Which is the better temple, Bahá’u’lláh asks the concourse of the Son, the one built of clay or the one built by the hands of the Lord’s power, the living human being? With that question he addresses Christians in their own language: the gate of reunion opened, John sent once more to cry in the wilderness, the Father come, bells pealing out his remembrance, Bethlehem itself answering the call. The claim is unmistakably Bahá’í, that fidelity to Christ asks for the recognition of a further revelation, and it is pressed with urgency upon the Pope, upon monks and upon all who read the Gospel. One thread deserves particular attention: Jesus’ saying that he had many things to tell his disciples which they could not yet bear, and his promise of the Spirit of truth, which Bahá’u’lláh reads as fulfilled in his own Word [1]. The convictions of those addressed deserve to be taken as seriously as the proclamation itself. From here the journey leads to Christ and Christianity, to the story of Christian rejection of Bahá’u’lláh, and to the proclamations addressed to Jews, Muslims, kings and the peoples of the world.
O concourse of the Son! The Temple hath been built by the hands of the Will of your Lord, the Mighty, the Bestower. Tell Me truthfully, O people: Is that which is built of clay better, or that which is built by the hands of the power of your Lord, the Revealer of verses?
(Bahá’u’lláh, ca. 1289-1290?, to Siyyid Mihdi Dahaji et al -- BH00898)
02
O people of the Spirit! The gate of reunion hath been opened by the finger of the power of the Lord of all being. Hasten ye, and follow not every ignorant doubter.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1306-02-27 [1888-Nov-2], to Aqa Siyyid Muhammad Ali -- BH00333)
03
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.
… O followers of the Son! We have once again sent John unto you, and He, verily, hath cried out in the wilderness of the Bayan: O peoples of the world! Cleanse your eyes! The Day whereon ye can behold the Promised One and attain unto Him hath drawn nigh!
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Pap (Tablet to Pope Pius IX), 1285 ca. [1868-1869], to Pope Pius IX -- BH00347)
04
Say: O concourse of monks! Abandon the churches wherein ye have glorified your Lord, for He Who ascended unto heaven hath in very truth come down again and circleth round the Throne of God. I swear by the one true God! In this Day the bells are pealing out in My remembrance, the Trumpet soundeth My praise, and the Bugle proclaimeth My Name, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
O people of the Gospel! Read that which God hath revealed unto the Spirit, and be not of the wrongdoers. I am verily the Station unto which the Spirit ascended, were ye of them that comprehend.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1305-01-25 [1887-Oct-13], to Ahmad -- BH00835)
06
"O people of the Gospel! Take heed lest ye direct your prayers towards Me after having turned away from Mine all-glorious Father, Who changed, through His love, Abraham's fire into light. He who awaiteth another when once He hath appeared is indeed in grievous error.
Say: O people! In what announcement will ye believe? Say: Do ye doubt Him unto Whom the Son of Mary ascended? Fear God, the Lord of all nations, unto Whom ye all shall return.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290 [1873] or earlier, to Haji Majid in Baghdad -- BH11785)
08
The Gospel exclaims: "He has come from heaven, He through Whose mention God, the Lord of the seen and unseen, adorned His Book."
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1299-05-29 [1882-Apr-18], to Mihdi son of one who ascended -- BH06042)
09
O people of the Spirit! He Who ascended unto the heaven of proof hath come and mentioneth unto you a Cause from God, the Lord of all worlds.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1307 ? [1889-1890], to Jinab Khi Jim -- BH04107)
10
And the Spirit calls out: "O people of the Gospel! By God, the Promised One has come from the heaven of proof with His most great glory. Fear God and deny not Him Who was promised you in the Psalms and Tablets."
Today the Gospel calleth out to the peoples of the world saying: "The Glory hath appeared and He Who was mentioned by My tongue and concealed in My heart and hidden in My breast hath come. Turn ye unto Him, O people, and be not of the heedless."
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1306-02-27 [1888-Nov-2], to Mirza Husayn brother of Ali Muhammad Varqa et al -- BH01892)
12
Then the Call was raised from Bethlehem saying: "At Thy service, O Thou through Whom the ocean of knowledge surged before the faces of all religions!
O thou maidservant of God! That Kingdom which is mentioned explicitly in the Gospel has opened its gates and has pitched its tent in the utmost glory in the arena of existence. In the days of Moses it was the Tabernacle of Testimony, and today it is the Kingdom's exalted tent.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1905 ca., to Mary C Newton -- AB10553)
14
Say: O people of the Gospel! The All-Glorious hath come and summoneth you unto His holy, His mighty, His sublime Kingdom. Cast aside what ye possess and turn unto the Dayspring of proof, Who hath come for your salvation. Follow not every obstinate oppressor.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1290-05-15 ? [1873-Jul-11], to Zaynul-Abidin -- BH00876)
15
O people of the Son! The Kingdom hath been adorned with My Name, and the Dominion with My sovereignty, and the Spirit lamenteth by reason of that which hath befallen Me at the hands of the oppressors.
(Bahá’u’lláh, 1304 ? [1886-1887], to Zaynul-Muqarrabin et al -- BH00566)
16
Then turn unto the concourse of the Gospel and say: The Most Great, the Mighty News hath come unto you. By God, He Who ascended unto heaven hath in truth descended and standeth before the Face. Fear God and be not of the heedless. He hath come to give life unto the world and to unite all its peoples, and this is better for you, did ye but know. He hath sacrificed His spirit once again for all who are in the heavens and on earth, out of His love for God, the Almighty, the August, the Inaccessible.
(Bahá’u’lláh, to Mulla Muhammad Qa'ini (Nabil-i-Akbar) -- BH00425)
17
O friends of Jesus Christ! know that the promises of nineteen hundred years ago are today fulfilled, and that the Son of Man is here in "the Kingdom of His Father," holding out His loving arms toward the North, South, East and West, while His Voice is calling, ever calling:
"O people! The Doors of the Kingdom are opened; the Sun of Truth is shining upon the world; the Fountains of Life are flowing; the Daysprings of Mercy have appeared; the Greatest and Most Glorious Light is now manifest to illuminate the hearts of men.
The available source contains an omission or incomplete wording; sentence boundaries need review.
18
Yesterday I spoke at length in two great churches before thousands of people. The Blessed Cause and the prophethood of Muhammad, peace be upon Him, were proven with utmost clarity. Glory be to God! Through the assistance and favor of the Blessed Beauty, not a single person raised any objection. Rather, all listened in complete silence and stillness.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá, 1912-May-13, to Abu'l-Hasan-i-Ardikani (Haji Amin) -- AB03544)
19
The Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled! This is the Word which the Son concealed, when to those around Him He said: "Ye cannot bear it now." And when the appointed time was fulfilled and the Hour had struck, the Word shone forth above the horizon of the Will of God. Beware, O followers of the Son, that ye cast it not behind your backs.
(Bahá’u’lláh, Lawh-i-Aqdas (Tablet to the Christians), to Faris-i-Suri the priest -- BH00505)
20
Answer the Call of God in your midst, then go forth from your homes, turning unto the Kingdom. Thus doth your Lord, the True, the Faithful, counsel you. As to those who seclude themselves in churches - did We create them for eating and sitting idle? Nay, by My mighty and loving Self! Rather for this Day wherein He Who was hidden hath appeared with His Name, the Protector of the worlds.
(Bahá’u’lláh, ca. 1289-1290?, to Haji Rida -- BH03618)