How long was the previous "cycle" and what was it supposed to achieve?
The previous Cycle was the Prophetic Cycle and it was leading up to the Baha’i Cycle, laying the foundation, preparing the way. That was its purpose, as the purpose of every religious Cycle is to prepare the way for the Cycle that will follow.
The Cycle of religion will last no less than 500,000 years is the Universal Cycle, which includes the Adamic Cycle (Prophetic Cycle) and the Baha’i Cycle (Cycle of Fulfillment).
There have been various Universal Cycles of religion since mankind was created. Within each Cycle there were many different Prophets and religions. The Cycle of religion that began with Adam and culminated with Muhammad is called the Adamic Cycle, or the Prophetic Cycle, named as such because it was the Age of Prophecy. There were many Universal Cycles that preceded Adam but they are too remote in history to know anything about.
“And now regarding thy question, “How is it that no records are to be found concerning the Prophets that have preceded Adam, the Father of Mankind, or of the kings that lived in the days of those Prophets?” Know thou that the absence of any reference to them is no proof that they did not actually exist. That no records concerning them are now available, should be attributed to their extreme remoteness, as well as to the vast changes which the earth hath undergone since their time.
Moreover such forms and modes of writing as are now current amongst men were unknown to the generations that were before Adam. There was even a time when men were wholly ignorant of the art of writing, and had adopted a system entirely different from the one which they now use. For a proper exposition of this an elaborate explanation would be required.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 172-173
Muhammad was called the Seal of the Prophets because He was the last prophet in the Adamic Cycle and thus He
sealed off the Adamic Cycle. The Bab ushered in a new Cycle of religion called the Age of Fulfillment. All the “new age” movements and all the scientific discoveries we have seen since the last century are the result of the inception of this new Cycle. We are living in a new age of mankind.
Within the Adamic Cycle humanity went through all kinds of ups and downs, but from here on in humanity will only move forward, never again back. Right now we are at the very beginning of the new Cycle so it has the appearances of ups and downs, as people work through all the problems that carried over from the Adamic Cycle.
TABLE: BAHA'I SACRED HISTORY
I. PREVIOUS UNIVERSAL CYCLES - of which no trace remains
II. PRESENT UNIVERSAL CYCLE
A. ADAMIC CYCLE, CYCLE OF PROPHECY - lasted approximately 6,000 years
1. Adam 1. Indian religious figures
2. Noah - Krishna
3. Abraham
4. Moses 2. Zoroaster
5. Jesus 3. Buddha
6. Muhammad
+ Other unknown or unspecified prophets
B. BAHA'I CYCLE, CYCLE OF FULFILLMENT - to last 500,000 years
1. The Bab
2. Bahá'u'lláh - Universal Manifestation for this Universal Cycle
a. Heroic, Primitive, or Apostolic Age - 1844-1921 (or 1932 - the death of Bahiyyih Khanum)
i. Ministry of the Bab (1844-53)
ii. Ministry of Bahá'u'lláh (1853-92)
iii. Ministry of `Abdu'l-Bahá (1892-1921)
b. Formative, Transitional, or Iron Age - 1921 -
i. First Epoch (1921-44/46) - Erection of the Administrative Order
ii. Second Epoch (1946-63) - spread of the Faith beyond the confines of the Western Hemisphere
iii. Third Epoch (1963-86) - emergence of the Faith from obscurity and initiation of social and economic development plans
iv. Fourth Epoch (1986- ) - national communities taking on the responsibility for their own development
v. Successive further Epochs
c. Golden Age
Successive Epochs leading to the Most Great Peace
3. Further Manifestations - under the shadow of Bahá'u'lláh
END OF PRESENT UNIVERSAL CYCLE
III. FURTHER UNIVERSAL CYCLES
Ages and Cycles
