coming depends upon the fulfillment of certain signs: when He comes, it
will be with these signs. For example, "The sun will be darkened, and the
moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven....
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall
all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man
coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."(90)
Baha'u'llah has explained these verses in the Kitab-i-Iqan.(91) There is
no need of repetition; refer to it, and you will understand these sayings.
But I have something further to say upon this subject. At His first coming
Christ also came from heaven, as it is explicitly stated in the Gospel.
Christ Himself says: "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but He that
came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven."(92)
It is clear to all that Christ came from heaven, although apparently He
came from the womb of Mary. At the first coming He came from heaven,
though apparently from the womb; in the same way, also, at His second
coming He will come from heaven, though apparently from the womb. The
conditions that are indicated in the Gospel for the second coming of
Christ are the same as those that were mentioned for the first coming, as
we said before.
The Book of Isaiah announces that the Messiah will conquer the East and
the West, and all nations of the world will come under His shadow, that
His Kingdom will be established, that He will come from an unknown place,
that the sinners will be judged, and that justice will prevail to such a
degree that the wolf and the lamb, the leopard and the kid, the sucking
child and the asp, shall all gather at one spring, and in one meadow, and
one dwelling.(93) The first coming was also under these conditions, though
outwardly none of them came to pass. Therefore, the Jews rejected Christ,
and, God forbid! called the Messiah masi_kh_,(94) considered Him to be the
destroyer of the edifice of God, regarded Him as the breaker of the
Sabbath and the Law, and sentenced Him to death. Nevertheless, each one of
these conditions had a signification that the Jews did not understand;
therefore, they were debarred from perceiving the truth of Christ.
The second coming of Christ also will be in like manner: the signs and
conditions which have been spoken of all have meanings, and are not to be
taken literally. Among other things it is said that the stars will fall
upon the earth. The stars are endless and innumerable, and modern
mathematicians have established and proved scientifically that the globe
of the sun is estimated to be about one million and a half times greater
than the earth, and each of the fixed stars to be a thousand times larger
than the sun. If these stars were to fall upon the surface of the earth,
how could they find place there? It would be as though a thousand million
of Himalaya mountains were to fall upon a grain of mustard seed. According
to reason and science this thing is quite impossible. What is even more
strange is that Christ said: "Perhaps I shall come when you are yet
asleep, for the coming of the Son of man is like the coming of a
thief."(95) Perhaps the thief will be in the house, and the owner will not
know it.
It is clear and evident that these signs have symbolic signification, and
that they are not literal. They are fully explained in the Kitab-i-Iqan.
Refer to it.
27: THE TRINITY
Question.--What is the meaning of the Trinity, of the Three Persons in One?
Answer.--The Divine Reality, which is purified and sanctified from the
understanding of human beings and which can never be imagined by the
people of wisdom and of intelligence, is exempt from all conception. That
Lordly Reality admits of no division; for division and multiplicity are
properties of creatures which are contingent existences, and not accidents
which happen to the self-existent.
The Divine Reality is sanctified from singleness, then how much more from
plurality. The descent of that Lordly Reality into conditions and degrees
would be equivalent to imperfection and contrary to perfection, and is,
therefore, absolutely impossible. It perpetually has been, and is, in the
exaltation of holiness and sanctity. All that is mentioned of the
Manifestations and Dawning-places of God signifies the divine reflection,
and not a descent into the conditions of existence.(96)
God is pure perfection, and creatures are but imperfections. For God to
descend into the conditions of existence would be the greatest of
imperfections; on the contrary, His manifestation, His appearance, His
rising are like the reflection of the sun in a clear, pure, polished
mirror. All the creatures are evident signs of God, like the earthly
beings upon all of which the rays of the sun shine. But upon the plains,
the mountains, the trees and fruits, only a portion of the light shines,
through which they become visible, and are reared, and attain to the
object of their existence, while the Perfect Man(97) is in the condition
of a clear mirror in which the Sun of Reality becomes visible and manifest
with all its qualities and perfections. So the Reality of Christ was a
clear and polished mirror of the greatest purity and fineness. The Sun of
Reality, the Essence of Divinity, reflected itself in this mirror and
manifested its light and heat in it; but from the exaltation of its
holiness, and the heaven of its sanctity, the Sun did not descend to dwell
and abide in the mirror. No, it continues to subsist in its exaltation and
sublimity, while appearing and becoming manifest in the mirror in beauty
and perfection.
Now if we say that we have seen the Sun in two mirrors--one the Christ and
one the Holy Spirit--that is to say, that we have seen three Suns, one in
heaven and the two others on the earth, we speak truly. And if we say that
there is one Sun, and it is pure singleness, and has no partner and equal,
we again speak truly.
The epitome of the discourse is that the Reality of Christ was a clear
mirror, and the Sun of Reality--that is to say, the Essence of Oneness,
with its infinite perfections and attributes--became visible in the mirror.
The meaning is not that the Sun, which is the Essence of the Divinity,
became divided and multiplied--for the Sun is one--but it appeared in the
mirror. This is why Christ said, "The Father is in the Son," meaning that
the Sun is visible and manifest in this mirror.
The Holy Spirit is the Bounty of God which becomes visible and evident in
the Reality of Christ. The Sonship station is the heart of Christ, and the
Holy Spirit is the station of the spirit of Christ. Hence it has become
certain and proved that the Essence of Divinity is absolutely unique and
has no equal, no likeness, no equivalent.
This is the signification of the Three Persons of the Trinity. If it were
otherwise, the foundations of the Religion of God would rest upon an
illogical proposition which the mind could never conceive, and how can the
mind be forced to believe a thing which it cannot conceive? A thing cannot
be grasped by the intelligence except when it is clothed in an
intelligible form; otherwise, it is but an effort of the imagination.
It has now become clear, from this explanation, what is the meaning of the
Three Persons of the Trinity. The Oneness of God is also proved.
28: EXPLANATION OF VERSE FIVE, CHAPTER SEVENTEEN, OF THE GOSPEL OF ST.
JOHN
"And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self, with the glory
which I had with Thee before the world was."(98)
There are two kinds of priorities: one is essential and is not preceded by
a cause, but its existence is in itself, as, for example, the sun has
light in itself, for its shining is not dependent on the light of other
stars. This is called an essential light. But the light of the moon is
received from the sun, for the moon is dependent on the sun for its light;
therefore, the sun, with regard to light, is the cause, and the moon
becomes the effect. The former is the ancient, the precedent, the
antecedent, while the latter is the preceded and the last.
The second sort of preexistence is the preexistence of time, and that has
no beginning. The Word of God is sanctified from time.(99) The past, the
present, the future, all, in relation to God, are equal. Yesterday, today,
tomorrow do not exist in the sun.
In the same way there is a priority with regard to glory--that is to say,
the most glorious precedes the glorious. Therefore, the Reality of Christ,
Who is the Word of God, with regard to essence, attributes and glory,
certainly precedes the creatures. Before appearing in the human form, the
Word of God was in the utmost sanctity and glory, existing in perfect
beauty and splendor in the height of its magnificence. When through the
wisdom of God the Most High it shone from the heights of glory in the
world of the body, the Word of God, through this body, became oppressed,
so that it fell into the hands of the Jews, and became the captive of the
tyrannical and ignorant, and at last was crucified. That is why He
addressed God, saying: "Free Me from the bonds of the world of the body,
and liberate Me from this cage, so that I may ascend to the heights of
honor and glory, and attain unto the former grandeur and might which
existed before the bodily world, that I may rejoice in the eternal world
and may ascend to the original abode, the placeless world, the invisible
kingdom."
It is thus that you see even in the kingdom of this world--that is to say,
in the realm of souls and countries--that the glory and the grandeur of
Christ appeared in this earth after His ascension. When in the world of
the body He was subject to the contempt and jeers of the weakest nation of
the world, the Jews, who thought it fitting to set a crown of thorns upon
His sacred head. But after His ascension the bejeweled crowns of all the
kings were humbled and bowed before the crown of thorns.
Behold the glory that the Word of God attained even in this world!
29: EXPLANATION OF VERSE TWENTY-TWO, CHAPTER FIFTEEN, OF THE FIRST EPISTLE
OF ST. PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS
Question.--In verse 22 of chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians it is written: "For
as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." What is
the meaning of these words?
Answer.--Know that there are two natures in man: the physical nature and
the spiritual nature. The physical nature is inherited from Adam, and the
spiritual nature is inherited from the Reality of the Word of God, which
is the spirituality of Christ. The physical nature is born of Adam, but
the spiritual nature is born from the bounty of the Holy Spirit. The first
is the source of all imperfection; the second is the source of all
perfection.
The Christ sacrificed Himself so that men might be freed from the
imperfections of the physical nature and might become possessed of the
virtues of the spiritual nature. This spiritual nature, which came into
existence through the bounty of the Divine Reality, is the union of all
perfections and appears through the breath of the Holy Spirit. It is the
divine perfections; it is light, spirituality, guidance, exaltation, high
aspiration, justice, love, grace, kindness to all, philanthropy, the
essence of life. It is the reflection of the splendor of the Sun of
Reality.
The Christ is the central point of the Holy Spirit: He is born of the Holy
Spirit; He is raised up by the Holy Spirit; He is the descendant of the
Holy Spirit--that is to say, that the Reality of Christ does not descend
from Adam; no, it is born of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, this verse in
Corinthians, "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive," means, according to this terminology, that Adam(100) is the father
of man--that is to say, He is the cause of the physical life of mankind;
His was the physical fatherhood. He is a living soul, but He is not the
giver of spiritual life, whereas Christ is the cause of the spiritual life
of man, and with regard to the spirit, His was the spiritual fatherhood.
Adam is a living soul; Christ is a quickening spirit.
This physical world of man is subject to the power of the lusts, and sin
is the consequence of this power of the lusts, for it is not subject to
the laws of justice and holiness. The body of man is a captive of nature;
it will act in accordance with whatever nature orders. It is, therefore,
certain that sins such as anger, jealousy, dispute, covetousness, avarice,
ignorance, prejudice, hatred, pride and tyranny exist in the physical
world. All these brutal qualities exist in the nature of man. A man who
has not had a spiritual education is a brute. Like the savages of Africa,
whose actions, habits and morals are purely sensual, they act according to
the demands of nature to such a degree that they rend and eat one another.
Thus it is evident that the physical world of man is a world of sin. In
this physical world man is not distinguished from the animal.
All sin comes from the demands of nature, and these demands, which arise
from the physical qualities, are not sins with respect to the animals,
while for man they are sin. The animal is the source of imperfections,
such as anger, sensuality, jealousy, avarice, cruelty, pride: all these
defects are found in animals but do not constitute sins. But in man they
are sins.
Adam is the cause of man's physical life; but the Reality of Christ--that
is to say, the Word of God--is the cause of spiritual life. It is "a
quickening spirit," meaning that all the imperfections which come from the
requirements of the physical life of man are transformed into human
perfections by the teachings and education of that spirit. Therefore,
Christ was a quickening spirit, and the cause of life in all mankind.
Adam was the cause of physical life, and as the physical world of man is
the world of imperfections, and imperfections are the equivalent of death,
Paul compared the physical imperfections to death.
But the mass of the Christians believe that, as Adam ate of the forbidden
tree, He sinned in that He disobeyed, and that the disastrous consequences
of this disobedience have been transmitted as a heritage and have remained
among His descendants. Hence Adam became the cause of the death of
humanity. This explanation is unreasonable and evidently wrong, for it
means that all men, even the Prophets and the Messengers of God, without
committing any sin or fault, but simply because they are the posterity of
Adam, have become without reason guilty sinners, and until the day of the
sacrifice of Christ were held captive in hell in painful torment. This is
far from the justice of God. If Adam was a sinner, what is the sin of
Abraham? What is the fault of Isaac, or of Joseph? Of what is Moses
guilty?
But Christ, Who is the Word of God, sacrificed Himself. This has two
meanings, an apparent and an esoteric meaning. The outward meaning is
this: Christ's intention was to represent and promote a Cause which was to
educate the human world, to quicken the children of Adam, and to enlighten
all mankind; and since to represent such a great Cause--a Cause which was
antagonistic to all the people of the world and all the nations and
kingdoms--meant that He would be killed and crucified, so Christ in
proclaiming His mission sacrificed His life. He regarded the cross as a
throne, the wound as a balm, the poison as honey and sugar. He arose to
teach and educate men, and so He sacrificed Himself to give the spirit of
life. He perished in body so as to quicken others by the spirit.
The second meaning of sacrifice is this: Christ was like a seed, and this
seed sacrificed its own form so that the tree might grow and develop.
Although the form of the seed was destroyed, its reality became apparent
in perfect majesty and beauty in the form of a tree.
The position of Christ was that of absolute perfection; He made His divine
perfections shine like the sun upon all believing souls, and the bounties
of the light shone and radiated in the reality of men. This is why He
says: "I am the bread which descended from heaven; whosoever shall eat of
this bread will not die"(101)--that is to say, that whosoever shall partake
of this divine food will attain unto eternal life: that is, every one who
partakes of this bounty and receives these perfections will find eternal
life, will obtain preexistent favors, will be freed from the darkness of
error, and will be illuminated by the light of His guidance.
The form of the seed was sacrificed for the tree, but its perfections,
because of this sacrifice, became evident and apparent--the tree, the
branches, the leaves and the blossoms being concealed in the seed. When
the form of the seed was sacrificed, its perfections appeared in the
perfect form of leaves, blossoms and fruits.
30: ADAM AND EVE
Question.--What is the truth of the story of Adam, and His eating of the
fruit of the tree?
Answer.--In the Bible it is written that God put Adam in the garden of
Eden, to cultivate and take care of it, and said to Him: "Eat of every
tree of the garden except the tree of good and evil, for if You eat of
that, You will die."(102) Then it is said that God caused Adam to sleep,
and He took one of His ribs and created woman in order that she might be
His companion. After that it is said the serpent induced the woman to eat
of the tree, saying: "God has forbidden you to eat of the tree in order
that your eyes may not be opened, and that you may not know good from
evil."(103) Then Eve ate from the tree and gave unto Adam, Who also ate;
their eyes were opened, they found themselves naked, and they hid their
bodies with leaves. In consequence of this act they received the
reproaches of God. God said to Adam: "Hast Thou eaten of the forbidden
tree?" Adam answered: "Eve tempted Me, and I did eat." God then reproved
Eve; Eve said: "The serpent tempted me, and I did eat." For this the
serpent was cursed, and enmity was put between the serpent and Eve, and
between their descendants. And God said: "The man is become like unto Us,
knowing good and evil, and perhaps He will eat of the tree of life and
live forever." So God guarded the tree of life.(104)
If we take this story in its apparent meaning, according to the
interpretation of the masses, it is indeed extraordinary. The intelligence
cannot accept it, affirm it, or imagine it; for such arrangements, such
details, such speeches and reproaches are far from being those of an
intelligent man, how much less of the Divinity--that Divinity Who has
organized this infinite universe in the most perfect form, and its
innumerable inhabitants with absolute system, strength and perfection.
We must reflect a little: if the literal meaning of this story were
attributed to a wise man, certainly all would logically deny that this
arrangement, this invention, could have emanated from an intelligent
being. Therefore, this story of Adam and Eve who ate from the tree, and
their expulsion from Paradise, must be thought of simply as a symbol. It
contains divine mysteries and universal meanings, and it is capable of
marvelous explanations. Only those who are initiated into mysteries, and
those who are near the Court of the All-Powerful, are aware of these
secrets. Hence these verses of the Bible have numerous meanings.
We will explain one of them, and we will say: Adam signifies the heavenly
spirit of Adam, and Eve His human soul. For in some passages in the Holy
Books where women are mentioned, they represent the soul of man. The tree
of good and evil signifies the human world; for the spiritual and divine
world is purely good and absolutely luminous, but in the human world light
and darkness, good and evil, exist as opposite conditions.
The meaning of the serpent is attachment to the human world. This
attachment of the spirit to the human world led the soul and spirit of
Adam from the world of freedom to the world of bondage and caused Him to
turn from the Kingdom of Unity to the human world. When the soul and
spirit of Adam entered the human world, He came out from the paradise of
freedom and fell into the world of bondage. From the height of purity and
absolute goodness, He entered into the world of good and evil.
The tree of life is the highest degree of the world of existence: the
position of the Word of God, and the supreme Manifestation. Therefore,
that position has been preserved; and, at the appearance of the most noble
supreme Manifestation, it became apparent and clear. For the position of
Adam, with regard to the appearance and manifestation of the divine
perfections, was in the embryonic condition; the position of Christ was
the condition of maturity and the age of reason; and the rising of the
Greatest Luminary(105) was the condition of the perfection of the essence
and of the qualities. This is why in the supreme Paradise the tree of life
is the expression for the center of absolutely pure sanctity--that is to
say, of the divine supreme Manifestation. From the days of Adam until the
days of Christ, They spoke little of eternal life and the heavenly
universal perfections. This tree of life was the position of the Reality
of Christ; through His manifestation it was planted and adorned with
everlasting fruits.
Now consider how far this meaning conforms to the reality. For the spirit
and the soul of Adam, when they were attached to the human world, passed
from the world of freedom into the world of bondage, and His descendants
continued in bondage. This attachment of the soul and spirit to the human
world, which is sin, was inherited by the descendants of Adam, and is the
serpent which is always in the midst of, and at enmity with, the spirits
and the descendants of Adam. That enmity continues and endures. For
attachment to the world has become the cause of the bondage of spirits,
and this bondage is identical with sin, which has been transmitted from
Adam to His posterity. It is because of this attachment that men have been
deprived of essential spirituality and exalted position.
When the sanctified breezes of Christ and the holy light of the Greatest
Luminary(106) were spread abroad, the human realities--that is to say,
those who turned toward the Word of God and received the profusion of His
bounties--were saved from this attachment and sin, obtained everlasting
life, were delivered from the chains of bondage, and attained to the world
of liberty. They were freed from the vices of the human world, and were
blessed by the virtues of the Kingdom. This is the meaning of the words of
Christ, "I gave My blood for the life of the world"(107)--that is to say, I
have chosen all these troubles, these sufferings, calamities, and even the
greatest martyrdom, to attain this object, the remission of sins (that is,
the detachment of spirits from the human world, and their attraction to
the divine world) in order that souls may arise who will be the very
essence of the guidance of mankind, and the manifestations of the
perfections of the Supreme Kingdom.
Observe that if, according to the suppositions of the People of the
Book,(108) the meaning were taken in its exoteric sense, it would be
absolute injustice and complete predestination. If Adam sinned by going
near the forbidden tree, what was the sin of the glorious Abraham, and
what was the error of Moses the Interlocutor? What was the crime of Noah
the Prophet? What was the transgression of Joseph the Truthful? What was
the iniquity of the Prophets of God, and what was the trespass of John the
Chaste? Would the justice of God have allowed these enlightened
Manifestations, on account of the sin of Adam, to find torment in hell
until Christ came and by the sacrifice of Himself saved them from
excruciating tortures? Such an idea is beyond every law and rule and
cannot be accepted by any intelligent person.