may stream from this center to all the peoples of the world."
And again: "O ye apostles of Baha'u'llah! May my life be sacrificed for
you!... Behold the portals which Baha'u'llah hath opened before you.
Consider how exalted and lofty is the station you are destined to attain;
how unique the favors with which you have been endowed... The full measure
of your success is as yet unrevealed, its significance still
unapprehended. Ere long ye will, with your own eyes, witness how
brilliantly every one of you, even as a shining star, will radiate in the
firmament of your country the light of Divine Guidance, and will bestow
upon its people the glory of an everlasting life.... The range of your
future achievements still remains undisclosed. I fervently hope that in
the near future the whole earth may be stirred and shaken by the results
of your achievements. The Almighty will no doubt grant you the help of His
grace, will invest you with the tokens of His might, and will endue your
souls with the sustaining power of His Holy Spirit." And again: "Be not
concerned with the smallness of your numbers, neither be oppressed by the
multitude of an unbelieving world... Exert yourselves; your mission is
unspeakably glorious. Should success crown your enterprise, America will
assuredly evolve into a center from which waves of spiritual power will
emanate, and the throne of the Kingdom of God will, in the plenitude of
its majesty and glory, be firmly established.... The hope which
'Abdu'l-Baha cherishes for you is that the same success which has attended
your efforts in America may crown your endeavors in other parts of the
world, that through you the fame of the Cause of God may be diffused
throughout the East and the West and the advent of the Kingdom of the Lord
of Hosts be proclaimed in all the five continents of the globe.... Thus
far ye have been untiring in your labors. Let your exertions henceforth
increase a thousandfold. Summon the people in these countries, capitals,
islands, assemblies and churches to enter the Abha Kingdom. The scope of
your exertions must needs be extended. The wider its range, the more
striking will be the evidence of Divine assistance." And finally, this
apocalyptic vision of the consummation of the task entrusted to the
American Baha'i community, as evoked by that same Pen in those same
Tablets: "The moment this Divine Message is carried forward by the
American believers from the shores of America, and is pr