Here’s a little gem from the book The Arc of Ascent (read it yourself for the full picture).
These words were spoken by God to Daniel:
“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” Daniel 12:4
“Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.” Daniel 12:9
In the Quran, Muhammad states that in this day the righteous will be rewarded:
“Choice sealed wine shall be given them to quaff, The seal of musk.” Sura 42-114
Shoghi Effendi describes the Kitab-i-Iqan:
it proffered to mankind the “Choice Sealed Wine,” whose seal is of “musk,” and broke the “seals” of the “Book” referred to by Daniel God Passes By, p. 139
So we have this Choice Wine, but it is still sealed, albeit with an attractive perfume (musk) as a seal.
“Think not that We have revealed unto you a mere code of laws. Nay, rather, We have unsealed the choice Wine with the fingers of might and power.” Kitab-i-Aqdas no. 5
Thus the relation between spiritual guidance (the wine, which is sealed) and the laws and institutions through which this guidance can be applied (the wineskin which holds the wine).
Reading the book: The Arc of Ascent by John S. Hatcher. Highly recommended – I am starting to understand better the statement of human purpose in the short obligatory prayer: “I bear witness, O my God, that Thou hast created me to know Thee and to worship Thee”. In very brief, to ‘know’ God means practicing reflecting the attributes of God (as instructed by the Manifestations), and to ‘worship’ refers to the actions performed in service. There is so much more to it – and I hope to be able to understand better what the Arc of Descent and Ascent mean by the end of the book.
