ppp
Well-Known Member
Under that definition, everybody is a prophet.
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Are Baha’u’llah’s prophecies coming true?
- Thread starter Trailblazer
- Start date
Under that definition, everybody is a prophet.
After the 1st world war representatives of various governments assembled in Paris in order to lay the foundations of Universal Peace and thus bestow rest and comfort upon the world of humanity.
At this time Abdu’l-Bahá wrote in 1919, “yet misunderstanding among some individuals is still predominant and self-interest still prevails. In such an atmosphere, Universal Peace will not be practicable, nay rather, fresh difficulties will arise.”
He then wrote in 1920, “For in the future another war, fiercer than the last, will assuredly break out,” “Verily, of this there is no doubt whatever.” Then In another letter sent the same year, He was even more explicit. After presenting—as He had done in His addresses in the West—some of the spiritual requirements for the establishment of peace, He closed by enumerating some of the elements that would eventually lead humanity to World War II just nineteen years later:
"The Balkans will remain discontented. Its restlessness will increase. The vanquished Powers will continue to agitate. They will resort to every measure that may rekindle the flame of war. Movements, newly born and worldwide in their range, will exert their utmost effort for the advancement of their designs. The Movement of the Left will acquire great importance. Its influence will spread."
That is how it works, Peace is offered, then the overall ramifications for not accepting Peace is foretold.
Reading Reality in Times of Crisis - Bahai World (Source)
Regards Tony
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
There are Bible prophecies referring to the coming of the messiah that mention specific countries and events but they do not mention specific years. The following prophecy refers to the exiles and banishments of Baha'u'llah and can be matched up with actual history.
Micah 7:12 In that day also he shall come even to thee from Assyria, and from the fortified cities, and from the fortress even to the river, and from sea to sea, and from mountain to mountain.
Regarding Baha'u'llah's prophecies:
Chapter 4
BAHA'I PROPHECIES: HISTORICAL EVENTS
A tempest, unprecedented in its violence, unpredictable in its course, catastrophic in its immediate effects, unimaginably glorious in its ultimate consequences, is at present sweeping the face of the earth... The powerful operations of this titanic upheaval are comprehensible to none except such as have recognized the claims of both Baha'u'llah and the Bab.
- Shoghi Effendi
The word 'prediction' means one thing in science, another in religion. When we study religion scientifically, it is important to distinguish between these meanings. In science, a prediction is any testable inference we draw from a hypothesis or theory. It may equally well describe a future event, a past observation or an ongoing process. In religion, a prediction generally is a prophecy - a glimpse of the future disclosed through the words of a prophet. Although the scientific and religious meanings may sometimes overlap, they are not identical.
Bearing this distinction in mind, let us consider a scientific prediction (testable inference from a hypothesis) involving religious predictions (prophecies): if Baha'u'llah truly was a Manifestation of God, then He should have been, able to foretell coming events. To someone omniscient at will and free from all error, the future must be an open book.
This practical consequence of the revelation-claim of Baha'u'llah is something we can test on the basis of observation, reason, intuition and credible authority. As with any good scientific deduction, we can search for evidence to disprove it. 'When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, ' says the Old Testament, 'if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken... '53 Note how completely this approach agrees with modern scientific method: the Bible does not suggest that a single correct prophecy (or even several such) would constitute 'proof of a Manifestation's claim. All it says is that a demonstrable inability to make such prophecies would discredit that claim. The obvious corollary, however, is that if someone claiming divine inspiration makes a great many specific, seemingly improbable, testable prophecies - prophecies whose non-fulfilment would undermine our confidence - and they invariably come true, then we can hardly fail to be impressed. Two equally reasonable people may differ as to how much any given prophecy bolsters such a claim or how many 'hits' should be required to sustain a positive verdict. At some point, however, We might well find it more reasonable to accept that claim than to go on reserving judgement.
Baha'u'llah Himself writes:
We have laid bare the divine mysteries and in most explicit language foretold future events, that neither the doubts of the faithless, nor the denials of the froward, nor the whisperings of the heedless may keep back the seekers after truth from the Source of the light of the One true God. 54
... most of the things which have come to pass on this earth have been announced and prophesied by the Most Sublime Pen... All that hath been sent down hath and will come to pass, word for word, upon earth. No possibility is left for anyone either to turn aside or protest. 55
An impartial examination of such prophecies, in the light of subsequent events, will either confirm or falsify these assertions. This, then, is a good place to begin our investigation.
In considering Baha'u'llah's prophecies I shall, in a few instances, refer also to statements by the Bab and 'Abdu'l-Baha The Bab claimed to be not only the Herald of Baha'u'llah but a Manifestation in His own right - a claim fully endorsed by Baha'u'llah. Although 'Abdu'l-Baha is not considered a Manifestation, He was designated by Baha'u'llah as the unerring, divinely-guided Interpreter of the Faith, and beyond that as one whose words are as authoritative and as binding upon believers as Baha'u'llah's own. All authenticated statements of these three Central Figures therefore constitute Baha'i scripture, and their prophecies all are invested with Baha'u'llah's authority. *
*To put it another way, Baha'u'llah predicted (at least by implication) that the prophecies of the Bab and 'Abdu'l-Baha would prove as reliable as His own.
What are the developments that have, in the words of Baha'u'llah, 'come to pass on this earth' after being 'announced and prophesied by the Most Sublime Pen'? Those of which I am aware, and which I discuss in the following pages, include:
1. The fall from power of the French Emperor Napoleon III and the consequent loss of his empire.
2. The defeat of Germany in two bloody wars, resulting in the 'lamentations of Berlin'.
3. The success and stability of Queen Victoria's reign.
4. The dismissal of 'All Pasha as prime minister of Turkey.
5. The overthrow and murder of Sultan 'Abdu'l-'Aziz of Turkey.
6. The breakup of the Ottoman Empire, leading to the extinction of the 'outward splendour' of its capital, Constantinople.
7. The downfall of Nasiri'd-Din Shah, the Persian monarch.
8. The advent of constitutional government in Persia.
9. A massive (albeit temporary) decline in the fortunes of monarchy throughout the world.
10. A worldwide erosion of ecclesiastical authority.
11. The collapse of the Muslim Caliphate.
12. The spread of communism, the 'Movement of the Left', and its rise to world power.
13. The catastrophic decline of that same movement, triggered by the collapse of its egalitarian economy.
14. The rise of Israel as a Jewish homeland.
15. The persecution of Jews on the European continent (the Nazi holocaust).
16. America's violent racial struggles.
17. Baha'u'llah's release from the prison of 'Akka and the pitching of His tent on Mount Carmel.
18. The seizure and desecration of Baha'u'llah's House in Baghdad.
19. The failure of all attempts to create schism within the Baha'i Faith.
20. The explosive acceleration of scientific and technological progress.
21. The development of nuclear weapons.
22. The achievement of transmutation of elements, the age-old alchemist's dream.
23. Dire peril for all humanity as a result of that achievement.
24. The discovery that complex elements evolve in nature from simpler ones.
25. The recognition of planets as a necessary byproduct of star formation.
26. Space travel.
27. The realization that some forms of cancer are communicable.
28. Failure to find evidence for a 'missing link' between man and ape.
29. The non-existence of a mechanical ether (the supposed light-carrying substance posited by classical physics), and its redefinition as an abstract reality.
30. The breakdown of mechanical models (literal images) as a basis for understanding the physical world.
I will review each of these prophecies, describing when and how each was made and fulfilled. First, however, let us briefly consider their common historical setting.
The Challenge of Baha'u'llah, PROOFS OF THE BAHA'I REVELATION, pp. 35-40
Believability of a prophecy has no relevance as to whether it's true/accurate or not. The event stated in the prophecy either happened or it did not.
A prophecy either came true or it did not come true. It does not matter if it is vague or specific.
That is easy to do with the Bible because so many of the prophecies are so vague.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
But so what?
A prophecy made by a Prophet is more than a prediction. It is the fulfillment of the divine will and purpose.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
No excuses are necessary. Of course it is not that way YET. There is no reason to think it would happen at any particular time or within a specific time frame. Humans do not change very fast.And it isn't now the way Bahaullah envisioned it to be, either. Which you'll excuse by saying that it will be someday.
The point is that what Baha'u'llah prophesied is now in the process of unfolding just as He said it would. This process has been going on for a long time now, but only in recent years has it become increasingly obvious to any astute observer that the old world order is being rolled up and a new world order is rising in its stead.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
According to God.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
No, not unless they meet all the other criteria that a Prophet has to meet.
Also, who has predicted events that occurred in the future that they did not plan or cause to happen?
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ppp
Well-Known Member
I feel like you are jerking me around. Make up your mind on what prophecy means and then make your case
ppp
Well-Known Member
Which is really just what a bunch of people claim is according to their god. In this case, that bunch of people happens to be the Baha'i.
No.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
I have no case to make.
You can look up the definition online.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
True.
Brian2
Veteran Member
By world order I presume it is meant "the main political powers in control".
This has a habit of change and has been changing regularly since before Baha'u'llah came.
ppp
Well-Known Member
You have no definition either.
What you mean is: are you able to sell a liberal interpretation of a prophesy as if it is coming true.
Not to smart thinkers. But we've been over that.
ppp
Well-Known Member
Therefore your claim of "According to God" was deception. A truthful answer would have been, According to Trailblazer.True.
Interestingly, there are Christains that see a world government as the Anti Christ. So there is also prophecy in the Bible about this, with far less detail.
A World Government has not yet happened, but the foundations have been considered in both the League of Nations and then the United Nations.
In the formation of the League of Nations, many leaders were well aware of what Abdul'baha had offered as to what was needed to obtain peace.
Regards Tony
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No it was correct to attribute it to God.
Trailblazer obtains her sources from a God given Messenger. The quandary is that the source may be not seen by others as a Messenger from God.
Thus not a deception, but a matter relative to a chosen faith.
Regards Tony
Aupmanyav
Be your own guru
I understand it very clearly. Prophecies are falsehood, and only charlatans or mentally deranged make such claims.
firedragon
Veteran Member
Too vague. Long ago when these documentaries on a "New world order" came up along with the Illuminati and the Freemasons etc one could have associated these prophecies with them. I suppose.