(Ż`'•.¸Bible Prophecies Fulfilled In The
Bahá’í Revelation¸.•'´Ż)
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Even though in the Gospel it is clearly written that except the Father no one knows the exact "day and hour" of Christ's return (Matthew 24:36), many prophecies hinted at year 1844 and they can be confirmed in retrospect. In other words, there is no place in the Bible that predicted the exact "day and hour" of Christ's Return; but there are many prophecies that point to the year 1844.
According to the Bible, Jesus gave three very extraordinary signs for His second coming and all of these three prophecies. All of them have been fulfilled in 1844 with an amazing accuracy.
These are the three signs and their fulfillments:
1. The first: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." (Matthew 24:14)
This prophecy was fulfilled in 1844 when the missionaries preached the Bible in
the last nations of Central Africa and
'Christian missions began their activities amongst the African people in 1844.'
(Year Book Guide to
'It was in 1842 that five treaty-ports in
2. The second: "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)” --(Matthew 24:15)
This is what is written in Daniel:
"How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And He said unto me, Unto 2300 days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. ... Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision." (Daniel 8:13-14;17)
In order to understand this, we must first understand that one-day means one year in the Bible, because, if we take it literally, this prophecy of return would have already come to pass in only 2300 days (or in about 6 years). But according to the Bible:
"each day for a year . . . " (Numbers 14:34)
"I have appointed thee each day for a year." (Ezekiel 4:6)
This is from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build
2300 days = 2300 years ... 457 B.C. + 2300 years = 1844 A.D.!!! (1843 + 1 for "0" A.D.)
Note: The 2300 'evenings and mornings' prophecy
of
Daniel 8:14 refers to exactly 2300 solar years and begins at the first of
the Jewish month of Nissan 457 B.C.. The starting point
of this and other prophecies is revealed by Gabriel in
Daniel 9:25: "the issuing of the decree to rebuild and
restore
3. The third sign is that the Jews shall return to their land after a long exile:
"And they [Jews] shall fall
by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and
In Judaism, it was predicted that after 2,520 years of exile (Leviticus
26:14-33) the Jews would be free. 2,520 years from the captivity of King
Manasseh (and the tribe of
Note: On March 21 (which also is the Bahá'i New Year
- called Naw Ruz), 1844,
in
1844 is also equal to 1260 of Hejira (Islamic Calendar).
It is prophesied that the Gentiles (that's non-Jews) "shall
...tread [
"And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days [1260]"(Revelation 12:6).
Hejira means in Arabic fleeing. Thus from the time Mohamed's
Hejira from
The number 1260 (42 months = 3.5 x 12 months) appears in a number of times in the
Revelation of St. John (11:2;
11:9;
11:11;
12:6;
12:14;
13:5)
There is no heavier proof than mathematical proof!
Jesus then warns against the false prophets
Jesus has clearly warned His followers many times not to listen to anyone who comes in *Christ's* name when they see these signs fulfilled. Moreover, He clearly said that in His second coming, there would not be faith on earth:
“. . .Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” --(Luke 18:8)
“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold” --(Matthew 24:12)
Therefore, in His ominous warnings, He says:
"Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." (Matthew 7:15)
"Behold, I have told you before.
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, He [Jesus] is in the desert; go not
forth: behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe it not." -- (Matthew
24:25-6)
“For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible.” --(Matthew 24:24)
Read carefully and you will understand. Jesus is warning against false prophets that will come in His Name. But, He also told us that He will come with a different name, namely, “glory of His Father” (Matthew 16:27), that is to say, 'Glory of God' or in Arabic 'Baha’u’llah'. Baha means Glory and Allah means God. From these Scriptures, any unbiased observer can see that the false prophets will come in Jesus’ name and Jesus will come in the name of Baha’u’llah.
The term prophet means someone who predicts the future. How often have we heard false prophets whose prediction have not come to pass? Haven’t we heard many false prophets in Jesus’ name predicting that the world was going to end in the year 2000? Has the world ended in the year 2000? This becomes even more clear, specially, when seen in the mirror of what had happened in Uganda by Cult leader Joseph Kibwetere, Jim Jones cult in Guyana, David Koresh’s in Waco, Texas, and many others that have mislead and are misleading many people all in *Christ's* name.
“At that time if anyone says to you, `Look,
here is the Christ!' or, `Look, there He is!' do not believe it.
For false Christs and false prophets
will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect --if that were possible.
So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.”--(Mark
13:21-23)
Why the name change?
"Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS." (Matthew 1:22-25)
Note: A Jewish prophecy foretold one called, "Emmanuel." Joseph, not bound by a literal understanding of that prophecy, called His son, "Jesus" and not Emmanuel! Why then do many Christians demand the name "Jesus" upon His return?
As mentioned above, acoording to the Bible, Jesus, said that He shall come in glory of His Father and Baha'u'llah means glory of God in Arabic.
“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to His works.” (Matthew 16:27)The prophet Isaiah had also predicted a new name: 'and thou shalt be called by a new name.' (62:2)
If the Messiah is going to come with a new name, therefore his followers must also be called with a new name:
"The Lord God shall . . . call his servants by another name."(Isaiah 65:15)
That Isaiah is speaking of the time of the end and not of the
time of Christ's first coming, is confirmed by the New Testament
Book of Revelation where a new name is once again promised for the
followers of Christ in the day of His return:
"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 save he that receiveth it."(2:17)
2. "I will confess his (new) name before my Father..."(3:5).
3. "I will not blot out his (new) name out of the book of life..."(3:5)
4. "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...I have
set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for
thou...hast not denied my name."(3:7).
John then repeatedly wrote: "He that hath an ear, let him hear..."(2:7;2:11;2:17;2:29,3:6;3:13;3:22)
In these words is the promise that in the day of His return,
Christ will be the 'holy' and the 'true' Messiah, that He will have
the 'key', and that He will "open the door" to anyone who has 'ears
to hear', and who will not deny His new name.
Why didn't many people accept Bahá'u'lláh then?
Many Christian scholars and clergymen confidently predicted that Jesus would physically return between 1843 and 1844. When Jesus did not physically return from the physical, historians dubbed this period in Christian history the time of "The Great Disappointment."
William Miller, a Baptist preacher, organized an Adventist group known as the "Millerites" in anticipation of Christ's return in 1843/1844.
Today's
In the middle of the 19th century, a Christian Adventist group known as The Templars moved thousands of miles from their homeland
in
Note:* "End of the World" ... The first Christian Bibles were written in Greek. The original Greek word used for "world" was "aion" - which meant "age" or "Messianic period" - and did not suggest the end of the "physical" world as some Christians who espouse a literal reading of the Bible (in its translated English versions) assert. The Greek word for the literal, physical world would have been "kosmos," but was never used in the Bible regarding the end times.
The only reason they did not accept Bahá'u'lláh (the Glory of God) was because He did not come from heaven. Even in Christ's first coming, even though He was born form His mother's womb, He said that He came down from heaven. Again, let the Bible speak for itself:
"And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that He saith, I came down from heaven?" (John 6:42)
How about the place?
Here are prophesies regarding Elam (today Iran, according the Encata Encyclopedia) and Mount Carmel Of Israel.
"I will set my throne in
"that I was at
Shu'-shan in the palace, which is in the
"it will burst into bloom; it will
rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of
Visit this page to see the "splendor of
http://terraces.bahai.org/photos.en.html
Predicting the future of this mountain of the Lord, Isaiah has written: "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it." (Isaiah 2:2)
This is what was prophesied:
"In that day also He shall come even to thee from
And this is what happened:
... He shall come even to thee from
... and from the fortified cities,
- Bahá'u'lláh was exiled first to Constantinople and
then to Akka in
... and from the fortress even to the river, - Bahá'u'lláh went from the prison where He was held for two years in Akka to an island in a river called Na'mayn.
... and from sea to sea,
- On the way to Constantinople, Bahá'u'lláh made the
last part of His journey by way of the
... and from mountain to mountain.
- Bahá'u'lláh withdrew prior to beginning His public
mission (just as Jesus did) to commune with God in the Kurdistani
mountains near
He will come from “the way of the East”:
"... the glory of the God [Bahá'u'lláh]
of
Bahá'u'lláh came from
“Who raised up the righteous man from the east, called Him to His foot, gave the nations before Him, and made Him rule over kings? He gave them as the dust to His sword, and as driven stubble to His bow.” (Isaiah 41:2)
How about the rolling up of the heavens, the darkening of the sun and the moon?
The Holy Scriptures could have many meanings and, at the same time, they all could be true interpretations. Briefly these are some of the symbolic terms used in the Holy Scriptures.
Among the biggest signs of the Day of the coming of the
1. The rolling up of the heavens.
2. The darkening of the sun
3. The moon shall not give her light.
4. The stars shall fall from heaven.
5. The dead shall arise from their tombs.
6. Ferocious animals will make peace with grazing animals.
7. They will share the same pasture and food.
8. The children will play with poisonous serpents.
Besides a mere mention of them, there is no explanation given in any of the Holy Scriptures where they are mentioned. Consequently, for thousands of years, the Christians could not convince the Jews that Jesus was the promised Messiah in their books because they do not know the explanation of these prophecies. Some said that those promises were literal statements and not subject to interpretation and must therefore be fulfilled outwardly. Others stated that those promises were symbolic and that they were words requiring interpretation in order that their real meaning might thereby become evident; i.e., that the Seal of the Book might be opened in the latter days.
Since the literal fulfillment of these prophecies would mean contradictory to nature and science, the hermeneutics of these verses that leave open a different interpretation seems more viable than their literal fulfillment.
Let's say for example, there were some cannibals in some remote islands. Let's say, those first Christian evangelist that went there to preach those cannibals the gospel were all cannibalized. On the second attempt, the second group of evangelist were able to convert the cannibals to accept Jesus. Who will arise on the day of the resurrection? The cannibals or the evangelists that were eaten by the cannibals?
Therefore, the resurrection of the dead doesn’t mean the physical resurrection of the dead body. There are compelling evidences in the Bible that support to the spiritual meaning of the ressurection. Thus, whenever Jesus says "dead", He only meant "spiritual death", not "physical death". For example, we read in the gospel:
"...another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead." --(Matt. 8:21-2)
This verse does not mean physically dead people burying another dead man. It only means spiritually dead people bury their physically and spiritually dead man. Moreover, in John, we read the following words:
"Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him
up at the last day.
For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh
my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. "
--(John
6:54-6)
Now, is Jesus talking physical blood and physical flesh or spiritual? This obviously does not mean that the disciples were eating Jesus' flesh and drinking His blood. With this explanations, the meaning of "The dead shall arise from their tombs" is the spiritually dead people arising from their tombs of heedlessness. Moreover, St. Paul has written:
"But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" --( 2 Tim. 1:10)
Even though in this verse it says that Jesus "hath abolished death" with the light of the gospel, all Christians have been dying ever since the beginning of Christianity.
The rolling up of the heavens, darkening of the sun and the moon and the falling of the stars:
"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." --(John 8:12; see also John 12:46)
Once again, Jesus is not speaking about turning the physical sun to physical darkness. If that was litterally the case, there would not be life on this planet. Therefore, from the above verse, we can see that Jesus was a spiritual light and the truth. These prophecies about the sun, moon and the stars should be symbolic. If Jesus was the Sun of truth, the moon and the stars are the priests and the preachers that came after Him to guide the Christians.
Therefore, the sun shall be darkened is meant the truth shall disappear. Now that we have over 34,000 Christian divisions each claiming to interpret the truth, this prophecy has been fulfilled.
Moreover, after the sun goes down, it is the moon and the stars that give us the
natural light. So, after Jesus died,
it was the priests and the preachers that were giving us the spiritual light. Therefore, the meaning of 'the stars
shall fall from heaven' means the priests, that were heavenly and
spiritual,will fall and become earthly and physical.
Since the moon does not have its own light, since it only reflects the
light from the sun, once the truth disappears, it means, the preachers and the teachers
shall not teach the truth. Adding the
meaning of these symbolic terms together, the rolling up of the heavens also means
the rolling up of religions and their being cleft asunder into many divisions. Otherwise, if we take the darkening
of the sun literally, if the stars fall on earth and if the sun stops giving light
for even one second, the entire solar system will disintegrate and there will not
be earth anymore. Where will then be
the
Shall the lion dwell with the lamb?
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them." --(Isaiah 11:6)
By their nature since these animals cannot mingle and associate with each other in kindness and love, therefore, this prophecy symbolizes unity and agreement of races, nations, and peoples. It means the agreement of races, nations and peoples who will come together in attitudes and intelligence, illumination and spirituality. It means ferocious and contending religions, hostile creeds and divergent beliefs will reconcile and associate overcoming their former hatred and antagonisms.
Having explained these symbolic prophecies, we all can see now that science and religion are not necessarily contradictory. In fact, science and religion are like the two wings of one bird. They both are not static nor exclusive. Both are progressive and universal. It is just the misinterpretation of what the prophecies mean with our limited understanding of them that they seem contradictory. If religion is without science, it becomes superstition and if science is without religion it becomes materialism.
At last, but not least, I like to leave you with the following noble admonishments from our Lord Jesus Christ:
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." --(Matthew 5:44-5)
"Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous." --(I John 3:7)
"Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." --(I John 4:15)
Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. --(Matthew 7:20)
Have we not all one father? Hath not one God created us? Why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers? --(Malachi 2:10)
May God guide us all to what is truth!
Salutations,
Barnabas Yohannes.
P.S. All thanks is due to BibleGateway.com for making available the entire Holy Bible on the Internet.
P.P.S. Questions, critics, and/or feedbacks are always welcome. Email me at yohannesb@hotmail.com
*Bahá'u'lláh