Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Abdu'l-Bahá predicted the formation of Israel

Abdu'l-Bahá revealed a tablet in 1897 forecasting about formation of Holy Land of Israel.

Perhaps you are familiar with the following Tablet revealed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá published on page 5, number 250 of "Bahá'í News", cited December 1951; and it provides a perspective in which to view your [Jewish] heritage from the Bahá'í standpoint.

"You have asked Me a question with regard to the gathering of the children of Israel in Jerusalem, in accordance with prophecy. "Jerusalem, the Holy of Holies, is a revered Temple, a sublime name, for it is the City of God... The gathering of Israel at Jerusalem means, therefore, and prophesies, that Israel as a whole, is gathering beneath the banner of God and will enter the Kingdom of the Ancient of Days. For the celestial Jerusalem, which has as its center the Holy of Holies, is; a City of the Kingdom, a Divine City. The East and West are but a small corner of that City. "Moreover, materially as well (as spiritually), the Israelites will all gather in the Holy Land. This is irrefutable prophecy, for the ignominy which Israel has suffered for wellnigh twenty-five hundred years will now be changed into eternal glory, and in the eyes of all, the Jewish people will become glorified to such an extent as to draw the jealousy of its enemies and the envy of its friends." (Abdu'l-Bahá revealed this tablet in 1897 to a Jewish community in the Orient)
The Jewish people have suffered enormously during centuries of exile, and those who sought to justify their evil actions have at different times victimized them by appeals to religion. We Bahá'ís sympathize deeply with the victims of that suffering.

At the same time, Bahá'ís accept that the Jews were responsible for the fate met by Jesus Christ, because this is what the Writings indicate, and we accept that, as with all people who fail to recognize the Manifestation of God at the appointed hour, their destiny as a people has been shaped by the consequences of their failure to recognize and accept Him. This is hardly a radical view. The drama of the Old Testament is largely the story of the travails and victories of the Israelites as they responded or not to the Covenant of God. We also believe, as stated by 'Abdu'l-Bahá in the passage quoted above, that Providence is delivering the Jews from their historical abasement and lifting them into a glorious condition.

[References in the Baha'i Writings to Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust]
by Research Department of the Universal House of Justice
1998-09-24

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

The comments attributed to the Research Department are also genuine.

I do not see anything to be ashamed of: the restoration of Israel is Biblical prophecy, Abdu'l-Baha interprets it, both the outward meaning and the inward. Writing before the event, he says it is "irrefutable prophecy" : well, what he said has happened, so it was irrefutable prophecy. He said "Israelites will all gather in the Holy Land" and they have, he said " the Jewish
people will become glorified to such an extent as to draw the jealousy of its enemies" and they have. What's to debate?

What he does not say, is what happens next

Sen McGlinn

Anonymous said...

I am glad to find this website.
I think one of the most obvious proofs that Messiah has returned is that the time of the gentiles is over. This was a criteria Jesus gave:
And they asked Him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass? And He said...they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (Luke 21:7 & 24)
This goes back to the 'Seven Times' when Moses ordained “I will chastise you seven times...” (Leviticus 26:28) So Gentiles would conquer the Jews if they became idolotrous again.
“Let seven times pass over him.” Daniel 4:23
A 'time' is 360 biblical 'days' or actual years. 7 X 360 = 2520. The last Half of this is the Muslim dispensation which ended in 1260 AH/1844.
Also, 2520 is “the lowest common multiple of all integers up to 9” (See Kitab-i-Aqdas, Q&A #5)
[2+5+2= 9, “the number of Bahá.”][B=2,H=5,A=1][9 House of Justice members, 9 sides on Temples, nine cities of pilgrimage etc.]

Anonymous said...

There is a terribly false statement here that calls out for correction: "the Jews were responsible for the fate met by" the founder of Christianity. This is abhorrent. The Romans were the ones who killed him. To believe the lies extended for 2000 years and even refuted by Vatican II in 1965 is a terrible perpetuation of an age old distortion. It doesn't matter that the statement is followed by a prediction of glory for the Jewish people.
Basically, this is a spiritual sounding of the same "the Jews" are responsible not only for the founder of Xianity's death, but this responsibility is the reason for the Jews' suffering for 2000 years.
This is patently and utterly false and is a main source for Jewish suffering for the past 2000 years!!!!
The 4th and final (present, "Roman") exile of the people of Israel, the Jewish people which began in the year 70 of the commmon era is attributed, by Jewish sources, to primarily the mistake of lashon hara, or 'bad speech' and 'sinat chinam', baseless hatred' between the Jewish people. The rectification of this is the opposite: refraining from bad speech, doing 'good speech' and ahavat chinam, 'baseless love'.
The founder of Xianity is in no way a part of the Jewish journey of history. He was and is a completely 'false messiah'. His destiny in eternity is not positive in any way as a result of his leading people down a path of falseness. One of the Jewish people's greatest rabbis, the Rambam describes that possibly one reason for the spread of Xianity and Islam in the world is to bring the world's people's closer to the idea and worship of the One G-d. This, however, is not definite on his part, nor does it in any way sanction any 'truth' to the founder of Xianity. For those who want to know why he was a false messiah, consult Isaiah Chpt. 11 for the specific description of what the true messiah will accomplish. One can study traditional,, accepted Jewish sources to learn other details of the distortions of the Xian book and how they crafted their concepts based on false translations and twisted views of the Torah.
Note that throughout the history of these religions, the Jewish people have not forced or compelled or subjugated people of a different religion to drive them towards Judaism. The politically and historically misinformed will scream about the "Palestinians" but the true history indicates differently: that Israel constantly tried, and even today tries, to create peaceful coexistence, only to continually to be met with vicious murderous intent and action. Yes the politically and historically misinformed will wail about this; but this indicates their lack of correct information and perhaps an inner hatred of the Jews. (see pt. 2 below please)

Anonymous said...

pt 2
How painfully ironic then that Israel houses the Bahai shrine when the central figure of that religion blames the Jews incorrectly for the death of the founder of Xianity!
This is not to say that the Bahai's are an antisemitic people or religion at all. We don't see violence perpetrated against the Jews as Xianity did for 2000 years or as Islam regularly does now.
Nonetheless, it would behoove followers of this religion, if they really want to stand for truth; to consider amending such false and harmful claims.
The people of Israel judge others by what they do more than what they say. The Jewish people have never demanded that anyone give up their religion. We say: just do good in the world! But we do know that a day will come when the whole earth will acknowledge the One G-d, the G-d of Israel. It is up to the Jewish people to do their spiritual and religious work to bring this about. It does not at all involve any proselytizing or converting others. It involves the Jewish people's properly following the Torah.
Lastly, if there are Jewish people who are 'members' or followers of the Bahai religion may they please now know that they are being called to come home to their true soul of the Torah.

Sources:
"26 Reasons Why the Jews Don't Beleive in J--"
"From Time Immemorial" (Re the Arab-Israeli conflict) by Joan Peters.
"This Land is My Land" by Rabbi Chaim Kramer.
JewsforJudaism.org

Anonymous said...

I need more information about the Bahai founder saying "it's in the writings"
I used to be a Bahai and recently was thinking of returning but not if he is blaming the Jews of course for any history
perhaps the words got all muddled up- there is a karmic law that occurs but i don't believe we create suffering to our communities consciously or can even name how god dialogues with our fate too much, and so yes i do believe that if what B said there was true it is way too simple and could be seen as very judgemental and assumptive. How do we know even based on writings, if it was the romans, the jews...(though i do think it was the romans) but yes i'm bewildered buy this i just read also and i hope for more sources and dialogue on this..

Becky said...

The reason that Jesus Christ was condemned was because the people had to chose between Christ and Barabbas who was a thief. They chose Barabbas to be released. The people were whipped up by the clergy (the Sanhadrin) as usually happens when a true prophet appears. The prophet tells the clergy the truth and they stand in the way of new revelation. It was the Romans under Pontius Pilate who carried out the execution. Many people do not know that a messenger was on the way from Caesar who would have stopped the execution had he gotten there in time. Caesar was ill and needed a healer. I do not blame the Jewish people but I do blame the rabbis who preached against Christ. They refused to believe their own scripture. This was all in the past and I believe this was what Abdul Baha meant. He showed his love for them especially during WWI when he filled the graineries in Haifa and saved them all from starvation.