"We, verily, have ordained this Temple to be the source of all existence in the new creation, that all may know of a certainty My power to accomplish that which I have purposed through My word "Be", and it is! Beneath the shadow of every letter of this Temple We shall raise up a people whose number none can reckon save God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Erelong shall God bring forth from His Temple such souls as will remain unswayed by the insinuations of the rebellious, and who will quaff at all times of the cup that is life indeed. These, truly, are of the blissful."
Comments:
• As we explored earlier, the “Temple” is a reference to the Manifestation of God who for our time is Baha’u’llah. In this paragraph we become aware that the entity of the Manifestation of God is “the source of all existence” in “the new creation …” Let’s explore this a bit deeper. When we think of “all existence” we become easily overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of the visible universe. Science is gradually discovering and postulating many components of our physical environment – things that we even didn’t know they existed before. For example the many living creatures in the very depths of oceans, even in the midst of volcanic eruptions at sea floors and the invisible black entities in between far away galaxies. So when we read that the Manifestation of God is the “source” of “all existence” we become aware that such Beings are more than just a Messenger from God, that They have indeed the power over the entire universe!
• We also see in this paragraph Baha’u’llah’s reference to “the new creation”. If we search the Writings for “new creation” we come across reference like:
From Baha’u’llah:
“This is the Day whereon naught can be seen except the splendors of the Light that shineth from the face of Thy Lord, the Gracious, the Most Bountiful. Verily, We have caused every soul to expire by virtue of Our irresistible and all-subduing sovereignty. We have, then, called into being a new creation, as a token of Our grace unto men. I am, verily, the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days.” (Baha'u'llah, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 29)
From ‘Abu’l-Baha:
“Bahá'u'lláh has rent the veil of prejudice and superstition which was stifling the souls of men. Let us pray to God that the breath of the Holy Spirit may again give hope and refreshment to the people, awakening in them a desire to do the Will of God. May heart and soul be vivified in every man: so will they all rejoice in a new birth. Then shall humanity put on a new garment in the radiance of the love of God, and it shall be the dawn of a new creation! Then will the Mercy of the Most Merciful be showered upon all mankind and they will arise to a new life.” (Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 34);
From the Guardian:
“The eyes of the people of the world are beginning to be focussed on us; and, as humanity's plight goes from bad to worse, we will be watched ever more intently by non-Bahá'ís, to see whether we do uphold our own institutions whole-heartedly; whether we are the people of the new creation or not; whether we live up to our beliefs, principles and laws in deed as well as word. We cannot be too careful. We cannot be too exemplary.” (Shoghi Effendi, The Unfolding Destiny of the British Baha'i Community, p. 350)
Furthermore, as the rest of the paragraph shows, it appears that this “new creation” concerns “such souls as will remain unswayed by the insinuations of the rebellious, and who will quaff at all times of the cup that is life indeed.” Baha’u’llah refers to such individuals as “These, truly, are of the blissful”
Question:
Looking at the history of the Faith, could you name a few individuals who fit Baha’u’llah’s definition of “new creation”.
