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As to the words 'brass-like were His feet,' by this is meant His constancy upon hearing the call of God that commandeth Him: 'Be thou steadfast as thou hast been bidden.' He shall so persevere in the Cause of God, and evince such firmness in the path of His might, that even if all the powers of earth and heaven were to deny Him, He would not waver in the proclamation of His Cause, nor flee from His command in the promulgation of His Laws. Nay rather, He will stand as firm as the highest mountains and the loftiest peaks. He will remain immovable in His obedience to God and steadfast in revealing His Cause and proclaiming His Word. No obstacle will hinder Him, nor will the censure of the froward deter Him or the repudiation of the infidels cause Him to waver. All the hatred, the rejection, the iniquity, and the unbelief that He witnesseth serve but to strengthen His love for God, to augment the yearning of His heart, to heighten the exultation of His soul, and to fill His breast with passionate devotion. Hast thou ever seen in this world brass stronger, or blade sharper, or mountain more unyielding than this? He shall verily stand upon His feet to confront all the inhabitants of the earth, and will fear no one, notwithstanding that which, as thou well knowest, the people are wont to commit.. (16:28) And further He saith: 'Out of his mouth goeth a two-edged sword.' Know thou that since the sword is an instrument that divideth and cleaveth asunder, and since there proceedeth from the mouth of the Prophets and the Chosen Ones of God that which separateth the believer from the infidel and the lover from the beloved, this term hath been so employed, and apart from this dividing and separating no other meaning is intended. Thus, when He Who is the Primal Point and the eternal Sun desireth, by the leave of God, to gather together all creation, to raise them up from the graves of their own selves, and to divide them one from another, He shall pronounce but one verse from Him, and this verse will distinguish truth from error from this day unto the Day of Resurrection. (gdm 52-56) (16:29) Baha'u'llah's spiritual interpretations are in full harmony with the Bible. Let us look at one example of this. (16:30) The following prophecy of Joel from the Old Testament speaks of great outward signs. Although these outward signs did not occur, the New Testament states that this prophecy was fulfilled during the time of Jesus. (16:31) Prophecy of Joel: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. (16:33) The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. (joe 2:28-31) (16:34) see In the Book of Acts, Peter refers to this prophecy and states that it was fulfilled. We know that Peter must have understood the prophecy spiritually, because many of the signs mentioned by Joel were not fulfilled literally: (16:35) But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judæa, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: (16:36) For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: (16:37) And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: (16:38) And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: (16:39) The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come. (act 2:14-20) (16:40) see Knowledge Shall be Increased (16:41) A fascinating aspect of the unsealing of the books given to us in the book of Daniel, wherein it states: (16:42) But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. (dan 12:4) (16:43) see These words of Daniel have been fulfilled. Through the coming of Baha'u'llah, like a spiritual sun rising, the world has experienced a tremendous increase in knowledge. More people travel to and fro in this day than at any other time in history. (16:44) Jesus uses the analogy of the physical growth of a tree to explain how we will be helped to recognize the time of His Return: (16:45) Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: (16:46) So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. (mat 24:32) (16:47) see When do we see that this change referred to by Daniel and Jesus began? (16:48) An astonishing fact of history is that the famous first message sent by Samuel B. Morse on his newly-constructed telegraph system, which ran between Washington D.C. and Baltimore, was sent on May 24, 1844-one day after the Baha'i Faith commenced in Persia. The words chosen for that telegraphic message were quoted from the Book of Numbers, 23:23: What hath God wrought! Morse was a born-again Christian. He felt "the assurance that his Creator had chosen him to be a great benefactor to mankind." (YL p. 113) His invention anchored the age of electronic communications. It was given to mankind by God to provide the means whereby humanity could live as one fold (joh 10:16), and to enable the birth of a world civilization wherein humanity could freely communicate.
(16:49)
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