It is recorded in all the Books of the Gospel that He Who is
the Spirit [Jesus] spoke in words of pure light unto His disciples, saying:
“Know that heaven and earth may pass away, but my words shall never pass away.”
[cf. Matt. 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33] As is clear and evident to thine
eminence, these words outwardly mean that the Books of the Gospel will remain
in the hands of people till the end of the world, that their laws shall not be
abrogated, that their testimony shall not be abolished, and that all that hath
been enjoined, prescribed, or ordained therein shall endure forever.
O My brother! Sanctify thy heart, illumine thy soul, and
sharpen thy sight, that thou mayest perceive the sweet accents of the Birds of
Heaven and the melodies of the Doves of Holiness warbling in the Kingdom of
eternity, and perchance apprehend the inner meaning of these utterances and
their hidden mysteries. For otherwise, wert thou to interpret these words
according to their outward meaning, thou couldst never prove the truth of the
Cause of Him Who came after Jesus, nor silence the opponents, nor prevail over
the contending disbelievers. For the Christian divines use this verse to prove
that the Gospel shall never be abrogated and that, even if all the signs
recorded in their Books were fulfilled and the Promised One appeared, He would
have no recourse but to rule the people according to the ordinances of the
Gospel. They contend that if He were to manifest all the signs indicated in the
Books, but decree aught besides that which Jesus had decreed, they would
neither acknowledge nor follow Him, so clear and self-evident is this matter in
their sight. (Baha’u’llah, ‘Gems of Divine Mysteries’, ‘Javáhiru’l-Asrár’)
