“The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chainsbound with chains

that mankind may be that mankind may be released from its released from its

bondagebondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner… that the that the

whole world may whole world may attain unto true attain unto true

libertyliberty.”Baha’u’llah, 1853,

while in chains.Baha’u’llah declared His mission publicly

in 18631863.

“The world's The world's equilibriumequilibrium hath hath

been been upsetupset through the vibrating

influence of this most great, this new this new

World OrderWorld Order. Mankind's Mankind's ordered ordered

life hath been life hath been revolutionizedrevolutionized

through the agency through the agency of this unique, this of this unique, this wondrous Systemwondrous System --

the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed.”

Baha’u’llah

Progress as an “unwitting response”

Middle Ages (“Dark Ages”)

475-1453 A.D.

“Between the middle of the eighth and the beginning of the thirteenth centuries... the Arabic Arabic speaking peoplesspeaking peoples were the main bearers of the torch of culture and civilization throughout the world, the medium which ancient science and philosophy were recovered, supplemented and transmitted to make possible the renaissance of Western Europe.” (source : Arab Civilization to A.D. 1500 by M. Dunlop)

700 -1500 Islamic civilization 700 -1500 Islamic civilization 622 A.D. Islam dominates622 A.D. Islam dominates

1300-1500 Renaissance1517 “Reformation”1517 “Reformation”

Copernicus, Galileo1473-1543 1564-1642

Kepler and Newton1571-1630 1642-1727

““We have, then, We have, then, called into beingcalled into being a new creationa new creation,,

as a token of Our as a token of Our grace unto men.grace unto men. I am, verily, the I am, verily, the

All-Bountiful, the All-Bountiful, the Ancient of Days.”Ancient of Days.”

Baha’u’llahBaha’u’llah18631863

"A "A new life isnew life is, in , in this age, this age, stirringstirring

within all the within all the peoples of the earth; peoples of the earth;

and yet none hath and yet none hath discovered its cause discovered its cause

or perceived its or perceived its motive.”motive.”

Baha’u’llahBaha’u’llah

1844…1863… 19121844…1863… 1912Birth of the Baha’i EraBirth of the Baha’i Era

Industrial Revolution1775… 1844...

United States

The “new earth”New landmarks in

social progress:

equality, justice..

99% of all scientists are still living and 98% of all inventions have developed

in the last

150 years “Through the

movement of Our Pen of glory We We

have, at the bidding have, at the bidding of the omnipotent of the omnipotent

Ordainer, Ordainer, breathed a breathed a new life into every new life into every human framehuman frame, and instilled into every

word a fresh potency. All created thingsAll created things

proclaim the proclaim the evidences of this evidences of this

world-wide world-wide regenerationregeneration.”

Baha’u’llah

“. . .on the 1st day of January, A.D. 18631863, all all persons held as slavesslaves within any State shall shall

be then, thenceforward, be then, thenceforward, and forever freeand forever free. . .

And upon this act, sincerely believed to be

an act of justice…

I invoke the considerate judgment of mankind and the the

graciousgracious favor of favor of Almighty GodAlmighty God.” -

Abraham Lincoln

“Through the movement of Our Pen of glory We have, at the bidding of the We have, at the bidding of the omnipotent Ordainer, omnipotent Ordainer, breathed a new breathed a new

life into every human framelife into every human frame, and instilled into every word a fresh

potency. All created thingsAll created things proclaim proclaim the evidences of this the evidences of this world-wide world-wide

regenerationregeneration.”

(From the Pen of Baha’u’llah)

There isThere is

Good NewsGood Newsandand

Bad NewsBad News(press right and left arrow keys to advance)

The Good NewsThe Good News

Today the world responds “unconsciously”“Unbeknownst to the great majority, His influence permeates all His influence permeates all living beingsliving beings. Indeed, no domain of life remains unaffected. In the

burgeoning energy, the magnified perspectives, the heightened global consciousness; in the social and political turbulence, the fall

of kingdoms, the emancipation of nations, the intermixture of cultures, the clamour for development; in the agitation over the

extremes of wealth and poverty, the acute concern over the abuse of the environment, the leap of consciousness regarding the rights

of women and racial equality; in the growing tendency towards ecumenism, the increasing call for a new world order; in the

astounding advances in the realms of science, technology, literature and the arts -- in all this tumult, with its paradoxical manifestations of chaos and order, integration and

disintegration, are the signs of His [Baha’u’llah’s] power as World Reformer, the proof of His claim as Divine Physician, the

truth of His Word as the All-Knowing Counselor.” (UHJ)

“The Ancient Beauty hath consented to be bound with chains that mankind may be released from its bondage, and hath accepted to be made a prisoner within this most mighty Stronghold that the whole world may attain unto

true liberty.  He hath drained to its dregs the cup of sorrow, that all the peoples of the earth may attain unto abiding joy, and be filled with gladness.  This is of the mercy of

your Lord, the Compassionate, the Most Merciful. We have accepted to be abased, O believers in the Unity of God, that ye may be exalted, and have suffered manifold afflictions, that ye might prosper and flourish.  He Who hath come to build anew the whole world, behold, how they that have

joined partners with God have forced Him to dwell within the most desolate of cities!”

 (Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, Pages: 99-100)

He suffered that we might prosper

“…yet unwittingly enforcing the general principles which He has enunciated…”

“Suffice it to say that this consummation will, by its very nature, be a gradual process, and must, as Bahá'u'lláh has Himself anticipated,

lead at first to the establishment of that Lesser Peace which the nations of the earth, as yet unconscious of His Revelation and yet

unwittingly enforcing the general principles which He has enunciated, will themselves establish. This momentous and historic step, involving the reconstruction of mankind, as the result of the

universal recognition of its oneness and wholeness, will bring in its wake the spiritualization of the masses, consequent to the

recognition of the character, and the acknowledgment of the claims, of the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh -- the essential condition to that

ultimate fusion of all races, creeds, classes, and nations which must signalize the emergence of His New World Order.

Then will the coming of age of the entire human race be proclaimed and celebrated by all the peoples and nations of the

earth.” (Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 123)

“… A new heaven and a new earth…”

“Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein

dwelleth righteousness.” (2nd Peter 3:13 & Rev. of John 21:1)

The earth will not be destroyed…

“For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind….For as the new heavens

and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.” (Isaiah 65:17 & 66:22)

A new spirit of life in a new world...A new spirit of life in a new world...

“ . . in the generosity of God a new springtime dawned, the lights of God shone forth, the effulgent Sun of Reality

returned and became manifest, the realm of thoughts and kingdom of hearts became exhilarated, a new spirit of life

breathed into the body of the world and continuous advancement became apparent.” (Abdu'l-Baha, BWF - p. 256 )

“The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion. War shall cease between nations, and by the will of God the Most Great Peace shall come; the world will be seen

as a new world, and all men will live as brothers.”

(Abdu'l-Baha in London, p. 19 )

A new spirit of life in a new world...A new spirit of life in a new world...

“The realm of thoughts and ideals is set in motion and blessed with new life. Minds are developed, hopes

brighten, aspirations become spiritual, the virtues of the human world appear with freshened power of

growth and the image and likeness of God become visible in man. It is the springtime of the inner world.

…the world is resuscitated, illumined and attains spirituality; religion is renewed and reorganized,

hearts are turned to God, the summons of God is heard and life is again bestowed upon man. . . .”

(Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 255)

“. . .called into being a new creation…”

“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.” 

(The Revelation of Baha'u'llah v 2, p. 252 )

“… none hath discovered its cause or perceived its motive…”

“The world's equilibrium hath been upset through the vibrating influence of this most great, this new World Order. Mankind's ordered life hath been revolutionized through the agency

of this unique, this wondrous System -- the like of which mortal eyes have never witnessed.”

"A new life is, in this age, stirring within all the peoples of the earth; and yet none hath none hath

discovered its cause or perceived its motivediscovered its cause or perceived its motive.”(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 136 & 197)

New Spirit released into the World

“Baha'u'llah found the world in a ‘strange sleep’. But what a disturbance His coming has unloosed! The peoples of the earth had been

separated, many parts of the human race socially and spiritually isolated. But the world of humanity today bears little resemblance to

that which Baha'u'llah left a century ago. UnbeknownstUnbeknownst to the great majority, His

influence permeates all living beings . . . .”

(Letters of The Universal House of Justice, 1997 Aug 13, Science and Religion)

Infused into the whole creation...Infused into the whole creation...

"The Call of God," Abdu'l-Baha has written, "when raised, breathed a new life into the body of mankind, and infused a new spirit into the

whole creation. It is for this reason that the world hath been moved to its depths, and the hearts

and consciences of men been quickened. Erelong the evidences of this regeneration will

be revealed, and the fast asleep will be awakened.”

(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 169)

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the

mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” (Holy Bible, Isaiah 2:2)

House of JusticeBaha’i World Center

Haifa, Israel

“And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in His paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

And he shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke many people: and they shall beat their swords into plowshares. .” (Holy Bible, Isaiah 2:3-4)

". . . and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks:

nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.” (Isaiah 2:4)

House of JusticeBaha’i World Center

Haifa, Israel

“… the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it….

and He will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in His paths…”

“…let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of God… and he will teach us His ways, and we will walk in his paths: for shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem...” (Isaiah 2:3-4) “To Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God… and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.” (Rev. 3:12 & 21:2)

“And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the LORD's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall

be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.” (Isaiah 2:2)

“To Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God… and I will write upon him My new name. . .

. . .which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.” (Rev. of St. John 3:12 & 2:17)

“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!”

( Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 351 )

“Do ye know in what cycle ye are created and in what age ye exist? …

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!”

( Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 351 )

“And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; As it is

written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare

ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made

straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”

(Holy Bible, Luke 3:3-5 -- Luke refers to the Old Testament prophesy and claims that Jesus has fulfilled the Old verse in the “First” coming. Every eye DID see Him.)

All did “see”All did “see” Christ Christ during the “First” coming…during the “First” coming…

“Thou hast written of a verse in the Gospels, asking if at the time of Christ all souls did hear His call. Know that faith is of two kinds. The first is objective faith that is expressed by the outer man, obedience of the limbs and senses. The other faith is subjective, and unconscious obedience to the will of God. There is no doubt that, in the day of a Manifestation such as Christ, all contingent beings possessed subjective faith and had unconscious obedience to His Holiness Christ.

For all parts of the creational world are of one whole. Christ the Manifestor reflecting the divine Sun represented the whole. All the parts are subordinate and obedient to the whole.” (Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 364)

““Subjective” faith – Subjective” faith – all are subjective to the wholeall are subjective to the whole

hidden from the sight of unwitting people

“. . . Judge thou from this metaphor how the world of the Kingdom hath shone down, and how

its laws have been made to work in this nether realm. Although the spirit is hidden from view, still its commandments shine out like rays of

light upon the world of the human body. In the same way, although the Kingdom of

heaven is hidden from the sight of this unwittingunwitting people, still, to him who seeth with the

inner eye, it is plain as day.”

(Selections from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 192)

“It is evident then that the manifestation of the Messiah was synonymous with universal

mercy. His providence was universal and his teachings were for all. His lights were not

restricted to a few. Every ‘Christ’ came to the world of mankind.”

(Abdu'l-Baha, Foundations of World Unity, p. 106

also found on page 444 of PUP)

“. . . all souls did hear His call.”

Potencies…are.. insensibly shaping

"These same potencies, apart from, yet collateral with these efforts and accomplishments, are, on the other hand, insensibly shaping, under the impact of the world political and economic forces, the destiny of that nation, and are

influencing the lives and actions of both its government and its people." (S.E., The Advent of Divine Justice, p. 86)

New Cycle of Human Power “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. All the horizons of the world are luminous, and the world will become indeed as a garden and a paradise. It is the hour of unity of the sons of men and of the drawing together of all races and all classes. You are loosed from ancient superstitions which have kept men ignorant, destroying the foundation of true humanity.

The gift of God to this enlightened age is the knowledge of the oneness of mankind and of the fundamental oneness of religion. War shall cease between nations, and by the will of God the Most Great Peace shall come; the world will be seen as a new world, and all men will live as brothers.”

(Abdu'l-Baha in London, 1912, p. 19 )

Justice and world-wide regeneration“Justice is, in this day, bewailing its plight, and Equity

groaneth beneath the yoke of oppression. The thick clouds of tyranny have darkened the face of the earth, and

enveloped its peoples. Through the movement of Our Pen of glory We have, at the bidding of the omnipotent

Ordainer, breathed a new life into every human frame, and instilled into every word a fresh potency.

All created things proclaim the evidences of this world-wide regeneration.

This is the most great, the most joyful tidings imparted by the Pen of this wronged One to mankind.”

(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 92)

The Bad newsThe Bad news

Death pangs.... Birth pangs...

“Deep as is the gloom that already encircles the world, the afflictive ordeals which that world is to suffer are still in preparation, nor can their blackness be as yet imagined.

We stand on the threshold of an age whose convulsions proclaim alike the death-pangs of the old order and the birth-pangs of the new. Through the generating influence

of the Faith announced by Baha'u'llah this New World Order may be said to have been conceived. We can, at the present moment, experience its stirrings in the womb of a

travailing age -- an age waiting for the appointed hour at which it can cast its burden and yield its fairest fruit.”

(Shoghi Effendi, The World Order of Baha'u'llah, p. 169 )

unwittingly and irresistibly advancing". . . through experiment and trial, slowly, painfully,

unwittingly and irresistibly advancing towards the goal destined for it by both Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá.... Indeed

if we would read aright the signs of the times, and appraise correctly the significances of contemporaneous events that are impelling forward both the American Bahá'í Community and the nation of which it forms a part on the road leading them to their ultimate destiny, we cannot fail to perceive the workings of two simultaneous processes, generated as far back as the

concluding years of the Heroic Age of our Faith, each clearly defined, each distinctly separate, yet closely related and destined to culminate, in the fullness of time, in a single

glorious consummation." (Shoghi Effendi, Citadel of Faith, p. 31-32)

Death pangs.... Birth pangs...

"Soon," Baha'u'llah Himself has prophesied [in the middle 1800s],

"will the present-day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead." 

And again: 

"By Myself!  The day is approaching when We will have rolled up the world and all that is therein, and

spread out a new Order in its stead."

 (Shoghi Effendi, in The Promised Day is Come, Pages: 17-18)

[emphasis and brackets added]

We are witnessing a dual phenomena"We are indeed living in an age which, if we would

correctly appraise it, should be regarded as one which is witnessing a dual phenomenon [a "titanic

upheaval"]. The first signalizes the death pangsdeath pangs of an order, effete and godless, that has stubbornly

refused, despite the signs and portents of a century-old Revelation, to attune its processes to the precepts and ideals which that Heaven-sent Faith proffered it.  The second proclaims the birth pangsbirth pangs of an Order, divine

and redemptive, that will inevitably supplant the former, and within Whose administrative structure an

embryonic civilization, incomparable and world-embracing, is imperceptibly maturing. . .”

(Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 17) [continued next slide]

“Soon will the present day order be rolled up…”

“. . . The one is being rolled up, and is crashing in oppression, bloodshed, and ruin.  The other

opens up vistas of a justice, a unity, a peace, a culture, such as no age has ever seen.  The

former has spent its force, demonstrated its falsity and barrenness, lost irretrievably its opportunity, and is hurrying to its doom.  The latter, virile and unconquerable, is plucking asunder its chains, and is vindicating its title to be the one refuge within

which a sore-tried humanity, purged from its dross, can attain its destiny.” [emphasis mine]

(Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p. 17)

Prevailing order is lamentably defective“How long will humanity persist in its waywardness? How long will

injustice continue? How long is chaos and confusion to reign amongst men? How long will discord agitate the face of society?... The winds of

despair are, alas, blowing from every direction, and the strife that divideth and afflicteth the human race is daily increasing. The signs of

impending convulsions and chaos can now be discerned, inasmuch as the prevailing orderprevailing order appeareth to be lamentably defective. I beseech God,

exalted be His glory, that He may graciously awaken the peoples of the earth, may grant that the end of their conduct may be profitable unto

them, and aid them to accomplish that which beseemeth their station.”

“. . . Beseech ye the one true God to grant that all men may be graciously assisted to fulfil that which is acceptable in Our sight. Soon will the

present-day orderpresent-day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead. Verily, thy Lord speaketh the truth, and is the Knower of things unseen.”

(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, page 216 and page 7)

ICQAteBrowser Version 1.0Age of Peace? -- Casualties of War

WWII Soviet Union: 13.6 million military, 7.7 civilian WWII Soviet Union: 13.6 million military, 7.7 civilian WWII China: 1.3 million military, 10 million civiliansWWII China: 1.3 million military, 10 million civilians

WWII Germany: 3.2 million military, 3.8 civilians WWII Germany: 3.2 million military, 3.8 civilians WWII Poland: .85 million military, 6 million civilianWWII Poland: .85 million military, 6 million civilian

WWII USA: 295 thousand military, ZERO+ civiliansWWII USA: 295 thousand military, ZERO+ civilians

U.S. Casualties in Vietnam: 56 thousandU.S. Casualties in Vietnam: 56 thousand

U.S. Casualties in U.S. Civil War: 620 thousandU.S. Casualties in U.S. Civil War: 620 thousand

U.S. Casualties in Gulf War: 289 soldiers (+92)U.S. Casualties in Gulf War: 289 soldiers (+92)

Iraq Casualties in Gulf War: 100Iraq Casualties in Gulf War: 100--200 thousand200 thousand

Civilians killed in Africa since Civilians killed in Africa since WWII:appxWWII:appx 33--5 million 5 million

The Judgement of God"The time for the destruction of the world and its people,"

Baha'u'llah's prophetic pen has proclaimed, "hath arrived.” "The promised day is come, the day when tormenting

trials will have surged above your heads, and beneath your feet, saying: 'Taste ye what your hands have wrought'Taste ye what your hands have wrought!’”

(Baha’u’llah quoted in The Promised Day is Come)

“Humanity... watches this great and mighty wind of God invading the remotest and fairest regions of the earth,

rocking its foundations, deranging its equilibrium, sundering its nations, disrupting the homes of its peoples, wasting its cities, driving into exile its kings, pulling down its bulwarks, uprooting its institutions, dimming its light, and harrowing up the souls of its inhabitants.” Shoghi Effendi

“Then and only then...”

“The world is in travail, and its agitation waxeth day by day. Its face is turned towards

waywardness and unbelief. Such shall be its plight, that to disclose it now would not be meet

and seemly. Its perversity will long continue.Its perversity will long continue. And when the appointed hour is come, there shall suddenly appear that which shall cause the limbs of mankind to quake. Then, and only then, will

the Divine Standard be unfurled, and the Nightingale of Paradise warble its melody.”

(Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 118)

The Good NewsThe Good News

The Promised One of all Religions

" . . the Promised One of all the world's peoples hath now been made manifest. For each and every people, and every religion, await a Promised One, and Baha'u'llah is that One Who is awaited by

all; and therefore the Cause of Baha'u'llah will bring about the oneness of mankind . . .”

(Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Baha, Page: 101)

Mysterious process…“The latter part of Advent of Divine Justice has some of the most mysterious things the Guardian has ever written. There is a place

towards the end of Advent of Divine Justice where Shoghi Effendi refers to America and he refers to the American nation being moved by forces it can neither comprehend nor control, to fulfil its destiny. Ok, take your [materialist politician] and say to him: ‘you know, your country is being moved by forces it can neither comprehend nor control.’ He’s not going to be very happy. He’s not going to be particularly pleased about this. Yet this is what the Guardian says. What does it mean? What is the spiritual effect of ‘Abdu’l-Baha having come to the North American

continent? Of Baha’u’llah having addressed the rulers of America in the Aqdas? Why is it that this nation of all is chosen for the role that he

describes in Advent of Divine Justice?” (Talk given by Dr. Peter Khan, in Sydney -- 14 August 2002)