Reality, Soul and
the Worlds of God
 
IV.   The Workshop of Interacting Souls
[Compiler: “The Workshop of Interacting Souls” is a continuation of the “Life Path of the Soul” in Section III. E., but emphasizing the macrocosmic repercussions and macrocosmic environment of souls’ lives interacting with each other.]
C.   Time: A Dimension of God’s Purpose
4.   Now, The Day of God: Every Soul Challenged
[from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh:]
1289.“Ye are the shepherds of mankind; liberate ye your flocks from the wolves of evil passions and desires, and adorn them with the ornament of the fear of God.”
(Bahá’u’lláh, quoting from The Book of Utterance: Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 29)
1290.How vast is the tabernacle of the Cause of God! It hath overshadowed all the peoples and kindreds of the earth, and will, ere long, gather together the whole of mankind beneath its shelter. Thy day of service is now come.
(Bahá’u’lláh: Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, “Lawḥ-i-Dunyá” or “Tablet of the World”, p. 84)
1291.Verily I say, this is the Day in which mankind can behold the Face, and hear the Voice, of the Promised One. The Call of God hath been raised, and the light of His countenance hath been lifted up upon men….
 Great indeed is this Day! The allusions made to it in all the sacred Scriptures as the Day of God attest its greatness. The soul of every Prophet of God, of every Divine Messenger, hath thirsted for this wondrous Day. All the divers kindreds of the earth have, likewise, yearned to attain it.
(Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection VII, pp. 10-11)
1292.The time fore-ordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled. Out of Zion hath gone forth the Law of God, and Jerusalem, and the hills and land thereof, are filled with the glory of His Revelation. Happy is the man that pondereth in his heart that which hath been revealed in the Books of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting.
(Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection X, pp. 12-13)
1293.The Prophetic Cycle hath, verily, ended. The Eternal Truth is now come.
(Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection XXV, p. 60)
1294.He…hath come to build anew the whole world,….
(Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection XLV, p. 100)
1295.Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and centre your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.
(Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection CVI, p. 213)
1296.We have a fixed time for you, O peoples. If ye fail, at the appointed hour, to turn towards God, He, verily, will lay violent hold on you, and will cause grievous afflictions to assail you from every direction. How severe, indeed, is the chastisement with which your Lord will then chastise you!
(Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection CVIII, p. 214)
1297.The heights which, through the most gracious favor of God, mortal man can attain, in this Day, are as yet unrevealed to his sight. The world of being hath never had, nor doth it yet possess the capacity for such a revelation. The day, however, is approaching when the potentialities of so great a favor will, by virtue of His behest, be manifested unto men. Though the forces of the nations be arrayed against Him, though the kings of the earth be leagued to undermine His Cause, the power of His might shall stand unshaken. He, verily, speaketh the truth, and summoneth all mankind to the way of Him Who is the Incomparable, the All-Knowing.
(Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection CIX, pp. 214-215)
1298.The All-Merciful hath conferred upon man the faculty of vision, and endowed him with the power of hearing. Some have described him as the “lesser world,” when, in reality, he should be regarded as the “greater world.” The potentialities inherent in the station of man, the full measure of his destiny on earth, the innate excellence of his reality, must all be manifested in this promised Day of God.
(Bahá’u’lláh: Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, Selection CLXII, p. 340)
[from the talks of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (no authority):]
1299.The constellation of love and wisdom and power is once more shining from the Divine Horizon to give joy to all who turn their faces to the Light of God.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Paris Talks, “The Light of Truth is Now Shining upon the East and West, Monday, October 23rd”, p. 34)
1300.Let all strive to grow in the light of the Sun of Truth,….
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Paris Talks, “The Universal Love, October 24th”, p. 37)
1301.This is the day when pure hearts have a portion of the everlasting bounties and sanctified souls are being illumined by the eternal manifestations.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, “5 May 1912, Talk at Children's Meeting, Hotel Plaza, Chicago, Illinois, Notes by Marzieh Moss”, p. 92)
1302.Now is the beginning of the manifestation of the spiritual power, and inevitably the potency of its life forces will assume greater and greater proportions. Therefore, this twentieth century is the dawn, or beginning, of spiritual illumination, and it is evident that day by day it will advance. It will reach such a degree that spiritual effulgences will overcome the physical, so that divine susceptibilities will overpower material intelligence and the heavenly light dispel and banish earthly darkness. Divine healing shall purify all ills, and the cloud of mercy will pour down its rain. The Sun of Reality will shine, and all the earth shall put on its beautiful green carpet. Among the results of the manifestation of spiritual forces will be that the human world will adapt itself to a new social form, the justice of God will become manifest throughout human affairs, and human equality will be universally established. The poor will receive a great bestowal, and the rich attain eternal happiness. For although at the present time the rich enjoy the greatest luxury and comfort, they are nevertheless deprived of eternal happiness; for eternal happiness is contingent upon giving, and the poor are everywhere in the state of abject need. Through the manifestation of God’s great equity the poor of the world will be rewarded and assisted fully, and there will be a readjustment in the economic conditions of mankind so that in the future there will not be the abnormally rich nor the abject poor. The rich will enjoy the privilege of this new economic condition as well as the poor, for owing to certain provisions and restrictions they will not be able to accumulate so much as to be burdened by its management, while the poor will be relieved from the stress of want and misery. The rich will enjoy his palace, and the poor will have his comfortable cottage.
 The essence of the matter is that divine justice will become manifest in human conditions and affairs, and all mankind will find comfort and enjoyment in life. It is not meant that all will be equal, for inequality in degree and capacity is a property of nature. Necessarily there will be rich people and also those who will be in want of their livelihood, but in the aggregate community there will be equalization and readjustment of values and interests. In the future there will be no very rich nor extremely poor. There will be an equilibrium of interests, and a condition will be established which will make both rich and poor comfortable and content. This will be an eternal and blessed outcome of the glorious twentieth century which will be realized universally. The significance of it is that the glad tidings of great joy revealed in the promises of the Holy Books will be fulfilled. Await ye this consummation.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, “19 May 1912, Talk at Brotherhood Church, Bergen and Fairview Avenues, Jersey City, New Jersey, Notes by Esther Foster”, pp. 131-132)
1303.Praise be to God! The springtime of God is at hand. This century is, verily, the spring season. The world of mind and kingdom of soul have become fresh and verdant by its bestowals. It has resuscitated the whole realm of existence. On one hand, the lights of reality are shining; on the other, the clouds of divine mercy are pouring down the fullness of heavenly bounty. Wonderful material progress is evident, and great spiritual discoveries are being made.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, “28 May 1912, Talk at Reception at Metropolitan Temple, Seventh Avenue and Fourteenth Street, New York, Notes by Esther Foster”, p. 153)
1304.God still assists and confirms us, illumines our hearts, gladdens our souls and perfumes our nostrils with the fragrances of holiness. Divine wisdom and providence have encircled all and spread the heavenly table before us. We must take a bountiful share of this generous favor.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, “31 May 1912, Talk at Town Hall, Fanwood, New Jersey, From Persian Notes”, p. 162)
1305.….we are living in a universal cycle, the first Manifestation of which was Adam and the universal Manifestation of which is Bahá’u’lláh.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, “5 July 1912, Talk at 309 West Seventy-eighth Street, New York, Notes by Howard MacNutt”, p. 218)
1306.It is now the time in the history of the world for us to…arise to service in the world of morality, for human morals are in need of readjustment.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá: Promulgation of Universal Peace, “20 September 1912, Talk at Home of Mr. Albert L. Hall, 2030 Queen Avenue South, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Notes by Ellen T. Pursell”, p. 325)
1307.Today the light of Truth is shining upon the world in its abundance; the breezes of the heavenly garden are blowing throughout all regions; the call of the Kingdom is heard in all lands, and the breath of the Holy Spirit is felt in all hearts that are faithful. The Spirit of God is giving eternal life. In this wonderful age the East is enlightened, the West is fragrant, and everywhere the soul inhales the holy perfume. The sea of the unity of mankind is lifting up its waves with joy, for there is real communication between the hearts and minds of men. The banner of the Holy Spirit is uplifted, and men see it, and are assured with the knowledge that this is a new day.
 This is a new cycle of human power.
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá: ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in London, “Address given by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá at the City Temple, Sunday, September 10th, 1911”, p. 19)
[from the Writings or talks of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (no authority):]
1308.Do ye know in what cycle ye are created and in what age ye exist? This is the age of the Blessed Perfection and this is the time of the Greatest Name! This is the century of the Manifestation, the age of the Sun of the Horizons and the beautiful springtime of His Holiness the Eternal One!
(‘Abdu’l-Bahá in the compilation Bahá’í World Faith, p. 351)