The Prisoner and the Kings

The Prisoner and the Kings tells the story of the greatest mystery of modern times. Between 1867 and 1873 a solitary prisoner in a Turkish penal colony wrote a series of letters to the kings and emperors of the day which predicted with amazing accuracy the course of modern history: the fall of nations, the overthrow of individual monarchs, the decline of religious institutions, the rise of world communism, the birth of the State of Israel, and the threat of nuclear contamination. The Prisoner was Bahá'u'lláh, one of the most remarkable figures in this or any age. What was the secret behind this handful of amazing communications? What was the source of the Prisoner's knowledge? And what did the letters have to say about us and out future in the twentieth century? Bahá'u'lláh is a Persian name. There is every likelihood that it will be as well known to your children as their own names.

Chapter 1

"Panic in the streets!"

Chapter 1
Section 1- The Assassins

The uniform of Kaiser William I was splendor itself. His shining helmet glistened like a second sun as the royal carriage rolled majestically along the tree lined avenues of Berlin. The king smiled to himself. Where was there another monarch to rival him? He had humiliated France beyond his wildest dreams of vengeance. He had become the first Prussian king to rule the united German states as Emperor. Yes, there was reason to be pleased. Suddenly the tranquil scene was shattered by the blast of a gun! A bullet plunged into the metal headgear of the Kaiser who slumped back onto the seat of his carriage dangerously wounded. Panic ran through the streets of Berlin.

"Assassin! Assassin!"

William I recovered. The shot that had nearly ended his life, however, marked the opening of a series of disasters which struck his fellow monarchs in both Europe and the Orient. Most of the latter were not so fortunate as William.

Far away in romantic Constantinople, a second king sat proudly on his throne. He, too, was both pleased with himself and totally unaware of a strange web of death that was gathering about the kings of the earth.

Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz, ruler of the vast Ottoman Empire, had surrounded himself with a protective network of spies. They reported everything that might arouse the slightest suspicion of opposition to the crown. The Sultan's enemies, however, were equally thorough. Suddenly, without warning, the palace corridors were alive with hurrying feet:

"Revolution!"

Color drained from the king's face. 'Abdu'l-'Aziz' cries for help echoed, unanswered, along the corridors. There was no place to hide. The leaders of the revolt laid violent hands on him and imprisoned him within his own palace. There the fate that was pursuing the kings of the world overtook him. Early one morning, the "slayer" appeared. With a thrill of horror word ran through the streets of Constantinople: "Assassin!"

A third king was marked for the same fate. Alexander II Nicolaevitch, Czar of all the Russias, was not pleased with himself. He lived in daily fear for his life. Guards patrolled outside his door. Even they were suspect and were changed constantly. Every dish of food was tasted first by servants. The Imperial bed chamber was searched each night, before the Czar would retire. Stories of the king's obsession with fear circulated among his subjects. Alexander tried to disprove such damaging rumors by riding openly through streets. In his heart, he dreaded these journeys and was constantly on the alert, watching for the unseen enemy. The inevitable day came. There was a threatening movement in the crowd and suddenly a bomb exploded in the path of the royal carriage. Guards seized the suspected assassin, and Alexander dismounted from his carriage to interview the prisoner. Before he could protect himself, the assassin's accomplice threw a second bomb which exploded at the Czar's feet. The crowd, appalled, fled in panic. Mortally wounded, Alexander II was carried back to his palace. Before the afternoon was out, the whisper ran from one end of St. Petersburg to the other: "Assassin!"

A fourth king, in another continent, was caught up in the same whirlwind. Nasiri'd-Din Shah, king of Persia, went blissfully on his way to offer prayers on the eve of his great Jubilee Festival. The Shah had carefully planned each step of this great celebration. It was to glorify his name and would be his eternal monument in history. Suddenly, without warning, while the king was at prayers, a pistol shot echoed through the sacred Shrine. The chanting hushed. The royal tragedy of Berlin, St. Petersburg and Constantinople had been re-enacted in Teheran. Another king lay dead. Cries of panic rang out among the royal party. Courtiers ran to and fro, not knowing what to do. The Prime Minister, who had accompanied the Shah, was devastated by the unexpected turn of events. "The news must be concealed, at least until after the Festival," he ordered. "No one must know!" The Shah's body was carried secretly back to his carriage. The Grand Vizir climbed in behind the king, supporting the dead weight. He held the Shah's body erect. Frozen in the silence of death, indifferent to the revelry around him, the king of all the Persians was driven back to his palace on the eve of his great Jubilee. Bonfires lighted the night skies. Banners waved everywhere. Trumpets flourished, cymbals crashed, the crowd cheered; all proclaimed the might and majesty of Nasiri'd-Din Shah who had described himself as the "king of kings." Gay festive band music blared out noisily as the carriage rolled on noiseless wheels through the streets. Once within the palace gates, the Shah's terror-stricken ministers passed along the dread words:

"Assassin! Assassin!"

Chapter 2

Chapter 2
Section 1- The Prisoner

What fate bound together the tragic kings of Germany, Russia, Turkey and Persia? Why had violence struck them down in almost the same hour? Their story is one of the great dramas of our generation. Why haven't we heard more about it? These were not mythical kings. Their overthrow and destruction was not part of a historical novel. It was not a suspense story taken from the pages of popular fiction. These were ruling monarchs. They, and later their thrones, were swept away in a titanic upheaval that has since engulfed and swamped no less than twenty kingdoms in half a century. Indeed the fate that overtook them has since seemed to pursue their elected successors in the republics which took the place of their fallen thrones.

The link binding together the four kings and their associates was a Prisoner, a solitary condemned figure in a cell in a Turkish fortress on the coast of Palestine. It would have been hard to find a candidate less likely to challenge the rulers of the world, or anyone more helpless than the Prisoner who arose to challenge them all.

Two of these same kings had already brutally persecuted and humiliated him. Although determined to silence him, they had been totally unsuccessful. Attempts to kill him developed into almost a comedy of errors. Every stroke the kings devised to eliminate the Prisoner seems, in retrospect, to have raised him and lowered themselves. Gradually, it was they who became prisoners, and he who became, as one British historian has said "the object of a love that kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain."

There has never been a story like it. The Prisoner was stoned three times. He was scourged until his skin was broken and the blood flowed from his body. He was weighted down with chains, a one-hundred pound yoke iron yoke lacerated his shoulders and scarred him for life. His feet were locked in stocks. He was chained to his companions and to the floor of his prison. He was poisoned three times. The edicts of the kings stripped him of his wealth and position. He was torn away from his relatives and friends, and banished from his native land forever. On four separate occasions he was exiled, each exile more cruel than the previous one. At last the kings banished the Prisoner to the most dreaded penal colony in the Near East, a place in which they felt certain he would perish. The final imprisonment locked him up in a fortress surrounded by moats and battlements. He was encircled by enemies in an inhospitable climate, an area rampant with disease.

The kings were confident that the Prisoner would die and be heard of no more. That should have been the end of the story. In fact, it was only the beginning. In the midst of death and suffering, the Prisoner foretold the coming collapse of the dynasties of each one of these kings. He described the inevitable extinction of their empires. His prophecies had a precision that was frightening. One solitary condemned exile, writing from prison in the historic "Holy Land," warned the kings of coming doom. One mysterious figure reached out his hand into both Europe and Asia and "shook the kingdoms" until the structure trembled and fell.

Yet, in spite of all that he had suffered at the hands of these rulers, the Prisoner offered to help them prevent the coming calamity. Had the rulers heeded his words they could have avoided their fate. Instead, a flock of monarchs has vanished, one by one, from the contemporary scene.

Who was the Prisoner? And what did a condemned exile have to do with four of the mightiest monarchs of his day? The Prisoner declared that had everything to do with both kings and governments. He told them plainly that his mission in life was to awaken the rulers of the earth to their social and spiritual responsibilities in a new age. The Prisoner said he was an instrument sent to protect the rights of the downtrodden and underprivileged. He challenged the kings in these words: "If ye stay not the hand of the oppressor, if ye fail to safeguard the rights of the downtrodden, what right have ye then to vaunt yourselves among men?"

The Prisoner called upon the kings and leaders of men to unite in an energetic world- wide effort so that the peoples of the earth might attain social justice and peace: "Arise thou amongst men in the name of this all-compelling Cause, and summon, then, the nations unto God . . . " Why should any king pay attention to such "ravings?" Who would believe a madman who announced publicly the collapse of the world's greatest kingdoms? If he couldn't even save himself from prison, how would he be able to control the destinies of kings?

Yet, that is precisely what he did.

Kings were shut up in prison and the Prisoner was, released. Monarchies were overthrown and vanished while the Prisoner's ideals have permeated the thinking of all mankind. It happened exactly as foretold in the letters from the prison cell in Palestine, and it happened with frightening precision, step by step, until each despot was dethroned, each King was shorn of his power, and the dynasty of each monarch was forever extinguished!

It is the most remarkable story of our times.

"Give me a chance to fling my stone in His face!"

Chapter 2
Section 2- The Drama of the Bab

The story begins in Persia, in 1844. Despite the country's long history of cultural achievement, Persia in the nineteenth century was a land of almost unequaled corruption and decadence. The Shah was a despot, his government conducted by an equal mixture of graft, flattery and brutality. Day-to-day control of affairs was in the hands of venal politicians and fanatical clergymen.

Suddenly, at this lowest ebb in the country's history, a spiritual revolution broke out. No other nation in modern history has experienced anything like the nine years that followed. A radiant young man called the Bab ("Door" or "Gate") arose to declare that the "Day of God" had dawned. All over Persia tens of thousands of people flocked to the new cause. The most ardent of them were students from the colleges and seminaries. For a moment in history, it looked as though the entire nation would accept the Bab's teachings of social justice and spiritual regeneration.

The clergy and the courtiers prevented this from happening. Realizing that their own privileges were endangered, they persuaded the Shah that the Bab was a threat to the state. Although the Bab had shown every respect for civil authority, the Shah chose the side of his advisers. A campaign of terror was launched. Thousands of the Bab's followers were hounded throughout the country, betrayed, tortured, and massacred. Finally, on July 9, 1850, the Bab was executed.

One of the Bab's leading supporters was a young nobleman named by the Bab "Bahá'u'lláh." Because of the prominence of his family and the respect which his own life had won him at the Persian Court, Bahá'u'lláh was not killed in the general massacres. His leadership of the persecuted "Bab'is," however, made him a marked man. Highly placed opponents of the Bab appeared determined to put him to death. There was, however, no believable pretext on which so prominent a personality could be could be condemned. Bahá'u'lláh was widely admired.

The pretext came in 1853 when two youths fired a shot at the king as he emerged on horseback from his palace. Immediately the responsibility was placed on all the followers of the Bab and Bahá'u'lláh. Implacable hostility swept the nation. All attempts to inquire into what had really happened were cast aside.

The Shah, his ministers, the clergy, and the people united in relentless hate, delighted to have at last an excuse for annihilating one whom they had come to fear as a danger to the state.

Many who were merely thought to be friendly or sympathetic to the new faith were arrested and slain, unless they were wealthy and could fill the coffers of their persecutors. In Bahá'u'lláh's case, the authorities knew that the sentence of death and his execution must be done with cunning. Bahá'u'lláh and his family were still highly respected in the land. Bahá'u'lláh's father had been a leading nobleman, a highly esteemed and honored minister of state.

During those hectic days when one of the waves of persecution reached its peak, Bahá'u'lláh was a guest of the new Prime Minister, Mirza Aqa Khan. He, should have been safe there. This same Prime Minister was understood to have promised the Bab that he would protect the innocent victims of the king's wrath if the Bab would help the minister. The Bab had done so. Now the new Prime Minister, Mirza Aqa Khan, faced the crisis of having to redeem that pledge.

No one knew better than the Prime Minister that Bahá'u'lláh was innocent of any crime. Unhappily for the soul of this troubled minister, his loyalties constantly fluctuated back and forth throughout his career. One moment he would be inspired to try and help the mistreated followers of the Bab, the next he would cringe in fear, dreading the loss of his position. He would then begin attacking them. In the end, fear pushed out courage and decency. It also precipitated the downfall and disgrace of the Prime Minister. At first, Mirza Aqa Khan tried to effect a reconciliation between the Shah and Bahá'u'lláh. He sent a warm letter to Bahá'u'lláh in Karbila, Iraq, where Bahá'u'lláh had been exiled briefly by the previous Prime Minister, telling him of these plans and inviting Bahá'u'lláh to return to the capital. For a month he was the honored guest of Mirza Aqa Khan. During this time a great number of notables and dignitaries from Teheran flocked to meet Bahá'u'lláh. So much attention and honor was paid to him that it aroused the envy and fury of his enemies.

Bahá'u'lláh was a guest in the village of Afchih when news came of the attempt made on the life of the Shah. He condemned the act in the strongest terms, but he also refused to listen to the pleadings of the Prime Minister's brother who urged him to flee into hiding in the neighborhood. Instead, Bahá'u'lláh set out on foot for the Shah's residence, and the headquarters of the Imperial Army in Niyavaran to prove his innocence. He refused even the offer of an armed escort.

When Bahá'u'lláh reached the village of Zarghandih he was met and conducted to the home of the Secretary of the Russian Minister, Prince Dolgorukov. The news of Bahá'u'lláh's arrival was conveyed at once to Nasiri'd-Din Shah. The king was greatly amazed at Bahá'u'lláh's boldness in coming directly to his encampment. Prince Dolgorukov proposed to the Prime Minister, Mirza Aqa Khan, that he protect Bahá'u'lláh in his own residence from the enemies who sought his destruction. The Prime Minister was afraid to extend any further consideration to Bahá'u'lláh for fear he might permanently lose his own position and prestige. Bahá'u'lláh was, therefore, delivered into the hands of a group of his enemies among the military.

They stripped him of his headgear. Barefoot and bareheaded, and in chains, Bahá'u'lláh was marched the full distance from Shimiran to Teheran under the blazing sun. Several times along the way, his outer garments were torn from his body by the soldiers and the mob. He was struck by the officers accompanying him, overwhelmed with abuse and ridicule, and pelted with stones and refuse.

As Bahá'u'lláh was approaching the capital, a fanatical old woman rushed from the crowd with a stone in her hand. Her whole frame shook with rage as she raised the stone, but the procession was moving too rapidly for her to keep pace. She tried to them, shouting, "I entreat you! Give me a chance to fling my stone in his face!" Bahá'u'lláh saw her hastening after him. He halted the guard long enough to give the old lady her chance, saying: "Deny her not what she regards as a meritorious act in the sight of God."

"He bringeth out those who are bound with chains."

Chapter 2
Section 3- The Black-Pit Prison

Bahá'u'lláh was thrown into a subterranean dungeon. There he was to spend four months. The dungeon was pitch-black. Bahá'u'lláh was led along a gloomy dark corridor, then down three flights of stairs to the underground pit. His body was bent over so that he could be chained to the floor. He was also chained to his companions and his feet were placed in stocks.

Bahá'u'lláh's fellow-prisoners numbered about one hundred and forty. Among them were thieves, highwaymen, and assassins. There was no outlet from the pit other than the one door they had entered. It was alive with rats, and a hotbed of disease. Chill damp and fever-ridden, it stank abominably from the constantly accumulating filth.

For three days and three nights no food or drink was given to Bahá'u'lláh. Two famous chains, each weighing nearly one hundred pounds, used only for punishing the most notorious criminals, were in turn fastened around his neck. That iron yoke lacerated his flesh. Sleep was impossible to him.

Shortly after Bahá'u'lláh entered the prison, it became evident that there was no basis for the suspicions against him. Still, he was kept chained in that loathsome place. Each day, the jailer would open the door sending a shaft of light to penetrate the gloom, and would call out the names of those who were to be executed that day in the public square. The misery and suffering which befell these innocent victims of the wrath of their sovereign can hardly be imagined.

It was in that pestilential prison that the Mission of Bahá'u'lláh began. Just as the dove had descended upon Christ in the river Jordan heralding the beginning of His Ministry, so did that same Holy Spirit touch Bahá'u'lláh in that odious pit, into which He had been cast by the King of Persia.

Bahá'u'lláh wrote of that occasion, saying:

" . . . this all-glorious word was heard from all sides: 'Verily We will aid Thee to triumph by Thyself and by Thy pen. Grieve nor for that which hath befallen Thee, and have no fear . . . Ere long shall the Lord send forth and reveal the treasures of the earth, men who shall give Thee the victory by thyself and Thy name wherewith the Lord hath revived the hearts of them that know.'"

Long afterward. Bahá'u'lláh in His Letter to Nasiri'd-Din Shah, spoke of the days which He had spent in that dark prison. He recalled the twenty long years during which He had borne in patience the further imprisonments and banishments. In spite of all this, Bahá'u'lláh still addressed the Shah with patience, forgiveness and loving-kindness, saying:

"O King, . . . Of a verity, God hath made thee His shadow amongst men, and the sign of His power unto all that dwell on earth. Judge thou between Us and them that have wronged Us without proof . . . They that surround thee love thee for their own sakes, whereas this Youth loveth thee for thine own sake, and hath no desire except to draw thee nigh unto the seat of grace, and to turn thee toward the right hand of justice. Thy Lord beareth witness unto that which I declare."

Bahá'u'lláh's words warned Nasiri'd-Din Shah that if he did not withdraw his hand from injustice, all his pomp would vanish. His wealth would be turned into poverty, and his glory into abasement. Bahá'u'lláh made it plain that the Word of God could not be restrained by the walls of prisons, and that He, Bahá'u'lláh, would come forth from prison to claim His kingdom which was in the hearts of men. There could only be sorrow and despair, Bahá'u'lláh said, for a king who would not be warned. He wrote:

"No doubt is there whatever that these tribulations (of Ours) will be followed by the outpourings of a supreme mercy and these dire adversities be succeeded by an overflowing prosperity. We fain would hope, however, that His Majesty the Shah will himself examine these matters, and bring hope to the hearts. That which we have submitted to thy Majesty is indeed for thine highest good. And God, verily, is a sufficient witness unto Me . . . "

The Shah's only interest, from the beginning, was that he should hear no more about Bahá'u'lláh. The mother of the Shah was far more inflamed with anger against Him. She branded Bahá'u'lláh as the "would be murderer of my son." She was determined to put Him to death. One of the strangest features of the story is that she and all her fellow- conspirators were unable to convince the Shah to give the order for Bahá'u'lláh's death. They broke their spears against a seemingly invisible armor of the spirit surrounding Him.

By His coming "out of prison" and by His "exile" Bahá'u'lláh would fulfill promises from the scriptures of all religions, just as He had fulfilled them by being cast into prison. Bahá'u'lláh would be freed and would proclaim His Mission to the kings of the world. His followers would publicize His fame in every corner of the planet, sharing His Letters to the kings with the heads of state in all parts of the world. In the light of these events, the words from the world's scriptures of the past become even more striking.

There is no description of these events in all of the Old Testament which is more fascinating than that in Job and Psalms. They described Bahá'u'lláh's imprisonment in the "pit," His "sufferings," His "deliverance," and the world-wide proclamation of His Faith. It is almost as plain as going to the Automobile Association and getting a road-map for a journey from Montreal to Vancouver.

Job, in one single chapter, describes the prisoner who will be cast into a "pit," who will have his feet placed "in stocks," who will undergo great suffering and "pain," who will be "innocent," who will be touched by the "breath of God" and "utter" a message of "knowledge" and "wisdom" for mankind, who will be "delivered from the dungeon," from the plots of his "enemy," whose new-found knowledge will come "in the night" in a "vision," and who will "speak" to man not "once" but "twice."

This incredible account is matched by a similar description of the prisoner in the Book of Psalms. He delivered from a "horrible pit," in his "mouth God will put "a new song," his coming will be mentioned "in the volume of the book," he will not "conceal" his message, but will proclaim it to "the great congregation" of the world. It was this same Job who said "I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth." Job promised that this great One would "break in pieces mighty men" and "lead princes away spoiled." This same Job prophesied that the "lightings" of the Lord would come in the last days and say, "Here I am!"

On May 24, 1844, the day following the birth of the Bahá'í Faith, Samuel F.B. Morse sent his telegraph message flashing from Washington to Baltimore: "What hath God wrought?" The press of that spoke of it as the "lightings of Job."

Explorers have found Mycenae, Troy and Cuzco with far fewer clues to go on than we have been given in our search for the Promised One, Bahá'u'lláh. The gold to be found in the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh out-values them all.

"I do not know Him."

Chapter 2
Section 4- Sounds in the Night

During His four months imprisonment in the darkness of that dungeon-prison, Bahá'u'lláh constantly cheered the hearts of His companions. He encouraged them to remain confident. He assured them that nothing could prevent the future triumph of God's faith.

Bahá'u'lláh, recalling those hours in the Black Pit, has written:

"We were all huddled together in one cell, our feet in stocks, and around our necks fastened the most galling of chains . . . No ray of light was allowed to penetrate that pestilential dungeon or to warm its icy coldness. We were placed in two rows, each facing the other. We had taught them to repeat certain verses which, every night, they chanted with extreme fervor."

"God is sufficient unto me: He, verily, is the All-Sufficient!"

"In Him let the trusting trust!"

The sound awakened Nasiri'd-Din Shah. It alarmed him. He could not determine what the noise was, nor from where it came. The Shah sent a courtier and inquired: "What is the meaning of this sound in the night?" Nasiri'd-Din Shah was told that it was the chanting of Bahá'u'lláh and His companions in the Black Pit prison. "In spite of their sufferings," the Shah was informed, "these mad ones sing the praises of God." The king turned away in silence. He could not understand such enthusiasm in the face of the horrors and the threat of death with which he knew they were surrounded. The king felt uneasy.

It would have unsettled him entirely had the Shah been able to read the future. On the very site where he now listened to the God-intoxicated voices of Bahá'u'lláh's companions, a pen would soon set down the signature which would wipe away forever the dynasty of Nasiri'd-Din Shah and all the Qajar kings. Kings of Persia would live to see the shattering fulfillment of the prophecies pronounced against them by Bahá'u'lláh.

In spite of the plots to destroy Him, no evidence whatsoever could be found implicating Bahá'u'lláh in the crime of which He was accused. This forced His enemies to devise fresh schemes in order to assure Bahá'u'lláh's death. They sent for a young man named 'Abbas. He had been assisting them by pointing out the followers of the Bab on the streets of Teheran. They decided to use him as a tool against Bahá'u'lláh.

'Abbas had net Bahá'u'lláh many times in the past. The authorities promised 'Abbas a generous share of the money which they would be able to confiscate from Bahá'u'lláh's possessions, if only he, 'Abbas, would point to Bahá'u'lláh and say; "Yes he too is guilty." "We need only one such witness," they told him. The mother of the Shah was particularly insistent: "What a humiliation for me!" she deplored. "That the mother of the Shah should not be able to inflict on a prisoner the punishment which he deserves."

The old queen promised 'Abbas a rich reward if he would betray Bahá'u'lláh into her hands. She ordered the young man to go into the pit and look into Bahá'u'lláh's face. She told him that he would see in that face the would be murderer of her son. 'Abbas was led into the presence of Bahá'u'lláh, not once, but several times. Each time the young man met Bahá'u'lláh, he stood transfixed, gazing upon the Prisoner's face, but then said, "I do not know Him." And then he would turn away, and leave. Nor could any threat or promise of riches persuade him.

"Order a wholesale massacre of the people of this village."

Chapter 2
Section 5- The Weight of Chains

Bahá'u'lláh's enemies failed in all their attempts to destroy Him. Yet the publicity which the charges had received among both the public and foreign embassies required some action. When they realized they would be unable to execute Him publicly, they resorted to cunning, deciding upon poison.

A few of those in authority, hoping to curry favor with the Shah's mother, and perhaps receive a generous and grateful gift of money, hatched a plot to kill Bahá'u'lláh secretly before He was released from prison. They intercepted the food which was being sent to Bahá'u'lláh. They mixed it with what they felt would be a fatal dose of poison. Even this attempt failed. Bahá'u'lláh became desperately ill and His agonies in that dungeon-prison were greatly increased. He suffered from severe ill-health for years because of this poisoning attempt, but to the frustration of His enemies He did not succumb to it.

Bahá'u'lláh's eight year old son, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, visited His father while, Bahá'u'lláh was a prisoner in the Siyah-Chal (Black Pit). 'Abdu'l-Bahá's account of that meeting tells how terribly altered Bahá'u'lláh appeared. Pain and suffering were written on His face. 'Abdu'l- Baha recalled that sad and moving scene: "His hair and beard [were] unkempt. His neck galled and swollen from the pressure of a heavy steel collar, His body bent by the weight of His chains." The sight made a never-to-be forgotten impression on the mind of a sensitive boy.

This was but the beginning of nearly half a century of such persecution and suffering. What seems incredible about the story to us today is that at no time did Bahá'u'lláh's persecutors lay any formal charges against Him. At no time was He given the opportunity of a formal trial. None of the sufferings inflicted on Him resulted from a conviction for any crime. A lifetime of banishment, abuse and imprisonment was inflicted on Him solely on the personal authority of two royal dictators.

The demand which Bahá'u'lláh's story makes on us goes far beyond one of mere human sympathy. The life of the Manifestation of God is as prophetic as His teachings are. In Jesus' sufferings were prefigured those of the peoples of the Mediterranean world who had rejected His message of peace and brotherhood. Were millions of men in the twentieth century to follow Bahá'u'lláh down the path of exile, humiliation, imprisonment and suffering to which the leaders of men had condemned Him?

The answer lay with the rulers who held the real power in the world of the nineteenth century: the kings and leaders of the great nations of Europe: France, Britain, Russia and Germany.

To these men the Prisoner addressed Himself.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3- The First Kingdom Falls!
Section 1- The Mighty Bell

"O King of Paris! Tell the priest to ring the bells no longer... The Most Mighty Bell hath appeared..."

These were the opening words of a letter which Bahá'u'lláh addressed to Napoleon III, Emperor of France. The Prisoner told the Emperor that this "Mighty Bell" was Himself, that He had come so that the "world might be quickened, and all its peoples united!" A remarkable sequence of events brought Bahá'u'lláh from the Black Pit of Teheran to the Turkish fortress of '''Akka on the coast of the Mediterranean, from which He wrote this letter. Not the least remarkable feature of the story is the precision with which these events had been foretold in the scriptures of the three world religions.

We will want to return to those events when we consider the fate of Nasiri'd-Din Shah and the Persian monarchy. The Shah was not, however, the first ruler to receive a specific summons from the Prisoner. That ruler was Napoleon III, the most powerful monarch of the day. It may help, therefore, if we jump ahead a few years in time to the story of this king's historic encounter with the Prisoner.

Bahá'u'lláh wrote not once, but twice to the Emperor of France. Napoleon III, it is reported, cast the first Letter aside angrily, and ridiculed its contents. Napoleon was the first Western ruler to whom the Prisoner sent one of his history-making Letters. He was also the first ruler to be caught up in the rushing winds about which the Letters spoke. In the very year when the Bab first announced the advent of the Prisoner- 1844- Louis Napoleon was inspired to write a treatise on the elimination of poverty. The King appeared to be in tune with the spirit of the teachings of the Prisoner of the Holy Land. The abolition of extremes of poverty and wealth was one of the basic principles which the Prisoner urged the kings of the earth to bring about.

"March at the head of the ideas of your century," Napoleon III declared, "and these ideas follow and support you. March against them and they overthrow you." In sixteen years the Emperor led his nation into three wars that ruined France economically.

Louis Napoleon was given the opportunity to become an instrument to advance the welfare of mankind, but the King was unable to put aside his own desires. His fate intertwined with that of the Prisoner time and again.

In the year of Louis Napoleon's death, 1873, the Prisoner wrote His greatest Book, yet another appeal to the kings and rulers of the earth.

In this Book the Prisoner directed a special Message to the "Presidents and Rulers of the Republics of the West." He also laid down the fundamentals for a peaceful and ordered society, and described the institutions by which this goal could be accomplished. Napoleon III professed to be a leader dedicated to such aims for social justice.

Throughout his career Louis Napoleon was motivated, he said, by "a social, industrial, commercial humanitarian idea." When Napoleon III turned away from those principles, his downfall began.

The Prisoner wrote from the fortress-city of

'''Akka: "0 King of Paris... We tested thee, and found thee wanting... Hadst thou been sincere in thy words, thou wouldst not have cast behind thy back the Book of God... We have prove thee through it, and found thee other than that which thou didst profess."

There is no place here for a detailed study of the relationship between the Second Empire and the rise of the world-wide following of the Prisoner. This story can do no more than give a few brief kaleidoscopic glimpses into those events which should have shaken and awakened the world.

It is our great loss that they failed to do so.

"The scratchings of a Pen."

Chapter 3
Section 2- The Hidden Scroll

If anyone had suggested that Louis Napoleon's predecessor, the great Napoleon Bonaparte, would be turned back from his first conquests by a "pimple," the fortress of 'Akka, he would have been considered unbalanced. Yet Napoleon I himself later admitted that he had been beaten, not by the British or the Turks, but by a ''grain of sand" known as 'Akka.

When, half a century later, a contemptible Prisoner of the Turks sent out a Message from that same 'Akka predicting collapse of the entire Napoleonic dynasty, the world was equally unimpressed.

Bahá'u'lláh, it was said, "enchanted" those who came to visit Him in that prison-city. The Turkish officials at first found this amusing. Especially so, when a respected French agent of Louis Napoleon's government became a devoted friend of this condemned Prisoner. The influence which the Prisoner gradually began to exert over all those who came to see Him became so great, however, that the guards grew suspicious of every visitor. Each one was kept under careful scrutiny. None was allowed to carry messages either to or from the Prisoner.

In spite of this close surveillance, it was not possible to prevent the Prisoner's second historic Letter to Napoleon III from leaving the prison-city.

A prison visitor nodded pleasantly at the guards as he prepared to leave. They searched him thoroughly. Still they found nothing.

The visitor smiled to himself as he hurried away. He had been confident that the guards would never think to search beneath his hat. He walked nonchalantly through the streets of 'Akka carrying in that hiding-place Bahá'u'lláh's history-making second Letter to Napoleon III. The Letter was delivered to the French Agent in 'Akka who made the necessary translation and arranged to put the Letter into the hands of the Emperor. The fate of a king, a nation, an empire and a dynasty were all foretold on that scroll of paper hidden beneath the head-dress of a visitor to a condemned prisoner in the fortress of 'Akka.

"Thy empire shall pass from thy hands, as a punishment for that which thou hast wrought."

Chapter 3
Section 3- The Day of Reckoning

The Court of Napoleon III was the talk of all Europe. It was no make-believe king whose dramatic fall the Prisoner had predicted.

The ceremony and pageantry of Napoleon III's Court had become the envy of his neighbors. His contemporaries were overwhelmed by his lavish display. Louis Napoleon's ship rode on the crest of the waves. He himself could hardly believe his own good fortune. It surpassed even his fondest dreams. Every golden door was opening. Napoleon III would make of his kingdom what he wished. The world was his!

The Prisoner had said:

"0 King of Paris! ... It beseemeth the king of the age to inquire into the condition of such as have been wronged, and it behooveth him to extend his care to the weak."

Napoleon III was interested in the strong, not the weak in the rich, not the poor. Least of all was he interested in Turkish prisoners. He, Napoleon, was in fact the ally of those same Turks against the Czar of Russia. The Crimean War had been his chance to avenge his uncle, the Great Napoleon. The Emperor had no desire to incur the disfavor of his Turkish allies.

Louis Napoleon's actions said plainly: "Don't bother me with trifles! The world is at stake!"

It was Napoleon's own world that was at stake. And he had already lost it. Following the initial contempt shown by Louis Napoleon, the Prisoner wrote in his second Letter to the French Emperor: "0 king! ... Arise, and make amends for that which hath escaped thee. Ere long the world and all that thou possessest will perish, and the kingdom will remain unto God, thy Lord and the Lord of thy fathers of old. It behooveth thee not to conduct thine affairs according to the dictates of thy desires."

The Prisoner warned the Emperor that unless his misdeeds were immediately corrected he would pay a terrible penalty: "For what thou hast done, thy kingdom shall be thrown into confusion, and thine empire shall pass from thine hands as a punishment for that which thou hast wrought."

The day of reckoning was on the way.

"We see abasement hastening after thee."

Chapter 3
Section 4- The Swift Decline

It was the beginning of the end for the Napoleonic dynasty.

Napoleon III had provoked the Crimean War in order to satisfy his inner anger against the Russian Emperor. He had longed to rip up the treaty of 1815, and avenge his uncle's disaster at Moscow.

Another great inspiration of Napoleon III's reign had been to establish an empire in Mexico. He had conceived the grandiose idea before becoming emperor. Napoleon III envisioned for himself a "new Constantinople" on the Isthmus of Panama. He would he a monarch in both the East and the West.

"We shall," he said, "establish our beneficent influence in the center of America." Oddly enough, Bahá'u'lláh had promised Napoleon III almost that exact reward if the king would devote himself to the cause of unity and justice for all mankind. The Prisoner wrote: "0 King of Paris! ... Arise thou to serve God and help His Cause. He, verily, will assist thee with the hosts of the seen and unseen, and will set thee king over all that whereon the sun riseth.

Napoleon III made no attempt to assist the prisoner or listen to his words. Napoleon III's American venture came to a dismal failure. All his subsequent attempts at expansion were overtaken by the same fate.

Suddenly, the old days of Glory were gone. Earlier he had defeated both Russia and Austria in the Crimean and Italian wars. He had surpassed two of the most feared military powers in all Europe. He had astonished the world. When Prussia and Austria went to war with one another in 1866, Napoleon III sat on the sidelines. He planned to intervene on the "proper" side at the "proper" time, that is, on whichever side would bestow upon him the greater benefit.

He guessed wrong. Prussia overwhelmed Austria swiftly and decisively. Napoleon's error was the first of a host which were to multiply and haunt him as his prestige declined. It is written in the Bible that God "punishes the kings" and the "nations." Louis Napoleon is almost a classic example of this principle at work. In reality, "kings" and "nations" punish themselves. They bring on their own sufferings by their, wrong decisions. In this "Day of God," whenever a ruler acts unjustly in order to assure his own advancement or prestige, or that of his country or people, at the expense of others, the decisions made to achieve that ignoble end plant the seeds of disaster. The more opposed these decisions are to the fundamental Laws of God concerning justice, the greater will be the disasters, and the more certain the downfall of all those who make such decisions. However long the process, the end is always the same.

The Prisoner tried to explain this basic principle to the Leaders of mankind. His Mission was to call their attention to the Laws of God. If they disobeyed them, the resulting "punishment" was brought on by their own wrong decisions. That is how God "punishes" the kings and the nations. They punish themselves.

Kaiser William I later declared that this war of 1866, during which Napoleon III sat on the sidelines was the ruin of France. "Napoleon," the Kaiser said, "should have attacked us in the rear."

It was too late. The "shining hour" had passed. Napoleon III had no refuge now except in war. Already he was risking an imminent revolution at home. In July, 1870 Napoleon III led his nation into war against Prussia.

The French Minister of War proudly declared that France expected a great and total victory. History shows how pathetic this decision was. Wrong decisions on all sides became the trademark of Napoleon III.

Chaos reigned unchecked: "Frequently soldiers and even generals went astray, not able to find their places. 'Have arrived at Belfort,' telegraphed General Michel on July 21st. 'Can't find my brigade; can't find the general of the division. What shall I do? Don't know where my regiments are.' It has been observed that this document is probably unique in military records."

The fulfillment of the promise made to Napoleon III by the Prisoner of the Holy Land had begun: "For what thou hast done, thy kingdom shall be thrown into confusion... "

In an attempt to prevent mutiny, Napoleon joined the army personally along with his young son. Exhausted by the pressures on him, and with his health undermined by agonizing attacks of kidney stones, the Emperor was barely able to stay on his horse during parade. It is said that he rouged his cheeks to disguise his pallor from the troops.

Napoleon III advanced with his army into oblivion.

The French Agent in 'Akka became a follower of the Prisoner when he saw the devastating fruition of those very prophecies which he himself had translated into French and forwarded to Napoleon III.

"They made Us, with glaring injustice,
enter the Most Great Prison."

Chapter 3
Section 5- The Tide Turns

When we contrast the life and position of Bahá'u'lláh with that of Napoleon III at the beginning of the Emperor's reign, then witness how their positions were completely reversed at the end, we begin to understand the true significance of the warning which the Prisoner sent to the king:

"Hath thy pomp made thee proud? By My Life! It shall not endure; nay, it shall soon pass away, unless thou holdest fast by this firm Cord. We see abasement hastening after thee, while thou art of the heedless..."

Words which 'Abdu'l-Bahá used in another connection seem to apply with a special aptness to Napoleon III of France: "This glory shall be turned into the most abject abasement, and this pomp and might converted into the most complete subjugation."

It would be difficult to imagine a contrast greater than that between Napoleon III and the Prisoner. In the year 1852, Louis Napoleon had been raised up to become Napoleon III, Emperor of France. In that same year, 1852, Bahá'u'lláh was arrested in far-off Persia, and was marched for miles, bareheaded and barefooted in the blazing sun. He was led through a screaming mob of enemies. He was without food or drink during those hours when Napoleon III dined sumptuously in the capital of a brilliant empire. In January 1853, Napoleon III had married the Spanish Countess Eugene de Mintage. The Emperor's life was just becoming settled and his family established securely on the throne of France.

In that same month the Prisoner had been uprooted from his home, robbed of His position and wealth, and banished forever from his native land.

The higher the tide of Napoleon III's power, the lower had seemed to ebb the fortunes of the Prisoner of the Holy Land.

Bahá'u'lláh was exiled like Abraham, stoned like Moses, scourged like Christ. He was imprisoned, chained, poisoned and "persecuted from city to city." At last He had arrived at the most dreaded of all Turkish prisons, the fortress of 'Akka, standing in the shadow of Mount Carmel, the Vinyard of God. From that prison-city, He had sent his second Letter to the Emperor of France.

From that point on, with swift strokes from the hand of destiny, the Prisoner was raised up, and his Teachings spread into every corner of the planet, while the Emperor was toppled from the heights and his grandeur entirely eclipsed.

We shall never know what thoughts went through Louis Napoleon's mind as he was taken prisoner by a foreign king, following his defeat at the battle of Sedan. Did he recall those words once directed to him by the Prisoner of 'Akka? It is unlikely that Napoleon III grasped any part of the spiritual revolution that was already agitating the face of society. He was blind even to the part he, himself, was playing in this unfolding drama.

"The days in which you occupied
the seats of honor soon will end."

Chapter 3
Section 6- The First Kingdom Falls!

The letters to Napoleon III from the prison-city of 'Akka contained several ominous prophecies.

The Prisoner prophesied that he would soon change fortunes and fates with all tyrant monarchs. Their positions in life, he said, would be reversed through the power of Almighty God. There was no king whose fate fitted these words better than Napoleon III of France:

"Hearken, O King, to the speech of Him that speeketh the truth... The tribulations that have touched Us, the destitution from which We suffer, the various troubles with which We are encompassed, shall all pass away, as shall pass away the pleasures in which they (the King's Ministers) delight and the affluence they enjoy."

The Prisoner described the great reversal that would take place:

"The days in which We have been compelled to dwell in the dust will soon be ended, as will the days in which they occupied the seats of honor. God shall, assuredly, judge with truth between Us and them, and He, verily, is the best of judges. Louis Napoleon lived to see these words come true.

The Prisoner had written:

"O King... For what thou hast done, thy kingdom shall be thrown into confusion... Commotions shall seize all the people in that land..."

Paris was besieged by the Germans. All resistance melted and the city capitulated. The French people were shocked by the cardboard collapse of their military might. They blamed the Emperor. The Franco-Prussian War was followed by civil war, a period called the "terrible years." It exceeded in ferocity the war itself and left scars on the French mind which affect France to this day. Confusion seized the entire nation and suffering from famine, revolution and disease took thousands of lives in Paris, Napoleon's "City of Light."

"we see abasement hastening after thee... a punishment for that which thou hast wrought."

The Emperor became the most thoroughly hated man in all of France. The mobs in Paris cried out for revenge against him. They blamed him for the humiliation of France. Empress Eugenie barely escaped with her life, and the monarchy was extinguished.

Napoleon had one son, the prince, Eugene Louis Jean Joseph had been educated in England. Even after his own fall Napoleon III hoped for a future restoration of the Napoleonic throne with his son as Emperor. Mercifully, he did not live to see the prince killed in the far off Zulu war fought between the blacks and whites in South Africa.

The Prisoner's prophecies had indeed "been terrible" to one of "the kings of the earth" as the Bible had centuries earlier warned. The prophet Isaiah in one single chapter, declared that a day would come when the "kings" would be "punished." The Lord, Isaiah warned, would "turn" the earth "upside down" in that day, and He would "scatter" the inhabitants. The "haughty" and proud ones would "languish" away because of their wickedness. In order that there might be no mistake about whom Isaiah was speaking, the Prisoner himself had written to the kings: "I am the One Whom the tongue of Isaiah hath extolled... Blessed be the king whose sovereignty hath withheld him not from his Sovereign, and who hath turned unto God with his heart."

Napoleon III had failed to meet the test of God and "went down to dust." He suffered the fate foretold for such kings by Isaiah so long, long ago: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth."

The first kingdom had fallen!

Chapter 4

"He went down to the dust in great loss."

Chapter 4
Section 1- The God of Battles

On June 18, 1871, Emperor Kaiser William I of Germany entered Berlin at the head of his victorious troops. It was a day of great rejoicing. The France of Napoleon III had been crushed. The Emperor was a national hero in Germany. He was becoming legendary. As the clattering hoof beats of victory rang through the streets of Berlin, Kaiser William I was the cynosure of all eyes.

He had achieved almost every dream. He had become, in turn, prince, king, and now emperor of a united Germany. There was no one to challenge him. And then, one voice was raised in warning. From His far-off prison cell, Bahá'u'lláh reminded the Kaiser of what had befallen the Emperor of France. He warned William that exactly the same fate awaited him, if he did not follow the Counsels which God was offering to the kings of the earth, and devote himself to the service of unity and justice. The Prisoner addressed these words to William I:

"0 King of Berlin! . . . remember the one whose power transcended thy power (Napoleon III), and whose station excelled thy station. Where is he? Whither are gone the things he possessed?"

The victor, like the vanquished, was given the opportunity to respond to the call of God. Kings were "trustees" of God and were responsible for that trust.

The Prisoner warned Kaiser William I not to forget the lesson given to the world by the tragic fate of Napoleon III.

"Think deeply. O King concerning him, (Napoleon III) and concerning them who, like unto thee, have conquered cities and ruled over men. The All-Merciful (God) brought them down from their palaces to their graves."

The Emperor, however, had always been convinced that Prussia was the rightful head of all Germany. He had always believed that only one thing would ever put her there, the force and power of a mighty army. History appeared to have proved him, not the Prisoner, to be right.

But the Prisoner was not only counseling the kings of the world. He was also warning them. Kaiser William I of Germany was no exception to the warning of God:

"O Oppressors on earth! Withdraw your hands from tyranny, for I have pledged Myself to never forgive any man 's injustice."

Up to the time of his accession to the throne, William had spent his entire time in the army. He has been described as "militaristic" and "autocratic" to the very extreme. He admitted that he believed only in the "God of battles."

The Prisoner warned the Emperor:

"0 King of Berlin . . . Take warning, and be not of them that are fast asleep. He (Napoleon III) it was who cast the Tablet of God behind him . . . Wherefore, disgrace assailed him from all sides, and he went down to dust in great loss. Think deeply, O King . . . Be warned, be of them who reflect."

"Be united O kings of the earth, for thereby
will the tempest of discord be stilled amongst you."

Chapter 4
Section 2- The Sound of War

William I did not listen to the warning from the Prisoner of 'Akka. His death delivered Germany into the hands of his reckless and arrogant grandson, the young William II. The new Kaiser embarked on a cause that was directly opposed to almost every Counsel of the Prisoner. Instead of bringing peace and tranquillity to his people and nation, he set in motion the forces of a military machine which was to engulf his nation in disaster. In the end, it was to shatter the peace of the world.

In 1898 Kaiser William II visited the Holy Land. The king was within but a few miles of the prison city where the Prisoner had addressed that historic Message to his grandfather which foreshadowed the downfall of the Hohenzollern dynasty.

During that visit to the Holy Land, Kaiser William II allied himself with one of the most notorious persecutors of the Prisoner, the Sultan of Turkey. When he arrived in the Holy Land, one of the gates of the Holy City, Jerusalem, was torn down and widened so that proper respect and honor could be paid to this visiting monarch.

Very different had been Bahá'u'lláh's arrival in the Holy Land. His party of exiles had been crowded into a small boat, delayed for hours, and then transported across the bay to the fortress-city of 'Akka. He was marched through the streets, humiliated by the mob, and finally cast into the fortress-prison.

Seventy-eight persons were crowded into one room with him. They were all deprived of food and water. Most of them fell ill of malaria and typhus. Some died. All this by the edict of a Sultan of Turkey, a throne on which William II now lavished his praise.

The Kaiser on that occasion described himself "a friend of the Caliph," Sultan 'Abdu'l- Hamid of Turkey, and published the news of his affiliation with Turkey while in Jerusalem. He was proud of this new partnership of kings. Kaiser and Sultan would stand against the world. The kingdom of each of these "friends" was soon to collapse almost simultaneously, and their dynasties were to disappear forever in almost the same hour.

How aptly the Prisoner's words apply to William II during those days which the king spent in the Holy City, Jerusalem. The Kaiser made no effort to seek out the Prisoner or to inquire about him. In fact, the Kaiser ignored everything to do with the Prisoner and his Teachings. If they had ever crossed the king's mind, no doubt he dismissed them as nonsense. The "ravings" of a religious fanatic had nothing to do with him, an absolute Monarch. William dealt in more important things. Like war. His fellow-rulers would have agreed heartily. They had better things to do than visit prisoners.

Bahá'u'lláh's words challenged these assumptions:

"O kings of Christendom! . . . Ye welcomed Him not, neither did ye seek His Presence, that ye might hear the verses of God from His own mouth, and partake of the manifold wisdom of the Almighty . . . Ye have, by reason of your failure, hindered the breath of God from being wafted over you, and have withheld from your souls the sweetness of its fragrance . . . Ye, and all ye possess, shall pass away. Ye shall . . . be called to account for your doings . . ."

Powerful language. Very annoying to kings. Disturbing and upsetting to us as well perhaps. Mankind as a whole has tended, as an initial reaction, to automatically reject anyone who claims to speak in the name of God. Yet our civilization, particularly its moral values, arose in precisely that way. That was the authority with which Moses and Christ spoke in the past.

"The rights and privileges of all men must be protected"

Chapter 4
Section 3- The Unsheathed Sword

The solution to the problems of the world as expressed by the Prisoner and by William II could not have been more directly opposed.

The Prisoner wrote:

"O kings of the earth! . . . Compose your differences, and reduce your armaments, that the burden of your expenditures may be lightened, and that your minds and hearts may be tranquilized."

William II, on the other hand, agitated differences among his neighbors. He increased his armaments. He laid each day a heavier burden upon his peoples, agitating a civilized nation with dreams of war and bloodshed.

The Prisoner declared:

"O kings of the earth! . . . Heal the dissentions that divide you, and ye will no longer be in need of any armaments except what the protection of your cities and territories demandeth."

William II established war as the religion of his country. He loathed any suggestions concerning disarmament or peace. He scoffed at the conclusions arrived at by the Hague Peace Conference in 1898.

Commenting on one of the Hague Peace Conferences, the Kaiser frankly admitted he despised all such peace conferences. He showed his contempt in these words: "I trust in God and in my unsheathed sword and I ---- on all resolutions of international conferences."

The advice of the Prisoner could not have been more opposed to such an attitude. He said the "peace and tranquillity of the world" depended upon the leaders of mankind coming together in a "vast assemblage." They must consult in a spirit of good will upon this all- important matter, peace.

The Prisoner wrote:

"Such a peace demandeth that the Great Powers should resolve, for the sake of the tranquillity of the peoples of the earth, to be fully reconciled among themselves . . . We fain would hope that the kings and rulers of the earth, the mirrors of the gracious and almighty name of God, may attain unto this station, and shield mankind from the onslaught of tyranny."

A clash between the vision of the Prisoner and of the Hohenzollern kings was inevitable.

"We desire that the differences of race be annulled"

Chapter 4
Section 4- The king of kings and the "King of Kings"

Kaiser William II lied with considerable elegance and diplomacy during the early days of his reign. He was particularly fond of invoking divine approval, and called upon Christ Himself when he assumed the kingship.

"Summoned to the throne of my fathers," William vowed, "it is with eyes raised to the King of Kings that I assume the scepter . . . "

Like his grandfather before him, William II ignored all advice. He scorned all warnings. He knew where his duty lay. He didn't need the counsel of others to tell him that Germany must be supreme.

The Prisoner had advised the rulers of men otherwise: "O kings . . . God hath committed into your hands the reins of the government of the people, that ye may rule with justice over them, safeguard the rights of the downtrodden, and punish the wrongdoers. If ye neglect the duty prescribed unto you by God in His Book, your names shall be numbered with those of the unjust in His sight. Grievous, indeed, will be your error."

Kaiser William II was unmoved by wise counsel and words of caution from whatever source they might come. "I regard myself as an instrument of heaven," Kaiser William told his people. "I go my way without regard to the events or opinions of the day."

William II had a rage for personal power so great that he could no longer tolerate the annoyance of sharing decisions even with his famous chancellor Otto von Bismarck. In March 1890, following a bitter crisis, William II forced the resignation of Bismarck. The king was overjoyed. He was at last sole ruler, "master of both little and big matters," (to quote his own words).

In that very same year, 1890, in the valley of 'Akka, in the Holy Land, the place described by Hosea as a "door of hope" for mankind, the Prisoner received a visit from a well- known British scholar Edward Granville Browne, of Cambridge University. During that interview, the Prisoner spoke of just such "ruinous wars" as the Kaiser was contemplating. He spoke of the "fruitless strifes" which plagued Europe and the world. The Prisoner said:

"We see your kings and rulers lavishing their treasures more freely on means for the destruction of the human race than on that which would conduce to the happiness of mankind."

No greater challenge to the views of Kaiser William II could be found than these words spoken by the Prisoner to Professor Browne on that occasion:

"Let a man glory in this that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind."

While the Kaiser was plotting the conquest of his neighbors by force, the Prisoner was re- emphasizing His words of unity and peace:

He told Professor Browne:

"Thou hast come to see a prisoner and an exile . . . We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of the nations; yet they deem u a stirrer up of strife and sedition worthy of bondage and banishment . . . That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled- what harm is there in this? . . . Yet so it shall be; these fruitless strifes, these ruinous wars shall pass away, and the 'Most Great Peace' shall come . . . Do not you in Europe need this also?

In Europe, that same year, 1890, Kaiser William II of Germany rejoiced at the downfall of his Chancellor Bismarck. There were no longer any restraints upon him. He announced exultantly: "The course remains as it was! Full steam ahead!"

"The scourge of Europe."

Chapter 4
Section 5- Disaster Course

It was a disaster course.

The fate predicted by the Prisoner for all such unjust kings was soon to overtake the entire Hohenzollern dynasty. It struck initially at the Emperor to whom the Prisoner had written his first dire warnings. Later, it engulfed his successor, Kaiser William II, and abolished their rule forever.

William I sustained three attempts on his life. Although he recovered, he lived in constant fear of renewed attacks until his death. Peace of mind was gone. It was William II, however, who has to accept the guilt for ushering in the catastrophe that was to "dethrone him and his dynasty." It would be naive, of course, to blame the Kaiser alone for the advent of World War I. He was but one of many contributing causes. There is, however, no doubt that this was a war for which he longed. It was a war which he schemed to hasten in every way possible. Germany, under his goading, constantly "flexed her military muscles" at the world until at last the first blow was struck.

The might of the Kaiser's armies was immediately victorious on almost every front. His early triumphs appeared to have overpowered his adversaries. There seemed little doubt that Germany would have a quick and conclusive victory.

The news of these resounding triumphs flashed around the world. The stories of the German victories found a very welcome reception in certain quarters of Persia, the Prisoner's homeland. These easy and astonishing successes of the advancing army of Kaiser William II led to the ridicule of the Prisoner and His Faith.

The Prisoner had written:

"O banks of the Rhine! We have seen you covered with gore, inasmuch as the swords of retribution were drawn against you; and you shall have another turn."

The Prisoner had warned the Emperor of Germany of the fate that would overtake his nation and capital city if the king followed in the foolish footsteps of Napoleon III who had already "gone down to dust."

The Prisoner had written:

"Think deeply, O King . . . Be warned, be of them who reflect . . . We hear the lamentations of Berlin, though she be today in conspicuous glory."

The Kaiser and the world may have paid little attention to the Prisoner's prophecies about Germany, but his enemies in Persia had not forgotten. This was their hour of delight. The news spread rapidly. It was too good to keep: "His great prophecy about Germany has proved to be false!"

"Where are the lamentations of Berlin?"

"Are the banks of the Rhine covered with blood?"

"Has Germany had even one turn, let alone a second?"

The devoted followers of the Prisoner remained silent as the German army advanced. What could they say? The Prisoner's ominous words about Germany had remained unfulfilled. The Rhine had not been a scene of slaughter. Instead, Berlin was in "conspicuous glory."

Exactly the opposite of what the Prisoner had prophesied was taking place in Germany. The Kaiser was sweeping all before him. In many quarters, the might of the Kaiser's armies was considered to be well-nigh invincible.

The magnificently trained divisions of the German High Command became the scourge of Europe. Under the banner of "Gott mit uns!" (God is with us) they rolled over every opposition. They delighted their friends and terrified their enemies. They were making a laughingstock of the Prisoner's predictions.

God did indeed appear to be with the Kaiser.

"The teeth of the tiger are drawn, and he is banished forever."

Chapter 4
Section 6- The Inglorious Exit

The tragic events which succeeded these early triumphs proved that the Prisoner's words had been no idle prediction.

Every beholder with "eyes to see" was soon to gaze upon the awesome fulfillment of every one of His pronouncements. The consequences, long delayed, were all the more severe. The Prisoner had written for all who doubted the potency of God to achieve His ends: "Dost thou believe thou hast the power to frustrate His Will, to hinder Him from executing His judgment, or to deter Him from exercising His sovereignty? Pretendest thou that aught in the heavens or in the earth can resist His Faith? No, by Him Who is the Eternal Truth! Nothing whatsoever in the whole of creation can thwart His Purpose. (Gleanings, page 220)

Those words soon came true. The war which had begun so impressively for Germany, suddenly soured on every front. Unforeseen reverses, swift and fatal, overtook the Kaiser and all his armies. And then, suddenly the war was lost!

The "terms of a treaty notorious in its severity" crushed the life out of the German people. It shrouded their hopes for the future. The "lamentations of Berlin" were heard on every side.

The Prisoner's enemies in Persia now bitterly regretted having called attention to those fate-laden words contained in His prophecies.

Even more remarkable than the "lamentations of Berlin" was the promise which the Prisoner had directed to the banks of the Rhine:

"O banks of the Rhine! We have seen you covered with gore, inasmuch as the swords of retribution were drawn against you; and you shall have another turn."

Because of an aggressive military policy, Germany suffered not once, but twice. She was crushed in both World Wars.

Two times the banks of the Rhine were "covered with gore." Twice the "lamentations of Berlin" were heard around the world. The German nation did have "another turn" when the "swords of retribution" were raised against her a second time, and bombs. Nations shattered the Nazi empire of Adolph Hitler, leveling many parts of the capital city, Berlin. (Ironically, the Hohenzollern Crown Prince, William, served in a Nazi motor division and was captured by the French. The youngest son of Kaiser William II, August Wilhelm, also appeared in the ranks of the Nazis and fell with them.)

On November 11, 1918, newspaper headlines in Berlin flashed the news; "Kaiser abdicates!"

The dumbfounded and war-weary Emperor had not yet even been informed. On Sunday, November 10, one day before the Armistice, William II had fled ignominiously to Holland, his train slipping quietly away from the station at Spa into the early morning fog. The Kaiser transferred to an automobile at the Dutch frontier. It was an humiliating experience. Not only had his armies surrendered, but there, at Dutch customs, Kaiser William had to surrender his sword to the customs officer. The teeth of the tiger had been drawn, and he was banished from his homeland forever, exactly as the Prisoner had been banished.

Taylor, in his history, states, "There have been more tragic and more disgraceful exits from the stage of history, but few more inglorious."

"I will destroy the king and the princes."

Chapter 4
Section 7- The Second Kingdom Falls!

The Hohenzollern dynasty "passed away." With it vanished many of their fellow kings and princes.

Before November 15, 1918, the princes of all the German States had abdicated, and all other contemporary German thrones had fallen.

The King, the Crown Prince, and all the lesser Princes of Germany were removed completely and permanently from their places of honor. The empire of the Hohenzollerns toppled to the dust. Its official death-knell was sounded November 28, 1918, when William II signed a formal act of abdication which ended his rule both as Prussian King and German Emperor.

This document brought to an end the two hundred and fifty-year reign of oppression by the powerful Hohenzollern dynasty. The Constitution which followed swept away forever the German monarchy. It carried into oblivion with it all the imperial princes, and scattered forever all the lesser kings of German states, along with their attendant princes. Around the world, clergymen saw in these cataclysmic events the fulfillment of Biblical prophecies. But the truth is far greater than any of them grasped. The prophet Jeremiah speaking of the latter days, said that God promised:

"And I will set my throne in Elam (Persia), and will destroy from thence the king and the princes . . . "

The Prisoner had come from Elam (Persia). He had already delivered the commands whose rejection had led to the destruction of the kings and princes of two great nations. The entire story of Bahá'u'lláh has its roots deep in the scriptures of all the great religions. In the fate of the other monarchs to whom Bahá'u'lláh directed His appeal was to be the fulfillment of even more remarkable promises and warnings.

In Germany, the second kingdom had fallen!

Chapter 5

"One of thy ministers extended to Me his aid."

Chapter 5
Section 1- The Czar-Liberator

No other chapter of the story of the Prisoner and the kings has such elements of classic tragedy as that concerning Russia and its unhappy monarch. Alexander II. It is difficult to feel much sympathy for the Emperor of France, the "vain and vulgar Louis Napoleon."

It is nearly impossible to feel it for the Hohenzollern Kaisers whose arrogance played so great a role in dragging mankind into the horrors of World War I.

It is not difficult to feel sympathy, on the other hand, for a man whose weakness and timidity led him into fatal errors. All of us on occasion feel weak and timid. Unhappily, however, those who accept positions of great trust and power, and who derive the benefits of such position, also must accept its obligations. The only alternative is to surrender the position and retire to a less demanding role in human affairs.

Alexander II was in many respects a remarkable man. He was certainly a most unusual Czar. With few exceptions his predecessors had been hard, brutal autocrats ruling their vast domain with an iron fist. One of the most famous, Czar Peter the Great had killed his own son. Another, the notorious "lvan the Terrible," had literally bricked his enemies up alive in the walls of the Kremlin.

Alexander was repelled by this family history. He was essentially a good-natured and compassionate man who abhorred suffering. Further, unlike other members of the Romanov family, he had been educated by a French tutor. As a result, he had adopted a number of very liberal and progressive ideas. To many, his accession was hailed as the dawn of a new day. Russia's greatest social problem was the serfdom of those who toiled in misery on the estates of the great Lords. The second most urgent problem was the lack of anything like democratic government.

Alexander was known to favor extensive reforms in both these areas. Relatively early in his reign he astonished the world and alarmed the aristocracy by abolishing serfdom throughout Russia. This was four years before the United States abolished the even worse institution of Negro slavery. Alexander followed this progressive act with others designed to begin a gradual and more equitable distribution of land, so that peasants could own their own farms and have a voice in government. The millennium appeared to be on its way in Russia. Alexander was hailed as the "Czar-Liberator."

It was to this remarkable emperor that Bahá'u'lláh addressed one of His most loving and moving appeals. The Russian government had already shown its potentiality for good some years earlier when its minister was the one major foreign figure in Teheran to intervene directly on behalf of the persecuted Prisoner of Nasiri'd-Din Shah. The consul addressed the court openly, denouncing what he called "the absurd falsity" of the charges against Bahá'u'lláh.

Subsequently, upon Bahá'u'lláh's release and exile, a Russian official accompanied the party as far as the Turkish border. Without doubt such intervention was of both comfort and aid to the little band of exiles.

Bahá'u'lláh foretold a great station for the Czar if he would in like manner try to help mankind.

Bahá'u'lláh directed these words to Alexander: "Whilst I lay, chained and fettered, in the prison [in Persia], one of thy ministers extended Me his aid. Wherefore hath God ordained for thee a station which the knowledge of none can comprehend..." -Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, page 57

The place of prestige would not be automatically conferred. The Czar would have to labor industriously to attain it. The Czar would have to be of service to his fellow-man, and exert his efforts to bring the hearts of men back to God, and to acquaint the world with the Message of unity and justice which Bahá'u'lláh had brought.

But God would help him. Bahá'u'lláh assured Alexander that

"Thy Lord is, in truth, potent over all things. He giveth what He willeth to whomsoever He willeth . . . "

Would the Czar-Liberator listen?

"How great hath been My patience."

Chapter 5
Section 2- Hearken Unto the Voice

Bahá'u'lláh called upon Alexander II to take the leadership in raising the moral and ethical standards of men:

"0 Czar of Russia... Arise thou amongst men in the name of this compelling Cause, and summon then, the nations unto God."

Bahá'u'lláh told the Czar that there was no refuge for any man in this day save in God.

"He, verily, ordaineth what He pleaseth. Thy Lord truly preserveth whom he willeth, be he in the midst of the seas, or in the maw of the serpent, or beneath the sword of the oppressor . . . "

In that same letter Bahá'u'lláh said that He had heard the wishes which the Czar had spoken secretly in his heart in prayer. Bahá'u'lláh promised Alexander that God was willing to grant the king his desire if he in turn would be faithful to his trust as a true king.

Bahá'u'lláh declared:

"We, verily, have heard the thing for which thou didst supplicate thy Lord, whilst secretly communing with Him. Wherefore, the breeze of My loving-kindness wafted forth, and the sea of My mercy surged, and We answered thee in truth." -Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, page 57

It was as though the Emperor Tiberius received a promise from Christ that if he would accept His Message and proclaim it, he, Caesar would be the envy of the past, present and future. It was a promise similar to that which Bahá'u'lláh had offered to Napoleon III who had refused it and had fallen from his high place.

Thus, for a moment, Alexander II Nicolaevich, was at the threshold of a greatness unrivaled in the recorded history of royalty. We could have had the support and guidance of a Messenger of God in his actions. Alexander only needed to stretch forth his hand in help to the Promised One Whose coming had glorified the pages of the Czar's own sacred Scriptures. Eager that the king should understand this and not miss his golden opportunity, Bahá'u'lláh repeated His entreaty:

"Again I say, Hearken unto My Voice that calleth from My prison . . . that thou mayest perceive how great hath been My patience . . . "

Bahá'u'lláh foresaw an unrivaled position for the Czar. The king needed to take but one step to make it a reality. Bahá'u'lláh wrote:

"O Czar of Russia... By My Life! Couldst thou but know the things sent down by My Pen, and discover the treasures of My Cause . . . thou woudst, in thy love for My name, and in thy longing for My glorious and sublime Kingdom, lay down thy life in My path... Blessed be the king whose sovereignty hath withheld him not from his Sovereign, and who hath turned unto God with his heart . . . " -Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh, page 28

Certainly Alexander needed such reassurances. His reforms had engulfed him in trouble. On the one hand the nobility and clergy were violently opposed to his policies which would cost them land and influence. They undermined the Czar in every way they could.

On the other, a new generation of revolutionaries who believed in nothing but terrorism had arisen. They felt confident that the Czar would fail. They could see no way in which he could ever hope to mobilize the mass of the ignorant and superstitious peasantry behind his throne. The peasants loved the Czar, but they understood nothing. And they were entirely disorganized. The terrorists waited expectantly for the moment they could launch a national revolution.

Alexander became desperate. The one powerful group on whom he had relied were intellectuals in the government and the schools. These men, however, saw in the situation only a chance to make their personal reputations. They quarreled among themselves for position and influence.

The Czar realized that his program was built on shifting sands. Where could he find the moral and spiritual force which would enlist the mass of the Russian people in the cause of social change? The people were intensely religious, and social reform -he thought had no religious content at all. Religion, the only power that could move Russia's millions, seemed irrelevant. Certainly the religion of the Orthodox Church was little more than a mass of crusted superstitions and rituals.

There is no more tragic and ironic story in history. At the very point in time that a spiritual authority for social change was desperately needed, that authority had been given. Christianity and the earlier religious revelations had been addresses to individuals. Now, through Bahá'u'lláh, God was speaking to nations, economic classes, racial groups and institutions. And he was speaking on the very problems which were convulsing the world.

It is impossible to imagine the effect which would have ensued in Russia had the Czar, "the little father of the people," the deeply trusted head of Russia's vast family and of the Church itself, announced the return of Christ and the inauguration of the Kingdom of unity and justice. Nothing could have stood in his way.

Alexander hesitated, vacillated, and then decided. He ignored the message of the Prisoner of 'Akka, and gave in to the pressures of his nobles. He had waded into the stream and now staggered fearfully back to the familiar shore.

The words of Bahá'u'lláh to the Czar rang in our ears:

"Couldst thou... discover the treasures of My Cause . . . thou wouldst, in thy love for My Name, and in thy longing for My glorious and sublime Kingdom, lay down thy life in My path."

"A great trembling seized and
rocked the foundations of that country."

Chapter 5
Section 3- The Third Kingdom Falls!

The House of Romanov fell, as had the House of Napoleon and Hohenzollern. Its fortunes declined with progressive swiftness until World War I. Bolshevism arose during that fiery upheaval, shook the throne of the Czars, and then abolished it. The last years of the reign of Alexander II were given over to terrorism and unexampled violence. Alexander reversed his liberal policies and inaugurated a program of repression which was taken up and expanded by his two autocratic successors. The Czar lived in fear of his life. Living itself became a daily ordeal. Alexander would not leave the palace except under heavy guard. He preferred not to leave at all. He ordered his quarters to be searched carefully each night before retiring for fear of concealed assassins.

On March 13, 1881, the Czar was riding in his carriage along one of the central streets of St. Petersburg near the Winter Palace. The fatal day had arrived at last. A series of small bombs was exploded in his path. His vehicle was overturned. The blast shredded the king's carriage. Alexander survived, and was questioning the would-be assassin when the latter's accomplice threw another bomb directly in front of the Czar's feet. Alexander died a few hours later in his room at the Royal Palace.

The next Romanov, Czar Alexander III, was cut from a more tyrannical pattern, and his successor Nicholas II, the last of the Czars, was equally rigid but, unhappily for him, far less able.

What had been a general growing discontent among the masses now became an organized revolt. Both intellectuals and peasants arose against the Czar. Their hatred finally erupted in the midst of World War I.

The flame of revolution swept across the land, a revolution unparalleled in modern history. It challenged all age-old principles. It upended ancient and time-honored institutions, and spread havoc, destruction and death on every side. The death-throes of the Romanov dynasty have been described in these words: "A great trembling seized and rocked the foundations of that country." The light of religion was dimmed. Ecclesiastical institutions of every denomination were swept away. The state religion was disendowed, persecuted and abolished. A far-flung empire was dismembered.

"A militant, triumphant proletariat exiled the intellectuals, and plundered and massacred the nobility. Civil war and disease decimated a population, already in the throes of agony and despair. And, finally, the Chief Magistrate of a mighty dominion, together with his consort, and his family, and his dynasty, were swept into the vortex of this great convulsion." -The Promised Day is Come, page 56

This brought to an end the line of kings which had ruled Russia for three hundred years. They, too, had turned a deaf ear to the words of the Messenger of God:

"O ye rulers of the earth! ...Hearken unto the counsel given you by the Pen of the Most High, that haply both ye and the poor may attain unto tranquillity and peace. We beseech God to assist the kings of the earth to establish peace on earth . . . Beware lest ye disregard the counsel of the All-Knowing, the Faithful." -Gleanings, pages 253-254

The House of Romanov collapsed. The dynasty of which Alexander Nicolaevitch II had been so proud came to an end. The Czars had not "stayed the hand of the oppressors" nor had they "safeguarded the rights of the downtrodden." In the wake of this disaster, every prophecy which Bahá'u'lláh, the Glory of God, had uttered concerning the fate of oppressive monarchs had been fulfilled.

When we look back over this tragic history and the failure of faith which set it in motion, Bahá'u'lláh's words to Alexander II and through him to the government of Russia, seem among the most poignant which he wrote:

"Beware lest thy desire deter thee from turning toward the face of thy Lord . . . Beware lest thou barter away this sublime station... Beware lest thy sovereignty withhold thee from the Supreme Sovereign."

And how relevant to the Romanov tragedy and its unhappy inaugurator, Alexander, seem the words of the Old Testament prophet Haggai concerning this day:

"I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts . . . I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms . . . and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them..."

The third kingdom had fallen!

Chapter 6

"We have found thee clinging
to the Branch, and heedless of the Root."

Chapter 6
Section 1- The End of the Holy Roman Empire

"The Empire of the Hapsburgs disintegrated and disappeared from the face of the earth entirely? Never! There has always been an Empire as long as Europe itself has existed." These might have been the words of any observer in Europe during those days in which Bahá'u'lláh addressed a special Message to Franz Josef, the autocratic king-emperor of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy. "It will vanish as a mist before the rising sun."

Who could believe such a thing about the Holy Roman Empire? The Empire had suffered many vicissitudes; it had its problems, some of them very serious. But it held together the entire economic structure of central Europe. The Danube was Europe's highway and marketplace, and the Hapsburg Empire was its protector. No matter how desperate conditions got, its subject peoples would not bite off their noses to spite their imperial faces. Yet the Empire did vanish. "like a mist," and it vanished overnight.

Emperor Franz Josef journeyed to the Holy Land to pay tribute to Christ. He passed within a short distance of the prison in which Bahá'u'lláh was held captive. The prison city of 'Akka was called Acco in ancient times. It was a site referred to by Hosea who had prophesied that it would be a "door or hope" for mankind. Isaiah prophesied that this city would he a "place for the herds" of the flock of the Lord, "for my people that have sought me." Franz Josef did not seek out Bahá'u'lláh nor inquire concerning Him, despite the reputation as a reformer and saint which Bahá'u'lláh's life had won among European writers and diplomats.

From that prison-city Bahá'u'lláh addressed His historic words to Franz Josef:

"O Emperor of Austria! He Who is the Dayspring of God's Light dwelt in the prison of 'Akka, at the time when thou didst set forth to visit the [Jerusalem]. Thou passed Him by, and inquired not about Him, by Whom every house is exalted, and every lofty gate unlocked. We, verily, made it [Jerusalem] a place whereunto the world should turn, that they might remember Me, and yet thou hast rejected Him Who is the Object of this remembrance..." -Kitab-i-Aqdas, page 19

The first reaction of almost anyone who had not investigated Bahá'u'lláh's Faith might be to say: ''Who could blame the Emperor? If I were king and anyone spoke such words as those to me. I would ignore them. Such a claim is preposterous." Yet an answer like this is not possible for anyone who really believes in one of the world religions. Christians, Jews, Moslems are people who believe that God does speak through Messengers. That His Messengers have always made the same kind of announcement; that They have always been persecuted; that God has promised to send One, "in the fullness of time," who will be a "Prince of Peace." The Christian Church is based on exactly that same "preposterous" claim by a so-called madman Who was too "weak" to save Himself. Christ's words were also branded as "false" in His day.

Franz Joseph believed that. He heard Mass every day. Every day he heard the familiar story of Jesus Who had been rejected by Herod and Pilate. Every day, he appealed to God to keep His promise, "Thy will be done, on earth..."

The problem with promises given us by God, as the Pharisees found two thousand years ago, is that, inevitably. God will keep them.

To Franz Joseph, Bahá'u'lláh wrote:

"We have...found thee clinging unto the Branch and heedless of the Root."

"We have come to unite and
weld together all who dwell on earth. "

Chapter 6
Section 2- Break in Pieces

The royal visit of Emperor Franz Josef to the Holy Land was one of pomp and ceremony. The cost of such pageantry throughout his empire of drones and princes was sustained by the labor and sacrifices of the neglected people of his realm.

Franz Josef, like his fellow-monarchs, was heedless of Bahá'u'lláh's words:

"Know ye that the poor are the trust of God in your midst. Watch that ye betray not His trust, that ye deal not unjustly with them and that ye walk not in the ways of the treacherous. -Gleanings, page 251

Bahá'u'lláh must have been sorrowed by the conduct of the Emperor, who came so near the object of his keenest desire. Yet His sorrow was even greater for humanity. Bahá'u'lláh comforted the downtrodden, saying that even if every ruler opposed the Revelation of God, this would sooner or later bind together all men in a common effort toward a common goal: peace, and freedom. The leaders of men could either hasten or delay Its fulfillment, but they would be powerless to stop it. Bahá'u'lláh wrote from the prison-city of 'Akka:

"We, verily, have come to unite and weld together all that dwell on earth. Unto this beareth witness what the ocean of Mine utterance hath revealed amongst men, and yet most of the people have gone astray."

Bahá'u'lláh, the Glory of God, had "come to the Holy Land" from the "east" by "way of the gate" as foretold in those passages of Scripture honored by the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Franz Josef, one of the most powerful monarchs of that era, brushed shoulders with the Prisoner of 'Akka, yet was still oblivious to His words to the leaders of men: "It is incumbent upon thee to summon the people, under all conditions, to whatever will cause them to show forth spiritual characteristics and goodly deeds, so that all may become aware of that which is the cause of human upliftment..." -Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, page 27

Bahá'u'lláh, a prisoner, could not visit Europe but the Emperor of Austria came to the Holy Land and passed under His shadow. They were not destined to meet. Bahá'u'lláh's words to Franz Josef were to remain unheeded, until history could look back at their fulfillment.

Bahá'u'lláh declared that "the day" was approaching when men would "behold the Day Star of justice shining in its full splendor" and no one could prevent its "shining." He wrote: "Who is there that can put out the light which the snow-white Hand of God hath lit? Where is he to be found that hath the power to quench the fire which hath been kindled through the might of thy Lord..." -Gleanings, page 341

Certainly no king would be able to prevent the rise and spread of His Faith or to dim the light He had ignited in the hearts of His followers. Bahá'u'lláh Himself has written: "The fierce gales and whirlwinds of the world and its peoples can never shake the foundation upon which the rock-like stability of My chosen ones is based."

Bahá'u'lláh said "thus instructeth thee" the Messenger of God for this day from the "grievous Prison." Neither kings nor peoples could hold back the rising sun of His Teachings. They were God-directed for the betterment of all mankind.

Bahá'u'lláh wrote:

"Members of the human race! Hold ye fast by the Cord which no man can sever. This will, indeed, profit you all the days of your life, for its strength is of God, the Lord of all worlds... Though encompassed with a myriad griefs and afflictions, We have, with mighty confidence, summoned the peoples of the earth... This Holy Land hath been mentioned and extolled in all the sacred Scriptures... Whatever hath come to pass in this Day hath been foretold in the Scriptures of old."

The fall of the fourth kingdom was underway. No nation, no empire, was to "break in pieces" in such a dramatic and permanent fashion as that of the kingdom of the Hapsburgs.

"Ye and all that ye posses, shall pass away."

Chapter 6
Section 3- The Fourth Kingdom Falls!

The rumblings of an internal disintegration heralded the earthquake that threatened the kingdom of Franz Josef.

Bahá'u'lláh's counsel to the kings of the earth concerning the rights of their subjects was this: "Shouldst thou cause rivers of justice to spread their waters amongst thy subjects, God would surely aid thee with the hosts of the unseen and of the seen, and would strengthen thee in thine affairs." -Gleanings, page 234

The actions of the Emperor of Austro-Hungary were directly opposite. Rivers of justice did not "flow" through the land, and Franz Josef was neither "aided" nor "strengthened" in the deepening crisis which began to engulf his rambling empire in the late nineteenth century. The fate which awaited such kings was described in these words by Bahá'u'lláh: "Ye continue roving with delight in the valley of your corrupt desires. Ye, and all ye possess, shall pass away." -Gleanings, page 247

It has been said of the rule of Franz Josef that "repeated tragedies darkened his reign." With alarming persistence calamitous events succeeded one another.

His brother, Maximilian, was defeated, imprisoned, and then shot to death by a peasant revolution in Mexico. His son, the crown Prince Rudolph, disgraced the royal family, and finally perished in a dishonorable affair. His wife, the Empress Elizabeth was assassinated in Geneva. The archduke, Francis Ferdinand and his wife were struck down by assassins in Serajevo. This very tragedy was the spark that ignited the great world war. Shortly after, Franz Josef himself succumbed to death. The death of the Emperor brought to a close a reign "unsurpassed by any other reign in the disasters it brought to the nation." Composed of conglomerate states, races and languages, the Holy Roman Empire relentlessly began to disintegrate.

"All that was left of the once formidable Holy Roman Empire was a shrunken republic that led a miserable existence." The tiny Austrian republic was taken over by Hitler and restored in 1945 as the uneasy meeting ground of four armies of occupation.

The words of Bahá'u'lláh echoed from His prison cell in the Holy Land out across the Mediterranean Sea. They found their dire fulfillment in the overthrow of the dynasty of the Hapsburgs, sweeping away both king and Princes alike.

The Hapsburgs, like their fellow monarchs, punished themselves by wrong decisions. The first error, the rejection of the Messenger of God, was spiritual. Moral errors followed in such areas of concern as peace and justice. Finally, very obvious political miscalculations completed the work. Forgetful of both God and man, men of power seek to exalt their own position, party or nation; and as this is contrary to the spirit of justice and love, they bring about their own downfall -- some rapidly, some slowly, all inevitably.

The Messenger of God is the law-giver for His day. Those who break the Laws pay the penalty. In secular society, those who ignore or break the established laws suffer the consequences of their own neglect. These outer laws are a mirror of the realm of the moral, ethical and spiritual Laws of God which are the foundation and basis of all life on earth. Therefore the punishment is more severe, and is world wide, as the offenders are both the leaders and the people of the earth.

When the sun rises, all life on the planet must adjust itself to the new day. Flowers open their blossoms to the gradually warming sunlight. Should the blossoms neglect to open until the noon-day sun beats down upon them, they would be destroyed.

In like manner, kingdoms and peoples that have refused for over a century to open their hearts to the Sun of truth for this Day, Bahá'u'lláh promised throughout their own Holy Books, now find themselves endangered through their refusal to adjust to the light and heat of a new Day.

The new Springtime came with the birth of the Bahá'í Faith in 1844, over a century and a half ago. The Spring has come and passed. The icy indifference and cold snows of opposition should have melted ages ago; now this glacial-like neglect is powerless to resist the summer-heat of the Sun of Bahá'u'lláh's Teachings. Helpless before the blazing rays, it melts and floods, and sweeps away all before it.

How startling and apt appear the words of the prophet Zephaniah when we consider the fate of Emperor Franz Josef and his family. Zephaniah prophesied concerning the coming of "the great day of the Lord" when the Lord would be in His "holy mountain."

Franz Josef visited that mountain and, as we have seen, passed within the shadow of the prison of 'Akka. In Bahá'u'lláh's own words, the Emperor had not even "inquired" about Him. Now the king and the princes of the royal House of Hapsburg were no more. Such a time had been envisioned by the prophet Zephaniah who said: "I will also stretch out mine hand upon... them that are turned back from the Lord; and those that have not sought the Lord, nor inquired for him... And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children..."

The fourth kingdom had fallen!

Chapter 7

"If this is of God, it will endure."

Chapter 7
Section 1- A Kingdom Stands

"O Queen in London! Incline thine ear unto the voice of thy Lord . . . all that hath been mentioned in the Gospel hath been fulfilled."-Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, pages 59-60

Bahá'u'lláh addressed these words to queen Victoria of Great Britain. In His Letter to the Queen, Bahá'u'lláh once again linked His Message with that of Christ. He said that the city of 'Akka had been "honored by the footsteps" of the Promised One.

In this day, Bahá'u'lláh said, the people of the world had the opportunity to "inhale the fragrance" of the Revelation of God, and to become "inebriated with the wine of His (the Messenger's) presence."

Bahá'u'lláh praised Queen Victoria for two far-reaching reforms undertaken by the British government. He wrote:

"We have been informed that thou hast forbidden the trading in slaves... This, verily, is what God hath enjoined in this wondrous Revelation. God hath, truly, destined a reward for thee, because of this. He, verily, will pay the doer of good, whether man or woman, his due recompense... " -Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, page 60

And in yet another part of His Letter to the queen Bahá'u'lláh said:

"thou hast entrusted the reins of counsel into the hands of the representatives of the people. Thou, indeed, hast done well, for thereby the foundations of the edifice of thine affairs will be strengthened, and the hearts of all that are beneath thy shadow, whether high or low, will be tranquilized." -Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, page 61

Bahá'u'lláh deplored the state of the world. He longed to see mankind at peace, developing the creative talents of every heart. Bahá'u'lláh attributed much of man's suffering to the insincerity and greed of political leaders:

He wrote: "We behold it [the world], in this day, at the mercy of rulers so drunk with pride that they cannot discern clearly their own best advantage, much less recognize a Revelation so bewildering and challenging as this. And whenever any one of them [leaders] hath striven to improve its condition, his motive hath been his own gain, whether confessedly so or not; and the unworthiness of this motive hath limited his power to heal or cure." -Gleanings, page 255

Bahá'u'lláh in His Letter to Queen Victoria prescribed the remedy which could heal the ills of the world.

"O Queen in London... That which the Lord hath ordained as the sovereign remedy and mightiest instrument for the healing of all the world is the union of all its peoples in one universal Cause, one common Faith. This can in no wise be achieved except through the power of a skilled, an all-powerful and inspired Physician." -Gleanings, page 255

In what spirit did the Queen receive Bahá'u'lláh's Letter? According to one written account: "Queen Victoria, it is said, upon reading the Tablet (Letter) revealed for her, remarked: 'If this is of God, it will endure... ' "

Like Gamaliel, the leading rabbi who refused either to condemn Christ or to accept Him, the Queen preferred to leave history to take its course.

Of all the rulers to whom Bahá'u'lláh wrote, Victoria was the only one who responded in any manner, however limited. She is also the only one of those monarchs who did not undergo a series of afflictive dynasty-destroying disasters during her reign, and whose kingdom has survived.

Queen Victoria died on January 22, 1901, during the South African war. She had ruled her people for over sixty-three years, the longest reign known in British history. Victoria had, indeed, been blessed with a reign that was in sharp contrast with those of her fellow rulers.

There was, however, to be a far more direct link between the Queen and the Prisoner. An even greater "reward" was to come to one of Victoria's descendants.

The Queen's grand-daughter, Queen Marie of Rumania, subsequently became a devoted follower of the Prisoner of 'Akka. Several testimonies to Bahá'u'lláh's Faith have been left by the pen of this royal convert. Publicly the Queen proclaimed.

"If ever the name of Bahá'u'lláh... comes to your attention, do not put [His] writings from you... let their glorious, peace-bringing, love-creating lessons sink into your hearts as they have into mine... Seek them and be the happier."

She later wrote:

"It is Christ's message taken up anew, in the same words almost, but adapted to the thousand years and more difference that lies between the year one and today... "

Canadian Bahá'í's were delighted that it was in a letter to a Canadian newspaper, the Toronto Star, that the Queen's public declaration was first made.

There is also a second link between Queen Marie, the first of royalty to embrace the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh, and the kings to whom Bahá'u'lláh directed, specific letters. Queen Marie of Rumania was the grand-daughter of both Queen Victoria and Alexander II of Russia. Victoria was the sole monarch to make even the slightest response to Bahá'u'lláh's Message. Although Alexander II was himself indifferent, it was one of his ministers who made an effort, however futile, to rescue Bahá'u'lláh from His persecutors.

The grand-daughter of these two monarchs was the first of the line of kings to recognize and accept the Mission of Bahá'u'lláh, a Mission which its Author has stated will eventually secure the allegiance of most of the human race.

What blessings would have come to the nation whose ruler had truly heeded the words which Bahá'u'lláh addressed to them. What blessings would have come to all mankind.

Bahá'u'lláh Himself had promised:

"How great is the blessedness that awaiteth the king who will arise to aid My Cause in My Kingdom, who will detach himself from all else but Me!"

Bahá'u'lláh told one of the kings that if it had not been for the "repudiation" of the religious leaders and the conspiracy of the rulers, He would have given them guidance which would have "thrilled and carried away the hearts"; a guidance which would "cheer the eyes" and "tranquilize the souls" of men.

Bahá'u'lláh severely censured those kings who refused to make any effort to investigate the truth of His Faith. Their failure was reflected and repeated in their neglect of their responsibility to God for the welfare of their people and the peace of the world.

We should not, however, make the mistake of thinking that this condemnation represented a criticism of kingship itself. Much less can it be regarded as an attack on established government. Bahá'u'lláh foretold the day when "just" kings and other rulers would arise and seize the opportunity which earlier leaders had so tragically missed.

Bahá'u'lláh wrote:

"Ere long will God make manifest on earth kings who will recline on the couches of justice, and will rule amongst men even as they rule their own selves. They, indeed, are among the choicest of My creatures in the entire creation."

Bahá'u'lláh described the blessing which such leadership would bring to the entire planet:

"0 concourse of the rulers of the world! There is no force on earth that can equal in its conquering power the force of justice and wisdom... Blessed is the king who marcheth with the ensign of wisdom unfurled before him, and the battalions of justice massed in his rear. He verily is the ornament that adorneth the brow of peace and the countenance of security. There can be no doubt whatever that if the day star of justice, which the clouds of tyranny have obscured, were to shed its light upon men, the face of the earth would he completely transformed."

In Queen Victoria's case, we are so familiar with the halo of respect surrounding her and her throne that we are in danger of overlooking an important historical fact. This fact has far-ranging implications for our story.

When Victoria ascended the throne in 1838 the British monarchy was at the lowest ebb in its history. Her grandfather George III had been insane. Her uncle George IV was a national disgrace, the inspiration for the vulgar nursery-rhyme "Georgie Porgie." Her immediate predecessor, her second uncle, William IV, was publicly mocked during his lifetime, and on the day of his funeral was described by the London "Times" as "only a common sort of person." Victoria was a young, inexperienced woman, the last member of a junior branch of the family. She appeared to have little to commend her. It was "common knowledge" in London that she would be the last British monarch; that Britain would follow France, the United States and other "progressive" nations in establishing a republic.

In fact, Victoria was to rule for sixty years and leave the monarchy more secure than it had ever been in its history!

Bahá'u'lláh clearly indicated that even the slightest response to God's call would bring very great blessings. The tiniest ray of light penetrating the camera lens can imprint upon the receptive film an entire picture. The mind is staggered at the potential which could be released by a mass response to the divine summons.

Unlike Queen Victoria and her government, the other European monarchs had been far removed from the will of God. They had experienced the full effect of their neglect of their trust and the irrelevancy of their pursuits.

The nineteenth century monarchs who were the exact antithesis of Bahá'u'lláh's teachings, however, were the Kings of Persia and Turkey.

They not only failed to make the slightest response to Bahá'u'lláh's words, but actively joined forces repeatedly to persecute, imprison and exile the Messenger of God. Within one of these two empires, over twenty thousand of the early followers of the Bahá'í Faith were slain in the most barbarous fashion.

These next two kings were described by Bahá'u'lláh, one as "the Prince of Oppressors," the other as occupying the "Throne of Tyranny."

He said that God would make them "an object lesson for the world."

Chapter 8

"A wholesale massacre!"

Chapter 8
Section 1- The Ruined House

In considering the encounter between the Messenger of God and the rulers of the leading Western nations we have skipped ahead of events in the Near East. Before going on to the story of the fifth kingdom, let us glance quickly back at these events which brought Bahá'u'lláh out of His native land, and prepared the way for His announcement to the kings.

Bahá'u'lláh was still imprisoned in Teheran's "Black Pit" when an event occurred which appeared certain to lead to His release. The would-be assassin of Nasiri'd-Din Shah had enlisted the help of a demented youth. During the course of the persecutions, these two persons were arrested, and the former finally confessed his guilt. He alone had been involved from the beginning and his only helper had been his pathetic companion.

As soon as the confession was obtained, a representative of the Prime Minister went immediately to take down the words of that confession. The Russian ministry seized the opportunity to send its translator along because of its interest in the Prisoner. The confession, therefore, received impressive authentication.

Bahá'u'lláh's enemies were enraged. The thought that Bahá'u'lláh might escape from the dungeon when He had been so close to the grave infuriated them.

Before Bahá'u'lláh was released, these conspirators besieged the Shah with the new plans which they had contrived. They assured the king that they would be able to involve Bahá'u'lláh in grave troubles. They were confident that these intrigues would ensure His death. The Shah, pressed by his mother and accustomed to doing as he wished with those he feared, agreed to their schemes.

He summoned the Prime Minister and told him to send several detachments of soldiers to Bahá'u'lláh's home district of Nur. These soldiers were told that they were being sent to suppress dangerous "disturbers of the peace." It was expected that this sudden assault would generate widespread confusion and perhaps incite opposition from the villagers. The plan was to blame Bahá'u'lláh for these fresh uprisings, and then brand Him as an agitator of political revolt. Bahá'u'lláh's summer home was in the village of Takur, in the district of Nur. Although the Prime Minister, as soon as he heard the instructions, knew very well that the plan was directed against Bahá'u'lláh, he did nothing to prevent it.

A detachment of soldiers was placed under the command of an officer named Mirza Abu-Talib. As soon as his troops reached the village of Takur, Mirza Abu-Talib told them to prepare for an all-out attack.

The surprised and defenseless people of the village, upon becoming aware of the soldiers' approach, sent representatives to appeal to the officer. They asked him to give them some reason for such an onslaught. Mirza Abu-Talib refused to see them. Instead, he sent a curt message: "I am charged by my sovereign to order a wholesale massacre of the men of this village, to capture the women and to confiscate all property."

The soldiers attacked the house of Bahá'u'lláh as their initial act. Bahá'u'lláh had inherited the beautiful summer residence from His father, a minister of the Crown, and the building was known to be furnished with objects of great value.

Mirza Abu-Talib ordered his men to break open everything and take away the contents. He instructed that what could not be carried away should be burned or demolished. The walls of the rooms were disfigured beyond repair. The beams were torn down, the decorations destroyed, and the house was left in ruins.

From this opening assault, the troops went on to demolish the homes of other people in the village, after which the entire town was set on fire.

This deliberate provocation, premonitory of similar schemes which twentieth century tyrants were to use on a large scale against peoples they wished to destroy, was expected to incite fierce opposition. It was assumed that Bahá'u'lláh and His supporters would attempt to arouse the district against the government. The uprising would then be crushed, and Bahá'u'lláh condemned for treason.

"Our purpose is to abolish war and bloodshed from the face of the earth."

Chapter 8
Section 2- Out of the Pit

The new conspiracy failed. Bahá'u'lláh and His family showed no inclination to incite opposition to the crown. And now that His innocence was at last made public, the opportunity to discredit and kill Him had passed. His enemies realized to their chagrin that it was no longer possible or wise to hold Bahá'u'lláh a prisoner.

A minister of the Crown was sent to summon Bahá'u'lláh from "the Pit." He was ordered to appear before the authorities so that He might be informed of His freedom. The Minister, Haji 'Ali, had once been a friend of Bahá'u'lláh. When he saw that foul prison with its filth and vermin-infested floor where Bahá'u'lláh had been kept, he was very distressed.

"May Mirza Aqa Khan be accursed!" he shouted, denouncing the Prime Minister. But when he looked upon Bahá'u'lláh Whom he had loved and respected, he burst into tears. Bahá'u'lláh's hair was matted and dirty. His clothes were torn. His shoulders were festered from the chains which had weighed down His neck.

Haji 'Ali wept aloud. He turned to Bahá'u'lláh in great sorrow. "God is my witness," he told Bahá'u'lláh. "I never realized you were being subjected to such treatment."

Haji 'Ali could not bear to look upon the torn soiled garments in which Bahá'u'lláh was clothed. He took off his own fine cloak and started to place it over Bahá'u'lláh's shoulders, entreating Him to wear it. As a member of one of Persia's oldest noble families, it seemed wrong for Bahá'u'lláh to appear at court in the condition in which the Minister had found Him. Bahá'u'lláh refused, He preferred, He said, to appear before them in the same clothes in which He had been cast into the dungeon. He would wear the garb of a prisoner, a garb which other innocent people still wore.

Bahá'u'lláh knew that the sufferings He and His friends had sustained in the Siyah-Chal were but a prelude to far greater troubles yet to come. Once the Shah and the clergy realized that He was not merely a prominent "Babi," but the One whom the Bab had foretold, a veritable flood of tribulations would engulf Him from all sides.

Bahá'u'lláh recalled those pregnant months in the Siyah-Chal when later He sent His letter to Nasiri'din Shah from the prison of 'Akka. He wrote:

"O King! I was but a man like others, asleep upon My couch, when lo, the breezes of the All-Glorious were wafted over Me, and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been. This thing is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-Knowing [God]. And He bade Me lift up My voice between earth and heaven, and for this there befell Me what hath caused the tears of every man of understanding to flow. -Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, page 11

Bahá'u'lláh was conducted from the dungeon-prison to the seat of the imperial government. He was ushered into the presence of the Prime Minister Mirza Aqa Khan. The conscience of Mirza Aqa Khan must have been stricken at the sight of Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'u'lláh's treatment had been so severe that none who knew Him would now have recognized Him.

The Prime Minister had failed to redeem his promise to the Bab. He had not protected and safeguarded His followers. Instead, he, the leading minister in the land, had himself conducted and masterminded a carnage which European historians would describe as "unparalleled." The Austrian military attaché has written, "My pen shrinks in horror in attempting to describe what befell those valiant men and women."

Mirza Aqa Khan had proved false to his vows to both the Bab and Bahá'u'lláh, but he was still not prepared to face his conscience. Instead, he spoke harshly to Bahá'u'lláh, to cover his own shame.

"If you had taken my advice," he told Bahá'u'lláh "and cut yourself off from the Faith of the Bab, you wouldn't have suffered this agony and indignity."

Bahá'u'lláh looked into his eyes and replied simply:

"Had you, in turn, followed My Counsels, the affairs of the government would not have reached so critical a stage."

Who will ever know the thoughts that coursed through the mind of Mirza Aqa Khan? Did he recall the earlier occasion when, stricken with illness, he had heard the doctors give up all hope of his recovery? Did he recall how his friend, Bahá'u'lláh, had visited and cared for him? Did he remember his statements that Bahá'u'lláh had restored him to health? Did he reflect upon those prophetic words which he himself had once spoken to his own son about Bahá'u'lláh? "My son, those who now honor us with their lips, would condemn and slander us if we failed for a moment to promote their interests. It is not that way with Bahá'u'lláh. Unlike other great men around us, he attracts a genuine love and devotion which neither time nor enemies can destroy."

Was the Prime Minister thinking of those hours of agonizing choice when Bahá'u'lláh had been a guest in his home, and he had delivered Him to the Black Pit in order to protect his position as Chief Minister of the land? Was he still hearing the sounds of the joyful chanting of those martyrs who had been slain in the most fiendish manner conceivable, in the public square of Teheran?

We shall never really know. We do know that the Prime Minister was deeply disturbed by Bahá'u'lláh when He came up out of that dungeon-prison. He was shaken at the sight of what he had done to One from Whom he had received only kindnesses, on so many occasions. He could not remain antagonistic in that face-to-face encounter.

Mirza Aqa Khan made yet another of his pitiful periodic efforts to atone for the past. "The warning you gave," he told Bahá'u'lláh, "has come true. What do you now advise me to do?" Bahá'u'lláh replied that the Prime Minister should order the provincial governors to end the persecution of the innocent, to cease plundering their property and dishonoring their women. The government should abandon its feeling that it had the right to persecute the Bab's followers simply because of their religious beliefs.

This time, Mirza Aqa Khan did not hesitate. On that same day he issued an order to the governors of the realm. He instructed them to cease all their actions against the followers of the Bab.

Nasiri'd-Din Shah was not reconciled to Bahá'u'lláh's release from prison. He could no longer tolerate his victim's presence in Persia. Accordingly, he issued an immediate edict for the banishment of Bahá'u'lláh.

Within ten days, on January 12, 1853, Bahá'u'lláh began the exile which was to take Him forever out of His homeland and lead Him at last to the side of Mount Carmel, the "vineyard of God," in Israel.

Stripped of all His possessions, Bahá'u'lláh was given inadequate provisions and clothing for the cold wintry journey over the snowbound mountains of western Persia into Iraq.

The king and clergy were satisfied. At least they were rid of a hated enemy. The wings of death hovered about Bahá'u'lláh's Faith. To every eye, both the Bab and Bahá'u'lláh had been defeated. The Redeemer of men, the Unifier of the world, Bahá'u'lláh appeared to be a colossal failure.

Nasiri'd-Din Shah was confident that he had wiped out the new Faith. In fact, the opposite proved true. By sending Bahá'u'lláh into exile, Nasiri'd-Din Shah made certain that the bright light of history would be shed upon every event associated with Bahá'u'lláh's exile. Future historians would study every word and action concerning that historic journey.

By banishing Bahá'u'lláh, "the Glory of God," to Iraq, once the ancient land of Babylon, the Shah drove his Prisoner by enforced exile to the historic site near where Ezekiel had seen his "vision" of the "glory of God" by the ancient river Chebar. By his edict, Nasiri'd-Din Shah assured that Bahá'u'lláh would be exiled to the very spot where Ezekiel had made his prophecy concerning the One Who would come to the Holy Land from "the East," by way of "the gate."

Bahá'u'lláh was on His way!

Chapter 9

"His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?"

Chapter 9
Section 1- Assassin! Assassin!

The hour had now come for the king of Persia himself to experience the retribution which his actions had entailed. Nasiri'd-Din Shah was soon to be made, as promised by Bahá'u'lláh, "an object-lesson for the world."

It happened on the occasion of the great jubilee celebration organized by the Shah to honor his own station. The king looked forward to this occasion as his most glorious hour. He had elaborately planned to inaugurate a new era, one which he hoped would perpetuate his name in history.

The Shah was greatly impressed by European civilization. Unlike his predecessors he had visited France and other Western nations, and sought to be remembered as the ruler who modernized Persia.

History had other plans.

Nasiri'd-Din Shah went into the shrine of 'Abdu'l-'Azim to offer prayers on the eve of this historic occasion. Tomorrow, he told himself, he would campaign to woo back the affections of his subjects.

Bonfires lighted the night skies. Banners proclaimed the titles of the king. Trumpets and cymbals and drums declared on all sides the might and majesty of Nasiri'd-Din Shah, the king of Persia. Suddenly, without warning, the hand of the assassin struck. The royal sovereign fell dead on the pavement, of the shrine. His ministers and companions were thrown into a panic. They were paralyzed by what had happened.

In order to delay the news of the Shah's slaying, they carried his body from the shrine, and propped it up in the royal carriage. The dead king was supported by the Prime Minister himself as the carriage rolled through the streets.

The banners waved, the band struck up the music, the intimidated crowd shouted aloud its empty praise of a king it neither loved nor respected. The great jubilee festival was underway. It proclaimed a king who had become a propped-up corpse.

The Shah's terror-stricken ministers, not knowing who might be next, passed along the dreaded words which were to become the signature of our modern political age:

"Assassin! Assassin!"

The assassination of Nasiri'd-Din Shah was at first blamed on the Bahá'í community. Like the Christians, in ancient Rome or the Jews under Nazism, whenever any difficulty arose anywhere in the kingdom, the Bahá'ís were the primary suspects, targets and victims. The actual assassin was a certain Mirza Rida, a follower of the notorious revolutionary Siyyid Mamalu'd-Din-i-Afghani, who was a bitter and outspoken enemy of the Bahá'í Faith.

The fiendish minds which had slain over twenty thousand of the followers of this Faith, could not believe that their victims did not spend their days and nights in hatred, plotting revenge against their slayers. It was what they themselves would do, why not the Bahá'ís?

How little they knew of Bahá'u'lláh's Teachings. He had denounced violence, and had forbade the taking of life--"It is better to be killed than to kill another." His Teachings threw into sharp contrast the integrity of His followers and the cruelty and prejudice of Persia's rulers. Shortly before Nasiri'd-Din Shah's death, a renowned teacher and poet, called Varqa, had been seized along with his twelve year old son, Ruhu'llah. They were held together in the prison of Teheran.

A brutal officer, the Hajibu'd-Dawlih forced the son to stand and watch as he thrust a sword into the stomach of the boy's father. Unable to make Varqa plead for mercy, the enraged officer began to hack the father to pieces before the eyes of his son. Then he turned to Ruhu'llah.

"Now will you recant your faith?" he asked." The boy's refusal was firm: "Never! Never!" Frustrated with anger the Hajibu'd-Dawlih seized a rope and strangled the child.

It is nor surprising that Bahá'u'lláh included the people of Persia who had so ruthlessly persecuted His Faith in His declaration that no one could dim God's shining light in the hearts of men once it had been ignited. He said:

"Give heed to My warning, ye people of Persia! . . . He [God] shall perfect His light, albeit ye abhor it in the secret of your hearts." -Gleanings, pages 224-225

The House of the Qajar dynasty began to collapse about its kings. All the efforts to buttress it and prevent its downfall ended in failure.

The words of Isaiah the prophet seemed to echo from past centuries:

"The Lord hath broken the staff of the wicked and the scepter of the rulers . . . For the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?"

The dynasty of Nasiri'd-Din Shah was rapidly approaching extinction. The walls were caving in on all sides. Soon every last one of its mighty kings and princes would be buried beneath the avalanche.

"This is the hour that no one can hold back!"

Chapter 9
Section 2- Prince of Oppressors

In one of His warnings Bahá'u'lláh foreshadowed the fate that overtook the Persian dynasty.

"Ye shall, erelong, discover the consequences of that which ye shall have done in this vain life, and shall be repaid for them . . . This is the day that shall inevitably come upon you, the hour that none can put back." -Gleanings, page 125

The rulers of the Qajar dynasty, more than any other kings, were responsible for trying to crush the Revelation of God. From the hour of its birth until their own downfall, the Qajar rulers never once softened their implacable hostility.

Bahá'u'lláh did all in His power to awaken these rulers to their opportunity as emblems of justice, not of hatred:

"If the rulers and kings of the earth, the symbols of the power of God, exalted be His glory, arise and resolve to dedicate themselves to whatever will promote the highest interests of the whole of humanity, the reign of justice will assuredly be established amongst the children of men, and the effulgence of its light will envelop the whole earth." -Gleanings, pages 218-219

Bahá'u'lláh had placed a grave responsibility upon the shoulders of Nasiri'd-Din Shah personally, describing the Shah as a "Prince of Oppressors." Nasiri'd-Din Shah had been personally responsible for the martyrdom of the Bab. He was equally responsible for the banishments and lifelong persecutions of Bahá'u'lláh. Finally, he had given approval to the unjust slaying over a long period of time, of thousands of innocent followers of the new Revelation.

Once again the Bible provides fascinating echoes of the events surrounding the story of Bahá'u'lláh. Is Nasiri'd-Din Shah the "king of fierce countenance" who Daniel said would appear in the "last time," the "king" who would destroy the "holy people?" Was he the king who Daniel said would "stand" against the "Prince of princes" of the Lord? Was this the "king" who would be "broken" by this Redeemer of men Who, in a "time of trouble" such as the world has never seen, would "stand up" and deliver the "children" of God?

One thing is certain, the day in which the king of Persia would be "broken" at last arrived.

"Wait thou, therefore, for what has been promised."

Chapter 9
Section 3- The Fifth Kingdom Falls!

Bahá'u'lláh wrote to one of the ministers of Nasiri'd-Din Shah, a message which applied to the throne, the court, and the people of Persia. Although He had wished for them prosperity, security and an everlasting sovereignty, they had rejected this heritage:

"Erelong shall your days pass away, as shall pass away the days of those who now, with flagrant pride, vaunt themselves over their neighbor. Soon shall ye be gathered together in the presence of God, and shall be asked of your doings, and shall be repaid for what your hands have wrought, and wretched the abode of the wicked doers!" -Gleanings, page 226

To any sincere individual Bahá'u'lláh said such deeds could only bring remorse: "By God! Wert thou to realize what thou hast done, thou wouldst surely weep sore over thyself, and wouldst flee for refuge to God . . . " -Gleanings, page 226

When all his entreaties and admonitions were disregarded, Bahá'u'lláh wrote these ominous words:

"Wait thou, therefore, for what hath been promised . . . for this is a promise from Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Wise -a promise that will not prove untrue." -Gleanings, page 227

Muzaffari'd-Din Shah, the successor to Nasiri'd-Din Shah, was a weak and timid creature who was forced to sign the constitution that limited the royal powers. His successor, Muhammad-'Ali Shah precipitated a revolution which led to his deposition.

Finally, Ahmad Shah, "a mere cipher and careless of his duties," ascended the throne. Anarchy increased, and the nation's financial condition which had long been deplorable, now approached bankruptcy. The king had practically abandoned the country. He preferred the life of the European capitals to the stern duties of kingship. While the Shah was abroad on one of his gay visits, parliament deposed him and proclaimed the extinction of the Qajar dynasty.

The House of Qajar had occupied the throne of Persia for one hundred and thirty years.

The document which ended the dynasty was signed in 1925. This final humiliation took place in the government buildings which stand but a stone's throw from the site of that underground prison into which Nasiri'd-Din Shah had cast Bahá'u'lláh. From that prison the sound of the voices of Bahá'u'lláh and His fellow-prisoners had been heard by Nasiri'd-Din Shah, the "Prince of Oppressors." Their song rang out in the hours of dawn and disturbed the Shah, as they chanted their prayers in praise of God, assured of that future victory:

"In Him let the trusting trust!"

Bahá'u'lláh had kept His promise. The fifth kingdom had fallen.

Chapter 10

Chapter 10
Section 1- The Announcement

Bahá'u'lláh's exile to Iraq in the Ottoman Turkish Empire did not leave Nasiri'd-Din Shah or the Persian clergy in peace. Iraq contained a number of Muslim shrines which Persians were accustomed to visit. The Persian clergy became concerned that the little party of exiles would begin to attract large numbers of these pilgrims to the new Cause.

The Shah's government therefore began to move the pressure to bear on the Sultan's ministers to move the Prisoner further away from the Persian borders. The Turkish and Persian empires had been antagonistic to one another, and the persecution of the exiles was one of the few points on which these two tyrannies agreed.

Accordingly, on April 22, 1863, Bahá'u'lláh was advised that He was to leave at once and move with His companions to the imperial capital, Constantinople.

Before this enforced departure, Bahá'u'lláh made the first formal declaration of His Mission. The day of "one fold and one Shepherd" had arrived, He said, and He was the One awaited by the followers of all the world's religions.

This historic Announcement took place in a garden outside the city of Baghdad. It was made during the twelve days between April 21st and May 2nd, 1863, and is celebrated by Bahá'ís today in every part of the world as the holiest and most joyful event in the entire Bahá'í calendar. It is called the Festival of Ridvan (Paradise).

Visitors flowed constantly from Baghdad to that famous Garden so that all might make their last farewell to the Visitor Whom they had come to love dearly. It was hard to believe that these were the people who such a short time before had readily believed the slander spread about the exiles by agents of Nasiri'd-Din Shah.

A large concourse of people, men, women and children, thronged the approaches to Bahá'u'lláh's house in Baghdad on the day of His departure for the Garden of Ridvan outside the city. They came from all directions for one last glimpse of Him. City officials, clergymen, merchants and notables, as well as the poor, the orphaned, the beggar and the outcast, all watched Bahá'u'lláh depart out of their city amidst weeping and lamentation. A Persian historian has written of that hour, saying: "Tears like the rains of spring were flowing down."

The huge crowds that surrounded Bahá'u'lláh on the day of His departure from the Garden of Ridvan were even more impressive. Mounted on a red roan stallion which His loved ones had purchased for His journey, Bahá'u'lláh rode through the weeping crowds. They pressed in on Him from all sides. "Clothed in majesty" and surrounded by love, Bahá'u'lláh began the first stage of His historic exile to Constantinople.

Bahá'u'lláh, the Glory of God, left forever the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, the spot where Ezekiel had seen the "Gory of God" in his vision. Bahá'u'lláh was now beginning His circuitous route westward to Israel. He would arrive at last in the land to which Ezekiel had promised that the "glory of God" would come from "the East."

His fame as a saint and teacher preceded Him. The same tokens of respect and devotion which were showered upon Bahá'u'lláh in Baghdad now followed Him all along the route of His travels northward. The journey to the port city of Samsun on the Black Sea took one hundred and ten days. As Bahá'u'lláh passed through the villages en route, a welcoming delegation would be waiting. They would rush out to meet Him immediately before His arrival, while another delegation would accompany Him for some distance as He departed out of their village.

Bahá'u'lláh and His companions came at last to the Black Sea. Sighting the shores of the Sea from His caravan, Bahá'u'lláh wrote a moving Tablet [letter] alluding to the "grievous and tormenting" sorrows that still awaited Him.

Bahá'u'lláh was put on board a Turkish steamer, crossed the Black Sea, and three days later disembarked at the famous port of Constantinople. The great capital city of Turkey had once been called the "dome of Islam." Because of the injustices and cruelty of Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz, it was to be described by Bahá'u'lláh as "the throne of tyranny." Bahá'u'lláh knew that his brief hours of joy and rest were at an end, and that His "torments" were to begin again.

Bahá'u'lláh was to make yet another voyage, this time across the Mediterranean Sea. Two further banishments were still to come. Renewed attempts would be made on His life. All would be unsuccessful. Bahá'u'lláh, in the years ahead, would arrive at last in Israel and would walk on the side of the "mountain of God."

Bahá'u'lláh was traveling to the Holy Land, as promised by Isaiah, "by way of the sea." In one single chapter of praise for the Promised One of the last days, Isaiah declares that this "chosen" Servant of the "seed of Abraham" was that "righteous man from the east" Whom God had raised up to "rule over kings" and Who would "pass safely" to His destination, Israel, "even by the way that he had not gone by his feet."

Bahá'u'lláh was journeying as the Old Testament prophet, Micah, had also foreseen, "from sea to sea" on his way from the East to the Holy Land where he would redeem mankind.

But who was there to read and understand and come to His aid?

''The Grand Vizir turned the color of a corpse."

Chapter 10
Section 2- The Throne of Tyranny

After the long, taxing journey to Constantinople, Bahá'u'lláh was permitted to remain in the capital less than four months. The Sultan of Turkey could not tolerate in the capital city the kind of honor that had been paid to Bahá'u'lláh along the route of His journey from Baghdad. Only the person of the king was considered a suitable object for such attention.

Bahá'u'lláh was summarily banished once again. This sudden and cruel further banishment represented "a virtual coalition between the Turkish and Persian imperial governments" against one Man and His tiny band of companions, their wives and their children, less than eighty persons in all. This time, Bahá'u'lláh did not accept the edict meekly. He replied with a forceful Letter of His own.

On that very same day, Bahá'u'lláh sent His reply by special messenger of 'Ali Pasha, the Prime Minister of the Sultan. This special messenger, Shamsi Big, delivered the Letter personally into the hands of 'Ali Pasha. He has left the following eye-witness account of that meeting.

"I know not what that letter contained far no sooner had the Grand Vizir 'Ali Pasha perused it that he turned the color of a corpse, and said: 'It is as if the King of Kings were issuing his behest to his humblest vassal king and regulating his conduct."

Shamsi Big added: "So grievous was the condition that I backed out of his presence."

The order for Bahá'u'lláh's departure was executed at once. Bahá'u'lláh, His family and His companions unprepared, began their third successive banishment. Some rode in wagons. some on pack animals. Others sat silently among their few remaining possessions, atop of carts pulled by oxen.

It was a bitter cold December morning when the Turkish officers pushed them along their way. Bahá'u'lláh Himself declared that the cruelty and abasement which were heaped upon Himself and His companions during that exile were unnecessary and unpardonable. He has testified that none of those who accompanied Him had the necessary clothing "to protect them from the cold in that freezing winter."

Nabil, a Persian historian, in his history of those days, writes: "A cold of such intensity prevailed that year, that nonagenarians could not recall its like." Animals froze and perished in the snows.

One of the companions of Bahá'u'lláh has left a record of that journey: "To obtain water from the springs, a great fire had to be lighted in their immediate neighborhood, and kept burning for a couple of hours before they thawed out.

It is not surprising therefore that Bahá'u'lláh addressed Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz in strong language:

"Hearken, O King, to the speech of Him that speaketh the truth . . . Bring thyself to account ere thou art summoned to a reckoning . . . Thou art God's shadow on earth. Strive, therefore, to act in such a manner as befitteth so eminent, so august a station . . . Let thine ear be attentive, O King, to the words We have addressed to thee. Let the oppressor desist from His tyranny, and cut off the perpetrators of in justice from among them that profess thy faith . . . Be not forgetful of the law of God in whatever thou desirest to achieve, now or in the days to come."

On the eve of His departure from Constantinople, Bahá'u'lláh wrote to the Persian, Ambassador who had incited the Turkish authorities to bring about His banishment by alarming their fears of the exiles. Bahá'u'lláh recalled to the ambassador's mind the more than twenty thousand followers who had already given their lives for this Faith in Persia. He explained the futility of trying to stamp out the fire of the love of God in men's hearts by persecution:

"What did it profit thee, and such as are like thee, to slay, year after year, so many of the oppressed, and to inflict upon them manifold afflictions, when they have increased a hundredfold . . . His [God's] Cause transcends any and every plan ye devise."

Then Bahá'u'lláh made a promise which time and history would soon bring to fulfillment:

"Know this much: Were all the governments on earth to unite and take My life and the lives of all who bear this Name [Bahá'í], this Divine Fire would never be quenched. His Cause will rather encompass all the kings of the earth, nay all that hath been created from water and clay . . . Whatever may yet befall Us, great shall be our gain, and manifest the loss wherewith they shall be afflicted."

Bahá'u'lláh and His companions traveled toward Adrianople through snow, rain and storm. At times they were forced to make night marches, but at last they reached their destination. This was the furthest point in Bahá'u'lláh's repeated exiles. He called it the "remote prison."

Bahá'u'lláh was the first of the Founders of the great revealed religions to touch upon European soil. This was yet another way in which Bahá'u'lláh's mission linked together both the East and the West. Bahá'u'lláh was the first of these Messengers of God to proclaim His Faith from the West as well as from the East.

Nasiri'd-Din Shah had imprisoned Bahá'u'lláh in the Black Pit in Teheran, His native city in His own country. There Bahá'u'lláh's ministry had begun.

Bahá'u'lláh had been banished to another land to silence His tongue and weaken His influence.

There in the famed valley of the Tigris and Euphrates, Bahá'u'lláh had formally declared the purpose of His Mission to His companions and to the world. Alarmed at the Prisoner's growing prestige and power, Nasiri'd-Din Shah had conspired with Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz to banish Him to Constantinople, farther yet from the circle of His relatives, friends and followers. The kings sent Him to another continent, Europe. There, in the midst of the "throne of tyranny" Bahá'u'lláh, in the capital city of Constantinople, launched the first stage of the public proclamation of His Mission to the world.

Now, Bahá'u'lláh was sent on yet another banishment, this time to a remote outpost where it was felt He would be powerless to influence anyone of importance. He would be cut off from the world. There in Adrianople, contrary to the schemes of kings, Bahá'u'lláh's Mission reached its high-point. He wrote His historic Tablet to the kings and rulers of the world. There He launched in its flood-tide the proclamation of His Faith to the world on a scale unprecedented in the religious history of mankind.

Every persecution, every suppression designed by the kings to render Bahá'u'lláh impotent, however devastating in the physical sufferings He sustained, was followed by a greater outpouring of teaching and spirit. Sufferings the kings devised for their Prisoner proved only to be preludes to a greater unfolding of God's purpose for mankind.

The greatest suffering, and the full unfolding, lay ahead.

"He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh."

Chapter 10
Section 3- The Final Banishment

For nearly five years Bahá'u'lláh was a prisoner and exile in the remote provincial city of Adrianople. During those turbulent years Bahá'u'lláh sustained three more attempts on His life. His enemies twice tried to poison Him and conspired to have Him slain in the public bath. All were unsuccessful.

Bahá'u'lláh now turned to the task of revealing God's guidance for the governments as well as the peoples of the world. Some of His most important and extensive writings date from this period. Nabil, the historian, writes: "A number of secretaries were busy day and night, and yet they were unable to cope with the task of transcribing the Revelation."

Bahá'u'lláh during His lifetime wrote over one hundred volumes dealing with the various problems facing man and his society. One of the most fruitful periods of His entire Mission was during His days in Adrianople. Bahá'u'lláh Himself affirms the copiousness of His Writings during those months in Turkey, saying:

"That which hath already been revealed in this land [Adrianople] are incapable of transcribing."

On another occasion, Bahá'u'lláh declared:

"In these days the equivalent of all that hath been sent down aforetime unto the Prophets hath been revealed."

These Writings were part of the historic world-wide proclamation of His Faith to the kings and rulers of the earth.

This Proclamation had its first beginnings in Constantinople when Bahá'u'lláh sent His powerful Letter to the Prime Minister of Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz following the king's decree banishing Him to Adrianople. This Proclamation reached its zenith in Adrianople.

There Bahá'u'lláh wrote His most momentous Letter to the crowned heads of the world. For "the first time He directed His words collectively to the entire company of the monarchs of East and West." Bahá'u'lláh warned these rulers that "divine chastisement" would "assail" them "from every direction" if they failed in their responsibility to consider the new social and spiritual principles which God was revealing for a united world. Bahá'u'lláh prophesied the triumph of this Cause even if "no king be found who would turn his face towards (God)."

Those who took the time to listen and grasp the significance of His Words and grasp the significance of His Teachings were deeply moved. The essence of His Message to the kings and rulers of the world, and to the peoples of the earth, can be found in those Writings which streamed constantly from His Pen during those years Adrianople.

Social justice was at the basis of almost every instruction which Bahá'u'lláh issued to the leaders of men. He constantly urged those in authority to shield and shelter the needy ones. He encouraged them to protect the rights of the underprivileged, and to uplift and instill hope in the downtrodden.

In Bahá'u'lláh's own words:

"O Ye Rich Ones on Earth! The poor in your midst are My trust; guard ye My trust, and be not intent only on your own ease."

And in another place:

"Tell the rich of the midnight sighing of the poor . . . to be poor in all save God is a wondrous gift, belittle not the value thereof; for in the end it will make thee rich in God . . . "

This "most glorious phase" in the Mission of Bahá'u'lláh is filled with His Counsels for the protection of the peoples of the world. It will forever remain as the "zenith" of His ministry on earth. Bahá'u'lláh urged all the leaders of the world to unite in a poverty program that would forever end the unjust extremes of wealth and destitution. This was a hundred years ago!

He wrote:

"O ye rulers of the earth! . . . Hearken unto the counsel given you . . . that haply both ye and the poor may attain unto tranquillity and peace. We beseech God to assist the kings of the earth to establish peace on earth."

During these fateful days in Adrianople, Bahá'u'lláh "arose with matchless power" to proclaim the Mission "with which He had been entrusted." He broadcast it to the rulers of men in both the East and the West, those leaders who held the reins of temporal power in their grasp.

Bahá'u'lláh was Himself "bent with sorrow" and still suffering from the effects of the last attempt on His life. He was well aware that a further banishment was impending. In spite of all these obstacles and perils, the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh during this period began to shine "in its meridian glory" and to demonstrate the power with which it was invested.

The Turkish government now yielded entirely to the pressure of the Persian ambassador and decided to send the exiles to a place which would both isolate them and assure their early deaths. A decree was issued commanding Bahá'u'lláh's fourth banishment to the dreaded penal colony of 'Akka.

The companions of Bahá'u'lláh were seized by the authorities in their homes and on the streets of Adrianople in a surprise arrest. They were questioned, deprived of their papers, and flung into prison. Several times members of the group were summoned before the authorities and questioned concerning the exact number of Bahá'u'lláh's family and friends.

Rumors ran through the village that "they were to be dispersed to different places or secretly put to death."

Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz had been assured by his ministers that neither Bahá'u'lláh nor His Faith could survive in the pestilential atmosphere of 'Akka. This fortress-city was the most dreaded prison in all the Turkish empire. The Sultan's advisors felt confident that Bahá'u'lláh would soon perish in that vile place.

In fact, they were taking part in a spiritual drama which the prophets of the past had foreseen and described.

By banishing Bahá'u'lláh to 'Akka, these enemies believed that they were carrying out the orders of their ruler, Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz. In reality, they were instruments for the fulfillment of "promises" made by God in sacred scripture long before.

Although Bahá'u'lláh's companions, until the last moment of their departure from Turkey, were uncertain where He would be sent, Bahá'u'lláh Himself, the "Ancient Beauty," the object of so many wonderful and thrilling prophecies in the Holy Books of the past, was only too aware of His ultimate destination. He knew where He would ultimately he banished years before the event.

As far back as the first years of His banishment to Adrianople, Bahá'u'lláh had already alluded to His future arrival at the fortress-city of 'Akka, the "door of hope" for mankind.

Bahá'u'lláh wrote about the world-wide triumph of His Faith which would follow that historic arrival. During those earliest years in Turkey, Bahá'u'lláh also hinted at the importance and significance of that future historic landing at 'Akka. His Words were, in reality, a prophecy. He wrote:

"Upon Our arrival, We were welcomed with banners of light, whereupon the Voice of the Spirit cried out saying, 'Soon will all that dwell on earth be enlisted under these banners.'"

Note: One hundred years later, the author of this book was present at the Centenary commemoration of Bahá'u'lláh's arrival in the Holy Land. Already His prophecy had come true. News was being shared from all parts of the earth announcing the entry of great numbers of new Bahá'ís into the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. They were flocking to His standard in America, Asia, Europe, North and South America, Australia, and in the islands of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans, and the Mediterranean and Caribbean Sea. Peoples and races in all nations, especially among the youth of the world, were embracing the Bahá'í Faith in over thirty thousand centers in almost every section of the world. Indeed, all segments of humanity were now "enlisting" beneath the "banner" of Bahá'u'lláh's Faith.

"Tell the king that this territory will pass out of his hands."

Chapter 10
Section 4- The Journey by Sea

On August 12, 1868, Bahá'u'lláh and His family began their four day journey to Gallipoli, the first stage of their final banishment. They were escorted by a Turkish captain and a detachment of soldiers. The party stopped en route at several towns.

At Kashanih, Bahá'u'lláh began one of His most famous Letters to the Kings of the earth. It was completed a short time later at Gyawur-Kyuy. Before leaving Turkey, Bahá'u'lláh made it clear that He would never forget that land. He asserted that He had: " . . . deposited beneath every tree and every stone a trust, which God will erelong bring forth through the power of truth."

The significance of these words was soon to become apparent.

Bahá'u'lláh and His companions finally reached Gallipoli on the sea where they spent three nights. This was to be their last stop in Turkey. Even at that late hour, Bahá'u'lláh gave the Sultan, 'Abdu'l-'Aziz, one final opportunity to repent of his past actions. Bahá'u'lláh sent a verbal message to the king through a Turkish officer named 'Omar.

Bahá'u'lláh requested Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz to grant Him a ten minute interview during which he, the king could make any test he wished, so that he might determine for himself the truth or falsehood of Bahá'u'lláh's Faith.

The request was not granted.

Not one of Bahá'u'lláh's attempts at such a confrontation with the kings, their ministers or the clergy had ever been accepted. Bahá'u'lláh prepared to depart for 'Akka, a city which had once been part of the ancient land of Canaan. According to sacred Scripture, was the land which would be inherited in the last days by one of the "seed" of Abraham.

Bahá'u'lláh was descended from Abraham through His third wife, Katurah. How tender and beautiful is this story of Abraham and His "seed," Bahá'u'lláh. How closely their Missions were bound together. How remarkably Their stories paralleled each other.

In the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, Abraham proclaimed the oneness of God. In that same valley, Bahá'u'lláh proclaimed the oneness of all religions, races and nations. Abraham was exiled from that valley to the land of Canaan. Bahá'u'lláh followed the same exile to that same land where He completed His Teachings and Laws for the salvation of all society.

In a Tablet revealed on the eve of His banishment to the penal colony of "Akka, Bahá'u'lláh declared: "Had Abraham attained it [this day], He too, falling prostrate on the ground . . . would have cried:

'Mine heart is filled with peace, O Thou Lord of all that is in heaven and on earth! I testify that Thou hast unveiled before mine eyes all the glory of Thy power and the full majesty of Thy law!'"

The hour had come at last for Bahá'u'lláh to leave European soil and begin His journey to the Holy Land. Hasan Effendi, the officer who had escorted Him from Adrianople, was taking leave of Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'u'lláh spoke these final words to that Turkish captain. It was yet another message for the Sultan, 'Abdu'l-'Aziz.

"Tell the king that this territory will pass out of his hands, and that his affairs will be thrown into confusion."

Bahá'u'lláh wanted Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz to know that on this occasion, He, Bahá'u'lláh, was speaking not as a prisoner and an exile, but as a Messenger of God. He was addressing the king with the same authority with which Moses, Christ and Muhammad had spoken of old. Aqa Rida has recorded that scene for posterity.

"To this [statement] Bahá'u'lláh furthermore added: 'Not I speak these words, but God speaketh them.' In those moments He [Bahá'u'lláh] was uttering verses which we, who were downstairs, could overhear. They were spoken with such vehemence and power that, methinks, the foundations of the house itself trembled."

Bahá'u'lláh embarked for 'Akka via Egypt. The Persian Ambassador promptly informed the Persian consul in Egypt that the Turkish government had withdrawn its protection over the followers of Bahá'u'lláh.

"You are now free to treat them as you please was the essence of this information forwarded by that persistent enemy.

The threats and trials which faced Bahá'u'lláh as He headed toward His final exile were so grievous that He warned His companions about the dangers and hardships that lay ahead.

Bahá'u'lláh urged those who did not feel stout-hearted enough to face the sufferings yet to come to feel free to leave for any destination which they might desire. Those who chose to accompany Him, Bahá'u'lláh said, would find it impossible to leave in the future. Bahá'u'lláh warned them:

"this journey will be unlike any of the previous journeys."

"If a bird flies over 'Akka it dies!"

Chapter 10
Section- 5 The King of Glory Enters the Gate

On August 21, 1868, Bahá'u'lláh and His companions were taken on board an Austrian-Lloyd steamer bound for the Holy Land. The ship touched first at Modelli and Smyrna. At Alexandria, Bahá'u'lláh was transferred to another ship which stopped at Port Said and Jaffa.

On August 31, the vessel arrived at the port of Haifa. It anchored at sea below the foot of Mount Carmel, the "nest of the Prophets" and the "vinyard of God."

The Glory of God had come home at last!

Bahá'u'lláh, the glory of God, had come "by way of the sea," as promised in sacred Scripture. He had, crossed the Black Sea, and now the Mediterranean Sea. He had arrived at His final destination, the "nest of all the Prophets."

It was a land "sanctified by the Revelation of Moses, honored by the lives and labors of the Hebrew patriarchs, judges, kings and prophets." It was revered "as the cradle of Christianity"; honored as the place where Zoroaster conversed "with some of the prophets of Israel"; a land associated with the "night journey" of the Apostle of Islam, Muhammad; a land linked with the Founders of Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Islam, and now with both the Herald and Founder of the Bahá'í Faith, the Bab and Bahá'u'lláh, Whose Remains are entombed there.

Ezekiel had alluded to 'Akka as the "gate" through which "the glory of God" would come to "Israel" from "the East."

And at last He had come!

David not only described 'Akka as the Strong City in his Psalms, he also predicted that the "king of Glory" (Baha) would come through the "gates" and "not keep silence."

And at last He had come!

Hosea had described 'Akka as "a door of hope." Isaiah foretold that 'Akka would be a refuge for the "herds" of God to lie down in with safety in the last days.

The Arabian Prophet, Muhammad, Whose followers inhabited the city of 'Akka, had described that historic site as "a city in Syria to which God hath shown His special mercy," a city by the shore of the sea" and whose "whiteness is pleasing unto God."

By the action of His enemies Bahá'u'lláh, the Exile of Baghdad, of Constantinople and Adrianople" was to spend the last third of His entire life, and over half of the duration of His earthly Mission in that sacred land.

Bahá'u'lláh's Son. 'Abdu'l-Bahá, was also a prisoner on that historical occasion. He wrote of Bahá'u'lláh's arrival in that land: "It is difficult to understand how Bahá'u'lláh could have been obliged to leave Persia, and to pitch His tent in this Holy Land, but for the persecution of His enemies, His banishment and exile."

The Shah of Persia and the Sultan of Turkey, the two supreme temporal rulers of the destinies of both Sunni and Shi'ih Islam, had imprisoned Bahá'u'lláh in what they considered the ultimate prison. They had shut Him up in a city so forlorn that it was described as "the metropolis of the owl." So unsanitary and foul was the atmosphere of the fortress-city with its prevalence of malaria, typhoid and dysentery that it was said in proverb: "If a bird flies over 'Akka, it dies!"

In retrospect these attempts on the part of the kings to destroy Bahá'u'lláh seem merely pathetic. The scriptures of the major religions make clear why every one of these efforts ended in disaster. In spite of the repeated and combined efforts of kings and clergy to prevent it, the Glory of God appeared at last on the side of God's holy mountain, Carmel.

These rulers of the world were foiled at every step. They were able to add immeasurably to Bahá'u'lláh's cup of sorrow, but they were powerless to prevent Him from fulfilling His destiny. That had been foretold. Every step along the way, Bahá'u'lláh fulfilled prophecy after prophecy from the Holy Books of those kings until in spite of them He came at last to God's "Holy Hill''.

This story itself, this tragedy of blind kings been clearly foreshadowed in everlasting language in the Book of Psalms.

The prophecy declared:

"The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord . . . He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall He speak unto them in His wrath . . . Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion . . . Thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel. Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth . . . Blessed are all they that put their trust in Him."

The King of Turkey had failed to put his "trust" in Bahá'u'lláh. No matter how often that assistance had been offered to him, the king had rejected it. The judges, ministers, and leaders of that land following the lead of their sovereign, were not "wise" in their judgements. Their downfall and disappearance from living history was even then being fashioned by the Hand of God.

"All of them shall be slain
except one, who shall reach the plain of 'Akka."

Chapter 10
Section-6 The Banquet-Hall of God

The arrival of Bahá'u'lláh at 'Akka begins the last and final phase of His "forty year long" Ministry, a period of time itself repeatedly emphasized in sacred Scripture. Bahá'u'lláh had come to the heart of Judaism and Christianity. Already His exile had taken Him to the ''strongholds" of Islam.

It is hard to understand the ignorance of these rulers of Islam, Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz and Nasiri'd-Din Shah, concerning the references so prevalent throughout their own sacred Writings, to all these events. Unlike the kings of Christendom, these rulers of Islam, as many of their titles indicated, were an integral, everyday part of the religious system. Yet, they were oblivious of the traditional prophecies recorded in their own Holy Books, prophecies which they had brought to a staggering fulfillment by their own cruel acts against Bahá'u'lláh. Their attitude speaks volumes about the sincerity of their belief in their own faith.

For example: Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, had referred glowingly to this very prison-city of 'Akka. He called it: "A city . . . to which God hath shown His special mercy."

And in another place He described it as a city: "by the shore of the sea . . . whose whiteness is pleasing unto God."

From the traditional prophecies so highly honored in the sacred Writings of both Turkey and Persia could be found these further astonishing words which 'Abdu'l-'Aziz and Nasiri'd-Din Shah might have done well to ponder:

"Blessed the man that hath visited 'Akka, and blessed he that hath visited the visitor of 'Akka.''

"He that raiseth therein the call to prayer, his voice will be lifted up unto Paradise and the princes thereof."

"The poor of 'Akka are the kings of Paradise and the princes thereof."

"A month in 'Akka is better than a thousand years elsewhere."

Why? No one really understood the mystery until Bahá'u'lláh's arrival.

And finally, one of the most remarkable prophecies of all. It is especially significant when one studies the history of the martyrdom of the Herald of Bahá'u'lláh's Faith, the Bab. Some twenty thousand of His followers were slain--a fate which Bahá'u'lláh Himself escaped time after time in Persia, Iraq and Turkey. He was the only intimate of the Bab to escape Persia. The prophecies spoke repeatedly of the One Who would appear in the year 1260-(1844 AD.) He would be the first of two such Messengers. One of these traditional prophecies foretells the martyrdom of this holy Messenger and many of His followers, and declares:

"All of them shall he slain except One Who shall reach the plain of 'Akka, the Banquet-Hall of God."

NOTE: The year 1260, in the calendar of Persia and Turkey was the year 1844 AD of the Christian calendar. For the many repeated references to the year 1260-1844 from both Christianity and Islam, see "Thief in the Night!" pp. 8-28

After reaching the "plain of 'Akka" Bahá'u'lláh had written to the kings of the world concerning that mighty banquet-of-God which He had offered to them for the nourishment and unity of mankind.

Bahá'u'lláh said:

"He Who is the Unconditioned is come . . . that He may quicken all created things . . . and unify the world, and gather all men around this Table which hath been sent down from heaven."

The arrival of Bahá'u'lláh in the Holy Land fulfilled as well the astonishing prophecies from the Book of Micah. Micah, as had Isaiah and Daniel, foretold both the first and second coming in the glory of the Father, Bahá'u'lláh. The prophecies fulfilled by Bahá'u'lláh seem almost a road-map of spiritual life. They describe His journeys from Persia to Mount Carmel. These prophecies alone should be enough for all mankind.

Micah prophecies that in the last days when corruption and hatred have filled the earth, the Redeemer will come from Babylon to Israel. Bahá'u'lláh was exiled to Israel from Baghdad, near the site of ancient Babylon.

Then in one chapter Micah gives an amazing answer to those who ridiculed him, saying: "Where is the Lord thy God?" Micah replies in one single chapter:

1- "In that day also, he shall come even to thee from Assyria . . . "
Bahá'u'lláh came from what was once in the midst of the Assyrian empire as known by Micah.

2- "In that day also he shall come even to thee . . . from the fortified cities . . . "
Bahá'u'lláh came from the fortified city of Constantinople to the fortified city of 'Akka.

3- "In that day also he shall come even to thee . . . from the fortress even to the river . . . "
Bahá'u'lláh came to the ancient river Belus from the fortress of 'Akka when he was released from prison.

4- "In that day also he shall come even to thee . . . from sea to sea . . . "
Bahá'u'lláh came across the Black Sea in exile to Constantinople, and across the Mediterranean Sea on His last exile to the Holy Land.

5- "In that day also he shall come even to thee . . . from mountain to mountain . . . "
Bahá'u'lláh came from Mt. Sar Galuint in the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers (from ancient Babylon) to Mt. Carmel, the vinyard of God, in Israel.

In the next verse, Micah says the "land shall be desolate" when the Redeemer arrives. 'Akka was described as the "most desolate of cities" at this time. After Bahá'u'lláh's coming that arid, "desolate" area began slowly to "blossom as the rose."

In the following verse, Micah says that this "Lord of Salvation" will "feed" his flock "in the midst of Carmel."
Bahá'u'lláh announced on the side of Mount Carmel that all the prophecies had been fulfilled. The World Center of His Faith has its headquarters "in the midst of Carmel" from where Bahá'u'lláh's Teachings are now going out into all parts of the planet to "feed" the peoples and nations of the world.

In the next verse, Micah says that God will "shew unto him," the Redeemer, "marvellous things" for forty years. Bahá'u'lláh's mission lasted exactly forty years during which time He shared with the kings and leaders of men the "wonderful things" He had been "shewn" by God.

Micah prophesies that in the last days the "house of the Lord" will be "established" in the mountain, many nations will "flow" unto it, and the "law" shall "go forth" and Israel shall become "a strong nation." In Bahá'u'lláh's own Words, "Such words are in need of no commentary" as their truth is "self-evident."

Is there anywhere in history a more remarkable story? One would expect the banners to be flying and the bands to be playing and the hearts of men singing with joy at the arrival of the Promised One of all Ages on the side of God's holy mountain.

What really happened?

Bahá'u'lláh has written about His arrival in that dreaded prison, saying:

"None knoweth what befell Us, except God, the Almighty, the All-Knowing."

So grave and critical were the first nine years of His imprisonment in that penal-colony, that Bahá'u'lláh wrote:

"Know thou, that upon Our arrival at this Spot, We chose to designate it as the 'Most Great Prison.' Though previously subjected in another land [Persia] to chains and fetters, We yet refused to call it by that name . . . Ponder thereon, O ye endued with understanding!"

But He assured His followers that:

"Though afflicted with countless tribulations, which We have suffered at the hands of Our enemies, We have proclaimed unto all the rulers of the earth what God hath willed to proclaim, that all nations may know that no manner of affliction can deter the Pen of the Ancient of Days from achieving its purpose . . . the hosts of the earth can never dismay Thee, nor can the dominion of all peoples and nations deter Thee from executing Thy purpose."

The decree exiling Bahá'u'lláh to 'Akka was dated July 26, 1868. The text was read publicly, soon after the arrival of Bahá'u'lláh in 'Akka. It was read out in the principal mosques of the city as a warning to the population.

The Sultan feared that the people of 'Akka might fall under the seemingly magic charm of Bahá'u'lláh's spell as had the people in Baghdad and Adrianople. The king was determined that this time Bahá'u'lláh and His companions should be made objects of derision and hatred by the inhabitants of the city of 'Akka. The Sultan resolved to make no mistake this time.

His decree condemned Bahá'u'lláh, His family and His followers to perpetual banishment. It also "stipulated their strict incarceration, and forbade them to associate either with each other or with the local inhabitants." The townspeople of 'Akka were encouraged to persecute and humiliate Bahá'u'lláh, His family and His friends in every way possible. These captives were described to the people as enemies of both God and man.

By these acts of hatred, the Sultan set the final seal on the extinction of his own outward splendor. All these events led to the doom of Imperial Turkey, the "throne of tyranny."

Chapter 11

"He . . . will also act treacherously toward his king."

Chapter 11
Section 1- A Warning

Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz, head of the Turkish House of 'Uthman, had conspired with the Shah of Persia on three successive occasions against the Messenger of God, in Whose coming he claimed to believe. Every day the Sultan, as Caliph of Islam, read the Qu'ran in which the divine promise was made. Whenever information concerning Bahá'u'lláh and His companions reached the ministers of the Sultan, it was immediately distorted and twisted into false accusations against Him. Bahá'u'lláh and His fellow-exiles were represented to the king as "a mischief to the world" and as "deserving of every chastisement and punishment."

Bahá'u'lláh wrote to Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz, warning him against such deceit on the part of his advisors:

"Beware, O King, that thou gather not around thee such ministers as follow the desires of a corrupt inclination . . . and manifestly betrayed their trust."

Bahá'u'lláh was concerned more with which such unjust ministers would have upon the welfare of the king's subjects, rather than upon Himself.

Bahá'u'lláh wrote:

"Beware, O King that thou . . . abandon not the interests of thy people to the mercy of such ministers as these . . . He that acteth treacherously towards God will, also, act treacherously towards his king. Nothing whatever can deter such a man from evil, nothing can hinder him from betraying his neighbor, nothing can induce him to walk uprightly."

Bahá'u'lláh understood only too well the graft with which the Sultanic empire was riddled. He knew how gravely the poor people suffered at the hands of these greedy and corrupt ministers of state. Bahá'u'lláh strongly emphasized this grave danger in His Letter to Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz, saying:

"Take heed that thou resign not the reins of the affairs of thy state into the hands of others, and repose not thy confidence in ministers unworthy of thy trust . . . Beware that thou allow not the wolf to become the shepherd of God's flock, and surrender not the fate of His loved ones to the mercy of the malicious . . . walk not in the paths of the oppressor. -Proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh, page 48

Bahá'u'lláh counseled the king to be personally responsible for the welfare of his people. He warned the Sultan not to permit others to seize his power and to use it unjustly by persecuting those beneath them.

"Seize thou, and hold firmly within the grasp of thy might, the reins of the affairs of thy people, and examine in person whatever pertaineth unto them. Let nothing escape thee, for therein lieth the highest good . . . Thou canst best praise Him [God] if thou lovest His loved ones, and dost safeguard and protect His servants from the mischief of the treacherous, that none may any longer oppress them." -Gleanings, page 234

These warnings went unheeded. 'Abdu'l-'Aziz, enormously self-indulgent, surrendered all practical concerns into the hands of some of the most ambitious and amoral politicians in his domains. They could assure him stability and prosperity, he felt.

In fact their greed and injustice were to pull the Sultan and his throne down when they themselves fell.

"Leave it to God and history to judge between us."

Chapter 11
Section 2- The Strong City

The tempo of Bahá'u'lláh's call to the rulers of the world was greatly increased and intensified during these "days of stress." The greater His sufferings, the more forceful was Bahá'u'lláh's call to the world to arise and eliminate all prejudice and injustice.

He wrote:

"O kings of the earth! We see you increasing every year your expenditures, and laying the burden thereof on your subjects. This, verily, is wholly and grossly unjust. Fear the sighs and tears of this wronged One, and lay not excessive burdens on your peoples."

And, in one of His most moving denunciations of such tyrant kings as Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz of Turkey, Bahá'u'lláh wrote:

Do not rob them (your people) to rear palaces for yourselves; nay rather choose for them that which ye choose for yourselves. Thus We unfold to your eyes that which profiteth you, if ye but perceive."

He urged the leaders of men to look upon their subjects as their most important and valued asset. He said:

"O kings of the earth . . . Your people are your treasures. Beware lest your rule violate the commandments of God, and ye deliver your wards to the hands of the robber. By them ye rule, by their means ye subsist, by their aid ye conquer. Yet, how disdainfully ye look upon them! How strange, how very strange!" -Gleanings, pages 253-254

Bahá'u'lláh's strong defense of the rights of the poor and downtrodden against the mighty rulers of earth was yet another of those remarkable events which had been foreseen so long ago in sacred Scripture. The Old Testament had prophesied:

"O give thanks unto the Lord . . . To him which smote great kings . . . Who remembered us in our low estate . . . And hath redeemed us from our enemies."

Bahá'u'lláh had done just that. The time for the redemption of all the peoples of the earth from such enemies had arrived. The hour for the "smiting" of great kings had come.

Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz ignored Bahá'u'lláh's Counsels. In spite of all his warnings, the Sultan permitted his ministers to continue their persecution of the Prisoner and His companions. Bahá'u'lláh then forecast the inevitable retribution that would soon overtake the king, reminding the Sultan in these words:

" . . . ye failed utterly to take heed . . . ye waxed more heedless . . . Be expectant, however, for the wrath of God is ready to overtake you. Erelong will ye behold that which hath been sent down from the Pen of My command."

Bahá'u'lláh's Words to the leaders of men made it unmistakably clear that this grave world-wide struggle in which entire kingdoms were involved, was not conflict between Himself and those who were in authority. It was a planetary clash between those who loved the things of God and those who loved the things of men. It was an inevitable battle between physical and moral forces. It was a world-wide struggle between the material and the spiritual; between age-old inequities on the one hand and true justice on the other.

All the tragedies now engulfing the world had come about because mankind had turned away from God and was drowning in purely materialistic concerns. Man's animal nature was conquering him, and until men turned back to God, they would continue to suffer greater tragedies and more violent calamities. For this reason, Bahá'u'lláh called upon the kings to assist Him in rescuing mankind from this threatening disaster. He could only point the way and give the guidance. The leadership must come from the temporal rulers of men.

Bahá'u'lláh challenged the Sultan, his ministers, and his priests to examine the Bahá'í Teachings with an open mind. He made it plain that if this Faith was true, there was no king who could prevent its rising. No man can hold back the sun of a new day.

Bahá'u'lláh also pointed out that if this Faith was not the truth, then a sincere and thorough examination by the Sultan, his ministers and priests would immediately reveal its fraudulent nature, and they would easily be able to vanquish it. What were they afraid of finding out by an open and sincere investigation?

Bahá'u'lláh wrote:

"If this Cause be of God, no man can prevail against it; and if it be not of God, the divines [religious leaders] amongst you . . . will surely suffice to overpower it." -Gleanings, page 220

Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz was not interested in investigating anything Bahá'u'lláh might have to say. He was only interested in silencing Him. The sooner the better. The Sultan had signed the edict banishing Bahá'u'lláh to the fortress of 'Akka so that he might put an end to His memory.

Even at that late date, Bahá'u'lláh was still trying to open the eyes of the king and the clergy by showing them the remarkable fulfillment of the promises from their own Holy Books. Bahá'u'lláh had been brought into the "Strong City" hailed by David, by the edict of the Sultan. Bahá'u'lláh pointed out that this was one of the least prophecies fulfilled by the acts of His enemies.

These words Bahá'u'lláh said simply and bluntly to all:

"Leave it to God and history to judge between us."

"Soon will We lay hold on the chief of the land."

Chapter 11
Section 3- A Roll of Drums

Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz, the "self-styled Vicar of the Prophet of Islam and the absolute ruler of a mighty empire" was "the first among the Oriental monarchs to sustain the impact of God's retributive justice." Bahá'u'lláh was not content to send only a verbal warning to the King of Turkey and his ministers. He also put it in writing. In forceful, unmistakable language for all men to see for all time, Bahá'u'lláh foretold their imminent downfall.

The Prime Minister, 'Ali Pasha, and the Foreign Minister, Fu'ad Pasha, and the Persian Ambassador, Mirza Husayn Khan, had all conspired in securing Bahá'u'lláh's successive banishments. Fu'ad Pasha was described by Bahá'u'lláh as the "instigator" of the fourth and final banishment to the prison of 'Akka. Fu'ad Pasha, to satisfy his foreign policy aims with relation to Persia, encouraged his fellow conspirator 'Ali Pasha to excite the fears and suspicions of Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz. The Sultan needed little encouragement.

There was nothing vague or ambiguous about the words which Bahá'u'lláh addressed to these ministers. It was an open challenge. Bahá'u'lláh directed it specifically to the ministers of the Turkish state. He warned them, and through them all leaders in a similar position of authority, about what would happen to those who were unjust and unscrupulous in their discharge of public trust:

"It behoveth you, O Ministers of State, to keep the precepts of God . . . and to be of them who are guided aright . . . Ye shall, erelong, discover the consequences of that which ye shall have done in this vain life, and shall be repaid for them." -Gleanings, page 123

"The days of your life shall roll away, and all the things with which ye are occupied and of which ye boast yourselves shall perish . . . This is the day that shall inevitably come upon you, the hour that none can put back." -Gleanings, page 125

Fu'ad Pasha was the first to feel the sting of requital. Within a year following Bahá'u'lláh's arrival at the prison-city of 'Akka, the Foreign Minister was struck down while on a trip to Paris, and died at Nice, his plotting and ambitions perishing with him.

Bahá'u'lláh directed a second letter to the Turkish Prime Minister, 'Ali Pasha. He described that Minister as the type of leader who in every age denounces and persecutes the Messengers of God. 'Ali Pasha like Nasiri'd-din Shah of Persia, regarded himself as the hope of Turkey. His modernization program was to make the ramshackle empire a powerful nation. Far from weakening the Sultan's dictatorship, this program would give the government still greater control.

Bahá'u'lláh foretold the ruin of the Prime Minister. He warned 'Ali Pasha not to be misled because of his present authority and high position, but to meditate on the significant premature death of his colleague, and be warned.

Bahá'u'lláh foreshadowed the calamities which would soon strike both the Prime Minister and the Sultan himself. Bahá'u'lláh wrote openly of those forthcoming tragedies so that all the world might know that He had clearly predicted their downfall. Bahá'u'lláh wrote:

"Soon will We dismiss the one ['Ali Pasha] who was like unto him [Fu'ad Pasha] and will lay hold on their chief [Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz] who ruleth the land . . . "

The prophecy was dramatically fulfilled. Without warning, 'Ali Pasha was suddenly shorn of all his power. He was summarily dismissed from office and shortly afterward died in complete oblivion. The political career that was to be the "hope of Turkey" had been short-lived.

Bahá'u'lláh also prophesied concerning the city Adrianople. He described the tragedies that would befall the city and its peoples because of the neglect of justice not only by the King and his Ministers, but by the people themselves.

Bahá'u'lláh's words now echo like a "roll of drums":

"The day is approaching when the Land of Mystery [Adrianople], and what is beside it shall be changed, and shall pass out of the hands of the king, and commotions shall appear, and the voice of lamentation shall be raised . . . by reason of that which hath befallen these captives at the hands of the hosts of oppression."

Bahá'u'lláh also prophesied:

"The course of things shall be altered, and conditions shall wax so grievous, that the very sand on the desolate hills will moan, and the trees on the mountain will weep, and blood will flow out of all things. Then wilt thou behold the people in sore distress."

Bahá'u'lláh reminded Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz, the head of the House of 'Uthman that, like his fellow-rulers, he had time and time again ignored the needs and requirements of this present day. 'Abdu'l-'Aziz was unmoved by the sufferings of his people. He was totally uninterested in any suggestions for reform which came from the Pen of the Prisoner.

In order that the Sultan should have no doubt whatsoever about the meaning of His words, Bahá'u'lláh stated:

"Soon will He [God] seize you in His wrathful anger, and sedition will be stirred up in your midst, and your dominions will be disrupted. Then will ye bewail and lament, and will find no one help or succor you . . . "

Like those to Napoleon III and other monarchs this prophecy was fulfilled with terrifying swiftness. 'Abdu'l-'Aziz' misrule, of which his mistreatment of Bahá'u'lláh was a classic example, drove elements in the empire to desperation. They were not inclined, as Bahá'u'lláh was, to trust in God for redress. We noted earlier in this book the events which followed. Without warning a palace revolution overthrew the imperial government. The Sultan, whose very person was regarded as sacred, was seized by rude hands and imprisoned. The revolutionaries deposed him in favor of his nephew, 'Abdu'l-Hamid, whom they believed they could rule.

The one remaining problem was what to do with the fallen monarch. The once all-powerful head of church and state had become merely an embarrassment.

The problem was solved in the same way that 'Abdu'l-'Aziz had solved his own problems. Early one morning the wretched king heard footsteps enter the room in which he was held. They were the last thing he heard.

"Fear God, inhabitants of the city."

Chapter 11
Section 4- The Sixth Kingdom Falls!

Through the reign of 'Abdu'l-Hamid II uprisings increased in both intensity and violence. Finally, in 1909, an army sent by the Young Turks of Salonika marched in revenge upon the capital. It punished all who had opposed its plans for reform, and took steps to deal with Sultan 'Abdu'l- Hamid II himself.

'Abdu'l-Hamid was deserted by his friends and condemned by his subjects. He was already hated by his fellow-sovereigns of Europe. The Sultan was forced to abdicate his throne, and like 'Abdu'l-'Aziz was made a prisoner of the state. He was sent into perpetual exile.

Thus 'Abdu'l-Hamid II, as had his uncle before him, suffered the same punishments which they had inflicted upon Bahá'u'lláh and His family. An even more terrible fate awaited the imperial ministers who had encouraged the kings in their injustice and had profited handsomely in the course of doing so.

On one single day in 1909, no less than thirty-one leading ministers and officials were arrested and condemned to the gallows. Among the thirty-one were some of the most notorious enemies of Bahá'u'lláh's faith.

Constantinople itself, which had been honored as splendid metropolis of the Roman Empire, and which had been made the capital of the Ottoman government, was abandoned as a capital city by the revolution. The city was stripped of its pomp and glory. Even its ancient name was dropped in favor of the colloquial "Istanbul." Ankara became the new capital.

The fate of Constantinople brought sharply to mind Bahá'u'lláh's words. Bahá'u'lláh had spoken of the condition in which He found the city of Constantinople and its peoples when He arrived there as a Prisoner:

"We found, upon Our arrival in the City, its governors and elders as children gathered about and disporting themselves with clay . . . Our inner eye wept sore over them, and over their transgressions and their total disregard of the thing for which they were created.-Gleanings, pages 126-127

There was none to listen among the people of Constantinople. Bahá'u'lláh warned that the city of Constantinople would feel the fire of divine reprisal. "God, assuredly, dominateth the lives of them that wronged Us, and is well aware of their doings. He will, most certainly, lay hold on them for their sins. He, verily, is the fiercest of avengers."-Gleanings, page 130

Constantinople lost "in theory, as well as in fact, the position held well-nigh uninterruptedly for six centuries -- that of the headship of a vast empire." The Ottoman Empire was ended. The revolutionaries were determined that the capital should be dishonored as well. "No longer," they announced, "will Constantinople exact a tragic tribute of lives and treasure."

The mosques of the capital were deserted. The pride and joy of them all, the peerless St. Sophia, was converted into a museum. The Arabic tongue, the language of the Prophet, was banished from the land.

Bahá'u'lláh's words ring clearly for those who have "ears to hear":

"O Spot that art situate on the shores of the two seas (Constantinople)! The throne of tyranny hath, verily, been established upon thee, and the flame of hatred hath been kindled within thy bosom . . . We behold in thee the foolish ruling over the wise, and darkness vaunting itself against the light. Thou art indeed filled with manifest pride. Hath thine outward splendour made thee vainglorious? By Him Who is the Lord of mankind! It shall soon perish, and thy daughters and thy widows and all the kindreds that dwell within thee shall lament. Thus informeth thee the All-Knowing, the All-Wise."- The Kitab-i-Aqdas, pages 52-53

How similar are Bahá'u'lláh's words to those which the persecuted Christ pronounced against Jerusalem "because thou knowest not the time of thy visitation." The break was final and complete. The new capital of Turkey was transferred to Ankara. Constantinople, the "Dome of Islam," hailed by Constantine as the "New Rome," high-ranking metropolis of both Rome and Christendom, "revered as the seat of the Caliphs" of Islam, was relegated to the station of a provincial city, was stripped of all its pomp and glory: "its soaring and slender minarets standing sentinel at the grave of so much vanished splendor and power."

The sixth kingdom had fallen!

Chapter 12

Chapter 12
Section 1- Mount Carmel

Long before the extinction of the Ottoman Empire the Prisoner of 'Akka had won the spiritual battle over His persecutors. The slanders spread by fearful or ambitious politicians in Constantinople had been able to prejudice the people and officials in 'Akka against Bahá'u'lláh before His arrival. Now, however, these same people had several years of direct experience with their Visitor.

His patience, His forbearance, and His wisdom had captivated the hardest hearts. Although few had even the dimmest conception of His mission, they regarded Bahá'u'lláh Himself as a saint Whose presence was a blessing to the entire province.

The decree of banishment had never been repealed but it had become a dead letter. Bahá'u'lláh was still nominally a prisoner, but the doors of the prison-city had been opened to Him by the officials in 'Akka who had come to know His true worth.

Bahá'u'lláh, the Glory of God was at last free to walk on the side of Mount Carmel. There He chose the site for the future Shrine of His Herald, the Bab. Bahá'u'lláh arranged for the Sacred Remains of the Bab to be brought from Persia to the Holy Land.

Gradually, all elements of the population began to recognize Bahá'u'lláh's innocence of the crimes imputed to Him. Slowly the true spirit of His Teachings penetrated through the "hard crust of their indifference and bigotry."

The leading clergyman of 'Akka, Shaykh Mahmud, a man notorious for his bigotry, became converted to the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh. He was fired with enthusiasm to compile all the many traditional prophecies from the writings of Islam concerning the significance of the city of 'Akka and its "Visitor." In more recent years clergymen of all faiths have followed his example.

Men of letters, Christians and Jews as well as Muslims, sought His presence. Professor E.G. Browne, of Cambridge University, visited Bahá'u'lláh and was granted four successive interviews. He wrote of those hours, saying: "It was, in truth, a strange and moving experience, but one whereof I despair of conveying any save the feeblest impression."

Professor Browne declared that he underwent unparalleled spiritual joys. Perhaps men might disbelieve his words, Browne said, but if they ever came in contact with the spirit of Bahá'u'lláh, it would be an experience they would remember all the days of their lives.

Browne described one of his interviews with Bahá'u'lláh in these words:

"The face of Him on Whom I gazed I can never forget, though I cannot describe it . . . no need to ask in Whose presence I stood, as I bowed myself before One Who is the object of a devotion and love which kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain!"

"He will break the yoke from off the necks of men."

Chapter 12
Section 2- The Center of the Covenant

Bahá'u'lláh passed from this world in His home outside the city of 'Akka on May 29, 1892. His Mission had been fulfilled. Although not even His followers were aware of its extent, He had laid the foundations of a world-wide community which would provide the pattern for the "new order in human relations" which the kings had so tragically rejected.

The people of 'Akka knew only that they had lost something from their midst that was irreplaceable. A huge crowd of people from all religions and all walks of life thronged the fields which surrounded Bahá'u'lláh's dwelling. An eye-witness wrote: " . . . a multitude of the inhabitants of 'Akka and of the neighboring villages . . . could be seen weeping, beating upon their heads and crying aloud their grief."

Bahá'u'lláh, in His own written Will and Testament, appointed 'Abdu'l-Bahá ('Servant of Bahá'u'lláh') as the interpreter of His teachings. These documents are called the Covenant of Bahá'u'lláh. Bahá'u'lláh made 'Abdu'l-Bahá the Center of that Covenant.

'Abdu'l-Bahá took up Bahá'u'lláh's appeal to the leaders and peoples of the world. He traveled extensively throughout Europe and America in 1911 and 1912 trying to awaken mankind to the dangers threatening it.

Upon arrival at the prison-city of 'Akka, Bahá'u'lláh is reported to have said to 'Abdu'l-Bahá:

"Now I concentrate on My work writing commands and counsels for the world of the future; to thee I leave the province of talking with and ministering to the people."

The Book of Psalms spoke of such a "Covenant" that would be established for "all generations" by the Lord of Hosts in the day when God would "scatter thine enemies" and "beat down his foes." Psalms declared of that day:

"I have made a covenant with my chosen . . . And will make my first-born, higher than the kings of the earth . . . and my covenant shall stand fast with him . . . it shall be established forever as the moon . . . "

'Abdu'l-Bahá was not a Messenger or "Manifestation" of God as were Bahá'u'lláh, Christ and the other Founders of the great religions. His role in man's spiritual history is, in an important sense, a mystery. On the one hand 'Abdu'l-Bahá's life is the perfect example for those who have recognized Bahá'u'lláh. It is the proof that Bahá'u'lláh's teachings are the sane and creative way for men to live in the new age.

On the other hand, 'Abdu'l-Bahá is also the Architect of the system of administrative institutions conceived and outlined by Bahá'u'lláh. 'Abdu'l-Bahá superintended the formation of the first of these democratically elected bodies, on the pattern designed by Bahá'u'lláh. For the first time in history, a Messenger of God has brought not only spiritual teachings, but social principles and model institutions.

It is because of this unique role conferred on 'Abdu'l-Bahá by Bahá'u'lláh's own pen that He is so revered and loved by Bahá'ís everywhere. The story of the arrival of Bahá'u'lláh, the Glory of the Lord, at Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, there to establish this Covenant with men for all time, is so beautiful and powerful that it is impossible not to share also the echo of Isaiah to the words of the Book of Psalms above.

The greatest of the Hebrew prophets proclaimed:

"And the Redeemer shall come to Zion . . . this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord . . . Arise, shine; for the Glory of the Lord ('Bahá'u'lláh') is risen upon thee . . . darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee, . . . that nation and kingdom that shall not serve thee shall perish; yea, those nations shall be utterly wasted . . . and thou shalt know that I the Lord am thy Savior and thy redeemer . . . "

In 'Akka. the persecutions which had begun under 'Abdu'l-'Aziz reached their culmination under his successor, 'Abdu'l-Hamid II, before the fall of the Ottoman monarchy. 'Abdu'l-Bahá refused to allow the new threats to interfere with His assistance to the ill and the destitute. Each day He visited the orphan, the sick and the downtrodden. Throughout His life, He serenely refused to allow His troubles to prevent Him from visiting in person those souls who needed His help.

One night early in the winter of 1907, 'Abdu'l-Bahá had a dream. He told His friends about it. He had seen a ship cast anchor off 'Akka. From it flew a few birds. When they approached, 'Abdu'l-Bahá they resembled sticks of dynamite. The birds flew toward Him and circled above His head.

'Abdu'l-Bahá was standing in the midst of a great multitude of the frightened people of 'Akka. Suddenly the "birds" returned to their ship without exploding.

A few days later a ship appeared on the horizon and anchored in the Bay of Haifa. It had brought from Constantinople another Imperial investigation Commission. It consisted of four officers, headed by one, 'Arif Bey. This Commission was invested with plenary powers to summarily dispose of 'Abdu'l-Bahá in any way they deemed fit. Among the Commission were outspoken enemies of Bahá'u'lláh and His Faith.

All telegraph and postal services in Haifa were immediately seized. The Commission dismissed any official suspected of being friendly with 'Abdu'l-Bahá, including the governor of the city. They placed guards over 'Abdu'l-Bahá's house. Encouraged by this show of force, 'Abdu'l-Bahá's enemies flocked to the Commission sessions to do their part in assuring His downfall. Even some of the poor, whom He had so long and so bountifully succored now forsook Him because of their fear of reprisals.

Once again wild reports about 'Abdu'l-Bahá's fate spread through Haifa and 'Akka: 'Abdu'l-Bahá was to be taken on shipboard as a prisoner; He might be cast into the ocean at sea, or banished to the sands of Africa, or even nailed to the city gates of 'Akka.

'Abdu'l-Bahá, His tranquillity unshaken, told some of the Bahá'ís who still remained at 'Akka:

"The meaning of the dream I dreamt is now clear . . . Please God this dynamite will not explode."

"I will work a wonder which ye will not believe
even though it be told to you."

Chapter 12
Section 3- God's gun

One evening just before sunset, the ship which had been lying off Haifa weighed anchor. It headed for 'Akka. The news spread rapidly. The Commission had boarded the vessel. It was expected that they would stop at 'Akka long enough to take 'Abdu'l-Bahá on board.

Anguish seized the family of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The believers who were left in the city wept with grief at the thought of separation from Him. 'Abdu'l-Bahá could be seen at that tragic hour, calmly walking alone and silent, in the courtyard of His house.

With the setting sun, the sky darkened and the lights of the ship could be seen clearly. Suddenly the ship changed her course! She swung about and was now obviously sailing directly for Constantinople!

The dynamite had not exploded! Rather, dynamite of a different kind had been detonated. In the capital city, the Young Turks had revolted and swept aside all royal resistance. The Sultan, 'Abdu'l-Hamid, had been deposed, and a puppet-king was set up in his place. The ship which was to carry 'Abdu'l- Baha to certain death, instead conveyed those who condemned 'Abdu'l-Bahá back to Constantinople and their own destruction.

The gun which had touched off the Young Turks Rebellion not only removed the threat from over 'Abdu'l-Bahá's head, but it also freed Him from an imprisonment which had lasted for over fifty years. The imprisonment had begun when 'Abdu'l-Bahá was but a child of nine. It ended when He was sixty-four.

'Abdu'l-Bahá carried the Faith of His Father, Bahá'u'lláh, to Africa, Europe and America. These apostolic journeys will remain forever unique in the annals of religious history. Imagine! The Son of a Messenger of God visiting and speaking in cathedrals, churches, synagogues, schools, universities, addressing lord mayors, presidents, educators, philosophers entering the homes of millionaires and the slum- dwellings of the poor!

'Abdu'l-Bahá was entertained by princes, maharajas, and noblemen. He spoke to leading clergymen in both England and America, to Theosophists, agnostics, materialists, spiritualists, Christian Scientists, social reformers, Hindus, Sufis, Muslims, Buddhists and Zoroastrians, as well as Catholics, Protestants and Jews. Secretaries of state, ambassadors, congressmen, members of Parliament, ministers of state, presidents of universities, famous scholars, military leaders and socialites all met Him and heard His message of unity.

For eight long months 'Abdu'l-Bahá traveled coast to coast in the United States and Canada proclaiming His Father's Faith from pulpit, platform and press. Whatever the future may hold, it will never be possible for people to say they did not have the opportunity to hear about the Revelation of God to our age.

Why did not millions instead of thousands listen and believe?

Perhaps a clue can be found in the Book of Habakkuk who prophesied that the

"knowledge of the Lord" (Bahá'u'lláh) would "cover the earth as the "waters cover the sea."

"Behold . . . regard, and wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days which ye will not believe, though it be told you."

During the first World War, 'Abdu'l-Bahá wrote His history-making "Tablets of the Divine Plan" which called on the followers of Bahá'u'lláh to carry message of world unity and social justice to every corner of the globe, however remote. They responded by the thousands. The Community of Bahá'u'lláh is now established in over 130,000 centers in over 350 independent nations and major territories. Indeed, even as these words are being written, the figures are obsolete, the Bahá'í Faith is growing so rapidly.

It is little wonder that students of past scriptures should begin to become interested in words of Daniel which have found remarkable fulfillment in the story of Bahá'u'lláh. Not only did Daniel predict the overthrow of kings; he also prophesied: "And in the days of these [wicked] kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed . . . it shall stand forever."

These things Daniel pictured as taking place in a period that many Christian Bible scholars have said must have begun in 1844, the year of the birth of the Bahá'í Faith.

'Abdu'l-Bahá has said of the downfall of 'Abdu'l-Hamid: "God removed the chains from my neck and placed them around the neck of 'Abdu'l-Hamid. It was done suddenly- not in a long time- in a moment as it were. The same hour that the Young Turks declared liberty, the Committee of Union and Progress set me free. They lifted the chains from my neck and threw them around the neck of 'Abdu'l-Hamid. That which he did to me was inflicted on him."

Of the weapon which had fired off the Young Turks' revolt in such forceful terms, 'Abdu'l-Bahá said: "That was God's gun."

"The face of Him on Whom I gazed, I can never forget."

Chapter 12
Section 4- The Envy of Kings

This was not, however, the end of the story. During World War I, the Turkish Commander-in-Chief of the military forces in the Holy Land was Jamal Pasha. This suspicious and ruthless officer established a harsh and complete military dictatorship. In such a regime there was no place for One who taught that all men were one and that justice is the Will of God for our age.

Jamal Pasha subjected 'Abdu'l-Bahá to repeated insults and indignities and threatened to destroy the Tomb of Bahá'u'lláh. He openly boasted that if the Turkish Army was forced to evacuate Haifa, he would "crucify 'Abdu'l-Bahá on Mount Carmel."

The British followers of Bahá'u'lláh were alarmed when this news reached them. They enlisted the aid of some of the cabinet members, including Lord Curzon who had written in 1892, the year of the death of Bahá'u'lláh, praising the "sublime" devotion of the early followers of this Faith.

Through Lord Curzon's intervention, Lord Lamington wrote to the Foreign Office explaining "the importance of 'Abdu'l-Bahá's position." On the day of the receipt of this letter, Lord Balfour sent a message to General Allenby in Egypt. He instructed the General to "extend every protection and consideration to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, His family and His friends."

Allenby's army entered Palestine and Jerusalem ahead of schedule. His surprise entry routed the Turkish forces.

Christian Arabs, unaware of the significance of Bahá'u'lláh's Faith or of His words to the rulers of Turkey, pointed proudly to the protection which God had given to them and to the Holy Land in that critical hour. It was the Hand of God raised up to save them, they said. It came through General Allenby, they explained, whose very name showed him to be an instrument of the Lord.

The name "Allenby was akin to "Al Nabi" which in Arabic meant: "The Prophet." For half a century these same people remained unaware of the significance of the presence of Bahá'u'lláh and His Faith in their midst.

General Allenby issued instructions to the officer in command at Haifa to insure 'Abdu'l-Bahá's safety. After the capture of Haifa, Allenby sent a cable to London. He requested the authorities to "notify the world that 'Abdu'l-Bahá is safe."

The plot of the Turkish commander, Jamal Pasha, was frustrated. Defeated in battle, he fled from the country. He was later slain while traveling as an exile in the Caucasus.

The fate of Jamal Pasha was only a minor footnote in the turbulent history of the period. Even the collapse of the Turkish regime in the Holy Land seemed somewhat anti-climactic.

Of far greater importance was the response of the world to the Message of God. That Message had been proclaimed in four continents as a result of the widely-publicized travels and writings of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. The most powerful of the despots who had stood between mankind and the Messenger had been swept aside. New governments and new nations had come into existence.

Many of the leading statesmen, reformers and thinkers of this new world had met and talked with 'Abdu'l-Bahá. Many of them had paid extravagant tribute to His wisdom and character, and to the vision in His Father's Revelation.

Now the opportunity for action had come. Republican governments and constitutional monarchies held the power formerly held by the Hohenzollerns and Romanovs. What would they do with it?

Chapter 13

"Twenty years have passed, O Kings!"

Chapter 13
Section 1- FALLING KINGDOMS EVERYWHERE!

The Writings of Bahá'u'lláh and the public statements of 'Abdu'l-Bahá throughout Europe and America made it clear that it was not the recipients of specific Letters who were summoned by God. All the rulers of men were responsible for the trust which they had accepted. And the day had come when this trust must answered for by acts of justice.

To no other group did this apply so specifically as it did to kings. The subsequent decline of royalty and the disappearance of so many thrones can be understood only in relationship to their

neglect of the Message of God. Bahá'u'lláh warned them of the great loss they would sustain if they did not heed the counsel given them:

"O Kings of the earth! . . . Ye examined not His Cause when to do so would have been better for you than all that the sun shineth upon, could you but perceive it."

Bahá'u'lláh searched in vain for that great leader of men who would be willing to make any sacrifice necessary in order to uphold justice; not for the East or the West, the rich or the poor, the light or the dark, the Jew or the Gentile, but for all men who lived in this one homeland, the planet.

Bahá'u'lláh extolled the greatness of such a leader of men:

"How great is the blessedness that awaiteth the king who will arise to aid My Cause . . . Such a king is the very eye of mankind . . . the fountainhead of blessings unto the whole world."

Through half a lifetime Bahá'u'lláh waited patiently for such a king or leader to arise. He longed to witness in His own lifetime, if possible, the fruits of such heroic action. The world, He declared, could have become another world, and the people another people, if they had responded to His call.

Instead of the "Most Great Peace," man would now have to content himself with the "Lesser Peace." Humanity, because of its lack of response would have to win its way to the goal of a united and peaceful world through suffering.

No king, however, and no nation arose in answer to His call. At last Bahá'u'lláh was moved to declare:

"Twenty years have passed, O kings . . . ye, nevertheless, have failed to stay the hand of the aggressor. For is it not your clear duty to restrain the tyranny of the oppressor, and to deal equitably with your subjects, that your high sense of justice may be fully demonstrated to all mankind."

The leaders of men had permitted the "wolves" to inflict "injustice" upon their "sheep." Therefore, the hour of retribution could be put off no longer. Bahá'u'lláh made a startling declaration. "Power," Bahá'u'lláh announced, had been "seized" by God from the kings, and the "winds of affliction" would soon "assail" them from every direction.

Bahá'u'lláh wrote of those tyrant kings, saying:

"They have been seized by their forelock, and yet know it not."

Only two years expired between the time that Bahá'u'lláh's first Letters to the kings were delivered and ignored, and the time the first kingdom was overthrown. the French monarch, Napoleon III, who had twice repudiated Bahá'u'lláh's Counsel, who had deliberately insulted Him, was the first to be toppled from his throne. He was followed by an endless line of his fellow monarchs during the subsequent decades.

The following, in chronological order, is a partial list of significant events related to Bahá'u'lláh's historic pronouncements to the crowned heads of the world, and the fate which overtook some of the major kingdoms of the world.

1. Fall of the French Monarchy (1870)
2. Assassination of Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz (1876)
3. Assassination of Nasiri'd-Din Shah (1896)
4. Overthrow of Sultan 'Abdu'l-Hamid II (1909)
5. Fall of the Portuguese Monarchy (1910)
6. Fall of the Chinese Monarchy (1911)
7. Fall of the Russian Monarchy (1917)
8. Fall of the German Monarchy (1918)
9. Fall of the Austrian Monarchy (1918)
10. Fall of the Hungarian Monarchy (1918)
11. Fall of the Turkish Monarchy (1922)
12. Fall of the Qajar Dynasty (1925)
13. Fall of the Spanish Monarchy (1931)
14. Fall of the Albanian Monarchy (1938)
15. Fall of the Serbian Monarchy (1941)
16. Fall of the Italian Monarchy (1946)
17. Fall of the Bulgarian Monarchy (1946)
18. Fall of the Rumanian Monarchy (1947)
19. Fall of the Egyptian Monarchy (1952)
20. Fall of the Iraqi Monarchy (19l8)
21. Fall of the Yemenite Monarchy (1962)

Vast and awesome is the spectacle which greets the eyes of men who survey the field over which the requiting wind of God has blown since the beginning of Bahá'u'lláh's Mission.

Volumes have been written by historians and politicians on the subject of these "falling empires." In vain scholars have tried to explain this spectacle in terms political or historical forces alone. Magazines and syndicated news articles have celebrated the glories of the Victorian and Edwardian ages with their colorful kings and unrivaled pageantry, but they have searched unavailingly to uncover the "fateful forces which drove them to their end."

No one, when Bahá'u'lláh wrote His first Letter from far-off Adrianople in 1867, could have foreseen the world-wide collapse of an institution which had been regarded as the central pillar of every civilization in history. The popular mind could not imagine a world without monarchies. No sane historian, no political philosopher would have been prepared to make such a prediction.

It was left to the Messenger of God to announce publicly, and around the world, the long, final "curtain-call of the kings."

"All the great houses shall have an end."

Chapter 13
Section 2- From the Top of Carmel

With the completion of Bahá'u'lláh's announcement to the kings, the "great and dreadful Day" foretold by Jeremiah had dawned, and was rising towards the fury of its noonday heat. Jeremiah prophesied concerning the Day of the Promised One. Ho told us what God would do to the tyrant and unjust kings of the earth:

"Take the wine cup of this fury at my hand, and cause all the nations to whom I send thee, to drink it . . . And all the kings of the north, far and near, one with another, and all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the earth . . . thou shalt say unto them, thus saith the Lord of hosts . . . drink ye, and be drunken, and spue, and fall and rise no more because of the sword which I will send among you . . . Ye shall not be unpunished: for I will call for a sword upon all the inhabitants of the earth, saith the Lord of Hosts."

The punishment was far advanced.

Gone were the Houses of Hohenzollern, Hapsburg, Romanov, Bonaparte, 'Uthman and Qajar. Gone were most of the lesser dynasties and kingdoms that once ruled the earth. The "whirlwind" which Isaiah had promised would come and blow away kings and princes had now swept across the entire face of the earth.

Perhaps no Old testament prophet had foreseen that coming royal disaster more clearly than Amos. It was this same Amos who had so accurately described the physical events which took place at the time the Bab, the Herald of the Bahá'í Faith, faced a death regiment of 750 muskets.

Amos prophesied, as had Isaiah before Him, that in the "day of the whirlwind," the "king" and "his princes" would go into captivity. There would be a "famine" and a "thirst" for hearing the "words of the Lord." A disillusioned mankind, godless and materialistic, would helplessly "run to and fro" in search of the "words" of God, but never finding them.

In that day, Amos declared, the Lord would "roar" from Zion and the "top of Carmel" would "wither" at His presence. The Lord would come "and not be silent."

Bahá'u'lláh's Words now echo ominously through empty palaces:

"O kings of the earth . . . If ye pay no heed unto the counsels which, in peerless and unequivocal language, We have revealed in this Tablet, Divine chastisement shall assail you from every direction, and the sentence of His [God's] justice shall be pronounced against you. On that day ye shall have no power to resist Him, and shall recognize your own impotence. Have mercy on yourselves and on those beneath you. -Gleanings, page 252

It is the astonishing assertion of God's messenger to our age that the time for the punishment of all forms of aggression had come. No aggressor, no matter how powerful, can cope with the forces loose in the world: "God hath not blinked, nor will He ever blink His eyes at the tyranny of the oppressor. More particularly in this revelation hath He visited each and every tyrant with His vengeance."

From His captivity in 'Akka, that "door of hope" promised by Hosea. Bahá'u'lláh in the final years of His life surveyed the world, its peoples, and their response to His summons. After many long years of continuous entreaty, Bahá'u'lláh was able to say with assurance, although no doubt with sadness: "We verily have not fallen short of Our duty to exhort men, and to deliver that whereunto I was bidden by God, the Almighty, the All-praised. Had they hearkened unto Me, they would have beheld the earth another earth."

The proofs had been delivered. The prophecies had been fulfilled. The seals were opened. The Promised One of every religion, nation and people had discharged His God-given Mission in a global proclamation, a world-wide announcement, such as the eyes of mortal man had never before witnessed.

Bahá'u'lláh in the closing days of His earthly Mission declared: "Is there any excuse left for anyone in this Revelation? No, by God, the Lord of the Mighty Throne! My signs have encompassed the earth, and My power enveloped all mankind . . . "

Chapter 14

"Soon will the present order be rolled up."

Chapter 14
Section 1- The Legacy of the Kings

The Hapsburgs and Hohenzollerns are gone, but their legacy remains behind. And, alas, all mankind is their heirs. Tragically, it has not been only kings who have failed to respond to the needs of a new age and to its divine Spokesman. When the First World War ended, only one head of state arose to champion the kind of world which Bahá'u'lláh had envisioned.

Years earlier, in His announcement to the kings, Bahá'u'lláh had called for the formation of an international 'Tribunal" to judge between the nations. In the middle of the nineteenth century the idea seemed revolutionary.

Even more revolutionary were the features which He proposed:

"The kings and rulers of the earth must needs attend it and, participating in its deliberations, must consider such ways and means as will lay the foundations of the world's Great Peace."

The Tribunal was not to be merely a conference, a place for discussion. It was to have powers to enforce peace, powers derived from the co-operative action of all governments:

"Be united O kings of the earth ... Should any one among you take up arms against another, rise ye all against him, for this is naught but manifest justice."

What followed is a familiar and tragic story. Betrayed by the diplomatic ambitions of other nations, cruelly disappointed by the attitude adopted by many of his own countrymen, this "tragically unappreciated" statesman saw his dream wrecked. His own life was given in a fruitless attempt to secure the support of the United States for the newly created world body.

When the League came into existence, it lacked the "teeth" to make its decisions effective. Long before night fell on Europe in 1939, the "League of Peace" had become an international mockery.

Bahá'u'lláh's Tablet "to the Elected Representatives of the People in Every Land" contains ominous and very clear warnings to the successors of the monarchies:

"Regard the world as the human body which, though at its creation whole and perfect, hath been afflicted, through various causes, with grave disorders and maladies... its sickness waxed more severe, as it fell under the treatment of ignorant physicians, who gave full rein to their own desires..."

The reminder of the ruin brought by the reckless military adventures of the fallen kings fell on deaf ears. Throughout the world the only solutions advanced for the problems in which society has been steadily sinking have been political, or at best social and economic. Until very recently all suggestions that the roots of the disorder are spiritual have been treated with impatience or ridicule.

How ominous, in the age since Hiroshima, are these words of the Prisoner of 'Akka, uttered a century ago:

"A strange and wonderful instrument exists in the earth; but it is concealed from minds and souls. It is an instrument which has the power to change the atmosphere of the whole earth, and its infection causes destruction."

And finally:

"Oppression will envelop the world. And following a universal convulsion, the sun of justice will rise from the horizon of the unseen realm."

"Soon will the present-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."

"The Christians of the west shall lead the world to Bahá'u'lláh."

Chapter 14
Section 2- A New View of History

And what about us? What about them us? What about the millions of people who make up the mankind" that Bahá'u'lláh sought to protect from the ignorance of kings and despots? Bahá'u'lláh's Message is directed not only to governments but to each individual human being. How odd that our civilization which harnessed the atom, pushed space, discovered so many miraculous secrets of nature, and made so many brilliant advancements in all the sciences, should have left the spiritual realm almost totally unexplored.

How did it happen that humanity, with its gigantic resources and unequaled brilliance, missed the most important truth of all: a moral and spiritual understanding of history? The real purpose of life, the Bahá'í Teachings point out, is the development of a praiseworthy character. The building of moral and ethical virtues is the true business of life for both men and nations.

Anything that advances this goal is of value and should be encouraged. Anything that hampers, delays, or prevents it, is useless and should be discarded. All life revolves around this goal. It is the reason for existence. Every event in life depends for its ultimate usefulness and value on its direct or indirect connection with this main purpose. It is worthwhile if it forwards this great theme. It is worthless if it does not.

Any philosophy which does not advance in some way this perspective of life is futile. Any person who devotes himself to something else such as acquiring wealth, seeking pleasure, luxury, chasing ambition, reputation or conquest, and thinks of that goal as having in itself an independent value and importance separate from the spiritual and moral motivation of his life having in itself an independent value separate from the spiritual and moral motivation of his life is, sooner or later, doomed to disillusionment and unhappiness. Such a person is without a real purpose in life. He will be prone to depression and self-destruction in one form or another. He will gradually destroy himself physically or morally or both, through despair or through the excessive physical pleasure by which he seeks in vain to escape his destiny.

That is the tragedy that is taking place on a planetary scale today. No one loves us. Not our mothers, our fathers, our children, our wives, our husbands, our sweethearts. No one.

Our families and friends love only the inner qualities we possess -- the kindness, generosity, compassion, tenderness, love, justice, fairness, gentleness, consideration; these are the things they love. As we increase these qualities in our lives, their love for us increases. As we lose these virtues, their love for us withers and dies away. And what is true of individuals is also true of nations or civilizations. To acquire these inward moral and ethical virtues is the real business of life, for both the individual soul and society.

Every other goal is meaningless by comparison. The world today has lost most of these virtues. It continues to lose more. Both men and nations are drifting on the tide of empty materialism. Something must reverse the current. That is why Bahá'u'lláh has come. That is the Mission of His Faith. The Churches can find no remedy because they have lost their Divine Physician, Christ. His Spirit left them over a century ago when He returned in the glory of the Father, Bahá'u'lláh, and the churches and their Leaders turned their back on Him- just as they had the first time. The same is true of each of the other great religions of the past. Had this not been the case, the clergy of the world's religions would have responded to the Message for which they claimed they had been yearning for centuries. Because the Messenger spoke directly to them, individually and collectively, as clearly as He addressed the kings.

He spoke, for example, to Pope Pius the IX. And the story of that brief encounter and its reverberations in modern history may well be the most dramatic chapter of the entire spiritual drama.

Bahá'u'lláh told the Pope that He, Bahá'u'lláh, was the Father Who had been promised by Christ, the Son. The very One the Pope was awaiting; the One in Whose Name the Pontiff held his position.

There has been only a century of silence from the church. But the seeds were sown, and let us see what took place a hundred years later.

"O Supreme Pontiff!"

Chapter 14
Section 3- Echoes from the Past

How many Christians have made a study of the now famous Pastoral Letter of Pope John XXIII, the Encylical "Pacem in Terris" (Peace on Earth)? Most Protestants perhaps couldn't have cared less. But how many Catholics are aware of its contents?

For the origins of this Encyclical, which had such far-reaching effects on the 2.000 year old Roman Catholic Church, we must turn back to the words Bahá'u'lláh addressed to Pope John's predecessor, Pius IX, in 1869.

Bahá'u'lláh told the Pontiff bluntly that the "Father" had come had come as promised by the "Son," Jesus the Christ. He, Himself, Bahá'u'lláh said, was that Father.

The response was less than joyful.

Perhaps that attitude was understandable a hundred years ago. Regrettable, but understandable. The world head of any religion is not likely to be stirred to his depths when his position of eminence is challenged; especially by such a seemingly preposterous claim; written from a penal colony prison by a condemned Exile.

Caiaphas didn't go into spasms of ecstasy when Christ told him He was the "Son of God." And he met Jesus face to face. Instead, he called Christ a blasphemer.

We can imagine then the reaction generated by Bahá'u'lláh's letter to the Pope. No one even bothered to call Him a blasphemer, although His claim was even more presumptuous than Christ's. Nor did the Curia exhibit the annoyance and alarm which had been aroused among several of the kings. Instead, a curtain of silence descended around the entire subject.

Then, in the exact year and exact month of the one hundredth anniversary of Bahá'u'lláh's Declaration to the world proclaiming that the sacred promise in all the holy Books had been fulfilled. Pope John XXIII issued His Encyclical Letter which "received world wide acclaim."

The praise was justified. Not only did the Encylical deal with the problems facing the world, but Pope John himself was a true lover of his fellow man, a saintly human being. In that Encyclical, the Supreme Pontiff spoke of the following subjects:

World peace
A world community
Search after truth
Universal education
Equality between men and women
The oneness of mankind
The oneness of God
The harmony of science and religion
Disarmament
A warning concerning atomic energy
A spiritual solution to the economic problem

They are one and all principles of the Bahá'í Faith.

They are Teachings and Counsels which Bahá'u'lláh gave to the kings and religious leaders of the world over a century before the Pontiff finally spoke out, exactly one hundred years afterward. How powerfully those words of Bahá'u'lláh, spoken so long ago, to a Pope in Rome, now ring through the halls of history after a century: "0 Supreme Pontiff! Incline thine ear unto that which the Fashioner of moldering bones counselleth thee."

Pope John XXIII, because of his sincere love of humanity, and his wise guidance to a troubled world, received the Nobel Prize for peace. He was admired and lauded in all parts of the world by both public and press.

Yet, he had no more than echoed, faintly at that, and only after one hundred years, the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh. He had done no more than to share with mankind ideals which had been denied to the world for a century by the leaders of men, both religious and secular.

What was Bahá'u'lláh's reward?

He was scourged, chained, banished and imprisoned for nearly half a century. He was denounced as an enemy of religion and civil order.

The most bitter and persistent of those denouncing His Teachings, whether in Persia, Turkey, or the near east, had been the clergy. The Muslim clergy indeed had taken the lead, but it is an unhappy fact that those who did most to spread these early slanders were Christians, missionaries who feared the loss of their jealously guarded flocks. Their church, however, had only to experience the delayed effects of the Revelation they had so long awaited.

"Emerge from your palace!"

Chapter 14
Section 4- More Echoes from the Same Pen

It is almost impossible to turn to any great event taking place in the religious world today without tracing its inspiration to the words which Bahá'u'lláh addressed so long ago to the ecclesiastics of the nineteenth century.

How many Catholics are aware of the significance of the visit of Pope Paul V1 to the United Nations? How many Christians are aware of the spiritual implications of the Pope's visit to the World Council of Churches in Switzerland? Or to Kampala, Uganda? All of these events have their "roots" in Bahá'u'lláh's Letter written to a Pope in Rome over a century ago.

Bahá'u'lláh called upon Pope Pius IX to "emerge" from his "palaces" and "speak forth the praises of thy Lord betwixt earth and heaven" Bahá'u'lláh urged Pope Pius to "sell the embellished ornaments" he possessed and "expend them in the path of God." Bahá'u'lláh was not asking the Pope to do anything He had not already done Himself in a fuller measure.

When the hour came for Bahá'u'lláh to carry out bidding of the Almighty, He was in the "hey-day of His life." Yet He flung aside "every consideration of earthly fame, wealth and position." Bahá'u'lláh was a nobleman of the Province of Nur in Persia. Bahá'u'lláh cast them all aside, although He knew only too well where such a decision would lead Him.

During those hours when Pope Pius IX rode the crest of popularity and sovereignty, Bahá'u'lláh had fallen from the highest to the lowest estate, from wealth to poverty, from freedom to imprisonment.

Bahá'u'lláh thanked God for such "tribulations" saying: "The throat Thou didst accustom to the touch of silk Thou hast, in the end, clasped with strong chains, and the body Thou didst ease with brocades and velvets Thou hast at last subjected to the abasement of a dungeon."

Bahá'u'lláh now urged the Pontiff to follow this example. He told the Pope to leave his "palace" and to assist the Father, and to "proffer" His (Bahá'u'lláh's) Teachings to the "people of all faiths."

In the prison city from which Bahá'u'lláh sent His Letter to Pius IX, He wrote:

"The Ancient Beauty (Bahá'u'lláh) 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."

Such tasks should have been the business of the Pope as well. The Pope declared himself to be the Vicar of Christ on earth. Bahá'u'lláh told him that the Promised One Whom he awaited had come. The returned Christ was standing before his eyes.

Bahá'u'lláh warned the Pope not to reject Him because His Name was different than he expected:

"O Pope . . . Beware lest any name debar thee from God... Dwellest thou in palaces whilst He Who is the King of Revelation liveth in the most desolate of abodes? Leave them unto such as desire them, and set thy face with joy and delight toward the Kingdom . . . "

Pope Pius did none of these things.

The Pope was soon to suffer the same loss of his worldly kingdom as had the secular rulers.

In those days, Pius IX was a temporal as well as a spiritual king. As with his fellow monarchs, however, he found himself caught up in the forces released by the "Day of God." Bahá'u'lláh had revealed His Epistle to Pius IX, King Victor Emmanuel I suddenly declared war with the Papal States. The royalist troops had entered Rome and seized it.

The following morning, as the cannonade began, the Pope ordered the white flag to be hoisted above the dome of St. Peter. The Pope shut himself up in the buildings left to him and declared himself to be "the Prisoner of the Vatican." "Rome, the 'Eternal City upon which rest twenty-five centuries of glory,' and which the Popes had ruled in unchallengeable right for ten centuries, finally became the seat of the new kingdom, and the scene of that humiliation which Bahá'u'lláh had anticipated and which the Prisoner of the Vatican had imposed upon himself."

The commands of God in the tablet to the Pope, however, remained to be carried out. The fall of Pius IX did not change the obligation on those who declared themselves the vicars on earth of Jesus Christ. Pope John was the first Pontiff unwittingly out the role assigned to the papacy. His successor, Pope Paul VI, has carried this response much further, and much less willingly. Paul answered Bahá'u'lláh's century-old "summons" to "emerge" from the Lateran "palace" and go out "amidst the peoples of the world." So far he has visited Africa, Asia, Latin America, North America and Europe, thus breaking with twenty centuries of papal tradition.

One of the most important visits of Pope Paul VI was to the United Nations headquarters in New York City. There he did "speak out" among the leaders of men. He did "exhort" them to "justice" and to be mindful of the things in the holy "Book" of God. Why is this particular event interesting to the student of Bahá'u'lláh's story?

For the following reasons, to give only a few:

1. Bahá'u'lláh called upon the kings and leaders of men to establish such an international Body as the United Nations over a century ago.

2. His son Abdu'l-Bahá, visited New York City over three quarters of a century ago. While there, he explained the significances of Bahá'u'lláh's Covenant with the peoples of the world. New York City, the United Nations world headquarters, has been named in the Bahá'í Writings as the "City of the Covenant" of Bahá'u'lláh.

3. Abdu'l-Bahá also visited California. While in the shadow of San Francisco, Abdu'l-Bahá said that California was worthy to raise the first banner of International Peace. In San Francisco, some thirty years after His visit, The United Nations Charter was written, and the blue and white flag of the U.N., a symbol of peace, was created.

While addressing the United Nations, Pope Paul VI, like John XXIII before him, echoed the very principles which Bahá'u'lláh had given to the world so long ago.

It is a tragedy for us all that it took over a hundred years! It is a greater tragedy that the Pontiff, a sincere and holy man, was far too late for his words to have any effect. Only one thing could have made his address relevant. He could have repeated Bahá'u'lláh's words to his predecessor,

"He who is the Lord of Lords is come... He hath stored away that which He chose in the vessels of justice, and cast into the fire that which befitteth it."

The Pope's rendezvous with history, however, was not yet complete. Two other specific tasks had been appointed to his office. His predecessors had let them pass, and God would wait no longer.

Impelled as by an unseen hand, the Pontiff proceeded on the course laid out for him a hundred years earlier.

"Enter ye into wedlock, so there may appear from you those who will praise God."

Chapter 14
Section 5- O Concourse of Priests

Bahá'u'lláh invited the Pope to visit Him in the Holy Land.

If the Pope loved and remembered Christ, he would open his heart to Bahá'u'lláh.

"Reliance" on God would be the only "provision" he would need for such a journey.

It was clear that if he, the Pope, were truly waiting, truly seeking, he would not fail to investigate a claim which had the stupendous moral authority which Bahá'u'lláh's reputation was now giving to His words. If the Pope did not come himself, there were hundreds whom he could send.

The journey was never made. There was only silence from the Church. A century of silence.

And then one hundred years later, Pope Paul VI visited the Holy Land. Again breaking all precedent, and for reasons which were never made clear, he left Rome and visited the land to which the Messenger of God had summoned his predecessor. Paul VI was accorded a huge welcome, similar to that which had greeted Emperor Franz Josef and Kaiser William I so long before him. It was hailed as a great event in the press. A Pope had come at last to the Holy Land.

Bahá'u'lláh came as a Prisoner and an Exile, despised and imprisoned. The "Vicar" who sat on His throne" and held that seat of honor in the Promised One's Name, against the day of His return, was showered with praise and blessings.

It was century too late. The Promised One was longer there. Nor did Pope Paul seek to investigate the flourishing center whose Shrines and gardens covered the slope of Mount Carmel in memory of the Prisoner of 'Akka.

During the visit of Pope Paul VI to Israel, news arrived at the World Center of the Bahá'í Faith announcing that the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, the Glory of the Lord, were well established all over the world. Today over 2,100 tribes, races and ethnic groups in over 130,000 different places on the planet.

This had been envisioned by Habakkuk :

"For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

The press, television and radio were all reporting the wrong story. But that had happened before, too.

There on the side of Mount Carmel, the Vinyard of God, stood the World Seat of that "Kingdom" which the Pope and over five hundred million Catholics extolled daily in their prayers.

The "Kingdom" had come. God's Will had been "done" on earth as promised in the Lord's prayer. The Christ-promised Kingdom had appeared in the exact Spot foretold in passage after passage from the Holy Book revered by the Pope and his people. But, unhappily, neither Catholics nor Protestants were aware of it.

Surely the echo of Bahá'u'lláh's Voice must have reverberated through those Holy hills on the occasion of Pope Paul's visit. Like rolling thunder those Words must have resounded through Zion, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth, where they were originally uttered:

"0 Pope?...Lo! The Father is come." "0 concourse of Patriarchs! He Whom ye were promised in the Tablets is come."

"0 concourse of Archbishops! He Who is the Lord of all men hath appeared."

"0 Concourse of Bishops!...He Who is the Everlasting Father calleth aloud between earth and heaven."

"0 Concourse of Priests! Leave the bells, and come forth, then, from your churches..." 'The Lord is come in His great glory!'"

"0 Concourse of Monks!...Come forth by My leave...Thus biddeth you the King of the Day of Reckoning... Enter ye into wedlock, that after you someone may fill your place."

"0 Concourse of Christians!...Ye call upon Me, and are heedless of My Revelation...O people of the Gospel! . . . Verily, He (Jesus) said: 'Come after Me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.' In this day, however, We say: 'Come ye after Me, that we may make you quickeners of mankind.'"

Ironically, Bahá'u'lláh's Letter to Pope Pius IX had repeatedly warned the Pontiff not to make the same mistake the high priests and religious leaders made in the days of Christ. Bahá'u'lláh wrote:

"Thou, in truth, art one of the suns of the heaven of His names. Guard thyself; lest darkness spread its veils over thee, and fold thee away from His light."

Christ Himself had warned against such a calamity. In the chapter of Matthew in which Jesus gave so many proofs of the time of His coming, He also warns that the sun shall be "darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken."

The meaning, Bahá'u'lláh explained, is clear. The "moons" are those religious leaders who take their light from the "Sun" of Christ. Such "moons" and "stars" fade away each morning when the Sun of a new day dawns. In like manner, when the "Sun" of Christ returns, the Sun of the past day is "darkened." If the "moon" refuses the Light of the new Sun, it too is "darkened" and sheds no light on the problems of men.

This was the meaning of Bahá'u'lláh's Words when He entreated such religious leaders not to turn away from Him:

"Ye are the stars of the heaven of My knowledge. My mercy desireth not that ye should fall upon the earth."

One more task remained to the itinerant and record-breaking Pope Paul.

Paul visited the World Council of Churches in Switzerland in June, 1969, thus bringing together leaders from both the catholic and Protestant Faiths. That visit took place one hundred years after Bahá'u'lláh had urged a Pope in Rome to do precisely that: to offer His Teachings to the other religious leaders of mankind. First "drink" of the Words yourself, Bahá'u'lláh had instructed Pius IX, then "proffer" them to the "peoples of all faiths."

The World Council of Protestant Churches had met before. During one of their international gatherings, the press reported that the delegates found it "impossible to reach a vote" on the subject of Christ's return. Delegates from 163 denominations from 48 countries "disagreed sharply and fundamentally" on the question of "whether the Christian hope for the establishment of God's kingdom can be fulfilled in this world or only after the second coming of Christ."

He had come, and He had gone!

For over a century and a quarter, for nearly thirteen decades, the Bab, Bahá'u'lláh, 'Abdu'l-Bahá, and the followers of Bahá'u'lláh now flooding the world in over 30.000 different centers in all parts of the planet, have been telling the Christian world that Christ has already returned. He has come and He has gone, just as He the Bible that He would. Christ cautioned that although "all eyes shall see His glory," He would come "as a thief in the night." The parable He told made it clear that the divine "thief" would have come and gone! It happened over a hundred years ago! And that is why a world body of the Christian Faith spent hours debating whether they could establish Christ's Kingdom now or only after He returned. That is why a Catholic Pope broke all precedents and went to meet with them.

Tragically, they had nothing to say to one another when they met. The Pope did not, in fact, did not understand the impulse which had sent him there. And he demonstrated no awareness of the one message which could have had any relevance for his audience.

And so they all went home.

"Ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men."

Chapter 14
Section 6- Blind Leaders

Bahá'u'lláh has written thus of the clergy of His time:

"When We observed carefully, We discovered that Our enemies are, for the most part, the divines..."

He addressed them directly:

"How long will ye . . . level the spears of hatred at the face of Baha?...follow not your desires which have altered the face of creation."

Bahá'u'lláh tried to open their eyes and ears so they might hear that "new song" spoken of by Isaiah. He said:

"Purify your eyes that they may hearken unto the voice of God . . . can any one of you race with the Divine Youth in the arena of wisdom and utterance, or soar with him in the heaven of inner meaning and explanation? ...can the one possessed of wooden legs resist him whose feet God hath made of steel? Nay, by Him Who illumineth the whole of creation!"

Bahá'u'lláh offered an ocean of proof the religious leaders of all Faiths that He was the One they awaited. Yet many not only rejected Bahá'u'lláh, but they actively opposed, persecuted and tried to stamp out both Bahá'u'lláh and His Teachings.

Almost without exception, religious leaders have taken the lead in holding shut the door whenever their followers became interested in the Message of Bahá'u'lláh.

Their attacks on the Revelation and their willingness to retell slanders passed on to them by Muslim clergy carries discouraging echoes of the similar actions in the early days of Christianity by the same sort of religious opponents.

No wonder Bahá'u'lláh was to write to such clergymen:

O ye that are foolish yet have a name to be wise! Wherefore do ye wear the guise of the shepherd, when inwardly ye have become wolves, intent upon my flock."

It is also not surprising that Christ Himself would warn against such unseeing shepherds of His flock. Jesus said:

"Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind both shall fall into the ditch."

Yet Bahá'u'lláh in no way sought to degrade or belittle the importance of the world's religious leaders. Rather, He praised unreservedly those religious leaders whose actions and conduct conform to their words. He has said that:

"The guidance of men hath, at all times, been and is dependent upon these blessed souls."

Of such a sincere religious leader, whatever his religion or denomination, Bahá'u'lláh has also written:

"The inmates of Paradise, and the dwellers of the sacred Folds, bless him at eventide and at dawn."

Such spiritual giants, whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or of any other religion are "as the spirit to the body of the world." Bahá'u'lláh declares and "as an eye unto the world."

It was two Christian clergymen, from the missionary field, who first introduced the Bahá'í Faith to America in 1893 at the World Parliament of Religions. One wrote the paper describing the "Christ-like" sentiments of Bahá'u'lláh. The other read the document to the assembled audience.

Over four hundred outstanding priests of the Muslim Faith, some of them the most illustrious in the land, recognized and accepted the Bab and Bahá'u'lláh as the promised Messengers of God. They made great sacrifices for their faith. Many were martyred.

Clergy of all Faiths have since embraced the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, from Catholic priests to Buddhist monks. But in almost every instance they have been shunned by their former colleagues, belittled, ridiculed, persecuted, and in some instances killed.

It is too late to patch up and sew together a pathetically fragmented Christianity. Hundreds and hundreds of sects in a patchwork quilt of curious variations compete with each other for the Body of Christ. Even the hopeful signs of an ecumenical drawing together is but the unwitting results of Bahá'u'lláh's Message of oneness. Almost against their will the unifying forces of life drive these broken and tattered pieces before the wind toward one common destination -- unity.

And if all the multitude of Christian sects united, there would still remain Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Zoroastrians, agnostics, atheists and primitive peoples. Bahá'u'lláh, the Father, is reaching out an embrace to all religions and all peoples, not just to Christianity alone.

Bahá'u'lláh was saddened at the apathy of the Christian masses who had been given so many opportunities, yet who stood by indifferently while multitudes from other religious heritages entered the Faith of God ahead of them:

"O people of the Gospel! They who were not in the Kingdom have now entered it, whilst We behold you, in this day, tarrying at the gate . . . Open the doors of your hearts. Will ye bar the doors of your houses in My face?"

In a poetic reference to His own appearance in the East as foretold in Scripture, and His exile to the land of Jesus, where His Kingdom was established, He asks:

"O Bethlehem! This Light hath risen in the orient, and traveled towards the occident, until it reached thee in the evening of its life. Tell Me then: Do the sons recognize the Father, and acknowledge Him, or do they deny Him, even as the people aforetime denied Him [Jesus]?"

Chapter 15

"They will experience an emotion they are not likely to forget"

Chapter 14
Section 1- Rebels of God

The world-wide Community of Bahá'u'lláh is, in large measure, the work of young people. Behind dramatic dialogue between the kings of the world, hundreds of youth of both sexes willingly laid down their lives for the redemption of mankind. That is how the revelation was born.

A handful of young men, three hundred and thirteen in number, "unequipped yet God-intoxicated students, mostly sedentary recluses of the college and cloister" suddenly found themselves "pitted in self defense against a trained army, well equipped, supported by the masses of the people, blessed by the clergy, headed by a prince of the royal blood" and backed "by the resources of the state."

These early idealistic followers of the Bab rose up as one soul against the corruption and hypocrisy of their society. Their spiritual rebellion against injustices became the "seed" which already is beginning to yield its fruit in the shape of an world-encircling Order whose purpose is to assure the welfare and identity of every human being.

It is no small thing. The French author, Renan, in Les Apotres described one of the dramatic episodes in the rise of the Bahá'í Faith as "a day without parallel perhaps in the history of the world."

Over twenty thousand followers were killed in Persia alone. More of these early believers were slain in one year than there were Christians martyred by official Roman decree in the most terrible eight-year long persecution by the Emperor, Diocletian. Lord Curzon of Kedleston wrote, "Of no small account, then, must be the tenets of a creed that can awaken in its followers so rare and beautiful a spirit of self-sacrifice."

The spirit which animated and inspired these youthful defenders of the Bahá'í Faith was so moving that Professor E.G. Browne of Cambridge University said "it can hardly fail to affect most powerfully all subjected to its influence." "Should that spirit once reveal itself to them," he added, "they will experience an emotion which they are not likely to forget."

The adult world is caught up at the present time in the iron grip of youth rebellion which it can neither understand nor control. It watches helpless on the sidelines while all it once held dear goes up in flames. With the impetuousness of youth, the revolt is sweeping away the good with the bad, it seems too difficult and painful to weed out the good trees from the forest of diseased ones. So let it all fall together.

The racial revolt has been wedded to the rebellion of youth until in many instances they become indistinguishable. It moves from the campus to the streets to the homes and threatens to engulf all society. Although to adults the rebels have "thrown out the baby with the bath water," their revolt has its own commandment "Thou shalt not kick thy neighbor around!"

The truth is, entire civilizations perpetuate themselves long after the Spirit which gave them birth and relevance has departed. We are asking of our present day Western civilization the vitality, enthusiasm, purity, uprightness and courage of its youth it is suffering from the diseases of old age.

Hardening of the spiritual arteries has set in. Traditional religion has dug down deep into its barrel of spiritual resources, and has come up empty.

Both religious and government leaders continue to make "adjustments" in the old institutions to try and make them relevant. These leaders are "confident" that the problems are "only temporary." They are sure they will find a solution to these passing crises if the young people are only patient enough.

The representatives of the established order seem somehow incapable of accepting that we cannot go back to the past to try to solve problems only on a local or national level. Any solution to the crying needs of man, which is not planetary in its scope, is doomed to failure. Sectarian religion similarly has no relevance in an age where unity is essential for survival. It is no longer possible to launch our rockets on the oats we fed our horses. A world society is erupting beneath our feet and shaking down the cultural walls behind which we still try to hide.

The world is not suffering from a "temporary maladjustment" in its life. It is suffering from the "death-pangs" of an old effete, worn-out order. We have become a profit making society instead of a welfare-producing society. We have become an oblivion-seeking society instead of a truth-seeking society.

The tremendous resources of our planet are largely expended on weapons of war and defense, not on health, education, and the elimination of poverty.

How is it possible for young people, or any people, to turn for guidance concerning peace and welfare to agencies which have been developed for the ends of war and destruction?

"Why should these be exempt?"

Chapter 15
Section 2- A Spiritual Revolution

A hundred years ago Bahá'u'lláh warned of the spiritual revolution now invading the family itself, the basic building-block of the social order. However painful the process, He warned against efforts to defend standards and institutions which, by their very existence, keep men from becoming aware of the need for a new social order based on the Revelation of God.

Community.
The principles of the Bahá'í Community state plainly:

"If long-cherished ideals and time-honored institutions, if certain social assumptions and religious formulae have ceased to promote the welfare of the generality of mankind, if they no longer minister to the needs of a continually evolving humanity, let them be swept away and relegated to the limbo of obsolescent and forgotten doctrines. Why should these, in a world subject to the immutable law of change and decay, be exempt from the deterioration that must needs overtake every human institution? For legal standards, political and economic theories are solely designed to safeguard the interests of humanity as a whole, and not humanity to be crucified for the preservation of the integrity of any particular law or doctrine. (World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, page 42)

Bahá'ís see the current social breakdown as an irresistible natural process. It could have been prevented, and the transition made peaceful and productive only if men and nations had turned to the source of all civilization.

Yet, Bahá'ís are firmly obedient to the governments of the nations in which they reside. Bahá'u'lláh Himself commanded them to behave "with faithfulness, trustfulness and truthfulness" to the governments of their countries. The teachings of Bahá'u'lláh's faith demand not only that the Bahá'ís be loyal to their government, but forbid any involvement in any political movement, apart from the individual's right to decide his vote in the privacy of his own conscience. Bahá'ís everywhere have a "sacred obligation to promote, in the most effective manner, the best interests of their government and people," without associating themselves with the diplomatic policies or pursuits of any government. True patriotism, they believe, need not conflict with man's supreme loyalty to God and to the welfare of the one human race.

Within this clear and undeviating framework, the Bahá'ís of the world labor energetically to change those things that are wrong and unjust. They use all the channels open to them. Above all, however, they seek to change the hearts of men, for until we have a new world conscience we cannot have a new world society. Increasingly, it is young people who seem most able to grasp the necessity for this balance. Ironically, it is this element of society, regarded as most "irresponsible" and violent, which best understands that mankind's urgent need is for moral and spiritual regeneration.

The Writings of Bahá'u'lláh's Faith say that the "most vital duty" given to every Bahá'í is to "purify" his character. Every Bahá'í is commanded to conduct himself in such a manner that he will stand out amongst the people of the world because of his moral qualities. These seemingly impossible goals are within the individual's reach for only one reason. Bahá'u'lláh has created, and God sustains, a true community, a society fit for human beings to live in.

In this day, Bahá'u'lláh says, God loves and aids "those who work in His path in groups." Like a healthy body, the Community of Bahá'u'lláh provides the spiritual nourishment which each individual, as a cell in an organism, requires. There is no other way to live.

Far from being negative, the Bahá'í Community realizes that the painful ills now afflicting present-day society are the "death pangs" of a dying civilization. They are being accompanied by the "birth pangs" of a new civilization which is the organic world community, the "Ark of human salvation" now rising in strength and beauty upon the ruins of the old.

"The hour of final victory"

Chapter 15
Section 3- A World Community

Bahá'u'lláh's Community has been a Faith of youth since its earliest days. The Herald of the Bahá'í Faith, the Bab, was but twenty-five when His Mission began. He was only thirty when an execution squad of 750 soldiers leveled their rifles at Him. The companion who died with Him on that occasion, head upon His breast, was only eighteen.

The overwhelming number of His chief disciples of were young. The first was twenty-seven, the last nineteen.

Bahá'u'lláh himself was but twenty-seven when He first began teaching in His native province and thirty-six when His Mission began.

'Abdu'l-Bahá was nine when He first understood the great station of His Father, Bahá'u'lláh. He was a small child when He saw Bahá'u'lláh beset with pain and suffering under the iron-yoke of chains in the Black-Pit prison. He was nineteen when He left Iraq in exile with His Father. He was only twenty-four when He arrived at the prison-city of 'Akka, and Bahá'u'lláh turned over to Him the responsibility of dealing with the outside world. He was still young when Bahá'u'lláh passed away and the weight of the entire Bahá'í world fell upon His shoulders.

'Abdu'l-Bahá's youngest brother, Mirza Mihdi, was but twenty-two when he sacrificed his life in the prison of 'Akka so that the gates of the prison might open, and the Spirit of Bahá'u'lláh's Revelation touch the hearts of all mankind.

'Abdu'l-Bahá's grandson, the first Guardian of the Bahá'í Faith, Shoghi Effendi, was only twenty-five when he assumed the world leadership of the Bahá'í Faith.

The membership of the present International Administrative Body, the Supreme elective Body of the Bahá'í Faith, described in the Bahá'í Writings as the "sole refuge" for this "tottering civilization" is composed at present of nine men who number very young members among them.

The messenger who carried Bahá'u'lláh's powerful Letter to Nasiri'd-Din Shah was scarcely more than a boy, only seventeen. His family despaired of his conduct. They considered him to be what many people today would probably call a delinquent. Yet, he was chosen by Bahá'u'lláh over a crowd of volunteers for this great mission. Alone, and on foot, he walked the entire distance from the prison on the Mediterranean Sea to Teheran, the capital of Persia, a journey of four months.

His name was Aqa Buzurg. He was known as "Badi" (Wonderful). He delivered the Letter to Nasiri'd-Din Shah, was arrested, and branded and tortured for three successive days. And finally he was beaten to death and his body was thrown into a pit.

Bahá'u'lláh Himself declared that "the spirit of might and power was breathed" into that youth. He praised Badi for three years in His writings, saying that his example was as "salt" in the spiritual food needed by mankind.

All over the world, in Africa, Asia, Australia, the islands of the South Pacific, Latin America and Europe, the number of young people embracing the Faith of Bahá'u'lláh increases each year. Those in their teens and twenties make up the majority of the new "recruits" for Bahá'u'lláh's spiritual army.

In the Bahá'í Community there is no "generation gap," any more than there is a distinction between "races" or "classes." The tragic lack of communication which causes the rift in our sick society need not exist if each individual is accepted on his own merits without regard to age or race, sex or culture. A disciple of the Bab, a youth of nineteen, who was the first to suffer persecution on Persian soil, was accompanied through every humiliation by an elderly man, who miraculously withstood one thousand lashes his back. They suffered together, fellow believers, side by side. It is the same the world over.

Youth is not mainly a time of life, but a state of mind. Years can wrinkle the skin, but losses of ideals can wrinkle the soul and wither the spirit of man, whatever his age - young or old. Bahá'u'lláh did not come to any one group of people. He came to the world. His Faith calls upon "young and old alike" to make the teaching of His, healing, world-redeeming Faith the "dominating passion of their lives." Bahá'u'lláh offers a challenge which is today testing the determination, stamina, selflessness, sacrifice and devotion of people of every race, culture, nation, and position in life.

The words are those of Bahá'u'lláh's great-grandson who inspired and led the worldwide spread of the Message of God:

"Under whatever conditions, the dearly loved, the divinely sustained, the onward marching legions of the army of Bahá'u'lláh may be laboring, in whatever theater they may operate, in whatever climes they may struggle, whether in the cold and inhospitable territories beyond the Arctic Circle, or in the torrid zones of both the Eastern and Western Hemispheres; on the borders of the jungles of Burma, Malaya and India; on the fringes of the deserts of Africa and of the Arabian Peninsula; in the lonely, far-away, backward and sparsely populated islands dotting the Atlantic, the Pacific and the Indian Oceans and the North Sea; amidst the diversified tribes of the Negroes of Africa, the Eskimos and the Lapps of the Arctic regions, the Mongolians of East and South East Asia, the Polynesians of the South Pacific Islands, the reservations of the Red Indians in both American continents, the Maoris of New Zealand, and the aborigines of Australia; within the time-honored strongholds of both Christianity and Islam, whether it be in Mecca, Rome, Cairo, Najaf or Karbila; or in towns and cities whose inhabitants are either immersed in crass materialism, or breathe the fetid air of an aggressive racialism, or find themselves bound by the chains and fetters of a haughty intellectualism, or have fallen a prey to the forces of a blind and militant nationalism, or are steeped in the atmosphere of a narrow and intolerant ecclesiasticism - to them all, as well as to those who, as the fortunes of this fate-laden Crusade prosper, will be called upon to unfurl the standard of an all-conquering Faith in the strongholds of Hinduism, and assist in the breaking up of a rigid age-long caste system, who will replace the seminaries and monasteries acting as the nurseries of the Buddhist Faith with the divinely-ordained institutions of Bahá'u'lláh's victorious Order, who will penetrate the jungles of the Amazon, scale the mountain-fastnesses of Tibet, establish direct contact with the teeming and hapless multitudes in the interior of China, Mongolia and Japan, sit with the leprous, consort with the outcasts in their penal colonies, traverse the steppes of Russia or scatter throughout the wastes of Siberia, I direct my impassioned appeal to obey, as befits His warriors, the summons of the Lord of Hosts, and prepare for that Day of Days when His victorious battalions will . . . celebrate the hour of final victory. -Messages to the Bahá'í World, pages 37-38

Peoples of all ages, by the hundreds and by the thousands, from all races and nations, are answering that call.

"The Cause of God," Bahá'u'lláh has said, "has set the heart of the world afire. How regrettable if you fail to be enkindled!"

William Sears, television writer and producer, won a wide popular audience and a number of industry awards in the United States. He wrote and starred in his own CBS show, "In the Park," and had other work recognized by TV Guide as the most popular in its field.

In 1953 Mr. Sears undertook the first of a series of extensive travels in Africa and the near east, collecting material for the following books: Thief in the Night, Release the Sun, God Loves Laughter and The Wine of Astonishment.

It was during his travels that he first encountered the story which appears in The Prisoner and the Kings.