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THE RETURN OF CHRIST
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In over 200 places in the New Testament there is reference to the "end of the age", the time which Jesus speaks of as the time of His return, or of the appearance of "The Spirit of Truth".
At the same time, Jesus warned that there would be many false prophets,
who would come in His name and would deceive many. In order that people
would be able to distinguish the real "Son of Man" from the false prophets, Jesus gave a sign:
"Beware of false prophets.... Ye shall know them by their
fruits..... Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt
tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil
fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.... Wherefore
by their fruits ye shall know them." (Matthew 7: 15-20)
Christ also gave three promises which would mark out the time when
His Spirit would return. These are: that His Gospel would be preached
in every land, that the expulsion of the Jews from Palestine would be
ended, and that Daniel's prophecy about the "abomination of desolation" would be fulfilled.
The First Promise
"And this gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness ..... then shall the end come." (Matthew 24: 14)
The early part of the nineteenth century saw the foundation of
missionary societies which translated the Bible into many languages and
began a huge operation to spread the news of Jesus into every remaining
country. In 1842 missionaries reached China, and organised efforts to
proclaim the Gospel in Central Africa began in 1844.
The Second Promise
"Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times
of the Gentiles be fulfilled.... And then they shall see the Son of man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory." (Luke 21: 24,27)
The Jewish revolt against Roman rule ended in A.D. 70, when
Jerusalem fell to the Roman armies, and the Temple was destroyed. This
was the start of the abomination of desolation, in which the Temple was "trodden down by the Gentiles".
The Jews were expelled from Palestine, and this situation lasted up
until A.D. 1844. In that year, the Turkish Empire proclaimed the Edict
of Toleration, which allowed the Jews to live in their original
homeland.
The Third Promise
"The disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when
shall these things be? And what shall be the sign of thy coming? [and
He answered] ".....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: 3,15)
This refers to chapters 8 to 12 of the Book of Daniel where
prophecies can be found which appear to give the dates for the first
and second coming of Christ. Biblical scholars believe that every "day"
referred to in these texts should be understood as meaning a year. One
point of reference given by Daniel concerns the rebuilding of
Jerusalem, long before the Romans again destroyed it. From 457 B.C.,
when the decree to rebuild Jerusalem went out, Daniel prophesies 70
weeks (490 days) until the "cutting off" (crucifixion) of the
Messiah. The exact birth date of Jesus is unknown, but it is believed
that he was crucified in about 33 A.D., which would be 490 years after
the decree.
Daniel also prophesies 2300 "days" until the sanctuary is
cleansed, and the abomination of desolation - the desecration of the
Temple in Jerusalem - is ended. From 457 B.C., this arrives at A.D.
1844.
The Place
In the vision which contained these prophecies, Daniel saw himself
as being in the land of Elam, later called Persia. The prophet Jeremiah
also states:
"And I will set my throne in Elam (Persia) .... saith the Lord". (Jeremiah 49:38)
Ezekiel likewise looked to the East of Palestine:
"And the Glory of the Lord came into the house by way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east". (Ezekiel 43:4)
The Fulfilment
On May 22nd, 1844, a young man in Shiraz, Persia, declared to His
first disciple that He was the Gate to God's new age, and that the
Promised One of all religions would soon appear. The young man took the
name of the B�b, (meaning Door or Gate). His radical teachings soon led
to His imprisonment, and He was publicly executed in 1850. Before His
execution, the B�b sent His pen-case and seals to one of His followers,
a young nobleman known as Bah�'u'll�h, ("The Glory Of God").
Bah�'u'll�h in turn was thrown into prison, and while in the dungeon
received a revelation from God that He was the Promised One of all
religions. For the rest of His earthly life, He was a prisoner and an
exile, but every exile served to fulfil further prophecies. First, he
was exiled to Baghdad, in Iraq.
As prophesied in Micah, He was exiled to Palestine "from Assyria" (part of modern Iraq), passing "from the fortified cities", "from sea to sea", "from mountain to mountain", and arriving "in a desolate land".
Bah�'u'll�h's own title, "The Glory of the Lord" or "The Glory of
God", is prophesied by Isaiah, by Ezekiel and by St. John. Isaiah says:
"....Behold your God will come .....He will come and save you... the
excellency of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the Glory of God." (Isaiah 35: 4,2)
On His last banishment, Bah�'u'll�h was sent to the Holy Land, to
the prison city of Akka. This faces Mount Carmel, extolled by Isaiah as
the "Mountain of The Lord", which overlooks the plain of
Sharon. In His last years He was allowed a limited freedom, and dwelt
on the Plain of Akka, even pitching His tent on Carmel. In all this, He
was fulfilling prophecies of the Old Testament.
Those who have recognised the B�b and Bah�'u'll�h as fulfilling the
prophecies of the Bible are known by the new name of Bah�'�s. The Book
of Revelation states that there will be a "new name":
"I will write upon him (that overcometh) my new name." (Revelation 3: 12)
Bah�'u'll�h died in exile in the Holy Land, and His mortal remains
are buried near Akka. The Bah�'� World Centre is established on Mount
Carmel, near to the Shrine of the B�b. Pilgrims now flow here from all
parts of the globe, in fulfilment of prophecy. They come from a Bah�'�
community which is now several million strong, and is spread in every
single country of the world.
"In the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the
house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and
it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it." (Micah 4:1)
By their fruits ye shall know them
Bah�'u'll�h has brought two kinds of fruit: this united, world-wide
community, and His teachings themselves. These include the teaching
that all the prophets of God are one in spirit, and all teach the
religion of God. Each Divine Messenger builds on the teachings already
given to us, and then gives us further guidance for the new age. He
teaches that there is but one true God, that all mankind should
worship. He teaches that humanity is one family, and that all
restrictions of nation, race, language and class are barriers which
prevent the will of God being carried out.
"The time foreordained unto the people and kindreds of the earth
is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures,
have all been fulfilled. Out of Zion hath gone forth the law of God,
and Jerusalem, and the hills and lands thereof, are filled with the
glory of His Revelation...This is the Day which the Pen of the Most
High hath glorified in all the Holy Scriptures."
Published by, and copyright of, the Spiritual Assembly of the Bah�'�s of Warwick.
Approved by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bah�'�s of the United Kingdom, 27 Rutland Gate, London, SW7 1PD.
All quotations are from the Bah�'� writings.
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