"O Living Temple! We have, in very truth, appointed Thee to be the sign of My majesty amidst all that hath been and all that shall be, and have ordained Thee to be the emblem of My Cause betwixt the heavens and the earth, through My word "Be", and it is!"
Comments:
• In this and the succeeding three paragraphs, we get further glimpses of that incredible realm associated with the Manifestation of God – its majesty, power and grandeur -- as well as its numerous mysteries. It is as if, Baha’u’llah, in His loving grace, is helping us, the humanity, based on our current state of comprehension, to become more aware of our very dependence on the Manifestation of God, a dependence the acknowledgment of which will impact our process of spiritual growth and maturation.
• There are many references in the Writings of Baha’u’llah concerning the station of the Manifestation of God and our inability, as human beings, to fully understand it. For example:
I swear by Thy glory, O Thou Who art the Lord of all being and the Possessor of all things visible and invisible! Every man of understanding hath been so bewildered at Thy knowledge, and every man endued with insight been so perplexed in his attempt to fathom the signs of Thy great glory, that all have recognized their powerlessness to visualize, and their impotence to soar into, the heaven wherefrom one of the Luminaries of the Manifestations of Thy knowledge and of the Day-Springs of Thy wisdom hath shone forth. Who is he that shall befittingly describe this most sublime station and this most august seat -- the seat which, as decreed by Thee, transcendeth the comprehension of Thy creatures and the testimonies of Thy servants, and which hath everlastingly been hid from the understanding and the knowledge of men, and been closed with the seal of Thy name, the Self-Subsisting. (Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 279).
• Another way to remind ourselves about the exalted station of the Manifestation of God and our inability as human beings to enter that domain and understand it is by reflecting on passages in the Writings containing the phrase ‘Sadratu'l Muntaha’ –literally meaning 'the tree beyond which there is no passing'. Arabs in ancient times used to plant it at the end of a road, to serve as a guide. Adib Taherzadeh explains it this way: “The Manifestations of God, by virtue of the Holy Spirit which animates Them, dwell in a kingdom of Their own far above the world of humanity and dominate the destiny of mankind. Though basically human, They abide in the realms of the Spirit beyond the reach of man. Bahá'u'lláh has described this station as that of the Sadratu'l-Muntaha, which can be translated as 'the tree beyond which there is no passing.” (Adib Taherzadeh, The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 1, p. 2)
• With this brief background, let’s review the contents of Paragraph 1.36. Reminding ourselves, as it was explained in the comments associated with Paragraph 1.17, that it is the voice of Baha’u’llah [representing the Primal Will of God] that is addressing Baha’u’llah throughout this Tablet, we learn that:
o the “Living Temple” of Baha’u’llah is “in very truth” “The sign” of the “majesty” of that Entity which represents all the Manifestations of God – namely the Primal Will of God;
o that this representation is “amidst all that hath been and all that shall be”; and
o that the “Living Temple” of Baha’u’llah is “ordained” to be the “emblem” of the Cause of God between “the heavens and the earth”!
The last reference brings to one’s attention the subject of life on other planets and their relation with this “emblem” of the Cause of God.
• We can’t help but to acknowledge the fact that such very powerful references about the stupendous station of Baha’u’llah and its exposure to humanity make us feel awe struck at the incredible privilege of being allowed, through His grace, to be His followers. We also know, based on Baha’u’llah’s explanations, that all the Manifestations of God “have each a twofold station. One is the station of pure abstraction and essential unity … The other is the station of distinction, and pertaineth to the world of creation and to the limitations thereof. In this respect, each Manifestation of God hath a distinct individuality, a definitely prescribed mission, a predestined Revelation, and specially designated limitations. Each one of them is known by a different name, is characterized by a special attribute, fulfills a definite Mission, and is entrusted with a particular Revelation.” (Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, pp. 174-76)
• Our sense of gratefulness for being followers of Baha’u’llah increases as we reflect on Baha’u’llah’s relation with future Manifestations of God and their role in “the later ages-after the unification of the whole human race is achieved …”. The foloowing two quotes from the Guardian are very helpful in this regard:
…. a Dispensation [Baha’u’llah’s] which, as the Author of the Faith has Himself categorically asserted, must extend over a period of no less than one thousand years, and which will constitute the first stage in a series of Dispensations, to be established by future Manifestations, all deriving their inspiration from the Author of the Bahá'í Revelation, and destined to last, in their aggregate, no less than five thousand centuries.... (Shoghi Effendi, the Compilation of Compilations vol II, p. 290)
After Bahá'u'lláh many Prophets will, no doubt, appear, but they will be all under His shadow. Although they may abrogate the laws of the Dispensation, in accordance with the needs and requirements of the age in which they appear, they nevertheless draw their spiritual force from this mighty Revelation. The Faith of Bahá'u'lláh constitutes, indeed, the stage of maturity in the development of mankind. His appearance has released such spiritual forces which will continue to animate, for many long years to come, the world in its development. Whatever progress may be achieved in the later ages-after the unification of the whole human race is achieved -- will be but improvements in the machinery of the world. For the machinery itself has already been created by Bahá'u'lláh. The task of continually improving and perfecting this machinery is one which later Prophets will be called upon to achieve. They will move and work within the orbit of Bahá'í cycle. (From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, November 14, 1935; Lights of Guidance, p. 473)
