THE BAHÁ'Í FAITH IN PROPHESY

 

By John MacCord

 

Incorporating elements from Dr. J.E. Esslemont's Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era, William Sears' "Thief in the Night" and others.

"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up."
- Peter 3:10

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Belief in The Advent

The early 1800's were fertile times for prophesy among Christian and Muslim scholars around the world. The West fervently believed that the time of the end-the Return of Christ-was at hand. The East believed equally fervently that the Return of Christ, as foretold by Muhammad, was near. Excited reports spread through the United States, Britain, Canada, Europe, Asia, even to Africa and Australia. People throughout those regions were strongly warned to prepare for the sudden appearance of Christ, the results of whose 'coming' promised to be either delightful or disastrous, depending on the teller.

Biblical scholars pointed to the years between 1843 and 1845 as the projected return. Henry James Foreman, in The Story of Prophesy (1936), writes that: "(S)o real was the hope of the Advent, people were actually taking the most violent measures for it. It was the nineteenth century, yet the shooting stars of the year 1833, and the parahelia, or halo-like rings, around the sun in 1843, were objects of the most awesome speculation and discussion. The tail of the great comet of 1843 measured 108 million miles in length.... Whole families were engaged in making shrouds against that fateful day."

Other Religions

Through the Holy Books of the world's revealed religions (Judaism, Hinduism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islam) God has told mankind of the future. Speaking through His Manifestations (or Prophets) man has been told of the great wonders to behold in the last days. His vehicle has been prophesy and through His Holy Books He has also told man how to interpret prophecy. In Numbers1 God tells Moses and Aaron "After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bare your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise." Through Ezekiel2 God says "I have appointed thee each day for a year." When the Prophet speaks of "one day" the intended meaning is that of one year. Thus, a week is seven years, a month (based on the lunar calendar) is thirty years and a year or time is 360 years.

1844, the Year of The Advent

While the general time frame pictured by the students of the Bible was 1843-45, many chose to further narrow the gap to 1844. Why? This date had been chosen primarily because of three specific promises made by Christ Himself to His disciples. He gave these three promises, saying that when these three things came to pass, He would return to earth:

Christ's First Promise

His Gospel would be preached everywhere on earth.

The first promise had been fulfilled by the year 1844.

Christ's Second Promise

The "Times of the Gentiles" would be fulfilled, and the Jews would return to Israel.

The eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation had stated "And the Holy City (Jerusalem) shall they tread under foot for forty and two months" (1260 years). Obviously, subtracting 132 (the beginning year) from 1844 (the ending year) is 1,712 years. Far too many for the Biblical 1260 years (42 lunar months). To the Muslims go the honor of fulfilling this prophesy. The year 1844 CE is the year 1260 AH in the Muslim calendar. Muslims had enforced the law against Jewish residence more vigorously than had the Christians.

Christ's Third Promise

All mankind would see the 'abomination of desolation' foretold by the Prophet Daniel.

The first promise was fulfilled by the year 1844. The second promise was fulfilled in the year 1844 and the third was to be fulfilled in the year 1844. As another example of the exactitude of God's prophesies the first decree of Artaxerxes was signed on the 1st of Nisan in 457 BCE and the Edit of Toleration of the Sultan of Turkey was issued on the 1st of Nisan in 1844 CE, 2,300 years to the day.

One-Third of the Believers Cut Off

The Book of Revelation16 prophesies the return of Christ after one-third of the believers in Christ were cut off. The symbolic execution of this took place in 1453 when the Ottoman Turks conquered Constantinople and one-third of Christianity (the Greek Orthodox Church) was cut off from the remainder. The return is to take 'one hour, and a day, and a month, and a year' after that event (or one year plus thirty years plus 360 years or 391 years). By adding 391 to 1453 the year for the return of Christ becomes 1844.

Muslim Prophesies

The Christian and Muslim prophesies both converge on the year 1844 with astonishing accuracy. The Shi'ite Muslims are awaiting the return of the Hidden Imam in the year 1260 (1844) and Sunní Muslims associates the year 1260 AH with the return of the Spirit of Christ in the last days. The Shi'ite Imam Ja'far, when questioned concerning the year in which the Promised One would appear, replied, "verily, in the year sixty ('60 - 1260) His Cause shall be revealed, and His name shall be noised abroad." Other prophesies in Islam concerning this Advent are:

Again, the year 1260 AH corresponds to the year 1844 CE.

The Promise - Unfulfilled?

There seems no room for doubt that the hour had at last come upon the earth. Imagine the profound disappointment and disillusionment when Christ did not appear in the clouds of heaven with His angels, the trumpet did not sound, the dead did not arise from the grave, the stars did not fall from heaven, the sun did not suddenly go dark, the moon did not turn to blood.

Could it be that God had not fulfilled His own promises to mankind? Or had mankind misinterpreted the signs-looking for literal fulfillment and ignoring the numerous statements indicating that He would come as a thief in the night? All of the evidence still pointed to 1844 as the year of the second Advent, so the probability must be that man had not looked in the right places, that, instead of a fanfare of trumps sounded by the heavenly hosts over London, New York, Baghdad, Beijing, He had returned quietly and set out on His mission.

Finding the Unknown

How do you find someone whose identity you do not know, whose whereabouts is a mystery? Each race of mankind thought that the Messiah would be one of them. Each religion thought that He would be of their beliefs. Each thought that he would be called by the name He was formerly called. Christ had warned against those He called false prophets, who would use His name. Isaiah 62:2 says, "thou shalt be called by a new name," as the followers of Christ had been called Christians rather than Jews.

A New Name

Isaiah 65:15 clearly states that the followers of the Messiah of the last days will bear a different name. "The Lord God shall . . . call His servants by another name." Revelation17 confirms this prophesy of Isaiah concerning a new name for the followers of the Messiah of the last days - "To him that overcometh will 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 receiveth it."

"Him that overcometh18 will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name."

"He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels."19

"And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it; for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name."20

"He that hath an ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches."21

Earlier in Revelation 3:2-3, Christ tells St. John the Divine "Be watchful . . . if therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come upon thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know at what hour I will come upon thee."

Not According to the Expectations of Any Man

The evidence showed distinctly that His return would not be according to the beliefs, standards, or expectations of any man. Each individual is warned to search out the truth for himself, to be among those who 'overcome' the obstacles placed in their path. Each one must look with his own inner eye for the Messiah. In the second and third chapters of Revelation mankind is continually warned to be looking for the return of Christ with the spirit and not the outer trappings. But, not only is a new name called for but a new city, a new Jerusalem as well. The Jerusalem that is holy to three faiths would be replaced by a new city equally as holy. Unless a man could 'overcome' his preconceived ideas, his prejudices, and empty his cup of 'former things' he would not recognize the new name and the day of the 'one fold and the one shepherd'.

A New Jerusalem

In Isaiah 35:2 it is written “ . . . the excellency of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the Glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God." Later, Isaiah promises that God will raise up 'a righteous man from the east'. 22 and again, "And the Glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of God hath spoken it."23

One group among the millenarian scholars of 1844 was so certain that 'the Glory of God' would appear on the side of Mount Carmel, as foretold by Isaiah, that they sold all they owned and sailed for the Holy Land.

St. John the Divine, declares24 "And I John saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem . . . and the city had no need for the sun for the Glory of God did lighten it." Matthew said, 25 "For the Son of man shall come in the Glory of His Father." Christ promised this vision of the 'Glory of God' and this same vision was seen by St. John and Isaiah as well as Ezekiel (1:28). Chapter 12 of Daniel speaks of Prince Michael of Persia (Michael means 'one who is like God' in Hebrew) who will come in the last days.

The Glory of the Lord

Sufficient evidence has been uncovered to indicate that the title (or name) by which the Messiah would be known when He appeared would be "The Glory of the Lord." This would be the new name, just as Christ, 'the Anointed One' had been the old one.

Where will He be From?

If the year of the Second Advent can be found in the Bible, and the name or title of the Messiah can also be found-might not the Bible also disclose the place from where He will arise?

"I will wait for the God of my salvation26 . . . In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria." Assyria was a mighty empire in which the prophets Daniel and Micah lived. Its territory covered modern Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and parts of Turkey and Iran.

I have already mentioned Daniel's reference to Prince Michael of Persia, but there are other references to the east. Ezekiel says about the arrival of the Messiah in Jerusalem, "And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east."27 Christ was born in the south of Jerusalem and grew into adulthood in the north, traveled mainly in the west. So this reference could not be to him but must refer to another.
Isaiah said that it was God Himself Who had "raised up the righteous man from the east, called him to His foot, gave the nations before him and made him rule over kings."28 In Matthew Christ says of His own return, "For as the lightening cometh out of the east . . . so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be."29 Daniel30 gives Elam (now part of Iran) as the place of vision in the last days. Jeremiah says "And I will set my throne in Elam . . . saith the Lord."31

An Arab prophecy says, "When the promised One appears, the upholders of His faith shall be the people of Persia."

Zoroastrians believe that the Savior of the last days (Shah Bahram) will be Persian. The Buddha said that Amitabha (Glory of the Infinite), the fifth Buddha will come from the west.

East of Israel and Iraq (the lands of the Jewish prophets) and west of India (the land of the Buddha) lies Persia.

The Prophets of Israel and the writers of the New Testament have given adequate proof that the year will be 1844, the man will be called the Glory of God and that He will come from the country called Persia. These are only a few of the things that the Messiah of the last days must do to be the fulfillment of Prophesy.

Prophesies About His Time on Earth

The Bible makes many statements concerning the actions of the Glory of God and His time on earth.

1. He shall come from Persia.
2. He shall go to the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in the land of Babylon.
3. He shall withdraw from the city into the barren places as Christ had gone into the desert in the day of His first coming.
4. He shall openly proclaim His mission in Babylon [or its modern equivalent - Baghdad], and there He shall 'redeem' Israel and the world.
5. He shall come from the Tigris and Euphrates valley to the Holy Land, Israel, as Abraham had. He shall make the same journey from the land of the Chaldees to the promised land of Canaan.
6. He shall come from a fortified city to a fortified city on His journey to Israel.
7. He shall come out of the 'fortress' and journey to the freedom of the 'river'.
8. On His journey from the east to Israel He shall come from 'mountain to mountain'.
9. The land of Israel shall be desolate when He comes, but will later 'blossom as the rose'.
10. He shall dwell in the 'midst of Carmel' and from there He shall 'feed His flock' with His teachings.
11. His ministry on earth shall last for exactly 'forty years'.
12. He shall come to the valley of Achor [modern Acre or Akká] where He shall be found by those who 'have sought' him in the last days.
13. The place where His feet have walked in the Holy Land, Israel, shall 'be made glorious'.
14. The place of His 'rest' or 'sanctuary' or tomb shall become beautiful with trees, paths, and flowers.
15. He shall come from the 'seed' of Abraham.
16. He shall 'glorify' Christ in the day of His coming.
17. There shall be signs in the physical heavens in the day of His appearance.
18. He shall 'unseal the books' and explain their 'hidden meanings' so that all may understand.
19. He shall overthrow the power and thrones of wicked kings.
20. He shall set up a spiritual 'kingdom' in all parts of the world -the Kingdom foretold by Christ in His prayer "Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

The Báb

On 23rd May 1844 CE, in the city of Shiraz, Province of Fars, Persia, a young man, descendant of the Prophet Muhammad through both His father and mother, announced Himself to a young visitor that He was the Promised One of the Ages and that He was precursor to One even more powerful than Himself who would announce Himself ere 19 years had passed.

The First Telegram

On 24th May 1844 CE, in the City of Washington, Samuel F.B. Morse tapped out the first telegraph message - "What hath God wrought." The first words of the communications age.

Siyyid 'Alí-Muhammad

This young man of Shiraz was Siyyid 'Alí-Muhammad and He would be known to history as the Báb or Gate. The Báb said32 "verily I say, this is the Day spoken of by God in His Book . . . Ponder the words of Jesus addressed to His disciples, as He sent them forth . . . 'Ye are even as the fire which in the darkness of the night has been kindled upon the mountain top. Let your light shine before the eyes of men. Such must be the purity of your character and the degree of your renunciation, that the people of the earth may through you recognize and be drawn closer to the heavenly Father who is the Source of purity and grace."

"(V)erily I say, immensely exalted is this Day above the days of the Apostles of old. Nay, immeasurable is the difference! You are the witnesses of the Dawn of the promised Day of God . . . Scatter throughout the length and breadth of this land, and, with steadfast feet and sanctified hearts, prepare the way for His coming . . . Has he now established the ascendancy of Jesus, poor and lowly as He was in the eyes of men . . . Arise in His name, put your trust wholly in Him, and be assured of ultimate victory."33

Báb means Gate or Door and Christ has said in the Book of John, chapter 10, verses 2 through 16 "But he that enterest in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep . . . And other sheep have I which are not of this fold: them also must I bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd." The Báb was martyred by a Persian firing squad at noon on 9th July 1850, in the barracks square at Tabríz, Persia. During His brief ministry on earth the Báb had said "Look ye upon the Sun of Truth . . . This, verily, is the thing We promised thee . . . Wait thou until nine [years] will have elapsed . . . I am the first servant to believe in Him and in His signs."34 "Glorified art Thou, O my God! Bare thou witness that, through this Book, I have covenanted with all created things concerning the Mission of Him Whom Thou shalt make Manifest . . ."[the Messiah]. 35

One Fold and One Shepherd

In Tihrán, the capital of Persia, lived a young man (28 years old) named Mírzá Husayn-'Ali, called by His neighbors Bahá'u'lláh [the Glory of God], friend of the poor and the stranger. The word 'Mírzá' indicates a person of royal ancestry. In front of the name it shows descent from a former royal dynasty and at the end of the name as a member of the current royal dynasty. Thus His title shows Him as descendent of the ancient rulers of Persia-a prince. Husayn, His given name, is the Arabic equivalent of Michael. Prince Michael of Persia.

Bahá'u'lláh [the Glory of God]

Shortly after His declaration the Báb gave Mullah Husayn, the first person to believe in Him and the First Letter of the Living, a letter to carry to Tihrán. The Báb's instructions were that God would guide his feet to the person the letter was addressed to. The notation was to "Him Whom God Would Make Manifest". After prayer, fasting and meditation Mullah Husayn delivered the letter to Bahá'u'lláh-Who immediately accepted it.

"Seed" Of Abraham

An interesting prophesy concerning the Messiah of the Age is that He would be of the 'seed' of Abraham. In this Judeo-Christian world of ours most people know that Abraham had two wives -- Sarah and Hagar the Egyptian. Sarah became the mother of Isaac and the grandmother of Israel. Hagar was the mother of Ishmael, ancestor of the Arabs.

However, following the death of Sarah, Abraham took a third wife, Katurah.36 And Katurah had six sons. Before he died Abraham gave Katurah and her sons "gifts, and sent them away . . . unto the east country."37 The people of Mázindarán, living along the south coast of the Caspian Sea in northern Iran, have long claimed to be descendants of Abraham through Katurah.

Story of Bahá'u'lláh

Bahá'u'lláh was born in Mázindarán, as was the Persian prophet Zoroaster [whose priests, the three magi, blessed Christ at His birth with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh]. He was a descendent of Yazdigird, the last Zoroastrian king of Persia. In His ancestry He fulfilled the prophesies of Ezekiel, Isaiah, and Genesis concerning the blessings of God upon all the descendants of Abraham.

Ezekiel chapter 43, verse 4 says "And the Glory of the Lord came into the house by way of the Gate whose prospect is toward the east." Or, as it could also be rendered "And Bahá'u'lláh came into the house by way of the Báb, whose prospect is toward the east."

Receives His Revelation

In 1852 Bahá'u'lláh, along with other Bábí's [as followers of the Báb were called] was placed in prison in Tihrán by the Shah [or King] of Persia. While in prison God revealed to Him that He was the One Whom God would make manifest.

In 1853 He was exiled from Persia to Turkish Iraq and the City of Baghdád. While in Baghdád He spent two years living in the wilds of Kurdistan, meditating.

Finally, in 1863, the Persian Consul in Baghdád convinced the Governor to order Bahá'u'lláh away from Baghdád to the imperial court at Constantinople.

First Ridván

Adib Taherzadeh writes: 38  "The love and admiration of the people for Bahá'u'lláh was fully demonstrated on the day of His departure from His 'Most Great House' in Baghdad. Then His majesty and greatness were evident to both friend and foe. The news of His forthcoming departure for Constantinople had spread rapidly among the inhabitants of Baghdad and its neighboring towns, and large numbers wished to attain His presence and pay their last tributes to Him. But soon it became apparent that His house was too small for the purpose. When Najib Pasha, one of the notables of the city of Baghdád heard of this, he immediately placed his garden-park, Najíbiyyíh, at the disposal of Bahá'u'lláh. This beautiful garden, designated by His followers as the Garden of Ridván [Paradise], was situated on the outskirts of Baghdád, across the river from Bahá'u'lláh's house."

"Thirty-one days after Naw-Rúz, on 22 April 186339, in the afternoon, Bahá'u'lláh moved to this garden, where He remained for twelve days. On the first day He declared His Mission to His companions. These twelve days are celebrated by the Bahá'ís as the Festival of Ridván."

On the 9th day of Ridván His family joined Him. On the 12th Day He departed under armed Turkish guard on the overland journey mountain to mountain through Kurdistan to the port of Samsun on the Black Sea coast of Turkey. From there He sailed from the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara and the port of Constantinople. After four months in Constantinople Ottoman authorities assigned Him to the city of Adrianopole (modern Edirne) in eastern Thrace as His place of exile.

Public Ministry

Bahá'u'lláh began His public ministry in Adrianople with numerous letters to the rulers of Europe, the governments of the Americas, the peoples of the world, the clergy in general and the Pope specifically.

He called for peace, justice and answering the call of God. He called upon the rulers of Europe to start spending their treasure on their people and not on weapons. Of all the spiritual and temporal leaders addressed only Queen Victoria responded courteously. The Emperor Napoleon III said, "If this man is God, I am two Gods." Only Victoria's descendants still hold their throne.

Further Exile

In 1867 the Ottoman government further exiled Bahá'u'lláh, His family and followers to 'Akká, in the Holy Land. Here He was imprisoned with family and followers for several years in a vain attempt to break His contact with His followers in Persia and elsewhere in the Middle East. A change in governors brought His release to the confinement of a house in 'Akká. Finally, at the plea of the Muftí of 'Akká [the Muslim religious leader of the city] He moved to a house in Mazra'ih [literally, farm], outside the city walls and eventually to the Mansion of Bahjí [Delight] where He spent His last days - still under orders from the Sultanate for strict confinement, orders ignored by His jailers.

Four times Bahá'u'lláh visited Mount Carmel and on one of those occasions pointed out to His son 'Abdu'l-Bahá [a title meaning the Servant of Glory] the spot where the remains of the Báb were to be buried.

In 1890 an Englishman, Professor Edward Granville Browne of Cambridge University, visited Bahá'u'lláh at Bahjí. Professor Browne wrote, "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!"

On 29th May 1892, at three o'clock in the morning, Bahá'u'lláh ascended to the Abhá Kingdom. His son and successor, 'Abdu'l-Bahá sent a telegram to the Ottoman Sultan, 'Abdu'l-Hamíd II, "The Sun of Bahá has set."

Prophesy Fulfilled

In His lifetime He had fulfilled numerous prophesies not only of Judaism and Christianity, but also of Hinduism, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism and Islam. He called on all men to return to the one fold and the one shepherd. Most of this fulfillment took place involuntarily, as a prisoner of the Ottomans and exile from Persia - not of His own volition.

1. His faith had appeared in the year 1844.
2. He had appeared in the East.
3. He had come from Persia.
4. He was known as the Glory of God.
5. He went to the valley of the Tigris and Euphrates [Baghdad, 1853-63].
6. He had made His public announcement to the world in that ancient land of Babylon [21st April 1863].
7. He was exiled from Babylon to Syria, as Abraham had been before Him.
8. He came to the ancient land of Canaan that God had promised to the seed of Abraham.
9. He came to Israel, the Holy Land, by way of the sea.
10. He came from fortified city to fortified city [Baghdad to Constantinople to Adrianople to Akká].
11. He came from the fortress to the river ['Akká to Bahjí].
12. He came from mountain to mountain.
13. He came from sea to sea.
14. Carmel and 'Sharon' had seen Him, the Glory of God.
15. He had come from the East by way of the Gate [the Báb].
16. He had come to the valley of 'Akká, to the prison-city.
17. He had dwelt in the midst of Carmel.
18. His law had gone down from the mountain.
19. The children of Israel had been gathered in the Holy Land in His day.
20. A 'house of prayer' for all nations was being raised up on the mountain of God.
21. The desert had blossomed as the rose.
22. His ministry on earth had lasted for exactly forty years.
23. The place of His sanctuary and rest had been beautified.
24. The place where His feet had walked had been made glorious.
25. He had come from the seed of Abraham.
26. He had established a spiritual kingdom even to the ends of the earth.
27. He had unsealed the Books.
28. He had toppled the kings from their thrones.
29. He had glorified Christ.

The prophesies of the Holy Books of all the religions have pointed to the last days and a single Messiah/Savior/Great World Educator who will arise and unite the world. All evidence says that Bahá'u'lláh is that Person.

The Message of Bahá'u'lláh

What is Bahá'u'lláh's message? How does it differ from that of Moses or Jesus or Muhammad? Dr. John E. Esslemont, writing in Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era says, "The religion of God is the One Religion, and all the prophets have taught it. In the teaching of Moses we see the bud; in that of Christ the flower; in that of Bahá'u'lláh the fruit. The flower does not destroy the bud, nor does the fruit destroy the flower. It destroys not, but fulfills. The bud-scales must fall in order that the flower may bloom, and the petals must fall that the fruit may grow and ripen. Were the bud-scales and the petals wrong or useless then that they had to be discarded? No, both in their time were right and necessary; without them there could have been no fruit. So it is with the various prophetic teachings; their externals change from age to age, but each revelation is the fulfillment of its predecessors; they are not separate nor incongruous, but different stages in the life history of One Religion, which has in turn been revealed as seed, as bud, and as flower, and now enters on the stage of fruition."

Spiritual Teachings

Thus, one step is no greater than another. No step is exclusive. No state 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 is continuous and never-ending and, like the rain, never ceases to shed its water of life upon mankind.

Therefore, Bahá'u'lláh's message is an expansion and clarification of the Teachings of previous Manifestations of God. Each Manifestation knew far more than He revealed to His followers, because each knew that His followers would not understand and would misuse the Teachings or were simply not prepared to be responsive to them.

Bahá'u'lláh teaches us [among other things] that:

1. Each individual shall make his own independent search after truth.
2. Men and women should enjoy equal rights, privileges, education and opportunities throughout the world.
3. Education must be made available to all.
4. An international [auxiliary] language must be taught throughout the world in addition to the mother tongue of each nation.
5. Religion must agree with science and reason, or it is mere superstition.
6. All men are the children of one Father, God, and are the brothers and sisters of one human family.
7. The soul is the essential part of each human being.
8. Prayer is both a blessing and an obligation.
9. A child cannot inherit the faith of his father and mother. He must decide about God for himself.
10. A world commonwealth of all the nations must protect the rights of men.

Impact on the World

While some of these items may not seem too dramatic today, imagine their impact one hundred years ago when "delicate" women were sheltered from the realities of life; "inferior" races were kept in bondage or peonage; religion was superior to science; etc. The idea of universal, free, education was unthinkable in the majority of the world.

The spiritual teachings of Bahá'u'lláh have transcended the world and brought equality between the sexes, education, and civil rights to persecuted peoples everywhere. The ideas unleashed by the Holy Spirit have been implemented over the vehement opposition of organized religion and those who profit from the way things were.

If there is no God, and man is but a creature that comes out of the earth for a few brief years in the sun, then nothing matters. Yet, if, as the overwhelming evidence proclaims, he is a spiritual being with a soul, then the relationship of that soul to God is the most important and precious knowledge and possession he has in all the earth.

With the exactness of the stars, Bahá'u'lláh has fulfilled all of the prophecies required. He has exalted reason to its proper throne. He has urged scientific method and experiment in seeking truth. His life was filled with such beauty and inspiration that a Christian clergyman and famous Bible scholar, once declared-"If there has been any prophet in recent times, it is to Bahá'u'lláh we must go."

One God, One Religion, One Humanity

There is but one God, He proclaimed, and therefore but one religion. There is no exclusive salvation for the Jew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or Bahá'í or for the peoples of any of the religions of the world. God is not in competition with Himself. His religion is one. He is the Father of all, and we are all children of this one human family. That He [God] should compete for the souls of His children on different corners of great city streets is a man-made invention.

Bahá'u'lláh wrote these words to the entire company of the monarchs of the east and west - "Examine Our Cause, inquire into the things that have befallen Us, and decide justly between Us and Our enemies."

For additional information on the Bahá'í Faith call (in the U.S.) 1-800-22-UNITE. Or http://www.bahai.org.

Endnotes:

1 Numbers 14:34: "For forty years--one year for each of the forty days you explored the land--you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.'
2 Ezekiel 4:6: ""After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the house of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year.
3 Matthew 24:3: "As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
4 Matthew 24:13-14: "but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
5 Our Day in the Light of Prophesy, 1925, pg. 241, cited in Sears' Thief in the Night,
6 Mark 13:10
7 Mark 13:33
8 Mark 13:26
9 Luke 21:7
10 Luke 21:24-27
11 Matthew 24:3
12 Matthew 24:15
13 Daniel 9:24
14 Ezra Chapter 6
15 Since the current era (CE) begins with Christ's birth any change in year of birth would reflect in a changed date for everything, moving all historical dates back and forth. There is no Year 0.
16 Revelation 9:15: "And the four angels who had been kept ready for this very hour and day and month and year were released to kill a third of mankind."
17 Revelation 2:17: "He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it."
18 Revelation 3:12:
19 Revelation 3:5
20 Revelation 3:7-8
21 Revelation 3:6
22 Isaiah 41:2
23 Isaiah 40:5
24 Revelation 21:2, 23
25 Matthew 16:27
26 Micah 7:7, 12
27 Ezekiel 43:2
28 Isaiah 41:2
29 Matthew 24:27
30 Daniel 8:2 -- "I gazed at the vision, and as I gazed I found myself in Susa, the citadel in the province of Elam; gazing at the vision, I found myself at the Ulai Gate."
31 Jeremiah 39:48
32 The Dawnbreakers, Nabil, pg. 92
33 The Dawnbreakers, Nabil, pp. 93-94
34 Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Bahá'u'lláh, pg. 142
35 Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, Bahá'u'lláh, pg. 160
36 Genesis 25:1, also spelled Keturah. In the New Jerusalem Bible this story is called "The descendants of Keturah." " Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Asshurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
37 Genesis 25:6
38 Taherzadeh, Adib; The Revelation of Bahá'u'lláh, Baghdád 1853-1863, pp. 259-260
39 31 days after Naw-Rúz (21 March) normally falls on 21 April. Occasionally, as in 1863, when the vernal equinox takes place after sunset, Naw-Rúz is celebrated on 22 March.