al revival in the
ever-changing fortunes of mankind, not only as a further stage in a chain
of progressive Revelations, nor even as the culmination of one of a series
of recurrent prophetic cycles, but rather as marking the last and highest
stage in the stupendous evolution of man's collective life on this planet.
The emergence of a world community, the consciousness of world
citizenship, the founding of a world civilization and culture--all of which
must synchronize with the initial stages in the unfoldment of the Golden
Age of the Baha'i Era--should, by their very nature, be regarded, as far as
this planetary life is concerned, as the furthermost limits in the
organization of human society, though man, as an individual, will, nay
must indeed as a result of such a consummation, continue indefinitely to
progress and develop.

That mystic, all-pervasive, yet indefinable change, which we associate
with the stage of maturity inevitable in the life of the individual and
the development of the fruit must, if we would correctly apprehend the
utterances of Baha'u'llah, have its counterpart in the evolution of the
organization of human society. A similar stage must sooner or later be
attained in the collective life of mankind, producing an even more
striking phenomenon in world relations, and endowing the whole human race
with such potentialities of well-being as shall provide, throughout the
succeeding ages, the chief incentive required for the eventual fulfillment
of its high destiny. Such a stage of maturity in the process of human
government must, for all time, if we would faithfully recognize the
tremendous claim advanced by Baha'u'llah, remain identified with the
Revelation of which He was the Bearer.

In one of the most characteristic passages He Himself has revealed, He
testifies in a language that none can mistake to the truth of this
distinguishing principle of Baha'i belief: "It hath been decreed by Us
that the Word of God and all the potentialities thereof shall be
manifested unto men in strict conformity with such conditions as have been
foreordained by Him Who is the All-Knowing, the All-Wise... Should the
Word be allowed to release suddenly all the energies latent within it, no
man could sustain the weight of so mighty a revelation... Consider that
which hath been sent down unto Muhammad, the Apostle of God. The measure
of the Revelation of which He was the Bearer had been clearly foreordained
by Him Who is the