The Blessed Person of the Promised One is interpreted in the
Holy Book as the Lord of Hosts—the heavenly armies. By heavenly armies those
souls are intended who are entirely freed from the human world, transformed
into celestial spirits and have become divine angels. Such souls are the rays
of the Sun of Reality who will illumine all the continents. Each one is holding
in his hand a trumpet, blowing the breath of life over all the regions. They
are delivered from human qualities and the defects of the world of nature, are
characterized with the characteristics of God, and are attracted with the
fragrances of the Merciful. Like unto the apostles of Christ, who were filled
with Him, these souls also have become filled with His Holiness Bahá’u’lláh;
that is, the love of Bahá’u’lláh has so mastered every organ, part and limb of
their bodies, as to leave no effect from the promptings of the human world.
These souls are the armies of God and the conquerors of the East and the West. Should one of them turn his face toward some direction and summon the people to the Kingdom of God, all the ideal forces and lordly confirmations will rush to his support and reinforcement. He will behold all the doors open and all the strong fortifications and impregnable castles razed to the ground. Singly and alone he will attack the armies of the world, defeat the right and left wings of the hosts of all the countries, break through the lines of the legions of all the nations and carry his attack to the very center of the powers of the earth. This is the meaning of the Hosts of God.
Any soul from among the believers of Bahá’u’lláh who attains
to this station will become known as the Apostle of Bahá’u’lláh. Therefore
strive ye with heart and soul so that ye may reach this lofty and exalted
position, be established on the throne of everlasting glory, and crown your
heads with the shining diadem of the Kingdom, whose brilliant jewels may
irradiate upon centuries and cycles.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Tablets of the Divine
Plan’)
