The Revelation of Baha'u'llah, whose supreme mission is none other but the
achievement of this organic and spiritual unity of the whole body of
nations, should, if we be faithful to its implications, be regarded as
signalizing through its advent the coming of age of the entire human race.
It should be viewed not merely as yet another spiritual revival in the
ever-changing fortunes of mankind, not only as a further stage in a chain
of progressive Revelations, nor even as the culmination of one of a series
of recurrent prophetic cycles, but rather as marking the last and highest
stage in the stupendous evolution of man's collective life on this planet.
The emergence of a world community, the consciousness of world
citizenship, the founding of a world civilization and culture--all of which
must synchronize with the initial stages in the unfoldment of the Golden
Age of the Baha'i Era--should, by their very nature, be regarded, as far as
this planetary life is concerned, as the furthermost limits in the
organization of human society, though man, as an individual, will, nay
must indeed as a result of such a consummation, continue indefinitely to
progress and develop.
That mystic, all-pervasive, yet indefinable change, which we associate
with the stage of maturity inevitable in the life of the individual and
the development of the fruit must, if we would correctly apprehend the
utterances of Baha'u'llah, have its counterpart in the evolution of the
organization of human society. A similar stage must sooner or later be
attained in the collective life of mankind, producing an even more
striking phenomenon in world relations, and endowing the whole human race
with such potentialities of well-being as shall provide, throughout the
succeeding ages, the chief incentive required for the eventual fulfillment
of its high destiny. Such a stage of maturity in the process of human
government must, for all time, if we would faithfully recognize the
tremendous claim advanced by Baha'u'llah, remain identified with the
Revelation of which He was the Bearer.
In one of the most characteristic passages He Himself has revealed, He
testifies in a language that none can mistake to the truth of this
distinguishing principle of Baha'i belief: "It hath been decreed by Us
that the Word of God and all the potentialities thereof shall be
manifested unto men in strict conformity with such conditions as have been
foreordained by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise... Should the
Word be allowed to release suddenly all the energies latent within it, no
man could sustain the weight of so mighty a revelation... Consider that
which hath been sent down unto Muhammad, the Apostle of God. The measure
of the Revelation of which He was the Bearer had been clearly foreordained
by Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Powerful. They that heard Him,
however, could apprehend His purpose only to the extent of their station
and spiritual capacity. He, in like manner, uncovered the Face of Wisdom
in proportion to their ability to sustain the burden of His Message. No
sooner had mankind attained the stage of maturity, than the Word revealed
to men's eyes the latent energies with which it had been endowed--energies
which manifested themselves in the plenitude of their glory when the
Ancient Beauty appeared, in the year sixty, in the person of
'Ali-Muhammad, the Bab."
'Abdu'l-Baha, elucidating this fundamental verity, has written: "All
created things have their degree or stage of maturity. The period of
maturity in the life of a tree is the time of its fruit-bearing... The
animal attains a stage of full growth and completeness, and in the human
kingdom man reaches his maturity when the light of his intelligence
attains its greatest power and development... Similarly there are periods
and stages in the collective life of humanity. At one time it was passing
through its stage of childhood, at another its period of youth, but now it
has entered its long-predicted phase of maturity, the evidences of which
are everywhere apparent... That which was applicable to human needs during
the early history of the race can neither meet nor satisfy the demands of
this day, this period of newness and consummation. Humanity has emerged
from its former state of limitation and preliminary training. Man must now
become imbued with new virtues and powers, new moral standards, new
capacities. New bounties, perfect bestowals, are awaiting and already
descending upon him. The gifts and blessings of the period of youth,
although timely and sufficient during the adolescence of mankind, are now
incapable of meeting the requirements of its maturity."