Prophecy and fulfillment: expectation, recognition and responsibility

The Master replied:

"It is nearly two thousand years since His holiness the Lord Christ taught this prayer to His people: "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.' … That prayer is also a prophecy."

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Question: In the books of the Prophets there are tidings of the future; that is, certain events and incidents have been explicitly or implicitly announced and unseen matters foretold, which in this day are witnessed to have come true in their entirety. How were these events of the present day foreseen in the past?

Answer: The Prophets of God draw upon both His boundless universal grace and His particular grace, that is, upon divine revelation and inspiration. They foretell certain events through revelation and inspiration, which are the heavenly splendours, the intimations of the heart, and the scattering rays of the light of the Day-Star of Truth.

When the prophets of God appear upon this earth, their validity is established by means of certain proofs. One of the proofs is through the fulfillment of former prophecies, the second proofs are their creative words and phrases which salute the hearts of humanity, the third are their deeds and the fourth are their teachings.

From this prophecy we understand that during the interval of 490 years Nebuchadnezzar came, destroyed the Temple, carried away many prisoners and toward the end His Holiness the Christ appeared, and after the period of his ministry he passed away.

Say: Have ye not heard when the Trumpet was blown, and every rejected idolater was thunderstruck? The All-Merciful hath come, and the smoke hath seized all in the worlds, yet they see not, save whom thy Lord, the Mighty, the Loving, willeth.

Then there are those who will not believe until signs are revealed to them---those who crave for proof, saying, "But we want to see the earthquake. If the Promised One is indeed come, the sun should not give his light, the moon should be darkened, and the stars should fall. We await our Promised One till these signs be fulfilled.

What became of those verses revealed concerning the advent of the Day of Resurrection - mention of the Bridge, the Balance, the rising of the dead from their graves, the blowing of the trumpet, the passing of mountains like clouds, the cleaving of heaven, the rending of earth, the descent of angels, Paradise and Hell, and the like? And what didst thou witness? And how dost thou interpret that which was revealed in the Book of God regarding the conditions of the appearance of the Resurrection? For outwardly none of these things appeared. Yet We bear witness that all have been made manifest, and the appearance of these matters hath been dependent upon the Word of God, exalted be His glory. For each of these there are meanings ordained and recorded with God.

His Holiness the Bab -- may my spirit be a sacrifice to him! -- appeared in Shiraz. Soon after his declaration he wrote his first book, called "The Best of Stories," and in it the Bab confessed his evanescence and acknowledged himself to be in a state of spiritual communication with Baha'u'llah, and many times addressed him. This book has been spread throughout Persia. No one can say it is not the book of the Bab. It is incontestable. It was written in red ink as symbolic of his martyrdom, and in addressing Baha'u'llah wrote: "O thou, my supreme lord, verily I have sacrificed my all for thee, seeking naught but martyrdom in thy path and anathema in thy way."

The Bab wrote another book, called the Beyan, which is divided into nineteen vahids (unities) of nineteen babs (chapters) each. In this book he mentioned Baha'u'llah by the name of "Him whom God will manifest," and one of his commands was "If any soul should displease another he must give nineteen drachmas of diamonds as atonement. He believed this would train people in such wise as to hinder them from injuring the feelings of "Him whom God will manifest," when he should appear. In a word, every chapter culminates in the mention of "Him whom God will manifest."

The prophets of God in past times declared that the coming of the successive manifestations of God would be recognized by certain signs symbolically expressed. For example, Isaiah prophesied that when the promised one should come he would sit upon the throne of David; he would conquer the East and the West; he would organize a new sovereignty; he would uphold the law of the Torah; he would usher all the nations under his dominion; during his time the lamb and the wolf would dwell together; the mountains would depart and the hills would be removed; and the earth and the heavens would pass away. All these were the signs of the coming of the Messiah, but they were only symbols. Therefore, when Christ appeared the Jews did not believe. They said: "Those signs have not come to pass. Where is the sovereignty of the Messiah, and where is his scepter -- the rod of iron?"

In reality all of these prophetic signs did come to pass, that is to say, the inner significances appeared, but not in an outward and literal sense. For instance, it was prophesied that the promised one should come from a place unknown. So the Jews said of Christ: "We know this person. He is from Nazareth. We know his house; whereas the promised one is to come from a place unknown." In truth Christ did come from a place unknown -- for his reality -- the Christ reality -- came in the body of Jesus. Though the body of Jesus came from Nazareth, yet the Christianity -- the spirit of Christ, -- being divine, was placeless. His rod was the iron of the will of God. His sword was his blessed tongue, which separated truth from falsehood. He promulgated the teachings of the Torah, the fundamental law of the prophets. During his time the lamb and the wolf did dwell together, not literally because that would be impossible, but in the sense that antagonistic religionists became pacified and associated together at the fount of Christ. He founded a sovereignty and was enthroned, but the Jews did not understand and said: "Where is it? This man is not possessed of a mat, to say nothing of a throne." His Holiness Christ did establish a sovereignty, -- an eternal spiritual sovereignty. He did not establish a sovereignty like that of Bonaparte or Hannibal. His sovereignty was of God. His dominion was of the heart.

His Holiness the Bab did not condition the appearance of the promised one upon any such signs. On the contrary, he warned his followers lest they should become veiled and as in past times say that certain signs had not come to pass. He said: "When he appears you must believe and accept." This command he gave frequently and with great emphasis. In the Arabic Beyan he said: "When he proclaims himself you must not watch to see whether I become a believer or not. Beware lest you be veiled by me!"

His Holiness the Bab and nearly all his followers were martyred. Upon the death of the Bab, Mirza Yahya, my uncle, who had been appointed viceregent of the Bab, fled, and thus the Babi movement was virtually ended, however there are a few Babis today. These Babis believe that the Bab was the actual founder of the Bahai movement, whereas he was only the herald, even as John the Baptist, who was the herald of Christ, who in some parts of Arabia is still considered to be the essential personage of the Christian movement.

When Baha'u'llah appeared he was recognized as the promised one heralded by the Bab, and every one knows that were it not for the appearance of Baha'u'llah there would not have been a Bahai movement to-day.

During the time Baha'u'llah resided in Mesopotamia he displayed marvelous grandeur and power, notwithstanding the enmity and opposition of the Shah and the noblemen of Persia. Learned men of all nations sought him and were humble in his presence. They received from his holy tongue answers to their questions, and not a single soul left his blessed presence unsatisfied. When the ulama saw that Baha'u'llah exercised such influence in Bagdad they caused him to be exiled to Constantinople. However, he was sent, not as other exiles, but with honorable escort, and the officials en route, including the governor general, showed him great respect.

He remained four months in Constantinople. When it was discovered that he was gaining converts he was sent to Adrianople, where he spent five years. Then, at the instigation of the Shah of Persia, he was banished to the fortress of Acca.

Baha'u'llah was a prisoner, yet at all times, he upheld the banner of his cause with dignity and power.

Now is the dawn of the morn of Truth. Those who live in the depths of the dark ravines and deep valleys do not see the first glimpses of the rising, glorious sun. Hence they cry out: We do not see the sunshine; we do not feel its warmth. But when the sun ascends to the zenith of the heavens, and stands at the meridian, then the valleys and ravines will be flooded with sunshine and even the blind will feel its heat."

Nations are divided through superstition and tradition. Religions are divided through tradition and superstition. All superstition is the result of people's imagination. For instance, the Shi'ites await a promised one who is invisible; they believe that he is the Imam Mihdi, who with servants and soldiers are abiding in Jabulqa and Jabulsa, two imaginary cities of the East and the West.

… Moses said: 'After me, a man like unto me will appear.' He came. But the Jews are still waiting. They have waited three thousand years.

However, some among the ancients through the power of detachment gained knowledge of certain cosmic mysteries and obtained awareness of relationships and connections that exist between created things - they became aware of certain hidden secrets in the realities of things and deduced some future events from the relationships between existing things. This cannot be denied, as mentioned in the Kitab-i-Iqan regarding the brilliant star that indicated the birth of Christ. But the superstitions contained in astrological books are absolutely not to be trusted.

It is recorded in all the Books of the Gospel that He Who is the Spirit spoke in words of pure light unto His disciples, saying: "Know that heaven and earth may pass away, but my words shall never pass away."

… 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!

Consider the blessed verse, His exalted Word: "When the heaven shall be cleft asunder." People still await the cleaving of the heaven, while this heaven mentioned in the Qur'an has meanings which none knows save those whom God, the Mighty, the Bestower, has assisted. They have taken the literal meaning of what was revealed in the Books and remained veiled from its Revealer on the day of His most great Manifestation with power and majesty, and His establishment upon the throne with grandeur and glory.

Then He said: "The Day when the earth and the confines of heaven shall be rent asunder." That is the earth of divine knowledge, not this earthly plane, and likewise that heaven, not this visible firmament. Dost thou not see how the earth of essential bodies hath been rent asunder, and there hath emerged from it His signs in the temples of His loved ones, and likewise the earth of souls, and the earth of spirits, and the heaven of hearts? This is what God hath desired from time immemorial and forevermore.

One asked "Where is the Antichrist and where is the Ass?" Another said "Where is the quaking of the earth with her quaking, and where is her declaring her tidings that Day? And where is the Bridge, and where the Reckoning, and where the Balance, and where the gathering and raising of the dead and the fires?

Consider that the Bab declared that the blast of the trumpet, the sounding of the bugle, the shining forth of the light, the passing of the darksome night, the resurrection and gathering, the reckoning, the bridge and the balance, the punishment, the quaking of the earth and the bringing forth of its burdens, the revealing of its tidings - in brief, all the events of the Great Resurrection and the occurrences of the Mighty Catastrophe - took place and were fulfilled in the twinkling of an eye, and "thy Lord came with the angels rank on rank" became manifest.

When thou witnesseth this, know thou that whatsoever God hath revealed in the Qur'an concerning the Resurrection and the Hour - all of it hath been fulfilled in these years, which are fifty thousand years in thy Lord's sight. And verily the Day of Judgment hath been fulfilled, and all are in a new creation.

Thy signs and mysteries have verily been diffused far and wide, the realm of realities hath been made to tremble and the limbs to quake, the sun and stars have been darkened, and the planets have been dispersed and fallen from heaven. For Thy testimony hath been manifested, and the Sun of knowledge hath risen. Every obscure mystery in the realm of creation hath been laid bare, and now, in this Day of Revelation, Thy Beauty doth shed its radiance with all-subduing potency upon the whole earth, shining with its all-encompassing power over king and subject alike.

One hath asked: "Hath the Resurrection come to pass?" Say: "Yea, by My All-Knowing, All-Wise Self!" "Hath the Hour arrived?" Say: "Yea, by the Lord of the Mighty Throne!"

It is recorded in the Sacred Scriptures that Christ will return and that His return is conditioned upon the fulfilment of certain signs: When He returns, He will be attended by those signs.

… It is therefore clear and evident that these signs have inner meanings and should not be taken literally. These meanings have been fully explained in the Kitab-i-Iqan: Refer to it.

As to thy question concerning the 12th chapter of Ecclesiastes: This is prophecy regarding the coming of Jesus in that book, the signs and marks of which were fulfilled with the appearance of the Promised One of the Bible; but since the Jews did not understand the meaning thereof, so they denied Jesus and-- God forbid!--said that He was the deformed (Anti-christ). Then it is said by Jesus in the Gospel, that similar signs would appear in the "last day"--or in other words--in the day when Christ will come the second time in this world.

Thus, the reality of Christ's appearance in the Mosaic Dispensation was one of the divine mysteries that later became revealed and manifest through the appearance of Christ.

Moreover, be thou assured that this verse sent down from the heaven of the Divine Will -- nay, all verses revealed by God -- were revealed solely to inform the servants of the days of the next Manifestation in the future Resurrection. God intended none other than He Who shall appear thereafter, and desires naught else but this.

For example, the Promised One of the Jews was to come forth from an unknown place, and among His conditions were unlimited sovereignty, occupancy of David's throne, the drawing of swords, the mobilization of thousands, the promotion of the Torah, the proclamation of verses, the universalization of the Mosaic Law, and the manifestation of supreme justice whereby wolf and lamb, leopard and kid, lion and calf, serpent and suckling child would become companions, nestmates and confidants.

This is a separation that will not be followed by regathering. We are not in need of such a Christ, one who will be crucified and suffer. We do not want this kind. We want one who will ascend to the throne of David.. draw the sword and conquer people and nations of the world, and then take all countries. All the poor of Israel will become rulers in other lands. We expect such a Christ. When He comes we shall believe in him.

The clergy were very busy creating doubts in the minds of the people. They brought forward many proofs. They said that the Messiah should come from heaven and Jesus was born of Mary. They said that He must come with a sword in His hand and Jesus had not even a stick of wood. They said that the Messiah should establish a Kingdom-- Kingdom and Jesus came as the poorest of men. According to the words of the Prophets, the Promised One must promote the Cause of the Bible, and this man broke the Sabbath day and other laws of the Bible. According to prophecy Elijah should come from heaven in the promised day, and this John the Baptist had a father and mother.

The Book of Daniel fixes the period between the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the martyrdom of Christ at seventy weeks, for it is through the martyrdom of Christ that the sacrifice is ended and the altar destroyed. This prophecy thus refers to the advent of Christ.

The Temple of Jerusalem was rebuilt in the 20th year of the reign of Artaxerzes II King of Persia, which corresponds to 299 years of the time when Rome was built.

… Jesus lived on earth thirty-four years. 490 minus 34 is 456 from the time when the temple was built to Christ. 1844 plus 456 equals 2500 years, and died at the time of the Bab, Wednesday, May 23, 1844.

The Book of Revelation fixes the advent of the Promised One after forty-two months. The Prophet Daniel specifies three times and a half, which is also forty-two months or twelve hundred and sixty days. Another passage of the Revelation of John directly states twelve hundred and sixty days, and it is explicitly indicated in the Bible that each day signifies one year. Nothing could be clearer than this agreement of the prophecies with each other. The Bab appeared in the year A.H. 1260, which is the starting point of the calendar followed by all Muslims.

There are many references in the Bible to Mahomet. In Revelations 12, the woman clothed with the sun with the moon under her feet, represents the Muhammadan religion. The sun and moon are the Turkish and Persian Empires. The twelve stars around her head represent the twelve Imams.

Among the prophecies concerning the blessed Manifestation in the Book of Daniel, chapter twelve, verse eleven: "And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days."

O divine scholar! I have reviewed the contents of your letter and have supplicated to the Lord of Lords to send down upon you abundant rain from the outpourings of God's Kingdom, evening and morning, and to make you a sign of guidance among the people. You have the choice to either remain in that land or travel to your familiar homeland to spread the divine fragrances and partake of the pure wine of God's bounty. This is the important matter promised to you, for that blessed region was once honored by the Praised Station and was touched by the breezes of the Loving Lord, and some of its scholars, notables and men were honored to attain the presence of the Manifest yet Hidden Beauty.

As for what you asked about the verse found in the Book of Daniel - "Blessed is he who waits and comes to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days" - these are solar years, not lunar years, because by that date a century will have elapsed from the rising of the Sun of Truth, and God's teachings will be firmly established in the earth, and light will fill the east and west of the earth. On that day the believers will rejoice. As for the "thousand two hundred and ninety days" mentioned in the previous verse heralding the universal manifestation, these are calculated according to the lunar calendar as is clearly stated in Some Answered Questions. I beseech God to fulfill your needs, O my beloved.

As to the matter of the thousand years, this thousand years has been interpreted as the period from the end of the line of Holy Imams in the Quran until the declaration of the Bab, which was indeed a thousand years. Though this interpretation is correct and this is what transpired, in truth it foretells the Blessed Manifestation, and this thousand years is the thousand years that is mentioned in the Sacred Tablets. These events will occur within this thousand years.

And verily the tradition in its outward meaning indicates that from the beginning of the numerical value of Alif-Lam-Mim until the completion of the numerical value of Alif-Lam-Mim-Sad, with the inclusion of part of the numerical value of Alif-Lam-Mim-Ra, emerges the decree of the day on which the Messenger of God arose and the day on which the Remnant of God will arise to fulfill His Cause.

In the Shi'i tradition concerning this dispensation it is recorded that knowledge is composed of twenty-seven letters and that the divine messengers of the past from first to last have revealed but two letters; however, when the promised Qa'im comes, He will appear with all twenty-seven.

Then came this blessed verse: "This is naught but a Reminder to the worlds" - that is, the one asked about is but the Great Remembrance of God, and "ye shall surely know its tidings" means what He will inform and announce "after a time" - that is, after the year sixty-eight corresponding to the numerical value of "Hin" (time), for after year sixty-eight comes year sixty-nine, and this is the year of the manifestation of the Ancient Beauty, as the Most Glorious Beauty, exalted be He, hath said: "Then in the year nine ye shall attain unto all good."

And He Whom God shall make manifest at the age of thirty, after a thousand years have passed - it cannot be less than this, nor is what hath been decreed what ye imagine. He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden. This is the Sun of the Divine Will - whenever it riseth or setteth by God's leave, it is but one Sun.

And verily from the beginning of this Cause is a day the measure whereof is, in thy Lord's sight, fifty thousand years, and He shall surely try men therein until the word of thy Lord which was spoken aforetime in a mighty Book shall be made manifest: "Everything shall perish save His face."

This notwithstanding the fact that all the Prophets of God, whenever made manifest unto the peoples of the world, have invariably foretold the coming of yet another Prophet after them, and have established such signs as would herald the advent of the future Dispensation. To this the records of all sacred books bear witness.

… From all that We have stated it hath become clear and manifest that before the revelation of each of the Mirrors reflecting the divine Essence, the signs heralding their advent must needs be revealed in the visible heaven as well as in the invisible, wherein is the seat of the sun of knowledge, of the moon of wisdom, and of the stars of understanding and utterance.

Every nation is looking for a Promised One, or indeed, for two Manifestations. Zoroastrians expect two. The Jews expect Elias and Christ. The Mohammedans expect the Mahdi and Christ. The Christians, like the Jews, are also expecting Elias and Christ. Consequently, every religion is expecting two Manifestations, one succeeding the other.

There were no prophecies to foretell the coming of Moses; but for the coming of Jesus Christ we find them, and in the Bible the coming of Mahomet was mentioned - Deut. XXX111:2 "He shine forth from Mt. Paran." In the Gospels, Mahomet is proclaimed as the Advocate. But all the religious books foretell the coming of the Bab and the Blessed Perfection; the Bible, the Koran, Gospels, Holy traditions of Ali and the Zoroastrians writings, etc. All are quite plain - no one can contradict them.

In speaking upon the proofs of the coming of God, the Master said: The Zoroastrians, who were very numerous throughout Persia, notwithstanding all the calamities and sufferings inflicted upon them by the Mohammedans, would not accept the teachings of Mohammed, but they say that their books plainly indicate the coming of the Manifestation at this time, and many of them have accepted this religion because of this fact.

Jesus said in the Gospels "After Me shall come the Paraclete". The Christians claim that this means the Holy Spirit which came after Christ and abode in His disciples. But if this is true, why, after 600 years, did one come claiming to be the Paraclete? When Mohammed brought forth His claim a great multitude of the disciples of Christ, viz., the Christians, believed in Him as the Comforter mentioned in St. John xvi, 13. In the Bible all the prophecies of Jesus Christ were fulfilled in His Coming.

Concerning thy question about the tidings of the advent of the Beauty of Ahmad, which were mentioned in glorious accents in the garden of the Gospel, know that the appearance of that Most Great Luminary and honored Star is clearly established and recorded in the Gospel. However, since none but those souls who have attained to the pure fountain of knowledge and wisdom can comprehend the novel melodies of the Dove of Oneness, people have remained deprived of understanding the meaning of the glorious verses of the Gospel and have wandered confused and bewildered in the wilderness of fancy and desire.

Among the passages wherein mention is made of His Holiness Ahmad in the Gospel is the sixteenth chapter of John, from the seventh to the fifteenth verse, wherein He speaketh in most eloquent terms and clearest references. This is the text that is recorded and set down in the Gospel of John from the tongue of Christ, where He saith: "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. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment." Until He saith: "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: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."

The essence of its translation is that He saith: My ascension to the most exalted horizon is better for you, for until I ascend to the seat of truth with the Mighty, Omnipotent Sovereign, that Comforting Spirit shall not come. When I ascend, I will send Him, and when that Pure Spirit appeareth in the world of dust, He shall convince people of three things: of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. After several verses He saith: Many matters and mysteries remain stored in the treasury of the heart, and pearls of divine wisdom remain preserved and concealed in the shell of the breast. But ye cannot bear to hear them and cannot sustain this most great Word. However, when that Spirit of truth appeareth, He shall guide you unto all truth, for whatsoever He uttereth is not from Himself, but whatsoever He heareth, that shall He speak.

This is but one melody from the melodies of the Gospel that was revealed concerning the Pride of the Messengers. However, as the Christian people have fallen into the wilderness of error and blindness, they have disregarded this explicit statement without any ambiguity, and have clung to vain interpretations, saying that what was meant by these verses was the Holy Spirit that descended upon the disciples after Christ's ascension.

This is the custom of all peoples, that they close their eyes to the clear meanings of the divine verses and cling to vain interpretations of ambiguous passages. Now observe how weak and manifestly false is this statement. First, He says "If I go not away, He will not come," which indicates that the Comforter did not exist in the time of Christ and would come later. But the Holy Spirit was ever inseparable from Christ. Therefore it has no meaning to say "If I go not away, He will not come."

Secondly, He states that there are many things which ye cannot bear to hear, but that Holy Spirit will declare them and guide unto all truth. Now consider that among Christians the Holy Spirit is the third person and the Spirit of God, Christ, is the second person. After mankind's veils of ignorance were not rent by these two most great Persons, and they did not attain complete growth and guidance through the holy breaths of these two most exalted Lights, after the ascension of that Most Great Luminary they received the hidden divine mysteries and concealed heavenly wisdom from the third Person, which is the Holy Spirit, and became capable of hearing and bearing them. Yet it is evident that if a soul is not educated under the tutelage of that Essence of essences and Spirit of spirits, with the confirmations of the Holy Spirit, even should the breaths of the Holy Spirit blow upon it for a hundred thousand years, they would have no effect. This is the evident truth.

Thus it becomes clear and proven that this blessed verse indicates that after the Beauty of Christ a glorious Spirit and Most Great Beauty would appear whose education would be greater than that of the Spirit of God.

Thirdly, He says that He speaks not of Himself but is confirmed by the hosts of divine revelation, and declares whatsoever He hears from the Kingdom of Glory. Observe how clear it is that the Comforter is a Person who is inspired by heavenly inspirations and is the source and fountainhead of divine revelation, for the Holy Spirit has no ear to hear.

In brief, in other passages also there are many clear references to the Ahmadic Manifestation, and the references which the apostles cited from the Torah regarding the appearance of the Spirit were never this explicit. This becomes clear and evident if one studies the Torah. And today the Jews also interpret those references in the Torah, and in truth the references in the Torah are allusive rather than explicit.

These words of Christ were addressed to the Jews and Pharisees. By coming in the Name of the Father, Christ meant He came with the Divine Attributes and Perfections of GOD, but still the Jews did not accept Him though they were waiting for the Promised One to come and establish His Kingdom. They did not see that the prophecy was being fulfilled in Christ, because they were waiting for a great victorious material kingdom to be established on earth, and the Messiah was to be one who possessed endless wealth and sovereign earthly power; while Christ came in a contrary manner to this, and the Jews would only obey and accept according to their desire and the will of man. Therefore, when men like Caiaphas came in their own name, full of worldly power and qualities, they were accepted by the Jews as leaders of the people. Christ explained their unbelief, their rejection, when He said: How can you be a believer when you are looking to others who are imperfect, and thereby reject the everlasting honor which GOD can give?

This is the Word which the Son concealed, when to those around Him He said: "Ye cannot bear it now."

This is that Comforter of whom the Spirit gave tidings, and this is that Hour concerning which the Son confessed that neither He nor the angels of heaven had any knowledge thereof.

O Hakim! That which was promised in the Books hath appeared. He is Jehovah, and He is the Comforter, and He is the Spirit of Truth, and He is the Great News which the All-Merciful hath given tidings of in the Qur'an.

The Jews believed that Moses was the Seal of the Prophets, that he sealed the prophethood of Laws. The Christians believe that after Christ, no prophet with Laws will come, but that Christ himself will descend from heaven.

In this day the Sun of Truth, from the horizon of the prison of 'Akka, speaketh this most sublime Word: I say in truth, the blessed word "but He is the Apostle of God and the Seal of the Prophets" found its consummation in "the Day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds."

Time and again it has flowed from the pen of 'Abdu'l-Baha and has been explicitly and conclusively declared that what is meant in the prophecies by the Lord of Hosts and the Promised Christ is the Blessed Beauty and the Exalted One [the Bab], and the beliefs of all must be centered on this explicit and conclusive text.

O maid-servant of God! Hold fast to the Covenant which hath emanated from the Supreme Pen and which is scintillating with the light of the Orb of the Horizons. Know thou verily, Baha'u'llah is the promised One in all the Books and Tablets, and verily, this servant (Abdul-Baha) is the herald of the Kingdom of God.

Husseyn, son of Fatima, is expected with twelve Imams. Moses is expected by the Jews to return as the Messiah. Christ is looked for by the Christians. The people of the world have always expected a reincarnation of their greatest prophet, - each nation respectively, according to its religious beliefs; that is, they expected the return of the soul in its personality.

The teachings of Moses were like a seed, but when the seed grew into a plant and bore blossom, then fruit--the fruit signified Christ, who was the result of all the teachings of Moses...

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All these Prophets and the Chosen Ones also longed to witness such a Day as this. They spoke of the Coming of the Lord and the appearance of the Lord of Hosts. They affirmed that the Tabernacle of the Lord would be raised on Mount Carmel, beneath which the representatives of the Most Great Peace would assemble and from whence they would bestow a New Order upon the world.

The Cause of Baha'u'llah is in fulfillment of all the prophecies in all the books of the religions of the world.

Every proof and prophecy, every manner of evidence, whether based on reason or on the text of the scriptures and traditions, are to be regarded as centered in the persons of Baha'u'llah and the Bab. In them is to be found their complete fulfillment.

I am, I am, I am, the promised One! I am the One whose name you have for a thousand years invoked, at whose mention you have risen, whose advent you have longed to witness, and the hour of whose Revelation you have prayed God to hasten.

The illustrious Shaykh began to invite the people to anticipate the advent of God's revelation and the blazing of the Fire of Sinai. He proclaimed, in his writings and in his lessons, that the dawn was fast approaching and that the appearance of the promised Manifestation was imminent. Thus did he seek to instil receptivity in the hearts of the people and admonish them to await day and night the advent of the divine Manifestation.

Say: We sent forth Ahmad and Kazim to herald the Revelation of God and His sovereignty on this Day which was mentioned in the tablets of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

If ye desire Him Whom God shall make manifest for sovereignty, behold, there are countless kings upon the earth - how then could this divert you from the good-pleasure of your Lord? Reflect ye a little! And if ye desire Him Whom God shall make manifest for riches, lo, there are numberless wealthy ones upon the earth - how then could this distract you from God, your Lord, and aught of His good-pleasure? Would that ye would reflect a little! And if ye desire Him Whom God shall make manifest for armies, behold, there are countless hosts upon the earth - how then could this turn you away from God and His good-pleasure? Would that ye would reflect a little!

These shall abide in that Paradise until the time We shall manifest the Manifestation of Our Self. Then shall these souls be tested. If ye believe in Him Whom God shall make manifest, your Lord, then shall ye be numbered among the Tree of Affirmation, presenting yourselves before God, your Lord.

But should ye be veiled by aught, your affirmation shall be changed to negation in the Book of God.

Know ye that He Who hath been named in the Bayan as "Him Whom God shall make manifest" shall come with truth in the next Resurrection, and God is the guarantor of this. He shall fulfill His promise and shall come on the day when the Lote-Tree of the Bayan shall be raised to a lofty and glorious height. Then shall the Bird of Eternity warble and the Dove of Holiness coo, and God shall come in overshadowing clouds.

Then, when thou art blessed to present thyself before God, thy Lord, on the Day of Him Whom God shall make manifest, exalted be His mention, know that the Command is His Command. Look thou to none save Him and His Command, for all who are in the heavens and on earth and whatsoever lieth between them stand ready at His Command.

Fix your gaze upon Him Whom God shall make manifest in the Day of Resurrection, then firmly believe in that which is sent down by Him.

But God hath promised, in truth, that He shall cause you to behold Him Whom God shall make manifest, and He shall cause Him to behold you. He shall raise you up from your resting-places and fulfil unto you that which ye endured in My path aforetime, until He bestow upon you that wherewith ye shall be well-pleased -- and even more than that wherewith ye shall be well-pleased. And the like shall be the portion of those who were with you, the former and the latter alike; for He, verily, is the Bestower, the Mighty, the Inaccessible.

When We manifested the Point of the Bayan, there were in Islam six monarchs, all of whom were in the earth and all were believers in the Qur'an, and all were awaiting the appearance of the Point of the Bayan, and all were anticipating the manifestation of God, supplicating night and day. And if they were asked what proof they possessed, they would say: "We have no manifest proof from the Qur'an except that we were guided by it." We manifested the Point of the Bayan with that same proof, and His manifestation was the manifestation of that which they were promised.

Cause Thou, O God, the Tree of the Bayan to grow, even until the Day of Him Whom Thou wilt make manifest; and in the opening of every sixty and six years do Thou, O God, make to appear a Temple from among the Temples of the One, that Thy paths in the Bayan may be uplifted, and that they may receive what Thou hast decreed from the dawning-places of Thy revelation in the Bayan, until the day whereon Thy heaven and Thine earth and whatsoever lieth between them shall be illumined by the Manifestation of Him Whom Thou wilt make manifest.

God hath willed as He hath willed that thy face be reddened with thy blood upon the earth, truly dyed with truth. God hath willed as He hath willed to show thee thy hair dyed with thy blood and thy soul unjustly slain upon the earth before the truth, and thy body naked upon the earth. God hath willed as He hath willed that thy daughters and womenfolk be seen as captives in the hands of the unbelievers contrary to justice.

… Soon shall We manifest Our servant unto you in a cloud of light, for those who await God's true Remembrance morning and evening.

And addressing His Holiness the Great One (upon Him be all the most glorious glory and the most exalted exaltation), He says - His exalted Word:

This is what We promised thee aforetime when We answered thee. Wait until nine passeth beyond the Bayan, then say: Blessed be God, the Most Excellent of Creators. Now judge fairly: in the year nine when this Call was raised, where were the ears and where were the eyes?

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A year before in two cities of Azerbaijan, two people related in a dream [...] And as I heard: "In 1259 thou shalt find a Cause whose authority is not like any guardian or prophet-messenger of old, but rather from among the prophets or children of the latter ones." Though these are but reminders for weak hearts - otherwise from my pen flow a thousand verses of communion in six hours, verses which none of the mystics and divines are capable of comprehending, and which none can distinguish from the prayers of the immaculate Household.

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Know that what was meant by the mention of the Divine Right and His maturity after the passing of nineteen stations in the name of Him Who is Implored for Help is the Manifestation of Truth after the passing of nineteen years at the time of Mustaghath. This and this alone was and is meant.

I bear witness that the Manifestation of Him Who is Promised is the Point of Existence in the unseen realm of eternity. When time reacheth unto the Mustaghath or a letter before it, then will He appear in truth, though the idolaters be averse. At that time shall the trumpet be sounded, and all who are in the heavens and earth shall swoon away, save a numbered few of thy Lord's chosen ones.

The Books have announced My Revelation and the Bayan hath testified to this hidden Name. In one place He said He would appear at the time of Mustaghath, and in another He mentioned that should He appear at any time, none should object.

When the year nine had passed, He was manifested with this Name [Baha, =9] unto all things, even as thou didst witness how in that year the revelation of the Divine Unity was both hidden yet visible, and manifest yet concealed. None recognized it save whom God wished through His grace that dominates both the unseen and the visible realms, until the years of respite had elapsed. Then did God lift the veil of light and made manifest that which had been concealed.

O Kamal, thou hast been blessed with two great bounties: First, that in the year Nine thou wast vouchsafed the presence of God, concerning which the Primal Point gave all this glad-tiding in His words: "And in the year Nine ye shall be blessed with attaining the presence of God." Likewise thou wert honored with the divine exposition regarding the blessed verse "all food," and this is that which the Primal Point gave glad-tidings of: "And in the year Nine ye shall comprehend all good."

At one time the Tongue of Grandeur uttered these words: "O servant present! The one truth which that heedless and atheistic sect possessed was their saying that when the Qa'im appears, He will speak a word from which the chiefs of the earth - that is, the most exalted of the world's people - will flee and avoid. This single word We verify. Yet I swear by the Sun of the horizon of utterance that until now that word hath not appeared, and whosoever after hearing it remaineth steadfast, he is one with whom all the peoples of the world cannot compare."

Your likeness is as those who believed in John the Prophet, who was to herald unto men the Kingdom of God. Yet when the Word appeared, they denied It and pronounced judgment against It. God's curse be upon the wrongdoers! This, after he had called the servants at all times with the loudest call, taken from them the covenant of God's Word, and heralded unto them His meeting, until he sacrificed his life for love of His glorious and wondrous Self. But when the veil was rent asunder and the Most Great Word appeared, they objected to It, saying: "It hath transgressed that which John commanded."

All this We foretold at the time of Our departure from Iraq. Observe how the previous Manifestation informed all peoples of this Most Great Manifestation, even as the Son of Zachariah heralded the Son of Mary to the people, and they emphasized it to such a degree that they said if anyone should speak a verse, none should deny it.

Say: O people of the Bayan! Judge fairly concerning this Announcement which Muhammad, the Messenger of God, foretold, and unto whose mention the Point of the Bayan bowed down.

Say: Verily hath the Qa'im shone forth from the horizon of Glory, and we bear witness unto Him. Say: O people of the Bayan! By God, the Truth! The Expected One hath appeared and we have truly submitted ourselves unto Him.

All the followers of the Quran acknowledge and confess that after the Manifestation, Husayn shall appear on earth and all the Prophets and Messengers shall gather beneath His blessed standard. Likewise shall the Qa'im return and join with the Prophets and Messengers beneath the standard. … I swear by the Sun in the heaven of truth that all that was mentioned and recorded in the divine Books of the past and future hath been made manifest and evident, and the appointed times have come to pass. Yet all are observed to lie dead in the graves of their desires.

This is that Husayn Who was promised in the Book of God, the Lord of lords. Verily, He hath appeared after the Qa'im with a Cause before which all who are in earth and heaven shall not stand.

We have manifested Our Self and sent down the verses and informed the servants of what the All-Merciful revealed in the Bayan, that they might turn to Him with radiant hearts and shining faces. But the people heard not what they were commanded, and We found them struck down.

Verily We gave glad tidings unto all in the Bayan concerning these days, and took from each and every one, whether young or old, a covenant. Yet when the Promise came to pass, they arose in opposition.

The Book of Names was verily sent down from God, the Lord of the Day of Reckoning. Therein We counseled every one of the Names to be ready for the Day of God, the Lord of all beings. We gave them glad tidings of the presence of God in His days and commanded that none of them should hesitate on that Day which dawned from the horizon of creation.

He is the Call between earth and heaven. The Qa'im hath said: "Verily the Qayyum shall come with the truth, and when He ariseth, the people shall arise for the Lord of the worlds. He shall not be known through the Bayan or through the books of old. Should He utter but one word, verily it would be more sublime than all that hath been uttered by the tongues from time immemorial.

The Point of the Bayan informed all who are in the realm of possibility that He is the One Who speaks in all things "Verily I am God, there is no God but Me, the Mighty, the Bountiful." Yet when the Sun of the Word dawned from the horizon of the Bayan of the Lord of Names, all who were in the Bayan turned away from Him save whom God, the Almighty, the All-Powerful, willed.

Say: There hath appeared from My presence that which He foretold and that which none save My Self, the All-Pervading over the worlds, knoweth.

Soon shalt thou witness how the people of the Bayan will turn away from the Manifestation of the All-Merciful. Thus did my Beloved inform me before the creation of the heavens and earth, and before the creation of the worlds.

Hast thou imagined thyself capable of extinguishing the fire which God hath kindled in the heart of creation? Nay, by Him Who is the Eternal Truth, couldst thou but know it. Rather, on account of what thy hands have wrought, it blazed higher and burned more fiercely. Erelong will it encompass the earth and all that dwell therein. Thus hath it been decreed by God, and the powers of earth and heaven are unable to thwart His purpose.

The day is approaching when the Land of Mystery and what is beside it shall be changed, and shall pass out of the hands of the King, and commotions shall appear, and the voice of lamentation shall be raised, and the evidences of mischief shall be revealed on all sides, and confusion shall spread by reason of that which hath befallen these captives at the hands of the hosts of oppression. The course of things shall be altered, and conditions shall wax so grievous, that the very sands on the desolate hills will moan, and the trees on the mountain will weep, and blood will flow out of all things. Then wilt thou behold the people in sore distress.

Let them ponder the blessed Surih of Ra'is and judge fairly. All that subsequently came to pass had been previously revealed from the Supreme Pen with utmost clarity. Let a group gather, free from hatred, and examine that Surih. By the life of our Lord! Word for word it hath been made manifest in the visible world. Let them observe and judge fairly, and return from the desert of heedlessness to the field of awareness, and from the darkness of fancy and conjecture to the light of certitude. Fear God, O people, and be not among the transgressors.

Your honor must, God willing, invite the people with utmost effort and diligence to steadfastness, for all that was foretold regarding the cawing of the cawers and the claims of the false ones, and whatsoever hath been revealed from the Supreme Pen, shall assuredly come to pass.

… In brief, all that hath streamed from the Supreme Pen hath come to pass, and the other prophecies contained in the Tablets shall all be fulfilled.

Ponder the address "O Spot that art situate between the two seas", and also briefly note the address to Tehran, and review the address to the banks of the Rhine, and compare them with the events that occurred - how all these warnings were fulfilled in a brief period. Is it possible through natural intelligence and sagacity to uncover such momentous events in such a short time one after another, and can the occurrence of these events in so few days be imagined? No, by God!

This Epistle was revealed in the year 1869, and after one year the foundations of the Napoleonic sovereignty were completely uprooted.

Then a second epistle was issued, which is contained in the Suriy-i-Haykal, and which in substance says: "O Napoleon! Since thou hast failed to heed and answer My call, thou shalt lose Thy dominion and be reduced to naught." This epistle was dispatched to Napoleon by post, through the care of Cesar Catafago and, with the full knowledge of His companions in exile, the text of this address quickly reached all of Persia, for the Kitab-i-Haykal was sent at that time to every corner of that land and this address was included therein. This took place in the year 1869, and as this Suriy-i-Haykal had been circulated throughout Persia and India, all the believers had it in their hands and were awaiting the outcome of this address. Not long after, in 1870, the fire of war was ignited between Germany and France, and although no one at the time anticipated the triumph of Germany, Napoleon was resoundingly defeated, surrendered to his enemies, and saw his glory changed into deepest abasement.

Among these is what was revealed in the Surih of Fu'ad at the beginning of imprisonment. His words, exalted be His glory: "Soon will We dismiss the one who was like him and will lay hold on their prince who ruleth the land, and I am the Mighty, the Compelling." What was revealed in this blessed verse came to pass, as most have heard that after the one like him was seized, God, the Mighty, the Powerful, seized the prince. And He seized this prince in such a manner that all souls were astonished. God, the Most High, the Most Great, spoke the truth.

All that was revealed from the heaven of God's Will concerning the chief, princes and deputies in the blessed Surih of Ra'is, the Most Holy Book, and other Tablets has now emerged from the realm of the unseen into the arena of manifestation. Yet despite these Tablets being in many hands, the people remain heedless and unmindful.

Likewise with the Tablet of Paris - no one could conceive how such a momentous matter would come to pass. Indeed, someone mentioned to this servant that it was inconceivable that someone like Napoleon would be deposed or come to an end. But days had not passed before the Sun of God's Word shone forth and all that was revealed in the verses appeared word for word, letter for letter, and all witnessed it.

Whatsoever hath appeared in the earth was revealed beforehand by the Most Exalted Pen, although this Most Great Revelation hath appeared with supreme grace and mighty loving-kindness.

… Whatsoever hath occurred and shall occur in the earth hath been revealed clearly and manifestly in the divine Tablets without any interpretation.

Among these was the eloquent address to that stubborn one among the People of the Book, Napoleon the Great, who prided himself on the influence of his word in all regions and the greatness of his dominion whose banners waved upon the edifices of glory among all peoples. While at the height of his might and his transcendent glory, the Lord of Hosts addressed him with words that caused the limbs of every proud and vainglorious one to tremble. All souls were astonished at such an address, given the greatness of this man who was peerless in all regions, since his abasement and downfall seemed impossible at that time. Yet no more than a few months had passed before his mighty throne was undermined, his lofty standard was reversed, his noble crown fell, and he became a prisoner without any to help him.

Amongst the proofs of the Blessed Beauty is this: That what he revealed in tablets about fifty years ago is accomplished today. Amongst his prophecies are those about the Turks in Kitab-i-Aqdas, Surat-ul-Hykl and in the Tablet to Ra'is. Whatever was revealed has now been accomplished. He addressed Constantinople fifty years ago as follows: 'O thou Point which liest between the two seas (i.e., Constantinople) ...Hath thine outward adornment rendered thee proud? Soon thou shalt perish, by the Lord of Creation! And thy daughters and widows and those peoples that are within thee shall lament.'

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For what thou hast done, thy kingdom shall be thrown into confusion, and thine empire shall pass from thine hands, as a punishment for that which thou hast wrought. Then wilt thou know how thou hast plainly erred... Thy pomp ... shall soon pass away, unless thou holdest fast by this firm Cord. We see abasement hastening after thee..." All this happened just as announced by Baha'u'llah. Napoleon III was dethroned and exiled. His empire passed away and became nonexistent while the dominion and sovereignty of Baha'u'llah, the Prisoner, has become eternal through the confirmation of God.

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As regards the fall of Adrianople into the hands of the Bulgars the Master said:-

"Fifty years ago Baha'u'llah prophesied:- 'Adrianople shall go out of the hand of the Sultan' and to day that prophecy is fulfilled. This is one of the greatest proofs of the Blessed Perfection that all the prophesies that he has made concerning future events have come to pass.

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There will be a general war between the European powers and Germany of course will take a prominent part. Baha'u'llah has predicted a war between Germany and France and this will be fulfilled!

The revolution now rampant in Persia was foretold by the Blessed Perfection forty years ago. Read the Book of the Kings. It is also to be found in the Book of Laws. And this prophecy was made when Tihran was in the utmost quietude and the government of Nasiri'd-Din Shah was well established. It is clearly stated thus: 'O Tihran! There will be a great upheaval in thee. The government will be affected and the disturbance will affect all Persia.'

For some enemies authored books and, purely for corruption and kindling the fire of hatred, recorded these divine texts that were revealed from the Supreme Pen fifty years ago in their own books and published them for more than thirty years. … These enemies were in truth heralds. Now that the divine texts have been fulfilled after fifty years, no one is left with the possibility of denial, for as mentioned, they were recorded and published in the enemies' treatises thirty years ago.

The events which have transpired were all recorded fifty years ago in the Tablets of Baha'u'llah---Tablets which have been printed, published and spread throughout the world.

O ye lovers of truth, ye servants of humankind! Out of the flowering of your thoughts and hopes, fragrant emanations have come my way, wherefore an inner sense of obligation compelleth me to pen these words.

Ye observe how the world is divided against itself, how many a land is red with blood and its very dust is caked with human gore. The fires of conflict have blazed so high that never in early times, not in the Middle Ages, not in recent centuries hath there ever been such a hideous war, a war that is even as millstones, taking for grain the skulls of men. Nay, even worse, for flourishing countries have been reduced to rubble, cities have been levelled with the ground, and many a once prosperous village hath been turned into ruin. Fathers have lost their sons, and sons their fathers. Mothers have wept away their hearts over dead children. Children have been orphaned, women left to wander, vagrants without a home. From every aspect, humankind hath sunken low. Loud are the piercing cries of fatherless children; loud the mothers' anguished voices, reaching to the skies.

And the breeding-ground of all these tragedies is prejudice: prejudice of race and nation, of religion, of political opinion; and the root cause of prejudice is blind imitation of the past -- imitation in religion, in racial attitudes, in national bias, in politics. So long as this aping of the past persisteth, just so long will the foundations of the social order be blown to the four winds, just so long will humanity be continually exposed to direst peril.

Now, in such an illumined age as ours, when realities previously unknown to man have been laid bare, and the secrets of created things have been disclosed, and the Morn of Truth hath broken and lit up the world -- is it admissible that men should be waging a frightful war that is bringing humanity down to ruin? No, by the Lord God!

Christ Jesus summoned all mankind to amity and peace. Unto Peter He said: 'Put up thy sword into the sheath.' Such was the bidding and counsel of the Lord Christ; and yet today the Christians one and all have drawn their swords from out the scabbard. How wide is the discrepancy between such acts and the clear Gospel text!

Sixty years ago Baha'u'llah rose up, even as the Day-Star, over Persia. He declared that the skies of the world were dark, that this darkness boded evil, and that terrible wars would come. From the prison at Akka, He addressed the German Emperor in the clearest of terms, telling him that a great war was on the way and that his city of Berlin would break forth in lamentation and wailing. Likewise did He write to the Turkish sovereign, although He was that Sultan's victim and a captive in his prison -- that is, He was being held prisoner in the Fortress at Akka -- and clearly stated that Constantinople would be overtaken by a sudden and radical change, so great that the women and children of that city would mourn and cry aloud. In brief, He addressed such words to all the monarchs and the presidents, and everything came to pass, exactly as He had foretold.

There have issued, from His mighty Pen, various teachings for the prevention of war, and these have been scattered far and wide.

The first is the independent investigation of truth; for blind imitation of the past will stunt the mind. But once every soul inquireth into truth, society will be freed from the darkness of continually repeating the past.

His second principle is the oneness of mankind: that all men are the sheep of God, and God is their loving Shepherd, caring most tenderly for all without favouring one or another. 'No difference canst thou see in the creation of the God of mercy'; all are His servants, all implore His grace.

His third teaching is that religion is a mighty stronghold, but that it must engender love, not malevolence and hate. Should it lead to malice, spite, and hate, it is of no value at all. For religion is a remedy, and if the remedy bring on disease, then put it aside. Again, as to religious, racial, national and political bias: all these prejudices strike at the very root of human life; one and all they beget bloodshed, and the ruination of the world. So long as these prejudices survive, there will be continuous and fearsome wars.

To remedy this condition there must be universal peace. To bring this about, a Supreme Tribunal must be established, representative of all governments and peoples; questions both national and international must be referred thereto, and all must carry out the decrees of this Tribunal. Should any government or people disobey, let the whole world arise against that government or people.

Yet another of the teachings of Baha'u'llah is the equality of men and women and their equal sharing in all rights. And there are many similar principles. It hath now become evident that these teachings are the very life and soul of the world.

Ye who are servants of the human race, strive ye with all your heart to deliver mankind out of this darkness and these prejudices that belong to the human condition and the world of nature, so that humanity may find its way into the light of the world of God.

Praise be to Him, ye are acquainted with the various laws, institutions and principles of the world; today nothing short of these divine teachings can assure peace and tranquillity to mankind. But for these teachings, this darkness shall never vanish, these chronic diseases shall never be healed; nay, they shall grow fiercer from day to day. The Balkans will remain discontented. Its restlessness will increase. The vanquished Powers will continue to agitate. They will resort to every measure that may rekindle the flame of war. Movements, newly-born and world-wide in their range, will exert their utmost effort for the advancement of their designs. The Movement of the Left will acquire great importance. Its influence will spread.

Strive ye, therefore, with the help of God, with illumined minds and hearts and a strength born of heaven, to become a bestowal from God to man, and to call into being for all humankind, comfort and peace.

Now some regions have been freed, and furthermore it has become evident to all humanity that 'Abdu'l-Baha's talks in Europe and America were the very truth when He cried out that the continent of Europe was like an arsenal and powder magazine, a storehouse of explosive materials dependent on a single spark to detonate and throw the earth into turmoil. … And likewise, whatever was revealed in the Tablets of Baha'u'llah fifty years ago, published and spread throughout the world, that too has been fulfilled.

All events, past and future, even to the smallest detail, were set forth by the Pen of the Covenant long ere they came to pass, and one by one they subsequently appeared in the world of being. Even recent occurrences, the collapse of despotism and the destruction of the pillars of independence, were explicitly foretold. Ye have undoubtedly been informed of the details, even as it was written to Mashhad that disturbance would spread from Azerbaijan to Khurasan, and so it came to pass.

You expressed gratitude for humanity's deliverance from the soul-consuming flames of war, and that all the explicit promises recorded in the divine tablets of revelation have, praise be to God, come to pass. This is indeed true, and in previous cycles such explicit prophecies of future events were never recorded in the divine books. This is unique to this wondrous cycle.

In any case, the teachings of the Blessed Beauty, may my spirit be a sacrifice for Him, were proclaimed in America, Britain, France and Germany, in great assemblies and major churches, and were explained and expounded. Thus was the proof completed for all. Since they neither accepted nor implemented what was explicitly mentioned in the Tablets, that which was to occur came to pass.

Throughout the world they raised the standard of universal peace and called mankind to love, reconciliation and the unity of the human world. All that was explicitly revealed in the Sacred Tablets fifty years ago has been realized like the sun in the realm of existence and become clear and evident.

All these events that have occurred were mentioned before in the revealed Tablets. Moreover, in the first year of arrival in this land, the Blessed Beauty resided in a house near Muradiyyih, while these servants were in another house. One afternoon, He came out from the sanctuary, and all the emigrant servants were standing in His presence, including this servant, Haji Mirza Ahmad, Siyyid Muhammad and others. He said that a strange thing had been witnessed that day.

… After two full years had passed, that which was to appear appeared. At that time it became known who was meant by the mentioned Muhammad.

When the Apostle of God - may my spirit be sacrificed for Him - was besieged by the confederates during the Battle of the Trench and was occupied with digging the trench, a heavy rock was discovered which the companions could not move. His Holiness came with all the companions to remove that rock. He had a staff in His blessed hand and in such state He struck that rock and said: "The kingdoms of the Persians have been conquered." He struck again and said: "The domains of the Caesars have been subdued." A group of hypocrites who were there with His Holiness said: "Glory be to God! What words are these? We are besieged by weak Arab tribes, even cut off from water and vegetation, rejected and defeated, yet this person speaks of conquering the kingdoms of the Persians and Romans? What tale is this and what account?" Not long passed before those same Arabs entered the palace of Chosroes and said: "This is what God and His Apostle promised us, and true was the Messenger."

Now observe what spiritual power accomplishes, especially the teachings of Baha'u'llah and the mysteries of this Cause and the foundation of this Revelation which has no denier. The horizons are like a thirsty fish and the teachings of the Blessed Beauty are flowing water. No sword and no bloodshed, no excommunication and no destruction, no restriction and no opposition, no burden. Its sword is the proclamation of human oneness, its world-conquering blade is divine bestowal, its military might is the love of God, its army's laws and principles are the expression of the knowledge of God, its commander-in-chief is the light of God's guidance, its principles and laws are love and kindness toward all humanity, to such degree that even the stranger is a friend, the other is a companion, the enemy a loved one, the ill-wisher a well-wisher, and this is how one behaves, for He addresses humanity saying that all peoples are the fruits of one tree and the leaves of one branch.

All future events are evident and visible to the eyes of the holy Manifestations.

He illustrated this by narrating the historical events from the digging of ditches to the victory of Islam over the treasuries of Anushirvan and Khusraw. The hypocrites, who disbelieved in the promises of Muhammad in their hearts, saw these victories and cried out: 'This is that which God and His Messenger have promised us.'

Previously Muslims would write such detailed commentaries and interpretations about "Alif Lam Mim. The Romans have been defeated, and they, after their defeat, will be victorious," but now when they see such knowledge and power of the Ancient Beauty manifest in this Most Great Revelation, they turn away.

Miss Boylan said that while in Thonon (Switzerland), last summer, she asked Abdul-Baha, about the work the Mashrekol-Azkar, feeling that it was extremely necessary to push this work and get the Temple built as rapidly as possible, and that he must come to build it, in fulfilment of the prophecy that the Lord would come to rebuild the Temple which had been torn down.

Miss Boylan said Abdul-Baha replied that he had fulfilled that prophecy by building the Tomb of the Bab.

In a letter I wrote, "Soon will the East and the West embrace each other like two lovers." Some of the lukewarm believers laughed [at this sentiment]. I responded, "It is revealed in the Qur'an, 'Though ye scoff at us now, we will scoff at you hereafter even as ye scoff at us. In the end ye shall know.'" Praise be God that now, not long after that event, great victories have been won [for the Cause] in the East and the West, and confirmations from on high surround all unceasingly.

Soon after the ascension of the Blessed Beauty I wrote: "Erelong ye shall see the banner of the Covenant hoisted over the world."

… Some of the ignorant scorned us, saying, 'How can the East and the West be illumined with the light of the Cause and the whole world be perfumed by the sweet fragrance of the Word of God?' Now behold how this great union has come about and how the hearts of the people of the East and the ' West have been enlightened with this manifest light. The Blessed Tree has taken firm root in the earth and the signs of its greatness have encompassed all regions.

Christ - may my soul be a sacrifice unto Him - declared before His martyrdom that the stones which were utterly neglected and seemingly useless would become the cornerstone. That is to say, souls who in the eyes of men possessed no rank or station and were not mentioned in any position - nay, in the eyes of men were lowly and poor - these souls, when they came under the shadow of the Word of God, would attain to the heights of everlasting glory and would shine forth like stars from the horizon of greatness.

For all will taste of these free gifts before long. They will come from the East and from the West to the Kingdom of God; and even as Christ has foretold this also has come to pass, that some of those who are nearest are cut off, whilst those from a far distance receive these great gifts.

Therefore, O children of Abraham, await the manifestation of all divine promises and enter, all of you, beneath the shade of the word of unity, so that those sweet promises which issued from the sugar-sweet lips of the Prophets may all be fulfilled.

All this diffusion of the Fragrances of the Cause of God throughout the Orient and the Occident is mainly due to these successive exiles and imprisonments of the Blessed Perfection! - If these events did not transpire, the Holy Cause would not have left the frontier of Persia, the prophesies of the prophets concerning the [raising] of the voice of the Lord of Hosts from the Mountains and the hills of the Holy Land would not have been fulfilled and the Tent of the Lord of lords would not have been pitched on its plains and meadows!

At the time that they placed the crown of thorns on His blessed head, Christ, with His discerning eyes, could see the [eventual] submission of the kings of the earth. But no other person could see what His Holiness saw.

But that exile became the cause of the raising of the Call and exalting the Word of God, of fulfilling the prophecies of the Prophets and of guiding the people of the world.

The plan of God is a wondrous thing. Over the course of many long years, He has taken this Cause here and there, and drawn it in the end to such a spot as this, all to fulfil the prophecies of ages past. It is inevitable that God will clearly manifest the highway He has predicted through His Prophets; He will not allow a single word of those prophecies to go unrealized.

This is the blessed spot and holy land where all the Prophets offered prayers and opened their lips in glad-tidings, sometimes weeping and lamenting and raising cries of anguish at the oppression of the Beloved of all horizons, and sometimes experiencing ecstasy and joy from the favors of the Lord of Hosts.

Now the time draws near when those favors will be fulfilled, those lights will shine forth, and that enduring glory will become manifest. Therefore give glad-tidings and joyful news to all Israel that they shall become manifestations of the bounty of the Glorious Lord.

The holiness of this ground was thus prefigured by the Lord thousands of years ago, Knowing well that someday, towards the consummation of ages, He will make Himself manifest in this land to all the people of the world. … We must consider it a great privilege that we are allowed to live here in these latter days and see with our own eyes the gradual fulfillment of all the prophecies.

In brief, utterances of this sort have proceeded from heedlessness and continue so to proceed. We beseech God to aid all men unto that which He loveth and approveth. O friends of God! Be not content with hearing alone, and bind not your hearts to the vain imaginings of former times. By God! Today wicked souls have, through ancient delusions, withheld the weak from the divine way. Hearken ye unto the plea of this servant who serveth before the Throne, and stand with steadfast feet upon the path of oneness. So manifest is the Truth that none is left any excuse to turn aside. All the Books of God testify thereto and point thereunto. Thus it was that some time ago one of the friends, who was from among diverse peoples, presented a petition, and in that petition set forth two traditions which, in ancient books, had been translated from the Greek tongue into Arabic.

The first passage: "Satan shall appear in the Isle of Qaf and shall prevent the people from the All-Merciful. When that time cometh, turn ye toward the Holy Land, from whence passeth the Breath of God." And Qaf is Cyprus, and this is well known, even as all the Turks call Cyprus "Satan's Isle." And the Holy Land is known to be that wherein the Seat of the Throne is now established.

The second passage: "There shall appear the Beloved in the isle attributed unto Him. He is short of stature, abundant of beard, narrow of brow and breast, yellow of eye and hair. Upon His back is hair like unto mail, and upon His breast hair like unto a cave. When that time cometh, draw ye nigh unto Carmel, even though it be with thy all. Then turn ye toward the Holy Valley, the Land of Gathering, the snow-white Spot." It is known that Habab is the name of Satan, and it says he will appear in the island attributed to him, which is Cyprus, known as Satan's Island. And it says "When that time comes draw near to Carmel" - Carmel being the mountain facing 'Akka - "even if crawling on your chest, then turn toward the Holy Valley, the land of gathering, the white spot" - these three being titles of the land of 'Akka, as is well-known to all and mentioned in the books.

Would that someone would go to Cyprus and witness with their own eyes all these aforementioned attributes in that person. In any case, O servants of God, the Truth needs not these mentions, and such mentions are purely out of grace, as this lowly servant thought that through such things some might awaken from the sleep of heedlessness. Otherwise, God is sanctified above the mention of this or that. He cannot be known except through Himself, nor can He be described except by what His Essence has described for His Essence. All else is created by His command and returns to its place in the worlds of His creation and invention.

Praise be to God! The promises about the Holy Land were fulfilled and the glad-tidings uttered through the tongues of the prophets of God were realized, for the enemies cause the Blessed Perfection to be sent to the Holy Land and to have this residence in the Promised Land.

Likewise Israel, which had been scattered throughout the world, was not gathered together in the Holy Land in the course of the Christian Dispensation, but in the beginning of the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah this divine promise, which has been clearly stated in all the Books of the Prophets, has begun to materialize. Observe how from all corners of the world Jewish peoples are coming to the Holy Land, acquiring villages and lands to inhabit, and increasing day by day to such an extent that all Palestine is becoming their home.

Know that the gathering of Abraham's descendants in Jerusalem is a destined matter, for all the promises that the Lord of Hosts made through the prophets in the Torah have reached their time of fulfillment. The divine will has determined to fulfill all promises, and day by day its signs become more apparent, its proof more evident, its evidence clearer, and its path more manifest.

This is an explicit promise and clearly enunciated by the Divine Prophets. They have foretold that even outwardly, the Jews will come to the Holy Land and once more reclaim their ancient splendor.

Soon will the Jewish people return to the Holy Land, and even in outward appearance, they will be exalted. They will then be so glorified that they would be the object of the enemies' envy. This is naught but a divine decree, and nothing can impede its fulfillment.

The following is one of the answers: "The utterance of the Blessed Beauty, that the descendants of Israel shall become dear, was made at a time when the people of Israel were still in the utmost degradation and before they had returned. He uttered these things in order that the glance of providence would surround them, so that they might progress, deliver themselves from humiliation and return to this holy land. That is why, day by day, they became dear and returned to the holy land. These things are all through the power of the blessed Word.

The statement of the Blessed Beauty that "the progeny of Israel shall be freed" was made at a time when the Children of Israel had not yet returned and were in utmost abasement...

However, this blessed statement refers to the believers among the Israelites, meaning those who have believed.

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Leave hath, moreover, been given to whosoever may desire to raise, throughout the length and breadth of this land, noble and imposing structures, and dedicate the rich and sacred territories adjoining the Jordan and its vicinity to the worship and service of the one true God, magnified be His glory, that the prophecies recorded by the Pen of the Most High in the sacred Scriptures may be fulfilled, and that which God, the Lord of all worlds, hath purposed in this most exalted, this most holy, this mighty, and wondrous Revelation may be made manifest.

I never dreamed to buy land around the Lake of Galilee and by the river Jordan; but the Blessed Perfection commanded me to do so, in consideration of their biblical sacredness and the historical associations running back into the oldest antiquity, thus connecting in a prophetic manner this new Dispensation with Judaism and Christianity.

When God desires a thing, He need but say unto it "Be" and it is. Praise be to God, title [to the property] was obtained. Blessed is he who has attained unto this Cause, whose decree was established in the days of God, the Lord of the worlds.

At the beginning of arrival in the Most Great Prison in the military barracks, His blessed word, exalted be He: "The River Jordan has joined with the Most Great Sea..." Although for this blessed verse which was sent down from the heaven of divine will there are many meanings, yet one manifestation from the sun of its meanings dawned after the acquisition of this land, for this new land was adorned with the ornament of God's Name and is near to the River Jordan - and this is the river that was recorded and mentioned in the divine Books of old, and perhaps it will join [with the Sea] in the future as well. All knowledge is with God, the Lord of the worlds.

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Indeed God's ways are mysterious and unsearchable. What outward relation exists between Shiraz and Teheran, Bagdad and Constantinople, Adrianople and Acca and Haifa! God worked patiently step by step through these various cities according to his own definite, eternal plan - so that the prophecies and predictions as foretold by the prophets may become fulfilled. This golden thread of promise concerning the Messianic Millennium is running through the Bible and it was so destined that God in its own good time will cause its appearance. Not even a single word will be left meaningless or unfulfilled.

He added:

It is written in the Hadith that cities shall draw nearer to each other. Besides spiritual nearness and communications between the cities of the hearts and friendships between diverse people in the promised Day, how physically close have the cities and countries also become.

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Mount Carmel will be a Mountain of Knowledge, Peace, and Protection in the future----the vineyard of God. We will not live to see this in the body but will view it spiritually.

Yesterday the Master looked at Mount Carmel and said:

"How many prophets longed to be here in these days of God. Many Germans left their homeland and settled here on this mountain, where they awaited the arrival of the One promised in the Holy Bible. They wrote over their doors that the Beloved would soon come.

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Verily, the people are veiled from comprehending the meanings of the Gospel, the Bible and the Koran and know not the interpretation of the scriptures of God, except those whose eyes are opened by the outpouring of the Spirit of God. Thou shalt behold men-servants and maid-servants of Baha' in those far-distant lands and wide countries, speaking the secrets of the Gospel and the mysteries of the Bible and the allusions of the Koran and the explanation of the Words of the Merciful One.

Soon will the effulgence of the Shrine of the Bab attract the attention of the denizens of the world and the blessed prophecies of Baha'u'llah will be clearly fulfilled.

Upon the cross, Christ could see the establishment of divine sovereignty. Where is Pharaoh now to behold the majesty of Moses?

Now that sacred Tent which belonged to the Manifestation of God, the tent under which the Surat-El-Heiykal, the Ketab-El-Akdas and other glorious Tablets were revealed, the tent which was hallowed by the presence of the Sun of Reality, that tent of the Lord which was predicted by the prophets to be raised on the plain of Acca and on Mount Carmel, the tent under which international Congresses of humanity must be convened in the future and the Flag of Universal Peace waving over it - I say this tent is given by the violators of the Covenant to Jamal Pasha, the general of the Syrian Army.

Isaiah 62, verse 1 and 2: Gentiles will seek God in Zion-Palestine. The prophecy that Acca and Palestine will be called by a new name, was fulfilled when Baha'u'llah called that valley "Land of Desire," and "God shall so name it with His Mouth", which could not be done without the flood. Verse 4: The land was forsake and desolate when Baha'u'llah arrived in Acca and now it is in a garden wedded to the Lord by love.

The Blessed Beauty made mention of Khorasan, saying that this blessed Cause would be spread there. Everyone thought that the Blessed One's intention was Khorasan itself, but later when the grace of the Blessed Beauty was directed entirely toward 'Ishqabad, they realized that was the intended place. Subsequently, the Mashriqu'l-Adhkar was established there.

Therefore you should not interfere with him at all, for he knows and also says that if the whole world were to unite to release me from prison before the appointed time it would be impossible, and when the time for freedom comes, even if all the kings of the world unite they cannot prevent my freedom."

He said, "Am I also mentioned in it?" He replied, "Yes, you too are mentioned in it." He asked, "By allusion or explicitly?" He replied, "Explicitly." He said, "I have not seen any mention of myself in it." He replied, "It is there where it says: 'She said: I seek refuge from thee with the Beneficent God, if thou art God-fearing.'" He became very angry but did not express anything, and asked, "Is there anything about my father Qurban Khan as well?"

This telegram confirmed for the honored Nuri'd-Din a prediction of the Master made two years earlier during His conversation with Haji Muhammad-Isma`ili-Yazdi.

… After jesting with the Haji some more, `Abdu'l-Baha explained the meaning of the vision: "The standard of the Faith has been raised in America. A number in that country have embraced the Faith and will come here soon for pilgrimage to the Sacred Shrine of Baha'u'llah.

"What art thou reading?"

A lecture on the coming world teacher, by Mrs. Besant.

"The great world teacher has already come."

This is the day wherein the prophecies of the Holy Books of every tongue have been or are being fulfilled.

Then know that this is not the first weakness that hath befallen My House. Before this it was afflicted by what the hands of the oppressors had wrought, and there shall descend upon it such humiliation as will cause tears to flow from every seeing eye. Thus have We imparted unto thee that which was hidden behind the veils of the Unseen, which none hath discovered save God, the Mighty, the All-Praised. Then shall pass days wherein God will raise it up in truth and make it a standard in the kingdom, around which shall circle a company of them that know.

Therefore did the Tongue of Utterance proclaim in one instance these words: "Grieve not, for God shall soon open before your faces the gate of the city. Then shall enter and leave through it whomsoever He willeth. He, verily, is the Mighty, the Desired One."

Then He added, "And what Tablets they are! Tablets that foretell the ultimate fate of every person. You saw what became of the blessed Tablet addressed to the sovereign of Iran, you saw what became of the blessed Tablet addressed to the Ottoman Sultan, you saw what became of the blessed Tablet addressed to Napoleon the king of France, you saw what became of the blessed utterance regarding Germany."

The events of this day are most momentous, though their reality is known only to those with insight. Although the honor of this day is unknown to the people, it is the first blast.

… These are all signs of the Day of Resurrection.

October 4th All the prophets have failed to ever say " The Day has come" but said, " The Day will come." They all describe this day of God. In the time of Jesus He said, " the time is near at hand." According to His Teachings, all the disciples foretold of the Day of God.

For example, the Bab in the Ahsanu'l-Qisas states: "O Our Most Great Master..." to the end of the verse. This is communication. They thought at first this address was to the Qa'im of the family of Muhammad, but later it became known that the Bab Himself was the Qa'im, by the Bab's own declaration. In short, it is evident that all the addresses in the Ahsanu'l-Qisas are to the Blessed Beauty.

If one has fairness, no doubt remains. It was accepted by all that there was a Person in the days of the Bab - who that Person was.

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In previous Dispensations, there was but one allusion to the subsequent Manifestation; for example, in the Qur'an there is one allusion. In the traditions, the Prophet said to Imam 'Ali: "The Mahdi will come and He will fill the earth with justice, and He is of thy progeny" - this is an allusion. Christ speaks of the "Spirit of Truth" - the Christians say it is the Holy Spirit. But the Bab, night and day, made mention of "Him Whom God shall make manifest," placing no conditions whatsoever.

The realities of the Old Testament and the Gospel are already fulfilled and the Mysteries of the Heavenly Books have become manifest.

How many the honourable souls in past centuries and times who yearned with all their hearts to hear the mere name of the kingdom of God in their day. They longed to be alive in promised day, the time prophesied to all peoples and nations, but alas they left this world with great regret and remorse for they did not attain their expectations.

There is a prophecy in the Mohammadan writings that the Standard of Truth shall be unfurled in the East and then in the West and this saying we see fulfilled in our day.

The entire world today is seen to be waiting, as every sect among the sects awaits a Promised One mentioned in their books. Now that through God's grace - exalted be His glory - the horizon of the world has been illumined by the lights of the face of the Most Great Name, and the appointed times in the books have been fulfilled, and all signs and tokens have been manifested and made evident, all are found to be heedless, veiled, deniers and opposers, save whom God wills.

The whole world awaited the Day of God and, with perfect humility and submissiveness, beseeched God, glorified be His majesty, night and day for the appearance of the Promised One. But when the Sun of Truth dawned from the horizon of manifestation and the Preserved Tablet was sent down from the heaven of loving-kindness, all clung to their own idle fancies and turned away from the Sovereign of certitude, save those who came unto God with an illumined, believing, and steadfast heart.

And in this station We make mention of thy daughter and We beseech God to assist her and make her steadfast in His love. Verily He is potent over all things. O handmaiden of God! The whole world was brought from nothingness into being for the recognition of the Ancient Beauty, and this blessed Day was promised in all the Books, Tablets and Scriptures.

Through Him God tested His servants who claimed faith within themselves, and through Him truth was distinguished from falsehood from that time until the Day when the Beauty of Baha will come upon the crimson Buraq and the matter will be decided by One mighty and powerful.

However, this imprisonment shall cause the exaltation of God's Cause and the upliftment of His blessed primal Word, for God is the All-Compelling and that which He has willed shall surely encompass the whole world.

All created things have been created for this Day and throughout ages and centuries were hopeful and expectant to attain the Divine Day.

O Muhammad! The people of the world, night and day, would beseech to attain the presence of the Dayspring of God's Cause and the Manifestation of His Revelation. In pulpits and mosques, upon hearing His mention, they would rise to their feet and, with utmost humility and supplication, would implore His presence, crying out "May God hasten His advent!"

When the Promise came and the Promised One appeared, each party clung to what it possessed of idle fancies and vain imaginings. They cast the command of God behind their backs, hastening to the dawning-places of conjecture.

Among them are those who are perplexed within themselves, whose inner voice addresseth them saying: "The Promise hath come to pass, yet we see not the Promised One."

Throughout days and nights they yearned and hoped for the appearance of the Lord of all beings, to such extent that they would implore His presence from the Lord of Oneness with lamentation and weeping. Yet when the veils of glory were rent asunder by the finger of power and the breezes of the dawn of manifestation wafted, all turned away heedless save whom thy Lord willed.

Every appointed time hath come to pass, every sign hath been manifested, and every promise hath been fulfilled, yet the people remain veiled by an evident veil.

The divines, mystics and princes of the earth waited night and day to see when the horizon of the world would be illumined by the lights of the Sun of Manifestation, and when the Countenance of the Promised One would descend from the heaven of the divine Will with the hosts of knowledge and utterance.

How many were the servants who sought the appearance of the Truth, glorified be His majesty, and who at all times implored and begged in utmost lowliness and supplication for His presence. Yet when the Sun of Revelation shone forth from the horizon of the Divine Will, all were thunderstruck and bewildered, save a few whose faces are inscribed in God's Book as the letters of the countenance.

O Yahya! The promise hath come to pass, and the Spirit crieth out among the servants. Verily, those who lay claim to knowledge and wisdom have debarred themselves from this bounty that hath encompassed all regions. We have tested them and found them in wondrous doubt. Blessed art thou for having cast away vain imaginings and taken hold of the Book by the command of God, the Lord of all religions.

O friend! Whatsoever hath been announced in the Books hath been revealed and made clear. From every direction the signs have been manifested. The Omnipotent One is calling, in this day, and announcing the appearance of the Supreme Heaven. The world hath been illumined with the splendours of His revelation, yet how few are the eyes that can behold it!

Say: This is what ye were promised in the Books of God, if ye be of them that know, and this is that whereby the Truth was established in the eternity of eternities and shall be established unto the end that hath no end.

God has placed all the signs of the horizons within the souls. Had God not placed the signs of the horizons within the souls, the servant could not have discovered what lies in the horizons. Thus the recognition of the exposition of prophethood is established in the signs of the soul to facilitate recognition of the signs of the horizons. For reason indicates what God has placed within oneself by establishing a Creator. When one becomes certain, one must establish the Bearer of Universal Prophethood, for the eternal outpouring was never other than complete. When God wishes to create the Primal Will, it comes into being instantly by itself. God has never ceased willing except through His Will, for the Essence is not joined with His creation nor does it change in any way through His origination.

And since the universal effusion hath been established as proceeding from His creative act within the souls, it must needs be manifest likewise in the horizons. And when it is made clear that the signs of the horizons correspond to those of the souls, it becometh evident that the bearer of that universal Prophethood in the world without is he whose name is Muhammad, as was mentioned in the mystery of His name -- and His father's name is 'Abdallah. Indeed, were man to expound the mystery of reality, it would establish the land of his birth, his age, and all his circumstances. But minds cannot grasp the reality of the matter, for when the mind becomes refined and subtle it can only comprehend something limited.

The establishment of such stations is difficult for one who views things through the lens of limitation and geometry. But when the servant removes the veils of the glorious lights from the sacred court of the first determination in contingent existence and creation, he will discover the reality of the matter: that at the time when the Messenger of God - peace be upon Him and His family - appeared, all the signs of the heavens and earth were in a state of equilibrium. And verily He - may my spirit and all who dwell in the kingdoms of command and creation be a sacrifice for Him - appeared at a time when the condition of creation was at the station described by God, exalted be His glory: "Then We developed it into another creation. So blessed be God, the Best of creators."

Indeed, on the first day of the new creation, people's understanding was at the stage of a drop of seed, and all progressed in the first pinnacle through the ranks of the manifestations of the Prophets and Messengers, until the structure of existence was perfected and the wisdom of the greater world emerged.

God, glorified be He, desired to manifest the first light from His Self, a remembrance from His sanctity, and a sign of His oneness, so that all atoms might quiver in the station of manifestation according to what God intended for creation on the day of their emergence in this world, that each might take its portion of the knowledge of the Book according to what God had ordained in the decree of origin and return.

(establishing specific prophethood in its inner aspect:)

What has been thus far detailed in these allusions regarding the establishment of the specific prophethood pertains to the outer station.

One day this servant asked whether, if Ra'is should repent, he might be invested with the robe of forgiveness. Thereupon the Ancient Beauty turned to me and said: "By God, besides Whom there is none other God! All that the All-Merciful hath revealed in the Tablet shall come to pass." Then in Persian He said: "Were all who are in heaven and earth to gather together, desiring to change but one word of the Tablet of Ra'is, they would be powerless and would never succeed."

The time foreordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled. Out of Zion hath gone forth the Law of God, and Jerusalem, and the hills and land thereof, are filled with the glory of His Revelation. Happy is the man that pondereth in his heart that which hath been revealed in the Books of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.

We must say:

I wish to awaken you out of your deep slumber. Do you know in what day you are living? Do you realize in what dispensation you exist? Have you not read in the holy scriptures that at the consummation of the ages there would dawn a day--the sum total of all past days? This is the day when the Lord of hosts hath come on the clouds of glory.

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Moreover We have laid bare the divine mysteries and in most explicit language foretold future events, that neither the doubts of the faithless, nor the denials of the froward, nor the whisperings of the heedless may keep back the seekers of truth from the Source of the light of the One true God.

The Revelation which, from time immemorial, hath been acclaimed as the Purpose and Promise of all the Prophets of God, and the most cherished Desire of His Messengers, hath now, by virtue of the pervasive Will of the Almighty and at His irresistible bidding, been revealed unto men. The advent of such a Revelation hath been heralded in all the sacred Scriptures. Behold how, notwithstanding such an announcement, mankind hath strayed from its path and shut out itself from its glory.

He arose amidst all beings and proclaimed with the most exalted call: "By God! That which ye were promised hath come to pass, and He for Whose meeting the heavens and earth were created hath appeared.

The Son of Mary sought refuge in wilderness and desert to preserve His life, while now the kings of the world hold fast to His name and cling to the hem of His grace.

O people! Look ye at God's previous Scriptures. By God! In every word thereof ye were promised this resplendent, dawning, rising, hidden, mighty and manifest Beauty.

The Herald of the All-Merciful gave glad tidings to all who dwell in the realm of possibility that the divine promise has been fulfilled and that which was mentioned in the heavenly Books has appeared.

The One Who departed has returned - that is, He Who ascended has descended with great glory and a luminous countenance.

Blessed be this Day wherein hath appeared what was promised in the Torah and the Gospel and in the Psalms and the Qur'an - the Day wherein the All-Merciful hath sent down that which the perceivers failed to perceive and the reckoners failed to reckon its station.

But when the appointed time came and the Revealer of verses appeared, the people were seized by the doubts of those who denied God, the Lord of the Beginning and the End. Some doubted His Cause, while others denied this Hour from which all hours have dawned.

In all the books He gave glad tidings to the world that the time would come when He Who conversed on Sinai would repair to the Sinai of manifestation.

This is the announcement wherewith were adorned the scrolls of Adam and the Friend, and that which the All-Merciful revealed unto Muhammad, the Apostle of God, and unto him who was named Ali before Nabil. Ye were promised this Most Great Name, as attested by the Torah and the Gospel.

O son of man! The Pen of the All-Merciful maketh mention of thee in the Most Great Prison and saith: We gave the glad-tidings of the coming of the Lord of Power to all the children of men in the former Book, as is recorded therein where He saith "I go away and come again."

Be thou assured through thy Lord's grace and thank Him for having prepared and raised thee to exalt His Word among the people, to establish proof and evidence for the people of understanding of the appearance of the Promised One on the appointed Day, of the occurrence of the Great Event at the praised station, and of thy Lord's manifest revelation--fulfilling what was promised in the ancient scriptures: "And thy Lord shall come and the angels rank on rank."

Know thou that factions have, from the earliest centuries, been anxiously waiting to observe the manifest brilliance of the Light of Guidance and the emergence of the Elevated Stars; the appearance of the Promised Manifestation from Jabulqa and Jabarsa. Jews have been anticipating the appearance of the Promised One from the City of the Sabbath which is concealed from the eyes; the same is Jabulqa. The community of Jesus [Christians] await the appearance of the Promised One from the centre of the sky, upon a cloud, descending from the most elevated zenith; the same is Jabarsa. The Kaisaniyya await the appearance of the Promised One from out of the interior of the mountain of Radwa nigh unto the Luminous City [Medina]; the same is Jabulqa. The ancient Persian community [Zoroastrians] await the manifestation of their Promised One from an unknown location; the same is Jabarsa.

Hearken ye on the Day when the Herald calleth from the direction of the Most Exalted Name. Then shall ye find the true Cry between heaven and earth, and God shall come in holy clouds surrounded by hosts of angels.

That which was recorded in the Book hath appeared, for the All-Bestowing hath come with manifest sovereignty and hath uttered the Most Great Word, whereby souls were quickened, bodies were gathered together, and every mouldering bone was stirred.

Pure praise and its essence befit the most inaccessible, most holy presence of the Beloved, Who, in the midst of tribulation, from the highest horizon, summons the people of the mortal realm to the straight path and the Great Announcement. This is that Announcement which all heavenly Books have foretold - in one place mentioned as the City that shall descend from heaven, in another referred to as Zion, in yet another as the New Jerusalem, and in other books as the Everlasting God and the Eternal Father. This is the Day of the Lord, the Day of God, the Promised Day, the Day of Resurrection, the Hour, the Sure Day, the Striking Day, the Day of the Trumpet, the Day of the Bugle, the Day of the Cry, and the Day of Sinai - that is, the Day in which He Who conversed on Sinai speaks forth and gives utterance. This is that mighty Announcement at which the very foundations of all religions have trembled and the limbs of the people of understanding have quaked, save whom God willed.

The light hath shone forth, and radiance floodeth Mount Sinai, and a gentle wind bloweth from over the gardens of the Ever-Forgiving Lord; the sweet breaths of the spirit are passing by, and those who lay buried in the grave are rising up--and still do the heedless slumber on in their tombs.

In the Book of Joel it is recorded: "For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can abide it?" And likewise it states: "The Lord shall roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake." Jerusalem is Akka, the Holy Land and its environs, and Zion is a place in these lands, as well as a place in Jerusalem. From this valley the divine Call has been raised, and the throne of divine Justice has been established in this land.

Concerning what was written about the Revelation of John, upon Him be the Most Glorious Beauty of God, it is correct. He has mentioned with utmost clarity, as He says that the New City shall descend from heaven, meaning the New Jerusalem shall descend in Jerusalem, as indeed it did descend.

Say: By God! The Trumpet soundeth in My Name, and the Bugle proclaimeth My remembrance, and the Bell ringeth out: "The Sovereign hath come with manifest sovereignty!"

Say: The Day of Return is manifest and the Mother Book speaks without veil or concealment that which will guide all from poverty, weakness and vain imaginings to the horizons of wealth, power and certitude.

The Day of God hath come, and the Balance hath been set up, and the Trumpet hath been blown, and the Lord of Revelation hath spoken; yet the people are in strange doubt.

Doubt hath so seized them that they have disbelieved in God, the Lord of all beings. When the Promise came to pass, the world was overturned. How many a light was darkened, how many a learned one became heedless, how many a knower was debarred from the Known One!

Today is a most blessed day. It is hallowed and auspicious. It is the dawning of the lights of guidance. It is the source and origin of God's Cause. It is the effulgence of the Sun of Truth. It is the Day of the blast of the trumpet and the sounding of the bugle. The events of this day are most momentous, though their reality is known only to them that are endowed with insight, and though the honor of this day is hidden from the people, even though it is the first blast.

The day and age promised by the divine Prophets has appeared. This is the day in which Zion dances with joy. The day has come in which Carmel is revived and is rejoicing. That day has come for you to return to Palestine and see how it is flourishing.

Behold what the All-Merciful hath revealed in the Qur'an, that thou mayest lead the people out of darkness into light and give them glad-tidings of the days of God. This is the Day wherein it behooveth every seeker to be in such wise that neither the books of the world nor the veils of the nations can hinder him. He speaketh and calleth out amongst the servants. This is the Day whereof God gave tidings, the Day whereon mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds.

He spoke - and His word is the truth - "A drop in the subsequent Revelation shall be mightier than all that was created in the Bayan."

This is the Day which Moses heralded in the Torah, and the Spirit [Christ] in the Gospel, and after them Muhammad the Messenger of God. Read what the All-Merciful has revealed in the Qur'an: "The Day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds."

The Most Great Announcement hath come, yet most of the peoples remain heedless.

… Say: O peoples of the earth! The All-Bountiful hath come, riding upon the clouds, while from His right the Herald of Glory proclaimeth: "O people! This is He Who was promised to you in the Books of old, and this is He at Whose appearance the Books of the peoples bowed down in submission."

The Books of the world's peoples have given glad tidings of the appearance of the Most Great Name, and all the Messengers and near ones have spoken of His mention and uttered His praise. … Isaiah says: "The everlasting Father and eternal God shall come." The Spirit (Christ) says: "The Comforter and the Perfecter and Spirit of Truth shall come." The Qur'an calls out His Name and makes all aware.

Say: By God! The Most Great Book hath been sent down upon the human temple. Blessed be the All-Merciful Who speaketh at the heart of contingent being: "There is none other God but Me, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."

That which the Friend (Abraham) mentioned hath appeared, and after Him He Who conversed with God (Moses), and the Spirit (Jesus) bore witness to it, and after Him the Beloved One (Muhammad) by whom the Night Journey was adorned.

This is a Day wherein the Ocean saith to the dry land: Blessed art thou, since God hath honored thee with His footsteps. O concourse of earth! Grieve not for aught, for by God, the Promise hath come, and this is the Promised One Who walketh in the mansion and calleth all unto God, the Mighty, the Loving.

Verily the Torah cries out saying: "He Who revealed Me has come with His mighty signs. Turn unto Him, O concourse of Jews!" The Gospel exclaims: "He has come from heaven, He through Whose mention God, the Lord of the seen and unseen, adorned His Book." And the Qur'an calls humanity unto the Truth Who was promised by the Most Exalted Pen in a preserved tablet.

This is the Day which Muhammad, the Messenger of God, foretold in the Qur'an, and before Him the Books of God, the Lord of the worlds. He spoke, and His word is the truth: 'The Day when the heaven shall give forth a manifest smoke.'

This is the Day wherein all things have spoken: "The Kingdom is God's, the Almighty, the Self-Subsisting!" He has prospered who has turned to the Most Great Ocean, and he has lost who has hesitated in this ordained Cause. By God! The proof cries out and the evidence proclaims, yet the people hear not, save those who have been given insight by God, the Lord of what was and what shall be.

O Yahuda! Verily the Mount discourseth, yet the people hear not. Verily the Tree calleth aloud, yet mankind comprehend not.

Today the Speaker of the Mount is speaking that which was foretold: "Await ye the appearance of Him Who conversed with Moses from the Tree upon the Mount."

O peoples of the earth! By My life, the gate of grace hath been opened, and the Sun of Justice from behind the clouds of tyranny calleth out, saying: "This is the Day of Union, did ye but know it, and this is the Day of Meeting, did ye but perceive it, and this is the Day of remembrance and praise, did ye but understand it."

How many a Prophet hath lamented My separation, and how many a Messenger hath yearned for My days. To this do the denizens of the realm of the Kingdom and of dominion bear witness.

O Mihdi! The Promised One hath come and the Herald hath proclaimed: "The Kingdom is God's, the Lord of the Day of Judgment." Among the people are those who have turned away, those who have denied, those who have pronounced judgment against Us without clear proof or illuminating Book, and those who have forsaken the world out of their longing for the Most Great Name. Thus hath the matter been decreed, and most of the people are among the ignorant.

By the life of God! No Messenger was sent and no Book was revealed except to give glad tidings to creation of this Manifestation through which the very corners of possibility smiled. But when the appointed time was fulfilled and the Promise came and the Promised One appeared, the servants in all directions denied Him.

By God! There hath appeared that which had never appeared before, and the Speaker of Sinai, Who was promised in the Books of God, the Lord of Lords, hath spoken. The story of the Fire hath returned in the Sinai of the righteous and calleth out with the most exalted call between earth and heaven: "The Promise hath come, and the Lord of Names hath appeared with the hosts of revelation and the standards of signs!"

Say: He hath come after 'Ali even as the Spirit came after the son of Zachariah. Thus hath the Truth come and judgment been decreed from One mighty and powerful.

The Seal of the Prophets and Guide of all paths hath spoken from God: "The Day when men will be as scattered moths, and the mountains will be like carded wool."

And this is the station of the blessed, supreme Word which hath descended from the heaven of grace and the kingdom of utterance: "There came not unto them any Messenger but they did mock at Him." Glory be to God! All that hath been mentioned they have heard and have also acknowledged, and yet they have uttered that which caused every seeing one to weep and every knowing one to lament.

This is that Day concerning which He spoke to the Son of Imran on the Mount of Knowledge, saying: "Lead forth the people from darkness into light and remind them of the days of God." And the Seal of the Prophets gave glad tidings of it, saying: "The Day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds."

O servants of the All-Merciful! This is the springtime of the All-Merciful, did ye but know. The Lord of Seasons hath come, did ye but perceive. The Sovereign of Days hath appeared - blessed are the people who see.

Say: Have not the verses been sent down, and have not the evidences shone forth, and hath not the proof been perfected, and hath not the Resurrection come to pass? By My life! That which ye were promised in the Tablets hath been fulfilled, while ye remain behind veils, and be not of them that know.

Say: The Promised One is He Who speaketh at this moment in this perspicuous Tablet, and this is the Day of vision and of meeting, for the Most Great Scene hath been illumined by the lights of the countenance of the Lord of Destiny, through Whom the verses were sent down and the evidences appeared and whatsoever was hidden in My all-encompassing knowledge.

Say: This is the Day in which the banners of the Manifestation have been raised, the Path has been laid, and the mountains have been scattered.

Among the people are those who say He hath fabricated a lie against God - thus did those who disbelieved speak aforetime.

Then will the Herald of the Spirit call out from the Throne of Immortality, and the Dove of Holiness will warble from a near station, and the Cock of the Throne will crow, and the Peacock of Oneness will appear adorned with a wondrous glory. Thereupon all who are in the heavens shall swoon from fear of the Command, and all who are on earth shall be shaken, except such as have detached themselves unto God and were of those who are well-assured in His Cause.

O Ramadan! The month of Ramadan hath come, whose mention the All-Merciful hath revealed in the Qur'an, wherein fasting was ordained for them that have believed in God, the Lord of the Great Throne. Its appointed time hath passed away by Our decree, and the Day which was promised in all the Books of God, and in the Qur'an - the Day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds - hath come.

Today it is incumbent upon all the peoples of the world to turn with their hearts toward the Beloved. The divine promises recorded and inscribed in the books of the past and present have all become manifest and evident.

Zion crieth out: O People! The city of God hath in truth descended from heaven, and that which the Prophets had announced unto you hath come to pass.

I swear by the Sun of Truth that no Book hath been sent down except that it gave glad tidings of this Most Great Revelation and this Most Straight Path. Were it not for Him, no Books would have been revealed and no Scriptures would have appeared.

He hath appeared time after time, and in this cycle hath drawn aside all the veils from the face of the Unseen, manifesting Himself in such wise that even the eyes of those near unto God cannot behold Him as He truly is.

Today all atoms are observed to be in a state of utmost attraction and excitement, for they have perceived the fragrance of the garment of Joseph of inner meanings. Yet most of the servants remain heedless and deprived of it, even though all who dwell on earth were created for this blessed and wondrous Day. The divine Books bear witness to this utterance and His tongue of will testifies to these words.

He, verily, is the One promised in the Torah and mentioned in the Qur'an and the Gospel. He hath promised all peoples the Most Great Law, and He hath appeared in truth with a manifest balance.

Give thanks unto the Desire of the worlds, Who hath ascribed you unto Himself and, in this blessed Name, hath made mention of you in the Books and Tablets." Strive that ye may not be shut out from the effusions of these days. The people of the Furqan, for ages and centuries, awaited the Days of God; but when they came, they denied and perpetrated that which caused the very atoms of created things to lament and cry out.

This is the Day concerning which Thou didst covenant with every Prophet to herald unto all the advent of Him Who shall be manifested therein with Thy sovereign might and celestial power.

O My handmaiden, O My leaf! Verily the Pen of the Most High hath borne witness unto thy recognition of Him, thy love for Him and thy turning towards the Ancient Countenance at a time when the world hath rejected Him, save those whom God, the Most High, hath willed. This is the Day foretold by the Messenger of God, and before Him by the Spirit and before Him by Him Who came with nine clear signs and was called the Interlocutor in My perspicuous Book.

The day is approaching when the intervening clouds will have been completely dissipated, when the light of the words, "All honor belongeth unto God and unto them that love Him," will have appeared, as manifest as the sun, above the horizon of the Will of the Almighty.

O Husayn! Consider the eagerness with which certain peoples and nations have anticipated the return of Imam Husayn, whose coming, after the appearance of the Qa’im, hath been prophesied, in days past, by the chosen ones of God, exalted be His glory.

Say: Muhammad and those who were witnesses after him, and all who believed in God and His signs, have returned to the life which all were promised.

Assuredly the hand of divine power shall set the world aright, and whatsoever weakness and poverty are witnessed shall surely be transformed into might, power and wealth. By Him Who splits the seed and creates the soul, the stations of steadfast and tranquil souls shall be made manifest in such wise that every tongue shall utter "Blessed be God, the Lord of the worlds!"

I testify that through Thy manifestation that which was recorded in the Books of God, the Lord of all worlds, hath been fulfilled. These are the days which Thy ambassadors, Thy messengers, and Thy chosen ones foretold through Thy word: 'Lead forth the people from darkness into light and give them the glad-tidings of the days of God.'

Whoso layeth claim to a Revelation before the completion of a full thousand years, such a one is assuredly a lying impostor.

Today the True One, exalted be His glory, watches over His servants and handmaidens, and at all times has He remembered them all with a remembrance whose standards shall ere long be raised throughout the world and whose banners shall wave triumphant upon the highest flags.

Give heed, and ponder in your hearts the condition of the heedless: for all confess and acknowledge that the True One---glorified be His majesty and exalted be His sovereignty---will appear, either in His own Self or through the Manifestation of His Cause. To this do the Divine Books bear witness and testimony.

… When the morn of the Day of God broke, and the horizons were illumined by the radiance of the Sun of His Manifestation, all were found veiled, through the darkness of their vain imaginings, from that Dawning-Place of Light.

In the Name of our Most Holy Lord!

My God, my God! Praise be to Thee for having informed Thy servants and revealed unto them beforehand that which later came to pass, when the light of Thy countenance was shining from the horizon of Zawra and in the Land of Mystery, and at the first arrival in Thy Most Great Prison Thou didst say - and Thy word is the truth - that the cawing of the crows would be raised and the birds of night would stir in the towns and territories.

The servant beareth witness that Thy word is truth and Thy command is certain, and testifieth that Thou didst foretell all that hath appeared and shall appear unto the Day that hath no end. I beseech Thee, O Cleaver of the Dawn and Sender of the Winds, by Thy Most Great Name through which the peoples are impelled, to strengthen whomsoever hath turned towards Thee upon the Most Great Steadfastness. Then send down upon him from the heaven of Thy bounty a blessing from Thy presence, O Lord of Names and Creator of earth and heaven! Verily Thou art the Almighty over whatsoever Thou willest. There is none other God but Thee, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

When, with the support of Nasiri'd-Din Shah and Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz, Shaykh 'Abdu'l-Husayn strove mightily to extinguish the light of God's Cause, the radiance of God's Faith nevertheless illumined both East and West, and the triumph and retribution of God's religion caused the heads of monarchs to bow in abasement. Ere long, you shall witness all orders rolled up, and the peoples and nations of the world gathered beneath the pavilion of the Cause of God.

Although at present no matter worthy of mention is evident, there is no doubt that hereafter the exaltation of the Most Great Word and the elevation of the stations of His loved ones will become clear and manifest to all like unto the sun.

Love for you and respect for you has been and is obligatory upon every soul, and if the present souls show negligence, assuredly souls shall appear from behind the pavilion of divine Will who shall act according to what hath been revealed from the Supreme Pen, detached from all idle fancies, for verily He knoweth best His servants and He is the Truth, the Knower of the unseen.

Soon shall that which is seen be rolled up; then shall the sincere ones find what they were promised in a glorious Book.

He made no mention of the owners of treasures and riches and cities and regions and ranks and thousands, but made mention of the owner of a camel. All matters depend upon and are suspended by the utterance of the All-Merciful. He bestowed such honor and favor upon the she-camel of Salih that mention of it has flowed and been revealed from the Most Exalted Pen in most of the Books, and likewise the servants upon the pulpits speak in its praise and glorification.

The smoke hath risen and prevented eyes from beholding the Most Exalted Horizon. Woe unto him who hath turned away from the Truth, and blessed is the servant who hath heard and said: "Here am I, O Lord of all days!"

The Tree proclaimeth and saith: "O people of the earth! The seal of the choice Wine hath been broken, and the Desired One giveth with snow-white hands. Hasten ye unto Him, and be not of them that have turned away from this manifest, resplendent, mighty and all-encompassing bounty."

I beseech Thee, O Thou through Whose Name the mysteries of the Resurrection and its signs were revealed, and the earth was cleft asunder, and its treasures emerged, and that which was hidden therein appeared, to assist Thy handmaiden and this leaf among Thy leaves to turn toward Thee at all times.

We arrived at this place and expanded its borders - this is what God foretold in the Books of the Messengers.

All the Books have been sent down in order to establish the truth of this Cause. Whoso turneth away hath verily denied God and His Messengers and His Books which were sent unto the worlds. Say: All Books have been expounded from this mighty Book. He who denieth this Book, naught shall be accepted from him though he act according to what is in the Books of God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.

The Day of the Promise is come, and He Who is the Promised One loudly proclaimeth before all who are in heaven and all who are on earth, 'Verily there is none other God but He, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting!'

Soon shall the veil be lifted, and the lights of the effulgences of the Sun of Truth shall illumine and enlighten the world.

O Muhammad Husayn! Say: O deniers, what do you understand by "the Day when mankind shall stand before the Lord of the worlds," and by "when thy Lord shall come, and the angels rank on rank"?

All the Divine Books and Scriptures have predicted and announced unto men the advent of the Most Great Revelation. None can adequately recount the verses recorded in the Books of former ages which forecast this supreme Bounty, this most mighty Bestowal.

I came not to proclaim that which ye already possess. Verily, verily, this day is a new day; He that hath come is the Wondrous, and His bidding the wonder of all that is in heaven and on earth

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The divers branches of learning wherewith the wearers of the turban pride themselves are such as have led them, in the cities and provinces of Íran, to ascend the pulpits and revile Him Who is the Desire of the world---God forbid! May God preserve us and thee from their vain imaginings, their doubts, and their insinuations. One craft, of the crafts of the peoples of the West and of the East, which in this day is of service to mankind, and which ministereth to their comfort and tranquillity, is, in the sight of God, more excellent than all that these heedless souls have borne about in their minds and proclaim from the pulpits. Know thou, with firm and manifest assurance, that the effulgence of this Most Great Revelation hath encompassed the whole world; and ere long such means and such arts shall appear in the realm as shall be witnessed to confound the minds of men of understanding, who will be found powerless to fathom their secret.

Praise be to God, thou hast attained unto true knowledge. Now recognition and acceptance are needed, that all servants may be adorned with the ornament of recognition and illumined by the lights of acceptance. From this recognition and acceptance shall appear that which no eye hath ever beheld. Reflect upon Christ and the outward crafts. Verily thy Lord is the Expositor, the All-Knowing, and He is the Wise Craftsman. The most great cause and supreme reason for whatsoever was seen before or shall be seen hereafter, or hath appeared or shall appear, hath been and is the Divine verses and the Will and Purpose of the Lord. The ladder of knowledge is high, and the feet of the servants are afflicted with paralysis. The horizon is radiant, but vision is weak. In any case, I beseech the Self-Sufficient, the Exalted to show generosity, to bestow bounty, to grant healing in His Name, the Healer. He is the Powerful, the Mighty.

O concourse of creation! Behold then remember what the All-Merciful hath sent down in the Qur'an and in the Books of old concerning this Revelation through which the Speaker of the Mount hath spoken and the Lote-Tree of the furthermost boundary hath called out. By God! He Who was hidden hath come, and He Who was treasured hath appeared, and through Him all things have spoken: "The Kingdom belongeth unto God, the Most High, the Most Great!"

Then the men will exclaim that this command of Baha'u'llah is the Command of Justice, this teaching of Baha'u'llah is well proven, and this crown that Baha'u'llah has set upon the heads of women is well-deserving.

God testifieth that there is none other God but Him, and that He Who hath come is the Lamp of Guidance among creatures, the Most Great Sign unto all peoples, the Dawning-Place of the Cause amidst humanity, and the Manifestation of Bounty to all who are in the heavens and on earth.

The teachings of the Ancient Beauty constitute that Covenant, all of which must needs be realized in its own time, even though it may take successive centuries; yet ultimately it must be fulfilled and breathe a new spirit into the dead bodies of mankind.

For this reason the following prophecy was uttered by Mohamad in the chapter of the Koran called the Greeks:- "The Greeks have been defeated in a land hard by. But after their defeat they shall defeat their foes in a few years. First and last is the affair with God. And on that day shall the faithful rejoice." Then in the year 625 the Persians were defeated by Heraclius.

You remember it is prophesied in the Gospel that the New Jerusalem will descend from heaven, and if the supplications of the friends of God should ascend heavenward, and if the lights of God should shine upon it, then you should know that the New Jerusalem had descended upon this city.

Say: O people! The divine promises have been adorned with the ornament of fulfillment, and whatsoever was announced in the heavenly epistles hath become manifest and evident.

And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him. Deuteronomy 18:21-22

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