for that which He and His loved ones were made to suffer! The people inflicted upon them what no soul hath ever inflicted upon another, and what no infidel hath wrought against a believer or suffered at his hand. Alas, alas! That immortal Being sat upon the darksome dust, the Holy Spirit lamented in the retreats of glory, the pillars of the Throne crumbled in the exalted dominion, the joy of the world was changed into sorrow in the crimson land, and the voice of the Nightingale was silenced in the golden realm. Woe betide them for what their hands have wrought and for what they have committed!

*****

But as to Him Who appeared in the year sixty, He standeth in need of neither transformation nor interpretation, for His name was Muḥammad, and He was a descendent of the Imáms of the Faith. Thus it can be truly said of Him that He was the son of Ḥasan, as is undoubtedly clear and evident unto thine eminence. Nay, He it is Who fashioned that name and created it for Himself, were ye to observe with the eye of God.

Baha’u’llah, Gems of Divine Mysteries (excerpts)

Baha’i Sabbath: Rahmat 10, 172 B.E. (7/3/2015)

Friday, July 3rd, 2015

O SERVANT of the One true God! The Lord be praised, the loved ones of God are found in every land, and are, one and all, neath the shadow of the Tree of Life and under the protection of His good providence. His care and loving-kindness surge even as the eternal billows of the sea, and His blessings are continually showered from His eternal Kingdom.
Ours should be the prayer that His blessings may be vouchsafed in still greater abundance, and ours to hold fast to such means as shall ensure a fuller outpouring of His grace and a greater measure of His divine assistance.
One of the greatest of these means is the spirit of true fellowship and loving communion amongst the friends. Remember the saying: “Of all pilgrimages the greatest is to relieve the sorrow-laden heart.”

Abdu’l-Baha’, Selections #52