Release the Sun (<<click here)
By William Sears
A book on the early history of the Bah¨¢¡¯¨ª Faith
(This book is also available online by downloading OCEAN and from Amazon)
APPENDIX
(Original endnotes F1, F2, etc. are not included at this time.)
NOTE ONE
The period in history from the years 1830 to 1850 was one of strange and troublesome events. Men stared in wonder and uneasiness at the great halo that circled the sun. They looked up in horror at the night sky where a giant comet with a fiery tail rushed through the darkness. It was whispered that the comet was racing toward mankind bringing the "end of the world."
In
Wolf in Asia, Sir Edward Irving in England, Mason
in
Scotland, Davis in South Carolina, William Miller in Pennsylvania, and
many
others throughout the world agreed that this was indeed the "time of
the
end."[F1] Christ, they said, would soon appear. Leonard Heinrich Kelber
and his fellow Christians in
An historical account of those days states: "A
converted Jew in
Some of the more zealous went so far as to sell
their
possessions and to await Christ's descent upon the clouds. Their more
practical
neighbors pointed out that clouds did not descend but were vapors that
rose up
from the earth. Others quoted
Once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide. Some great Cause, God's new Messiah ...[F3]
On May 24, 1844 in Washington D. C., Mr. Samuel F.
B. Morse,
the inventor of the telegraph, stepped to the keyboard of his new
instrument.
He was about to send the first official telegram in history flashing
across the
wires from
The scholars of Scripture asked: Is this not still another proof that the hour has come for Christ's appearance? Is it not written in the book of Job that only God can send "lightnings that they may go and say unto thee here we are!"[F4] Was not this electric telegraph of Morse the "lightnings" spoken of by which the "Word" would go? Morse put his hand to the keyboard and tapped out the message. It was a message chosen from the Bible, from the Book of Numbers: "What hath God wrought?"[F5]
The evening before, May 23, 1844 in
The B¨¢b arose in a Muslim country, whose people in their holy writings had the unmistakable prophecy which said that the Messenger of God would come when by "beating the iron upon the iron, you will hear the news from a far distance."
The Bab was a descendent of Abraham. He was of the
"seed" which would "inherit the earth." The message of
Morse had quoted only a part of the verse from Numbers. The full verse
is:
"According to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of
Why did so many Bible scholars from all parts of the world agree upon the years between 1843-1845 as the time for the return of Christ? Careful research makes it clear that they chose this time in history because of three very plain and specific promises given by Christ Himself foretelling the hour of His second coming. Christ assured His disciples that He would return to earth when the following three things took place:
1. When His Gospel shall be preached throughout the world.
2.
When
the "times of the Gentiles" is fulfilled and the Jews return to
3. When all mankind would see the "abomination of desolation" foretold by Daniel the Prophet.
First Promise: When the Gospel of Christ is taught "in all the world" then He will return. This promise was made by Christ in direct reply to a question asked by His disciples: "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world?"
Christ gave His promise in the following words: "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness; then shall the end come."[F6]
A study of the spread of Christianity made by
these scholars
of the 1840's convinced them that the message of Christ had already
well-circled the globe. It was being taught in all the continents. By
1844 it
was being taught not by solitary missionaries, but on a wide and
organized
scale, even in the interior of
The Gospel of Christ had now been "preached in all the world for a witness" and therefore, these scholars had reasoned, the hour of His coming was at hand.
Thus the first promise of Christ was fulfilled by the year 1844.
Second Promise:
When the "times of the Gentiles" is
fulfilled and the Jews return to
The meaning of the term "times of the Gentiles"
was very clear to the scholars of Scripture. It denoted that period of
time
during which
The "times of the Gentiles" would be fulfilled, therefore, when the Jews came back to their homeland following this banishment.
The first part of Christ's promise came true
almost
immediately. His words, "they shall be led away captive into all
nations" began its fulfillment less than forty years after His
crucifixion.
The Jews tried to regain their freedom in 132 A.D.
under Bar
Kochba but were crushed by the armies of the Roman Emperor Hadrian. This time
The Romans were the first aliens after the time of
Christ to
trample down the city of
The famous Irish scholar and author, George
Townshend,
former Canon of St. Patrick's Cathedral,
Townshend goes on to point out that this document, the Edict of Toleration, was issued by the governing authorities in the year 1844.[F11]*[1]
There is a strong confirmation to be found in the Bible itself that 1844 was the year intended for the fulfillment of Christ's promise concerning the "times of the Gentiles." This confirmation is given in the Book of Revelation, chapter eleven:
"And the
This period of forty-two months is expressed in the very next verse in the form: 1260 days. Bible scholars found this period of forty-two months or 1260 days to be identical with the year 1844. They arrived at this conclusion by the following process of reasoning:
1. In the study of Biblical prophecy, the period called a "day" becomes a "year" when calculating the passage of time.
2. This theory is supported by the following prophecies:
a) Numbers 14:34 -- "Even forty days, each day for a year."
b) Ezekiel 4:6 -- "I have appointed thee each day for a year."
James Henry Foreman in his compilation The Story of Prophecy writes: "... Biblical prophecy students, after a scrutiny of the entire problem of Bible chronology, deduce the following conclusions as virtually automatic -- namely, that -- (1) In symbolic prophecy a day is the symbol of a year."[F13]
By using the accepted formula of a "day" for a "year," forty-two months or 1260 days become 1260 years. Therefore, the "times of the Gentiles" would last for 1260 years.
The Muslims conquered
A study of the calendar of the Muslims reveals that the year 1260 of their calendar is identical with the year 1844 of the Christian calendar.
Thus the second promise of Christ was fulfilled by the year 1844, when the "times of the Gentiles" was ended.
Third Promise: When mankind witnesses the "abomination of desolation" spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, this will be the hour of Christ's return.
Christ gave this promise to His disciples in direct answer to their questions: When will you come, what shall we look for?
His promise was given in these words: "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the Prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand)."[F14]
The third promise of Christ concerning the "abomination of desolation" is the foundation-stone upon which the Biblical scholars rested the structure of their belief in the return of Christ during the 1844 period.
The chapters of Daniel which deal with this subject are those from eight through twelve. These foretell clearly not only the second coming of Christ, but His first appearance as well. Therefore, this promise of Christ is considered to be the most important of the three.
In these chapters, Daniel prophesies that: From
the issuing
of the decree to rebuild
The decree would be issued, the city rebuilt, then Christ would be crucified. This is the clear meaning, foretelling Christ's first coming.
There were four decrees issued to rebuild
1. Issued by Cyrus in the year 534 B.C. This is recorded in the first chapter of the Book of Ezra. It went unfulfilled.
2. Issued by Darius in the year 519 B.C. This is recorded in the sixth chapter of the Book of Ezra. It also went unfulfilled.
3. Issued by Artaxerxes in the seventh year of his reign in the year 457 B.C. This is recorded in the seventh chapter of the Book of Ezra. It was fulfilled by the fourth decree. 4. Issued by the same Artaxerxes in the year 444 B.C. This is recorded in the second chapter of Nehemiah.
The scholars of Scripture accepted the third decree of Artaxerxes as the one prophesied by Daniel inasmuch as the fourth decree was merely an extension of the third. Therefore, this prophecy of Daniel could now be stated thus:
From the issuing of the decree of Artaxerxes in
the year 457
B.C. until the time of the crucifixion of Christ there would be
appointed 70
weeks (or 490 days). 70 weeks equal 490 days. By the use of our measure
of
prophecy, a "day" for a "year," 490 days become 490 years.
Therefore, from the issuing of the decree until the crucifixion on
It has been clear to scholars that the time of the first coming of Christ was foretold by Daniel with amazing accuracy. No wonder Christ Himself was so emphatic about Daniel's prophecy. What of the second coming? Christ promised that He would return when Daniel's prophecy came to pass.
These are the words spoken by Daniel:
"How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the abomination of desolation, to give the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, unto two thousand three hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."[F16]
When would this take place? In 2300 days, says Daniel. These 2300 days in our prophetic measure become 2300 years. Using the same frame of reference as that used by Christ's first coming, the biblical scholars made their calculations.
Although many disputes arose as to the exact month, day, and hour, there was a basic agreement among all that Christ's return would take place between 1843 and 1845, with the year 1844 as the central point of reference.
One group of Christian scholars worked out Daniel's prophecy in the greatest detail. They even built a special chart to show that Christ would return in the middle of the year 1844.[F17]
The B¨¢b, the Herald of the Bah¨¢'¨ª Faith, made His declaration to the world well into the year 1844: May 23rd.*[2] This hour marks the beginning of the Bah¨¢'¨ª Faith. Thus the proofs were now complete. All three of the specific promises of Christ concerning the time of His return pointed to the exact same period:
1. The Gospel was preached around the world by 1844.
2. "The times of the Gentiles" was fulfilled in 1844.
3. The prophecy given by Daniel came to pass in 1844.
Christ told His disciples: When ye see these
things, it will
be the time of My coming, and the time of the end. The words of Daniel,
which
told with such startling accuracy the story of both the first and
second coming
of Christ, were written by Daniel in
The holy Bible of Christianity, as well as the
sacred
writings of the Jews, and the Scriptures of Islam all foretold that the
Promised One would appear in the last days in
"And I will set my
throne in
In a prophecy of remarkable clarity, the sacred
writings of
Islam state: When the Promised One appears, "the upholders of His faith
shall be the people of
The answer is simple. It was the same reason that the people did not recognize Christ in the day of His first coming, until after the passing of centuries. Those who were spiritually "alive" knew Him, but the great mass of mankind were spiritually "dead" and knew Him not. These were the people spoken of by Jeremiah:
"O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not."[F21]
When Christ did not appear (the first time) in the magic, glorious way which the people expected of a Messiah, they denied Him. Thy called Him a false prophet and slew Him. After all, He was born of a woman and walked among them. Surely, they said, this is not the manner in which our great Messiah will appear. Their eyes were closed.
The disciples of Jesus were greatly troubled because most of the people, especially the religious leaders and other influential persons, neither understood nor accepted His Message. They asked Jesus: "Why do they not believe?" Christ answered them: "Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven but unto them it is not given ... their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed ... but blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear."[F22]
It was to be the same in the day of His return in 1844. It takes special "eyes" and "ears" to recognize and accept the Messiah each time He appears. The great mass of mankind did not recognize Christ in the day of His first coming, nor would they recognize Him in the day of His second coming.
For He would appear in the same manner: He would be born of a woman, and walk among them. He would have the same Christ-spirit, but He would have a new physical identity. Jesus Himself had explained this spiritual truth with the greatest care so that mankind would understand and not be misled.
The people said of Christ, "why then say the scribes that Elias must come first?"[F23] The disciples found this question too difficult to answer because they, too, had been taught that Elias must come first. If so, where was he? They put this question to Christ. He told them that Elias had already come, but that no one understood this truth, since Elias had come in a manner they did not expect. "If ye will receive it," He said, "this [John the Baptist] is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."[F24] John the Baptist was Elias, Christ told them. He added: "If ye will receive it." He meant: If you can understand this symbolic truth. He added: "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."
This clearly warned them that it would take spiritual ears to hear and accept this truth. It was to be understood inwardly, not outwardly, in the world of comprehension, not by the senses. Only in this symbolical way could anyone accept the man John as Elias. Elias had returned in the spirit, not in the flesh of John. If they did not understand the significance of this inward truth, they would believe Him to be false. They must have the "eyes that see" and the "ears that hear"; otherwise, it would be impossible to understand or to accept. This truth was confirmed by John the Baptist Himself. He was asked: "Art thou Elias?" He answered: "I am not."[F25] He was not the return of Elias in the flesh. He was the return of the spirit of Elias.
In the Book of Luke it is promised for this same John the Baptist: "He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. ... And he shall go forth before him in the spirit and power of Elias."[F26] This was the inward truth that Christ was trying to convey. He emphasized this vital spiritual truth on more than one occasion. He demonstrated to His disciples that a Messenger of God does not return in the flesh. It is the Holy Spirit that returns; but, through another channel, in another age, and with another outward name. "And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the Scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall come first, and restore all things. But I say unto you, that Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spoke unto them of John the Baptist."[F27]
Elias had come but they knew him not because he came in a way they did not expect or understand. Christ likewise they knew not because He, too, came in an unexpected manner. Christ would be rejected and slain, as was John, because He came in a manner contrary to the expectations of the people.[F28] Elias came; he was John the Baptist. The Messiah came; He was Jesus of Nazareth. The prophecies were symbolical. Christ warned His disciples that the same conditions would also be true in the day of His second coming. Elias returned in John the Baptist and was rejected. "Likewise shall also the Son of Man [Himself] suffer of them," Christ warned.
When He returned in the promised Messiah in 1844, He was also rejected in spite of the overwhelming proofs; in spite of His own direct promise of the hour of His coming and His warning that man would need to have spiritual "eyes that see." "When ye shall see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the Prophet," Christ warned, "stand ye in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand)." Christ's last words show that His return would not be clear to outward vision or understanding. He says: "Whoso readeth, let him understand." He will return in the Christ-spirit, but not as Jesus of Nazareth. Man must look for the same Holy Spirit in a new physical identity.
Christ is here once again repeating the warning about His own second coming which He gave to His disciples about the return of Elias in John the Baptist: "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear."
1. The three direct promises of Christ giving the time of His return, all pointed to the year 1844.
2.
The
holy Scripture of the Christians, Jews and Muslims gave the place:
3. Christ Himself unmistakably gave the manner of His return; not in the flesh, but in the spirit.
But only Almighty God could give mankind the "eyes
to
see" and the "ears to hear." These proofs which make it possible
for everyone to understand the Holy Scripture could not have been given
to
mankind in such detail until the time of Christ's return. Until the
hour of His
appearance in 1844 in
This was yet another prophecy from the pen of the same Prophet, Daniel. The words came to him in a vision. "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end.
" Daniel, still not satisfied, pressed for an answer to the meaning of the visions: "Then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And He said, Go thy way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end."[F29]
This much was clear. No one would be able to discover the meaning of the words until after the return of the Spirit of Christ in the new Messiah in the last days. Isaiah reinforces this truth: "And the vision of all is become unto you as the words of the book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is learned, saying, read this I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot for it is sealed."[F30] These seals would not be opened by Christ in His first coming, but only in His second. Leaders of the early Christians understood this:
"Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will bring to light the hidden things of darkness. ..."[F31]
The Apostle Peter left this clear warning about trying to interpret the prophecies before the day of Christ's return:
"We have also a more sure word of prophecy ... that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but the holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost."[F32]
It was written of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h early in this century that His teachings "are the keys to all doors. Every hidden secret will become discovered and every hidden secret will become manifest and apparent."[F33]
With the coming of the Bah¨¢'¨ª Faith in 1844, the
Books were
at last opened. Mankind was once again faced with that same great
spiritual
challenge: To accept or reject the Messiah. His "throne" had been set
in "
From the pen of the new Messiah were to come explanations of the hidden meanings of the prophecies in all the holy Scriptures of the world. This, too, had been foretold in the Revelation of St. John:
"In the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain. ... And they sung a new song, saying Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof."[F34]
Even Daniel, who said the books were sealed until the time of the end, saw another vision of the "last days" in which the books would be opened by the new Messiah:
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set and the books were opened."
Speaking further of his great vision, following the opening of the books, Daniel says that he saw:
"The Ancient of Days ... and there was given him dominion and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."[F35]
This is the story behind the great search for the promised One undertaken by Shaykh Ahmad, Siyyid Kazim, Mulla Husayn, Quddus, Tahirih, Vahid, and those holy souls who were so much like the disciples of Christ in His day. Now at last the books were opened and the truth revealed:
1.
Christ
would appear in
2. Christ would return in the year 1844.
3. Christ would return not in the flesh, but with the same Holy Spirit in a new identity.
In order that this last truth of the three might never be misunderstood, repeated promises were given throughout the Bible that in the last days the Messiah would come with a "new name." It was also promised that His followers would be called by a "new name."
1. "Thou shalt be called by a new name."
2. "The Lord God shall ... call his servants by another name."[F36]
3. "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receives it."
Only those that had the "eyes to see" and the "ears to hear" would receive the name and know it. In the very chapter in which Christ revealed to John, "If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I come upon thee," a new name for His new followers is promised yet again. Christ counsels His followers to be prepared to cast aside all they hold dear at the time of His second coming, just as they had been forced to cast it aside in the day of His first coming. He makes it plain that His second coming will not be according to the beliefs, standards, or expectations of any man. He warns each individual that he must search for himself, must be alert, must look with an "inner eye."
In this final book of Christian Scripture (Revelation), Christ says: "Blessed is he that watcheth." It is chapter eleven of the final book of Christian Scripture which so clearly prophesied that the "times of the Gentiles" would be fulfilled by the year 1844. This was the hour (1844) when Christ Himself promised: "Then shall they see the Son of man coming." There is no subject spoken of more frequently or with more power in the New Testament than that of the Return of Christ. It is mentioned repeatedly on innumerable occasions. Christ says clearly, time after time:
1. "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you."
2. "And behold I come quickly."
3. "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of the Father."
4. "I go away but come again unto you."
5. ""And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come again."
Because mankind has failed to understand the symbolical fulfillment of Christ's return, he has been forced to abandon it and consider it a mistake; and teach some other doctrine concerning His coming. Yet, it is easy to understand why such a millennial zeal should have held the world in its grasp when we realize that the following references are but some of Christ's own promises of His coming: Matthew, chapters 16, 24, 25 and 26. Mark, chapters 8 and 13. Luke, chapters 12 and 21. Acts, chapter 1. I Corinthians, chapters 4 and 15. I Thessalonians, chapters 1, 4 and 5. II Peter, chapters 1 and 3.
In the second and thirds chapters of Revelation, chapters filled with the promise of Christ's second coming, and laden with warnings that it will require a spiritual ear to hear and to understand the manner of His coming, the "new name" for His followers is mentioned for the final time in Christian Scripture.
In these chapters, Christ speaks of the
NOTE TWO
Every Prophet has been called false by his own generation. This was true of Jesus. He was considered a "false prophet."
"And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said he is a good man; others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people."[F1]
A famous philosopher named Celsus in the second century compiled an entire volume filled with terrible libels about Christ and His followers. Porphyry, one of the greatest of the Platonic philosophers, wrote a large book against Christ and the Christians, quoting the many abusive attacks against Jesus which were prevalent among the leaders and the masses. The book was later burned by order of Sydocius and Dovalantius, two Christian emperors, who after the passing of time lauded and defended Christ Whom the people of that same land had once called false and had despised.
James Murdock in his History of the Church quotes
one of the
great scholar-emperors of
The emperor Julian, who denied his faith in Christ, said the Christians were the "enemies of the world of humanity." Even hundreds of years after His crucifixion, Christ was called a false prophet by the leaders and people of the world. Most people could not believe that Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled the prophecies about the coming Messiah which said:
1. He (the Messiah) will sit upon the throne of David. (Where was his throne?)
2.
3. He will rule with a sword. (He didn't even have a staff, let alone a sword.)
4.
He
will come from an unknown place. (Did not this Jesus come from
How then could this (Jesus) be the Messiah? When it was explained to the people of that time that all these prophecies had been fulfilled "inwardly" not "outwardly," symbolically and not literally, they refused to believe it. Some of Christ's own followers denied Him because they couldn't fully accept His teachings. They turned away from Him and considered Him to be a "false prophet." "From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him."[F2]
Whenever a Messenger of God appears, such as
In the twenty fourth chapter of Matthew, in which Christ so clearly foretold His own return in 1844, we also find one of His strongest warnings about the last days and false prophets: "Then if any man should say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; inasmuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. "[F3] But Jesus prophecies the coming of not one, but of many false Christs and false prophets.
He points out that they will work such astonishing wonders that they will deceive even the elect -- His own followers, the Christians. There are "false prophets" who deceive many of the "elect" in every age. These false prophets do not always appear in the guise of religion. There is the "false prophet" who teaches that there is no God at all -- atheism. The coming of this last "false prophet," disbelief in God, was plainly foretold in both the Old and the New Testament for the "time of the end":
1. "That day [the return of Christ] shall not come except there come a falling away first. ..."[F4]
2. "There shall be false teachers ... who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them. ... And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of."[F5] The prophet Amos, who foretold which such startling clarity that the "sun would be darkened at noon," (in the hour of the B¨¢b's martyrdom) also prophesied that it should be a day of disbelief in God and a day of great "falling away" from religion:
3. "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord. And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro, to seek the Word of the Lord, and shall not find it."[F6]
4. "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days, scoffers walking after their own lusts, And saying: Where is the promise of His coming?"[F7]
In the hour of Christ's crucifixion, the
"scoffers" who considered Him a "false prophet" were many,
those who believed in Him were few. One of His chosen disciples had
betrayed
Him for money, another had denied Him three times. When His enemies
came
against Him in the
Thus, Jesus warned all future humanity through His followers: "And what I say unto, I say unto all, Watch!"[F9] In the twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew where we hear Christ foretelling the hour of His return (1844), He once again cautions His followers not to misread the signs of His coming and thus be misled into error:
"But if that evil servant shall say in his heart My Lord delayed His coming [and thus not expecting Him, shall deny Him], and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken [become material-minded]; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder and appoint his portion with the hypocrites!"[F10]
Christ, Himself, Who warned His followers to beware of "false prophets," gave humanit6y a measuring rod by which it is possible to judge every prophet and thus be sure of the truth. He provided an unerring standard by which every person can determine for himself whether a prophet is "true" or "false." This standard is found in the seventh chapter of Matthew. We find that in this one chapter Christ gave both the warning to beware of false prophets, and supplied the method by which to judge them.
"Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. ... Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."[F11]
Judge the prophet by his fruits. This is a sound basis for judgement. It is the measure established by Christ Himself. Therefore, let us judge Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h by the standard given by Christ. Let us test the fruits of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's tree, for Christ has promised us that if the "fruit" is good, the tree is good, and the prophet true. Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h wrote over a hundred volumes. Here it is possible to mention but a few of His teachings, and in the briefest manner. It is like trying to capture the ocean in a cup. The following are "fruits" from the tree of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h upon subjects which are nearest to the heart of every man, and most vital to his welfare:
1. his home and family,
2. his country,
3. his religion, and
4. his individual self. The first "fruit" we shall test is that relating to man's home and family:
1. HOME AND FAMILY Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h calls upon all mankind to honor the sanctity of marriage. The bond between husband and wife must be upon a spiritual as well as a physical foundation. It must be a happy and lasting union, for the family is the basis of society. The Bah¨¢'¨ª law on marriage is that man must have but one wife (monogamy). If a man already has more than one wife, he does not give up any, but he can take no more. Thus an injustice or upheaval will not be caused in those lands where plural marriages are acceptable, but gradually by the application of this law, monogamy will be the rule everywhere. Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h calls upon all men and women to marry so that children may be raised up who can honor the name of God and render service to mankind. It is obligatory to educate the children and they must be educated and given moral as well as scientific training.
2. MAN'S COUNTRY Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's teachings state clearly that it is the "unquestioned duty of every one of His followers to demonstrate their loyalty and obedience to their respective governments." His teachings say, even more specifically: "According to the direct and sacred command of God we are forbidden to utter slander, and are commanded to show forth peace and amity, and are exhorted to rectitude of conduct, straightforwardness and harmony with all the kindreds and peoples of the world."[F12] Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's followers are instructed to consider disloyalty unto a just government as disloyalty to God Himself. It is the sacred obligation of Bah¨¢'¨ªs to "promote, in the most effective manner, the best interests of their government and people."[F13] This is another "fruit" from the tree of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h by which you may judge whether He is a true or false prophet.
3. MAN'S RELIGION Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h teaches that just as there is only one God, there is also only one religion. All the great Prophets have taught this same one religion. There is no exclusive salvation for the Hindu, the Jew, the Zoroastrian, the Buddhist, the Christian, the Muslim, or the Bah¨¢'¨ª. All these pure and holy Faiths are part of the one eternal religion of God which goes on for ever.
No religion is the one exclusive faith, or the final outpouring of truth from Almighty God. Each religion is true, is beautiful, is valid for the age in which it appears. It is the only truth for that particular age, yet it is but one part of the single, great, progressive, never-ending religion of God. The Word of God is one though the Speakers (Messengers) are many.
The Bah¨¢'¨ª teachings point out that the growth of
religion
is like the growth of a tree. In
the teaching of
Because men failed to recognize and understand the oneness, the great religions have developed an enmity for each other. The Founders were united in love, but the followers became divided in hate. One step is not greater than another. All are necessary. Each stage is the fulfillment of the one that went before. No step is exclusive; no stage is final, not even the stage of the "fruit." The "fruit" is the fulfillment of the "seed"; it is the end of a cycle; but from that "fruit" will come the seed of another great cycle.
"The Religion of God," Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h declares, "is for the sake of love and union; make it not the cause of enmity and conflict."[F14]
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h was exiled like Abraham, stoned like
Moses, and
scourged like Jesus. For nearly half a century Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h underwent
imprisonment and exile, during which He was poisoned, beaten, chained
in a
dungeon, and subject to the most brutal and continuous indignities. In
the
depths of His suffering, He again pointed out the oneness of His own
"If ye be intent on crucifying once again Jesus, the Spirit of God, put Me to death, for He hath once more, in My person, been made manifest unto you."[F15]
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h
commands His followers to "consort with the followers of all religions
in
a spirit of friendliness and fellowship."[F16] Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h upholds the
basic teachings of Christ, Moses, Muhammad,
"Truly I say," Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h tells us, "whatever lowers the lofty station of religion will increase heedlessness in the wicked. ... O people of God! Be not occupied with yourselves. Be intent on the betterment of the world and the training of the nations."[F17]
This is yet another "fruit" taken from the tree of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's teachings by which you may judge whether He is a true or false prophet.
4. MAN'S INDIVIDUAL LIFE
The reason a Prophet (Messenger) comes to earth, Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h says, is "to educate the souls of men, and to refine the character of every living man. ..."[F18] "The essence of faith," Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h counsels, "is fewness of words and abundance of deeds. ..."
"Beware, O people of Baha, lest ye walk in the ways of them whose words differ from their deeds."
"Let your acts be a guide to all mankind. ... It is through your deeds that ye can distinguish yourselves from others. Through them the brightness of your life can be shed upon the whole earth."
"The most vital duty, in this day, is to purify your characters, to correct your manners, and improve your conduct," Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h proclaims. "The beloved of the Merciful must show forth such character and conduct among His creatures, that the fragrance of their holiness may be shed upon the whole world. ..."
"A good character is, verily, the best mantle for men. ... The light of a good character surpasses the light of the sun. ... Upon this the honor and glory of the world are based and are dependent. ..."
"Trustworthiness ... is the door to the security and tranquility of mankind."[F19]
Throughout Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's Teachings, such additional counsels on individual behavior as these are found:
"Do not be content with showing friendship in words alone, let your heart burn with loving kindness for all who may cross your path."[F20]
"... show the utmost kindness and compassion to the sick and suffering. This has greater effect than the remedy itself. You must always have this thought of love and affection when you visit the ailing and afflicted."[F21]
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h has given the following standard of conduct for all His followers:
"Be generous in prosperity, and thankful in adversity. Be worthy of the trust of thy neighbor, and look upon him with a bright and friendly face. Be a treasure to the poor, ... an answer to the cry of the needy. ... Be unjust to no man. ... Be as a lamp unto them that walk in darkness, a joy to the sorrowful, a sea for the thirsty, a haven for the distressed, an upholder and defender of the victim of oppression. ... Be a home for the stranger, a balm to the suffering, a tower of strength for the fugitive. Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light unto the feet of the erring. ... a breath of life to the body of mankind. ..."[F22]
This is another "fruit" taken from the tree of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h. Christ said "by their fruits ye will know them." These will help you to decide whether Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h is a true or false prophet. The following final "fruits" are but a few of the Teachings taken from this vast reservoir which Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h has left to humanity:
1. Each individual shall make his own independent search after truth. The Teachings of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h say: "The greatest gift of God to man is his intelligence." Each individual should investigate spiritual truth for himself. He can, and should, learn from the knowledge and efforts of others, but he should not accept their findings as the final truth for himself without a personal investigation. Each person is individually responsible for the relationship between himself and God. Only a sincere individual search can bring about a just decision. This is a "fruit" from the tree of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's Teachings.
2. Men and women should enjoy equal rights, privileges, education, and opportunities throughout the world. Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h attached great importance to this principle. His teachings emphasize the fact that this the mother is the teacher of the child during its early and formative years, it is most necessary that she have a good education. The universal education which Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h advocates would give an equal position to boys and girls, men and women. When the station of woman is elevated until it is co-equal to that of man everywhere in the entire world, the stability and wholesomeness of social affairs throughout the world will be greatly improved. This is also a "fruit" from Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's tree.
3. Education must be available to all.
No one should be deprived of an opportunity for education, Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's teachings explain. Nor must anyone be permitted to deprive himself of an education. Education must be compulsory up to a certain age.
"To acquire knowledge is incumbent on all," Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h declares, "but of those sciences which may profit the people of the earth. ... The possessors of sciences and arts have a great right among the people of the world. ... Indeed, the real treasury of man is his knowledge. Knowledge is the means of honor, prosperity, joy, gladness, happiness and exaltation."[F23]
This is another "fruit."
4. An international language must be taught throughout the world in addition to the mother-tongue. Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h has instructed that a universal language must be fashioned or adopted from one of the existing languages. This will greatly aid commerce and will break down the barriers of misunderstandings among peoples. This language would be an international auxiliary language. Each land would keep the beauty and charm of its own mother-tongue, but would learn in addition an international auxiliary language.
"... my determination is to gather the nations. ... For then will I turn to the people a pure language that they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent."[F24]
This, too, is a "fruit" from the Teachings of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h. tree.
5. Religion must agree with science and reason. In a world society such as that foretold by Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h, "science and religion, the two most potent forces in human life, will be reconciled, will cooperate, and will harmoniously develop."[F25] This is a "fruit" upon Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's tree.
6. All men are the children of one Father, God, and are the brothers and sisters of one human family. However great the conqueror may be, he is finally entombed, possessionless. He keeps but one small plot of earth for his bones. Thus every warrior is interred. The earth belongs to God, and man is a tenant here for but a brief span. His greatest possession, next to love of God, is love for his fellow human beings. Prejudices of all kinds must be banished from the earth. In order to eliminate racial prejudice, it is essential to eliminate racial consciousness and to see all humanity as the children of one Father. "Lovers of mankind," His Teachings proclaim, are the superior people, of whatever country, color or creed they may be." This also is a "fruit" taken from Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's tree.
7. The soul is the essential part of every human being and lives forever. The most vital belief any man can possess, Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h assures us, and one which man cherishes most of all at the moment of death, is a belief in God and in the immortality of his own spirit. Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h repeatedly gives mankind comforting assurance upon this essential truth.*[3] After reading Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's words on this subject, man has great confidence in that inner prompting which tells him that he does indeed have an immortal soul. Many of the great scientific minds of our day substantiate these inner truths from their own research. They point out that matter itself is indestructible and has a form of immortality; therefore, how can the spirit be mortal? The eminent biologist C. C. Hurst writes, "Recent genetical research leads us to the inevitable conclusion that, in general, living genes are relatively immortal.[F26] Arthur H. Compton, Nobel Prize Winner for his work in physics, says: "... it is only fair to point out that science has found no cogent reason for supposing that what is of importance in a man can be buried in a grave."[F27] Dr. Compton says in yet another place, "Biologically speaking, life, whether it be an apple seed or the germ cell of a man, is essentially continuous and eternal ... May we not also logically say that continuity of consciousness, mind or soul may be presumed from the essential eternality of the germ cell?"[F28] This is another "fruit" of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h by which you may judge Him.
8. Prayer is both a blessing and an obligation. Prayer brings healing to the soul. It brings joy and happiness, and protects man from tests and difficulties. It is essential to the life of the spirit. Just as the physical body must have food each day, so does the soul need food each day. Prayer is the spiritual food of the soul. A physical body which is not fed regularly becomes emaciated from malnutrition. It sickens and dies. The same is true of the soul of man. This spirit must be fed regularly and well, or it will suffer the same loss of power. It too, will sicken. While it never dies, it becomes so helpless that it exists in a form of death. For example, if a man lets his arm hang at his side without ever using it, soon the power to move the arm vanishes. The arm has become atrophied and useless. A man's soul without the nourishment of regular prayer also becomes atrophied and useless. Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h has left a rich legacy of beautiful, uplifting prayers. However, His Faith instructs man to remember that prayer is by no means limited to the use of these prayers. Work itself, Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h says, is worship. One's daily work when done in the spirit of service to mankind, and performed to the best of one's ability, is prayer of the finest kind. "We have made this -- your occupation -- identical with the worship of God," Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h has written.[F29] He teaches that one's whole life should be a prayer. Every thought, word or deed devoted to the good of one's fellow-man is a prayer in the truest sense of the word.
By means of these principles and laws, Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h has laid the foundation for a united world, so that the prophecies of Scripture might be fulfilled and there might come that promised day of "one fold and one shepherd." Nearly a century ago, Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h proclaimed the essential need for the establishment of a universal House of Justice which would be dedicated to preserving the welfare of all men upon the planet. It would protect both great and small nations. It would guarantee the rights of individuals.
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h addressed the Rulers and Kings of the
earth,
warning them of the dire consequences which would follow if they failed
to raise
up such a structure. Without it, He told them, disaster would come upon
the
world. This world organization envisioned by Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h would have a
world
parliament which would be democratically elected. It would have a world
metropolis, an international police force, and a world tribunal or
court. It
would not be dedicated to the West or the East; it would not favor the
light or
the dark; it would not prefer the Jew or the Gentile. This world
organization
would be dedicated to one purpose only: the welfare of the entire human
race.
This great universal body would establish a common system of weights
and
measures and a common currency. It would develop all of the world's
natural resources
and would regulate markets so that "have not" nations would no longer
exist. It would eliminate the extremes of poverty and wealth without
destroying
the natural degrees of difference which talent and initiative create.
It would
further an international auxiliary language. In short, it would take
all the steps
necessary to bring about a peace-loving, progressive, prosperous human
family.
Professor Edward G. Browne of the
"The face of him on whom I gazed I can never forget, though I cannot describe it. Those piercing eyes seemed to read one's very soul; power and authority sat on that ample brow. ... No need to ask in whose presence I stood, as I bowed myself before one who is the object of a devotion and love which kings might envy and emperors sigh for in vain! "A mild dignified voice bade me be seated, and then continued: 'Thou hast come to see a prisoner and an exile. ... We desire but the good of the world and the happiness of nations. ... That all nations should become one in faith and all men as brothers; that the bonds of affection and unity between the sons of men should be strengthened; that diversity of religion should cease, and differences of race be annulled. ... These strifes and this bloodshed and discord must cease, and all men be as one kindred and one family. ... Let not a man glory in this, that he loves his country; let him rather glory in this, that he loves his kind. ...' "Such, so far as I can recall them, were the words which, besides many others, I heard from Baha. Let those who read them consider well with themselves whether such doctrines merit death and bonds, and whether the world is more likely to gain or lose by their diffusion."[F30]
These are some of the "fruits" from the tree of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h. Christ said: "By their fruits shall ye know them." The responsibility of deciding whether or not Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h is a true prophet now rests with you.
NOTE THREE
It is said in Scripture and Tradition that at the
time of
the birth or announcement of every Messenger of God, a star or a sign
appears
in the heavens. Nimrod was warned of the star that told of the coming
of
Abraham. The soothsayers warned Pharaoh of the star in the heavens that
foretold the coming of Moses. The Magi informed Herod of the new star
that guided
them to the throne of the "spiritual king," Jesus. The same legend is
told of Buddha, Zoroaster, Muhammad and
Some of us know the story of the great comet of 1843which foreshadowed the coming of the B¨¢b. Sir James Jeans, late British astronomer and mathematician, stated in his book Through Space and Time, "oddly enough, many of the most conspicuous appearances of comets seem to have coincided with, or perhaps just anticipated, important events in history."[F1] One of the most unique stories of a comet is that told of the period during which the B¨¢b and Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h were engaging correspondence, and during which the B¨¢b was preparing His followers for the appearance of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h. This story was told in the stars as well as on the earth. In 1845 a comet appeared soon after the one in 1843. It was called Rela's Comet. It seemed to be an ordinary comet, in a year in which some 300 comets had appeared, and it had appeared many times before in the past. In 1846 it was still visible.
At this period in its history, it became one of
the unique
comets of all time. It was now entering into the last dramatic moments
of its
life. The Encyclopedia
History shows that there had been other binary (twin comets) but Rela's was one of the most unusual. Sir James Jeans wrote of this same comet, saying: "The most interesting story is that of Rela's comet which broke in two while under observation in 1846." The comet then disappeared. It returned in August, 1852. This was the very month and the very year in which Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h was cast into an underground prison in Tihran. This was the year 1269 of the calendar of Islam. It was also exactly the ninth year after the B¨¢b's Declaration to Mulla Husayn in the year 1260. The Bab had prophesied: "Ere nine years have elapsed" the Promised One of all ages and religions will come.¡±
It was but a few weeks later, in that same prison,
that
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's
"Late in August, 1852, the larger portion again came into view; and three weeks later the smaller one, now much fainter than its former companion was seen about 1,500,000 miles in the lead."
Sir James Jeans confirms this: "Six years later [1852], when the comet's orbit again brought it near to the sun, two pieces were observed to be one and a half million miles apart." Of that hour when the twin-comets rode the skies above His prison, Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h has written:
"I was but a man like others, asleep upon my couch, when lo, the breezes of the All Glorious [God] were wafted over Me and taught Me the knowledge of all that hath been. This is not from Me, but from One Who is Almighty and All-knowing."[F3]
Following this twin-appearance, Sir James Jeans states, "neither of them has been seen in cometary form, but the place where they ought to be is occupied by a swarm of millions of meteors, known as the Andromedid meteors. Occasionally these meet the earth in its orbit, and make a grand meteoric display." The two comets were no longer separate comets, but were mingled in one great shower of light, just as the Faith of the B¨¢b and Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h are not separate but one in the light which they shed upon the earth.
NOTE FOUR
The B¨¢b was from the line of Bani-Hashim. Hashim was the great-grandfather of Muhammad.[F1] The B¨¢b was also a descendant of Abraham through Abraham's second wife, Hagar. The B¨¢b was of the seed of [Isma'il], and through him of the "seed of Abraham." When Abraham, as is related in the book of Genesis, said unto God: "O that Ishmael might live before Thee," God replied: "And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall be beget, and I will make of him a great nation."[F2]
Muhammad was a descendant of Isma'il. Through Muhammad the first concept of nationhood came into being. The first great "nation" was built upon His teachings. God's promise of Abraham that Isma'il would beget twelve princes was also fulfilled through Muhammad. These twelve princes were the twelve Imams, the spiritual leaders of Sh¨ª'ah Islam. In the holy traditions of Islam there is a prophecy which states that the twelfth of these princes (Imams) disappeared in the year 260, and that he would reappear in a thousand years -- in the year 1260 (1844).
This is the very year of the B¨¢b's announcement of His Mission. Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h was also descended from Abraham, through Abraham's third wife, Katurah. That historical record of the Bah¨¢'¨ª Faith, God Passes By, states: "He [Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h] derived His descent ... from Abraham (the Father of the Faithful) through his wife Katurah. ..."[F3]
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h was also descended from the great Prophet of Iran, Zoroaster, and in addition to the two Branches of Holiness mentioned above, Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h was also a descendant of Jesse. He is the "Branch" that "shall grow out of his roots" as promised by Isaiah. Likewise, He is the "rod" and the "ensign."
"In that day there
shall be a
root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it
shall the
Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious ... And he shall set up
an ensign
for the nations and shall assemble the outcasts of
This chapter of Isaiah refers to Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h. He
is the
"Branch" of Jesse who will assemble the outcasts of
The story in the Bible of the oneness of God began
with
Abraham's Father of the Faithful. Through the seed of Ismail came the
religion
of Muhammad and of the B¨¢b. Through the seed of Isaac came the religion
of
Moses and of Jesus. Abraham talked with God in the
Thus Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h fulfilled the words of Isaiah: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people. ..."[F5]
NOTE FIVE
The remains of the B¨¢b were destined to rest
eternally
within the shadow of His Beloved, Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h. Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h was driven
into exile
from His native
Throughout every step of His enforced exile, Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h knew the exact spot which held those holy remains. They were later removed from the shrine to the house of Haji Sulayman Khan in the Sar-Chashmih quarter of Tihran. They were then taken to the shrine of Imam-Zadih Masum, where they remained concealed until the year 1867-1868. A letter was received from Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h in exile directing the friends to transfer them without delay to another spot. This was done immediately, and proved to be providential as shortly after this the shrine was reconstructed.
The followers of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h continued to search for a safe suitable place. While they were on the road heading to Chashmih-'Ali, they came upon an abandoned and dilapidated school. That evening after dark the they deposited their precious burden within one of its walls, having first re-wrapt the remains in a silken shroud brought by them for that purpose. The next day they were alarmed to discover that their hiding place had been discovered.
They were afraid that their sacred charge might
fall into
the hands of enemies, so they carried the casket secretly through the
gate of
the city of
Word came instructing one of the followers to accept the Trust and to exercise the utmost secrecy as to its disposal. The casket containing the remains was buried beneath the floor of the inner sanctuary of the shrine of Imam-Zadih Zayd. It remained there, undetected, until it was necessary to move it again. The friend commissioned to undertake this task was informed of the exact location through a chart forwarded to him by Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h.
Under the instruction left by Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h, those
precious
remains were moved from house to house, from hiding-place to
hiding-place until
the year 1899. In that year, 'Abdu'l-Bah¨¢ instructed Mirza Asadu'llah,
together with a number of other
believers, to transfer them by the way of
Finally, in the year 1909, the Tomb of the B¨¢b on
the side
of
'Abdu'l-Bah¨¢ announced the news of this glorious victory to the followers of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h:
"The most joyful
tidings is
this, that the holy, the luminous body of the B¨¢b ... after having for
sixty
years been transferred from place to place ... and having known neither
rest
nor tranquility has, through the mercy of the Abha Beauty, been
ceremoniously
deposited on the day of Naw-Ruz [New Year], within the sacred casket,
on the
exalted Shrine on
Today His beautiful Shrine and the terraces
leading to it
are illumined at night and can be seen for miles. The B¨¢b was denied
even a
candle in the
Thus, at last, the remains of the B¨¢b were
interred in
NOTE SIX
One of the most dramatic stories of the coming of
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h, and His fulfillment of prophecy, is that told in the Book
of
Micah. Micah foretold: first, that the world would be disillusioned in
that
day, and that its only hope would be to await the coming of God's
Messenger;
second, that He would come from
"The good man is perished out of the earth; and there is none upright among them: they all lie in wait for blood; they hunt every man his brother with a net ... they do evil with both hands ... the best of them is a brier; the most upright is sharper than a thornhedge. ..."[F1]
That man's hope would lie in the coming of God's Messenger, he expressed in these words: "Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. ... Then she that is my enemy shall see it, and shame shall cover her which said unto me, Where is the Lord thy God?" ... "He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold His righteousness."[F2]
Of the birth of the
"Be in pain, and labor
to
bring forth, O daughter of
That the promised Redeemer would come and dwell in
"Feed thy people with
thy rod,
the flock of thine heritage, which dwell solitarily in the wood in the
midst of
The manner of His coming, and each step along His
path to
"In that day also he
shall
come even to thee from
The exact number
of years during which the
"According to the days
of thy
coming out of the
These startling and prophetic words were all fulfilled by Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h in the following manner:
1.
He
was born in
2.
He
was driven in exile to
3.
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h
withdrew out of the city into the fields and mountains, as Christ had
gone into
the desert. After a period of prayer and meditation, He returned to
4.
He
came to the Holy Land and dwelt in the midst of
5.
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h
came from Assyria to
6.
From
the time Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's Mission began, until the day of His death in the
Holy
Land, exactly forty years elapsed, which was precisely "according to
the
days of thy [the Jews] coming out of the land of Egypt"; during these
forty years Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h poured out His teaching as Almighty God "shewed
Him marvelous things." Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h had come to
Soon the followers of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h came to this
arid, desert
land from far off places. They brought with them roses of every hue,
flowers,
plants, and fruit trees. It became a garden as the years passed, filled
with
colorful blossoms, the fragrance of orange and lemon trees, with the
brilliance
of the flaming pomegranate. even as Isaiah had visualized: "It shall
blossom abundantly and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of
The words of Isaiah echo like a chorus through the mountainside:
1. "The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall blossom as the rose."[F10]
2.
"The
glory of
These beautiful gardens and holy places which were
raised up
by the pen of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h lie on the north side of Mount Carmel,
looking across
the Bay of Haifa toward the white sands of 'Akk¨¢. Here on the north
side of the
mountain is being built all the future institutions of the Bah¨¢'¨ª Faith
at its
world center. This is the day and the place which David promised in his
Psalms
when he spoke of the
"... on the sides of the north, the city of the great King."[F12]
Ezekiel echoes the same promise given by Isaiah, Hosea, Micah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Zephaniah, Zechariah, and Malachi:
"And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like the noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. ... And the glory of the Lord came unto the house by way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east."[F13]
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h, Whose names means the Glory of the Lord, or the Glory of God, came to Israel from His homeland, Persia, which lies directly east of the Holy Land. His Herald, the B¨¢b, foretold His coming and prepared the way for Him. B¨¢b is a word which means the Gate. When Ezekiel had this vision of the last days, he said:
"I saw it were the appearance of fire. ... This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face. ..."[F14]
The people at the time of Christ denied Jesus
because they
said that Moses had talked with God. Christ was plainly inferior. No
station
could equal that of the Interlocutor: He Who talked with God. Now in
the time
of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h, the people deny Him, saying: Christ is the Son of God.
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h is plainly inferior. Nothing could equal the station of the
Son of
God. George Townshend, sometime Canon of St. Patrick's Cathedral,
"It has long been
generally
believed that Jesus Christ was a unique incarnation of God such as had
never
before appeared in the religious history. ... This tenet made the
acceptance of
any later Prophet impossible, to a Christian. Yet there is nothing in
Christ's
own statements, as recorded in the Gospel, to support this view, and it
was not
generally held during His lifetime. ... "In spite of Christ's promise
of
further revelation of Truth, through the Comforter, through His own
return,
through the Spirit of Truth, the Christian church regards His
revelation as
final, and itself as the sole trustee of this religion. There is no
room for
the Supreme Redeemer of the Bible to bring in great changes for the
establishment of the
Will Durant in The Age of Faith states that more Christians were killed by their fellow Christians during the dispute over the meaning of the Trinity than were slain during all the martyrdoms of Pagan Rome.
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h pointed to the words of Christ:
"For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father."[F15] The meaning of the station of the "Son" and that of the "Father" was explained by Christ Himself in beautiful and simple language in His parable of the Vineyard. In fact, the whole history of religion, Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's Teachings tell us, can be found in this one parable:
"A certain man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. And again he sent another; and him they killed and many others; beating some, and killing some. Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. And they took him and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others."[F16]
The meaning is this: The vineyard is the earth,
the man who
planted it is God, and the husbandmen to whom it was let out are the
people of
the earth, especially their leaders. The servant who was sent by God to
claim
the fruit was a Messenger or Prophet of God. The fruit He came to
gather was
the hearts of the people given in love for God and for their fellowman.
They
beat the Prophet (servant) and drove Him off. So God sent another
Prophet
(servant) unto the world (vineyard) to claim His right from His
creation. But
the people (husbandmen) stoned them, beat them, and killed them. Always
dealing
thus with God's Messengers. Finally the owner (God) sent his son
(Christ) into
the vineyard (earth) thinking surely they will honor Him and at last
know the
truth. But they crucified Him. Thereupon the owner (God) sent the Lord
of the
vineyard (Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h), representing the Father Himself into the
vineyard
(earth). His
This is the outward symbol of the inward truth explaining the meaning of a gradually unfolding religion, and of the station of the Son (Christ) and the Father (Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h). One is not greater than the Other. Both are equal. The fullness of Their Message depends upon the age and the receptivity of the people to whom They appear. Their purpose and spirit is one, Their love for Each other great.
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h has written:
"
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h was twice imprisoned in the land of
His birth,
NOTE SEVEN
All the Faiths of the world speak of a great "last day" when God will rule the earth and all the sheep will be gathered together into one flock. Christ Himself said: "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd."[F1] In the Book of Zechariah it is expressed in yet another way:
"And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day there shall be one Lord, and his name one."[F2]
Although the name of every prophet up until the present time has appeared in various forms in the different languages of the world, the name Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h is never spoken other than in this one form which is used throughout the earth. In speaking of the last day, the Book of Habbakuk states:
"For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."[F3]
The great American Negro educator, George
Washington Carver,
said that he believed that it was Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h of Whom Habbakuk spoke
when he
uttered these prophetic words. In NOTE ONE of this APPENDIX, we
mentioned
Leonard H. Kelber of
They arrived in 1863, the very year when in far
off
"And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem. ... And the city had no need of the sun ... for the Glory of God did lighten it."[F4]
At the time of the coming of the Bah¨¢'¨ª Faith, there were seven of the old revealed religions extant, with followers supporting them. This does not count philosophies and sects separately, such as were established by great reformers such as Confucius and Luther. These seven great historical religions are those with a Book, a Prophet, and an historical civilization. They were as follows:
1. Sabean: Prophet, unknown. Date -- 5,000 B.C.* [4]
2.
Hindu:
Prophet,
3. Jewish: Prophet, Moses. Date -- 1330 B.C.
4. Zoroastrian: Prophet, Zoroaster. Date -- 1,000 B.C.*
5. Buddhist: Prophet, Buddha. Date -- 560 B.C.
6. Christian: Prophet, Christ. Date -- 1 A.D.
7. Islamic: Prophet, Muhammad. Date -- 622 A.D.
From the first of these great religions, Sabeanism, to the last, Islam, there was a cycle of 5,000 years. During this period, each of these religions looked forward to the "last days," or "day," when their own Faith would have its final fulfillment. Each of these pure and holy religions was a step in the progressive unfolding of the one great religion of God, divine and indivisible.
These seven religions were spoken of by Isaiah in one of his prophesies, which was to be fulfilled in the day of the "one fold and one shepherd." Isaiah wrote:
"And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach."[F5]
With the coming of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h, each of these seven women (religions) do eat of their own bread and wear their own apparel. It is one of the principles of the Bah¨¢'¨ª Faith that the spiritual, or underlying truths, ("food" and "apparel") are the same in every religion. These inner truths are not altered. It is only the outer teachings which are changed according to the needs of the people in the day in which each new prophet appears. A basic teaching of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h is that the foundation of all religions is one. These "seven women" (religions) can take hold of "one man" (Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h) and accept Him, confident that they are losing none of the pure, beautiful truths upon which they were founded.
The same remarkable prophecy of Isaiah, which foretells the unity of all the great religions in the "last days," also gives the promise of a new name by which God's Faith will be known.
The prophecy says: "Let us be called by thy name," meaning the name of the new Prophet. Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h is the name of the Prophet. His followers are called Bah¨¢'¨ªs, meaning followers of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h, the "Glory of God." Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h is the Promised One of all religions. He fulfilled by His coming the promise given to each of these Faiths in their own sacred Scripture:[F6]
"To Israel He was neither more nor less than the incarnation of the 'Everlasting Father,' the 'Lord of Hosts' come down 'with ten thousand saints'; to Christendom, Christ returned 'in the glory of the Father'; to Sh¨ª'ah Islam, the return of the Imam Husayn; to Sunni Islam, the descent of the 'Spirit of God' (Jesus Christ); to the Zoroastrians, the promised Shah-Bahram; to the Hindus, the reincarnation of Krishna; to the Buddhists, the fifth Buddha."
Isaiah referred to Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h as: The "Glory of the Lord," the "Everlasting Father," the "Prince of Peace," the "Rod come forth out of the stem of Jesse," Who "shall judge among the nations," Who "shall assemble the outcasts of Israel." David sang of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h as the "Lord of Hosts" and the "King of Glory."
Daniel proclaimed His appearance as the "Day of the Lord." Malachi described it as "the great and dreadful day of the Lord" when "the Sun of Righteousness" will "arise, with healing in His wings."
To Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's coming, Zoroaster must have referred when He foretold a period of three thousand years of conflict which must precede the advent of the World-Saviour, Shah-Bahram, Who would "usher in an era of blessedness and peace." Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h alone is meant by the prophecy "attributed to Gautama Buddha, Himself, that 'a Buddha named Maitreye, the Buddha of universal fellowship' should, in the fullness of time, arise and reveal 'His boundless glory.'"
To Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h the Bhagavad-Gita of the Hindus referred, calling Him the "Most Great Spirit," the "Tenth Avatar," the "Immaculate Manifestation of Krishna."
To Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h, Jesus, the Christ, referred as the "Prince of this world," the "Comforter" Who will "reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement," the "Son of Man" Who "shall come in the glory of His Father," the "Lord of the Vineyard, "the "Spirit of Truth," Who "will guide you to all truth."
To Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h, Muhammad alluded in His Book as the "Great Announcement." He declared the Day of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h to be the Day whereon "God" will "come down" "overshadowed with clouds," the "Great Day," the "Last Day," the day "when the earth shall shine with the light of her Lord."
The Book of Revelation referred to Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h as
the
"Glory of God," as "Alpha and Omega," "the Beginning
and the End," "the First and the Last." To the hour of
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's appearance,
St. Peter spoke of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h's day as "the times of refreshing," the "times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all His holy Prophets since the world began." the Bab extolled Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h as the "Lord of the visible and invisible," "the Omnipotent Master," the "Essence of Being," the "sole Object of all previous Revelations, including the Revelation of the Q¨¢'im [the Bab] Himself."
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h is toe source of joy and thanksgiving to all the religions and Prophets who preceded Him. He is the seal of their labor, the fulfiller of their promises, the blessed object of all their hopes. He was indeed destined by the finger of God, to be the Author of the day of the "one fold and one shepherd." All the Books of the past which had been sealed were opened by Him, and their truth made clear to men. In that historical record of the Bah¨¢'¨ª Faith, God Passes By, written by Shoghi Effendi, the first Guardian of the Bah¨¢'¨ª Faith, and great-grandson of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h, it is stated:
"Foremost among the
priceless
treasures cast forth from the billowing
"The Word of God hath set the heart of the world afire," Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h proclaims; "how regrettable if ye fail to be enkindled by its flame!"[F8]
Linking His own Faith forever with that of Christ, Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h wrote movingly: "O Bethlehem! ... Tell Me then: Do the sons recognize the Father, and acknowledge Him, or do they deny Him, even as the people aforetime denied Him (Jesus)?"[F9]
The Pen of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h has called out to all mankind to have "eyes that will see" and "ears that will hear" in this day. To the question: "Have the verses been sent down?" He answers, "Say: 'Yea, by Him Who is the Lord of the heavens!' 'Hath the Hour come?' 'Nay, more; it hath passed. ... He, the True One, hath appeared with proof and testimony. ...'"[F10]
"We, in truth, have opened unto you the gates of the Kingdom," Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h calls out. "Will ye bar the doors of your houses in My face?"[F11]
Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h calls to the "pure in heart" who are seeking for the healing Word of God: "I bear witness, O friends! that the favor is complete, the argument fulfilled, the proof manifest and the evidence established. Let it now be seen what your endeavors in the path of detachment will reveal."[F12] "He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear."
EPILOGUE
"Let no one, while this system is still in its infancy, misconceive its character, belittle its significance or misrepresent its purpose. ... The source from which it derives its inspiration is no one less than Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h Himself [God's Messenger for this day]. ... Its seed is the blood of no less than twenty thousand martyrs who have offered up their lives that it may be born and flourish."
Unlike the religion of Christ, unlike all the religions of the past, the followers of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h in every land, "wherever they labor and toil, have before them in clear, in unequivocal and emphatic language, all the laws, the regulations, the principles, the institutions, the guidance, they require for the prosecution and consummation of their task. .. Therein lies the strength in the unity of the [Bah¨¢'¨ª] Faith ... that claims not to destroy or belittle previous Revelations, but to connect, unify and fulfill them."
"The Call of God when raised, breathed a new life into the body of mankind," said 'Abdu'l-Bah¨¢, "and infused a new spirit into the whole creation. It is for this reason that the world hath been moved to its depths, and the hearts and consciences of men been quickened. Erelong the evidences of this regeneration will be revealed, and the fast asleep will be awakened."[F1]
Since the day that 'Abdu'l-Bah¨¢, the son of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h, spoke these words, Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian of the Faith, executed and carried out a world-wide teaching plan during which, up to 1959, Bah¨¢'¨ª literature was translated into two hundred and forty-four languages. Bah¨¢'¨ª schools, National Headquarters, and properties are to be found in every continent. The National Assemblies of the Bah¨¢'¨ª Faith have been given legal recognition by the leading countries of the world. The Bah¨¢'¨ª Faith has been recognized as one of the non-governmental agencies attached to the United Nations.
The world center
of the
Bah¨¢'¨ª Faith is in
"
The magnificent Bah¨¢'¨ª gardens, Shrines and holy
places are
a center of beauty and pilgrimage which attract Bah¨¢'¨ªs and visitors
from all
parts of the earth. Bah¨¢'¨ª
"For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord [Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h], as the waters cover the sea." (2:14)
[See http://www.homestead.com/watsongregory/files/CivilProgress.pps ]
Great figures from all walks of life have paid tribute to this young, encouraging, uplifting religion. [Also see: http://www.homestead.com/watsongregory/files/tributes_ps.html ]
"The time fore-ordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures have all been fulfilled." "The Lord is come in His great glory!" "He, verily, is the One Whom ye were promised in the Books of God. ... How long will ye wander in the wilderness of heedlessness and superstition. Turn your hearts in the direction of your Lord, the Forgiving, the Generous."
"Every Prophet hath announced the coming of this day ... This Day is God's Day! ... Happy is he who hath renounced this world, and clung to Him. ..."
"Bestir yourselves, O people, ... for the promised hour is now come. Beware lest ye fail to apprehend its import.
..." "Night hath succeeded day, and day hath succeeded night, and the hours and moments of your lives have come and gone, yet none of you hath, for one instant, contented to detach yourself from that which perisheth. Bestir yourselves, that the brief moments that are still yours may not be dissipated and lost. Even as the swiftness of lightning your days shall pass, and your bodies shall be laid to rest beneath a canopy of dust. What can ye then achieve? How can ye atone for your past failure?"
"He Who is the Everlasting Father calleth aloud between earth and heaven. Blessed the ear that hath heard, and the eye that hath seen, and the heart that hath turned unto Him ... "This is that which the Son (Jesus) hath decreed." -- Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h
(William Sears, Release the Sun, p. 189-231)
[1] *This famous scholar discovered the Bah¨¢'¨ª Faith in his studies, and wrote saying that when "modern scholars and statesmen speak of World government, Social Security, an International language, international police force, the United Nations, etc., they are merely ringing the changes of truths set down by Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h in everlasting language nearly a century ago."
[2] For a further explanation, see Some Answered Questions, pp. 43-52.
[3] Read: Gleanings from the Writings of Bah¨¢'u'll¨¢h, The Hidden Words, Reality of Man, Life after Death, The Bah¨¢'¨ª World Faith, Some Answered Questions.
[4] *Date is approximate, as authorities differ.