Descent (from heaven) of pre-existent prophets to earth.
"Call out to Zion, O Carmel, and announce
the joyful tidings: He that was
hidden from mortal eyes is come!
His all-conquering sovereignty is manifest;
His all-encompassing splendor is
revealed. Beware lest thou hesitate or halt.
Hasten forth and circumambulate the
City
of God that hath descended from
heaven,
the celestial Kaaba round which have circled in adoration the favored
of God, the pure in heart, and the
company of the most exalted angels. Oh, how
I long to announce unto every spot
on the surface of the earth, and to carry to
each one of its cities, the glad-tidings
of this Revelation--a Revelation to which
the heart of Sinai hath been attracted,
and in whose name the Burning Bush is
calling: `Unto God, the Lord of Lords,
belong the kingdoms of earth and heaven.'
Verily this is the Day in which
both land and sea rejoice at this announcement,
the Day for which have been laid
up those things which God, through a bounty
beyond the ken of mortal mind or
heart, hath destined for revelation. Ere long
will God sail His Ark upon thee,
and will manifest the people of Bahá who have
been mentioned in the Book of Names."
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings
from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, p. 16
17. O ye who are the chosen ones of
the Abhá Kingdom! Praise ye the Lord
of Hosts for He, riding upon the
clouds, hath come down to this world out of the
heaven of the invisible realm, so
that East and West were lit by the glory of the
Sun of Truth, and the call of the
Kingdom was raised, and the heralds of the realm
above, with melodies of the Concourse
on high, sang out the glad tidings of the
Coming. Then the whole world of being
did quiver for joy, and still the people,
even as the Messiah saith, slept
on: for the day of the Manifestation, when the
Lord of Hosts
descended, found them wrapped in the slumber of unknowing. As
He saith in the Gospel, My coming
is even as when the thief is in the house, and
the goodman of the house watcheth
not.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Selections
from the Writings of Abdu'l-Baha, p. 17
Likewise the address of the angels
to the people of Galilee, "That this Christ will
return in the same way and that He
will descend from heaven," is a spiritual
address. For when Christ appeared,
He came from heaven, although He was
outwardly born from the womb of Mary.
For He said: "No man hath ascended up
to heaven, but he that came down
from heaven."
He said: "I came down from heaven
and likewise will go to heaven." By "heaven"
is not meant this infinite phenomenal
space, but "heaven" signifies the world of
the divine
kingdom which is the supreme station and seat of the Sun of Truth.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of
Abdu'l-Baha, p. 192
127. Joy unto him who, in this Day,
casts away that which is possessed by
the people, and holds fast to that
which is commanded on the part of God,
the King of names and the Creator
of things -- The One who hath come from
the heaven
of Pre-existence with the Greatest Name, and with a power that
the hosts of the earth fail to withstand:
whereunto testifies the
Mother-Book in the highest station.
128. The first splendor which hath
shone forth from the Sun of Truth is
the knowledge of God -- exalted is
His glory! -- and the knowledge of the
King of Pre-existence cannot be attained
except by knowing the Greatest
Name. He is the Speaker of the Mount
who is established and seated upon
the throne of Manifestation, and
He is the hidden, invisible One, the
concealed Mystery.
-- Excerpt from the writings of Baha'u'llah
The Word which the Son concealed is
made manifest. It hath been sent down
in the form
of the human temple in this day. Blessed be the Lord Who is the
Father! He, verily, is come unto
the nations in His most great majesty. Turn
your faces towards Him, O concourse
of the righteous... This is the day
whereon the Rock (Peter) crieth out
and shouteth, and celebrateth the praise
of its Lord, the All-Possessing,
the Most High, saying: `Lo! The Father is
come, and that which ye were promised
in the Kingdom is fulfilled!...' My
body longeth for the cross, and Mine
head waiteth the thrust of the spear,
in the path of the All-Merciful,
that the world may be purged from its
transgressions....
-- Bahá'u'lláh, Proclamation
of Baha'u'llah, p. 84
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
Thereupon she summoned
unto herself one maiden from her
handmaidens,
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
And commanded her: "Descend
into space from the mansions of eternity,
....
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
Thereupon the countenance of
the favored damsel beamed above the
celestial chambers even as the
light that shineth from the face
of the Youth above His mortal temple;
Glorified be my Lord, the All-Glorious!
She then descended with such
an adorning as to illumine the heavens
and all that is therein.
-- Compilation, Baha'i Prayers, Tablet
of the Holy Mariner.
Be watchful lest the concerns and
preoccupations of this world prevent you
from observing that which hath been
enjoined upon you by Him Who is the
Mighty, the Faithful. Be ye the embodiments
of such steadfastness amidst
mankind that ye will not be kept
back from God by the doubts of those who
disbelieved in Him when He manifested
Himself, invested with a mighty
sovereignty. Take heed lest ye be
prevented by aught that hath been recorded
in the Book from hearkening unto
this, the Living Book, Who proclaimeth the
truth: "Verily, there is no God but
Me, the Most Excellent, the All-Praised." Look
ye with the eye of equity upon Him
Who hath descended from the heaven of
Divine will
and power, and be not of those who act unjustly.
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The
Kitab-i-Aqdas, p. 66
And now, with reference to His words:
"And then shall all the tribes of the
earth mourn, and they shall see the
Son of man coming in the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory."
These words signify that in those days
men will lament the loss of the Sun
of the divine beauty, of the Moon of
knowledge, and of the Stars of divine
wisdom. Thereupon, they will behold
the countenance of the promised One,
the adored Beauty, descending from
heaven and riding upon the clouds.
By this is meant that the divine Beauty will
be made manifest from the heaven
of the will of God, and will appear in the
form of the human temple. The term
"heaven" denoteth loftiness and exaltation,
inasmuch as it is the seat of the
revelation of those Manifestations of Holiness,
the Day-springs of ancient glory.
These
ancient Beings, though delivered from
the womb of
their mother, have in reality descended from the heaven of the
will of God.
Though they be dwelling on this earth, yet their true habitations are
the retreats of glory in the realms
above. Whilst walking amongst mortals, they
soar in the heaven of the divine
presence. Without feet they tread the path of
the spirit, and without wings they
rise unto the exalted heights of divine unity.
With every fleeting breath they cover
the immensity of space, and at every
moment traverse the kingdoms of the
visible and the invisible. Upon their
thrones is written: "Nothing whatsoever
keepeth Him from being occupied with
any other thing;" and on their seats
is inscribed: "Verily, His ways differ every
day." They are sent forth through
the transcendent power of the Ancient of
Days, and are raised up by the exalted
will of God, the most mighty King. This is
what is meant by the words: "coming
in the clouds of heaven."
-- Bahá'u'lláh, The
Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 66