Know that the Holy manifestations, though they have the degrees of endless perfections, yet, speaking generally, have only three stations. The first station is the physical; the second station is the human, which is that of the rational soul; the third is that of the divine appearance and the heavenly splendor.The physical station is phenomenal; it is composed of elements, and necessarily everything that is composed is subject to decomposition.... The second is the station of the rational soul, which is the human reality. This also is phenomenal, and the Holy Manifestations share it with all mankind.... The spirit of man has a beginning, but it has no end; it continues eternally....The third station is that of the divine appearance and heavenly splendor: it is the Word of God, the Eternal Bounty, the Holy Spirit. It has neither beginning nor end....the reality of prophethood, which is the Word of God and the perfect state of manifestation, did not have any beginning and will not have any end; its rising is different from all others and is like that of the sun.
'Abdu'-Baha
So the manifestations have a 'third nature' which renders them apart from and more than human, but less than divine – a demiurge, by another name, or one could almost argue, and incarnation?
I had to reply to this, as I see the stations were also explained in the quote and I wondered at such a reply, as the Bible offers the same thoughts in many places.
Such as the physical, which is also used to describe our lower nature
John 3:6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
The human, which is also used to call us to the higher nature
John8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.
And the Divine that is the birthright of the Messengers.
John 1:14-18 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Regards Tony
