Section 0 of The Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater. The Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase. Section 0. The Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase. Published by the Baha'i Publishing Committee, New York. Judge nothing before the time until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and then shall every man have praise of God. 1 Corinthians 4-5.  Matthew 16-27. He hath come with his most mighty power among the nations, turned toward him, O concourse of the good. The Father hath come, and that which hath been promised unto you in the kingdom is accomplished. Baha'u'llah. O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord. Jeremiah 22-29. Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak, and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distill as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass, because I will publish the name of the Lord, ascribe ye greatness unto our God. Deuteronomy 32-1-3. Hear, O ye people, harken, O earth, and all that therein is, and let the Lord God be witness against you, the Lord from his holy temple. For behold, the Lord cometh out of his place. Micah 1-2. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, for the Lord hath spoken. Isaiah 1-2. Is not my word like as a fire saith the Lord, and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? Jeremiah 23-29. The anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue, 2 Samuel 23-1. Man, the most noble and perfect of the creatures, is a mightier evidence and greater expression of truth than the other visible things. The most perfect, superior, and excellent of men are the manifestations of the Son of Truth. Bahá'u'lláh. The Son of Truth is the word of God, upon which depends the training of the people of the country of thought. It is the spirit of reality and the water of life. All things owe their existence to it. Its manifestation is ever according to the capacity and coloring of the mirror through which it may reflect. For example, its light, when cast on the mirrors of the wise, gives expression to wisdom. When reflected from the minds of artists, it produces manifestations of new and beautiful arts. When it shines through the minds of students, it reveals knowledge and unfolds mysteries. All things of the world arise through man, and are manifest in him, through whom they find life and development, and man is dependent for his spiritual existence upon the Son of the word of God. All the good names and lofty qualities are of the word. The word is the fire of God, which, glowing in the hearts of the people, burns away all things that are not of God. The minds of the lovers are ever aflame with this fire. Outwardly it is a burning fire, but inwardly it is calm light. This is the water which giveth life to all things. We beg of God that we may partake of this life-giving water of heaven, and quaff from the spiritual chalice of rest, and thus be free from all that tends to withhold us from approaching his love. Glory be upon the people of glory. Words of wisdom. Bahá'u'lláh. The word of God is the storehouse of all good, all power, and all wisdom. The illiterate fishers and savage Arabs were thereby enabled to solve such problems as were puzzles to eminent learned men in all the ages. It awakens within us that brilliant intuition which makes us independent of all tuition and endows us with an all-embracing power of spiritual understanding. Many a soul in the arc of philosophy, after fruitless struggles, was drowned in the sea of conflicting theories of cause and effect. While those on board the craft of simplicity reached the shore of the universal cause by the aid of favorable winds blowing from the point of divine knowledge. When man is associated with that transcendent power emanating from the word of God, the tree of his being becomes so well rooted in the soil of assurance that it laughs at the violent hurricanes of skepticism which attempt its eradication. For this association of the part with the whole endows him with the whole, and this unison of the particular with the universal makes him all in all. Abdu'l-Bahá Introduction The claim of the Bahá'í glorious revelation is that it is the word of God sent to men to remove the antagonism and differences between peoples of various religions and prepare the way for their coming together in harmony and love and in an assured knowledge of the will of God. It proclaims the time of universal peace and provides the foundation for the universal religion, the hope of the ages. It points the way and supplies the means for the unity of mankind in the knowledge and love of truth under the high banners of justice and mercy. It is simple, profound, purifying, searching as is the word of God always. It is divine in origin, human in presentation, sane, practical and applicable to life in its every phase. In belief, it inculcates not but truth. In action, not but good. In human relations, not but loving service. A world religion is needed, a solvent of religious differences and enlightener of religious misconceptions and unifier of peoples and the knowledge of the one God and Father of them all. A platform on which all believers and seekers for God and his truth may meet from whatever race or training they may come. And that religion must recognize the divine elements which underlie all religions and meet each loyal soul upon his own ground without claiming advantage over him but rather bringing the light of God's word to shine upon the truths he already has in order that he may develop into a higher understanding of truth itself. The honored scholar and noble man, Max Muller, who had frankly studied the languages and religions of the Orient, wrote as follows, The true religion of the future will be the fulfillment of all the religions of the past. The true religion of humanity, that which in the struggle of history remains as the indestructible portion of all the so-called religions of mankind. There never was a false God, nor was there ever a false religion unless you call a child a false man. All religions, as far as I know them, had the same purpose. All were links in a chain which connects heaven and earth and which is held and always was held by one and the same hand. All here on earth tends towards right, truth, and perfection. Nothing here on earth can ever be quite right, quite true, quite perfect, not even Christianity, or what is now called Christianity so long as it excludes other religions instead of loving and embracing what is good in each. That true religion of the future, as Max Muller saw it, has already arrived in the Baha'i Revelation. But where else is such a religion? With all the glorious efforts and results of Christian missionary enterprise during the recent decades, it has scarcely made an impress on Muslims, Zoroastrians, Buddhists, Brahmans, or Jews. It has endeavored to overthrow the religious conceptions of other nations in favour of its own, but it has taught the interpretations of its churches rather than the direct, simple teachings of Jesus, placing the word of man in lieu of the word of God, and therefore it has been powerless to win those peoples who believe that they have also received the divine word from their own prophets and founders. It is possible that the records of Jesus' words are quite imperfect, but even so they have brought comfort, hope, and satisfaction to myriads of human souls, and certainly his pure teachings had been presented with their doctrines exemplified in the lies of the teachers. The whole world might have received them and loved them, but the peoples will not accept the teachings of a cult and its doctors as against their own cults and doctrines. It is necessary for the conquering of the heart of the world that the word of Jesus shall be renewed and confirmed by a fresh revelation of God's command, authority, and proves its right and source by its vitalizing effect upon the lives of men. There is no religion that has remained pure and undefiled, and consequently there is none of them fitted or capable to cause the nations to abandon their own religion to accept it. The known condition of the world's religions is such that not one of them can subdue or amalgamate the others. Time and efforts only emphasize this fact. What then, shall the word of God proclaim through so many of his prophets and messengers be for naught? Or shall the promise of his appearing to the world with power and the consequent union, happiness, knowledge, peace, and prosperity of mankind be accomplished? The precedent to universal peace which is the millennium promised in all scriptures is the conscious knowledge of God, of his messenger, and his message to men. The Baha'i teaching is that God's word faileth not, that it is accurate and reliable, that the time of its promises is at hand, and that his word now proclaim to the whole world in Baha'u'llah the glory of God is powerful and able to achieve his will in the regeneration and union of mankind. It is not religion, but religion renewed. Wherever it has proceeded it has produced the results foretold of the end of the age and also declared by itself. It proclaims the immanence of God and his presence with humanity. It penetrates men's hearts and shows them their need of God and the way to find satisfaction for that need. It does remove religious differences and dispel religious ranker and doubt. It does bring men into the heart knowledge and consciousness of the love of God and into loving unity with each other without regard to race or former religion. It inculcates divine morals, ethics and characteristics and brings man to higher conceptions of duty and life than have been his heritage from the churches of various creeds. It speaks with authority demanding that man shall obey the word and not but joy and uplifting is found in that obedience. It calls on man to test its worth by living its ordinances and those laws prove to be the very wine of life. It comes not to destroy but to fulfill again that which has been fulfilled before and to complete that which has not been completed in the past. It offers itself as the truth of God to every earnest soul. Its followers are already numbered by the millions and are all the great religious nations. If it be truth, wise is he who accepts it. If not, surely duty demands that it be tested and its fallacy proved lest men be led astray. It is but just to say that it is a very live wire and he who touches it must be prepared to receive in himself a powerful current of its electricity. The truth of any religion can be proved and confirmed by the heart by testing its tenets in the life. The Baha'i Revelation is unshaken in the arena of intellect but powers of reasoning cannot make final decision concerning spiritual truth. One may read or hear it for a lifetime may listen to opinions or express them endlessly but no judgment is just no opinion reliable except that of the personal living and decision of the heart. It is not a matter of philosophical reasoning but a question of fact and facts are demonstrable only by experience. Abdul Baha'i was asked what is the truth? He replied truth is the word of God which gives life to humanity it restores sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf it makes eloquent those who are dumb and living beings out of dead beings it illuminates the world of the heart and soul it reduces to nothingness the complexities of the neglectful and airing ones beauty, perfection brilliancy and spirituality of this existence come from or through the word of God for all it is the supreme goal the greatest desire the cause of life light, instruction the road to attain to this truth is the love of God when the light of the love of God is burning in the mirror of the heart that flame shows the way the kingdom of the word of God as to that which causes the growth of the love of God know that it is to turn oneself toward God end of section 0 recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater recorded in London, England section 1 of the Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater the Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase section 1 the glory of the Lord hero Israel the Lord our God is one Lord and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul and with all thy might and these words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest down and when thou risest up and thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand shall be as frontlets between thine eyes and thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house and on thy gates Moses Deuteronomy 649 it is related that a certain scribe asked of Jesus which is the first commandment of all Jesus answered him the first of all the commandments is Lord our God is one Lord and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind and with all thy strength this is the first commandment and the second is like namely this thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself there is none other commandment greater than these Mark 12 29 to 31 the great commandment the first and greatest commandment that of love is recorded alike by Moses and Jesus but how shall it be obeyed love is attraction it cannot be forced or commanded it must be drawn forth by the lovable the will may direct love's attention toward an object but can never compel its action the desirability of the object the longing for nearness and union with it these are the inspirers of love how can man love God the infinite whom no one hath seen no man can comprehend God or know him as he is how can his whole being heart soul mind and strength be devoted to the love of the unknown the unseen with all his striving and searching man cannot find out God he can manufacture a God of his imagination a creature of his superstition usually a magnified reflection of himself possessing both his good and bad qualities but the gods of man's making are not worth his love and devotion how then shall he obey the great commandment although some knowledge of the beloved is necessary for love does the keeping of the commandment require us to know him as he is in his essence his pre-existence in order to love him man loves many things but knows not the essence of anything at the most he perceives only some of the desirable qualities manifested and he loves either the qualities or because of them their unknown essences if it be some precious jewel he admires the brilliancy luster, hardness beauty of the gem its revealed qualities if it be a flower it is the freshness the forms of petals and stamens the colours, harmony and fragrance which attract him or if a human being the human qualities strength, knowledge, power and ability or weakness, sweetness and grace draw forth his love yet in no case does he comprehend the reality which is hidden beneath these evident and attractive displays they are veils of beauty hiding their parent essence while revealing some of its attributes if we cannot penetrate through the yellowness density and qualities of a piece of gold to know what gold is how shall we expect to sound the depths of his firmaments the magnitudes of space or mysteries of littleness to find out God and know what God is the commands of the Almighty are not set forth in vain although man cannot lift himself above himself to the heavens of knowledge of the infinite one God can reveal to him that information of his beauty which shall cause him to be in man's sight so lovely he who has placed in us the power to perceive qualities and values discloses enough of his lovable characteristics to draw to himself all the love of our beings in every atom he unfolds his attributes in sun, star and moon in dawn sunset and night in storm and shine in crystal, flower and animal the microcosm the index of existence the whole apparent universe is a great creational book a concourse of mirrors displaying his qualities all mankind attempts to read this book but what each finds depends on his point of view which has been formed by previous training and environment even in reading a printed book in listening to music no two persons see alike their perceptions are according to their education so with the book of creation the ignorance see only the powers manifested in nature and cringe before them while the more advanced in knowledge appreciate order beauty, wisdom and other delightful values therein in the spiritual childhood of man he stands in wonder and awe before that book staring at its pages to interpret them right until he has learned how to read each step of life is the result of education in the alphabet of living man learns that all existence is subject to law the universe displays order and harmony in every part the suns and planets each element and organization in the mineral, vegetable and animal worlds all are governed by inflexible law nothing is exempt therefore law is universal and expresses itself in various definite reliable actions severally called laws such as those of attraction vibration, inertia construction as in crystal plant and animal laws of cycles, of ascent and descent summer and winter life and death centripetal and centrifugal laws etc this one great law of the universe keeps everything in its place it binds the particles of rock together it causes things to fall toward the earth's center instead of flying off into space it holds the suns, moons and planets perfectly in their orbits it causes like to seek like and it produces harmony among all material things so that each fulfills its purpose in existence whatever we may call it cohesion, gravitation motion or force it is in reality the law of love it is co-eternal with existence it is the immanence of god the expression of the creator in creation if this love of god is so manifest in the kingdoms of matter how much more must it be toward his higher creature man the very lowest and most ignorant of men is far higher in the scale of existence than minerals vegetables or animals if god so clothed the grass of the field which today is and tomorrow is cast into the oven shall he not much more cloth you oh ye of little faith god is love always was love always will be love he has always loved man we cannot conceive of any time that god's love has not been shown to him all nature says to man god so loves you that he has made me to serve you and to provide for your needs lo here I am do with me as you will food and drink clothing and shelter flowers and colors water, variety, harmony and unity all things for the welfare and delight of man if the generous father so provides for material and mental needs how much more must his providence care for the spiritual necessities all things are related to other things in a fixed manner nothing is independent or self-subsistent but all are under the overruling law which expresses itself in each way to its needs and for its highest development even the laws of decay and disintegration are for an evolution to higher uses as the rock must be ground to dust before its nobler values may appear in the rose and grape man sees these laws of physical life working and expressing in all below and around him even in his own body and mind he also perceives that knowledge enables him to grow wisdom and power as the government of each kingdom is such that it promotes its best condition so must there not be laws for man which shall direct him to his highest possible destiny the same divine wisdom which cares for the lily and the grass of the field to bring them to their fullness of use and beauty must surely provide for the exaltation of humanity to its perfection and this is above and beyond the realm of ordinary human faculties there is a marked and vital difference between man and the kingdoms below him they are sinless knowing neither right nor wrong unconsciously living the laws of their existence which are expressed in them not to them these laws are expressed also in man and to him because he is the only being who has the power to oppose nature and to select among her laws which he will serve man is endowed with godlike qualities powers of discrimination and judgment perceptions of values of worth and unworth and a free will to decide between them he has eaten of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and can choose either as he will these superior faculties make him an intelligent choosing responsible creature responsible to himself for his attainment or loss the generous loving lawmaker offers to him a clear knowledge of the laws of progress towards his greatest good in order that man may perceive learn obey and become as it were a conscious partner with him in the attainment of a life eternal a nearness and intimacy with the divine wisdom and love which shall exalt him into the heavenly condition of oneness with god man is said to be the greatest representative of god and he is the book of creation because all the mysteries of being exist in him if he comes under the shadows of the true educator and is highly trained he becomes the essence of essences the light of lights the spirit of spirits he becomes the center of the divine appearances the source of spiritual qualities the rising place of heavenly lights and the receptacle of divine inspirations Abdul Baha some answered questions page two seventy three the great law which enables man to understand the way of life and to walk therein is the revealed word or expression on the human plane of the will of god for the welfare of man it is the book of books the law of laws which reveals to man the hidden facts of being and teaches him how to know and love god and also how to understand the lessons printed on the pages of the universe it appeals to his heart is studied and interpreted there because it is expressed in terms of life it comes forth from the arcana of the heavens as the highest manifestation of truth the greatest message to promote the advancement and happiness of man to guide and light him in the right path it is the word of god end of section one recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater recorded in London, England section two of the Bahá'í Revelation by Thornton Chase this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater the Bahá'í Revelation by Thornton Chase section two the word of god the doctrine of the logos the word appears throughout all scriptures and it is concretely stated in the first chapter of the Gospel of Saint John in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God the same was in the beginning with God all things were made by him through the word and without him was not anything made that was made in him the word was life and the life was the light of men and the light the word shineth in darkness of ignorance and the darkness comprehended it not and the word was made flesh and dwelt literally tabernacled or pitched his tent among us and we beheld his glory the glory as of the only begotten of the father full of grace and truth for the law was given by Moses grace and truth came by Jesus Christ what was that glory but the manifested word of the will of God shining forth in words of light and illustrated in the holy, selfless life of the perfect man all aflame with the divine spirit of God no man hath seen God at any time the only begotten son which is in the bosom of the father he, the incarnate word hath declared him man made after his image is the highest expression of God in the world of being when the invisible word the creative power of God becomes revealed through a prepared man and is transmitted through him into the spoken or written word it is incarnated made flesh and is visible to man because it has descended into his plane of existence when the same hidden word enters into the one fitted to receive it and becomes the soul light and power of his life it is incarnate revealing itself through the temple of his body from which its glory radiates in every word and deed that body is the throne on which it is seated and from which its proclamations are given the human instrument of revelation being then identified with the word which is the manifested spirit of God is also called the word or manifestation because he is the personification of that word to mankind the spirit and the word mean the divine perfections that appeared in the reality of Christ the holy reality of the word of God is in the condition of the pure and shining mirror the heat the light the image and likeness that is to say the perfections of the son of reality appear in it that is why Christ says in the gospel the father is in the son that is to say the son of reality appears in the mirror Abdul Baha some answered questions page 240 man is the word speaker he is taught by words he communicates his ideas wishes and will by words his accomplishments on earth result from his words he trains the most subtle powers to carry his words to the end of the world he records them on stone wax, parchment and paper that future generations may not utterly forget him all this is that man may understand God's method of communicating his will and may receive the teaching of his higher attributes by means of the uttered word in order that it may reach man it is revealed through human mouthpieces God has spoken by the mouth of his holy prophets since the world began Acts 321 Luke 170 and when the time arrived for the coming to birth of the kingdom of God among men that word was called his only begotten his son for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believed on him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3 16 what wonderful what beautiful teaching God was not angry with mankind as some have taught how could they teach so with these words in their eyes was not the whole burden of Jesus teaching love the love of the father and that man should love God and love man his neighbor how could man love an angry God a wrathful monarch no God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son the incarnate word that whosoever accepted him believed in him for everlasting life that representative of divine love whose whole life was love was not given to suffer anguish in the place of man to be rejected scorned and crucified to bear the deserved punishment of men's sins and thus placate an offended father truly he suffered all these things because of the sins of men but it was through the wrath of man not of God his father God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through him might be saved 927 317 he never condemned the poor ignorant sinners blind from their birth he said to them go and sin no more and in the very depth of degradation and suffering poured upon him he cried father forgive them for they know not what they do those fatal and awful condemnations were only for the mighty the learned the false guides the blind leaders of the blind the priestly revilers of the word of God it is related that the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God Luke 5 1 because man doth not live by bread only but by every word that precedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live Deuteronomy 8 3 Matthew 4 4 Luke 4 4 he said to this end was I born and for this cause came I into the world that I should bear witness unto the truth everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice what is meant by believing in him if it be not to believe the word he spoke the word of the father poured forth from his blessed lips for the uplifting of men and to bring all who believed in him into the kingdom of God new born, new creatures sons of God and heirs to the glorious bounties of the kingdom of heaven to believe on him meant also to recognize him as the messenger and son of the most high and that belief followed the acceptance of his word the word of God is the key to immortality it is the bearer of eternal life it is the instructor in knowledge of God that man may know and love him may become his son be one with him as the iron with the magnet and be heirs to his kingdom being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth forever 1 Peter 1 23 when the iron is in the fire it loses its hard black cold qualities filled with the fire it becomes soft fluent glowing and fiery it can say I am one with the fire I in the fire and the fire in me I and the fire are one thus is man who is born of the spirit he is a new creature transformed because transmuted by the elixir of the word which changes the copper of his nature into the pure gold of another and loftier state known as eternal life or immortality a condition of oneness with the spirit of God and sonship to him this is the true image or likeness of God behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God beloved now are we the sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is 1 John 3 2 this resurrection from a lower to a higher station this new birth rejoices the psalmist when he exclaims as for me I will behold thy face in righteousness I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness psalm 17 15 this is immortality not merely continued existence even the satans have that but in eternal oneness with life itself the true one whom to know is life eternal Jesus said this is the will of my Father that everyone that beholdeth the son and believeth on him should have eternal life John 640 the words that I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life John 663 such statements fill the New Testament and are in accord with the divine teachings of all time namely that the Word of God is the giver of light the teacher and guide of men to eternal life the creator of new hearts and right spirits the revelation of God in Genesis the book of creation in the beginning God created the heaven and the earth and the earth was without form and void and darkness was upon the face of the deep and the spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters and God said the word let there be light and there was light it is the same story not necessarily an account of the creation of physical light but rather of the real creation which occurs to every man in whom a new heart is created and a right spirit renewed he is dead in ignorance and chaos darkness is upon the face of his soul until the word of God enters into him and says be light then comes a dawning an awakening a dayspring a resurrection within him he is recreated again begotten of the spirit a son of God it is always accomplished by the word be and it is by the word of the Lord where the heavens made Psalm 33.6 his heavens are also created in the hearts of those who love and serve him the kingdom of heaven is within you this recognition of the word and perception of light is the first step man takes toward the divine destiny the heavenly manhood which God his Father has made possible for him and to which he invites him in each one of his supreme commands God is the Lord who hath showed us light Psalm 118.27 the entrance of thy words giveth light it giveth understanding unto the simple Psalm 119.130 thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path Psalm 119.105 lo all these things worketh God often times with man to bring back his soul from the pit to be enlightened with the light of the living Job 33.29 and the nations of them that are saved shall walk in the light Revelation 21.34 End of Section 2 Recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater Recorded in London, England Section 3 of the Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater The Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase Section 3 The Gift of God God loved the world not only the Jews at Jerusalem but all mankind not only at the time of Jesus but before and since always since the world began he has given his word to all men at all times insofar as they were able to receive it Whence came the wonderful instructions for life and the ancient writings of Enoch, Moses, David and the Psalmists in the Vedas the Evesta, the Gathas and the Upanishads in Isaiah and Lao Tse Were they of human or divine manufacture? They were always higher than the imaginations of men and they were opposed to his natural desires when their inner significances and realities are perceived the fullness of their essentials is so evident that there can be no doubt that they originated from a single source they all had their origins in the Word of God which in its essence is the same today yesterday and forever there is but one God his word is ever one and the same that which is different is not his word Each of the great religions bases its teaching faith, loyalty and existence upon confidence in the Word of a single human founder Each points back to him as the reliable one the superlative one the infallible one but no word is infallible save that of God and if those great ones were truly reliable their word must have been the Word of God The expression of that word through such prepared human instruments has always been the method whereby man has learned the will of God for his own life they were the mouths of the Lord that the almighty God chooses a man to be his representative and his mouthpiece is shown in the interesting account related in Exodus 3 and 4 of his appointment of Moses to be the deliverer of his people Israel after God called him out of the burning bush and told him that he was the God of his fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob he said I will send thee unto Pharaoh that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt God is always trying to bring his children out of the Egypt of darkness and ignorance but Moses did not seek such an appointment he dreaded it and tried to escape it although he desired to serve God and Moses said unto God who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh and bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt then God gave his mighty name I am that I am and he said thou shalt say unto the children of Israel I am hath sent me unto you he also gave further instructions to Moses to tell the people how God had appeared unto him and given these commands and Moses answered and said but behold they will not believe me nor harken unto my voice for they will say the Lord hath not sent thee then the Lord showed him how to manifest signs of power by the symbols of the rod and of the right hand but still Moses said unto the Lord oh my Lord I am not eloquent neither here to for nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue and the Lord said unto him the man's mouth hath not I the Lord now therefore go and I will be with thy mouth and teach thee what thou shalt say yet Moses could not entirely sever his thought of self and trust the Lord and he said oh my Lord send I pray thee by the hand of him whom thou should send how prone we are even to this day to decide in our minds whom the Lord and how he shall come but after all this God chose Moses to be his representative to Israel and even appointed Aaron his brother to be a mouthpiece for Moses saying I know that he can speak well and thou shalt speak unto him and put words in his mouth and I will be with thy mouth and with his mouth and will teach you what ye shall do and he shall be thy spokesman unto the people and we even he shall be to thee instead of a mouth and thou shalt be to him instead of God thus God puts his word into the mouths of his chosen ones and thus he appoints a man to be as God unto men it is by the might of the word that man is saved the power of God is in the word but it saves only him who takes it into his heart that it may spring up there in which he may be born into a new life in its lower outer aspect it is for the advantage of man's present living it teaches him morals and ethics which are the only source of all true ethical training but its deeper meanings and instructions are to prepare man for an inner life widely different and incomparable to this life indeed the best outer life is but death compared to this inner life it is an old life compared to a new life the speech of these mouth pieces of God was in the language and terminology of the time and place where it was given but the teachings were offered and accepted only up to the degree of capacity in their hearers in the ages of spiritual infancy man could receive but little of the strength of the word and its doctrine was according to his capacity first came the laws of fear and obedience then reverence justice wisdom and love were inculcated as man progressed in the schools of the prophets each revealer of the word was a heavenly school master and each divine lesson became the foundation for further teaching of a later day each manifestor of the commands of God referred to the teachings of those before him as witness to his own authority for had he believed Moses he would have believed me John 5 46 age after age through all history one has appeared who gave to man the word of God divine instruction how to live and what to do to attain a higher and heavenly station to overcome former conditions and rise to a manner of life which should be permanent endless perfect and valuable with each one there was no earthly power no armies royalty riches nor honor but rather poverty apparent weakness oppression, hatred and rejection whatever the circumstance time or place he was or became poor in all things except the riches of the word which ever went forth from the door of humility and lowliness simply delivered and left to itself without human aid except the life illustrating it that it might prove its divine power by its own penetrative creative and transforming effect upon mankind at first it entered the hearts of a few changed their lives opened their minds to the truth and love of God and then went on from generation to generation altering the destinies of nations overthrowing dynasties forming new peoples and giving life and hope to untold millions of souls throughout centuries of time there are men in this day reputed to be learned who try to deny that the historical Jesus ever lived the histories of him are hearsay accounts written by unknown authors not a word of his own writing is in existence as far as known indeed there is no record that he ever wrote except with his finger upon the ground what a wonderful symbol was that if it be understood even as God wrote with his finger upon the tables of stone born by Moses from Sinai yet the evidence that the Christ lived in that age of the world and that he gave such teachings as are recorded is as certain as the existence of the son because there must have been a speaker of the words which have lived and prove their divine quality through 19 centuries in every way possible for the mind or heart of man to conceive none but a Christ could have conceived such a character as the man Christ Jesus the proof of the son is its shining and its effect on the physical world the evidence of the word of God is its educative power and the light of life which it kindles in the souls of men making each heart a living flame never to be quenched no one who has felt the elixir of the word penetrating his soul and the fountain of eternal youth springing up within him can ever deny the reality of the Christ and the fact of human manifestation the bearer of the cup of life that which distinguishes man from the lower kingdoms that which makes him a man is the power of the word of God working in him to will and to do to create new methods of thinking and doing to implant new ideas which later become ideals toward which he strives because he perceives them to be more valuable than his former knowledge and possessions and so he grows from childhood to manhood grows in favor with God and man many can bear witness to the power of the word in their lives it enters through the brain into the mind of man and if not rejected it goes deeper penetrating his heart piercing through the shells of self-sufficiency and self-conceit and becomes the new motive power of his life for the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Hebrews 412 sometimes the effect is sudden in the twinkling of an eye sometimes a great grief and disappointment is the cause of his awakening because such experiences drive man as it were to God for relief from despair he finds in time of sorrow and trial that there is no comforter but God and that consolation comes through the revealed word which always invites the hungry, the thirsty the weary to water food and rest therefore the manifestation of the word is indeed the comforter sent by God to those who turn to him it teaches us of the realities of things, what we are and what we may be it tells us of the destiny made possible to us by the love of our father it is so plain that no fairer in the way need heir therein it is so full that infinite riches reward him who enters its depths it is the pearl of great price, the treasure of mankind the girdon of immortality the path of eternal life its rewards are love wisdom, service bounty and joy the divine proof the permanent and reliable evidence of the mission and authority of any one of God's chosen manifestations is the effect of the word he speaks man's word is of little weight, meaning or permanence it is only for the circumstance and time it soon fades and is forgotten but the word of God passes not away it changes the very nature of man it lives, grows spreads in ever widening influence has depths and mountains of meanings is exhaustless, boundless, mighty and rides in triumph over innumerable graves and generations of the works of men so it is said in the revelation of saint John that he went forth conquering and to conquer riding upon the white horse and followed by the hosts of heaven he who was the lord of hosts was called the word of God revelation 1911 is it not sufficiently evident that the great means for the salvation of men from themselves for the overcoming of all satanic desires and the attainment of eternal life is the word of God all the mighty names surround the word the one redeeming, creating life giving power the angel of light the king of righteousness the son, the father the manifestation, the glory of God his right arm his holy one his redeemer and saviour is his word incarnate revealed through the mouths and manifested in the lives of his holy and chosen ones from the beginning of the world section 3 recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater recorded in London, England section 4 of the Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater the Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase section 4 succession of divine revelations back of all his revealers was the giver of the word the infinite love wisdom and generosity however man may have aired misinterpreted strayed or opposed God has never permitted the channel of communication to be entirely closed lest man should be overwhelmed destroyed in the floods of his own falsities when the word became clouded by the false interpretations of ambitious men veiled by their desires and errors so that man was in danger of utter loss and denial of the holy word and its divine truth when the waters of life became stained and adulterated by filtering through the brains of men another one appeared and again proclaimed the word calling on men to repent to turn from the tales of their past and look to the new Son of Revelation shining over the horizon of the world this is history not imagination we know not what manner of men preceded the new spiritual cycle of revelation which appeared with Adam but from that time prophet after prophet has proclaimed the will of God to this and that people whenever and wherever darkness has covered the earth and grossed darkness the people the glory of the Lord has arisen bringing the dawn of a new dispensation of divine knowledge the glory of the Lord is the revelation of his word a shining Son of Wisdom and Love a day dawn of enlightenment and assurance dispersing the night of ignorance and doubt each of these great revealers of God's commands has declared that his dispensation was not final has instructed his followers to look forward to another coming to a great and glorious appearance whom all mankind would recognize while the whole world should enter into a paradise of universal knowledge of the one God and worldwide peace in his kingdom on earth it was declared that at the time of the end in the last day there should be a revelation of God's will so clear that the hidden things should become known so broad that all mankind should accept it many signs have been given in the sacred books and traditions and they agree wonderfully even in terminologies in that day the old heavens and earth should end like a scroll that is red and finished a new heaven and earth appear the sun should be darkened the moon turned to blood and the stars fall from heaven because the citizens of that new city would have no need of the sun neither of the moon to shine in it for the glory of God did lighten it and the lamb is the light lamp thereof Revelation 21 23 these signs were mentioned by Isaiah Amos, Ezekiel Joel, Jesus, Peter and John as well as by great prophets of other religions therefore their fulfillment was not completed in the time of Jesus nor of the revelations of John prophecy is evidently of such a nature that it cannot be understood until after it is fulfilled otherwise it would be mere foretelling but when it is completed its hidden meanings are disclosed and easy to be comprehended by all who so desire it was to be a time of trouble of turmoil, disturbance and change of old doctrines, thoughts and things and the appearance of a new world of ideals and facts the conditions of warfare, oppression ignorance and suffering should finally cease and a heavenly kingdom of wisdom, justice mercy and love should ensue accompanied by an earthly reign of knowledge, health happiness, service peace and prosperity the Lord shall be king over all the earth in that day shall there be one Lord and his name one Zechariah 14.9 for the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord his manifested word as the waters cover the sea Habakkuk 2.14 Isaiah 11.9 the Baha'i teaching is that when the ending of a great cycle of dispensations and the beginning of another there is a universal manifestation of the will of God the changes in all things are so great the new conditions so advanced that the old becomes forgotten and no trace of it remains although it is believed that man has existed on earth for immense periods of time yet there is no record of him previous to Adam about 7000 years ago that was the time of the beginning of this great week of thousands of years now ending and passing in its turn into the leaf of forgetfulness its Sabbath its final day of peace and rest has already dawned the recurrence of cycles of spiritual light and darkness is as well established as the succession of days and nights of troubles and doubts becomes dense when faith is dangerously shaken another dawn of glorious revelation of God's word and will appears above the eastern horizon this has been the history of mankind from the beginning and history is now repeating itself toward the end of the 18th century and in the 19th the world was in deep spiritual darkness we see the effects of that condition in the fierce greed of men and nations their oppression over the week their craftiness, diplomacy fear and reliance upon the God of force in the schools we see the academic result in the widespread materialism the scoffing at religion and spiritual ideas the exaltation of man as against God the dethronement of God from participation in the affairs of men and the doctrines of man's self-sufficiency our great universities hesitate not to teach these doctrines of gross materialism and their works on religion are often destructive rather than constructive all these are the works of darkness but God slumbers not nor sleeps afar off in the Orient his son has risen with healing in his wings the word has again appeared through Bahá'u'lláh the glory of God even as darkness and ignorance have covered the earth so this great light has shone forth with such brilliancy power and adaptation to the needs of all men that it is already enlightening the globe and seekers for truth advancing ones from every climb and religion from Persia, Russia India, Egypt, China Germany, France England and America are welcoming its beautiful and life-giving radiance End of Section 4 Recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater Recorded in London, England Section 5 of the Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater The Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase Section 5 The fulness of time The times are full The days of prophecy are numbered The prophecies themselves are being fulfilled before our eyes Now is one of those remarkable periods of unrest of change from former to future conditions No plane of life is exempt be it material mental, psychic or spiritual it is in the throes of a new creation a new conception a disclosing of secrets a moving forth of things new and old we are already so employed in meeting the new wonders and adapting ourselves to the new environment that with the exception of the workers in archaeological search we care but little for the things of past centuries which are rapidly fading from sight for behold I create new heavens and a new earth and the former shall not be remembered nor come into mind Isaiah 65 17 Daniel indicated an hour upon the clock of time in the future history of the Persian kingdom and Jesus referred his inquiring disciples to Daniel the revelation of Saint John pointed repeatedly to the same dial Muhammad proclaimed the same period and all the scriptures of the world have declared in unison the events of that time of times now the fulfillment has arrived exactly on time those wise figures the millerites knew the date accurately and were prepared to meet it but they misinterpreted the manner of its fulfillment and so grieved bitterly that God had not kept his appointment and looked for a coming not in accord with known laws forgetting that the laws of nature are the laws of God and that he does not violate his own laws the hour struck exactly at the appointed time but it came quietly in the night and did not sound an alarm of terror in the skies as soon as its forward was uttered in the orient the electric telegraph responded from the incident and flashed its first rate message to the world in the words what hath God wrought in its very year the astronomers noted the disturbance of Uranus and cried a new planet is near and about to be revealed two years later Neptune was seen in the same year Turkey gave the great edict of toleration permitting the Jews to reside and allowing its subjects to become Christians that was the beginning of the return of the Jews in the mounds of Nineveh that year archaeology commenced to disclose the concealed mysteries of the past all the world began to stir and awaken to the revealing of the hidden powers of earth, air, fire and water men searched for realities recognized light of the spirit shining to assist every seeker for truth they have discovered that which has amazed them though wonder piles on wonder they are yet slow to acknowledge the real cause of this tremendous advance in knowledge sometimes in the very act of discovering the marvelous bounties and benefits of God they declare there is no God there is nothing so blinding to man as the pride of intellect the exaltation of success one may as well deny the influence of the sun in the growing of a tree as to ignore the power of the spirit the divine light in the growth of scientific knowledge to him who hath eyes to see it is a necessity for the existence of man that in this time of rapid and unique advancement in material knowledge is there must be an equal and balancing progress in spiritual enlightenment just in the degree that man recedes from the recognition of the actuality presence and authority of God as an overruling entity and from the obedience to his revealed word does he become the servant of greed ambition cruelty injustice oppression and all that tends to degrade him and extinguish his real humanity with the appearance of each invention note how the hawks of the government watch to test its adaptability to the purposes of war the intent of the natural man is to rule or ruin and power without the fear of God means ruin these dangerous knowledges of means of destruction in the hands of godless rulers for tell the extinction of humanity within a few years unless the higher powers of spiritual knowledges as expressed in the revelation of God's word shall enter their minds and hearts and turn their desires to justice mercy and righteousness to the love of God and man this is necessary not only for this nation and for that but for all the peoples of the world that knowledge which is possessed by one must be open to all there must be a brotherhood of nations not an autocracy of one over all this is impossible while different religions separate and oppose them one to another all must come into the acknowledgement of one God one spirit one truth one father and the interdependence unity harmony and brotherhood of all the members of the one human race then only can there be health and true prosperity in the great body politic of the world end of section 5 recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater recorded in London England section 6 of the Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater the Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase section 6 as above so below all that is in the heavens and earth shows forth the divine names and attributes until the traces of the splendour of that Son of Truth are manifest and evident in every atom so that without the appearance of this splendour nothing can be honoured with this robe of life nor attain to existence in the phenomenal world what sons of knowledges are concealed in an atom what oceans of wisdom are hidden in a drop among the beings man is specially assigned to these robes and chosen for this dignity for all the divine names and attributes are manifest and evident in human appearances in the most perfect and excellent manner all of these names and attributes have reference to man everything glorifies God and praises Him some among them know God and mention Him and do not know Him all things express the divine names and attributes each in proportion to its capacity indicates and points to the divine knowledge until the appearances of His attributes and names have encompassed all the seen and unseen O Thou my friend I declare in truth that if Thou dost ponder over these statements Thou wilt find doors of divine wisdom and portals of infinite knowledge opened before Thy face Bahá'u'lláh the outward is the expression of the inward the earth is the mirror of the kingdom the material world corresponds to the spiritual world Abdu'l-Bahá some answered questions page 319 the ancient hermetic proverb as above so below signifies that every physical appearance and action is an outward shadow or reflection of a spiritual condition within or above it this is a law well known from earliest ages whenever there are great changes in the material or mental worlds they indicate corresponding movements in the inner and spiritual planes the lower phenomena not only manifest the presence influence and laws of the higher conditions but are also dependent upon them the greatest material exemplar of the spirit of God is light if physical light greatly increases on the earth as it has done in the last few years it surely signifies an intensifying of spiritual light in the world of mankind we have come out of the age of candlelight into the electric blaze and it means more than the mere lighting of stores and streets it is converting night into day even as the night of ignorance and doubt in spiritual matters is beginning to disappear before the rays of the spiritual sun of revelation which has come to the world in this age the people that walked in darkness have seen a great light Isaiah 9.2 arise shine for thy light is come and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee Isaiah 61 our x-ray discloses the interiors and contents of opaque substances but a marvel and how much greater the wonder when we learn that it typifies the penetrating power of the spirit which is now searching the hearts and reins of men in this day of resurrection and judgment as never before the ships in need send silent messages into the air even as we who pray send forth our supplications to the unseen and answering sucker comes to cheer and wave by telegraph and telephone we communicate with all the world and overcome all obstacles little thinking that it means the levelling of mountains the lifting of valleys the making of the whole earth as a broad highway for the diffusion of knowledge because it is the time when the glory of the Lord is revealed and his word flashes like lightning from east to west around the circle of the earth prepare ye the way of the Lord make straight in the desert a highway for our God every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be made low and the crooked shall be made straight and the rough places plain and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together Isaiah 40 3-5 what is that glory but the word of God by the aid of this electricity the physical servant of the Spirit which furnishes light heat and motion annihilating space and time our ships and trains speed more and more swiftly lessening distances bearing the products of the whole earth to every part carrying travelers missionaries, searchers for knowledge back and forth from nation to nation bringing all peoples into closer acquaintance making it possible for the gospel to be preached in all the world and fulfilling prophecy at the time of the end many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased Daniel 12-4 these things are evident to him who believes the word of God and seeks his truth greater things are at the door how shall we interpret the dominion over the air which seems near at hand when it is accomplished the correspondence with spiritual flight and knowledge shall become clear and we shall know and uplifting an exultation of which we now have little conception as we ascend from earthly attachments and soar in the atmosphere of the Spirit we shall indeed meet the Lord in the air the world is smaller today than yesterday and its interests are so co-mingled that all mankind is concerned in the news of today's happenings at every point of the globe commercial interests are so intertwined that a death in China a quarrel between the shakes in Morocco or the arrest of a deserter in France affects all the money marks of the world within the hour the sensitive nerves of money now reach to the farthest corners of the earth has all this wonderful progress no deeper significance than commercial exploitation the word has gone forth from the throne of God commanding unity and peace and mankind is standing at the threshold of that millennium of spiritual knowledge and human harmony which has been promised through the ages all material processes bring men closer together all physical discoveries all mental energies are preparing the way for the great union and worldwide community of human interests when business shall be conducted in the name of the Lord masters of industry think they are doing these things of themselves for the furtherance of their own little affairs and purposes knowing not that they are instruments in the hand of God to open the doors of opportunity to all peoples in this day of his revealing that no good thing shall be withheld from any and that the human race may enter into the consummation of peace on earth goodwill among men or as some of our friends interpret peace on earth among men of goodwill shall the axe boast itself and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth Exodus 916 even the automobiles and electric cars declare the arrival of the day of his preparation the chariots shall be with flaming torches literally fire of steels in the day of his preparation the chariots shall be with flaming torches literally fire of steels in the day of his preparation the chariots shall rage in the streets they shall jostle one against another in the broad ways they shall seem like torches they shall run like the lightnings Nahum 23 End of Section 6 Recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater Recorded in London, England Section 7 The High Revelation by Thornton Chase This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater The High Revelation by Thornton Chase Section 7 The Golden Age The discoveries of the last half century are sufficient to lift man from a condition of comparative childhood to a manhood of knowledge, and the end is not yet Looking back a few years within our own lifetimes we perceive that we were but children now we think we are wise but to him who sees beyond the present it is evident that whole universities of scientific and spiritual learning are opening their doors to us and that we, as freshmen have just entered upon the vast course of knowledges which shall graduate mankind into an era of wisdom welfare, harmony, peace and prosperity such a golden age of godly and heavenly living as the world has never seen Who now can smile at prophecy? His literal fulfillment are crowding upon each other in this day of God's manifestation when he is revealing the hidden things of his treasuries and inviting every lover of truth to come and feast at the banquet of the Lord Who can say that his spirit is not working among men to perfect his promises when, in one day the peoples of different religions in Turkey suddenly forget their hatred and rush together in embraces feastings, goodwill and joy these events followed the adoption of the Constitution of Turkey July 24th 1908 Muhammadan's Christians and Jews embrace each other regardless of religious differences in the streets of old Jerusalem Jews are seen holding aloft the green banner of Muhammed while Christians applaud and Muhammadan's open the doors of the great mosque on the site of the Temple of Solomon and welcome Jews into that holy place where no Israelite has been permitted on pain of death to stand for many centuries no longer is it necessary for them to wail against the outer wall of that sanctuary so sacred to them the door has been opened and whether or not it remains so it is a type of the opening of innumerable doors the removal of a multitude of barriers that have held apart the members of God's great family the human race never before has the world witnessed miracles like these although the prophets of old have declared them in language which cannot now be misunderstood the day of fulfillment is at hand is here the mouth of the Lord have spoken it Isaiah 45 and every atom of existence proclaims it the subtle electric spark the particle of radium all the elements and powers of the four kingdoms earth, fire, air, water and the spirit of man are arising from their lethargy to declare the vital presence of the spirit of God in overwhelming manifestation the Old Testament prophecies consist of two great burdens the condemnation dispersion and suffering of Judah and Israel and their forgiveness return and joyful gathering together in the Holy Land the real fulfillment of prophecy are on the spiritual plane but in order that even the blind may see there are literal fulfillment also today the Jews are coming on mass to Palestine they are not only filling Jerusalem but are gathering in towns and villages and making efforts to buy the lands they are rapidly gaining precedence in business affairs and the wonderful changes under the Turkish government seem to be opening the gates for a restoration of their honor and prosperity in the land of Canaan the 11th chapter of Isaiah is one of hundreds of references to the present times some portion of its promises may be said to have been fulfilled by Christ but only a portion and divine prophecy is of such nature that it calls for many fulfillments even to the time of final culmination all through it declares the occurrences of this day of revelation their presence and meaning are evident to the Baha'i student one the coming forth of the rod the word the rod of iron to rule the nations the sharp sword of his mouth to smite the nations also revelation 1915 116 2 the appearance of the branch to manifest wisdom and knowledge and the spirit of the Lord also Jeremiah 23 5-6 3 the changing of animosity into harmony and the dwelling together of different peoples in peace 4 the universality of the knowledge of the Lord also Habakkuk 214 5 the ensign of glory standing for the seekers of truth and the assembling of Israel, Judah and the Gentiles also Isaiah 49 22 59 19 6 the coming together of the remnant of the Lord's people from all parts of the earth 7 the cessation of envy and enmity against the Jews 8 their prosperity in the land of Canaan 9 the laying under a ban the tongue of the Egyptian sea smiting the river in its seven streams so that men should go over dry shod what is this river sea but the Nile which has been put under bond by the great Aswan dam and highway one of the engineering wonders of the age also Isaiah 62 10-12 think of the number of prophecies in one chapter alone and all being fulfilled before our eyes today surely in this time the intelligent student of prophecy will find richer rewards than ever before because the proofs of truth are in procession before him and it is the time of understanding hitherto the peoples of the world have had little acquaintance or knowledge of each other each nation knowing only its own manners customs and ideas could see little good in any other the foreigner was regarded as an enemy to be feared or overcome indeed the attitude of governments to this day is that of fear each new battleship is a signal for the adding of one or more to other fleets the strong fear the comparative diminution of their strength and the weaker in terror of the strong but the time of awakening has come and on every side are those who recognize the ignorance and foolishness of such a condition among the reasonable beings and the volume of their voices constantly swelling and demanding peace this national antagonism is but an extension of the ancient condition when each man's hand is against every other then the scattered units joined into the larger individualizations of tribes and the tribes into nations the first intent was self-protection the second aggression this has been the kindergarten age of man an age which is now coming to its end man has been playing at living in a sort of rough competitive game striving for personal benefit without regard to the welfare of others the result has been that where one gained many have lost and mankind as a whole received nothing now it is beginning to be perceived that the power of progress lies in unity it is an age of syndicates and combinations on ever enlarging scales not only between individuals but between great firms and corporations and even churches are uniting for greater power and usefulness this centering of scattered forces this uniting of competitors is in direct fulfillment of promise and prophecy it is the preparation for the unity of man and the reign of peace treaties are made between governments for offense and defense against enemies when treaties shall exist between all nations for the conservation of benefits and for mutual helpfulness in the progress and good of all then shall there be the universal peace and an advance in the whole world to higher, better happier conditions in a vague sort of way the millennium has been expected to arrive at some possible future sometime but it is already at the door now in the amazing increase of knowledges the breaking down of barriers of ignorance the widening of commercial interests the closer acquaintance of peoples in brief, in the acknowledged need of unity the first rays of that glorious dawn of human solidarity universal welfare and prosperity are appearing above the horizon the practical evidences of this progress are on every hand the establishment of hospitals for scientific research equipped with the best materials and finest brains the uses of anesthetics the war on the white plague tuberculosis the improved methods of treating the insane and prisoners the use of better and safer building materials as steel and concrete the training of farmers in agriculture providing the means to make an acre its productive value and to clothe the arid plains with grain and fruits the government weather prognostications the forming of democratic constitutions in empires the judgments by arbitration the increase of general education and worldwide influence of the universities which receive their recruits from all lands and year by year are sending out armies of young men trained in modern knowledges the forming of international clubs in these great schools in America and Europe where student representatives of all peoples become acquainted and form bonds of friendship these advances and a multitude more are all for the service of mankind for his elevation to new conceptions and methods of living and they all witness the presence and power of the spirit of God only from a source that is higher than man can such a host of glories be inspired we are entering upon a human period when the motifs of man shall be reversed when his purpose shall be to serve rather than to be served to benefit others to conserve the interest of the whole rather than of the individual self instead of oppression greed and selfishness the motive powers of man shall be justice and love these are the elements of peace and prosperity which are twin brothers born of man's true evolution man is emerging from barbarism into civilization from childhood to manhood from darkness to light he is just now passing out of his period of adolescence of little wisdom and callow pride into a noble maturity of conscious strength knowledge and manly stability a great cycle of past conditions is closing and we stand upon the threshold of a new age which is beyond all our present conjectures in its values to man in its reality it is the manifestation of God the glory of the Lord revealing itself upon the plane of humanity proceeding and accompanying these confirmations of prophecy has appeared the essence of the crown of all divine manifestation the word of God incarnate it shone forth at the time appointed from the place declared in the manner proclaimed and witnessed to by history and prophecy in every age of the world end of section 7 recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater recorded in London England section 8 of the Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater the Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase section 8 history in the city of Shiraz, Persia on the evening of Jamal-e-Aval 5th 1260AH the 1260th year of Muhammedan reckoning from the Hejira which was May 23rd 1844 AD a young man afterward known as the Bob or Gate began calling upon men to repent to purify their lives and to prepare to meet he whom God shall manifest who was about to appear to fulfill the words of the prophets and to proclaim the word of God his mission was that of an Elias a John the Baptist proclaiming the coming of one mightier than him and calling upon men to prepare the way for that coming the place and time of that declaration corresponded exactly with the prophecies in Israelite Christian and Muhammedan scriptures and traditions it was in the Persian kingdom which was the special field of Daniel's prophecies it arose out of Muhammedanism which power was distinctly foretold as to appear in that former great kingdom of Persia in the Muhammedan year 1260 which corresponded to the time times and half a time named to Daniel as the period of these wonders to the time of the end which same period is referred to in several ways in the revelation of Saint John it was exactly 1000 years from the disappearance of the 12th Imam the Imam Mahdi who was to appear at the end of that time to usher in the second coming of Christ upon the earth the date fulfillment was in accurate accord with many prophecies and the accompanying signs answered so literally to numerous declarations in various scriptures that many men of intellect as well as those who were learned only in heart knowledge believed in the Bob his doctrine spread rapidly through Persia and inspired such spiritual zeal that it aroused the antagonism of the Orthodox Ulamas and doctors of religious law great oppression was incited by them which finally drove the Barbies to fight in self defense of their property and lives the history of trials and sufferings battles and martyrdoms endurance and joy for their faith and love of truth is authentic and scarcely paralleled in all the world one who witnessed such martyrdoms wrote how many children have become fatherless how many fathers have become childless how many mothers have not dared through fear to mourn over their slaughtered children many were the servants of God who at Eve were in wealth and opulence and at dawn were beheld in the extreme of poverty and abasement there is no ground but have been died with their blood and no air where unto their groanings have not arisen and during these few years the arrows of affliction have rained down without intermission from the clouds of fate yet not withstanding all these visitations and afflictions the fire of divine love is in such fashion kindled in their hearts that were they all to be hewn in pieces they would not forswear the love of the beloved of all the dwellers upon earth may rather with their whole souls do they yearn and hope for what may be fall them in the way of God a European witness Mr. Usher said it was enough to be suspected of Bobbism to be at once put to death no time was lost between apprehension and execution death was the only punishment known the headless bodies lay in the streets for days the terrified relatives fearing to give them burial and the dogs fought and growled over the corpses in the deserted thoroughfares for six years the Bobb taught and wrote his instructions known as the Bayan revelation most of the time in prison often questioned by the ulamas beaten and bastinadoed and finally he was martyred in 1850 at the age of 30 in the public square of Tabriz an eyewitness not a believer writes of him at that time the Bobb kept perfectly silent his pale and beautiful face surrounded by a black beard his white and delicate hands his figure and distinguished manner everything in his person and in his dress aroused the sympathy and compassion of the spectators he had characteristics truly great and noble and was a man of firm and settled convictions his moral character was high and he aimed in his teaching to bring all his countrymen into a community united by intellectual and moral ties professor Ross of university college London wrote his wonderful life needs no comment if ever a life spoke for itself it is the Bobb's with its simplicity integrity and unswerving devotion to the truth that was born in him he felt the truth in him and in the proclamation he moved neither hand nor foot to spare himself but unflinchingly submitted to all manner of injustice and persecution and finally to an ignominious death his influence penetrated deeper than their curiosity and their minds it reached their hearts and inspired them with a spirit of self sacrifice renunciation and devotion as remarkable and as admirable as his own end of section 8 recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater recorded in London, England section 9 of the Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater the Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase section 9 Baha'u'llah in 1852-3 9 years after the first declaration of the Bob Baha'u'llah then 35 years of age a native of the city of Noor light in Persia and an exile to Baghdad in Arabia began teaching and expounding religious doctrines in such a way that it attracted the hearts of many listeners especially the Bobbys and caused bitter opposition from others as contention grew he quietly left Baghdad and for two years remained alone in seclusion in the mountains of Sarkalu his whereabouts unknown to all when he returned to Baghdad the teaching was renewed and in 1863 AD 19 years after the Bobb's proclamation he openly declared his mission as he whom God shall manifest for 12 successive days in the Resvan or Garden of the city at that time he and his followers now known as Baha'is were removed to Constantinople and soon after to Adrianople where they remained until 1868 AD when under pressure from enemies they were transported to the political prison of Aqqa in Syria Aqqa is about 20 miles from Nazareth the home of Jesus and 9 miles from Mount Carmel to many scriptural events thus was the Baha'i manifestation driven by its enemies into the Holy Land God's land of promise God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform the purpose of this imprisonment was to exterminate the movement as it was supposed to be already extinguished in Persia by the killing of all who were known to be affiliated with it Aqqa was famous for its deadly malarial conditions and prisoners there were usually short-lived it was said that a bird attempting to fly over Aqqa would drop dead all but a scattered and unknown few of the former Babis in Persia had been martyred there were 70 men women and children with Baha'u'llah in that exile and so secretly they removed to Aqqa so close was the imprisonment there that for a long time none of the friends in Persia or elsewhere knew what had become of them Baha'u'llah was confined alone in the highest room in the prison tower and all of the others were herded together like cattle in a large room in the barracks below they were allowed no communication with persons outside they were subjected to extreme hunger vile food and water mud, filth, and disease typhoid fever and dysentery broke out among them and all but five were ill even some of their guards were sick one man only was left to care for them all that man was Abbas Effendi the son of Baha'u'llah now known as Abdul Baha the servant of the glory of God in spite of the horror, disease oppression and suffering these people lived to be released from close imprisonment after a long period and eventually they were allowed the freedom of the valley of Aqqa reaching from Aqqa to Haifa nine miles away it was during this time of strict disconfinement when each loaf of bread was cut open by the guards to see that it contained no communication that the long epistles letters to the kings were sent from that prison tower to the monarchs of the earth including the Pope at Rome Queen Victoria Napoleon III and the President of the United States calling upon them to recognize Baha'u'llah as the messenger of God it was then when the cause seemed to human sight to be extinct and buried beyond possibility of resurrection that the most triumphant pians of victory were penned to the exiled captive in his silent chamber in the prison tower of Aqqa he proclaimed the triumph of the spirit of God over the whole earth as an accomplished fact the utter defeat and rout of the hosts of darkness and the victory of the glory of God Baha'u'llah the word of God over the hearts of men throughout the world today millions of happy souls are rejoicing in that word devoting their lives to that cause and proving that the word was divine and from the almighty God and that the imprisoned man who suffered that the word might come to its birth and maturity among men was indeed the manifestation of the will of God for forty years Baha'u'llah taught and wrote all of that time and exile and much of it in what he called the greatest prison his works are voluminous and all are filled with millions of exalted wisdom for both the spiritual and material evolution of man they parallel the divine teachings of all past ages illuminating and showing them forth in wonderful clearness and new beauty they meet the needs of the spiritually hungry in every religion and climb they penetrate the hearts and thrill the souls with divine light they melt away all separateness in the fires of love and bring believers from every part of the world into a perfect unity Professor Edward G. Brown lecturer in Persian to the University of Cambridge England who visited Baha'u'llah in 1890 said the face of him on whom I gazed I can never forget though I cannot describe it those piercing eyes seem to read one's very soul power and authority sat on that ample brow while the deep lines on the forehead and face implied an age which the jet black hair and beard flowing down in indistinguishable exurience almost to the waist seemed to belie no need to ask in whose presence I stood as I bowed myself before one who is the object of a devotion and love which kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain end of section nine recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater recorded in London, England section 10 of the Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Nicholas James Bridgewater the Baha'i Revelation by Thornton Chase section 10 by Thornton Chase before his departure in May 1892 the Baha'u'llah appointed his son the Abbas Effendi Abdul Bahaa to be the center of the covenant of light, love, and peace which he had founded in the name of God he commanded all to turn their faces understanding, thus making him the authorized interpreter of his writings. The only claim that Abdul Baha makes for himself is this authority of interpretation, and that he is Abdul Baha, the servant of God in this revelation. Abdul Baha Abbas was born in Tehran, Persia, on the evening of May 23rd, 1844 AD, at the very hour while the Bob was uttering in Shiraz his declaration of the fullness of the times and the coming of the great revealer. He was not of the family of the Bob, and the Bob could not have known his birth by any material means. At nine years of age, he accompanied his father in the journey of exile to Baghdad, and from that time he shared every hardship, suffering, and imprisonment ever manifesting such remarkable wisdom, influence, helpfulness, and endurance that he was always called the Master. He proved his mastership in every emergency, whether of contention, oppression, and persecution, or in severest trials and sufferings. Professor Brown says of his meeting the Master in April 1890, one more eloquent of speech, more ready of argument, more apt of illustration, more intimately acquainted with the sacred books of the Jews, the Christians, and the Mohammedans, could, I should think, scarcely be found even amongst the eloquent, ready, and subtle race to which he belongs. These qualities, combined with a bearing at once majestic and genial, made me cease to wonder at the influence and esteem which he enjoyed even beyond the circle of his father's followers. About the greatness of this man and his power, no one who had seen him could entertain a doubt. The declaration of the Bob, and the birth of Abbas Effendi, in different parts of the Kingdom of Persia simultaneously on May 23rd, 1844, were the forwards of the coming revelation, the establishment of the new heaven, the spiritual kingdom of God upon earth, and the unity of mankind in the universal knowledge of one God and in the peace of obedience to his declared will. The declaration of telegraphic success in the words, what hath God wrought, flashing out in America on the morning of May 24th, 1844, was the material response and forward of the new earth to be created for the physical welfare of man in the millennial age about to appear. The spiritual proclamation came from the east, the material answered from the west. That material prophecy has been followed by such a wealth of revealing of the hidden powers and gifts of nature that man is overwhelmed and amazed, and cannot yet comprehend but a small portion of the values already discovered, while he perceives a host of new wonders pressing upon him. Mr. Thomas A. Edison says, scientific discoveries are coming so thick and fast, there are so many of us working like beavers at them that it is appalling merely to think about possibilities in the future, everything, anything is possible. The world is a vast storehouse of undiscovered energy. The spiritual forwards were followed by such a spiritual resurrection and devotion, as the world has not witnessed before. Tens of thousands of saints gladly, joyfully suffering every indignity, loss, cruelty and finally martyrdom for their pure faith in the word of God and their love for him. Then came the great revelation, Bahá'u'lláh, the glory of God, opening the books of the past, renewing the word of God, calling all mankind to the table of the Lord, descending from the heaven and laying the foundations for the ascent of humanity into a glorious manhood of godly knowledge, salvation and life. And now, the Son and Servant, Abdul Bahá, is spreading that divine word to the farthest corners of the earth, and the advancing ones, the fearless lovers of truth, those who long for nearness to God and obedience to his will, are gathering to that standard of peace and love from every religion, land and race. Glory be upon the people of glory.