Paragraph 174

Even as in the “Beginning that hath no beginnings” the term “last” is truly applicable unto Him who is the Educator of the visible and of the invisible, in like manner, are the terms “first” and “last” applicable unto His Manifestations. They are at the same time the Exponents of both the “first” and the “last.” Whilst established upon the seat of the “first,” they occupy the throne of the “last.” Were a discerning eye to be found, it will readily perceive that the exponents of the “first” and the “last,” of the “manifest” and the “hidden,” of the “beginning” and the “seal” are none other than these holy Beings, these Essences of Detachment, these divine Souls. And wert thou to soar in the holy realm of “God was alone, there was none else besides Him,” thou wilt find in that Court all these names utterly non-existent and completely forgotten. Then will thine eyes no longer be obscured by these veils, these terms, and allusions. How ethereal and lofty is this station, unto which even Gabriel, unshepherded, can never attain, and the Bird of Heaven, unassisted, can never reach!

Here we are at the fourteenth of thirty paragraphs looking at the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God, that of "pure abstraction and essential unity".

At this point, it is worth noting that Baha'u'llah is getting far more mystical and abstract here. You may have noticed it. We sure did. It is often said that the Seven Valleys is the mystical book that Baha'u'llah wrote around this time, while the Iqan is far more practical. And while this is certainly true, there is still a lot of mysticism in this book, too.

But what would we expect? After all, He is talking about deep religious issues here. And the faith is, as the Guardian said, fundamentally mystical at its core. So if you feel a bit lost here, don't worry. We do, too. It is, however, good to remember that we need to walk this path with practical, yet mystical, feet.

In this paragraph, Baha'u'llah is further elevating both God and the Manifestations in our eyes. He is reminding us that these various terms not only refer to God, but also to the Manifestations. In beginning to describe the eternal nature of these supreme beings, He points out that they are eternally on their throne, from the beginning that hath no beginning to the end that hath no end.

In many ways it can be seen like mirrors reflecting the sun. On the earth, they are all reflecting the same light. But when we ascend to the sun itself, all there is is light.

If we were to attain that holy realm He mentions towards the end there then all we would experience is that light. The mirrors themselves would seemingly disappear.

However, to even begin to understand this in any real sense, we have to be detached from our previous understanding of religion. And we have to also be detached from the love we may feel for the Messenger we grew up loving, not to mention all the cultural things that go with it. After all, way back in paragraph 27, He cautioned us about the "overpowering majesty of the Word of God", and how it could prevent us "from attaining unto the ocean of His names and attributes" and deprive us of "recognizing the Lamp of God".

So, again, these recent paragraphs were far more abstract and mystical, which also meant that there is very little for us to hold onto. Quite often the concepts will slip through our intellectual fingers like sand.

But, if we can continually remind ourselves that all these various and seemingly contradictory terms, like first and last, manifest and hidden, beginning and seal, all refer to the Messengers of God, and refer to each and every one of them, then we will begin to understand more of what He is saying here.

As we learned in Part One of this book, all the prophecies concerning the return of any one of them refers to all of them. The circumstances of their lives, the sorry state of the society in which they live, and the ascendancy of their followers, and even the eventual rise of their religious teachings, is applicable to each of them.

When we walk into a church and understand that it is Jesus there on the cross, and that it is Muhammad there on the cross, and that it is Buddha and Moses and the Bab and Baha'u'llah there on that cross, then we begin to understand the oneness of their station. When we recognize that each and every one of them are also sitting under the lote tree, along with Buddha, then we will better recognize what Baha'u'llah is talking about here.

As He says so powerfully in Gleanings:

If ye be intent on crucifying once again Jesus, the Spirit of God, put Me to death, for He hath once more, in My person, been made manifest unto you... If ye cherish the desire to slay Muḥammad, the Apostle of God, seize Me and put an end to My life, for I am He, and My Self is His Self... If it be your wish to riddle with your shafts the breast of Him Who hath caused His Book the Bayán to be sent down unto you, lay hands on Me and persecute Me, for I am His Well-Beloved, the revelation of His own Self, though My name be not His name... If ye have resolved to shed the blood of Him Whose coming the Báb hath proclaimed, Whose advent Muḥammad hath prophesied, and Whose Revelation Jesus Christ Himself hath announced, behold Me standing, ready and defenseless, before you. Deal with Me after your own desires.

Understanding this is of such importance that He will continue to explain it to us in a number of different ways over the next dozen or so paragraphs, sixteen to be precise.

But from here on out, He will use more stories and analogies, which give us more to talk about.

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The mystery of this theme hath, in this Dispensation, been a sore test unto all mankind. Behold, how many are those who, clinging unto these words, have disbelieved Him Who is their true Revealer. What, We ask, could this people presume the terms “first” and “last”—when referring to God—glorified be His Name!—to mean? If they maintain that these terms bear reference to this material universe, how could it be possible, when the visible order of things is still manifestly existing. Nay, in this instance, by “first” is meant no other than the “last” and by “last” no other than the “first.”

Now we come to the thirteenth of thirty paragraphs looking at the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God, that of "pure abstraction and essential unity". It's a good thing we're not superstitious. After all, it's bad luck to be superstitious.

He begins this one with the "mystery of this theme". Which theme? The "obvious" oneness of the Messengers. As the Universal House of Justice wrote, "While it is true to speak of the unity of all religions, understanding of the context is vital. At the deepest level, as Bahá’u’lláh emphasizes, there is but one religion. Religion is religion, as science is science." Here, in these thirty paragraphs, Baha'u'llah is emphasizing the oneness of the founders, too.

But He also says that it's a "sore test". Why? Well, we're not sure, but it seems like this is the main reason why there is so much dispute between faiths. Many see the founder they follow as unique, in competition with the other founders of other faiths. The followers seem to fall into the old "my founder is better than your founder" routine, never realizing the ridiculousness of it all.

Every one of these divine teachers comes from God. Every single one of them praises God. And their teachings, the teachings of each and every one of them, leads us closer to God. So, perhaps, the "true Revealer" would be that essence they all share, that absolute oneness that Baha'u'llah is discussing here. Remember, He also quoted the Qur'an where it says, "No distinction do We make between any of His Messengers".

Seeing as this is a test, it would probably be a good idea to go back to Part One and look again at the concept of tests. Over and over He talks about how there are many tests facing humanity when it comes to religion, and this is but another one. Remember, He did say "the changes brought about in every Dispensation constitute the dark clouds that intervene between the eye of man’s understanding and the divine Luminary", and the changing of the name of the founder is a great change.

Now, as far as the whole "first" and "last" issue, if we believe God exists beyond this material universe, then the whole concept of time, in relation to God, is absurd. And if time, in relation to God, is absurd, how much moreso the ideas of "first" and "last"? When looking at it all from the standpoint of beyond time, then they would all be synonymous. First and last would be indistinguishable.

However, we are living within the confines of time, so this can be very confusing for us. Maybe that just adds to why this is a "sore test".

But here Baha'u'llah comes to our rescue. He graciously gives us the answer when He says:

Nay, in this instance, by “first” is meant no other than the “last” and by “last” no other than the “first.”

If we take the time to ponder this, to meditate on it, and think about that overall essential unity of all the Messengers, then it begins to become clearer. But, if you're like us, it's still difficult to grasp.

Fortunately, over the next few paragraphs, it will become even more clear.

Paragraph 172

Notwithstanding the obviousness of this theme, in the eyes of those that have quaffed the wine of knowledge and certitude, yet how many are those who, through failure to understand its meaning, have allowed the term “Seal of the Prophets” to obscure their understanding, and deprive them of the grace of all His manifold bounties! Hath not Muḥammad, Himself, declared: “I am all the Prophets”? Hath He not said as We have already mentioned: “I am Adam, Noah, Moses, and Jesus”? Why should Muḥammad, that immortal Beauty, Who hath said: “I am the first Adam” be incapable of saying also: “I am the last Adam”? For even as He regarded Himself to be the “First of the Prophets”—that is Adam—in like manner, the “Seal of the Prophets” is also applicable unto that Divine Beauty. It is admittedly obvious that being the “First of the Prophets,” He likewise is their “Seal.”

 

Here we are at the twelfth of thirty paragraphs looking at the first of the two stations of the Manifestations of God, that of "pure abstraction and essential unity".

He begins this one by saying "Notwithstanding", which means "despite the truth of this". He has already talked about the oneness of the Messengers for many pages, and "despite the truth of this", people still use the following argument against it.

He continues by saying that this theme He is addressing is obvious. While this may come as a surprise, in retrospect it turns out that it is actually very evident. It's just that nobody thought to notice it for many centuries.

So, what is it that is actually so "obvious"? The implications of this theme.

He goes on to say that many people have allowed the phrase "Seal of the Prophets" to keep them from acknowledging another Messenger. This is exactly the same as those Christians, for example, who allow the statements, "I am the way and the truth and the light. No man comes to the Father except through me" to keep them from acknowledging any other religion. In both cases, and in many similar ones in other faith paths, people use these phrases as a validation of some sort of finality. As the Universal House of Justice said, in One Common Faith, "it is obviously the expression of the central truth of revealed religion: that access to the unknowable Reality that creates and sustains existence is possible only through awakening to the illumination shed from that Realm."

When we look at other statements, though, such as when Jesus says, "Had you believed Moses you would have believed Me", or "Before Abraham was, I am", He is implying a continuity of teachers.

When we see that all the Messengers share this "essential unity", the term "Seal of the Prophets" applies to them all, as does the "me" in that beautiful statement from Jesus.

When we turn our eyes to other faith traditions, we find similar statements of this continuity, such as when Buddha said, "In due time another Buddha will arise in the world, a Holy One, a supremely enlightened One, endowed with wisdom in conduct, auspicious, knowing the universe, an incomparable leader of men, a master of angels and mortals... He will reveal to you the same eternal truths which I have taught you. He will preach his religion, glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax and glorious at the goal, in the spirit and in the letter."

We find it also in the Mi'kmaq stories where the great teacher, Glooscap, promised to return to Mi'kma'ki whenever there was trouble.

Over and over, throughout the various religions, we find this constant promise of guidance from on high. It is, in fact, what Baha'u'llah refers to as the Greater Covenant.

Finally, while there is so much more we could write, we feel Baha'u'llah is so precise in this paragraph that we are concerned about writing too much, so we will just take a moment here to look at the phrase "those that have quaffed the wine of knowledge and certitude".

We note that it is a very particular caveat. Only those who have drunk of this wine are able to recognize the truth of what He is saying. While we understand that "certitude" is the eventual goal of this book, given its title, the word "knowledge" brings us right back to the beginning, where, in paragraph 1, we read:

No man shall attain the shores of the ocean of true understanding except he be detached from all that is in heaven and on earth.

Without this detachment, we can become too fixated on the particular messenger we follow, such as Jesus or Muhammad. Because of this love, which is both noble and appropriate, we can become blinded by their light and miss  the light shining in another messenger. We need to be detached from that "heaven", not to the point where we forget about it, but just enough that we can see it in another.

Through this detachment, as well as this perspective that Baha'u'llah is offering us, we can arrive at a better understanding of the oneness of all the messengers and arise to a far greater certainty of these truths, for we will see it in all the various paths.

Again, we could go on, but we don't want to obscure what He has made so clear. It is so clear, in fact, that He even uses the word "obvious" twice, when talking about this particular theme.