The Fifth Seal
The Fifth Seal in The Greatest Sign is the Seal of Universalism, The Bahai Faith
The first four seals in The Greatest Sign relate to the spiritual realization and progress. The first seal ( 
) is meditation and awakening of the spiritual forces. The second ( 
) is the creation of the Communities of Light based on God, an environment in which we can grow physically, mentally, and spiritually. The third ( 
) is not being self-centered, but to sacrifice. And the fourth, ( 
) is surrendering and submission. These are all the spiritual aspects of the human.
The fifth seal ( 
) is universalism. Universalism is not really a spiritual achievement but it is a spiritual understanding, actually it is more an intellectual understanding than anything else, that God is everything. Of course, when you become close to submission to God in the fourth seal, you are one with God. If God is always doing work through you, really who is there? It is God. You no longer exist.
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So, from a view of spiritual understanding there is nothing new added to what the first four truths brought to humanity. However, from the practical point of view or from the psychological level to establish world unity, many progressive ideas were given. Only by accepting the universe as the only home, nation, and country, can a man overcome being narrow-minded by relating the self to a specific group or land. Only then can he destroy the very disease of the mind, which is a feeling of belonging to one part rather than feeling that the only home is the entire universe.
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Bab gave many practical suggestions about how to create a universal environment and to establish worldwide justice. Some of these are: acceptance of one language as an international language along with the mother tongue; each community must have a House of Justice, each nation must have a National House of Justice, and an International House of Justice should be established with members selected from the National or Secondary Houses of Justice; and humans must make a systematic effort to wipe out all those prejudices that cause division.
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Also, by becoming a universalist and understanding that this whole universe is made up of nothing else but unit consciousnesses and the three gunas (Souls and the creative force) then a man will not only love God and His awesome creation but every part and parcel of it. With this again a man does not look to another man as a flesh being or different from himself, but as a Soul which does not belong to any race or group. Not only will people become respectful Souls in different levels of consciousness but also the whole universe will be seen from the same perspective, different Souls in different levels of consciousness.
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The greatest contribution of this fifth truth can be expressed in one sentence from Bahaullahs teaching: If religion separates mankind by causing disunity, IT IS NOT EXPRESSING THE SPIRIT OF GOD.
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The only ism is universalism. Any other ism is from narrowness.
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The question might be asked, then, what about the other isms? The answer is that the other isms are each a part of a greater truth. That truth is that Paravipras, who are the true leaders and concerned about the welfare of all in the universe, should lead humanity to the highest prosperity. However, as long as people have not become universalists and are separated by countries, dogmatic religions, psychological barriers, etc., politicians and others will exploit them in the name of a nation, religion, race, group, etc. The only way to the highest happiness and prosperity is to understand The Plan of creation, become a universalist (shattering the narrowness of the mind), and follow the Will of the Father.
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Actually the first four religions in The Greatest Sign had lost that universal point of view. Look at Hinduism, Anyone who is not a Hindu is no good. Judaism, We are the chosen people, no one else is good. Christianity, We are the only way, any other way is bad. Islam, We are the last one, so we are the best.
So that was another sign that one more seal had to be revealed to humanity. That is when the fifth seal was revealed as the universal point of view, All the religions of the world basically say the same thing, the truth. That is true. Basically, if you pick up the Koran, if you pick up the Bible (New Testament, Old Testament), the Bhagavad-Gita, the Upanishads, many people say they say the same thing.
They say that you have to meditate, you have to contemplate, you have to pray, you have to do some rituals, go at least one hour and a half a week to church, or go to your Synagogue, or go to the Mosque, or go the Temple and sacrifice and give from yourself. You have to be family-oriented and community-oriented. You have to sacrifice in your life for your community, etc. You have to surrender and submit to God. Basically they are saying the same thing. Of course, the emphasis in each of them is greater on one aspect of the spiritual path. However, all of them also touch a little bit of the other truth, that every religion is the same.
Therefore, we can see that Bahai also was sent by God. The Bahais emphasis, as we said previously, is completely in universalism, the unity of all religions, the unity of humanity, the unity of God, the unity of the Spirit of God.
So that emphasis was necessary to complement the other steps of the Eternal Divine Path.
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However, if you read the Bahai teaching, the very focus is that all religions come from the same God, and they all basically have the same truth. That is why the Bahais felt that they had all the answers, because they were open to all the religions. And they said that basically they are all the same.
But as we see in The Greatest Sign, they are not the same. Each Prophet had a definite message, definitely a different message that is emphasized. Of course, all of them reveal the same truth, but each of them have a very strong emphasis on one of those truths.
So in a sense the Bahais preach a universal view of religion, but not completely. They do not have the Eternal Divine Path and The Greatest Sign.
Next: The True Founder of the Bahai Faith was Bab, Who was Martyred.