Why doesn’t God communicate directly to everyone?

[Trailblazer]

I think that is not true, because for example:


I tell you that he will avenge them quickly. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"
Luke 18:8

The Son of Man was not Jesus.

Mark 14:62 And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Matthew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Matthew 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Mark 13:26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

Did you ever wonder why Jesus did not say “And then shall they see me coming in the clouds with great power and glory?”

To explain in brief, Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven means that the return of the Christ Spirit promised in the Bible will be made manifest from the heaven of the will of God, and will appear in the form of a human being. The term “heaven” means loftiness and exaltation. Although Jesus was delivered from the womb of His mother, in reality He descended from the heaven of the will of God. Though dwelling on this earth, His true habitation was the realms above. While walking among mortals on earth, Jesus soared in the heaven of the divine presence.

Baha’u’llah cleared up the meaning of clouds in The Kitáb-i-Íqán. He devoted quite a bit of text to explaining what clouds means. To paraphrase Baha’u’llah, Son of man coming on the clouds means that the return of the Christ Spirit will appear in the form of another human being. The term “clouds” as used in the Bible means those things that are contrary to the ways and desires of men. Just like the physical clouds prevent the eyes of men from beholding the sun, these things hindered men from recognizing the return of Christ.

 

[1213]

The Son of Man was not Jesus...

Jesus speaks of himself as son of man in many parts of the Bible.

 

[Trailblazer]

Jesus speaks of himself as son of man in many parts of the Bible.

Can you give me some examples where Jesus speaks of Himself as the Son of Man?

Son of man is a title but it applies to more than one individual, just as the title Messiah can apply to more than one individual. Jesus was the Son of Man and the Messiah but Baha'u'llah was also the Son of Man and the Messiah.

 

[Muffled]

Yes, and I'm sat here watching the pigs fly passed my window.

I believe you will be right about that when pigs fly.

 

[Muffled]

Who is it built by, God?
How would God build it?

I believe Jesus who is God in the flesh builds the New Jerusalem which serves as the Kingdom at least until it lands on earth.

 

[Muffled]

Can you give me some examples where Jesus speaks of Himself as the Son of Man?

Son of man is a title but it applies to more than one individual, just as the title Messiah can apply to more than one individual. Jesus was the Son of Man and the Messiah but Baha'u'llah was also the Son of Man and the Messiah.

I believe the B man was neither the Son of Man nor the Messiah.

 

[1213]

Can you give me some examples where Jesus speaks of Himself as the Son of Man?

Here are few examples about Jesus being the son of man:

Matt. 11:19
Matt. 12:8
Matt. 17:9
Matt. 17:22-23
Matt. 20:27-28
Matt. 26:24
John 13:31

 

[Trailblazer]

I believe Jesus who is God in the flesh builds the New Jerusalem which serves as the Kingdom at least until it lands on earth.

Do you mean that Jesus builds the New Jerusalem in heaven and then Jesus comes to earth and builds it on earth, as it is in heaven? That is in keeping with part of the Lord’s Prayer – “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

As a Baha’i, I believe that God’s Kingdom is in heaven but God’s Kingdom will come to earth, as promised in the Bible, as the result of the Revelation of Baha’u’llah. The old world order is in the process of being rolled up and a new world order is arising in its stead. The new world order is what the Bible refers to as the Kingdom of God.

“This is the Day in which God’s most excellent favors have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things. It is incumbent upon all the peoples of the world to reconcile their differences, and, with perfect unity and peace, abide beneath the shadow of the Tree of His care and loving-kindness. It behoveth them to cleave to whatsoever will, in this Day, be conducive to the exaltation of their stations, and to the promotion of their best interests. Happy are those whom the all-glorious Pen was moved to remember, and blessed are those men whose names, by virtue of Our inscrutable decree, We have preferred to conceal.

Beseech ye the one true God to grant that all men may be graciously assisted to fulfil that which is acceptable in Our sight. Soon will the present-day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead. Verily, thy Lord speaketh the truth, and is the Knower of things unseen.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 6-7

The New Jerusalem has already come.The New Jerusalem is the Law of God, which refers to the Revelation of Baha’u’llah.

“The time foreordained unto the peoples and kindreds of the earth is now come. The promises of God, as recorded in the holy Scriptures, have all been fulfilled. Out of Zion hath gone forth the Law of God, and Jerusalem, and the hills and land thereof, are filled with the glory of His Revelation. Happy is the man that pondereth in his heart that which hath been revealed in the Books of God, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. Meditate upon this, O ye beloved of God, and let your ears be attentive unto His Word, so that ye may, by His grace and mercy, drink your fill from the crystal waters of constancy, and become as steadfast and immovable as the mountain in His Cause.

In the Book of Isaiah it is written: “Enter into the rock, and hide thee in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of His majesty.” No man that meditateth upon this verse can fail to recognize the greatness of this Cause, or doubt the exalted character of this Day—the Day of God Himself. This same verse is followed by these words: “And the Lord alone shall be exalted in that Day.” This is the Day which the Pen of the Most High hath glorified in all the holy Scriptures. There is no verse in them that doth not declare the glory of His holy Name, and no Book that doth not testify unto the loftiness of this most exalted theme. Were We to make mention of all that hath been revealed in these heavenly Books and holy Scriptures concerning this Revelation, this Tablet would assume impossible dimensions. It is incumbent in this Day, upon every man to place his whole trust in the manifold bounties of God, and arise to disseminate, with the utmost wisdom, the verities of His Cause. Then, and only then, will the whole earth be enveloped with the morning light of His Revelation.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 12-14

 

[Trailblazer]

I believe the B man was neither the Son of Man nor the Messiah.

Jesus was the Son of Man and the Messiah. Baha’u’llah was the return of the Christ Spirit in another human body, so He was also the Son of Man and the Messiah.

I covered that in detail in a post to you on the other thread. #64 Trailblazer, A moment ago

Baha’u’llah was the Return of Christ, Messiah, Son of Man, Comforter, and Spirit of truth. The titles Messiah, Son of Man, and Comforter also refer to Jesus, but Spirit of truth refers exclusively to Baha’u’llah.

Jesus said that He had many things to say but we could not receive them yet, because we could not bear them back in the days when Jesus walked the earth. Jesus said that the Spirit of truth would guide us to all truth. Baha’u’llah was the Spirit of truth who has guided us to all truth.

John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for hedwelleth with you, and shall be in you.

John 16:12-13 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 into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

 

[Trailblazer]

Here are few examples about Jesus being the son of man:

Matt. 11:19
Matt. 12:8
Matt. 17:9
Matt. 17:22-23
Matt. 20:27-28
Matt. 26:24
John 13:31

Thanks for those verses. Yes, you are right. Jesus was the Son of Man, but that title did not apply exclusively to Jesus. Baha’u’llah was also the Son of Man.

Aside from the verses you cited, I know that Jesus was the Son of Man because Baha’u’llah referred to Jesus as such. Referring to Jesus as the Son of Man, Baha’u’llah wrote:

“Know thou that when the Son of Man yielded up His breath to God, the whole creation wept with a great weeping. By sacrificing Himself, however, a fresh capacity was infused into all created things. Its evidences, as witnessed in all the peoples of the earth, are now manifest before thee. The deepest wisdom which the sages have uttered, the profoundest learning which any mind hath unfolded, the arts which the ablest hands have produced, the influence exerted by the most potent of rulers, are but manifestations of the quickening power released by His transcendent, His all-pervasive, and resplendent Spirit.

We testify that when He came into the world, He shed the splendor of His glory upon all created things. Through Him the leper recovered from the leprosy of perversity and ignorance. Through Him, the unchaste and wayward were healed. Through His power, born of Almighty God, the eyes of the blind were opened, and the soul of the sinner sanctified.

Leprosy may be interpreted as any veil that interveneth between man and the recognition of the Lord, his God. Whoso alloweth himself to be shut out from Him is indeed a leper, who shall not be remembered in the Kingdom of God, the Mighty, the All-Praised. We bear witness that through the power of the Word of God every leper was cleansed, every sickness was healed, every human infirmity was banished. He it is Who purified the world. Blessed is the man who, with a face beaming with light, hath turned towards Him.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 85-86

Regarding the return of Christ (the return of the Son of Man), you might want to look at my post to Muffled on another thread: #64 Trailblazer, A moment ago

 

[Sen McGlinn]

... if the Baha'is do have control of the government and the police and the military. Will they enforce Baha'i law on the world? Including those that aren't Baha'is? As an example would be sexual moral laws. What would a Baha'i world do with the gay community? Or, what about strip clubs and massage parlors? Or, what about the porn industry? What about alcoholic beverages? Would there manufacture and sales become outlawed? If the Baha'is don't take control, will all this continue? And Baha'is won't interfere?

This is a bit like the query about "what if we had a Catholic President." As if 30 or so Protestant Presidents before LBJ had lived in a different world or came from a different branch of homo sapiens, so having a Catholic President would somehow be different. Bahais and other people of faith vote their values and, if they are in public office, their values influence their behaviour and decisions, within the framework of duties they have, defined by the laws of the land. No, Bahais do not seek to impose their values or religious laws on others, because the first section of the Aqdas says that outward obedience to religious laws, without recognition of the law-giver, is meaningless.