The Lord of History

Chapter 10

All things are begotten of God. He is the source of all creation, its designer and its sustainer, its protector and its ruler. All that is has come into being by His wish, has appeared according to His plan, has been manifested according to His time. All that is to be will likewise proceed from Him.

God alone can comprehend Himself. He alone can perceive His stature. He alone can estimate His excellence. None but Him can do this. He has no peer or equal. None can assist Him; none can resist Him:

He hath, from everlasting, dwelt in His inaccessible habitation of holiness and glory, and will unto everlasting continue to be enthroned upon the heights of His independent sovereignty and grandeur.

Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 261

Limitations of time and space can not approach His sanctified presence. Eternity itself is a mere creation of His; the vastness of the heavens, but His handiwork. Infinite is His knowledge, infinite His power, infinite His bounty. He neither toils nor spins, but with perfect ease accomplishes anything:

A drop of the billowing ocean of His endless mercy hath adorned all creation with the ornament of existence, and a breath wafted from His peerless Paradise hath invested all beings with the robe of His sanctity and glory. A sprinkling from the unfathomed deep of His sovereign and all-pervasive Will hath, out of utter nothingness, called into being a creation which is infinite in its range and deathless in its duration. The wonders of His bounty can never cease, and the stream of His merciful grace can never be arrested. The process of His creation hath had no beginning, and can have no end.

Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 61

God has created, and His creation stands utterly in need of Him. Like the blade of grass that cannot exist without the sustaining light of the sun, all created things are dependent for their very existence upon His sustaining grace. Were it to be withheld, no created thing could exist.

But His grace is not withheld. It is shed unceasingly.

Love is the Cause of God’s Creation and Unceasing Grace

God’s grace is not withheld. It is shed unceasingly. Why is this?

Why has creation been called into being, and why is it sustained? What is the purpose of God's great work?

The scriptures tell us that the answer is love. Out of His love we were created, and He wishes us to return that love:

O Son of Man! I loved thy creation, hence I created thee. Wherefore, do thou love Me, that I may name thy name and fill thy soul with the spirit of life.

Arabic Hidden Words, No. 4

To love Him, we must know Him, for we cannot love a thing that we do not know. For this reason, God has given us the capacity to know Him:

From among all created things He hath singled out for His special favor the pure, the gem-like reality of man, and invested it with a unique capacity of knowing Him and of reflecting the greatness of His glory.

Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 77

God Himself is the purpose of creation. He wishes to be known and loved. He is not only the Source, but also the Goal of creation. We proceed from Him, and we return unto Him.

But how can we know God? Can a blade of grass comprehend the sun? Can a painting understand the one who painted it? Or a sculpture imagine the sculptor?

How can we, His creatures, know Him, when we can not even fathom His creation! We who do not even know the hairs of our own head, much less the wonders of the universe; are we to understand the infinite Creator?

No. We have been bound by limits that we can never transcend. God is far too great to be comprehended of Himself. However, we are not cut off from Him; His mercy does not fail to reach us. Although we cannot know Him directly, He has allowed a way for His eternal love to reach us, for His attributes to be manifested in His creation. It is His attributes, not His essence, that we can know; and thereby is He known.

The truth that we know God through His attributes, but not in His essence, will become clearer if we consider, by way of analogy, a blade of grass. A blade of grass can never know the inner workings of the sun. According to its limited capacity as ordained by God, however, a blade of grass can benefit from the life-giving rays of the sun, and can manifest the qualities of those rays in its growth. The blade of grass does not know the sun directly, but it can experience and become imbued with its qualities; thus, what the blade of grass knows of the sun are its rays, its qualities, but not its essence. The blade of grass cannot go to the sun, neither can the sun descend in its essence into the blade of grass. Neither the nature of the sun nor the nature of the blade of grass would permit this.

We will never, and can never know, the essence of God, yet according to our capacity, as ordained by God, we can benefit from His life-giving spirit, and we can manifest His qualities in our spiritual growth. We cannot know God directly, but we can know His attributes. This is what we can know of Him. We cannot attain to the presence of God, neither can God come and dwell on earth. His divine nature does not permit this.

The intermediary between the sun and the blade of grass is the light that the sun radiates. The intermediary between God and man is His Holy One:

The door of the knowledge of the Ancient Being hath ever been, and will continue for ever to be, closed in the face of men. No man's understanding shall ever gain access unto His holy court. As a token of His mercy, however, and as a proof of His loving-kindness, He hath manifested unto men the Day Stars of His divine guidance, the Symbols of His divine unity, and hath ordained the knowledge of these sanctified Beings to be identical with the knowledge of His own Self. Whoso recognizeth them hath recognized God. Whoso hearkeneth to their call, hath hearkened to the Voice of God, and whoso testifieth to the truth of their Revelation, hath testified to the truth of God Himself. Whoso turneth away from them, hath turned away from God, and whoso disbelieveth in them, hath disbelieved in God.

Every one of them is the Way of God that connecteth this world with the realms above, and the Standard of His Truth unto every one in the kingdoms of earth and heaven. They are the Manifestations of God amidst men, the evidences of His Truth, and the signs of His glory.

Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 50

All created things - the spheres in the heavens, the mountains, deserts, oceans and creatures of the earth, and of course, God's beloved children - manifest to a prescribed degree the greatness of their Creator. Each, within its own domain, is a reflection of the purpose of God. However, the Holy One of God, the Prophet of the age, is the incomparable Manifestation of His attributes; indeed He, and He alone, is the very channel through which the grace of God flows to His creation. No mere human can ever attain the degree of distinction possessed by these Manifestations of God, for God has ordained that these sanctified Beings, though they appear in the form of a human temple, are invested with His infinite knowledge, His infinite power, His infinite love and authority. The lives of all peoples are between Their fingers. The universe itself lies in the hollow of Their hand.

The Holy One of God, the Manifestation of God for the Age, is thus the Lord of History.

The Manifestation of God and The Tree of Life

The Manifestation of God is the channel through which, and through which alone, the grace of God flows to all creation. He is the very source of life to the world:

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you."

John 6:53

In these words, Christ leaves no alternative to attain to life, but through Him. We must eat - that is we must partake of - His divine perfections, if we are to have true life. There is no life except through Him, for Christ is the "bread of life"[1]; He is the "light of life"[2]; He is the "Prince of life"[3]. He is the "Spirit of life"[4], the "promise of life"[5], and the "Word of life"[6]. Indeed He is the very "tree of life"[7] bringing forth "fruits of righteousness"[8] whose "leaves" are for the "healing of the nations"[9]:

He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Revelation 2:7

Here Christ, through Whom comes “everlasting life”[10], speaks symbolically of Himself as the "tree of life" planted in the garden of creation, the world of being, symbolized in His blessed words by the "paradise of God".

We first read of the Tree of Life in Genesis, a tree which if eaten of, one would "live for ever"[11], but whose exalted reality was beyond the reach of man because it was protected by a "flaming sword which turned every way"[12].

This sacred Tree, destined in the fullness of time to bear "twelve manner of fruit"[13], and through which the "Blessed" who "do his commandments" may "enter in through the gates into the city"[14], is a symbol of the eternal Christ Figure, the Manifestation of God.

The Progressive Revelation of the Manifestation of God as the Tree of Life

This sacred Tree, the symbol of the Prophet, has manifested itself in degrees to humanity. It has appeared in history at critical stages, at those times when needed most by man. And at each of these stages, the glory it has shed has been according to the ability of humanity to receive His grace, according to its capacity to reflect His glory, and not according to the infinite essence of the Prophet Himself. We must bear constantly in mind, that the Manifestations of God are equal in their knowledge, their power and glory. In the heavenly realm, their stations are identical. It is only in this realm that they appear to vary in the intensity of their revelation of the divine spirit they embody. The light of the sun appears to vary as it rises, yet its blazing radiance is, in fact, constant; so too, with the Messengers of God

Let us consider the progressive revelation of God's will and purpose and the development of humanity over the ages. If we reflect on human development, briefly, we see that at the first appearance of man in the world, it was nature that ruled, and subjected him: nature was "king". The kingship of nature, however, was not meant to last forever because humanity, eventually, was destined to rule and subject nature, thereby bringing the "kingdom of humanity" into existence. Likewise, in the divine order of things, the kingship of humanity was not meant to endure forever because it was destined to be supplanted by the true and everlasting kingdom: the Kingdom of God.

These three stages: the kingdom of nature, the kingdom of man, and the kingdom of God, are Represented, respectively, by Adam, symbolizing the appearance of man in nature, his birth into the world of flesh and blood; Christ, symbolizing man’s rising above nature, his rebirth into the life of the spirit; and Christ Returned in the glory of the Father, symbolizing God’s ultimate rule over humanity.

The meaning of the tree of life as a symbol of the Manifestation of God is explained in the following quotation by Abdu'l-Bahá, the Son of Bahá'u'lláh. It is relatively short, but - like so many passages from scripture - certainly not immediately understandable. It is filled with such meaning that it will no doubt require innumerable volumes and all human learning to adequately explain and exhaust its import:

"The tree of life is the highest degree of the world of existence : the position of the Word of God, and the supreme Manifestation. Therefore, that position has been preserved: and, at the appearance of the most noble supreme Manifestation, it became apparent and clear. For the position of Adam, with regard to the appearance and manifestation of the divine perfections, was in the embryonic condition; the position of Christ was the condition of maturity and the age of reason; and the rising of the Greatest Luminary was the condition of the perfection of the essence and of the qualities. This is why in the supreme Paradise the tree of life is the expression for the center of absolutely pure sanctity-that is to say, of the divine supreme Manifestation. From the days of Adam until the days of Christ, they spoke little of eternal life and the heavenly universal perfections. This tree of life was the position of the Reality of Christ; through His manifestation it was planted and adorned with everlasting fruits."

How can we make an initial approach to the understanding of this profound passage? The following reflections about it may provide us at least a preliminary comprehension and grasp of its principal themes and ideas. Consider: the development of the human embryo is a necessary condition, an inseparable preliminary requirement, which must occur before the natural powers of the human being can appear and manifest themselves. The kingdom of nature must develop in a human being for many years - which is to say the physical, sensory, and material dimensions of human life must progress fully - before the dawn of the powers of thought and reason appear in a human being , and with it, the first signs of the budding maturity of the kingdom of humanity. This kingdom is that of reason, thought, art, science, law, government, and culture - the realm of civilization and its continuing progress and advancement; it is the Kingdom where humanity, by its characteristics and achievements, distinguishes itself from the animal Kingdom.

Humanity has progressed in a similar manner to that of the child progressing through various stages. At the time of Adam, man was only capable of receiving enough grace to develop its natural powers of adaptation to the earth and to slowly gain the powers of civilization.

With the maturity of humanity's natural powers, there dawned in humanity the capacity of reason. And with the development of the first powers of reason in man, humanity was capable of receiving the news of the Spirit, of the Kingdom of God - a kingdom that lies beyond the human kingdom - and of the universal perfections of the spiritual world. The achievement of this mighty surge forward in the life of the children of men was the purpose of God’s beloved Son.

Where earlier there had been the seeds and roots of spiritual life, with the Manifestation of Christ, and under the influence of His Revelation, a veritable tree of spiritual life burst into visibility above the ground of nature; Christ caused the Tree of the Spiritual Life of Mankind to visibly appear. At the very height of the reign of The Kingdom of Humanity, Christ appeared as the incarnation of the spiritual essence of humanity and summoned humanity to the Kingdom of God beyond the Kingdom of humanity. His Manifestation was the Dawn of the Kingdom of God on earth, but only the Dawn; therefore, Christ spoke of the Kingdom of God as already here, as the Day is here with the Dawn. But, even more insistently, He spoke of the full and mature coming of the Kingdom of God, and He told His followers constantly to watch and to remain awake and to prepare for the Great Day of God when the Kingdom of God would come to earth in its fullness.

That Day has now come. This is the Great Day of God of which Christ spoke, the full appearance and blossoming of the Kingdom of God on earth. We stand at the threshold of this mighty promise.

In the above quoted passage, none but the Christ Returned is signified by "the Greatest Luminary". And it is Bahá’u'lláh Who has fulfilled His Return, and His Coming is the condition which makes possible the full development of the spiritual powers of humanity - "the perfection of the essence and its qualities", the visible appearance of the Kingdom of God on earth in its fullness.

The appearance of Adam signalized the birth of man - the burst of humanity from the embryonic condition into the fullness of the growth and development of humanity’s powers in the Kingdom of nature. Christ, however, was the divine Messenger to mankind at the dawn of the point when the kingdom of humanity first fails, and is therefore in need of the spiritual graces of the Kingdom of God. He embodies the spiritual rebirth, the Crucifying, definitive Turning Point of mankind; the point at which man must "die" to the world and must “live” in Him. And the Manifestation of Bahá'u'lláh comes as the kingdom of humanity utterly, finally, and miserably fails, as tragically witnessed in the world today: in Him, the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, appears the Kingdom of the Father in the plenitude of its power and glory.

Thus the Manifestation of God, the sacred Tree providing the very life of mankind, presides over the course of Humanity’s History and Destiny - from its birth, through its spiritual rebirth, and unto its full Blossoming and beyond, to the Summer of its Ripeness and the millennia still to unfold in its future. Indeed, The Manifestations of God are the Sources and Mainsprings of History - the secret, the potent, and the inmost Causes of the development of all Human Life. They hold the key to who we are, why we are here, and where we are going.

Glory be to Thee, O God, for Thy manifestation of love to mankind!

Bahá'u'lláh, Bahá’í Prayers (UK), p. 60

The advent of God's manifestation of love to the world, in the form of a human being - a miracle which God has ordained to occur from age to age - is the most vital yet most mysterious phenomenon in creation. At such times the worlds of God and of man make their closest approach. Those who attain the presence of the Promised One, if they are spiritually awake, obtain a glimpse of the realm of God, and “drink of the honey of reunion with Him”[15]. Although God's love is omnipresent, whether or not the Promised One be here on earth, yet when He is with us in physical form, it is a special time, a time of which it can truly be said that we behold " God with us"[16].

His authority is divine, and His judgment irrevocable. He tests us, discerning our inmost motives, searching the condition of our hearts - and He rewards us according to His celestial wisdom. His every word and action are of God, and they proceed for the education of His children.

Unlike any earthly leader, the influence of the Manifestation of God increases uninterruptedly after His departure from the earth. Like a divine magnet, He attracts humanity to Him. Indeed, it is He who summons and calls us to do His work on earth: to shape our future according to His vision, to produce the history He desires. The age is His to command, and through the army of His followers, He conquers the forces of opposition.

The Meaning of the life of a Manifestation of God cannot be contained in a book, but rather is contained in the response of humanity; it consists, furthermore, in the influence that a Manifestation of God exerts during the centuries and millennia after His Coming. It is contained in the efflorescence of the collective life of the children of men as they strive to carry out His will and, in consequence of their striving, bring upon themselves the blessings promised them by their Creator. It is contained, moreover, in the hearts of those who love Him.

The meaning of His life is contained also in the destruction of patterns of thought, of behavior, and of so-called civilization, which run counter to His will, and which stubbornly and naively, clinging to the sand, attempt to withstand the force of His Revelation which, like a tidal wave, sweeps them away.

The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see

if there were any that did understand, and seek God.

Psalms 14:2

Though the prophet of the Age is a changeless Being, we, His children, certainly are not, for we are part of creation, and absolutely everything in creation changes. In fact, change is a law which God has made an integral part of creation, and one which we can not avoid. Life itself implies change. Moreover, the very purpose of our lives is to change. For, are we not to grow under the light of God's love?

The Manifestations of God have dawned upon the world from the beginning of time to shed the light that gives spiritual life to the world of being. They have, through their guidance and their sacrifice, lovingly and patiently lifted humanity from the animal state into which humanity is continually called by its lower nature. From the days of Adam, they have sought to raise humanity’s gaze from the earthly to the heavenly.

In the early days, mankind was like a child, and the message of God was, therefore, simple and direct, attuned to His children's ears; to their childlike knowledge and capacity. The first lesson which men and women needed to learn was that there is only one true God, and that He exercises His Will, which we must obey:

I am the LORD thy God, . . . Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

Deuteronomy 5:6-7

. . . remember all the commandments of the LORD, and do them . . .

Numbers 15:39

So that the childhood level of development in mankind could relate to this message that there was an everlasting, all-powerful, supreme God, He was portrayed in simple concrete terms, even physical terms. Thus God was referred to as a person and people regarded Him as such: Blessed be the LORD God of Israel, who hath with his hands fulfilled that which he spake with his mouth.[17]

The laws, too, which the Prophets and Messengers delivered were simple and concrete: “Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal.”[18] The child - that was humanity - was made aware of a divine law, an eternal relationship between the Creator and His creation. The Creator promised to provide, as would a loving Father, everything that the child would require for its happiness, its growth and development. In return, the child was expected to behave in a certain way. This arrangement was called the “Covenant”.

This Covenant of God was contained in the great commandments - one each for each of the fingers of a man’s hands. The commandments themselves were born by those same hands in the ark containing the covenant: the two tables of stone, "written with the finger of God"[19]. And the Lord Himself, dwelt in the very midst of His people: by day "in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way", and by night "in a pillar of fire"[20].

The people at that time had their God, and the covenant of God: His commandments. They could see the one, and touch the other.

Thus dwelt the Lord with his children. As ages passed and mankind grew in its powers, it received at every stage from its Father, through the prophets, the perfect measure of divine guidance. The myriad ordinances and exhortations, that were to succeed and supplement the commandments written in stone, formed the pattern of their lives. God's chosen people abided in service to their Lord through sacred rituals, through strict adherence to law and rules, and through the fear of the Lord, for "that is wisdom"[21]. Life, in its entirety, was viewed primarily as this earthly life; the meanings, purposes, and fruits of life were to be reaped here on earth. Victory or defeat in battle, a plentiful harvest or a devastating plague, were the direct results of obedience or lack of obedience to God’s will. Indeed, all the days of one’s earthly life and the consequences of one’s life were determined by obedience to God’s will and by the degree of one’s faithful adherence to divine commandments:

Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, for ever.

Deuteronomy 4:40

Little was spoken of spiritual qualities and eternal life. Yes, they were mentioned, but it was not the focus of God’s message.

There are many truths which we may know that we cannot and should not mention to a child because they are not mature enough in their development to properly understand and assimilate them. Later as adults, however, we can tell them the same truths with great benefit and without harm. Thus, it was left to a later age to receive from God’s own divine Son, on whom descended the "dove" enshrining the "spirit of God"[22], the message of the spiritual Kingdom and everlasting life.

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

John 4:23

We don’t remain children forever. Like it or not, we must grow. At some point, we must "put away childish things"[23].

Jesus appeared in the world at a time when humanity had progressed and gained sufficient capacity that it was then prepared to receive a great thrust forward in its spiritual growth. His purpose was to provide the divine impetus for this growth, to shed the eternal light of God that would quicken the world of humanity. The people to whom He appeared were, at that time, in desperate need of such a grace, for they had fallen away from the teachings of God and were sinking into spiritual oblivion. Their faith was a hollow shell, emptied of life.

They had been prepared for centuries for His Coming. They had been told in sometimes simple, sometimes mysterious language of a Holy One who was to appear. Their vision of Him, however, was crude. They had imagined that He would be an earthly ruler who would protect them from the armies of their enemies. They were hoping for a man of ultimate prowess who would vanquish the oppressor and vindicate themselves in the eyes of all the peoples of the earth.

But what they found was a Man meek beyond comparison, preaching to the poor and the lowly. His message was a call to mercy, purity, and forgiveness. And this Man, who had nothing to offer in the way of earthly riches or dominion, had a strange power of attraction, incomprehensible and resented by some, but cherished by the people who followed wherever He went.

The religious leaders, consumed in their jealousy and hypocrisy, brought to Him a woman caught in the act of adultery. They had devised a plan by which to discredit Jesus.

Their plan centered around what they considered to be the essence of the religion of God: law. "Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?"[24] they asked Jesus concerning the woman. They reasoned that if He sanctioned her stoning, He would be regarded as cruel and would lose the esteem in which the people held Him. And, likewise, if He sanctioned her release, He would be viewed as an infidel, one who rejected the law of Moses. According to the rules, their plan seemed foolproof. But what they didn’t realize, couldn’t realize, was that He Who makes the rules, was standing in their midst, and He was about to change them.

When they put this question to Jesus, He chose to ignore them: "But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not."[25] But they continued in their waywardness, following blindly their course of self-destruction. They asked of Him again: "tempting him, that they might have to accuse him"[26].

At this point, Jesus, that heavenly Spirit, that essence of Holiness, stood up and uttered with the voice of God a glimpse of the divine purpose for which he had appeared: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone”[27].

Christ’s answer shattered the pride of His questioners, who became "convicted by their own conscience"[28], and who forthwith disappeared from the scene. But it was not His purpose to deal a blow to these men. Their childish reasoning had already convicted their whole generation: imagining that the law of God could be manipulated for their purposes.

No, Christ had come to write, not with an earthly finger upon the dust of the ground, but with the finger of God upon the hearts of all peoples, that divine spirit which was to penetrate and transform their beings.

The age of law as the focus of worship had come to an end. For laws and rituals are an outward form, a rehearsal, a mere "shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things"[29]. They were a rehearsal given to the children of men by a loving Father. Of a child we simply require that the child go through the motions, but of a man we demand more. It was time for the law to acquire spirit.

Christ had come not to perpetuate the ancient Hebrew law, but to fulfill it. The burnt offerings made year by year were for the purpose of bringing to remembrance the sins of men. Christ fulfilled the purpose of these sacrifices. Through His sacrifice upon the altar of God, Christ called mankind to perfection. They were to remember their sins, but not to dwell unduly on them and the vain effort to expiate them; rather, they were to become perfect through their vision and experience of Christ, and their endeavor to live their lives after the Pattern of His life. They were urged to become perfect in thought and deed by the guidance of the Spirit, and no longer by the mere explicit adherence to the letter of the Law. They were not to renounce the Law, but come to the realization of its inner purpose, to come to a genuine appreciation of the beauty, harmony, and dignity which reign upon earth when the Law is obeyed with a heartfelt acceptance and understanding.

The Spirit quickens the letter of the Law, but the letter by itself kills the meaning of the revealed Word, leaving only a shell and husk, a shadow and semblance of the truth it professes to define. We do not and never can define the Life of Christ and His Words; rather, His Live and Words, and those of all of the Manifestations of God create and expand the categories of thought and understanding by means of which we comprehend ourselves and the universe around us. We should approach the Great Teachers of Mankind with humility, and not with a list of tests, prescriptions, and requirements they must fulfill to satisfy what so often turn out to be only our vain thoughts and idle imaginings.

We should pay attention, therefore, to the inner meaning and intent of Christ’s words, and not to the outer semblance of their language which so obsesses and deceives us when we are preoccupied by our own presumptions and expectations. When we look to the inner meaning, we will be illumined by the spirit and love that informs all of Christ’s sayings. We will see that Christ’s precious words ceaselessly drew attention to the quality of life, the quality of love, the quality of worship that was to become synonymous with His glorious Name. This new standard which He raised was not just a superior, but a perfect standard:

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;

Matthew 5:44

And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.

Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

Luke 6:29-31

But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

Luke 6:35-36

Gone forever were the former things, never to return, for Christ’s divine mandate to humanity was irrevocable. The standard of worship had been replaced, the old standard swept away. No longer was it sufficient to carry out the letter of the law, one’s entire being must acquire the attributes of the spirit.

With Christ’s Coming, all things were required to reflect the spirit of maturity. Therefore, not only was it unlawful to commit adultery, the mere thought of it was a transgression against God. Though the act of murder was, of course, a grievous sin, now likewise was anger towards one’s brother. And though to abstain from theft was a virtuous deed, the new standard called for you to give of your abundance - nay, to “sell all that thou hast”[30] - and give to the poor!

Through the salvation bestowed by Christ, the peoples of the world were given the duty, and the means to fulfill His words: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect."[31]

The Blessed Christ roamed the countryside healing the spiritual ills afflicting the men and women of His day. To all who came unto Him, He gave generously of His great love, His wise counsel, His heavenly forgiveness. All who believed in the “Light of the World”[32] received a measure of His measureless grace. And His love, throughout the ages, does not fail to reach those who turn to Him in repentance. For His blessed words, "Thy faith hath made thee whole"[33], still brings the promise of eternal life.

And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father,

or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall

receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

Matthew 19:29

Perfection is a heavenly quality, but achieving it requires earthly sacrifice. Christ made it painfully clear, that the road to perfection is paved with suffering and loss. More than once He used the image of taking up the cross to describe what would befall His followers in this life. But what purpose would all the labors in this life serve if in the end we all simply returned to the dust? What indeed could inspire anyone to strive, to suffer, to sacrifice, and to do this all the days of their lives, if, in the end, there were no reward?

Together with his call for perfection in body and spirit, in word and in deed, Christ, therefore, to a far greater degree than any of God’s Messengers preceding Him, insistently offered a vision of a joyous and everlasting life in the world to come - a life not subject to the material attractions and possessions of this life:

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal.

Matthew 6:6-7

Eternal life: a wondrous theme and reality. Christ did not reveal the details of the world to come, but through the images he offered, He left no doubt as to its significance. He made very clear the fact that we have no choice other than to live eternally. The way in which we spend eternity, however, is up to us. We will either spend it with Christ and the Prophets in comfort, or without Their presence, in the torment of a hell of our own choosing: and great is the gulf fixed between them![34]

The knowledge of eternal life in an eternal kingdom ruled by the eternal God puts this mortal life into perspective. Christ persistently drew our attention away from the preoccupation with the transient nature of this world "for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth"[35]. The children of men, if they were to attain the perfection He desired, had to hate the earthly and love the heavenly. They had to rely absolutely on the Father, and have faith that His grace would not fail them

Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

. . .

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Matthew 6:25-33

What a vision of holiness the Lord gave us in these simple but powerful words! If we, His lowly servants, could attain even a crumb of the sustenance contained in these blessed exhortations, we would never hunger. Yet, however exalted these exhortations are, and however much of a bounty they are to His children, Christ has provided the even greater supreme example of how to live them. Forsaking this world, His Ministry was crowned with those selfless deeds born of God that only the Promised One can manifest:

The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

Matthew 8:20

O people! My food is the grass of the field, wherewith I satisfy my hunger. My bed is the dust, my lamp in the night the light of the moon, and my steed my own feet. Behold, who on earth is richer than I?

The Kitáb-i-íqán, pp. 130-131

Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 4:17

Throughout Christ’s proclamation of a holy life in this world as preparation for an eternal life in the next, He heralded the advent of the kingdom of heaven[36], the kingdom of God. To this wondrous theme He referred on a multitude of occasions. Continuously throughout His ministry, Christ proclaimed its greatness, its virtue, its life giving bounty:

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:

Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

Matthew 13:31-32

Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.

Matthew 13:52

Through His many parables, Christ offered mystical and diverse allusions to illustrate and explain the great meaning of this "kingdom". Though He used widely varying terms that might at first appear difficult to reconcile and understand, nevertheless, if we focus on the meaning of the words "kingdom of God", we can see that the parables of Christ have an inner harmony and clear meaning.

Let us consider: In simple terms, a kingdom is the domain of a king. In this case the King is none other than the one true God. The kingdom, therefore, is the entire domain of His sovereignty. This kingdom encompasses all created things, in the heavens and in the earth, that have God as their King. All therefore, that submit to the will of God, are within His Kingdom.

Truly, the God that can "shake the heavens, and the earth"[37] must have dominion over both the heavens and the earth. In one important sense this is true, for surely God can exercise His will over everything, and everyone, whether they willingly submit to that will or not. However, if we consider carefully, we remember that human beings have been given the freedom of choice. This freedom of choice allows us to decide whether or not we choose to do His will. Thus, we have a choice, whether or not to hold Him as "king", and therefore enter His kingdom.

To digress for a moment: The child does not immediately do the will of its parents. When a child comes into the world, it must first develop through certain stages, must first gain certain powers before it can do this. The child must first recognize that it has parents and that it is dependent upon its parents for its very life. Second, it must learn to understand what the will of its parents is, and must understand also that for its own growth, protection and happiness, it must follow that will. And lastly, of course, in time, it must act in accordance with its understanding. None of these come immediately, however.

The human race has progressed in a similar manner. From the beginning of its development in childhood, God has been calling humanity to recognize that He is its true Father, a Father upon whom all creatures are dependent. He has lovingly and patiently, through His Prophets and Messengers, raised the call that there is a God, that He has a will for us, and that the blessings of this life and the next come from abiding by that will.

Just as the infant is but dimly aware of the will of its parents, so the childhood of mankind was, in the beginning, but dimly aware of the will of God. In the early history of man, many of its peoples had little or no access to the will of God as revealed through His word. And those who did have access were not fully aware of its real import. In some cases, they even rebelled against it, and refused to follow it. Jesus Himself explained to the people how Moses bent the rules for the Israelites because of their stubbornness, although God had really wanted them to follow His pure will. Thus, mankind followed the will of God in a childlike manner, understanding a little, following the laws as a child follows rules, growing and learning over a vast span of time.

Gradually, though, throughout the ages, with the progressive revelation of God’s will, the human race has progressed in its knowledge of that will, and in its capacity and maturity to act on that knowledge. This vast historical process, we are told in the sacred scriptures, will eventually lead to a glorious consummation. Eventually, the eternal call to recognize God and to follow His Revelation will be heard in its fullness by humanity. At that time, we will respond as we ought to respond: as obedient sons and daughters with full knowledge of Who, what, and why we are obeying, and as sons and daughters who, therefore, will reap the fullness of Gods blessings here on earth.

Jesus of Nazareth, speaking in the language of heaven, some two thousand years ago, revealed the significance of that golden age which such obedience to the Father will bring:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Matthew 6:9-10

Thus, the recognition and acceptance by a mature human race of the existence of God, and faithful obedience to His will, is nothing less than the establishment of the Kingdom of God on earth; the fulfillment of the ancient and everlasting covenant between a loving Father and His devoted children.

Christ was the first to proclaim this Kingdom. He, like no one who appeared before Him, unveiled the glory and reality of the Kingdom of God. With full knowledge of its open gates for the seeker, its gradual appearance in this world, and its eventual mighty establishment in power and glory, He referred to the many significances that the kingdom of heaven holds for both the individual and for history.

In a parable, Christ spoke of the gradual appearance of the kingdom of God in this world:

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

. . .

Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.

Matthew 24:30

Thus, Christ taught that the kingdom of heaven must be planted in the world and progress through the stages of growth, until, under the influence of the lifegiving rays of the Sun of Truth, it reaches the point of maturity and is ready for harvest.

Christ, however, does not refer just to the kingdom of heaven in this parable. He refers also to the role that He, Himself, had been commissioned by God to perform. For after revealing these holy words, he explains that He, the Lord of History, has actually come to plant this divine kingdom in the hearts of men:

He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

Matthew 13:37-38

By His divine love, His noble sacrifice, and His heavenly teachings, He scattered across the ages, and into the hearts of all peoples, the seeds of faith and salvation.

The life-giving spirit He released into the world and the influence that His holy doctrine was destined to exert over time are also described in a parable:

Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

Matthew 13:33

Along with His symbolic references to the establishment by degrees of the kingdom in this world, Christ revealed the relationship of the individual to the kingdom. Although time itself is required for the world as a whole to establish the Kingdom of God on earth according to the divine plan, Christ stated clearly that individuals are free to enter the kingdom at any time. He declared that individuals merely have to do the will of the Father, and then they will enter under the sovereignty of God:

And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:

And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said unto him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.

Mark 12:32-34

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 7:21

Indeed, it is within each one of us to enter the kingdom:

Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

Luke 17:21

I came forth from the Father, and am come into the world:

again, I leave the world, and go to the Father.

John 16:28

His Holiness Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, the Holy One of Israel, had opened the gates, had scattered the seeds, had promulgated a pure and holy life, had upraised the law, had proclaimed an eternal realm, and had by His precious blood made atonement for the sins of the world.

At His Second Coming He promised to establish His Kingdom.

But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

Mark 13:32

The followers of the Son have awaited the Return of their Beloved throughout the ages with longing hearts, with lifetimes of hope.

In a manner that no one predicted, no one envisioned, and few could have believed, that inevitable hour dawned on a sleeping world.

In the winter of 1848, the town of Amul, on the southern shores of the Caspian Sea, witnessed the arrival of twelve men, prisoners escorted under armed guard. The arrival of these men caused such a turmoil in the town that about four thousand of its inhabitants, wishing to catch a glimpse of them, pressed for position, even crowding onto the rooftops. They wanted to see those who had espoused the new Faith that had caused such upheaval in their country.

One of the prisoners was a Man of noble birth, thirty-one years of age. He possessed outstanding qualities - qualities that made Him the wonder of His countrymen. In knowledge, wisdom, compassion and humility, He had no equal. And all of these qualities He had brought to focus with the utmost energy on the spreading of a new Message, one which held the promise of the new Day of God. As He stood there in the presence of a malevolent congregation clamoring for the death of the prisoners, His end seemed certain. But this was not to be; for He stood not at the end of a short but eventful life, but rather at the very beginning of almost half a century of bitter suffering and magnificent triumph.

The prisoners had been captured on their way to join their beleaguered companions in a village that lay a few miles to the east. That village, with its surrounding neighborhood, had recently been transformed into a battleground, and was then witnessing a miraculous drama. Approximately three hundred members of an obscure and persecuted “sect”, which had appeared some four years previously, had been traveling through the countryside when they were attacked by the area’s inhabitants who had been persuaded by the fanatical Muslim clergy that these men wished to bring down all that is good and holy. The victims retreated to a small shrine and made of it a fort for their defense. They were to remain in that fort, under violent siege, for seven months.

Untrained in swordsmanship, horsemanship, or any such skills - for they were, for the most part, students of theology, humble and self-effacing - these were not men of physical prowess. Yet, though weakened by months of hardship and deprivation, at the call "Mount your steeds, O heroes of God!"[38], they would rush forth into battle and manifested a courage and ability which struck fear among the camp of the enemy and spread ruin among its troops.

That small band - against all odds, with their inexhaustible strength - amazed, decimated, and demoralized the government reinforcements which continually poured into the area, and which numbered at one point twelve thousand men.

They were never defeated in battle.

During this period, in an effort to stop this hated contest, this utterly humiliating episode, the acting Governor issued an order that anyone who approached that fort and was suspected of aiding its occupants was to be arrested. He, himself, along with the clergy of Amul, assembled at the mosque to meet and arraign the men who had been captured.

As soon as his eyes fell upon them, however, he deeply regretted the order he had given, for he instantly recognized the Nobleman, whom he held in esteem. But it was too late. He could not release Him now. The crowd and the clergy awaited the chastisement they deserved: death. "We must, at all costs, extirpate that heresy,"[39] they proclaimed.

This was not the first time this Prisoner had been faced with mortal danger because of His espousal of the new Faith. Several months earlier at Níyálá, He had, unaided, faced the assault of a mob of five hundred who had attacked Him and His companions. Yet through His fearless appeal, He had succeeded in convincing the people of the shamelessness of their cruelty and was able to retrieve a portion of the belongings that had been plundered. Neither was this the first time He would see confinement for His arising in the path of God, for He had been subjected to confinement for a brief period earlier in His life. It was, however, the first time that the hand of the assailant would be raised to harm His blessed Person.

The acting governor, afraid for his position, and in an attempt appease the rage of the clergy, ordered that a "befitting punishment"[40] be inflicted upon the captives, and promised that the sovereign himself would meet out to them "the chastisement they deserve"[41].

Hoping to inflict no injury upon the Nobleman, he ordered that the rods for the bastinado be prepared, and that the feet of the first of His companions be bound for this punishment. The victim, however, grieving at the thought of torture, complained that he was merely on his way to the city of Mashhad when he was arrested. The Nobleman intervened on his behalf, and succeeded in effecting his release from imminent anguish.

The acting Governor then turned to the next of the Nobleman’s companions, but again the Nobleman spoke saying that the man was "a mere tradesman" whom He regarded as His "guest", and that He, Himself, was "responsible for any charges"[42] brought against the man. Likewise for the third companion, whom they proceeded to bind, He again intervened, referring to the companion as His attendant. This companion was also set free.

"None of these men", were His words to the acting governor "are guilty of any crime." These words, uttered with authority, He immediately followed with words which would be forever associated with the significance of His life: "If you insist on inflicting your punishment, I offer Myself as a willing Victim of your chastisement."[43]

Who was this Man who commanded such poise and selflessness in the face of enmity? His name was Mírzá Husayn Alí. He was a direct descendant of the last of the Sasanian monarchs of Iran, and was the son of a minister of state in the court of the Shah. He was descended more importantly from Abraham, through Abraham’s wife Keturah, and Jesse, the father of David.

From birth His life was remarkable. In infancy, He never cried - a cause of astonishment to His mother. In childhood and youth He manifested a rare quality of attraction endearing Him to all who knew Him, and a wisdom, surpassing that of learned men, earning Him admiration from all ranks.

He had grown up accustomed to wealth and comfort, but spent His time delighting in the countryside, and in ministering to the poor to which His bountiful heart, was, all the days of His life, ever drawn. When He was nearly eighteen, He married a young woman named Asíyih Khánúm, of noble birth, vivacious, graceful, tenderhearted. Both had inherited large fortunes, yet both held in distaste ostentation and luxury; rather, they were motivated by compassion for others.

In 1844 a Siyyid from Shíráz raised the call that the Day of God had appeared. He proclaimed that the promised divine Teacher, awaited by humanity throughout the ages, and Whom he referred to as "Him Whom God shall make manifest"[44], was soon to appear. At the time this call was proclaimed, Mírzá Husayn Alí was in the heyday of His life. Every opportunity was open to Him; by every standard His future appeared enviable. Yet from the moment He was informed of the new message, "flinging aside every consideration of earthly fame, wealth and position, careless of danger, and risking the obloquy of His caste" He arose to promote, as He alone could, this obscure and radical Message.

He was unaware that He, Himself, had been chosen by God to receive the mighty revelation that was to redeem all mankind; that He, Himself was the Promised One. During the ensuing years, a few of the followers of the new Faith who were acquainted with Him had suspected His true station, but this was to be revealed to Him, only four years later, under the most stirring and heroic circumstances.

At the time He was arr