Thief in the Night or The Strange Case of the Missing Millennium
Download 1.25 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- 3. The tree of life
2. Enemy of the peopleChrist knew that this same disbelief would be repeated in the day of His return. He warned His followers not to be misled by outward, physical wonders that might be worked in His name, but to look for the Figure Who would have that humble, loving, in-swelling Spirit. Whenever a Messenger of God such as Jesus, Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Muhammad, the Báb, or Bahá’u’lláh appears, He is considered to be a ‘false prophet’ by those who are not spiritually awake. This is not a new problem. It did not begin with Christ or with Bahá’u’lláh. It is as old as the human race. In that same chapter of Matthew in which Christ so clearly foretold the time of His return, He also gives His strongest warnings about the false prophets in the last days. He says: “Wherefore if they shall say unto you, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.”1 It is said that in the fifty years following the crucifixion, many people arose and claimed to be the Messiah, and throughout the centuries, many have made this false claim. In spite of these false prophets and fake Messiahs, Durant, in his The Age of Faith, says that the Jewish thinker Maimonides “accepted the Messianic hope as an indispensable support to the Jewish spirit in the Dispersion, and made it one of the thirteen principal tenets of the Jewish Faith.” Although both Christianity and Judaism eagerly awaited the coming of the Messiah, the great mass of believers lost interest and became indifferent, even though in both Faiths the coming Kingdom was spoken of in prayer each day. And so I asked myself if there were not some positive way in which I could test Bahá’u’lláh to make certain that He was a true prophet, and not a false prophet. Fortunately, there was a way. It was given us by Christ Himself. He gave all Christians an infallible method by which they could test each prophet that came. “‘Beware of false prophets,’ Christ warned, ‘which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.’”2 Christ promised that if we looked for the ‘inward’ truth and not the ‘outward’ appearance, we would know the true from the false, for: “He that entereth in by the door [Gate] is the shepherd of the sheep … he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.”1 Christ was clearly speaking of the day of His return in this warning, for He said: “And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold [Christianity]: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. “Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it up again.”2 In the very prophecy in which Christ warns His followers to ‘beware of false prophets’, He gives them the method by which they can judge the true from the false. He has provided humanity with an unerring standard by which every person can determine for himself whether a prophet is true or false. I found this standard in the seventh chapter of Matthew. In this one chapter Christ gives the warning concerning false prophets, and gives the measuring rod by which to judge them. I felt there was no excuse for me, or any other follower of Christ not to know the truth, for it is taken from His famous Sermon on the Mount. “Beware of false prophets,” He warns, “which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.” “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. “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.” Therefore, I intended to use this sound basis for judgement. I would do as Christ Himself advised. I would judge Bahá’u’lláh by His fruits. I would measure Bahá’u’lláh according to the standard that Christ had given, knowing that it would prove once and for all whether Bahá’u’lláh had the right to be called the Messiah. If the fruit is good, the tree is good; and the prophet is true. That would be my test. I decided to make this one of my most fundamental proofs, for I felt that the solution to The case of the missing millennium depended upon this one proof perhaps more than on any other. 3. The tree of lifeChrist foretold that the One Who came in His name at the time of the end would be the ‘Spirit of Truth’: “… he will guide you into all truth …”1 In another place, He said: “… he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”2 And yet again: “… he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.”3 I was determined to seek for the inward truth behind the outward symbol in Christ’s words, for I found written in yet another place: “… the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him (the believer) in the last day.”4 Bahá’u’lláh, I found, had written over a hundred volumes. Here it is possible for me to mention but a few of His teachings, and in only the briefest manner. It is like trying to catch the ocean in a cup. The scholar Charles Baudouin, in his book Contemporary Studies, writes of Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings, saying that this “ethical code is dominated by the law of love taught by Jesus and by all the prophets. In the thousand and one details of practical life, this law is subject to manifold interpretations. That of Bahá’u’lláh is unquestionably one of the most comprehensive of these, one of the most exalted, one of the most satisfactory to the modern mind …”1 The former President of Czechoslovakia, Eduard Benés wrote of Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings, “The Bahá’í Cause is one of the great moral and social forces in all the world today.”2 Mr Benés wrote on another occasion, “The Bahá’í Teaching is one of the spiritual forces now absolutely necessary to put the spirit first in this battle against material forces … The Bahá’í Teaching is one of the great instruments for the final victory of the spirit and of humanity.”3 The scientist, Dr Glenn A. Shook, inventor of the colour-organ, and former head of the Physics Department at Wheaton College, Norton, Massachusetts, wrote of Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings: “Here is a mighty river of knowledge. It appeals to the scientist as well as to the layman. Bahá’u’lláh’s Teachings meet the challenge of our age head-on, and offer sound, reasonable solutions. They have been an invaluable discovery to me as a scientist, and a treasure and comfort to me as an individual human being.”4 Queen Marie of Rumania wrote in the Daily Star of Toronto, Canada, on 4 May 1926: “If ever the name of Bahá’u’lláh (or His son) comes to your attention, do not put their writings from you. Search out their Books, and let their glorious, peace-bringing, love-creating words and lessons sink into your hearts as they have into mine.”5 Eight years later, she wrote: “These books have strengthened me beyond belief and I am now ready to die any day full of hope … The Bahá’í Teaching brings peace and under- standing … It accepts all great prophets gone before, it destroys no other creeds and leaves all doors open … To those in search of assurance, the words of the Father are as a fountain in the desert after long wandering.”1 The following words of Bahá’u’lláh, I felt, reflected the spirit of His entire Teaching: “O ye children of men! The fundamental purpose animating the Faith of God and His Religion is to safeguard the interests and promote the unity of the human race, and to foster the spirit of love and fellowship amongst men.”2 At this point, I began systematically to examine the fruits from the tree of Bahá’u’lláh, so that I might determine whether He was a true or a false prophet. I searched out Bahá’u’lláh’s words upon those subjects that I felt were nearest to my heart and to the heart of every human being. These subjects I thought were most vital to every man’s welfare: 1. His home and family. 2. His country. 3. His religion. 4. His individual self. The first fruit I planned to test was that relating to man’s home and family.
Directory: docs docs -> Application for acem docs -> Observational Assessment of Teaching Practices Teaching Assessment Initiative Proposal Submitted to The Teachers for a New Era project docs -> Traditional British values docs -> From Warfighters to Crimefighters: The Origins of Domestic Police Militarization docs -> Borzoi Club of America Register of Merit Program I. What is a Register Of Merit docs -> Protecting the rights of the child in the context of migration docs -> United Nations E/C. 12/Esp/5 docs -> 9th May 1950 the schuman declaration docs -> Getting To Outcomes® in Services for Homeless Veterans 10 Steps for Achieving Accountability Download 1.25 Mb. Share with your friends:
|