The acknowledgment-- that you would have been quite likely among the deniers-- will move you to cleanse your soul from every lingering traces of ego, from any inclination to say, 'I know I am right. If it had happened, I would have known it.' This acknowledgment may cause you to think deeply, to ponder, even to feel anxious or to sense a little fear. Such fear or anxiety is perfectly healthy. It will cause you to act. It will protect you from spiritual starvation, just as fear of physical death protects you from drunken driving. (3:13)

Please try this process of questioning 'What would be the chances...' on a few people you know: your friends, relatives, even your rabbi, pastor, or priest. Find out if they are willing to see themselves among the deniers. Then tell them about the Bab and Baha'u'llah, and see if they suddenly make an exception, such as 'No, this time it is different! I am pretty sure this could not have happened without my knowledge!' Please ponder this verse: (3:14)

There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to [spiritual] death. Proverbs 14:12 (3:15)

Which way leads to death?
It is the easy way.
It is ignoring an invitation to investigate.
It is asking someone else to tell you the right way.
It is saying, 'One billion people cannot be wrong.'
It is thinking, 'I am too busy.'
It is failing to pray for guidance.
It is being afraid.
It is procrastinating.
It is wondering what others will say.
It is being attached to a well-established name. (3:16)

The right way is usually narrow and uphill-- straight to God. It is paved with humility, courage, detachment, trust, thirst for truth, and self-sacrifice. The wrong way is usually wide and downhill-- straight away from God. It is paved with pride, complacency, apathy, and immediate self-interests. (3:17)

I have a close friend who is a retired pastor. It is hard to find a person more caring, more honest, more charitable, more hard-working, and more friendly. He is as good as a human being can be. He even spent a few days in prison for demonstrating against a war he believed was unjust. I thought he would be the best candidate for a book on the Baha'i Faith. Therefore, I gave him a copy of I Shall Come Again, a 500-page volume that presents biblical prophecies about the Advents of the Bab and Baha'u'llah. In response to my invitation to read the book, he said, 'I read a lot of books. I can finish it in a week or two.' He made that statement two years ago. Since then, I have seen him several times. Each time, I have asked him if he has read the book, and each time he has presented a new alibi. The last time I asked him, he showed both embarrassment and annoyance. (3:18)

All his life he has been exposed to the glorious hope of the Second Coming, and talked about it in his church. Now that he has in his hands a book that presents far more evidence on the Second Advent than he could ever find on the First, he procrastinates, he ignores his most glorious hope! He knows that because of his position, he has a special responsibility to investigate the news of the coming of his Master, yet he fails to heed the warnings and seek the blessings. (3:19)

My pastor friend knows he is a wonderful person. Because of his confidence in his own goodness, he doesn't dream that he may even be denying the One he has worshiped all his life. He may not realize that even the most wonderful people can fail. Both the laws of the physical and spiritual worlds are such that sometimes a little caution may result in gigantic gains. An inexpensive fire alarm can save countless lives. A failure as innocent as remaining silent, as simple as ignoring a warning can be disastrous. Silence is not always innocent. As it is said, all that evil requires to triumph is for good people to do nothing. (3:20)

If Annas and Caiaphas had followed Christ, it is quite likely that He would not have been crucified. Without question, there were thousands of wonderful people among the Jews who ignored Christ's invitation. Remember that before becoming a Christian, St. Paul was a wonderful, dedicated Jew. He was as firm in his beliefs as my pastor friend. Yet he suffered from this critical weakness: he was narrow-minded. If God had not intervened, he would have continued to persecute the Christians. (3:21)

There are millions of wonderful Christians living today. Without their love and dedication, our planet would become a gloomy place. They are, indeed, the salt of the earth. Yet many of them suffer from this critical weakness: They simply assume that if Christ had come, they would have known it. That was the assumption Paul made. He was expecting a powerful King-- a Messiah who would subdue the forces of darkness just as Christians expect today. (3:22)

That one seemingly innocent assumption that 'If Christ comes I will know' kills all curiosity and creates complacency, a weakness Jesus condemned most severely in the Book of Revelation. But none of those millions of wonderful, but slumbering people, thinks that those passages about complacency may refer to him. When he does, he awakens and begins to investigate. Once again we end where we started: It is extremely difficult to see the traces of pride, fear, or complacency in one's ego. A sure remedy is an absolute and unconditional humility. (3:23)

If you are open-minded, you will attain the greatest good. For the mind is the first gate to wisdom, truth, and happiness. After the mind has done its work, the heart must prepare a place to welcome the truth with warmth and joy. (3:24)

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