< < back to Table of Contents
Chapter 50
--------------
Prophecies in the era of Moses on the coming of Jesus, the Bab, and Baha'u'llah.
1)
The coming of Christ and his martyrdom is foretold in the Old Testament.
9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the
commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the
Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street
shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but
not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall
destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a
flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
-- Bible: Daniel
To conclude: in the Book of Daniel, from the rebuilding of Jerusalem to
the martyrdom of Christ, seventy weeks are appointed; for by the
martyrdom of Christ the sacrifice is accomplished and the altar
destroyed. This is a prophecy of the manifestation of Christ. These
seventy weeks begin with the restoration and the rebuilding of
Jerusalem, concerning which four edicts were issued by three kings. The
first was issued by Cyrus in the year 536 B.C.; this is recorded in the
first chapter of the Book of Ezra. The second edict, with reference to
the rebuilding of Jerusalem, is that of Darius of Persia in the year
519 B.C.; this is recorded in the sixth chapter of Ezra. The third is
that of Artaxerxes in the seventh year of his reign--that is, in 457
B.C.; this is recorded in the seventh chapter of Ezra. The fourth is
that of Artaxerxes in the year 444 B.C.; this is recorded in the second
chapter of Nehemiah.
But Daniel refers especially to the third edict which was issued in the
year 457 B.C. Seventy weeks make four hundred and ninety days. Each
day, according to the text of the Holy Book, is a year. For in the
Bible it is said: "The day of the Lord is one year." Therefore, four
hundred and ninety days are four hundred and ninety years. The third
edict of Artaxerxes was issued four hundred and fifty-seven years
before the birth of Christ, and Christ when He was martyred and
ascended was thirty-three years of age. When you add thirty-three to
four hundred and fifty-seven, the result is four hundred and ninety,
which is the time announced by Daniel for the manifestation of Christ.
But in the twenty-fifth verse of the ninth chapter of the Book of
Daniel this is expressed in another manner, as seven weeks and
sixty-two weeks; and apparently this differs from the first saying.
Many have remained perplexed at these differences, trying to reconcile
these two statements. How can seventy weeks be right in one place, and
sixty-two weeks and seven weeks in another?
These two sayings do not accord.
But Daniel mentions two dates. One of these dates begins with the
command of Artaxerxes to Ezra to rebuild Jerusalem: this is the seventy
weeks which came to an end with the ascension of Christ, when by His
martyrdom the sacrifice and oblation ceased.
The second period, which is found in the twenty-sixth verse, means that
after the termination of the rebuilding of Jerusalem until the
ascension of Christ, there will be sixty-two weeks: the seven weeks are
the duration of the rebuilding of Jerusalem, which took forty-nine
years. When you add these seven weeks to the sixty-two weeks, it makes
sixty-nine weeks, and in the last week (69-70) the ascension of Christ
took place. These seventy weeks are thus completed, and there is no
contradiction.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 40
2)
Daniel fortells coming of the Bab.
8:13 Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that
certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the
daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the
sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
8:14 And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.
8:15 And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision,
and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the
appearance of a man.
-- Bible: Daniel
In the eighth chapter of the Book of Daniel, verse thirteen, it is
said: "Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto
that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning
the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both
the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?" Then he answered
(v. 14 ): "Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the
sanctuary be cleansed"; (v. 17 ) "But he said unto me ... at the time
of the end shall be the vision." That is to say, how long will this
misfortune, this ruin, this abasement and degradation last? meaning,
when will be the dawn of the Manifestation? Then he answered, "Two
thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed."
Briefly, the purport of this passage is that he appoints two thousand
three hundred years, for in the text of the Bible each day is a year.
Then from the date of the issuing of the edict of Artaxerxes to rebuild
Jerusalem until the day of the birth of Christ there are 456 years, and
from the birth of Christ until the day of the manifestation of the Báb
there are 1844 years. When you add 456 years to this number it makes
2300 years. That is to say, the fulfillment of the vision of Daniel
took place in the year A.D. 1844, and this is the year of the Báb's
manifestation according to the actual text of the Book of Daniel.
Consider how clearly he determines the year of manifestation; there
could be no clearer prophecy for a manifestation than this.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 41
3)
Daniel fortells coming of the Baha'u'llah.
12:6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the
waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of
the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto
heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a
time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to
scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be
finished.
12:8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
12:10 Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked
shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the
wise shall nderstand.
12:11 And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away,
and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a
thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12:12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
12:13 But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
-- Bible: Daniel
To conclude, let us now explain the date of the manifestation of
Bahá'u'lláh from the Bible. The date of Bahá'u'lláh is calculated
according to lunar years from the mission and the Hejira of Muhammad;
for in the religion of Muhammad the lunar year is in use, as also it is
the lunar year which is employed concerning all commands of worship.
In Daniel, chapter 12, verse 6, it is said: "And one said to the man
clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long
shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I heard the man clothed in
linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his
right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by Him that liveth
for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and that when
He shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all
these things shall be finished."
As I have already explained the signification of one day, it is not
necessary to explain it further; but we will say briefly that each day
of the Father counts as a year, and in each year there are twelve
months. Thus three years and a half make forty-two months, and
forty-two months are twelve hundred and sixty days. The Báb, the
precursor of Bahá'u'lláh, appeared in the year 1260 from the Hejira of
Muhammad, by the reckoning of Islám.
Afterward, in verse 11, it is said: "And from the time that the daily
sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh
desolation be set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety
days. Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three
hundred and five and thirty days."
The beginning of this lunar reckoning is from the day of the
proclamation of the prophethood of Muhammad in the country of Hijáz;
and that was three years after His mission, because in the beginning
the prophethood of Muhammad was kept secret, and no one knew it save
Khadíjah and Ibn Nawfal. After three years it was announced. And
Bahá'u'lláh, in the year 1290 from the proclamation of the mission of
Muhammad, caused His manifestation to be known.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 44
4)
Ezekiel fortells coming of the Baha'u'llah (the Glory of the God) "by the way of the gate" (the Bab).
43:1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:
43:2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of
the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth
shined with his glory.
43:3 And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw,
even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the
city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river
Chebar; and I fell upon my face.
43:4 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.
43:5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.
-- Bible: Ezekiel
< < back to Table of Contents