Progressive Revelation
"And since there can be no tie of direct intercourse to bind
the one true God with His creation, and no resemblance whatever can exist
between the transient and the Eternal, the contingent and the Absolute,
He hath ordained that in every age and dispensation a pure and stainless
Soul be made manifest in the kingdoms of earth and heaven."
(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, page
66)
In which ever age God manifests Himself in one of these perfect Educators,
They represent the only source of light and life for an otherwise spiritually
darkened world. They are like a divine, perfect mirror in which one can
see nothing but God. The Holy Bible has many references to this theme.
Here is a sampling from the Words of His Holiness Jesus Christ:
Matthew 11:27: "All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and
no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father,
save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him."
John 5:37: "And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne
witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his
shape."
We must turn to the sun
for life
As the physical sun, on whichever day it appears, is the only source of
life for the planet, so it is with the Spiritual Sun also.
All life on earth can be traced back to the physical sun for its life.
The plants and animals, without thought, turn to the sun for their sustenance.
Imagine if today's sun were to speak to the plant world and say, "Turn
to me, for I am the source of your life. If not, you will surely die!"
Is it not true? Would it be any less true if tomorrow's sun - a sun with
a different name, were to speak the same words? No; it would be true in
every case no matter what the name or place of appearance.
For life, we must turn to today's Sun - whatever it is called
and wherever it rises - physically or spiritually. We can't live by yesterday's
sunlight.
The Manifestations of God are
ONE
These holy beings manifest God to us. It's clear from the
above quotations that this Spiritual Sun, each time it rises, claims authority
for Himself with regard to the relationship between our souls and the One
Who sent Him. As they all emanate from the same one God, we must make no
distinction between Them. These Manifestations of God are one; Their Light
is one; and the religion they bring is one.
They, much like the teachers in the progressive education of a student,
are the Ones who have Their finger on the pulse of the world and its needs
in every age. They prescribe the healing remedy which must necessarily
change from age to age as the requirements of each age are unique.
We are called to be a Follower of the Light not the Lamp 
In another way, these Messengers from God are like spiritual lamps that
appear whenever the world becomes dark. They are the source of illumination.
One of the primary purposes of our lives is to recognize this divine Light
in the age in which we live and become followers of that Light. We recognize
that the light is the same, in whatever lamp it appears and whatever name
it bears. Let us not run the risk of missing the Light when it returns
in a new lamp with a new name.
The Light has Appeared Again
In the middle of the 19th century, in accordance with prophecy, this divine
Light appeared once again. The name of the Manifestation of God for today
is Bahá'u'lláh. His name means The
Glory of God. A follower of Bahá'u'lláh is a Bahá'í.
It is the same divine Light in a new Lamp.
