For Christians

Baha’is believe that Bible prophecies have been fulfilled in the coming of Baha’u’llah. The reason that many Christians, Jews, and Muslims have failed to accept Baha’u’llah as the fulfillment of their prophesies is because the prophetic meanings were hidden. As the Bible says, “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end…” (Daniel 12:4). Baha’is believe that God hides the meanings of such prophesies from humanity “…lest profane and mortal eyes discover His glory.” (Baha'u'llah, GWB, p. 74). It is the same for all prophetic fulfillments. For example, when Jesus arose in Israel to proclaim His Mission, only those Jews who were detached from old interpretations accepted Him. Those who were not detached were expecting a fulfillment of their imagination. They were expecting Jesus to be a king with an army that would deliver them from the Romans. When Jesus claimed to be the Messiah, they mocked Him with a crown of thorns and asked, “this is the king of the Jews?” (Mark 15:17)

In The Book of Certitude, written by Baha’u’llah, He lays out the way Baha’is interpret the fulfillment of prophesies, including Christian prophesies. In this book Baha’u’llah explains how passages like the following can be considered fulfilled, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and stars shall fall from heaven, and all the powers of the heavens shall be shaken, and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven.” (Matthew 24:29). Baha’u’llah offered several explanations for this quote. In one explanation He wrote, “It is unquestionable that in every succeeding Revelation the ‘sun’ and ‘moon’ of the teachings, laws, commandments, and prohibitions which have been established in the preceding Dispensation, and which have overshadowed the people of that age, become darkened, that is, are exhausted, and cease to exert their influence.” (KI, p. 41)

The Bible also prophesies that the Son of Man will come back to Earth riding in the clouds when it says, “And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” (Luke 21:27) For Baha’is, the prophesies of the clouds were not referring to physical clouds, but were metaphors for the clouds that blind humans from divinity. As Baha’u’llah explained, “These "clouds" signify, in one sense, the annulment of laws, the abrogation of former Dispensations, the repeal of rituals and customs current amongst men, the exalting of the illiterate faithful above the learned opposers of the Faith. In another sense, they mean the appearance of that immortal Beauty in the image of mortal man, with such human limitations as eating and drinking, poverty and riches, glory and abasement, sleeping and waking, and such other things as cast doubt in the minds of men, and cause them to turn away. All such veils are symbolically referred to as ‘clouds.’” (KI, p. 71).

These ‘clouds’ appeared in the time of Jesus as well. The Jews expected a fifty-foot tall, giant Messiah who would come down with an army and deliver them from the Romans. And so, many people denied Jesus because He appeared to be a meek and gentle man walking amongst them. They mocked Him and laughed at Him. This did not mean that Jesus was not divine. Baha’is believe that the ‘clouds’ of Jesus’ mortal appearance blinded many people from seeing the truth. Just as today, Baha’is believe that many people’s expectations are blinding them from Baha’u’llah.

Many Christians have trouble accepting the spiritual fulfillment of Christian prophesies. They have been told since childhood that a day would come when Jesus would ride down from the clouds accompanied by winged angels with harps.  They have dreamed of this glorious, supernatural, cartoon-like scenario where the literal fulfillment of their prophecies plays out to the world. Unfortunately, they are falling for the same trap that the followers of Moses fell for. The followers of Moses did not accept Jesus because Jesus did not come from the lineage (Psalm 132:11) nor sit on the throne of King David (Amos 9:14-15), was not called Emmanuel (Matt 1:23, did not live forever and remain physically with the Jews (John 12:33-34), did not come from an unknown place (John 1:46), and that Elijah had not returned first as was promised (Malachi 4:5).

Baha’is believe that only a spiritual interpretation can explain these prophesies. And the Bible also upholds this view. The Bible says that John the Baptist was the return of Elijah (Matt 17:10-13). The Bible says that the unknown place was not literally Nazareth, but rather a station as a Messenger of God. (John 7:27-29). Baha’is believe the lineage of David was not literal, but a symbol that the same spiritual authority invested in King David was invested in Jesus Christ. Baha’is believe that Jesus’ message and example remained with the world after His death, and this is how He stays forever with us. Additionally, the name ‘Emmanuel’ means ‘God is with us,’ and the Bible interprets this reference as a title that can be applied to Jesus (Matt 1:25). Finally, the Apostles interpret the prophesies of the valleys being filled and mountains brought low (Isaiah 40:4-5) and the wonders in the heavens (Joel 2:31) as spiritually fulfilled (Luke 3:4-6 and Acts 2:14-21). Therefore, Christians might not discount the spiritual interpretations offered by Baha’u’llah of their own prophesies.

The reality for many Christians is that they have expected a literal fulfillment of prophesy for 2000 years. There was a period in our history, around 1844, when people from all over the world predicted the coming of the Day of Judgment. In the Middle East, many Muslim scholars had used numerology to predict that 1844 was the time for the coming of the twelfth Imam, or the Day of Judgment. These scholars set out throughout the lands, and gave up their homes, their families, and their possessions to find the Promised One. Some of these followers eventually found a young merchant, who called Himself The Báb (Gate). The Báb started an independent world religion whose sole purpose was to prepare mankind for ‘Him Whom God Shall Make Manifest (for Baha’u’llah), One who claimed to be the fulfillment of prophesy for all the world’s major religions.

Many Christians did not recognize that their Lord would come from the Middle East, even though the Bible told them it would be so, “For as the lightening cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” (Matthew 24:27). Some Christians argue that Baha’u’llah is not the same name as Jesus Christ, even though the Bible told them He would bring a new name, “and I will write upon him my new name.” (Rev 3:12). Some Christians deny Baha’u’llah because they say the New Jerusalem is supposed to come down from the clouds, even though the Bible says that it would not be like that, “The Kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, lo here! Or lo there! For behold, the Kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20). Some Christians say that prophesies were not ‘literally’ fulfilled. They did not think about the fact that for a star to fall from heaven, it would totally obliterate the earth; as stars are many times the size of the planet. The reality is that some things in the Bible are to be taken with a spiritual interpretation not literal, as it is written, “the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial another.” (I Corinthians 14:40).

Baha’is see the followers of Christ dealing with Baha’u’llah as the followers of Moses dealt with Jesus. They see this as a recurring theme throughout all religions and recognize that many of the arguments used by the Jews at the time of Christ, are exactly the same arguments that are used against Baha’u’llah by Christians. As mentioned, the Jews were expecting the Messiah to bring a mighty army to deliver them from the Romans. Instead, this lowly son of a carpenter claimed to be their Messiah. That is why they put a crown of thorns on His blessed head, to mock Him as the ‘King of the Jews.’ Today, many Christians expect someone to come down out of the clouds and deliver them to ultimate salvation. Baha’is believe that the precious return of their Lord has already taken place, ‘like a thief in the night’ (2 Peter 3:10) who comes and goes without the owner of the house ever knowing.

Perhaps the greatest controversy in Christian history centers around the nature of Jesus Christ. Those who study history know that Christian scholars have debated this question since the beginning. Was Jesus God? Or was Jesus a man? What is the Holy Spirit?  It is a question that Baha’u’llah has resolved for Baha’is, once and for all.

At first glance, the Bible does say some seemingly contradictory things about the Trinity. Jesus did claim to be God when He said, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30). Also, Jesus said, “He that hath seen me hath seen the Father.” (John 14:9). Jesus also claimed to have an everlasting existence when He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) But Jesus also said that He was not God when He said of [God] the Father, “Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.” (John 15:37).  Jesus also said, “Why callest thou me Good? There is none good but one, that is, God.” (Matthew 19:17). This implied that the figure standing before His apostles, Jesus Christ, was not God.

Of course, an honest student of the Bible knows that there are many more quotes that seem to offer seemingly contradictory statements. This student would also know that the word ‘trinity’ does not appear anywhere in the Bible. She would know that the concept of the trinity was invented many years after the time of Christ, and that it was a compromise between religious leaders. These leaders had split the churches over the debate on whether God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit had separate or singular natures. They could not agree on what the nature of God was so much that they would just agreed to disagree. Some eventually decided that the question would be categorized under the idea of the ‘trinity,’ and it would remain a mystery that could not be explained. Volumes of books have been written on this subject over the years. Therefore, when Baha’is approach this subject, they know that they are dealing with a debate that is nearly as old as Christianity itself.

Many Christians turn to the analogy of the three forms of water. They say that water can be a gas, liquid, and solid; and so God can be a man, a Divine Creator, and the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, this analogy does not hold up, because the Bible clearly implies that Jesus existed apart from the ‘essence’ of God. The Bible says that, “No one has seen God at any time.” (John 1:18). The Bible also says God is the One “Whom no man hath seen nor can see.” (1 Tim 6:16). Therefore, Jesus says they were not of the same substance while ice, liquid, and gas are different forms of the same substance, H20.

But the Bible also says that Jesus was God. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.” (John 10:30). On the other hand, Baha’is also believe that God is separate, unknowable, and cannot be seen, as Jesus says  to God, “Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you.” (1 Kings 8:27). How do we resolve this? Baha’is use the analogy of the mirror. God is the sun and Jesus and was His Mirror. Baha’is understand that Jesus reflected all of God’s attributes to mankind. The Bible even says this, when it says “Who (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God.” (Col 1:15). And in another place where it says “Who (Jesus) … the express image of His person (God).” (Heb 1:3).

From this perspective, Jesus was as close to God as mankind could ever get. In fact, Jesus was the walking incarnation of God’s Will. This is how Baha’is could say that Jesus was God, just as when someone looks in a mirror at their reflection they can say, ‘that is me.’ On the other hand, Baha’is also believe that the essence of God is beyond our comprehension, and that they have no direct access to the Lord except through the image reflected by Jesus and the other Manifestations of God. This is how Baha’is can agree with statements that claim that no one has ever seen God the Father (John 15:37), and reconcile this with the statements that claim that anyone who has seen Jesus has seen the Father. (John 14:9)

Finally, what is the Holy Spirit? If God is the Sun, and His Messengers are mirrors reflecting God’s qualities to humanity, then Baha’is believe that the Holy Spirit is like the rays of the sun that carry this reflection from the sun to the mirror and to humanity. The Holy Spirit, for Baha’is, is the active force of inspiration pouring through God’s Creation. It carries to the universe the power, wisdom, grace, and infinite love of God. As Abdu’l-Bahá wrote, it is the spirit behind civilization itself, “Material civilization is like the body. No matter how infinitely graceful, elegant and beautiful it may be, it is dead. Divine civilization is like the spirit, and the body gets its life from the spirit, otherwise it becomes a corpse. It has thus been made evident that the world of mankind is in need of the breaths of the Holy Spirit.” (SWA p. 303)

This understanding of the Trinity using the analogy of the mirror is how Baha’is come to terms with this age-old dilemma of Christian theology. Baha’is have learned to balance religion, science, and reason together as essential parts of God’s creation designed to educate mankind. Therefore, to Baha’is, this analogy of the mirror brings comfort and peace of mind, and helps to make the Bible more accessible to everyone through the use of such an elegant, clear and logical explanation.

“Say, this is the One Who hath glorified the Son and hath exalted His Cause.” ~ Baha'u'llah

A false prophet is a wolf in sheep’s clothing, so part of Jesus’ flock (Matt 7:15); will bear bad fruit (Matt &;17); is already in the world at the time of 2 Peter (2 Peter 2:1); will come at the end of the age and will deceive many, even the elect, with great signs and wonders (Matt 24:11, 23:24); will bring heresies into Christianity and will deny the Lord (2 Peter 21-3); will arise amongst the Christians (2 Peter 2:1); and will show greed and licentiousness (2 Peter 2:3-4). Baha’u’llah was not a Christian, He was a Muslim. He wasn’t born until the 1800’s. His message taught good teachings, which are like good fruit to the world such as “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness…” (Gal 5:22-24).  There are miracles in the Baha’i Faith, but Baha’is do not focus on them. So ‘great signs and wonders’ are not a reason why people become Baha’is. On the other hand, today’s TV personalities and charismatic preachers travel the world performing ‘miraculous healing’ activities in order to gain followers (and financial contributions). Baha’u’llah did not bring heresies into Christianity; rather He fulfilled Christianity with a new religion. And lastly, Baha’u’llah was born a nobleman who was entitled to great power and prestige. He gave all this up and became a prisoner and an exile, living in poverty and facing endless oppression. He gave to the poor and served the sick for the rest of His days. This was not showing ‘greed and licentiousness.’ Clearly, by the standard of the Bible, Baha’u’llah cannot be a False Prophet.

The Bible says that Satan was already cast out of the world (John 12:31). Baha’u’llah appeared in the world, so He cannot be Satan. Some say that the devil has planted partial truths in the Baha’i teachings, but the Bible clearly says that the devil cannot tell any truths whatsoever. (John, 8:44). Therefore, since Baha’u’llah praises Jesus using the title of the ‘Son of God,’ Baha’u’llah cannot be the devil.

Finally, The Bible says that the best defense against the Devil is to have faith, and that Satan will ‘blind the minds of them which believe not’ (2 Cor 4:4). Baha’is believe that to be faithful to Jesus Christ, one will recognized Baha’u’llah as the return. Therefore, those who deny their Lord in His Second Coming could be blinded by their own pride. This pride is their own personal Satan. Baha’is would interpret this to mean that they are being blinded by the lower nature of humanity, that which is fearful of losing control, influence, power, or status. Those who are detached and truly faithful will recognize that the ‘fruits’ of the Baha’i faith are truly good.

"I have many things to tell you yet… How be it when the Spirit of Truth shall come, He shall guide you unto all truth.” (John 16:12-18)

Of course, not all who follow Christ believe this. There are over 20,000 different sects of Christianity. Some have come to various conclusions of their own where they balance the Christian reality with what they feel in their gut is right, or just. They cannot believe that a loving God would condemn so many billions of souls to eternal damnation. What about all those souls who had never heard of Jesus?

Some Christians point out that the New Testament claims that nothing can be added to it (Gal 1:8; Rev 22:18; Matt 5:18-19). Therefore, when Baha’u’llah changes the laws of Christianity, they refuse to listen to Him. They fail to realize that the Old Testament also says that nothing can be added to it! Therefore, many Jews reject the laws of Christ. They turn to the Torah where it says, “You shall not add to the word which I command you nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord God which I command you.” (Deut 4:2). But Jesus Christ changed many of the laws, for example the law of the Sabbath, circumcision, and an eye-for-an-eye. Additionally, scholars point out that Revelations, Galatians, and Matthew were written before the Gospel of John, 2 Peter, James, and other books of the Bible. Therefore, all these books must be discounted as they were technically ‘added’ to the New Testament of Jesus. Baha’is offer a simple explanation to resolve these apparent contradictions. First of all, Baha’is believe that Baha’u’llah is not offering a new Gospel, but rather the fulfillment of the existing Gospel. Baha’is believe that Jesus promised this would happen when He said, “I have many things to tell you yet… How be it when the Spirit of Truth shall come, He shall guide you unto all truth.” (John 16:12-18).

But Baha’is believe there is a reason why one religion changes the laws and ordinances of the religion that preceded it. Baha’is have been taught that all religions have two kinds of teachings. The first are the eternal teachings that never change. These are the ideas such as that there is only one God and the concept of the Golden Rule. You will find these teachings in all the major world’s religions. On the other hand, there are the temporary social teachings and laws that are fitted to the time and place in which a Manifestation of God comes. These are the things that each Manifestation changes during His Reign on earth. These are the laws such as the Sabbath and ‘the eye for an eye.’ Jesus even said that these laws were created to help people when He said, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not the man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2:27). Therefore, Baha’is believe that every Manifestation of God will institute new laws and end some other laws, and in this way will make a new Covenant with humanity depending on the needs of the people. For example, the people of Judaism 2000 years ago faced very different challenges from the people of Arabia in the year 640 AD. Therefore the laws of Moses were very different from the Laws of Muhammad.

Baha’is also understand these concepts by looking to the fact that a Manifestation of God, such as Jesus Christ, are the Highest Beings that we can know in heaven or earth, the perfect reflections of God in the universe; and they have two stations. One station is associated with the temporal reality; the other station is associated with the everlasting reality. This means that Jesus had a temporal reality in that He had a name and a body, and He walked the earth at a certain time and place. He created a religion around the name of Jesus Christ that would last for a certain amount of time until He would return and fulfill it and bring a new name (Rev 3:12).

Then there was an everlasting reality. This was the aspect of Jesus Christ that was timeless. This was reflected when Jesus said things like “Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58). So this reality that has always existed was the one that all of these Great Manifestations of God were claiming to be. It is in a sense, an authority bestowed on each Manifestation to speak God’s Word for that Age. Each Manifestation is a separate lamp, but each carries the same Light of God to the world. Baha’is believe that Jesus was referring to the other religions of the world, and this sense that He (as the everlasting authority) Had appeared to all of them when He 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” (John 10:16). Baha’is believe that this prophesy is for Christ upon His return when He would gather all His religions of the world, and in the Glory of the Father unite them through His new name. Baha’is believe this new name is Baha’u’llah.

For Christians, the stories of Jesus performing miracles and wonders are a wonderful proof of his miraculous nature. They often were raised being awed by the stories of Jesus healing the sick, feeding the masses, and walking on water. This helped to separate Jesus in their minds from mortal man. These miracles became the ‘proof’ they needed to make that difference between themselves and this Wondrous Figure of Jesus Christ.

Baha’is believe that a true student of the Bible knows that miracles are no real proof of a miraculous nature. The Bible warns that false prophets can also show great signs and wonders (Matt 24:24). For example, the Bible tells that the high priests that opposed Moses performed miracles and tricks that convinced the Pharaoh of Egypt to oppose Moses. Therefore, the Bible does not say that miracles are enough to prove that someone is of God.

Jesus often told those who saw the miracles not to tell anybody about them (Mark 9:9). Rather, Jesus wanted to be followed because of the way He lived, and because of the Message of peace and love that He brought to the world. Therefore, the teachings of Jesus, and the example of Jesus that has endured over the years and that has inspired a great civilization, are the real proof of Jesus’ miraculous nature. Jesus says that his followers should not follow Him because of miracles, but rather because his teachings give spiritual food and life (John 6:26-35).

In the end, miracles are really only useful for those who see them. And even then, all the people who saw Jesus’ miracles did not necessarily believe (1 Cor 12:8-10). Baha’is do not believe that Jesus was incapable of healing the sick or of feeding the masses. But for Baha’is, the more important point is that healing someone of a physical malady only lasts until that person dies of some other cause such as old age or getting run over by a cart. For Baha’is, the everlasting healing is the healing of the soul, which lasts beyond death. Jesus’ real miracle was not, then, the fact that He gave so many people physical sight, but rather that He gave them spiritual sight to be able to see their own nature. Through this, they received eternal life. Even as Jesus referred to those who appeared to be living in this material world, but were in fact spiritually dead when he told his followers to “let the dead bury the dead.” (Luke 9:60). For Baha’is, then, Jesus’ real miracle was that He inspired so many people over the ages to the eternal, spiritual life.

“The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27)

What is important for Baha’is is the condition of the person’s heart when they go through a spiritual transformation. The Baha’i Writings explain that, “Man cannot free himself from the rage of the carnal passions except by the help of the Holy Spirit. That is why He says baptism with the spirit, with water and with fire is necessary, and that it is essential -- that is to say, the spirit of divine bounty, the water of knowledge and life, and the fire of the love of God. Man must be baptized with this spirit, this water and this fire so as to become filled with the eternal bounty. Otherwise, what is the use of baptizing with material water? No, this baptism with water was a symbol of repentance, and of seeking forgiveness of sins… But in the cycle of Baha’u’llah there is no longer need of this symbol; for its reality, which is to be baptized with the spirit and love of God, is understood and established.” (Abdu’l-Bahá, SAQ, p. 92)

Additionally, many Christians who take the literal meaning of water are only taking the comfortable literal interpretation of this teaching. John the Baptist predicted that Jesus would baptize His followers with fire (Luke 3:16), but I have never seen the Church leaders lining up their followers for that one.

Many Christians have been taught the main of Christ’s existence was to die on the cross for our sins. They have been taught that since Adam sinned against God, all of humanity has inherited this sin and required redemption. Therefore, when Christ willingly sacrificed Himself on the cross, all of that sin was washed away from humanity. Many Christians then say that the only way a person can be saved from that point on is to accept Christ as a personal savior.

It might be noted that the term, ‘original sin,’ does not appear in the Bible. The Bible does say “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Cor 15:22). Many Christians have interpreted this over the centuries to mean that it was Adam’s sin that doomed all of humanity until Jesus died on the cross to redeem those who would follow Him. Baha’is have a different interpretation of this passage. For a Baha’i, this quote means that we are created as human beings who have the potential to choose to live a life of self-absorption and petty material pursuits; or a life of faith, service, and nobility. To choose the faithful life is to choose the eternal life that will last beyond this material world. Baha’is believe that the traditional notion of original sin does not coincide with what the Bible teaches. The Bible also says that a just God that would not punish someone for sins he did not commit. It is written that, “The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” (Ezekiel 18:19).

"...forgive the sinful, and never despise his low estate, for none knoweth what his own end shall be." ~ Baha'u'llah

The debate went further when a man named John Calvin thought about the whole idea and felt that if a person only needed faith, then they had no incentive to live a good life. Therefore he came up with the idea that it was predestined before we were born that we were either damned or saved, and the only way we found out if we were going to hell or to heaven was whether we lived a productive and righteous life, or whether we lived a life of debauchery and sin. Therefore, he believed he could look around and see the saved and damned people around him by just looking at their actions.

Baha’is turn to the Bible when it comes to this debate. Baha’is do believe that faith is needed first, before all things, and that without faith, all good works are brought to naught. The Báb wrote that “We are cognizant of thy righteous deeds, though they shall avail thee nothing; for the whole object of such righteousness is but recognition of God, thy Lord, and undoubted faith in the Words revealed by Him.” (SWB pg. 34). But Baha’is also believe that once personal faith is attained, good deeds are the way we prove our faith. As in the Bible it says “for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” (James 2:26), and it says that a Christian should “let your light shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16).

A Baha’i could never tell you that he or she is saved. Baha’is believes that they never know until our last breath whether they will end their days on earth with faith or not. A Baha’i knows it is a constant struggle to keep faith alive in their hearts. And it is a struggle we pray daily for the strength to endure and continue. A Baha’i believes that God alone decides by His Grace who has been faithful or not. A person can do a million good works, but be performing those works for egotistical, self-righteous, or maniacal motivations.  For Baha’is, therefore, it is their intentions that are important. And they must watch their intentions carefully, even to their last breath on earth. As Baha’u’llah says, a true believer “should forgive the sinful, and never despise his low estate, for none knoweth what his own end shall be. How often hath a sinner attained, at the hour of death, to the essence of faith, and, quaffing the immortal draught, hath taken his flight unto the Concourse on high! And how often hath a devout believer, at the hour of his soul's ascension, been so changed as to fall into the nethermost fire!” (KI p. 194)

For Baha’is, the most important aspect of developing an eternal soul is their faith in God. Why is this? Baha’is believe that the eternal aspect of their lives is the worship we offer our Eternal God. As Baha’u’llah wrote in a prayer addressing God, “Every man endued with insight among Thy servants is persuaded that my self liveth eternally and can never perish, inasmuch as remembrance of Thee is eternal and will endure so long as Thine own Self endureth, and Thy praise is everlasting and will last as long as Thine own sovereignty will last. By its means Thou art glorified by such of Thy chosen ones as call upon Thee and by the sincere among Thy servants.” (PM, p. 127).

 “Reflect: the words of the verses themselves eloquently testify to the truth that they are of God.”  ~ Baha'u'llah

Baha’is believe that in the book entitled The Book of Certitude, Baha’u’llah has revealed the hidden meanings of the prophesies of the Bible that have weighed on the minds of humanity for thousands of years. In The Book of Certitude, Baha’u’llah offers a number of interpretations for mankind to bring all the worlds religions together in a single theology. These interpretations involve ancient prophesies about the coming of the Son of Man, the Day of Resurrection, the Day of Judgment, the Return of Christ, and so forth. Baha’is are well aware that these interpretations are vastly different from the ones that many Christians have accepted over the centuries. Baha’is are totally conscious that Christian leaders have taken a very different approach to understanding the Bible. Baha’is believe that Baha’u’llah has fulfilled these prophesies at long last, and has laid out the hidden meanings that were forbidden to the minds of men until their fulfillment, as the Bible states, “And I heard, but I understood not: 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.” (Daniel, 12:8-9)

Baha’is turn to the history of religion to understand the future. Baha’is see a seemingly endless cycle of men’s rebellion against their Messiahs. Leaders of religion in every period of fulfillment have risen up against God. Moses faced the Egyptian priests, Jesus faced the Jewish scholars, Muhammad faced the tribal shaman, and Baha’u’llah’s followers today face the entire body of religious leaders around the world.  As Baha’u’llah wrote, the leaders of religion of every age cling desperate to their own interpretations of their Holy Books, interpretations they have spent their lives developing and codifying, and they deny anything that might seem to deviate lest it refute their life’s work.

Baha’u’llah would often offer multiple meanings for the same passage in a Holy Book. This is not because Baha’u’llah could not decide what it meant. It is rather because the Word of God has unlimited implications. Baha’u’llah wrote that “manifold are the meanings they have intended for these terms. (KI, p. 32). Baha’is, therefore, do not believe that there is only one interpretation for any passage. As many individuals have found, the Word of God can have many meanings to us as we pursue our lives. When we are young, a passage may mean one thing, yet when we grow old, it may mean a totally different thing. The power is in the fact that it is always relevant, and it is always applicable. But one must not cling to one interpretation throughout their lives. Unfortunately, many people of faith cannot accept that the same passage might have multiple meanings. This is why Christianity has split into over 20,000 different sects.

Many followers of Christ have found a deep sense of peace in the idea that the Holy Bible is all they will ever need. They turn to the stories and admonitions of Jesus Christ and the Apostles for their ultimate guidance. For these souls, the Holy Bible lays it all out, clear and unmistakable. These devoted souls often pride themselves on the idea that they believe in the Bible ‘literally.’ Many of these souls believe the world was literally created in six days, that Noah really had a big enough boat for two of every creature on the planet, and that Eve really was created from Adam’s rib. They do not agree with those who take a ‘relativistic’ approach to interpreting the Holy Bible—people that they think make compromises with the Truth in order to accommodate the latest popular intellectual trends.

Of course, even these ‘literalists’ are not truly taking the Bible completely literally. Otherwise we would have some serious problems in the Christian world. For example, what if these followers decided that they must literally be ‘born again,’ as the Bible claims (John 3:7)? What if they really followed the Bible and were baptized, not with water, but with fire (Matthew 3:11)? Finally, what if these literalists really believed the Bible when it says that “Jesus Christ is in you” (2 Corinthians 15:5) and they all took knives to their own bodies looking for a miniature Jesus inside them? Then we would have some serious problems. Instead, we accept a spiritual interpretation of these teachings.

For many, these are just silly village atheist arguments, but they do prove a point. Even those who claim to follow the Bible ‘literally’ are taking some things as symbolic. The question is, where do you draw the line? What is literal and what is symbolic? Any student of history knows that Christianity has struggled with this question throughout the ages. Churches have split over this question. Many who claimed the world was round and that the Earth was not at the center of the material Universe, were burned alive over this question. People who claimed that the world is older than six thousand years have been hated and persecuted. Clearly, Christianity has done some very un-Christian things in defense of some ‘literal’ interpretations. Therefore, for Baha’is, the ‘literal’ interpretation should always be questioned, lest we be driven to do things that Jesus Christ Himself would be ashamed of.

Baha’is do not get bogged down in deciding what is literally true or not. For Baha’is, it is not important if the world was created in six days or six trillion days. For Baha’is, the important truth behind the fact that God created the world is not how many days it took, but rather that this Universe is a Result of a Divine Being. For Baha’is, the important truth is not that we take every Sunday off from work, but that we take time to appreciate the purpose behind everything. The universe is not just a random accident that has no purpose, but rather a piece of artwork that should be cherished and explored, and whose Creator should be worshiped.  Baha’is believe that the real power of the Word of God is not in its circumstantial meaning, but in its eternal meaning. Therefore, Baha’is take these stories as parables (Matthew 13:13), and we learn to apply their lessons to our current lives in a way that helps us grow spiritually towards our Lord.

“O concourse of priests! Leave the bells, and come forth, then, from your churches. It behoveth you, in this day, to proclaim aloud the Most Great Name among the nations. Prefer ye to be silent, whilst every stone and every tree shouteth aloud: 'The Lord is come in His great glory!'” ~ Baha'u'llah

Baha’is believe that today is the fulfillment of all that these Christian leaders have built over the millennia. Baha’u’llah called out to the leaders of Christianity, in fulfillment of the prophetic warning of the Bible that states, “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.” (Revelation 3:13). Baha’is believe that the time has come for the leaders of Christendom to recognize the return of their Lord and call all the multitudes to accept Him in His new Name (Rev 3:12).

Many priests, ministers, and church leaders have accepted the Baha’i Faith over the years. Leaders from all religions have turned to Baha’u’llah after a careful and prayerful consideration of the facts, explanations, and interpretations offered by the Baha’i Holy Writings. These leaders have come to the conclusion that to be faithful to their life’s work, to be faithful to their Lord, they had to accept Baha’u’llah.

Here are some quotations of Baha’u’llah’s appeals to Christian leaders:

“O concourse of bishops! Trembling hath seized all the kindreds of the earth, and He Who is the Everlasting Father calleth aloud between earth and heaven.” (PB, p. 92)

“O concourse of priests! Leave the bells, and come forth, then, from your churches. It behoveth you, in this day, to proclaim aloud the Most Great Name among the nations. Prefer ye to be silent, whilst every stone and every tree shouteth aloud: 'The Lord is come in His great glory!'” (PB, p. 94)

“O concourse of priests! The Day of Reckoning hath appeared, the Day whereon He Who was in heaven hath come. He, verily, is the One Whom ye were promised in the Books of God, the Holy, the Almighty, the All-Praised. How long will ye wander in the wilderness of heedlessness and superstition? Turn with your hearts in the direction of your Lord, the Forgiving, the Generous.” (PB, p. 94)

“O concourse of monks! Seclude not yourselves in churches and cloisters. Come forth by My leave, and occupy yourselves with that which will profit your souls and the souls of men. Thus biddeth you the King of the Day of Reckoning. Seclude yourselves in the stronghold of My love. This, verily, is a befitting seclusion, were ye of them that perceive it.” (PB, p. 94)

“O concourse of patriarchs! He Whom ye were promised in the Tablets is come. Fear God, and follow not the vain imaginings of the superstitious. Lay aside the things ye possess, and take fast hold of the Tablet of God by His sovereign power. Better is this for you than all your possessions. Unto this testifieth every understanding heart, and every man of insight. Pride ye yourselves on My Name and yet shut yourselves out as by a veil from Me? This indeed is a strange thing!” (PB, p. 92)

“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches.” (Revelation 3:13)

Baha’u’llah then, in this same Tablet, asks Christians to examine their very own Faith. He writes, “Consider those who rejected the Spirit (Jesus) when He came unto them with manifest dominion. How numerous the Pharisees who had secluded themselves in synagogues in His name, lamenting over their separation from Him, and yet when the portals of reunion were flung open and the divine Luminary shone resplendent from the Dayspring of Beauty, they disbelieved in God, the Exalted, the Mighty.” (TB p. 11)  Baha’u’llah goes on, “Moreover, call thou to mind the one who sentenced Jesus to death. He was the most learned of His age in His own country, whilst he who was only a fisherman believed in Him. Take good heed and be of them that observe the warning.” (TB p. 11)  The question here for Christian leaders is, ‘are you able to see through the manmade attachments and accept your Lord who has come in a way you did not expect?’ How many warnings did Christ give? How many times did that Blessed Figure plead with His followers to be watchful, to have an open mind, and to be ready for something they did not expect? Baha’u’llah is saying that this is all happening again, that those who reject Him are the same as those who rejected Jesus, and those who rejected Moses, and those who rejected Muhammad. When will humanity learn to not be attached to figments of their imagination?

In the Tablet of the Christians, Baha’u’llah further appeals to the people of Christianity when He writes, “He Who is the Spirit verily standeth before them….Will ye bar the doors of your houses in My face?” (Baha’u’llah, TB p. 11)  As is written, “Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching.” (Luke 12:37).

The Bible warns Jesus’ followers that they do not know when the Son of Man will return, “Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.” (Luke 12:40). The Bible also warns His followers not to treat the Return of the Holy Spirit the way people treated Jesus, “He verily, hath again come down from Heaven, even as He came down from it the first time. Beware lest ye dispute that which He proclaimeth, even as the people before you disputed His utterances.”(Baha’u’llah, TB p. 11) For Baha’is, these passages were not alluding to Christians standing by their windows looking up into the night sky. Rather, they warned Christians not to be attached to the expectations they, or their leaders have set for the Return of their Lord.

In this Tablet, Baha’u’llah lays it all out and proclaims that what they have been waiting for has at last come. “Say Lo! The Father is come, and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom is fulfilled!” (Baha’u’llah, TB p. 11) He explains that what Jesus promised, as that which the earlier followers could not bear, had at last been made manifest where He said, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you unto all truth.” (John 16:13). And so, Baha’u’llah wrote, “This is the Word which the Son concealed, when to those around Him He said: ‘Ye cannot bear it now.” And He wrote, “Verily, He Who is the Spirit of Truth is come to guide you unto all truth.”  (TB p. 11)

Baha’u’llah goes on to tell Christendom that the prophesies have been fulfilled. He wrote, “The Hour which We had concealed from the knowledge of the peoples of the earth and of the favored angels hath come to pass.  Say, verily, He hath testified of Me, and I do testify of Him.” (TB p. 11). As the Bible says, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.” (Mark 13:32-33)

Again in this Most Holy Tablet to the Christians, Baha’u’llah appeals directly to church priests to accept their Lord, “O Concourse of priests! Leave the bells, and come forth, then, from your churches.” (TB p. 11).  How long have these bells tolled out in Christendom, awaiting the time when their Lord would return and the Day of Judgment would be upon them all? For Baha’is, this day has come and gone like a thief in the night and that for which Christians wait now is but a figment of their imagination. Baha’u’llah also appeals to the monks of the world, “O Concourse of monks! If ye choose to follow Me, I will make you heirs of My Kingdom; and if ye transgress against Me, I will, in My long-suffering, endure it patiently, and I, verily, am the Ever-Forgiving, the All-Merciful.” (TB p. 11).

Finally, Baha’u’llah poetically asks the land of Jesus’ birth what the followers of the Christ child would chose to do. “O Bethlehem! The Light hath risen in the orient, and traveled towards the occident, until it reached thee in the evening of its life. 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)?” (TB pg. 9).

Baha’is believe in Jesus Christ. In fact, Baha’is consider themselves the spiritual inheritors of the Christian Faith, much as Christians consider themselves the inheritors of the Jewish Faith.

Baha’is do believe that Jesus Christ was the Messiah for mankind. While many have focused more on the death of Christ, Baha’is feel that the actual life of Jesus is the most important aspect of His Ministry. Therefore, they turn to the example that He left as His most lasting legacy. Jesus Christ was a completely loving and forgiving Figure and represented a Being that showed mankind how to truly ‘love thy neighbor,’ and to be truly forgiving enough to ‘turn the other cheek.’ While so many Christians focus on the bloody end of their Messiah—Baha’is see the glorious and noble life that Christ lived as His greatest gift to humanity.

Baha’is also believe that the Bible (Old and New Testaments) is a Holy Book that contains the inspired Word of God. As Abdu’l-Baha said, “Hence these verses of the Bible have numerous meanings.” (Abdu'l-Baha, SAQ, p. 123). The Baha’i interpretation of the Bible offers a truly unifying paradigm for all followers of Jesus Christ. It is unifying because the Baha’i interpretation allows the Bible to fit naturally with all other religions of the world where the followers of Christ become the spiritual brothers and sisters of all mankind.

“Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time…” (Hebrews 9:28)

Christians who study the Bible know that they should not hold to the interpretations of prophesy made by other mortals over the years. They know that no mortal man should add or subtract from the Bible for his own interpretations of how things will play out (Rev. 22:19). They know that the Bible says that “no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation” (II Peter 1:20), and that, “Do not interpretations belong to God?” (Genesis 40:8). This is because not all those who claim to prophesy in His name will be acceptable to God (Matthew 7:23). This is because the true students of the Bible know that with God, anything is possible (Mark 10:27), and to hold to one vision of how the Return will play out, would be limiting God.

Christians who study the Bible also know that the Jews did not accept Jesus because they expected a Messiah of their own imagination that would deliver them from the Romans. Even though the Jewish leaders claimed to follow Moses, they missed their Messiah, and as Jesus said, “had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me.” (John 5:46).

Christians know that no mortal man can claim to know the time of the Lord’s return (Matthew 24:36). The Bible promises that only those that seek Him shall find Him when it is written, “Unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time…” (Hebrews 9:28). Jesus calls His servants not to despise all prophesying, but to “prove all things; hold fast that which is good” (1 Thess 5:20). Therefore Christians can be constantly seeking their Lord in all things. They can learn to be detached from the visions of artists, prophets, and preachers over the years who might have offered their own interpretations of how Christ would return. Christians know that God promised them that if they “Ask, and it shall be given you: seek and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.” (Matthew 7:7). Therefore Christians must ask, seek, and knock in search of their Lord.

Finally, Christians might remember that Jesus Christ promised to return “like a thief in the night.”(2 Peter 3:10). How does a thief in the night come? A good thief comes into your house, does his work, and leaves in the morning without you ever knowing. A Baha’i would ask, is it possible that the Lord returned to the earth, delivered His message, and then left in the morning without the body of Christianity realizing their faith had been fulfilled? Why not? Was not Judaism fulfilled without the majority of Jews accepting its Messiah? Did not Jesus warn His followers to not deal with the Return of the Son of Man as the Jews had dealt with Him? As the Bible warns mankind, “Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place…”(Revelation 2:5)

“Ye shall know them by their fruits." (Matthew 7:16)

Thankfully, the Holy Bible does give one test that all Christians can turn to. The Bible says that, “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.” (Matthew 7:16). This is it. This is the way to tell the difference. You look at the fruit. Of course, this does not mean that the Messiah will have fruits growing from His hair. The Bible also explains what is meant by this fruit when it says, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith.” (Galatians 5:22).

A Christian can now test what he/she finds in the world by this standard. A Christian can now look at the Baha’i Faith and ask, “does this Faith offer the world ‘love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, and faith?’” An honest seeker will see that the Baha’is seek world peace, and the Bible says that “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matthew 5:9). Christians can thus turn to the teachings of Baha’u’llah and see that His message of unity, love, and justice will bring a better world for all. Clearly, Christians can feel safe in assuming that this ‘good fruit’ must be from a good tree, according to the Bible. Therefore, they can begin to investigate knowing that this Faith must be from God.