Unifying the world? It's 179 years old now. What has it done so far apart from generating position papers that have little impact.
You expect the world to be unified in 179 years when it has been divided for thousands of years?
How can the world be unified when the religions do not want to unite?
All I need to know are the prophecies and some facts about the life of Baha'u'llah
According to the traditional Jewish definition of the term, the Messiah will make changes in the real world, changes that one can see and perceive and be able to prove, precisely because they take place in the real world. It is for this task that the Messiah has been anointed in the first place, hence the term, messiah — one who is anointed. These perceptible changes include:
- The Messiah reestablishes the Davidic dynasty through his own children (Daniel 7:13-14).
- The Messiah brings an eternal peace between all nations, all peoples, and all people (Isaiah 2:2-4; Micah 4:1-4; Ezekiel 39:9).
- The Messiah brings about an end to all forms of idolatry (Zechariah 13:2).
- The Messiah leads the world to become vegetarian (including the carnivores) (Isaiah 11:6-9).
- All weapons will be destroyed (Ezekiel 39:9,12).
- The Nile will run dry (Isaiah 11:15).
- The messiah, the Jews were told, would be a human being called Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14)
- He would be a king and a great political leader descended from King David (Jeremiah 23:5), a great military leader who would win battles for Israel, and a great judge who would make righteous decisions (Jeremiah 33:15).
The following are the criteria for identifying the Moshiach, as written by Maimonides:
- If we see a Jewish leader who (a) toils in the study of Torah and is meticulous about the observance of the mitzvot, (b) influences the Jews to follow the ways of the Torah and (c) wages the "battles of Gd"—such a person is the "presumptive Moshiach".'
Now compare that to Baha'u'llah's biography.
Good luck with all that. I have already covered this ground with Jews and Christians. This is not my first rodeo.
Nowhere in the Jewish scripture does it say that the Messiah will do this himself, during his lifetime.
Nowhere in the Jewish scripture does it say how long after the Messiah comes these prophecies will be fulfilled.
Yes. Reason tells us that Baha'u'llah does not fulfill these criteria.
Reason tells me that messianic prophecies will be fulfilled during the messianic age, which will last no less tan 1000 years.
It began in 1852 AD, so we are only 170 years into this age. Some of the prophecies have been fulfilled already and others are in the process of being fulfilled. For one example:
Isaiah 9:6-7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Baha’u’llah was the Prince of Peace and the Lord of hosts. World peace will be established during His religious dispensation. Please note that the prophecy does not say 'when' peace will be established, but where it says there shall be no end to the peace that indicates that it won't happen all at once but rather it will unfold gradually. That is exactly what is happening right now. The same is true for the government. It says that there shall be 'no end' to the government which means it will begin and be established gradually and continue to develop over time. The government will be more developed in the future as the prophecy says (increase in government).
Baha’u’llah set up a 'system of government' and it has already been established among the Baha’is. The institutions of that government are fully operational, but still in their infancy. What we now refer to as Local Spiritual assemblies (LSAs) and will eventually evolve into what will be called Houses of Justice. This certainly qualifies as an 'increase' in government.
Neither are what you claim for them. The claims of biblical prophecy fulfillment have been refuted.
You have refuted
nothing. You are just giving me a platform for advertising the Baha'i Faith.
Do you want some more prophecies that have been fulfilled by the coming of Baha'u'llah? I have scads of them, so many that I don't even know where to start.
Isaiah 35 King James Version (KJV)
35 The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose.2 It shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.
Above Haifa, Israel, stands Mt. Carmel, proclaiming the Glory of the Lord has come.
Biblical prophecy is so vague that a wide variety of occurrences can be claimed to be their fulfillment. And some was written after the fact, and some is self-fulfilling.
Some biblical prophecies are vague and some are very specific and could only have been fulfilled by one man. Need we go on?
Please note that Baha’u’llah had no control over His own destiny for the last 40 years of His Life after He declared His mission because He was deemed a prisoner of the government He was banished and exiled from place to place. The following prophecy was fulfilled by these exiles and banishments.
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.
He shall come from Assyria: At that time Assyria was a large area. Baha’u’llah and His family lived in the part that was Persia, now Iran, in the city of Tihran.
and from the fortified cities: Baha’u’llah was banished from city to city: After being released from the Black Pit dungeon in Tihran in 1852, His family and companions had only a short time before being sent to the fortified city of Baghdad. While living in Baghdad, He gained such a large following that the enemies where shocked. Right away He was banished again, this time to the fortified city of Istanbul.
The Governor of the city refused many times to fulfill the orders that he received to banish Him again. Finally forced to follow orders, Baha’u’llah was banished again to the fortified city of Adrianople. He was honored and praised, and shown respect everywhere, until He was finally sent to the most horrific of all places, the fortress of Akka, where it was expected that He would succumb to the terrible conditions.
and from the fortress even to the river: It was while in Baghdad that the Tigris river became a special place, as Baha’u’llah crossed it to the Ridvan Garden. April 21, 1863 was the fulfilment of prophecy, as that was when Baha’u’llah declared to those around Him His Station as the Manifestation of God.
and from sea to sea: After His banishment in Baghdad, His exile was by way of the Black Sea. Still a prisoner He crossed the Black Sea from Sinope on His way to Constantinople. After the banishment in Adrianople, He crossed the Mediterranean Sea from Gallipolis in Turkey, embarking at Alexandria, Egypt, then on to the fortress of 'Akka, the most desolate of cities.
and from mountain to mountain: The time in Baghdad was turbulent with opposition. To protect His family and companions Baha’u’llah went to the Kurdistan mountains. There He lived in poverty, but the area was magnetized by His presence. After two years, He was persuaded to return to Baghdad.
The other mountain was in Israel, Mount Carmel, where He had docked before His final journey to Akka. Later He had a chance to return to Mount Carmel, to pitch His tent. Here He wrote the Tablet Of Carmel, surrounded by pilgrims looking for the return of Christ to descend from heaven. Mount Carmel is the headquarters of the Baha’i Faith.
From:
William Sears, Thief in the Night