"I am... the Promised One! I am the One Whose name you have... invoked, at Whose mention you have risen, Whose advent you have longed to witness, and the hour of Whose Revelation you have prayed God to hasten." "... Lo, the Father hath come and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled!"
This meditation describes the Declaration of the Return of the Promised Christ to the world, and new 'Good News' associated with that Return! An indicator of the spiritual majesty of this Coming of the 'Spirit' is His Biblical designation as the 'Father' (Isa 9:6-7; Matt 16:27). Its importance is substantiated by the fact that there are nine times as many Biblical references to the Second Coming as there are to the First!
Surprisingly, two 'anointed ones' (Zech 4:14; Rev 22:1-2; Rev 5) are expected at the 'end time', not just one! These two, 'He seated on the Throne of Glory' and the 'slain Lamb' before Him, are pictured as truly exalted, both possessing the same spiritual attributes: 'blessing, honour, glory and power!'(Rev 5:13).
In the year 1817 AD, a son was born to a princely family in the land of Persia. Only two years later, another son was born to a mercantile family, also in the land of Persia. These two Advents were destined to have an enormous impact on that country, and then increasingly on the unfolding events of the entire world.
It is significant to note that both these Advents took place in a country to the 'east' of, and not far from the Holy Land. Although the Bible states that the Promised One would indeed 'come from the East' (Ezek 43:1-5; Micah 7: 12), searching in that direction was overlooked by the numerous souls whose expectancy climaxed around the year 1844 AD. On the contrary, the Holy Land itself, and even high ground in the USA for example, received their attention. And so the fact of their dual presences on this earth, and their very dramatic impact on Persia to the near East, remained undetected.
As the younger of these two individuals matured, His capacities and virtues were notable, reminding us of Jesus - His knowledge seemed innate, and He possessed a heavenly character (The Chosen Highway - p 13). Indeed, much of the entire life of this youth mirrored that of Jesus. While only 25 years of age, He was the first of the two Anointed Ones to make His 'Great Announcement'. He did so in Persia on May 23, 1844 AD, that magic year characterized by vigilance and expectancy.
Included among those expectations was the fulfilment of Daniel's famous prophecy of '2300 days to the end of spiritual desolation and the cleansing of the sanctuary' (Dan 8:12-17). And also included were those involving the 'times of the gentiles' (Dan 4:1-37), and the 'seven times dispersal and return of the Jews' (Lev 26:18,21,24,28; Deut 28:64; Deut 30:1-3). Its worth noting that this last prophecy is now an indisputable fact of history. And there are numerous others, all converging in and around that very special year - 1844 AD!
So, the many expectant Christian believers of the time were indeed correct! But, not looking to the 'east' of the Holy Land for the Advent, resulted in their slumbering while the 'thief in the night' (Rev 3:3; 16:16; 1Thess 5:2; 2Peter 3:10) visited, did His work, and left before they awoke to realize that they had indeed missed His visit. The resulting widespread disillusionment was called 'The Great Disappointment'.
Notwithstanding this, the first 'end-time' Announcement was proclaimed by this youth saying: "I am... the Promised One! I am the One Whose name you have... invoked, at Whose mention you have risen, Whose advent you have longed to witness, and the hour of Whose Revelation you have prayed God to hasten." (God Passes By - p 21)
The function of this first Anointed One was foreseen by the prophet Ezekiel who used the term 'gate' through which the 'Glory of God' would come from the 'east' (Ezek 43:1-5). The Name by which this Youth was, and is now known, is the Bab. Is it a coincidence that this is a title meaning: Herald or Gate?
Remember how John the Baptist as the 'return of Elijah' (Matt 17:9-13) heralded the first Christ? The Bab was the second Return of Elijah promised by the prophet Malachi, that is, the One Who must come before 'the great and dreadful Day of the Lord' (Malachi 4:5) at the 'end-time'. So, the Baptist's preparatory function in relation to the first Christ is to be repeated in the days before His 'Second Coming'. Acting in this fashion was the Bab's clearly-stated mission, for we read in the Writings of the new Faith He inaugurated, that He: "... hinted at the secret, and announced the approach, of a still mightier Day, and bade them (the believers in the Bab) prepare themselves for its advent" (God Passes By - p 21). And: "... the Bab chose to intersperse His Book... with unnumbered passages... in which He fixes the date of the promised Revelation, extols its virtues, asserts its pre-eminent character, assigns to it unlimited powers and prerogatives, and tears down every obstacle that might be a barrier to its recognition." (God Passes By - p 8)
This first 'Anointed One' did indeed fix the date of the Announcement of the second 'Anointed One' at 19 years from His Own Declaration in 1844 AD, that is - 1863 AD. But, surprisingly, these two Divine Figures never met in this life!
Sadly, the Book of Revelation, the last Book of the Bible, when revealing the events of the 'last days', tells us that the Bab is to be 'slain' or martyred. It does so by referring to Him as the 'slain Lamb' (Rev 5:12; 13:8), 'Lamb' being a widely-accepted symbol of divine sacrifice.
The Announcement of the Bab immediately attracted many thousands of spiritually aware souls in His homeland. This profoundly distressed the secular and religious authorities of the time, who began an intense, systematic persecution of His followers. Evidently, such persecution and martyrdom would bedevil the early believers in the Bab as also foreseen in the Book of Revelation (Rev 6:9-11). History records the martyrdom of thousands of the Bab's followers, and unfortunately included among them, was the youthful Bab Himself. Clearly through no desire of His own except to abide by the Will of God, He was strung up to a pillar in front of the multitude in a public place, as was Christ, and executed on July 9, 1850, after a Ministry of but six years. History has once again, sadly repeated itself!
Likewise, the short time span between the Declarations of these two Messengers is Biblically forecast. It records that the third and last of the 'three woes', would follow closely upon the second 'woe' (Rev 8:13; 9:12; 11: 14), the Bab. The term 'woe' reflects dreaded 'judgement' by the Messengers of God, each for their own 'Day'. This matter of 'judgement' is a fervent Christian belief pertaining to the Second Coming, underlining the importance of understanding that 'salvation' is promised those who believe and follow His Second Advent.
Further, the Bab was inspired to provide the 'new Name' (Matt 24:5, etc.) by which the last 'Woe' or the second 'Anointed One' at the end-time, would be known. That is: the Glory of God, which is rendered Baha'u'llah in His native tongue! While new, there is clearly more than just a hint of its nature in the many Biblical expressions of His glory and exalted attributes in the Judaeo-Christian Scriptures (Rev 15:8; Rev 21:23; Isa 35:1-2, Ezek 43:1-5, etc.)!
Baha'u'llah Himself affirms that He is indeed that glorious Return, saying, for example: "Say, Lo! the Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled! This is the Word which the Son concealed, when to those around Him He said: 'Ye cannot bear it now'." (see John 16:13). And further, God reveals to Him that He is to: "Guide, then, the people unto the garden of delight which God hath made the Throne of His Paradise. We have chosen thee to be our most mighty Trumpet, whose blast is to signalize the resurrection of all mankind." (Gleanings, pp 30-31) And in addition, He says: "... All the signs have been revealed; every prophetic allusion hath been manifested. Whatever hath been enshrined in all the Scriptures of the past hath been made evident. To doubt or hesitate is no more possible... Time is pressing..." (The World Order of Baha'u'llah - pp 111-112)
The Biblical verse (John 16:13) alluded to by Baha'u'llah above, not only suggests that the source of His Revelation is God Himself via the Holy Spirit, just as in the past (2Peter 1:21), but also anticipates that a major function of His Revelation is to 'shew us things to come'.
Baha'u'llah's Ministry was indeed glorious despite torture, persecution, and confinement. This travail began in August of 1852 AD with a four-month imprisonment in a dreadful dungeon in Teheran. During this time, He received a startling visitation of the Holy Spirit, as did His Predecessors - Moses and the 'Burning Bush', Christ and the 'descending Dove', etc. This time the visitation was in the form of the 'Maid of Heaven', highlighting the importance of the role of women for His 'Day'. His trials continued through several enforced banishments, the last being to the Holy Land! During April of 1863, at the end of His first such banishment in modern Baghdad (located in ancient 'Assyria' mentioned specifically in Micah 7:11-12), He publicly declared His Mission to the world! Finally, His Biblically foreseen 40-year long Ministry (Amos 2:10; Micah 7:12-15) came to an earthly end with His Ascension in the Holy Land on May 29, 1892, in accord with the Will of God as described by the amazing prevision of the prophet Micah.
Perhaps it is not a surprise that, by order of the Sultan of Turkey, the place of this final banishment of Baha'u'llah was indeed the Holy Land. The Biblical references to this location are numerous (Isa 35:1-2; Micah 7:14; Jeremiah 46:18 etc.). They all are in the vicinity of Mount Carmel, made famous by the first Elijah triumphing over the idols of false gods, and winning victory for Jehovah (1Kings 18:36-40).
This revelatory miracle by the 'Spirit of Truth', Baha'u'llah, encompasses the most extensive Scripture in religious history - in spite of intense persecution. It clarifies the true nature of past history, and defines the major movements of the future, well into His new 'Day'.
Revelation 22:1-2 provides a beautiful metaphor for Baha'u'llah's 'Word of God' (Rev 19: 13). Its rich, mystical imagery pictures the Bab and Baha'u'llah as dual roots of the 'Tree of Life' on each bank of the river that is identified as the 'water of life' flowing through the 'City of God'. This 'Word' is like a Tree, which in this case, bears 'twelve fruits'. These fruits, when ingested, spiritually educate humanity, and even the 'leaves' of that Tree are for the 'healing of the nations'.
While considered a dreadful heresy in the land of His birth, some major principles enunciated by Baha'u'llah, in accord with the Biblical foresight that 'all things would be made new' (Rev 21:5-6), have already been understood, at least partially, by the peoples of the world and implemented to a degree. These are often summarized very briefly in 'Twelve Principles' (Star of the West, Vol 11, No 1, pp 4-5). They represent examples of those 'things to come' (John 16:13), that is, 'twelve fruits from the Tree of Life' (Rev 22:1-2), as follows:
1. The oneness of the world of humanity
2. Independent investigation of truth
3. The foundation of all religions is one
4. Religion must be the cause of unity, and
5. Likewise in accord with science and reason
6. Equality between women and men
7. Prejudices of all kinds must forgotten
8. Universal peace
9. Universal education
10. Solutions for the economic problem
11. A universal auxiliary language
12. An international tribunal.
Baha'u'llah, speaking of Himself, identifies with the 'Tree' imagery, saying: "Verily, He is the Tree of life that bringeth forth the fruits of God, the Exalted, the Great!"
Evidently, one of the remarkable matters yet to come is that humanity will ultimately eat all the 'fruits'. That is, by internalizing spiritual principles, humanity will support the establishment of the 'Kingdom of God on Earth'. This is certainly the primary purpose of the Second Coming in the person of Baha'u'llah as stated so long ago in Isaiah 9:6-7, and as anticipated by Christians reciting the Lord's Prayer for over 2,000 years! This Divine Governance will usher in the long-promised unity of the peoples (Isa 2:2; 66:18; Dan 7:13-14; Micah 4:1-5; Rev 5:9; John 10:16; Matt 25:31, etc.), and the end of war, all culminating in the promised peace of this world to be ushered in by the Prince of Peace (Isa 9:6-7), Baha'u'llah.
Dear fellow believers in Christ, there is so much more to share! It is hoped though, that you will have caught the compelling accents of the Voice of God wafting over these many centuries. Accordingly, the followers of Baha'u'llah, invite you to investigate further. Please be assured that your enquiries to the website address will be cordially welcomed!
Please direct your questions to: BCOI9@yahoo.ca
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