Why learn about other faiths?

[Trailblazer]

All of my brothers from all around the world have interpreted the Bible in the exact same way as we do in our Church. We believe there is only one correct way to interpret the Bible. Every verse has to be supported by the rest of the Bible, it is one story about God. It's Gods Word and He is not the author of confusion.

We have found that every single one of our brethren down the millennia and centuries have all arrived at the same conclusion about the meaning of Scripture as we do in my Church today. So this proves to me that there is only One truth and One true way of understanding it.

We believe that we need our entire life span to unpack everything Jesus said and the Bible teaches, Christ also warned us to ignore and rebuke any future prophets or anyone who claims to have any new revelation from God. We believe the canon of scripture is complete and it was closed 2000 years ago with the book of revelation.

Our pastor warns us regularly, not to give any oxygen to anyone who claims to have any new revelation or anyone who claims that God spoke to them. We believe that God has said everything He wanted to say and there is nothing more to hear. His message has always been the same old message which is new and it applies to every generation up to now and all future generations will not receive any new communication from God.

We believe that those who claim to have extra Biblical revelation have been deceived and possessed by Demons. The Bible is Gods perfect Word, it speaks to every true believer. Gods Word is the most powerful thing in the world, it exposed and condemns false prophets and their followers to hell.

I would not be a true Saint of God if I invested any time to read the works of this "prophet" you mention. My God is jealous, He doesn't tolerate me giving any oxygen to false prophets. Our mission is to learn as much as we can about God as He described Himself in the Bible. One lifetime is not enough to learn everything about Him so that's why we are forbidden to waste time reading what fallen men write.

If all Christians down the millennia and centuries have all arrived at the same conclusion about the meaning of Scripture then there would never have been disagreements about the meaning of scriptures. But we all know that there have been disagreements and that is why there are so many divisions within Christianity. So we know that the Bible is interpreted differently by different Christians. Certain doctrines of the Church were settled at the Council of Nicaea but even after that there were splits within the Church.

Jesus warned about following false prophets but I do not know anywhere where Jesus said to ignore and rebuke any future prophets or anyone who claims to have any new revelation from God. The canon of biblical scripture is complete and it was closed 2000 years ago with the book of revelation but that does not mean that God can never speak again in the future. That was simply an assumption made by Christians. The same assumption has been made by those of all the older religions. They believe that their religion and their scriptures are the best and the last. But that means that all the other religions have to be wrong, and that does not make any sense.

Baha’is believe that all the religions were right and each one was applicable for its time in history, but religion is renewed in every new age, according to the needs of the times. We do not believe that the Revelation of Baha’u’llah is the final revelation from God. Revelations from God will continue for all of eternity.

It makes no sense that God said everything God needs to say for all time 2000 years ago. An Almighty God’s hands are not tied. Humanity and the world we live in changes throughout history, so we need new messages from God. That is why God sends new Messengers throughout all time.

We can see the progressive revelation from God to man from the beginning of the Old Testament to the end of the New Testament. Why would God’s revelation to man suddenly stop at the end of the New Testament? Nothing in the New Testament says that God will never speak again. It only says the Gospels cannot be added to. When Jesus said he had many things to say but you cannot bear them now He meant that they would be revealed in the future, when we were ready to bear them.

What is in the Bible is not all is needed in this new age. The spiritual verities are still applicable but the social teachings and laws need updating in every new age. God also has a new message in every new age that helps humanity advance to the next stage of its spiritual evolution. Time does not stand still. Humanity does not stand still. The world we live in does not stand still. There is thus no reason why no new scripture would ever be revealed by God to man.

Mankind is in peril. A new Messenger of God was needed to bring the remedy. Baha’u’llah revealed the blueprint instructions humanity needs to solve the social, economic and spiritual problems we now have in the world and build the Kingdom of God on earth.

“The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.

We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices. They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy. They have conceived the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 213​

I know and understand your position since I have talked to many Christians and they all have the same position. I am not trying to convince you of anything. You have to make your own decisions. We all do. That is why we all have free will.

I certainly do not take any offense that you hold to your own beliefs. You are obviously a sincere and honest person. You are just doing what you believe is right according to what you believe God has revealed in the Bible.

 

[Dragonslayer]

If all Christians down the millennia and centuries have all arrived at the same conclusion about the meaning of Scripture then there would never have been disagreements about the meaning of scriptures. But we all know that there have been disagreements and that is why there are so many divisions within Christianity. So we know that the Bible is interpreted differently by different Christians. Certain doctrines of the Church were settled at the Council of Nicaea but even after that there were splits within the Church.

Jesus warned about following false prophets but I do not know anywhere where Jesus said to ignore and rebuke any future prophets or anyone who claims to have any new revelation from God. The canon of biblical scripture is complete and it was closed 2000 years ago with the book of revelation but that does not mean that God can never speak again in the future. That was simply an assumption made by Christians. The same assumption has been made by those of all the older religions. They believe that their religion and their scriptures are the best and the last. But that means that all the other religions have to be wrong, and that does not make any sense.

Baha’is believe that all the religions were right and each one was applicable for its time in history, but religion is renewed in every new age, according to the needs of the times. We do not believe that the Revelation of Baha’u’llah is the final revelation from God. Revelations from God will continue for all of eternity.

It makes no sense that God said everything God needs to say for all time 2000 years ago. An Almighty God’s hands are not tied. Humanity and the world we live in changes throughout history, so we need new messages from God. That is why God sends new Messengers throughout all time.

We can see the progressive revelation from God to man from the beginning of the Old Testament to the end of the New Testament. Why would God’s revelation to man suddenly stop at the end of the New Testament? Nothing in the New Testament says that God will never speak again. It only says the Gospels cannot be added to. When Jesus said he had many things to say but you cannot bear them now He meant that they would be revealed in the future, when we were ready to bear them.

What is in the Bible is not all is needed in this new age. The spiritual verities are still applicable but the social teachings and laws need updating in every new age. God also has a new message in every new age that helps humanity advance to the next stage of its spiritual evolution. Time does not stand still. Humanity does not stand still. The world we live in does not stand still. There is thus no reason why no new scripture would ever be revealed by God to man.

Mankind is in peril. A new Messenger of God was needed to bring the remedy. Baha’u’llah revealed the blueprint instructions humanity needs to solve the social, economic and spiritual problems we now have in the world and build the Kingdom of God on earth.

“The All-Knowing Physician hath His finger on the pulse of mankind. He perceiveth the disease, and prescribeth, in His unerring wisdom, the remedy. Every age hath its own problem, and every soul its particular aspiration. The remedy the world needeth in its present-day afflictions can never be the same as that which a subsequent age may require. Be anxiously concerned with the needs of the age ye live in, and center your deliberations on its exigencies and requirements.

We can well perceive how the whole human race is encompassed with great, with incalculable afflictions. We see it languishing on its bed of sickness, sore-tried and disillusioned. They that are intoxicated by self-conceit have interposed themselves between it and the Divine and infallible Physician. Witness how they have entangled all men, themselves included, in the mesh of their devices. They can neither discover the cause of the disease, nor have they any knowledge of the remedy. They have conceived the straight to be crooked, and have imagined their friend an enemy.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 213​

I know and understand your position since I have talked to many Christians and they all have the same position. I am not trying to convince you of anything. You have to make your own decisions. We all do. That is why we all have free will.

I certainly do not take any offense that you hold to your own beliefs. You are obviously a sincere and honest person. You are just doing what you believe is right according to what you believe God has revealed in the Bible.

The Bible says that there is nothing new in the universe, God created every single speck of dust in the universe. He came onto the world in the Person of Jesus Christ and accomplished His mission to save those His Father gave Him before He created the world.

Gods message to mankind was completed 2000 years ago, we will never unpack the whole message in one life time so that's why He won't add anymore. He knows that we have more than we can deal with as it is.

All of Gods elect arrive at the same conclusion regarding the Gospel message, there may be slightly different views on some of the scriptures but those are not imperative. The main Gospel message is plain and easy to understand for the believer, it is foolishness to the unbeliever.

The only people who understand Gods Word correctly are His elect because they have the Holy Spirit indwelling them . The truth of the Gospel is a spiritual message and it must be spiritually discerned, carnal men cannot receive a spiritual message because it's foolishness to them.

Gods Church is made up of true believers from many different congregations, there are true believers in most congregations and there are hypocrites and wolves among most congregations as well. God knows His people and they know Him, but we can't be sure because we can't see the heart. Only God and the person know and nobody else can know for sure who His people truly are.

I was making the point that true believers will all arrive at the same conclusion, because they are lead by the Holy Spirit who never leads anyone into error.

Gods Word is alive and eternal, it is super powerful so it has the power to save a totally depraved spiritually dead person. Nothing else can save such a person, only Gods Word has that power so we don't need to hear any new message or interpretation. We have the complete counsel of God to live by, it gives us victory over Satan and His Demons and all of their lies. The Gospel tells us that if any Angel from God comes to us with another message to consider it anathema.

God has sent us prophets throughout time who brought Gods message to us and most were executed because men hate everyone who tells them the truth about themselves. So God sent His only Son to save us and we killed Him as well. There is nothing more for God to do, he has perfectly completed the work of saving His elect. So if anyone comes with extra revelation, let them be anathema.

 

[Trailblazer]

The Bible says that there is nothing new in the universe, God created every single speck of dust in the universe. He came onto the world in the Person of Jesus Christ and accomplished His mission to save those His Father gave Him before He created the world.

Gods message to mankind was completed 2000 years ago, we will never unpack the whole message in one life time so that's why He won't add anymore. He knows that we have more than we can deal with as it is.

All of Gods elect arrive at the same conclusion regarding the Gospel message, there may be slightly different views on some of the scriptures but those are not imperative. The main Gospel message is plain and easy to understand for the believer, it is foolishness to the unbeliever.

The only people who understand Gods Word correctly are His elect because they have the Holy Spirit indwelling them . The truth of the Gospel is a spiritual message and it must be spiritually discerned, carnal men cannot receive a spiritual message because it's foolishness to them.

Gods Church is made up of true believers from many different congregations, there are true believers in most congregations and there are hypocrites and wolves among most congregations as well. God knows His people and they know Him, but we can't be sure because we can't see the heart. Only God and the person know and nobody else can know for sure who His people truly are.

I was making the point that true believers will all arrive at the same conclusion, because they are lead by the Holy Spirit who never leads anyone into error.

Gods Word is alive and eternal, it is super powerful so it has the power to save a totally depraved spiritually dead person. Nothing else can save such a person, only Gods Word has that power so we don't need to hear any new message or interpretation. We have the complete counsel of God to live by, it gives us victory over Satan and His Demons and all of their lies. The Gospel tells us that if any Angel from God comes to us with another message to consider it anathema.

God has sent us prophets throughout time who brought Gods message to us and most were executed because men hate everyone who tells them the truth about themselves. So God sent His only Son to save us and we killed Him as well. There is nothing more for God to do, he has perfectly completed the work of saving His elect. So if anyone comes with extra revelation, let them be anathema.

Yes, I know that this is what most Christians believe. That would mean that all the other religions before and after Christianity are false. About 33% of the world population is Christian. If Christianity was the only "true religion" that would mean that two thirds of the world population have a false religion. I cannot believe a Just and Loving God would abandon that many people. I believe all the religions are true because they all came from God, but since God has sent Baha'u'llah with a new message, God wants everyone to follow Him in this new age.

 

[Trailblazer]

Thank you, my friend. That is very helpful, especially since you put it simply enough for someone that has never really looked into Baha'i at all.

Just for the record, since the Baha'ullah did not rule from Jerusalem, did not bring all the Jews out of diaspora back to Zion, and did not usher in an age of world peace, he does not pass the Jewish requirements of the Messiah. We also believe that the age of the prophets was over long ago.

Baha’u’llah did do all those things, but it is too late for me to get into that tonight.

If you have time to present scriptures I will do my best to explain how they were fulfilled.

Suffice to say, I have discussed this with Jews on some other forums before I came here so I know something about what they believe.

The age of the prophets who were followers and promoters (such as Solomon, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel, etc.) did end with the Old Testament /Tanakh, but the age of Manifestations of universal Prophethood will never end. According to the Baha’i beliefs, Manifestations of God will continue to be sent by God as long as mankind exists.

Question.—How many kinds of Prophets are there?

Answer.—Universally, the Prophets are of two kinds. One are the independent Prophets Who are followed; the other kind are not independent and are themselves followers.

The independent Prophets are the lawgivers and the founders of a new cycle. Through Their appearance the world puts on a new garment, the foundations of religion are established, and a new book is revealed. Without an intermediary They receive bounty from the Reality of the Divinity, and Their illumination is an essential illumination. They are like the sun which is luminous in itself: the light is its essential necessity; it does not receive light from any other star. These Dawning-places of the morn of Unity are the sources of bounty and the mirrors of the Essence of Reality.

The other Prophets are followers and promoters, for they are branches and not independent; they receive the bounty of the independent Prophets, and they profit by the light of the Guidance of the universal Prophets. They are like the moon, which is not luminous and radiant in itself, but receives its light from the sun.

The Manifestations of universal Prophethood Who appeared independently are, for example, Abraham, Moses, Christ, Muhammad, the Báb and Bahá’u’lláh. But the others who are followers and promoters are like Solomon, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. For the independent Prophets are founders; They establish a new religion and make new creatures of men; They change the general morals, promote new customs and rules, renew the cycle and the Law. Their appearance is like the season of spring, which arrays all earthly beings in a new garment, and gives them a new life.

With regard to the second sort of Prophets who are followers, these also promote the Law of God, make known the Religion of God, and proclaim His word. Of themselves they have no power and might, except what they receive from the independent Prophets.
43: THE TWO CLASSES OF PROPHETS, Some Answered Questions, pp. 164-165​

But for whatever it's worth, bless you for believing in God and seeking to live a righteous life. You are A-Okay in my book.

Thanks. I feel the same way about you.

 

[Dragonslayer]

Yes, I know that this is what most Christians believe. That would mean that all the other religions before and after Christianity are false. About 33% of the world population is Christian. If Christianity was the only "true religion" that would mean that two thirds of the world population have a false religion. I cannot believe a Just and Loving God would abandon that many people. I believe all the religions are true because they all came from God, but since God has sent Baha'u'llah with a new message, God wants everyone to follow Him in this new age.

The One true and living God, is a jealous God. He will not share His glory with any other deity, He will cast every other god into hell to burn forever along with their followers.

We must be very careful, because we are dealing with the almighty God who is angry with sinners. There is nothing more frightening or horrific to face than an angry God, so I urge you to kill all other gods and prophets. Show no mercy to them and murder every sinful temptation and pluck your eye out if it causes you to sin. Do whatever you have to do so you don't offend God or sin against Him.

Remember God destroyed every man, woman and child except for eight people on the planet when He drowned everyone in Noah's flood. He is going to destroy the whole world again, but this time it will be with fire so get ready. Forget the god you have created in your mind and seek the One true God, who revealed Himself through the Bible and by coming into the world in the second person of the Holy Trinity.

God has revealed Himself to us, so we are all without excuse. So everyone will stand before God on judgement day and they will be judged according to the relationship they have with Christ. All of those who don't know Him as their Lord and savior will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever.

You think that God is obliged to forgive rebellious sinners because they number in the billions???, their number is insignificant. Their standing with God is all important, the fact that most have chosen to reject the One true God doesn't mean they will be forgiven because they are in the majority. God is no respecter of persons, numbers are completely insignificant to Him.

There were true believers before Christ came and there were also false religions. True believers still believed in the One true God before He came into the world. People used to sacrifice animals for the forgiveness of their sins before Christ came, so true believers always believed from the beginning and there have always been false religions from the beginning.

 

[IndigoChild5559]

Baha’u’llah did do all those things, but it is too late for me to get into that tonight.

If you have time to present scriptures I will do my best to explain how they were fulfilled.

I don't have the time to look up the exact scriptures right now. Remind me again, and I'll try to do so.

1. No Jew from the line of David has ruled from Jerusalem in well over 2000 years, thus the Messiah is not yet come. The Bahaiullah is not a descendant of David in any case.

2. Jews lived in diaspora during the time of the Bahaiullah and still do so today, thus, the Messiah is not yet come.

3. There has never been world peace. Inner peace of the individual is NOT the same as world peace. We're talking about "nation shall not lift up sword against nation neither shall they learn war anymore." Thus, the messiah has not yet come.

 

[Trailblazer]

The One true and living God, is a jealous God. He will not share His glory with any other deity, He will cast every other god into hell to burn forever along with their followers.

We must be very careful, because we are dealing with the almighty God who is angry with sinners. There is nothing more frightening or horrific to face than an angry God, so I urge you to kill all other gods and prophets. Show no mercy to them and murder every sinful temptation and pluck your eye out if it causes you to sin. Do whatever you have to do so you don't offend God or sin against Him.

Remember God destroyed every man, woman and child except for eight people on the planet when He drowned everyone in Noah's flood. He is going to destroy the whole world again, but this time it will be with fire so get ready. Forget the god you have created in your mind and seek the One true God, who revealed Himself through the Bible and by coming into the world in the second person of the Holy Trinity.

God has revealed Himself to us, so we are all without excuse. So everyone will stand before God on judgement day and they will be judged according to the relationship they have with Christ. All of those who don't know Him as their Lord and savior will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented day and night forever.

You think that God is obliged to forgive rebellious sinners because they number in the billions???, their number is insignificant. Their standing with God is all important, the fact that most have chosen to reject the One true God doesn't mean they will be forgiven because they are in the majority. God is no respecter of persons, numbers are completely insignificant to Him.

There were true believers before Christ came and there were also false religions. True believers still believed in the One true God before He came into the world. People used to sacrifice animals for the forgiveness of their sins before Christ came, so true believers always believed from the beginning and there have always been false religions from the beginning.

I appreciate your concern, but I believe that the One True God is not the God of one religion such as Christianity but rather the One True God was behind all of the revealed religions. God has sent Messengers who have established religions from the beginning of time, long before the Bible was written.

 

[Dragonslayer]

I appreciate your concern, but I believe that the One True God is not the God of one religion such as Christianity but rather the One True God was behind all of the revealed religions. God has sent Messengers who have established religions from the beginning of time, long before the Bible was written.

View attachment 24761

The problem is Christ taught that he is the only true God who created everything that exists and the problem for you guys is He demonstrated and proved that he is God by showing His power over all of His creation.

You name me, anyone else who could raise people from the dead, give sight to those who were born totally blind and hundreds of other miracles. Name me anyone else who claimed to be the One true creator God of all things. Name me anyone else who claimed and proved that he is the TRUTH.

See, your gods and prophets are all false. They have no real power, the only power they have is the ability to deceive unbelievers into believing what they say but they don't have any power to back up their claims where as Christ proved everything he said.

I would strongly suggest that those entities you believe in are actually Demons posing as Prophets and holy deities. The Demons are very clever, they have many thousands of years experience in deception. No man is a match for them, they will deceive every single person who doesn't have the Holy Spirit protecting them from the lies of the enemy.

The powers of darkness have a very powerful weapon and they use it very effectively. Their main aim is to make you believe they don't exist and to stop you from believing g the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They will never bother a unbeliever, because they already have that persons soul in their prison of ignorance and as long as you remain there until your death you will be cast into hell with them and they will have achieved their goal.

Satan and His Demons only have one goal and that is to drag as many people into hell with them as they can. They know full well who Christ is and they know full well that their fate is sealed, so the only thing left fro them to do while they have time is to deceive as many people as possible.

Christ warned us that may false prophets would come after He goes back to heaven, He warned us not to believe them and not to follow their teaching so you either believe in Christ or the Demons but there is no third option. So you will inherit eternal paradise or eternal hell fire, there is no third option. Don't believe that doctrine of Demons which teaches that there's a place called purgatory.

 

[Dragonslayer]

As I said, I prefer to interact with you.

Giving websites in a forum is almost kind of "cheating." LOL It's a way of avoiding spelling out the answers ourselves. After all, I could always refer you to Tovia Singer and Jews for Judaism, but I think you'd rather I speak for myself. (Besides, I'm not really trying to convert you.)

All good, I was never trying to convert you or anybody else to follow Christ. The Bible is very clear that God is the One who chooses to convert a person. He is fully responsible for every conversion, all we do as believers is proclaim the Gospel and all of those who God chose to save before He created the world will believe the gospel when they hear it.

So our only mission in this life is to spread the Gospel to every single tribe and community in the whole world and when the last of Gods chosen person hears the gospel, Christ will return to judge the world. Everyone who ever lived will be raised out of their graves and they will all be reunited with their bodies which will be made eternal so death will be impossible from that moment forward and into all eternity.

God first chosen people the Jews will receive Christ as their savior when He returns, they will be the only ones who will be given that privilege. The rest who didn't believe in Christ will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented forever.

So, I don't see Jews as being lost when they reject the Gospel but I do see the Gentiles who reject the gospel as being condemned to hell. God made a covenant with the Jews, which He will never break. He has allowed you to suffer just as He allowed tens of millions of His Saints to be martyred for His Name's sake down the centuries.

 

[Trailblazer]

The problem is Christ taught that he is the only true God who created everything that exists and the problem for you guys is He demonstrated and proved that he is God by showing His power over all of His creation.

You name me, anyone else who could raise people from the dead, give sight to those who were born totally blind and hundreds of other miracles. Name me anyone else who claimed to be the One true creator God of all things. Name me anyone else who claimed and proved that he is the TRUTH.

See, your gods and prophets are all false. They have no real power, the only power they have is the ability to deceive unbelievers into believing what they say but they don't have any power to back up their claims where as Christ proved everything he said.

I would strongly suggest that those entities you believe in are actually Demons posing as Prophets and holy deities. The Demons are very clever, they have many thousands of years experience in deception. No man is a match for them, they will deceive every single person who doesn't have the Holy Spirit protecting them from the lies of the enemy.

The powers of darkness have a very powerful weapon and they use it very effectively. Their main aim is to make you believe they don't exist and to stop you from believing g the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They will never bother a unbeliever, because they already have that persons soul in their prison of ignorance and as long as you remain there until your death you will be cast into hell with them and they will have achieved their goal.

Satan and His Demons only have one goal and that is to drag as many people into hell with them as they can. They know full well who Christ is and they know full well that their fate is sealed, so the only thing left fro them to do while they have time is to deceive as many people as possible.

Christ warned us that may false prophets would come after He goes back to heaven, He warned us not to believe them and not to follow their teaching so you either believe in Christ or the Demons but there is no third option. So you will inherit eternal paradise or eternal hell fire, there is no third option. Don't believe that doctrine of Demons which teaches that there's a place called purgatory.

The problem is that Christianity misinterpreted many Bible verses and as a result most of what Christians believe is false.

Jesus never claimed to be God, NEVER. The Church misinterpreted the Bible verses and came up with the false doctrine that Jesus was God.

Jesus was not God, Jesus was a Manifestation of God. God created everything that exists. Jesus has no such power to create.

Jesus performed miracles because that is what Manifestations of God are able to do. Baha’u’llah also performed miracles.

Question.—It is recorded that miracles were performed by Christ. Are the reports of these miracles really to be accepted literally, or have they another meaning? It has been proved by exact science that the essence of things does not change, and that all beings are under one universal law and organization from which they cannot deviate; and, therefore, that which is contrary to universal law is impossible.

Answer.—The Holy Manifestations are the sources of miracles and the originators of wonderful signs. For Them, any difficult and impracticable thing is possible and easy. For through a supernatural power wonders appear from Them; and by this power, which is beyond nature, They influence the world of nature. From all the Manifestations marvelous things have appeared.
Some Answered Questions, pp. 100-101​

Jesus warned about false prophets because there have been many false prophets, men claiming to be the return of Christ. But just because there have been false prophets does not mean that there were no true Prophets. Muhammad and the Bab and Baha’u’llah were all true prophets that came after Jesus.

Jesus never promised to return to earth. Jesus said that He had finished the work that God gave Him to do and He was no more in the world and He was going to the Father. This indicates that Jesus never planned to return (I am no more in the world) and there was no need to return since He finished the work God gave Him to do.

John 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
​

Then in the next chapter you have these verses:

John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

John 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
​

These two verses completely negate that Jesus is the King of this world, or that Jesus will ever come to this world to rule it, and they fit perfectly together with John 17:4 and John 17:11. Jesus came into this world to (1) glorify God (glorified thee on the earth) and (2) that I should bear witness unto the truth. He did that so there is no more reason for Jesus to be IN this world again. That is why Jesus said “I am no more in the world.”

 

[Dragonslayer]

The problem is that Christianity misinterpreted many Bible verses and as a result most of what Christians believe is false.

Jesus never claimed to be God, NEVER. The Church misinterpreted the Bible verses and came up with the false doctrine that Jesus was God.

Jesus was not God, Jesus was a Manifestation of God. God created everything that exists. Jesus has no such power to create.

Jesus performed miracles because that is what Manifestations of God are able to do. Baha’u’llah also performed miracles.

Question.—It is recorded that miracles were performed by Christ. Are the reports of these miracles really to be accepted literally, or have they another meaning? It has been proved by exact science that the essence of things does not change, and that all beings are under one universal law and organization from which they cannot deviate; and, therefore, that which is contrary to universal law is impossible.

Answer.—The Holy Manifestations are the sources of miracles and the originators of wonderful signs. For Them, any difficult and impracticable thing is possible and easy. For through a supernatural power wonders appear from Them; and by this power, which is beyond nature, They influence the world of nature. From all the Manifestations marvelous things have appeared.
Some Answered Questions, pp. 100-101​

Jesus warned about false prophets because there have been many false prophets, men claiming to be the return of Christ. But just because there have been false prophets does not mean that there were no true Prophets. Muhammad and the Bab and Baha’u’llah were all true prophets that came after Jesus.

Jesus never promised to return to earth. Jesus said that He had finished the work that God gave Him to do and He was no more in the world and He was going to the Father. This indicates that Jesus never planned to return (I am no more in the world) and there was no need to return since He finished the work God gave Him to do.

John 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
​

Then in the next chapter you have these verses:

John 18:36 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.

John 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
​

These two verses completely negate that Jesus is the King of this world, or that Jesus will ever come to this world to rule it, and they fit perfectly together with John 17:4 and John 17:11. Jesus came into this world to (1) glorify God (glorified thee on the earth) and (2) that I should bear witness unto the truth. He did that so there is no more reason for Jesus to be IN this world again. That is why Jesus said “I am no more in the world.”

You have just clearly demonstrated to me that you don't understand Gods Word as we have it in the Holy Bible. All of Gods elect chosen people understand the Bible correctly and we all agree, but you have clearly shown here that you don't.

Jesus proved that He is God the creator of all things, He claimed to be God many times. He said "before Abraham was I am", and "I and the Father are One", "he who has seen Me has seen the Father", and referring to the Son, it says "all things were created by Him and for Him, and everything that exists was not created by Him".

There are too many verses to list where Jesus claimed to be the almighty God the creator of all things. He was never created, the Holy Trinity has always existed. Everything else was created, they are equally God so God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are all One God.

Satan and His Demons have been cast down into the world, God has set a date when they will be cast into the lake of fire to be tormented in flames forever and all those who follow them will join them in the lake of fire. Their main aim is to deceive the whole world, their main weapon is to stop you from believing the Gospel. They do everything to pervert the gospel so that you won't believe it and you end up in the lake of fire with them.

 

[Trailblazer]

You have just clearly demonstrated to me that you don't understand Gods Word as we have it in the Holy Bible. All of Gods elect chosen people understand the Bible correctly and we all agree, but you have clearly shown here that you don't.

Just because you "believe" you understand the Bible does not mean that you do. Surely, you and those who believe like you do are not the only ones who think you understand the Bible. Many other people think they understand it but they disagree as to what it means, so they cannot all be right since that would be a logical contradiction.

Just because you "believe" you and those who believe like you do are the elect chosen people does not mean that you actually are. Others think the same as you do, that they are elect and chosen, but they believe differently than you do. If you understood logic, you would immediately recognize the problem with your way of thinking. You have no proof that you are right and the others are wrong. There is more than one interpretation of many Bible verses. It is just a matter of opinion that you interpreted the Bible correctly and they interpreted it incorrectly.

Jesus proved that He is God the creator of all things, He claimed to be God many times. He said "before Abraham was I am", and "I and the Father are One", "he who has seen Me has seen the Father", and referring to the Son, it says "all things were created by Him and for Him, and everything that exists was not created by Him".

Jesus never claimed to be God or the creator of all things. Rather, Jesus disclaimed being God. Show me some verses that you think say that Jesus is God and I will explain what they mean.

I and my Father are one means that Jesus was a Manifestation of God, so much like God that He was one with God. Jesus was identical with God in that He shared God's Spirit and Attributes but God is one and alone, forever separate from everyone, including Jesus.

“And now concerning thy reference to the existence of two Gods. Beware, beware, lest thou be led to join partners with the Lord, thy God. He is, and hath from everlasting been, one and alone, without peer or equal, eternal in the past, eternal in the future, detached from all things, ever-abiding, unchangeable, and self-subsisting. He hath assigned no associate unto Himself in His Kingdom, no counsellor to counsel Him, none to compare unto Him, none to rival His glory. To this every atom of the universe beareth witness, and beyond it the inmates of the realms on high, they that occupy the most exalted seats, and whose names are remembered before the Throne of Glory.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 192​

 

[Marcion]

I and my Father are one means that Jesus was a Manifestation of God, so much like God that He was one with God. Jesus was identical with God in that He shared God's Spirit and Attributes but God is one and alone, forever separate from everyone, including Jesus.

That is where you are wrong, God is intimately connected to each and every one of us including Jesus so He is never alone and we are never alone.
God as the Supreme Subject is everywhere, so there is no question of any type of separation between us and Him. You cannot objectify God by trying to place Him in some kind of separate place, Jesus also explains that in his Q-lite sayings.

 

[CG Didymus]

I appreciate your concern, but I believe that the One True God is not the God of one religion such as Christianity but rather the One True God was behind all of the revealed religions. God has sent Messengers who have established religions from the beginning of time, long before the Bible was written.

View attachment 24761

That's a pretty picture, but how "progressive" is it? What did the manifestation Abraham teach? How did that progress to Krishna? And then from Krishna to Moses? and so on. What about the dating? Why do you think Abraham came about 5000 years ago? 'Cause if you're using the Bible, it also says that not to many years before Abraham there was a flood and little before that the world was created. So I don't think Baha'is believe in the accuracy of Biblical dating of people and events. Heck, I don't think Baha'is believe much in the accuracy of the events like the creation and the flood.

And speaking of the flood, is Noah a manifestation or not? And the same with Adam. I thought Baha'is include them too, but they're not on this graph you posted. So are they in or out?

You have Zoroaster a couple hundred years before Buddha and then Jesus 500 years after that and then Muhammad about 600 years later. That's a lot of messengers all bunched up there in the middle. How do their messages from God relate to one another? Actually, what are their different messages. Just the basic general beliefs held by the majority of the followers of each will do.

Since I don't think you can show how they all are related to one another by what each religion actually teaches, go over the way Baha'is reconcile this and makes them all from one God and are a continuous progression. 'Cause the pretty colors don't mean much unless Baha'is can show a true connection and progression how each builds on the last.

 

[Trailblazer]

That is where you are wrong, God is intimately connected to each and every one of us including Jesus so He is never alone and we are never alone.
God as the Supreme Subject is everywhere, so there is no question of any type of separation between us and Him. You cannot objectify God by trying to place Him in some kind of separate place, Jesus also explains that in his Q-lite sayings.

God is omnipresent so God is everywhere. God is closer to us than our life vein.

“Meditate on what the poet hath written: “Wonder not, if my Best-Beloved be closer to me than mine own self; wonder at this, that I, despite such nearness, should still be so far from Him.”… Considering what God hath revealed, that “We are closer to man than his life-vein,” the poet hath, in allusion to this verse, stated that, though the revelation of my Best-Beloved hath so permeated my being that He is closer to me than my life-vein, yet, notwithstanding my certitude of its reality and my recognition of my station, I am still so far removed from Him. By this he meaneth that his heart, which is the seat of the All-Merciful and the throne wherein abideth the splendor of His revelation, is forgetful of its Creator, hath strayed from His path, hath shut out itself from His glory, and is stained with the defilement of earthly desires.

It should be remembered in this connection that the one true God is in Himself exalted beyond and above proximity and remoteness. His reality transcendeth such limitations. His relationship to His creatures knoweth no degrees. That some are near and others are far is to be ascribed to the manifestations themselves.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 185-186​

However, God resides is separate from our residences.

“And now concerning thy reference to the existence of two Gods. Beware, beware, lest thou be led to join partners with the Lord, thy God. He is, and hath from everlasting been, one and alone, without peer or equal, eternal in the past, eternal in the future, detached from all things, ever-abiding, unchangeable, and self-subsisting. He hath assigned no associate unto Himself in His Kingdom, no counsellor to counsel Him, none to compare unto Him, none to rival His glory. To this every atom of the universe beareth witness, and beyond it the inmates of the realms on high, they that occupy the most exalted seats, and whose names are remembered before the Throne of Glory.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 192​

 

[Dragonslayer]

Just because you "believe" you understand the Bible does not mean that you do. Surely, you and those who believe like you do are not the only ones who think you understand the Bible. Many other people think they understand it but they disagree as to what it means, so they cannot all be right since that would be a logical contradiction.

Just because you "believe" you and those who believe like you do are the elect chosen people does not mean that you actually are. Others think the same as you do, that they are elect and chosen, but they believe differently than you do. If you understood logic, you would immediately recognize the problem with your way of thinking. You have no proof that you are right and the others are wrong. There is more than one interpretation of many Bible verses. It is just a matter of opinion that you interpreted the Bible correctly and they interpreted it incorrectly.

Jesus never claimed to be God or the creator of all things. Rather, Jesus disclaimed being God. Show me some verses that you think say that Jesus is God and I will explain what they mean.

I and my Father are one means that Jesus was a Manifestation of God, so much like God that He was one with God. Jesus was identical with God in that He shared God's Spirit and Attributes but God is one and alone, forever separate from everyone, including Jesus.

“And now concerning thy reference to the existence of two Gods. Beware, beware, lest thou be led to join partners with the Lord, thy God. He is, and hath from everlasting been, one and alone, without peer or equal, eternal in the past, eternal in the future, detached from all things, ever-abiding, unchangeable, and self-subsisting. He hath assigned no associate unto Himself in His Kingdom, no counsellor to counsel Him, none to compare unto Him, none to rival His glory. To this every atom of the universe beareth witness, and beyond it the inmates of the realms on high, they that occupy the most exalted seats, and whose names are remembered before the Throne of Glory.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 192​

Dear Sir, I urge you to repent as a matter of the highest priority. your comments above are tantamount to blasphemy against God, so this means that you are on your way to hell.

If anyone tries to tell you that Jesus is not God in the flesh close your ears because anyone who believes that blasphemy will not enter into Heaven. Jesus said if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. If Jesus wasn’t God how could He die for our sins?

These Bible verses are to show and prove that Jesus is God unlike what the Mormons teach. The Pharisees were angered because Jesus claimed to be God. If you claim Jesus is not God what makes you different from the Pharisees?

What does the Bible say?

1. John 10:30 The Father and I are one

2. John 10:33 “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

3. John 5:18 This was why the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

4. John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

5. John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

6. John 8:57-58 The people said, “You aren’t even fifty years old. How can you say you have seen Abraham?” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!”

7. John 8:22-24 This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?” But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. 24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

8. Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

9. 2 Corinthians 13:14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

I have only listed 9 verses but there are plenty more scriptures which prove that God consists of three persons existing as One God Head. Each is equally God and they are One True and Living God who was never created so He exists outside of the constraints of time and He is not subject to the laws of space and matter.

I am thoroughly convinced that you have been deceived, it's painfully obvious by your perverted view of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I urge you to seek the Lord while He may be found, the time is quickly approaching when the gates of heaven will be slammed shut forever.

Don't put your eternal security in the hands of men, who claim to be prophets but put your trust in Christ who is the only way to God. If there was another way, He would have told us about it so let every man be a liar and let God be true.

 

[Trailblazer]

Dear Sir, I urge you to repent as a matter of the highest priority. your comments above are tantamount to blasphemy against God, so this means that you are on your way to hell.

If anyone tries to tell you that Jesus is not God in the flesh close your ears because anyone who believes that blasphemy will not enter into Heaven. Jesus said if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. If Jesus wasn’t God how could He die for our sins?

I am not a man, I am a woman.

Anyone who believes that Jesus is God incarnate is wrong. Jesus never claimed to be God. You have completely misconstrued what the Bible verses mean. It is sheer blasphemy to claim that God became a man.

The Pharisees were angered because they thought that Jesus claimed to be God but Jesus never made such a claim. God cannot become a man.

“Know thou of a certainty that the Unseen can in no wise incarnate His Essence and reveal it unto men. He is, and hath ever been, immensely exalted beyond all that can either be recounted or perceived. From His retreat of glory His voice is ever proclaiming: “Verily, I am God; there is none other God besides Me, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. I have manifested Myself unto men, and have sent down Him Who is the Day Spring of the signs of My Revelation. Through Him I have caused all creation to testify that there is none other God except Him, the Incomparable, the All-Informed, the All-Wise.” He Who is everlastingly hidden from the eyes of men can never be known except through His Manifestation, and His Manifestation can adduce no greater proof of the truth of His Mission than the proof of His own Person.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 49​

None of your verses show Jesus was God. You have misinterpreted these verses to mean what they do not mean.

Did Jesus Tell the Sanhedrin He Was God?

January 30, 2014 by Kermit Zarley0 Comments

Christians generally have believed that the Jewish Sanhedrin (Council) accused Jesus of Nazareth of claiming to be God, and that is why it condemned him as a blasphemer worthy of death. But according to the New Testament (NT) gospels, Jesus did not tell the Sanhedrin he was God.

During the latter part of Jesus’ public ministry, the scribes and Pharisees constantly questioned him about his teachings. They wanted to “catch Him in some statement, so as to deliver Him up to the rule and the authority of the governor” (Luke 20.20 NASB).........

Sometimes when Jesus had preached to crowds, they questioned who he was, mostly if he was Israel’s promised Messiah (John 6.14-15; 7.40-41; 8.25; 10.24). Consequently, Caiaphas the High Priest now demanded an unequivocal answer from Jesus about his identity. According to Matthew, Caiaphas exclaimed, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God” (Matthew 26.63).

Jesus answered Caiaphas somewhat obscurely, yet affirmatively, “You have said it yourself” (Matthew 26.64). Then he added, “nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (v. 64). This addition is a clear self-designation as the “Son of Man” in Daniel 7.13-14 and “Lord” in Psalm 110.1, the latter of whom Jews interpreted as the Messiah.

For the first time, Jesus unequivocally claimed publicly of being the Messiah-the Son of God-the Son of Man. It is the most thoroughgoing self-identification he ever made. He fully revealed who he was, yet he did not say that he was God. Rather, he distinguished himself from God and asserted that in the future God would vindicate him to the utmost.

The High Priest then invoked a long-held tradition, tearing his robe as a symbolic gesture signifying mourning, and charged Jesus with blasphemy. The Sanhedrin agreed.

The reason so many Christians have thought that Jesus here claimed to be God is that he admitted to being the Son of God. But that is a misunderstanding of the Bible’s use of this expression. The Old Testament (OT) applies it not only to the promised Messiah, but also angels, pious men, kings of Israel, and even the nation of Israel. Jews rightly understood that the Messiah being the Son of God, as in Psalm 2.7, 12, indicated no more than an unprecedented, intimate relationship between him and God. And the High Priest probably connected these two expressions, since Jews understood them synonymously.

Church fathers subsequently taught that Jesus was God because he was the Son of God. But they tended to be anti-Semitic, thus ignoring whatever Jews thought. And many church fathers were influenced by Greek religio-philosophy. Greek mythology espoused many gods and sons of gods, some of which were believed to have been generated by copulating with humans. Church fathers erroneously applied this Greek metaphysics. They reasoned that God having an only Son was similar to a man having a son. Since a man’s son became a man like himself, they reasoned that God’s Son must also be God.

It is most significant that neither the witnesses nor Sanhedrin members accused Jesus of ever claiming to be God. Jews had so accused Jesus twice in his career; yet both times he denied their accusation (John 5.16-47; 10.30-38). Apparently, they accepted his denial.

(To see a titled list of over fifty, two-three page posts (easily accessible) about the Bible not saying Jesus is God, click here.)

Did Jesus Tell the Sanhedrin He Was God?​

I am thoroughly convinced that you have been deceived, it's painfully obvious by your perverted view of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I urge you to seek the Truth about God and Jesus and Baha’u’llah before you die, but that is your choice since God gave everyone free will.

You have put your eternity in the hands of men. They are called Church clerics who claim to know what the Bible means. You believe what they say rather than doing your own independent investigation of Truth.

There was no other way to God during the Dispensation of Jesus Christ, which is why Jesus said:

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”​

However, that only applied to the Dispensation of Jesus, which ended when Muhammad appeared. Then when the Bab and Baha’u’llah came, that ended the Dispensation of Muhammad. The “Way” to everlasting life is now Baha’u’llah.

“The Book of God is wide open, and His Word is summoning mankind unto Him. No more than a mere handful, however, hath been found willing to cleave to His Cause, or to become the instruments for its promotion. These few have been endued with the Divine Elixir that can, alone, transmute into purest gold the dross of the world, and have been empowered to administer the infallible remedy for all the ills that afflict the children of men. No man can obtain everlasting life, unless he embraceth the truth of this inestimable, this wondrous, and sublime Revelation.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 183​

 

[Trailblazer]

That's a pretty picture, but how "progressive" is it? What did the manifestation Abraham teach? How did that progress to Krishna? And then from Krishna to Moses? and so on. What about the dating? Why do you think Abraham came about 5000 years ago? 'Cause if you're using the Bible, it also says that not to many years before Abraham there was a flood and little before that the world was created. So I don't think Baha'is believe in the accuracy of Biblical dating of people and events. Heck, I don't think Baha'is believe much in the accuracy of the events like the creation and the flood.

I do not know what all the Manifestations of God taught. You needn’t take the words “progressive revelation” so literally. It does not mean that there was a set progression from one to the next in chronological order. It just means that as humanity progressed and needed a new Manifestation of God, God sent a new one with a new message.

Here is what Baha’u’llah says about the flood.

“Mention hath been made in certain books of a deluge which caused all that existed on earth, historical records as well as other things, to be destroyed. Moreover, many cataclysms have occurred which have effaced the traces of many events. Furthermore, among existing historical records differences are to be found, and each of the various peoples of the world hath its own account of the age of the earth and of its history. Some trace their history as far back as eight thousand years, others as far as twelve thousand years. To any one that hath read the book of Jük it is clear and evident how much the accounts given by the various books have differed.

Please God thou wilt turn thine eyes towards the Most Great Revelation, and entirely disregard these conflicting tales and traditions.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 174-175​

And speaking of the flood, is Noah a manifestation or not? And the same with Adam. I thought Baha'is include them too, but they're not on this graph you posted. So are they in or out?

That graph I posted was not meant to be all-inclusive. It is not from any official Baha’i website. It was just meant to give people a general idea and show the primary Manifestations of God. Noah was a Prophet, and I know that because Baha’u’llah wrote about Him in the Kitab-i-Iqan.

You have Zoroaster a couple hundred years before Buddha and then Jesus 500 years after that and then Muhammad about 600 years later. That's a lot of messengers all bunched up there in the middle. How do their messages from God relate to one another? Actually, what are their different messages. Just the basic general beliefs held by the majority of the followers of each will do.

The spiritual verities of ALL these Messengers are the same. What differs is their primary message (such as the oneness of mankind for Baha’u’llah), and also the social teachings and laws differ between Messengers. I do not know why some of those Messengers are bunched up. Only God knows why. Perhaps humanity needed more help during those times.

Since I don't think you can show how they all are related to one another by what each religion actually teaches, go over the way Baha'is reconcile this and makes them all from one God and are a continuous progression. 'Cause the pretty colors don't mean much unless Baha'is can show a true connection and progression how each builds on the last.

As I said above, I do not think it is necessary to show a progression from one to the next, as a link in a chain. That is not what progressive revelation means:

Progressive revelation is a core teaching in the Bahá'í Faith that suggests that religious truth is revealed by God progressively and cyclically over time through a series of divine Messengers, and that the teachings are tailored to suit the needs of the time and place of their appearance.[1][2] Thus, the Bahá'í teachings recognize the divine origin of several world religions as different stages in the history of one religion, while believing that the revelation of Bahá'u'lláh is the most recent (though not the last—that there will never be a last), and therefore the most relevant to modern society.[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_revelation_Baha'i​

 

[Dragonslayer]

I am not a man, I am a woman.

Anyone who believes that Jesus is God incarnate is wrong. Jesus never claimed to be God. You have completely misconstrued what the Bible verses mean. It is sheer blasphemy to claim that God became a man.

The Pharisees were angered because they thought that Jesus claimed to be God but Jesus never made such a claim. God cannot become a man.

“Know thou of a certainty that the Unseen can in no wise incarnate His Essence and reveal it unto men. He is, and hath ever been, immensely exalted beyond all that can either be recounted or perceived. From His retreat of glory His voice is ever proclaiming: “Verily, I am God; there is none other God besides Me, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. I have manifested Myself unto men, and have sent down Him Who is the Day Spring of the signs of My Revelation. Through Him I have caused all creation to testify that there is none other God except Him, the Incomparable, the All-Informed, the All-Wise.” He Who is everlastingly hidden from the eyes of men can never be known except through His Manifestation, and His Manifestation can adduce no greater proof of the truth of His Mission than the proof of His own Person.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 49​

None of your verses show Jesus was God. You have misinterpreted these verses to mean what they do not mean.

Did Jesus Tell the Sanhedrin He Was God?

January 30, 2014 by Kermit Zarley0 Comments

Christians generally have believed that the Jewish Sanhedrin (Council) accused Jesus of Nazareth of claiming to be God, and that is why it condemned him as a blasphemer worthy of death. But according to the New Testament (NT) gospels, Jesus did not tell the Sanhedrin he was God.

During the latter part of Jesus’ public ministry, the scribes and Pharisees constantly questioned him about his teachings. They wanted to “catch Him in some statement, so as to deliver Him up to the rule and the authority of the governor” (Luke 20.20 NASB).........

Sometimes when Jesus had preached to crowds, they questioned who he was, mostly if he was Israel’s promised Messiah (John 6.14-15; 7.40-41; 8.25; 10.24). Consequently, Caiaphas the High Priest now demanded an unequivocal answer from Jesus about his identity. According to Matthew, Caiaphas exclaimed, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God” (Matthew 26.63).

Jesus answered Caiaphas somewhat obscurely, yet affirmatively, “You have said it yourself” (Matthew 26.64). Then he added, “nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (v. 64). This addition is a clear self-designation as the “Son of Man” in Daniel 7.13-14 and “Lord” in Psalm 110.1, the latter of whom Jews interpreted as the Messiah.

For the first time, Jesus unequivocally claimed publicly of being the Messiah-the Son of God-the Son of Man. It is the most thoroughgoing self-identification he ever made. He fully revealed who he was, yet he did not say that he was God. Rather, he distinguished himself from God and asserted that in the future God would vindicate him to the utmost.

The High Priest then invoked a long-held tradition, tearing his robe as a symbolic gesture signifying mourning, and charged Jesus with blasphemy. The Sanhedrin agreed.

The reason so many Christians have thought that Jesus here claimed to be God is that he admitted to being the Son of God. But that is a misunderstanding of the Bible’s use of this expression. The Old Testament (OT) applies it not only to the promised Messiah, but also angels, pious men, kings of Israel, and even the nation of Israel. Jews rightly understood that the Messiah being the Son of God, as in Psalm 2.7, 12, indicated no more than an unprecedented, intimate relationship between him and God. And the High Priest probably connected these two expressions, since Jews understood them synonymously.

Church fathers subsequently taught that Jesus was God because he was the Son of God. But they tended to be anti-Semitic, thus ignoring whatever Jews thought. And many church fathers were influenced by Greek religio-philosophy. Greek mythology espoused many gods and sons of gods, some of which were believed to have been generated by copulating with humans. Church fathers erroneously applied this Greek metaphysics. They reasoned that God having an only Son was similar to a man having a son. Since a man’s son became a man like himself, they reasoned that God’s Son must also be God.

It is most significant that neither the witnesses nor Sanhedrin members accused Jesus of ever claiming to be God. Jews had so accused Jesus twice in his career; yet both times he denied their accusation (John 5.16-47; 10.30-38). Apparently, they accepted his denial.

(To see a titled list of over fifty, two-three page posts (easily accessible) about the Bible not saying Jesus is God, click here.)

Did Jesus Tell the Sanhedrin He Was God?​

I am thoroughly convinced that you have been deceived, it's painfully obvious by your perverted view of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I urge you to seek the Truth about God and Jesus and Baha’u’llah before you die, but that is your choice since God gave everyone free will.

You have put your eternity in the hands of men. They are called Church clerics who claim to know what the Bible means. You believe what they say rather than doing your own independent investigation of Truth.

There was no other way to God during the Dispensation of Jesus Christ, which is why Jesus said:

John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”​

However, that only applied to the Dispensation of Jesus, which ended when Muhammad appeared. Then when the Bab and Baha’u’llah came, that ended the Dispensation of Muhammad. The “Way” to everlasting life is now Baha’u’llah.

“The Book of God is wide open, and His Word is summoning mankind unto Him. No more than a mere handful, however, hath been found willing to cleave to His Cause, or to become the instruments for its promotion. These few have been endued with the Divine Elixir that can, alone, transmute into purest gold the dross of the world, and have been empowered to administer the infallible remedy for all the ills that afflict the children of men. No man can obtain everlasting life, unless he embraceth the truth of this inestimable, this wondrous, and sublime Revelation.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 183​

Christ said that all the curses mentioned in the book of revelation (and they are the most horrific imaginable torture that anyone can imagine. The curse is your whole body burning in super hot fire for all eternity) Christ said that course will be applied to anyone who added a single word or took away a single word from His completed message in the book of revelation.

This means that Mohammad, and Bahaullah are screaming in super hot lava right now and you are trying to promote them as examples to follow. Christ was deadly serious when He gave that warning to mankind, the fact that anyone could be so evil as to defy Him is staggering and it defies logic. I can't believe that people actually rebelled against Jesus and did exactly what He warned them not to do exist.

All I can say is that the evil powers of darkness are very powerful, if they can deceive people and cause them to rebel against God and choose eternal torment in super hot flames and reject eternal paradise. Christ offered eternal paradise to anyone who would believe in Him, and it totally amazing that anyone would choose eternal torment in hell.

Christ will never share His glory with any Devils posing as prophets, He claimed to be the creator God of all things and He hates liars and false prophets so much that He created a special place for them and all those who follow them.

 

[Trailblazer]

Christ said that all the curses mentioned in the book of revelation (and they are the most horrific imaginable torture that anyone can imagine. The curse is your whole body burning in super hot fire for all eternity) Christ said that course will be applied to anyone who added a single word or took away a single word from His completed message in the book of revelation.

I do not know why you cannot understand that Muhammad and Baha'u'llah did not TOUCH the completed message in the book of revelation. They did nothing to it. the brought a NEW revelation from God. Baha'u'llah did not add to the Gospel because the Revelation of Baha'u'llah is not a Gospel, it is a Revelation from God.

This means that Mohammad, and Bahaullah are screaming in super hot lava right now and you are trying to promote them as examples to follow. Christ was deadly serious when He gave that warning to mankind, the fact that anyone could be so evil as to defy Him is staggering and it defies logic. I can't believe that people actually rebelled against Jesus and did exactly what He warned them not to do exist.

Muhammad and Baha'u'llah did not defy Christ. You have completely misconstrued what the Bible means and that is the falsity of the Christian Church. The doctrines of the Church are completely false because the mainstream Christian interpretation of the Bible is wrong.

All I can say is that the evil powers of darkness are very powerful, if they can deceive people and cause them to rebel against God and choose eternal torment in super hot flames and reject eternal paradise. Christ offered eternal paradise to anyone who would believe in Him, and it totally amazing that anyone would choose eternal torment in hell.

The evil powers of darkness reside within the individual soul. It is called the Satanic Self. Christ offered eternal paradise to anyone who would believe in Him, but that offer was on the table ONLY during the Dispensation of Jesus Christ. That offer expired when Muhammad appeared and then eternal paradise came through Him. That offer expired when Baha'u'llah came and now eternal paradise comes through Baha'u'llah.

“Thou hast gained admittance into the Paradise of God’s Remembrance, through thy recognition of Him Who is the Embodiment of that Remembrance amongst men.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 303

“The Pen of the Most High hath, at all times and under all conditions, remembered, with joy and tenderness, His loved ones, and hath counselled them to follow in His way. Well is it with him whom the changes and chances of this world have failed to deter from recognizing the Day Spring of the Unity of God, who hath quaffed, with unswerving resolve, and in the name of the Self-Subsisting, the sealed wine of His Revelation. Such a man shall be numbered with the inmates of Paradise, in the Book of God, the Lord of all worlds.” Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 340-341​

I cannot say what will happen to those who "knowingly" reject that offer, only God knows. All I know is that is the way to guarantee heaven, that and good deeds.

"To 'get to heaven' as you say is dependent on two things--faith in the Manifestation of God in His Day, in other words in this age in Bahá'u'lláh; and good deeds, in other words living to the best of our ability a noble life and doing unto others as we would be done by. But we must always remember that our existence and everything we have or ever will have is dependent upon the mercy of God and His bounty, and therefore He can accept into His heaven, which is really nearness to Him, even the lowliest if He pleases. We always have the hope of receiving His mercy if we reach out for it."
(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, January 12, 1957)
Lights of Guidance (second part): A Bahá'í Reference File​

Christ will never share His glory with any Devils posing as prophets, He claimed to be the creator God of all things and He hates liars and false prophets so much that He created a special place for them and all those who follow them.

Christ never claimed to be the Creator God. Christ denied that He was God. the Church made Christ into God by misinterpreting the Bible. God does not share His Glory with any Manifestation of God such as Jesus or Bahaullah. God is EXALTED above every created thing. The following passage does not refer to Jesus... It is Baha'u'llah describing God, whose Essence is a complete mystery.

“Praise be to God, the All-Possessing, the King of incomparable glory, a praise which is immeasurably above the understanding of all created things, and is exalted beyond the grasp of the minds of men. None else besides Him hath ever been able to sing adequately His praise, nor will any man succeed at any time in describing the full measure of His glory. Who is it that can claim to have attained the heights of His exalted Essence, and what mind can measure the depths of His unfathomable mystery? From each and every revelation emanating from the Source of His glory, holy and never-ending evidences of unimaginable splendor have appeared, and out of every manifestation of His invincible power oceans of eternal light have outpoured. How immensely exalted are the wondrous testimonies of His almighty sovereignty, a glimmer of which, if it but touched them, would utterly consume all that are in the heavens and in the earth! How indescribably lofty are the tokens of His consummate power, a single sign of which, however inconsiderable, must transcend the comprehension of whatsoever hath, from the beginning that hath no beginning, been brought into being, or will be created in the future till the end that hath no end. All the Embodiments of His Names wander in the wilderness of search, athirst and eager to discover His Essence, and all the Manifestations of His Attributes implore Him, from the Sinai of Holiness, to unravel His mystery.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, pp. 60-61​