Hello all friends Concerning the previous chapters and the 13th as well there are too many boring accounts about wars and atrocities exerted by various rulers and which all have an Islamic background, that I do not want to dwell upon them further. But since many investigators have thought that "Beast number 666" is an interesting question I'll just mention that it is no more interesting than that this is the year of Caliph Mu'aviyyhs desecrating the Shrine at the birthplace of Muhammad in Mecca, ordered the sacking of Medina (the burial place of the Prophet) and trying to make Damascus the Kaaba of the Muslims. It all happened in the year 666 A.D. So now you know. Unfortunately the "Image of the beast" lived on in the bigoted ecclesiastical system of Islam, and its recrudescence was witnessed in the persecutions and martyrdoms of the Bab and His followers more than eleven centuries later. And today what do we see. Bahais persecuted. This is all boring and sad. It is no good to dwell on this. In any case we as ordinary deadly ones always has to treat each other as God's creatures, never mind what religions we adhere too. We have to follow in the footsteps of Abdu'l-Baha who treated all with goodness, as being children of God, all and each . So... I'd like to stress the purity of the religion of Muhammad. God's Love is hidden in it, just like in the Faith of Christ, for every sincere muslim and all others no matter how cruel and ignominious the rulers of the past have been in the East or are even now. We live in one world, becoming smaller with each passing day and all and everybody who are here are all close neighbours, who do need each other. In order to create world peace, and a world government for one thing .So we must look forward after all. Christian leaders, both religious and secular are not without sin, I do not know how many Indians were killed in North and South America, one of the reasons for me to abandon all respect for Christianity, but now, what does it matter now. There are many Bahais among the Indians, who have found comfort and peace at heart, accepting Bahaullah.
In Chapter 14 , It seems we are again meeting the people of number nine. In a previous letter I said I have not met any Bahai who has spoken to me about this "nine" of 144 000. I'll now add, -as far as I remember. My earliest friends and I have only spoken of the nine figure of the Baha= nine numerically ,-the Bahai Faith being the ninth world religion, and - the nine gates of the Bahai temples. I am personally born on the 18th, which is 2 times nine or nine together in 1945. Mostly I start and finish jobs at a date when nine is involved. It is something I can't help noticing. But all this is just for fun, for us. Especially here in Sweden where there is hardly anybody with whom we can talk about the Bible anyway and least of all the Book of Revelation.. People are simply not religious here. They mostly consider such a thing as very private. They are "religious" when they are out relaxing in their summer cottages, taking in the fresh breezes of the landscape, bathing in the lakes, going fishing or walking in the silence of the forests and fields.
But shall we turn to the verses again in chapter 14 then: "And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps: and they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth." The new song is the new Revelation. This last sentence, "no man could learn" make me think of the white stone (of releasing)in Rev 2:17 which tells about the hidden manna, + the New name, that name which no one knows but "the one who receives it." I will leave to you to ponder upon this. I can just say I believe the Name Baha is the Greatest Name which is a New Name, also written as Abha. Ya Bahau'l Abha means O Thou Glory of Glories , an invocation of God. Unfortunately there is a resistence among people to learn such foreign "oriental" names, forgetting that all the names of the Bible are foreign to us too, even Jesus's. With time we will all most certainly get used to them. I can say only that Bahaullah has proclaimed Gods Word for this Age and that all mankind surely need his Teachings to survive individually and collectively, and that they are to last as they are for a thousand years. "The first fruits" of the Bahai Faith cover the generations back in time, back to the period of the Bab. The main thing is that we strive to be modest,honest and diligent. Very often one can see the Christian repeating of "reigning with Christ for a thousand years." I just say, in answer:there will be divine guidance from the Local and National and Universal Houses of Justice during the thousand years counting from 1844 and no altering of the rules and laws that Bahaullah has revealed for this period. The Universal House of Justice may add laws appropriate to coming needs and to take their own laws away, but not change the laws of Bahaullah. I will recount the main principles here again citing Moffett first: In these authoritative and authentic Writings are the New Principles necessary for unfolding the New World Order: 1 The Oneness of mankind 2 The independent Investigation of Truth 3 The Foundation of all Religions is One 4 Religion must be the cause of Unity 5 Religion must be in accordance with Science and Reason 6 Equality between men and women 7 Prejudice of all kinds must be forgotten 8 Universal Peace 9 Universal Education 10 A Spiritual Solution the the Economic Problem 11 One Universal auxiliaryLanguage 12 An International Tribunal
I thought I would write some more, but I'll take a pause here, eat and go out into the garden to take away old leaves. The weather is so nice over here today.
So bye for now friends See you later Kind regards from Laila
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