Miguel's Blog

A Portuguese Bahá'í sings beautifuly!

2009-11-06T14:31:00.000+01:00

" ... and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”

2009-11-03T10:19:00.000+01:00

"And now, with reference to His words: “And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” These words signify that in those days men will lament the loss of the Sun of the divine beauty, of the Moon of knowledge, and of the Stars of divine wisdom. Thereupon, they will behold the countenance of the promised One, the adored Beauty, descending from heaven and riding upon the clouds. By this is meant that the divine Beauty will be made manifest from the heaven of the will of God, and will appear in the form of the human temple. The term “heaven” denoteth loftiness and exaltation, inasmuch as it is the seat of the revelation of those Manifestations of Holiness, the Day-springs of ancient glory. These ancient Beings, though delivered from the womb of their mother, have in reality descended from the heaven of the will of God. Though they be dwelling on this earth, yet their true habitations are the retreats of glory in the realms above. Whilst walking amongst mortals, they soar in the heaven of the divine presence. Without feet they tread the path of the spirit, and without wings they rise unto the exalted heights of divine unity. With every fleeting breath they cover the immensity of space, and at every moment traverse the kingdoms of the visible and the invisible. Upon their thrones is written: “Nothing whatsoever keepeth Him from being occupied with any other thing;” and on their seats is inscribed: “Verily, His ways differ every day.” 27 They are sent forth through the transcendent power of the Ancient of Days, and are raised up by the exalted will of God, the most mighty King. This is what is meant by the words: “coming in the clouds of heaven.”

-Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Íqán, pp. 66-67

Source: Bahá'í Asheboro

An evening of prayer

2009-11-03T08:29:00.000+01:00

The Bahá'í community of Mechelen holds every other week a prayer evening on mondays. I am always counting down for these monday evenings because of the very sweet spirit that is felt when we are together. Bahá'í prayers are the most beautiful I ever heard/read, and when I read them in a spirit of prayer I always think about the early christian disciples when they wrote "and Jesus prayed with words that the human soul can not write". Well, thanks to Bahá'u'lláh I now understand how it is possible to pray words that the human pen cannot write, and the joy that we feel within when we gather to pray together.

In the Bible it is written that "by their fruits you shall know them". That is how I happilly and humbly discovered that Bahá'u'lláh was a messenger of God for our days.

We loved Portugal!

2009-11-03T08:17:00.000+01:00

It's always nice to know when people tell you that they enjoyed being in the country where you were born. This morning when I arrived at work I had a mail from a long time friend telling me how much she enjoyed being there and that Portugal was a very nice surprise to her and her family.

How many people told me this already! How many people went to Portugal because they met me and my family! It's wonderful to know that I can be a good ambassador of the country where I was born!

Biblical proof that Christ returned in 1863

2009-10-27T17:36:00.005+01:00

Source: Rocky Mountain Bahá'í

The second Christ, Baha’u’llah has come, and He fulfills the prophecies for the Prince of Peace. In order to show you to show you his proofs, we first had to clear away some cobwebs and see what kind of a world Baha’u’llah comes to, and why the people of the world have not accepted Him. No wonder Baha’u’llah was arrested, no wonder He was put in prison, no wonder the clergy today reject Him – their religion has been corrupted.

Note: The clearing away of cobwebs is referring to information at the following links:

We will now look at how the criteria we used to prove Jesus prophesied name, date, address, and mission – also proves Baha’u’llah. If these criteria prove Jesus, the same criteria applied to Baha’u’llah would prove Baha’u’llah. First, let’s look at where Baha’u’llah was prophesied by name from the lips of no less than Jesus Himself. Now if Jesus tells us that Baha’u’llah is coming, who is it to say that He’s wrong? What Christian could say that He didn’t know what He’s talking about? If He says Baha’u’llah is going to come, why would anybody say anything different.Jesus prophesied Baha’u’llah by name in Mark 8:38:For whosoever is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. (See also Matthew 16:27, Luke 9: 26 ). Jesus spoke Aramaic – the language of the Middle East in His time. So when Jesus spoke of the “Glory of the Father,” he didn’t use the English for this but rather the Aramaic, word which is “Baha’u’llah.”Jesus says the “Son of man” is going to return in “Baha’u’llah,” meaning that this “glory of the Father” is going to be a man – the son of a man – and He’s going to have holy angels.

These holy angels are those that were martyred for the sake of Baha’u’llah’s Revelation, just as the apostles were martyred at the time of Jesus.This is like the name prophecy for Jesus, in which He was prophesied to come as “Immanuel,” and He came in the name “Jesus” which meant the same thing in a different language. In our Bible we have the words “Glory of the Father,” which means the same as ‘Baha’u’llah.” “Baha’u’llah” is the way to say “the glory of God the Father” in Arabic, Persian and in the Aramaic language Jesus spoke (Baha=glory, u’llah is short for “of Allah”= of God the Father).This is a very important proof, but perhaps other people have had the name Baha’u’llah.

Therefore, we need to see what address is prophesied for the coming of Baha’u’llah.The 43rd chapter of Ezekiel gives this address. Ezekiel was a prophet who wrote his visions down while in Babylonian captivity. Ezekiel spoke language of his captors, which was Aramaic, and so he originally wrote his book in Aramaic.In giving the following excerpts from Ezekiel’s vision I will reinsert some of the original Aramaic words Ezekiel used. Where Ezekiel writes “gate,” I will re-insert the Aramaic word for “gate,” which is “Bab.” and where Ezekiel refers to “the Glory of God” or “the Glory of the Lord, ” I will re-insert the original Aramaic word, which is “Baha’u’llah”

“Afterwards he brought me to the Bab, the Bab facing east.” (Ezekiel 43:1).

The forerunner of Baha’u’llah was called “the Bab;” The Bab (1819-1850) was the John the Baptist for Baha’u’llah. Thus Ezekiel literally prophesied the Bab by name. The Bab spent His last days awaiting execution in various prisons in Adhirbayjan, in the northwestern corner of Iran. While imprisoned in the Castle of Chihriq, the Bab gathered together all of His writings that were in His possession, His pen-case, His seals, and His rings, and had them delivered to Baha’u’llah, who lived a journey of several days east in Tehran. So the Bab, in facing the Promised One He foretold, was facing east.

“And behold, Baha’u’llah of Israel came from the east” (Ezekiel 43:2).

Here Ezekiel literally mentions Baha’u’llah by name in Aramaic. Baha’u’llah was born in Tehran, which is east of Tabriz, where the Bab was executed, and which is also very far east of the Euphrates, the ancient dividing line between the Middle East and the East. Baha’u’llah was exiled from Tehran in Persia as a prisoner, and was taken in chains to the prison of Akka near Mt. Carmel in Israel. Thus Baha’u’llah cane to Israel form the East, fulfilling this prophecy.

“and the sound of his coming was like the sound of many waters, and the earth shone with his Baha.” (Ezekiel 43:2).In the 17th chapter of the Book of Revelations, the “many waters” means many peoples, nations and tongues. Baha’u’llah’s Revelation is not for just a certain country or a certain people, but rather it is for the oneness of mankind. Baha’u’llah’s first principle is the oneness of the world of humanity. Thus the whole earth will shine with His Baha (Glory or Splendor).

“And the vision I saw was like the vision which I had seen when he came to destroy the city, and like the vision I had seen by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.”

Here Ezekiel fall on his face in thanksgiving to God. Ezekiel sees the Great manifestation, Baha’u’llah, who the whole Bible talks about, who all the religion talk about – the One who will establish universal peace and unite all of humanity in brotherhood in the Kingdom of God on earth.“As Baha’u’llah entered the temple by the Bab facing east, the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me into the inner court…. (Ezekiel 43:4)

Baha’u’llah entered the temple by the Bab. Just as Jesus entered into His ministry through His forerunner John the Baptist, Baha’u’llah entered into His ministry through his forerunner the Bab.“…And behold, Baha’u’llah filled the temple. While the man was standing beside me, I heard one speaking to me out of the temple; and he said to me, ‘Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel forever. “‘ (Ezekiel 43:6-7).

The Revelation of Baha’u’llah fills the Temple. The one speaking from out of the Temple in this vision is the person Baha’u’llah – we know this is a man because he speaks of Israel as the place of the “soles of his feet.” The throne that Baha’u’llah speaks of is David’s throne. Baha’u’llah sat on the throne of David as a direct male lineal descendant of King David through the Exilarchs (exiled Davidic monarchs). The Baha’i World Center is on Mt. Carmel in Haifa, Israel, which is now the permanent seat of David’s throne.

Just as Jesus was prophesied to be born in Bethlehem, Baha’u’llah was prophesied to come from the East to Israel. And Baha’u’llah had a forerunner by the name of the Bab, just as Jesus had a forerunner by the name of John the Baptist. So here we have Baha’u’llah’s address. There is more prophecy for His address in the 35th chapter of the book of Isaiah:

“The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord [Baha’u’llah], and the majesty of our God.” (Isaiah 35:1-2).Here it says that the desert will blossom like a crocus.

When Baha’u’llah, the Glory of the Lord, was brought to Israel, He was placed in the prison at Akka. Akka sits right across the bay of Haifa from lt. Carmel. Akka was the foulest prison of the Turkish empire – people would say that if a bird were to fly over Akka, it would die from the stench. The prisoners were kept in pestilential conditions, and many died after a short time. In addition, it was a barren land, without cultivation.

After Baha’u’llah’s exile to Akka in 1868, thousands of His followers from Iran and Baghdad visited Him there, and they started cultivating the land, planting flowers, and bringing in irrigation. Later on the Jews started settling Palestine, since in 1844, the Sultan of Turkey had lifted the ban of Omar and allowed the Jews to enter Jerusalem again, and in 1868, the Jews were allowed to buy land there once again. These Jews rapidly began irrigating the entire country. If you should go to Mt. Carmel today, you would find it to be one of the most beautiful spots in the world. While Palestine, and Akka and Mt. Carmel in particular, were without cultivation at the time of Baha’u’llah, since His coming the desert has literally blossomed. And after Baha’u’llah was given a release from prison, He pitched His tent on Mt. Carmel with His Son ‘Abdu’l-Baha and laid out the site for the universal government of the Kingdom of God on earth.

Baha’u’llah completely fulfilled the prophecy of the address. He was exiled to Mt. Carmel and Sharon – the name for Israel’s Mediterranean seacoast adjoining Mt. Carmel. Just as Jesus was prophesied to be born in Bethlehem, here Isaiah specifies that Baha’u’llah will come from the East to Israel. Isaiah say that Sharon and Carmel will see the Glory of the Lord – Baha’u’llah.

We can see that the prophesied address for Baha’u’llah is even more detailed than the address for Jesus. In fact, there are myriad’s of prophecies about the coming of Baha’u’llah, but for the sake of brevity we will just be looking at the essential name, address, date and mission prophecies.

We will now look at the date prophecies, which are very important. There might have been someone else named Baha’u’llah, and he might have come from Iran to Israel, so we need to get this in the framework of when. Let’s start with the book of Matthew, where the disciples ask Jesus about the date of His return:

“As he [Jesus] sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will this be and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” – (Matthew 24: 3; RSV)

Here the disciples ask Jesus three questions: when are you coming, what will be the sign of your coming and what is the sign of the close of the age? Jesus then gives many signs which you can read on your own, but we will focus on the conclusive sign He gives for the close of the age:

“So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet, Daniel; standing in the holy place (let the reader understand).” (Matthew 24:15; RSV).

Here Jesus Himself doesn’t give you the date, but he says to turn to the book of Daniel, the book that gave the date for Jesus Himself, for the date at which the Second Christ will come. Jesus tells us to go to the chapter which speaks of the desolating sacrilege and the holy place. This is as follows:“Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to the one that spoke, ‘For how long is the vision concerning the continual burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled under foot?’ And he said to him, ‘For two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state.” (Daniel 8:13-14).

Here Daniel mentions the “transgression that makes desolate,” and also the “sanctuary.” These are the “desolating sacrilege” and the “holy place” that Jesus told us to look fort so we know we’re in the right place.

In the 43rd chapter of Ezekiel we read about the temple. Ezekiel was a high priest, and he was concerned with the re-establishment of the temple. He told us that the re-establishment of the temple would be the coming of the Bab and Baha’u’llah. Here Daniel tells us about the sanctuary of the temple being restored to its rightful state.

When Nebuchadnezzar took the Jews into captivity, he removed the ark of the Covenant from the Holy of Holies and brought it to Babylon where it was lost. After this the Jews rebuilt the temple and the sanctuary, but they lacked the ark of the Covenant to complete the Holy of Holies. So the Jews wanted to know when their sanctuary would be fully restored. In the above prophecy, Daniel says this will be in 2300 days, and since in prophecy each day is a year, these are 2300 years.

These 2300 years start from the time that the abomination of desolation came to an end – 457 B.C., when the edict was issued to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. From 457 B.C. to the birth of Jesus gives us 456 years. This leaves 1844 years left over, which means that the 2300 years come to an end in 1844 A.D. This is the date Jesus indicates that the sanctuary would be restored.

Under the Law of Moses, the sanctuary was cleansed with the blood of sheep and goats. According to the 7th, 8th, and 9th, chapters of the Book of Hebrews, Jesus cleansed the sanctuary not with the blood of sheep and goats but with his own blood. But now we are looking for the birth of the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven that Jesus told us to pray for, so we’re looking for the cleansing of the sanctuary on earth. The date we are given is 1844.

Baha’u’llah’s forerunner the Bab started the Baha’i calendar in 1844. The Bab made His proclamation on May 23, 1844. But He started the calendar on March 21, 1844. According to the Book of Ezra, King Artaxerxes’ order to rebuild Jerusalem was given on March 21, the first day of the first month of the Persian calendar, which started with the vernal equinox (Ezra 7:9). March 21, 1844, is the starting of the Baha’i calendar, which occurs exactly 2300 years from the order to restore and rebuild Jerusalem issued by Artaxerxes.

The Bab purified the sanctuary by being killed six years after His mission started. The Bab was shot with 750 bullets in an execution arranged by the clergy, just as the clergy was behind Jesus’ execution. In addition, 10,000 of the Bab’s followers were martyred with Him in the course of His mission, shedding their blood to cleanse the sanctuary.

The Book of Jude says (verse 14):And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all of their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.

10, 000 of the Bab’s followers were martyred in Persia, practically down to the last one. They were killed in the most inhuman manner – they were split apart, their enemies drove holes in their flesh, put lighted candles in the holes, and made them run down the street with horseshoes nailed to their feet, they put rings in their noses and paraded them through the streets naked, and so on. These martyrs sacrificed themselves so that the holy Revelation of God would be established in the world.

Yet despite these great sacrifices, today the peoples of the world remain sunk in the depths of paganism, following Satan, and their leader is seated on the throne of Nimrod or Satan, wearing the fish hat in Rome. So you can’t expect much from the majority of the people. That’s why there will be a great calamity in the world before the people awake and accept the Revelation of God for this age.

Having seen the date prophecy for the Bab, let’s turn to the 12th chapter of Daniel which gives us some more important dates. Of course, a lot of Christians read this next chapter but the poor Christians are under the delusion of Satan, so how can they understand anything?

“At that time, shall arise Michael the great prince. who has charge of your people.” (Daniel 12:1).The word Michael means “one like God.” Each of the Manifestations are mirrors which reflect God – they are ‘like God” because they reflect God. Thus this “Michael” refers to a Manifestation. He is the “great prince” because He’s a direct descendant of King David and is seated on the throne of David.

“And there will be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation, till that time.” (Daniel 12:1).

Jesus said something similar:

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be, and if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved.” (Matthew 24:21-22).

Has there ever been so much trouble in the world? We’ve made instruments of war by which within an hour, two thirds of mankind will be dead. How terrible this age in its problems. The people have been coalesced together by rapid transit and rapid communication. You can go around the world in no time, while before most people never got more than 30 miles from their home and they did this mostly on foot. While today, we’re all thrown together, and this has caused all the different ideologies, religions and concepts to clash together, giving us a very dangerous situation, especially considering the trouble in the Middle East. The great trouble in the Middle East is the starting of Armageddon.

“But at that time your people shall be delivered, every one whose name shall be found written in the book.” (Daniel 12:1).

Everyone that turns to Baha’u’llah’s Covenant will be delivered – God’s people. And all those who are in paganism and the various Covenant-breaking sects and denominations are going to get their medicine, too, whatever that may be.

“And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (Daniel 12:2).

Those who “sleep in the dust of the earth” are the materialist. Practically everyone is a materialist, abiding by the “get mine while I can get it” way of life. Some of these people will get away from the paganism, awake to become believers in the Second Messiah Baha’u’llah, and will win everlasting life, while some will not awake until the bombs drop and the destruction is about to fall upon them. but they’ll awake to shame and everlasting contempt.

“And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” (Daniel 12:3).The wise are they who use their intellect to know the truth. They don’t just believe on faith. They don’t just follow some false leader. The wise decide for themselves whether something is true. Most of the Christians say you should believe on faith, and you don’t need any proof. But the wise judge justly, by proof.

“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, until the time of the end.” (Daniel 12:3).

The book of Daniel was sealed, meaning no one would understand what it means until the time of the end.

“Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.” (Daniel 12:4)

There has never been a time in history with so much intercontinental travel and communication, and with such great expansion of knowledge as is going on today.

“Then I Daniel looked, and behold, two others stood, one on this bank of the stream and one on that bank of the stream. And I said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, ‘ How long shall it be till the end of these wonders? ‘ The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the stream, raised his right hand and his left hand toward heaven; and I heard him swear by him who lives for ever that it would be for a time, two times, and half a time;” (Daniel 12:5-7)Daniel is receiving a date here. He gives the date as “a time, two times, and a half a time.” This gives us three and a half times.

A time is a circle, and a circle is the length of time it takes to get back to the beginning. It doesn’t matter how large or small the circle is, it always consists of 360 degrees. We have three and a half times; so 360 multiplied by three and a half is 1260.

The Bab and Baha’u’llah came in Iran, where they use the Arabian lunar calendar. This calendar begins with Muhammad’s flight from Meca to Medina, which is called the Hegira. 1260 on the Muslim calendar is the same as 1844 on the Christian calendar, when the Bab made His proclamation. 1844 A.D. is the same as 1260 A.H. (After the Hegira). On May 23, 1844 which is 1260 A.H., the Bab made His proclamation. So here we have the date for the Bab, this time on the Arabic calendar as 1260. We’re approaching the date for Baha’u’llah, so let’s continue on.

“..and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would accomplished.” (Daniel 12:7).

The shattering of the power of the holy people who follow the Manifestation of God continues today, but it will be over soon.

“I heard, but I did not understand. Then I said, ‘O my lord, what shall be the issue of these things?’ He said, ‘Go your way, Daniel, for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.’” (Daniel 12:8-9).

Here Daniel says, ‘God, I don’t understand all this!” God means by His reply, “Those words are sealed until the time of the end when they will be fulfilled, and those who fulfill it will explain what it means.

In fact, numerous Christian writers figured out the date 1844, and this date was also discovered in the chronological time line in the Great Pyramid of Giza, but they didn’t understand what it meant.

In 1844 the Bab closed the door to the prophetic age and opened the door to the age of fulfillment. The word “Bab” means “door” or “gate.” On the very day of the Bab’s proclamation, the inventor Samuel Morse sent from Baltimore to Washington the world’s first telegraph message. Morse’s message read, “See what God hath wrought.” Since the date of the Bab, all the countries of the world have become connected through communication and transportation.

Since the date of the Bab, a whole new world has unfolded with the railroad, the steamship, the air plane, the forms of rapid communication – the horse and buggy is gone. The Promised One, the Door came in 1844, and He opened the door to this age. They asked Jesus, when would be the close of the age, and He refers us to Daniel who says 1844. Are we going to call Jesus a liar, Daniel a liar, God a liar?

Now we’re going to get the date for Baha’u’llah:

“Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves pure and be refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand; but those who are wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:10).

Here we see none of the wicked will understand. Who are the wicked? The ones that refuse to use their intellect to understand. God gave you your intellect to understand – but if you don’t use your intellect and you just follow a clergyman that is corrupted with Satan you’ll end up in the den of Satan. You have to use your intellect.

None of the wicked will understand, but the wise will understand – the wise are those that use their intellect.

The clergy says, “You don’t want to use your intellect, you have to go by the heart.” But the intellect must lead the heart. The heart is not intelligent, it’s liable to love anything. We have to be guided by the intellect. God tells us the wise shall understand.

“And from the time that the continual burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” (Daniel 12:11)

When Muhammad came, He did away with all types of “burnt offerings” or sacrifices, including the Eucharist which existed in Christianity. Thus the beginning of this date prophecy refers to the proclamation of Muhammad, which was 10 years before the start of the Arabic calendar.

The “abomination that makes desolate” refers to treachery committed against Muhammad by Jewish tribes during a battle, after which Muhammad changed the direction of prayer from Jerusalem to Mecca, thus making the holy city of the Jews desolate.

From the proclamation of Muhammad to the proclamation of Baha’u’llah was exactly 1290 years (In prophecy a day equals a year, so 1290 days equal 1290 years). The proclamation of Baha’u’llah was on April 21, 1863. This proclamation was 1,290 years on the Muslim lunar calendar from the proclamation of Muhammad 10 years before the Hegira.

The date in 1863 A.D. when Baha’u’llah proclaimed himself was near the beginning or the Muslim year 1280 A.H. 1280 plus the 10 years back to when Muhammad proclaimed Himself 10 years before the start of the Muslim calendar gives us 1290 years. Thus Daniel gives us the date for Baha’u’llah.

So here we have just seen the dates for the close of the age and the coming of the Second Christ which Jesus said we should refer to Daniel for. Now we have Baha’u’llah’s name, His address, and His date, but we still need to see what mission is prophesied for the Second Christ. We find this in the second chapter of the book of Isaiah:“It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised above the hills and all the nations shall flow to it…” (Isaiah 2:2)

This prophecy is for the latter days, which we are in today. This mountain is Mt. Carmel, the seat of the International Baha’i Center where the Universal House of Justice will be established. The King James Version says that the mountain of the Lord’s house will be “established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills;” this exaltation is a spiritual height rather than a physical height. All the nations shall flow to it, meaning that all the people will come into the Kingdom and will flow to this International Center on top of Mt. Carmel.

“… and many peoples shall come, and say: ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.’” (Isaiah 2:3).

Contrary to the Christian triune God, the God of Jacob is the One Invisible God that created everything. The peoples of the world will flow to the One True Invisible God of Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham, not to the pagan trinity.

“For out of Zion shall go forth the Law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3).

Baha’u’llah, the Prince of Peace, established that there will be a Universal House of Justice with the Davidic Kingship as the President or head of it. This kingship will exist as long as there is life on this planet. “Zion” is the city of David, thus with the Davidic King descended from David through Baha’u’llah being the President of the Universal House of Justice, the law will go forth form Zion.

The word “Jerusalem” means “City of Peace.” This does not pertain to the city named Jerusalem in Israel, but to the “New Jerusalem” which comes from God out of heaven as seen in the Book of Revelations ( Revelations 21:10). This heavenly Jerusalem is the new Revelation for a civilization of peace – the law that Baha’u’llah brings.

“He shall judge between the nations and shall decide for many peoples.” (Isaiah 2:4 ).

Baha’u’llah prescribes the formation of an international Tribunal in which all the nations will simultaneously disarm and settle their differences and their boundaries over a council table. After settling their boundaries, they will make covenant of peace among themselves. The people will then elect secondary Houses of Justice in every nation, and these Houses of Justice will elect a Universal House of Justice.

The Davidic King descended from Baha’u’llah will be the Guardian or President of the Universal House of Justice.“And they shall beat their swords in to ploughshares and their spears into pruning-hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.” (Isaiah 2:4).

Baha’u’llah came to put an end to war, set up the Universal House of Justice on top of Mt. Carmel and have all the nations flow to it or become members of it. This House of Justice will not be set up until after the catastrophe which is imminent. Following this catastrophe, the United States, England, France and Russia will become the first Baha’i States. They will set up an International Tribunal or World Court which will be an interim body until the establishment of the Universal House of Justice. The other nations will join this body as they become Baha’i, and by the end of this century, everybody in the world will be Baha’i. All the nations will belong to the Universal House of Justice on the top of Mt. Carmel, and we’ll have a thousand years of peace.

Now let’s turn to the ninth chapter of Isaiah, the sixth verse:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called, ‘Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

During Christmas, Christians often place a sign over the nativity scene reading, “Unto us a child is born…” in reference to this prophecy. They attribute this prophecy to Jesus Christ. Well, we have to agree that Jesus didn’t come out of the sky – he was born from his mother. This is the only part of the prophecy, however, that could possibly refer to Jesus.

The prophecy says “the government will be upon his shoulder.” Jesus was a carpenter’s son, and certainly the government was not upon his shoulder. In fact, the only thing Jesus said about government was,” Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Luke 20:25).

Also, this prophecy says this person will be the Prince of Peace . What Jesus said regarding this subject is that He didn’t come to bring peace, but a sword (Matthew 10:34). If Jesus would have claimed to be the Prince of Peace, He would have been the biggest failure in history, as there has been nothing but war from the time of Jesus until today.

Jesus never claimed the title of the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, but rather He said He was the Son. He said He would return in “the Glory of the Father,” and here He is referring to Baha’u’llah, who is the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Isaiah uses the words “Mighty God” to refer to Baha’u’llah because each of the Manifestations reflect God, as a mirror reflects the sun.

Baha’u’llah reflects God in the Glory of the Father, and therefore, we have a greater concept of God through Baha’u’llah than through any of the previous Manifestations. This is because the mental capacity of the people of this age is much greater than ever before in history. For instance, Jesus said, “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all truth.” (John 16:13). And Baha’u’llah has come to bring us into this greatest Revelation of God.

Isaiah continues:

“Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore.” (Isaiah 9:7).

Isaiah says “of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end.” Certainly there was no peace during Jesus’ age, but once Baha’u’llah’s peace is established there will be no end to it. There will also be no end to the increase of Baha’u’llah’s government, as all the peoples of the world will belong to it.

But the main thing Isaiah mentions is that this government will be “upon the throne of David and over his kingdom.’ That is, God will rule from the throne of David. God doesn’t talk to us from a great voice in the sky – He doesn’t shout down at us with a megaphone. He always talks to us through a person. And God has chosen a kingship that he set up long ago at the time of King David to look over his kingdom. God told David in His Covenant that his kingship would last forever. The Holy Spirit also told this to David’s sons Nathan and Solomon. This appears in Psalm 89 and many other places throughout the Bible. This throne has existed all the way down to the present time, and now it will be the head of the Universal house of Justice.

Isaiah says that this kingdom will be established with righteousness and with justice for evermore, meaning the Universal House of Justice will be established and will maintain peace as long as there is life on this planet.

Now let’s turn to the eleventh chapter of Isaiah (These verses will be taken from the King James Version of the Bible):

“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots… (Isaiah 11:1).

Jesse is the father of David. The “stem of Jesse” is his penis. Out of the father of David is going to come David, or specifically, a “rod,” which is the scepter a king holds in his hand. This son of Jesse is King David, and the Kingship is the everlasting kingship of David.

The root of Jesse from which the “Branch shall grow out” appears in the latter days. The tenth verse of this chapter explains: “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse,” meaning today, in the latter days.The root of Jesse is Baha’u’llah, who is the Manifestation of God seated on David’s throne, and the Branch is Baha’u’llah’s Son ‘Abdu’l-Baha. So these next verses in Isaiah about the Branch refer to ‘Abdu’l-Baha:

“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch shall grow out his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord, and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears…” (Isaiah 11:2-3)

In other words, ‘Abdu’l-Baha is not going to establish justice in the world personally, but in His Will and Testament He delineates the institution of the Universal House of Justice with the Guardian at its head, which will bring justice to the world.

But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them (Isaiah 11: 4-6).

Here Isaiah speaks of the justice which will come into the world. For the first time in the world, we’re going to have justice. Each Manifestation emphasizes a particular quality of God. For instance, Moses emphasized the law, Buddha – enlightenment, Zoroaster – purity, Krishna – detachment, Mohammed was a Comforter, Jesus emphasized love, but we’ve never had justice in the world. The Universal House of Justice prescribed by Baha’u’llah and delineated by ‘Abdu’l-Baha will establish justice.

In this prophecy Isaiah mentions all sorts of animals living together in harmony. But if a lion were to literally lay down with a lamb, the lamb would probably wake up in the lion’s stomach. Some Christian sects, such as the Jehovah’s witnesses, actually think the animals will change. They try to interpret these prophecies though they don’t understand a thing in the Bible. These animals are symbols of nations, like the lion is the symbol of Great Britain and the eagle is the symbol of America.

The nations of the world, which have been at war since the time of Nimrod, are going to lie down together in peace and harmony. This will be due to the establishment of the Universal House of Justice which ‘Abdu’l-Baha delineates in His Will and Testament.

Isaiah says “a little child shall lead them.” This little child is the United States. The United States brought a whole new concept of government. The original founders of the United States came from oppressive religious conditions in Europe where they were forced to believe whatever the clergy taught, often at the point of death. They escaped this and set up a government with separation of church and state, the different areas of the country joined only by political union. This was in order that the diverse sects and denominations could live in harmony together without a religious conflagration. This concept caused a unity in the United States which allowed the country to reach great heights of development.

Now every country in the world has some form of separation of church and state, following after the United-States. The United States is “the little child that leads” because although it is one of the last of the great nations to have formed, it leads the world in religious freedom.

“And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the suckling child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand – on thee cockatrice’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isaiah 11: 7-9)In other words, all of the conflict in the world today is going to be done away with. This will follow the great catastrophe that is upon us. The people of the world will turn to the Revelation of Baha’u’llah and ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s Universal House of Justice with the Guardian, or Davidic King, at its head.

With all the world at peace, we can turn our gaze to greater things than what we’ re occupied with now. We can focus on the arts and sciences, the betterment of the mind and the development of spirituality, the education of the children.

This earth will become a paradise, a rose garden. Everyone will be able to fully engage in the craft, art or science in which he or she is interested. The people won’t have to work long hours at small pay because computers and machines will produce most of the goods . People will have time to spend on becoming spiritual. Today it’s dog eat dog, and we’re supporting a trillion dollar military budget each year, with the funds for this budget coming out of the pockets of the poor. The poor of the world don’t have enough to eat and they don’t have enough to clothe themselves with because they’re paying for this tremendous military arsenal of nuclear armaments. So the Revelation of Baha’u’llah brings a whole new world, which has been promised by God in His book.

“And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.” (Isaiah 11:10).

The gentiles will seek the ensign of the nations, Baha’u’llah, because Baha’u’llah’s Son ‘Abdu’l-Baha adopted a gentile, Mason Remey, as His son. This son was appointed by the first Guardian Shoghi Effendi to be the next Guardian and the successor to the Davidic Kingship. Thus the Davidic Kingship switches from the tribe of Judah to the gentiles.

This fulfills the prophecy of Genesis 49:10, which says that the scepter will not depart from the physical descendancy of Judah until the coming of Shiloh, and to Shiloh will be the gathering of the people. That is, when the scepter passes from the tribe of Judah to the gentiles, all the people will be gathered.

“And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathyro, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea.” (Isaiah 11:11).

That is, the Lord will take His hand a second time to gather together all of Israel. The first gathering of Israel took place by the hand of Baha’u’llah. The twelve tribes of Israel divided after the death of Solomon, and they never were united back together again. Two hundred years after Solomon in 721 B.C., the northern ten tribes were taken captive into Assyria and Media, and they became known as the ten lost tribes of Israel.

The other two tribes, Judah and Benjamin, were taken captive to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in 606 B.C. and 586 B.C. They remained in Babylon for 70 years. Some of them returned to Jerusalem after 70 years; Jesus Christ was descended from these Jews. But the great mass of Jews remained in Babylon with the Exilarch, the exiled Davidic King, who was the direct male ancestor of Baha’u’llah.

Nebuchadnezzar’s son Evil-Merodach had set up the exiled throne of David in Babylon. Baha’u’llah’s father sat on the throne of David, and so did his father, and his father before his, back to the Kings of Israel through the Exilarchs and all the way back to David himself.

After Baha’u’llah made His proclamation in 1863, He was taken as a prisoner to Israel. As He was taken with about 70 family members and close adherents to Israel through the lands to which the ten tribes of Israel had been scattered in ancient times, thousands of people became believers. Many of these believers were descended from the ten lost tribes who had been lost in identity by being converted to Zoroastrianism and Islam over the ages.

Baha’u’llah and His family were of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin; as a descendant of David, Baha’u’llah Himself was of the tribe of Judah. A remnant of these lost ten tribes accepted Baha’u’llah and went with Him to Israel. They joined Him and His other followers, thus reuniting the twelve tribes. This was the first gathering of Israel.

Baha’u’llah extends this gathering through His Covenant anyone who accepts Baha’u’llah’s Covenant is grafted into the twelve tribes of Israel under it’s new name Baha’i. The Baha’i Faith has spread to every nation, language and people of the world. But with the passing of the Guardian Shoghi Effendi, the Hands of the Cause, who were administrative aids to Shoghi Effendi, broke the Covenant and tried to do away with God’s kingdom.

These Hands set up a republic of God, incorporated, to replace the Kingdom of God revealed by Baha’u’llah. The Hands hoodwinked the people into following the republic they created. Thus the Hands violation resulted in the scattering of the people. That is why Isaiah says they will be gathered a second time. This is going on now, and this is the purpose of this paper: to bring those Baha’is who were scattered, and also the whole world into the Baha’i Faith, which is the Kingdom of God on earth.

First, we will have 144,000 people. This is the number given in the Book of Revelations for the number of the elect who are sealed with the sign of God upon their foreheads – meaning they will comprehend this message with their intellect. The minute there are 144,000 believers, there will be a thermonuclear war. The Book of Revelations says the four winds of destruction will be held back until we have the 144,000 from the twelve tribes of Israel – this number representing twelve thousand people for each tribe (Revelations 7: 3-8).

The Baha’i Faith is Israel under its new name, as Baha’u’llah gathered the twelve tribes; thus everyone who accepts the Baha’i Faith becomes part of the twelve tribes. Before the bombs drop, the whole world will hear via the news media this message of the Kingdom. When this message of the Kingdom reaches the air waves, those pure enough in heart to accept it will arise, and will come into the Kingdom very rapidly.

The mission of Baha’u’llah is to bring the Kingdom of God on earth that Jesus Christ told us to pray for. This kingdom will be upon the Davidic throne, Baha’u’llah being a direct descendant of King David through the Exilarchs, His father having sat on the throne of David in Mazanderan, Iran. Baha’u’llah fulfills the same prophecies. He came in the name that was prophesied by Jesus, Ezekiel and Isaiah – in fact, Baha’u’llah’s name appears throughout the Bible as “the Glory of God,” “the Glory of the Lord,” or “the Glory of the Father.”

Ezekiel and Jesus didn’t speak English, but rather Aramaic, so they literally said “Baha’u’llah.” The name Baha’u’llah” has been prophesied, and this was fulfilled in Baha’u’llah’s coming. Baha’u’llah fulfilled the prophecy of the address. He was exiled from the East to Israel, to Sharon and Mt. Carmel, and Carmel was to blossom as a flower, which was all fulfilled.

Three dates were given pertaining to the coming of Baha’u’llah. The eighth chapter of Daniel gives the 2300 year prophecy which brings us to 1844, as it was 2300 years from the order to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the Bab. They asked Jesus when the close of the age was and when He would return, and Jesus said refer to Daniel, we turn to the eighth chapter of Daniel and he gives us 1844. The Bab came in 1844, closing the door to the prophetic age and opening the door to the age of fulfillment. The 12th chapter of Daniel gives the date of 1260 on the Muslim calendar, which is 1844 on the Christian calendar – when the Bab made His proclamation. Then Daniel gives us another date – the 1290 years, which is the amount of time between the proclamation of Muhammad ten years before the Hegira to the proclamation of Baha’u’llah 1290 years later on the Muslim calendar, on April 21, 1863.

And now for the second gathering of Israel, Daniel gives us a third date, which is the 1335 days (Daniel 12: 12). ‘Abdu’l-Baha says this should be figured from the victory of Muhammad, which was in 628 A. D. 1335 years from 628 A. D. brings us to 1963 A. D. Abdu’l-Baha also said this prophecy would be fulfilled exactly 100 years from Baha’u’llah’s proclamation. Exactly 100 years from Baha’u’llah’s a proclamation, on April 21, 1963, there was a man who fulfilled this prophecy, which is also the prophecy for the man of the 3rd chapter of Zechariah. This man, is the 7th Angel of the Book of Revelations, and he is alive today. The 7th Angel is sounding his trumpet, as prophesied in Revelations, meaning he is broadcasting this message of the kingdom to the world to gather the 144,000. Before looking at the role of and the proofs for the 7th Angel, we will need to look at the Covenant of Baha’u’llah. This absolutely essential, all-important subject of the Covenant will be treated in a forthcoming writing.

So in conclusion, there might have been other people named Baha’u’llah, and they might have come from the East to Israel, but Baha’u’llah did it in chains. If Baha’u’llah did this as a free person, people might say this was the work of an impostor to fulfill prophecy. But Baha’u’llah had no control over this – He was brought in chains from the East to Israel, first under the Persian Government then under the Turkish Government. Baha’u’llah came in the prophesied name, the address, the date, and Baha’u’llah did one more thing – He fulfilled the mission of the Reigning Messiah seated upon David’s throne.

There’s the calling card. This calling card is the method God gives us in order that we may know for sure if a person is from God or is an impostor.There are a whole lot of people saying they are the Christ. There are a whole lot of people claiming to be the Promised One. The Christians are waiting for Him to come out of the sky – the pathetic Christians, that is. We, on the other hand, use our intellect and we look at these prophecies. We see that He’s going to come from the East to Israel – He’s not going to come out of the sky. Baha’u’llah fulfills the prophecies for the Prince of Peace. Eventually all the people on the planet will become followers of Baha’u’llah. And the 144,000 people who accept Baha’u’llah’s Revelation before the catastrophes will be essential in establishing the Kingdom of God on earth.

Jesus the Messiah or Christ?

2009-10-27T15:47:00.000+01:00

Source: Rocky Mountain Bahá'í

Christ is the Greek word for Messiah, which is a Hebrew word. When Jesus actually came, the Israelite people were speaking Hebrew, living under the oppression of the Romans, who spoke Greek. So, Jesus appeared while the Hebrew people were living in a Greek culture, where they had to speak Greek to participate in some of the commerce of the area. Therefore, the New Testament is largely from the Greek original versions, whereas the Old Testament was largely from the Hebrew original versions. That’s why essentially the term Messiah, is from the Old Testament, and the word Christ is from the New Testament. Thus, the Messiah of the Old Testament and the Christ of the New Testament are one and the same figure.

The prophets Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Micah, etc., were mostly from the end of the Old Testament, after a need for a Savior or Messiah arose among God’s chosen people. How did this need arise?

Without going into the entire story, which is contained in other documents on this site, suffice it to say that the Israelites were God’s family on earth. God’s kings on earth were to come from this family, and many nations of God’s people were to be descendants of this blessed family. They had been promised to be blessed by God since the time of their forefathers, which included Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Jacob, a.k.a., “Israel.” Jacob, whose name was changed to “Israel,” by God, was the patriarch of the twelve tribes of Israel. It’s not uncommon for God to change people’s names. For example, Abraham’s name was originally Abram, until God changed it, and his blessed wife Sarah’s name had originally been Sarai.

This was the lineage of people that was highly blessed by God, but not exclusively. That is, other peoples were also blessed, such as the lineage from Abraham that came through Ishmael, who was his firstborn son, and normally the recipient of the sacred heritage. But Ishmael was not from the blessed wife Sarah, so God did not allow for this lineage to receive the sacred inheritance.

To be exact, Sarah had adopted Ishmael, but he was born of Sarah’s slave woman from Arabia. When Ishmael was 13, Sarah had Isaac. To be CERTAIN that Sarah’s blessed child received the inheritance, Abraham took his son Ishmael, and Ishmael’s natural mother Hagar, and moved them down to Hagar’s country of origin, in Arabia. Word has it, that Abraham even had a big, black meteorite carved out as a house of worship for Hagar and Ishmael. This is the building that is now a sacred temple in Arabia. But it has been taken over by idolatry.

Nevertheless, the point is, Ishmael also received a blessing, which was that a great nation would come from him. As well, there would be twelve princes that came from him.

This great nation is the nation of Islam. The twelve princes are the twelve Imams. Only the Shiite Muslims believe in the lineal/appointed successors to Muhammad, which fulfilled this promise to Abraham that twelve princes would come from Ishamael. Muhammad was a direct descedant of Ishmael and Abraham. Islam was corrupted the moment Muhammad died, when a couple of believers and a big crowd of people elected a successor to Muhammad. This brought about the rise of the Sunnis. The Sunnis believe in elected leaders, called Caliphs.

However, in so doing, they ignored Muhammad’s wishes that his nephew named Ali, should be his successor. This brought about the Shiites, who believed in Muhammad’s appointed successors, often relatives, etc. Muhammad’s nephew had also married his daughter, and thus Ali was Muhammad’s nephew and son-in-law. Muhammad expressed his wishes verbally at bedside prior to his death, for Ali to be his successor, but this was never formally written down, and thus a huge contingent of his believers strayed from his wishes from the time of his death.

Within 60 short years, the enemy tribes, or the direct successors of the actual enemies of the prophet Himself, were in control of the Caliphship, and they started going out conquering the world, against Muhammad’s wishes.

Muhammad had instructed them to build city-states, under God’s Covenant, and if these city-states were attacked, they were allowed to engage in defensive warfare. Otherwise, they are forbidden to engage in offensive warfare. However, the corrupt Caliphs ignored this, and within 60 years of Muhammad’s death, the Arabs began conquering not only the Persian Empire, but also the Roman Empire, spawning the beginning of the Holy Roman Empire in Europe, and even sending that into a tailspin, with the onset of the Dark Ages in Europe, and then the Crusades, when the Europeans sent their children to war.

The Crusades were never successful, and altogether Islam ruled Jerusalem for 1260 years, until after World War I in 1921.

The Crusades were back in the 1100-1200s. First, the ignorant priestcraft of the Holy Roman Empire saw that the Muslims were using knowledge and learning, such as Arabic, Arithmatic, Astronomy, and so on, to not only conquer the vast and powerful Persian and Romen Empires, but they were also teaching the people the Koran, and the people were believing it. Why? Two reasons. First, Christianity had become so infused with paganism, that the Muslims could easily show that the Christians weren’t worshipping the One, True, Invisible God, but that indeed, they were “Idol-worshippers,” a.k.a., “Idolators.” Second, they could show that Muhammad had been prophesied in the Old Testament. Today, the titles of Muhammad in the Bible are “Comforter,” or in the Greek, “Paraclete,” or “Prince of Arabia,” and so on.

But to return to subject, let it be understood that other peoples play a role in God’s plan, but it is a subservient role in comparison to this blessed lineage from Abraham and Sarah.

So the twelve princes were the twelve Imams, and only a contingent of Muslims chose this path. Also, Ishmael’s blessed lineage is the lineage of the prophet Muhammad. But this was not the most highly blessed lineage on earth. The most powerful blessing, or covenant, was the one given the lineage of people that came from Abraham’s son through Abraham and Sarah, named Isaac. The covenants God made with Abraham, were also made with Isaac, and then with Isaac’s son Jacob.

God promised Abraham that God’s kings on earth would come from Abraham’s lineage, and that many nations of God’s people would come from among Abraham’s descendants. Thus these people entered into Covenants that were passed from generation to generation. These Covenants made these people God’s family on earth, contingent on the agreement that they would be His people, and He would be their God.

God furthered the Covenant with His people during the time of Moses, and the twelve tribes of Israel were given a three-part Covenant: 1. If they followed God’s laws they would be blessed; 2. If they disobeyed God’s laws they would be cursed; and 3. After they were cursed, they would one day be regathered under God’s law.

So, indeed, they broke the Covenant under the reign of Solomon, and they were cursed. Part of the curse was that they would be taken captivity into other nations and scattered. See the document “The Covenant of Moses” for more detail on these stories. Also see “The Covenants of the Bible.”

So after the Israelites were in captivity, some of them, like Elijah, Daniel, Isaiah and Micah, started praying to God, to see if He would forgive them, and regather them under His Covenant, like He had promised He would do one day.

Thus we have the “need” for the Messiah, and hence God’s promises begin, that a descendant on the throne of David would come and save them from the curse, and bring them under the Covenant again.

The word “Messiah,” simply refers to the man on the throne, whether this throne or that throne. Literally, it means, “anointed one,” i.e., anointed as king.

For example, another figure called “Messiah” in the Bible was King Cyrus, who was king of Persia.

So a Messiah, or anointed one on the throne of David, would come and save these people from the curse they were under.

Oh boy. That’s a big job.

But that’s the job that Jesus was given by God. Thus, in answer to the prayers of Elijah, Micah, Isaiah and Daniel, they received visions of the coming of this Messiah who would save them from their sins, thus, their “Savior.”

Now to understand the mindset of Daniel, Elijah, Isaiah and Micah, one must understand the priesthood and temple worship of this family of God, which had been set up by Moses and Moses’ brother Aaron. God had Moses build a tent which would be a temple to the One, True, God, and instead of the people worshipping animals, which they tended to make statues of, God had them literally sacrifice animals, they best animals, e.g., sheep, calves, etc., so the smoke of their burning could rise up into the nostrils of the One, True, Invisible God. After this animal sacrifice, the blood of the animal was to be spread in the outer room of the tent. Then, a high priesthood was set up, with Aaron, Moses’ brother, as the first one. Aaron’s direct lineal descendants would succeed him as the high priests. The high priest would then go into the innermost room of the tent, called the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies, and there the priest would commune with God, and ask for forgiveness of the sins of the people. God’s presence was thus with the people, as long as they obeyed God’s laws.

But once paganism slipped in, through Solomon, God allowed for His presence to flee from the people. Their high priesthood lineage from Aaron was lost, their ark of (or box for) the Covenant and the stones tablets with the Covenant of Moses and the Ten Commandments written on them were lost, the of temple was destroyed, and this entire practice of worship was dissipated and lost, as the Israelites entered under the second part of Moses’ Covenant, the curse.

Through their prophets, such as Daniel, Elijah, Isaiah, Micah, and so on, they came to realize that God was going to send a Messiah to straighten things out.
When Jesus came, He restored the temple worship, but only symbolically.

Paul explains in his letters to the Hebrews and Romans, how Jesus restored: 1. the mediation powers of the high priesthood; 2. temple worship; and 3. animal sacrifice.

However, in Jesus’ restoration of this form of worship, everything was abstract. To explain, He restored the mediation powers of the high priesthood, He said He was a priest of a higher order than Aaron was, which was a priest after the order of Melchizedek. He said He entered a temple not built by hands, and entered the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies, and asked God for forgiveness of the sins of the people. All the people had to do was ask in Jesus’ name, and this would “kick in” his mediator role, and the people could thus have direct access to God, in asking for forgiveness of sins! Thus Jesus also restored temple worship, and establishing this idea of a temple not built by hands, established in heaven. He also turned the animal sacrifice into a symbolic sacrifice, teaching that He was the sacrificial lamb, and his sacrifice would serve as the last and eternal sacrifice, and from now on, all the people would have to do is eat bread and drink wine in remembrance of his sacrifice, in remembrance of Him and His role.

John further explained that the eating of the bread symbolizes the idea that the people have digested Jesus’ teachings, which were like manna from heaven, giving people life sustenance for eternal life; and drinking the wine was like drinking of the blood of Jesus’ sacrifice, and believing in Him.

So how did Jesus role as a man on throne of David, figure in? Was He an anointed one, on the throne of David?

Actually, no, He wasn’t even of the lineage of kings from David. According to Luke’s genealogy (which is the one I go by since Luke was an educated doctor, and Matthew was more of a layman), Jesus descended from David’s son Nathan, not from David’s son Solomon, who was the one crowned king.

Matthew said in chapter 10 that every time his followers tried to make Jesus king, He ran away and hid in the mountains. Jesus repeatedly stated that His kingdom was not of this world.

These truths confused Jesus’ followers. They so confused because many of the prophecies foretold the coming of a Messiah that would be the king in the Kingdom of God on earth.

So Jesus didn’t fulfill ALL the prophecies for the coming of a Messiah. Jesus only fulfilled some of the prophecies, and then He died.

This completely confused his followers, to the point where they actually stopped believing in him for a while, until they understood that in spite of the fact that He didn’t fulfill all the prophecies, nevertheless He was still the prophesied Messiah.

And that in spite of the fact that he did not actually bring and establish this prophesied “Kingdom of God on Earth,” nevertheless He heralded its coming, and gave them a prayer to pray for its coming (The Lord’s prayer prays for the coming of the Kingdom of God on Earth, “Our Father, Who art in heaven, … Thy Kingdom come, thy Will be done, on EARTH, as it is in heaven….”).

Also, He taught many things, but the thing that convinced them to begin believing again was Mary Magdalene, and the visitation that Jesus had with them from the next realm after He was crucified. He convinced them at that time that His message was nevertheless real. They reflected on Isaiah’s prophecy wherein it is foretold that a perfect one would come and be slaughtered as a perfect lamb is slaughtered for the sacrifice.

Do you realize that God was telling us the opposite message to “worship Jesus as God?” Yes! God had Jesus go to the slaughter as a final sacrifice of the man-god “male bovine feces” that man dreamt up! Man is NOT GOD! This was the WHOLE reason God had Jesus go to the slaughter.

However, Jesus was a Manifestation of God. Now, what does that mean?

A Manifestation is one who manifests. To manifest God is such a special undertaking, that God sends, about once every 1000 years, a Manifestation, to manifest, Himself! No wonder man gets confused.

However, God is an abstract, and there is no possible way for our finite minds to comprehend the infinite God. Period. In fact, the way is barred, from fully comprehending God, because that station is reserved for God alone.
However, these Manifestations, are endowed with a special “seventh sense,” shall we say. Man has a “sixth sense,” the ability to perceive things of the next realm, and so on, but the Manifestations have something man does not have, and that is, the Holy Spirit.

They have it from the time of conception, through childhood, during which they already know everything, it appears, and then, they are anointed at one point with a mission, so-to-speak, and from then on, they become major prophets of God, speaking the Words of God, listening to God in the burning bush, or thundering from the sky, and then finally, simply having God’s Words in their mouths.

Muhammad was one such prophet, but His Revelation or message was to protect the actual descendants of Isaac’s blessed lineage. So this mission was still subservient to the mission of the blessed lineage itself. What I’m saying is, the Imams eventually saved and protected the Davidic kings. The Davidic kings were the blessed lineage from Isaac. The Davidic kings were the descendants of David, Judah, Jacob, Isaac and Abraham, and they were God’s kings on earth, the blessed lineage, seated on the throne of David. This was the kingship that was the result of the blessing given to Abraham, that kings would come forth from his descendants, and the role of Islam was to “submit” to this lineage. The word Islam means to “submit.” Therefore, the Imams who understood God’s messages through Muhammad, went into the Persian Empire after the Calphs killed the King of Persia, and they arranged to meet with the man on the throne of David, who had been in captivity under the Persians. The Imam then arranged a marriage between the daughter of the King on the throne, who had just been killed. The daughter then took the throne of her father and placed it on the head of her husband, who was already seated on the throne of David (while it was in captivity under the Persians). Then, the Imam held a great public debate, the transcript of which is still extant and in my possession, and available on this site.

The Imam and the Davidic king held debate as to whether Muhammad was a true prophet. The rules of the debate were that if you had no rebuttal to refute the previous one’s proofs, the last one to speak won the debate. That day, the Imam had the last word, and afterward, the Davidic king and 800 Jews converted to Islam. The Imams then moved this family, this man, this daughter of the previous king of Persia, and protected them in an ancient area of refuge of the Zoroastrians and their kings. The kings of Persia were believers in the One, True, Invisible God, and their prophet was Zoroaster. See more about this in the other articles about the lineage of the Davidic Kings on this site.

So here we have a Davidic king, converting to Islam. From there, the Rabbis took authority among the Jews. The Davidic kings no longer mattered to them. They lost heart, in a sense, thinking their Davidic kings had gone off the deep end by converting to Islam. In reality, the Davidic kings were safe and sound, just following God’s dictates.

Jews believed in the Old Testament. The Old Testament had these prophecies about how the Israelites could come out from under the curse when this Savior, or Messiah from the lineage of David came.

Indeed, Jesus was this Messiah. The Greek word for it is Christ.

So Jesus was this man of the “seed of David according to the flesh,” and only “designated the Son of God according to the spirit” (Rom. 1: 1-3).

Jesus was also called the Star of David, and so on. His lineage went back to David, but according to Luke’s more credible genealogy, Jesus’ lineage goes back to Nathan, and not through Solomon. Solomon’s lineage was the lineage of the kings, and Jesus was not of this lineage.

So he kept saying I’m not establishing this kingdom on earth right now, but I’m establishing it in heaven, OK? Now, if you pray in my name, this will restore the presence of God to your temple. However, the temple will be a temple not built by hands, and it will be established in heaven. Ask in my name, and I will act as a mediator and high priest between you and God. Thus, the presence of God has been restored for those who truly believe, and these believers are grafted in to the sacred lineage from Abraham, “Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Thus Jesus fulfilled many of the promises having to do with the idea that many nations would come into God’s kingdom on earth. Jesus made it possible for anyone who believed, to become a part of this blessed family of God on earth, this blessed lineage of people through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. All we had to do was truly believe in Jesus’ message, and the presence of God would once again fill the temple as had been promised. Yet, Jesus taught that the temple was our body, and that our hearts should be filled with the love of God, and that we should also love our neighbors, and ourselves. Thus the temple of true believers, was truly restored.

But such an abstract message was lost on the Jews, and they “missed the mark,” or sinned. The meaning of sin is to miss the mark. They hung Jesus on the cross, thinking he was a blasphemer, and completely missed out on the restoration of their temple by this Messiah or Christ.

But for those who believed, they were now given an avenue through which to have their sins forgiven, by asking God directly in Jesus’ name. They were invited to step out from under the provisions of the curse, and enter the promised land, where they would once again enjoy the presence of God in their midst. The Christians were taught that if two or more were gathered, this would suffice for a temple of worship, whether under a roof or in a building or not. And thus, they were a blessed people. The Christian faith spread all over the world, and every nation has now heard of the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the Christians, or followers of this Messiah, or Christ.

Yet what was the deal? Jesus’ message was that the whole Kingdom of God on earth was all on “Pause?” When would the Davidic kings be God’s kings on earth again? When would many nations become as one family under God? Even the Christians want to know. When will all this be? When will be the time of the fulfillment of all the prophecies?
This was also the urgent question of Matthew, and of other apostles. They had read the visions of Daniel, and Ezekiel, and Isaiah, and Micah. They knew there was a wonderful thing promised to happen on earth. They asked Jesus, when will this be?

And he answered them by telling them to look into the prophecies of the prophet Daniel, and this would tell them.

To see more about the fulfillment of the prophecies of Daniel, see other articles on this site.

But even though Jesus told them this Kingdom of God on earth would one day still come to earth, he made a Covenant with them about only one thing: and that was, He would return to establish this kingdom.

Now the Christians totally don’t understand the meaning of return. To explain return, I must go into the story about how John the Baptist was the Return of Elijah.

John the Baptist was the “Return of Elijah,” and this was difficult for the people to understand. They were expecting something quite different when Malachi wrote in his Oracle:

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes” (Malachi 4:5).

After all, Elijah had gone “up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11). Wouldn’t he come back the same way?

How could it be that John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, could be the Return of Elijah?

He didn’t come streaking down from the sky on. a whirlwind of fire! He came from Elizabeth’s womb. Yet, Jesus Himself said:

1 tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased…” Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist (Matt. 17:12 & 13).

The disciples were somewhat confused about this subject. The Jews were also confused, so they sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask John whether he was the return of Elijah:

“… [Are] you Elijah?” He said, “I am not,” “Are you the prophet?” And he answered, “No.” They said to him then, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said, “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said” (John 1:21-23).

So the Christians accept that fulfillment of something a prophet said, constitutes proof that someone is the promised “return” of someone else.

Right? Think about it. John the Baptist did NOT fulfill the prophecies in the way that the scribes and Pharisees, Sadduces, and so on, thought he would. Therefore, they rejected both Jesus and John the Baptist. John the Baptist wound up having his head cut off and served on a platter. Only a very few, including Jesus, recognized him. Of course it was Jesus’ cousin, so Jesus already knew the guy. True! Mary, Jesus’ mother, and Elizabeth, John’s mother, were “kinswomen,” and they were both from the tribe of Levi. Mary had been a temple virgin prior to becoming bequeathed to Joseph, which was almost like marriage, because they lived together from the time Mary was 13, until she was fifteen, when, prior to them actually getting married, she was found to be with child.

OK. So, we see that Jesus promised to return. We also see that the “return” is usually difficult for people to understand.

But how does this translate into the meaning of the word “Christ?”

It is simply this.

The prophecies about the Christ or Messiah, were not all fulfilled by Jesus. Yes, many were, but not all of them. Jesus made only one strong Covenant with his people, and that was, that He would return to fulfill the rest of these prophecies at a later date.

The Christians have been duped into thinking Jesus is God, so along with it, they have swallowed the fallacy that Jesus will come out of the sky when he finally does return. Like the scribes, Sadduces, Pharisees, they are completely missing the mark, when it comes to be equipped to recognize him upon his return. They are looking for a god-man to appear in the sky. Sorry folks, it ain’t gonna happen.

However, a true seeker would look into Jesus’ answers when the apostles asked him, when would this be, and so on. In fact, Jesus even said one of his apostles would actually live to see the Kingdom of God on Earth, but this turned out to be alluding to John, and the visions that he saw of the kingdom. He wrote these visions down in the book of Revelation.

The complete truth video

2009-10-25T16:12:00.000+01:00

Sometime ago I came across this video and I immediately showed it to my wife and daughters, and I think that all women in the World should see that beauty many times is not what it seems... The real beauty comes from the heart and mind of a person and not from the outside. This week was our 15th wedding aniversary and I looked at a few pictures of our wedding day. I told myself once again that how older my wife is the more I love her and the prettier she is. And that is not all. When I look at our three children I see how much beauty, happiness and love God has put in my life. Praise Him!

Abdu'l Bahá

2009-10-25T06:22:00.000+01:00

O Baha'u'llah

2009-10-25T05:33:00.000+01:00

We are One!

2009-10-24T20:02:00.000+02:00

Here is a beautiful song by Dan Seals together with the "Voices of Bahá". Very moving. I can listen to this song time and time again.

Declaration of Faith

2009-10-24T07:54:00.000+02:00

“THE BAHA’I FAITH recognizes the unity of God and of His Prophets, upholds the principle of an unfettered search after truth, condemns all forms of superstition and prejudice, teaches that the fundamental purpose of religion is to promote concord and harmony, that it must go hand-in-hand with science, and that it constitutes the sole and ultimate basis of a peaceful, an ordered and progressive society. It inculcates the principle of equal opportunity, rights and privileges for both sexes, advocates compulsory education, abolishes extremes of poverty and wealth, exalts work performed in the spirit of service to the rank of worship, recommends the adoption of an auxiliary international language, and provides the necessary agencies for the establishment of safeguarding of a permanent and universal peace.”

Today we are 15 years married!

2009-10-21T16:51:00.000+02:00

Isn't life grand?

We had many ups and downs, people who didn't want to see us married, others did everything for us to divorce, others criticized our timing to have children... Our house was mocked, our choices laughed at and we had also people telling us that our marriage was not inspired by God because we come from different countries. Nevertheless we are still together, and the older my wife is the more I love her!

Did you become a Baha'i?

2009-10-21T12:55:00.000+02:00

This is what my boss asked me this morning. With pride I told him YES!

Because of that I am wondering for some time if I should close this blog and open another one because Baha'i standards are pretty different than the ones I used before but no. I decided for the time being that I will keep this blog and adapt my blogging style to conform with Baha'i standards and philosophy.

Cleaned Facebook and deleted HI5 accounts because of mormon preaching

2009-10-20T11:13:00.003+02:00

This drastic decision was taken due to the fact that a few people can't accept the idea that I am no longer attend the LDS church and can not accept the idea that I will not return.

The 11th Article of Faith of that church states:

"We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may."

Apparently not to me. After I requested not to be contacted if they wanted to talk about that faith the tone suddenly changed and "good-byes" were said, and later added that they only would be there when I wanted to return to the church. This kind of friendship I do not need. If I were to stop talking to my friends who left the church, how many friendships would I have turned away???.... many.

My life started over again and I am very happy with my new life. I only wish that I could have made this change a long time ago. Please let me be happy. Why do they think that the only place to find happiness is on their side and that all other miserable souls are doomed?

This is my last post where I mention the LDS / Mormon church.

Genealogy of Jesus Christ

2009-10-19T17:35:00.000+02:00

Two great books

2009-10-19T14:12:00.000+02:00

I am still reading the Qur'an and a few days ago I received "The Tables of Baha'u'lhá" as a present. As I wrote before I am enjoying the Qur'an a lot, but "The Tables of Baha'u'lhá" are simply breath taking! I wish I could write what I feel when I reads this book!

Maité Proença revela a sua inteligência e educação

2009-10-14T15:05:00.001+02:00

Nem me atrevo a dizer o que penso depois de ver este vídeo

mas só revela que essa menina nunca foi corrigida/castigada (levou um corretchivo) quando era pequena. Já agora, aqui vão algumas fotos para os curiosos. Vi na net e não quero deixar de as partilhar com quem quiser ver.

Ela já apresentou as desculpas aos Portugueses, mas parece que essa senhora (que me desculpem as verdadeiras senhoras) não sabe ver a diferença entre humor e má-criação / falta de civismo. Maité, já agora desculpe, o link para as suas fotos é também uma brincadeirinha inocente e espero que tenha o humor suficiente para perceber isso.

PS. Não fui eu o autor das fotos, nem fui eu que coloquei a mão (isto para as mentes mais púdicas e sensíveis, que refugiados atrás das portas fechadas são capazes de toda a badalhoquice...)

Father Damien baptized and 'sealed' to wife in LDS temple?

2009-10-13T22:37:00.002+02:00

Outrageous!

By Kristen Moulton

The Salt Lake Tribune

Updated: 10/13/2009 09:43:27 AM MDT

Click photo to enlarge

The tapestry depicting Father Damien, born as... (Alessandra Tarantino / The Associated Press)

Father Damien, the Roman Catholic priest who cared for lepers in Hawaii in the 19th century, apparently is a saint twice over.

Damien, who was born Joseph De Veuster in Belgium, was canonized a saint by Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday in Rome.

But Helen Radkey, a critic of the Salt Lake City-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said Monday that research shows Mormons have both baptized Damien by proxy and "sealed" him for eternity to a wife named Marie Damien.

There is no evidence Damien ever married, which would have been a violation of his vow of celibacy.

St. Damien, who died of leprosy in 1889 after working among those quarantined on the Hawaiian island of Molokai for 16 years, is considered an intercessor for patients with leprosy (Hansen's disease), HIV, AIDS as well as for abandoned children, disoriented youths, exploited women, neglected elderly people and oppressed minorities.

The Catholic Church declares a person to be a saint -- or a model for the faithful and a person who has special pull with God in answer to prayers -- only after extensive investigation and proof of two miracles.

Radkey said research into the LDS Church's FamilySearch database indicates that Damien, born in 1840 in Belgium, was baptized by proxy, given his "endowments" and sealed to his parents for eternity Oct. 22, 1983, in the Los Angeles Temple.

More recently, Damien was sealed to a wife, which Radkey calls "bogus," on March 15, 2000, at the Jordan River Temple in South Jordan.

"It's blatantly wrong to seal a person who took a vow of celibacy as a Catholic priest and is so revered in his Catholic religion," said Radkey, a former Catholic. "It's insulting to perform such an action posthumously. It's very disrespectful."

LDS Church spokesman Scott Trotter said he could not comment on the specifics of Radkey's claim, which echoes her previous reports that Mormons have performed ordinances for President Barack Obama's mother, Holocaust victims and fundamentalist polygamists who were booted from the church.

"It is counter to church policy to submit anyone's name for temple ordinances if you aren't related to that person," Trotter said. "The church reiterates this policy regularly and we follow it to the best of our ability."

LDS doctrine holds that baptisms and other ordinances performed by the living in temples are offered to those who have died, who are free in the afterlife to accept or reject them.

kmoulton@sltrib.com

Source: Salt Lake Tribune

The power of prayers and why we pray

2009-10-13T08:20:00.000+02:00

By Siahyonkron Nyanseor

The “Power of Prayers” sounds good to the ears of listeners. However, in order to understand it, we need to first understand the word – POWER. If I may ask – what is POWER? Based on the definition provided by Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, POWER is the capacity for being acted upon or undergoing an effect; the ability to act or produce an affect or mental or moral efficacy.
Power than can be utilized if we turn it into a proper direction, and if we collect it to one place, when we keep lens in sunlight and focus it on a paper, paper start burning, that is a small example power of rays (sunlight). It is safe to say, in this universe everything has its own power, but the thing is how we utilize it, is what counts. For example, if we pray to God, we first understand who is God, What the prayer is, why we are praying.

I am reminded of the statement that reads, “Never ever underestimate the power of prayers”. Whether it is Jehovah, Allah, Nyesua or Glepor you pray to, your prayers will be answered. Through prayers, the Supreme Being that we worship responds to our needs. It is through prayers, we communicate with GOD.

According to recorded history, human beings have been praying for as long as humanity has existed. Rich or poor, literate or illiterate, the urge to pray is equally present in all. W.M. Urban described this as follows:

“In wandering over the earth, you can find cities without walls, without science, without rulers, without palaces, without treasures, without money, without gymnasium or theatre, but a city without temples to gods, without prayer, oaths and prophecy, such a city no mortal has ever seen and will never see.” (W.M. Urban, Humanity and Deity, p. 15)

The problem with humanity has to do with our various doctrines in explaining the desire of the GOD that created ALL of us in His image; but in their attempt to do so; some of these individuals or institutions profess to be godlier than others. A good example is the atrocities suffered by Africans, Native Americans and other indigenous people in the name of religion.

This approach was not necessary, because “Religions are different roads converging upon the same point. What does it matter that we take different roads, so long as we reach the same goals”, says Mahatma Gandhai.

Since the urge to pray is universal in character and crosses racial, cultural and religious boundaries, we might want to know the essence of prayer; the meaning of prayer; what is the purpose of prayer? What effect prayer has on individuals who pray? Or what effect prayer has on society?

The answers to the questions above are more important than the form of prayer itself. When we pray, what really happens to us? The prayer normally consists of reciting some words and possibly some body movements. This is true in all religions—only the forms may be different. Do the words have any effect on the individuals who pray? From the study of Psychology, we know that words have powerful effect on individuals as well as people. But for that to happen, it is necessary that words are clearly understood and their meaning and context fully comprehended. This ensures that the mind actively participates in the prayer also along with the body. Without this, the prayer will become a somatic routine, regardless of how much piety is attached to it from outside.

Thus we see that prayer has a very deep connection with the mind. But this mind-body connection, although made sincerely, should not be superficial that only produces a placebo effect. This has to be real. And a real connection can be established only when the power and the meaning of prayer activate the mind’s cognitive faculty. The so called doctors of religions, on the other hand, have perpetuated a myth which keeps people satisfied by performing the act of prayer without trying to establish this mental cognitive connection.

Prayer is related to purity of heart. As we forgive others, God perpetually forgives us. Forgiveness is one of the deepest parts of love because it is one of the most difficult to give. But anger is devastating to prayer. The prayers of children are extremely powerful; because their faith is pure.

During prayer, we are suppose to surrender our problem entirely to God; be humble; forgive all of our enemies; have faith; do not doubt; thank God in advance and praise Him, and pray from the heart.

This summed up in Katherine Kehler’s article, “Reason to Pray. According to her,

· We pray to have fellowship with God
· We Pray to Follow Christ’s Example
· Prayer is Vital to Spiritual Maturity
· Prayer Brings Results
Prayer does change things and the
Scripture clearly teaches that prayer can even change the course of history

In Proverbs 15:8 we read that the prayer of the upright is God’s delight. Revelation 3:20 tells us the result of asking Jesus Christ into our lives is having fellowship with Him. The Westminster Catechism teaches that the chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. What an honor and privilege to have fellowship with the King of Kings!

Sometimes we make the Christian life so complicated. We read so many books and hear so many messages on prayer that our head spins with information. But I find when I go back to the Gospels and find out what Jesus did, my thoughts come back to God’s perspective. Praying was important to Jesus. Luke 5:16 tell us that Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. The very Son of God made prayer a priority even though His day was filled from morning until night. If the Son of God was so dependent on fellowship with God the Father, how much more should we?

Prayer involves talking to God and God talking to us through His Word and His Spirit. Just as we need food to keep well physically, we need spiritual food to keep growing spiritually. We can miss a meal and not feel any ill effects, but if we go without food for a week, we begin to weaken. We can go one day without feeding on God’s Word or praying and not suffer any apparent effects. But if we continue this practice, we will become undernourished spiritually, losing the strength to live a victorious life for Christ and to maintain the boldness necessary for a vital witness for Christ.

Find below a sampling of various prayers by believers in the Almighty Creator:

Hindu Prayer for Peace

Oh God, lead us from the
unreal to the Real.
Oh God, lead us from darkness to light.
Oh God, lead us from death to immortality.
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti unto all.
Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in
celestial regions.
May there be peace on Earth.
May the waters be appeasing.
May herbs be wholesome, and may trees
plants bring peace to all. May all beneficent
beings bring peace to us.
May thy Vedic Law propagate peace all
through the world.
May all things be a source of peace to us.
And may thy peace itself, bestow peace on all
and may that peace come to me also.

Muslim Prayer for Peace

In the name of Allah,
the beneficent, the merciful.
Praise be to the Lord of the
Universe who has created us and
made us into tribes and nations
that we may know each other, not that
we may despise each other.
If the enemy incline towards peace, do
thou also incline towards peace, and
trust God, for the Lord is the one that
heareth and knoweth all things.
And the servants of God,
Most gracious are those who walk on
the Earth in humility, and when we
address them, we say “PEACE.”

St. Francis’ Prayer

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred . . . let me sow love
Where there is injury . . . pardon
Where there is doubt . . . faith
Where there is despair . . .hope
Where there is darkness . . . light
Where there is sadness . . .joy
Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek
To be consoled . . .as to console
To be understood . . .as to understand,
To be loved . . . as to love
For it is in giving . . .that we receive,
It is in pardoning, that we are pardoned,
It is in dying . . .that we are born to eternal life
Baha’i Prayer for Peace

Be generous in prosperity,
and thankful in adversity.
Be fair in judgment,
and guarded in thy speech,
be a lamp unto those who walk
in darkness, and a home
to the stranger.
Be eyes to the blind, and a guiding light
unto the feet of the erring
be a breath of life to the body of
humankind, a dew to the soil of
the human heart,
and a fruit upon the tree of humility.

Buddhist Prayer for Peace

May all beings everywhere plagued
with sufferings of body and mind
quickly be freed from their illnesses.
May those frightened cease to be afraid,
and may those bound be free.
May the powerless find power,
and may people think of befriending
one another.
May those who find themselves in trackless,
fearful wilderness—
the children, the age, the unprotected–
be guarded by beneficial celestials,
and may they swiftly attain Buddhahood

Christian Prayer for Peace

Blessed are the PEACEMAKERS,
for they shall be known as
the Children of God.
But I say to you that hear, love your enemies,
do good to those who hate you,
bless those who curse you
pray for those who abuse you.
To those that strike you on the cheek,
offer the other one also,
and from those who take away your cloak,
do not withhold your coat as well.
Give to everyone who begs from you,
and of those who take away your goods,
do not ask for them again.
And as you wish that others would do to you,
do so to them.

Sikh Prayer for Peace

God adjudges us according
to our deeds,
not the coat that we wear:
that Truth is above everything,
but higher still is truthful living.
Know that we attaineth God when we loveth,
and only victory
endures in consequences of which no
one is defeated.

Native American Prayer for Peace

Almighty God, the Great
Thumb we cannot evade to
tie any knot;
the Roaring Thunder that splits mighty trees:
the all-seeing Lord up on high who sees
even the footprints of an antelope on
a rock mass here on Earth.
You are the one who does
not hesitate to respond to our call.
You are the cornerstone of peace.

African Prayer of Faith

In the beginning was God,
Today is God,
Tomorrow will be God.
Who can make an image of God?
He has no body.
He is the word,
Which comes out of your mouth.
That word!
It is no more,
It is past, and still it lives!
So is God.

So why do we really pray?

Religious leaders are very particular to mention—and rightly so, that it occupies a central place in religion. But their emphasis is more on the act of prayer rather than its spirit and purpose. Performing the act of prayer is an end in itself to them. Religious leaders do not emphasize the fact that prayer is a means to achieve some concrete goals in life. This aspect of prayer is normally overlooked and consequently the prayer becomes a soulless ritual done primarily to please God and for individual personal salvation in the hereafter. In other words, they do not want people to find out the true essence and meaning of prayer in order to revive it.

A simple, conventional answer may be that we pray because our forefathers have been praying and told us to pray, just as we tell our children to pray. Or that we pray because God has asked us to pray. But for many people who are sincerely searching for a more meaningful answer, this may not be satisfactory. First of all, God has given us freedom of choice for everything, including prayer. So we do not have to pray if we do not want to. In fact, in good times, most of us don’t. Only when some personal tragedy strikes (or when we reach old age) that many of us start praying regularly.

Thus, we see that there seems to be no single reason as to why people pray. Everyone can come up with his or her own answer and feel satisfied. In fact, this is what we normally do. But as we mentioned before, the answer that transcends space, time, circumstance and human emotion can only come from God. Therefore, it has become a tradition or a practice to say:

Dear Lord, we come before you

on this day you made possible,

for us to offer you our prayer of thanksgiving.

And for giving us this opportunity, to serve you.

Lord, dear you God

in whom we believe, and place my trust

for which, we have no reason to worry

about the trappings of the world.

Especially so, about what we will eat

or clothe our bodies with and put over our heads.

Because we know for a fact that if you can provide

for the ravens, who can neither sow or reap

nor have storehouse or barn,

but yet, you meet their needs each and every day

you can do the same for us.

Therefore, we have no need to worry

about my own needs.

Dear Almighty God,

we pray this prayer of thanksgiving to you

for being so good to us and our place of birth;

and in spite of our many shortcomings

you continued to love us just the way we are.

You knew before we were born,

the trouble we had in store for you.

Yet, you went on anyway

to put us together carefully

into my mothers’ wombs,

so unique and different

from others you created.

You cared for us since;

in spite of our shortcomings.

You did not stop there;

yet you promised to protect and guide us

throughout difficult times.

Even when we did all the wrong things

that were not pleasing to you,

you stuck to your words

by carrying us along the by-ways

and the highways of this world,

in good times as well as in bad times.

We have come to realize that it was you all along

who pointed us in the path of righteousness;

to walk past the Valley of Death and to fear no evil.

For Thy has been with us in spirit

And it was your voice all along that said to us:

“With power from me I will make my people strong.

In fact, they will go whenever they wish

wherever they wish, and wherever they go

they will be under my personal care.”

Father, we are glad to be a living testament

of your unconditional love and power.

So, we thank you for granting us peace, understanding

and most of all, for us to remain humble in our undertakings

Because we remember you saying,

“All who humble themselves before the Lord

shall be given every blessings

and shall have wonderful peace.”

With peace and love, we’ll be able to do Thy will

To stay away from complaining, argument and jealousy.

For wherever there is jealousy or selfish ambition,

there will be disorder and every kind of evil.

So give us patience to learn to get along happily

At least, to be content in most situations.

For we came naked from our mothers’ wombs,

and with nothing we shall return when we leave this earth.

So Lord, we promised each and every day

to live by your Golden Rules;

to consider others as better than us

Instead of paying back evil for evil like before;

we will do as your Son taught us to do

love our enemies as we love ourselves.

For love forgets mistakes;

it is kind and it keeps no record of wrongdoings.

Therefore, when the going gets rough

it is from you we seek help and advice;

and as usual, you instruct us to wait patiently; not to fret

and worry because it will only leads us in harm’s way

But draw from Job’s experience

and see how our plan will turn out.

It usually turns out the way you say it would

So thank you once more for your tender loving care.

From here on, we promise never to criticize anyone,

no matter how much wrong they may have caused us

We will remain faithful to what you have taught us

By continuing to love those who despise us.

For you have made us to understand

not to judge those who despise us

instead, to obey your commandments.

Because it is only you who is fit to be the judge

So thank you Father for overlooking our faults

and for making everything impossible, possible for us.

“For everything there is a season,

and a time for every matter under heaven;

a time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”

Now we know and appreciate all that you’ve taught us.

Therefore, we come before you this day with joy in our hearts

to offer you this our prayer of thanksgiving

for the goodness and mercy you have shown us.

Words alone are inadequate to list all that you’ve done for us

Including the countless times you have rescued us.

So Lord, we ask that you remain our refuge!

Please don’t let us fall flat on our face again!

Save us from ourselves and enemies;

For you are the only one who is able to answer our prayers.

Rescue us from the temptations of this world

So have mercy on us our Lord and Savior;

you have brought us this far,

and have been too good to us!

For this and the many miracles

you have performed on our behalf;

we ask that you accept our prayer of thanksgiving

for all that you’ve done and continued to do for us.

Amen!

Our Prayer of Thanksgiving by Siahyonkron Nyanseor

2006: From Siahyonkron Nyanseor’s Archive

Christianity

2009-10-08T17:28:00.001+02:00

In times gone by I believed in everything the Bible said, today I wonder many of its stories like:

did Jesus raise from the dead with a body of flesh and bones?
did Moses divide the Red Sea?
did Lazarus raise from the dead?
did Adam and Eve really existe?

boy, I wonder why I didn't listened to several signs before I joined the LDS church... I let me guide by the love and admiration I had for the missionaries and after 25 years my faith in pure christianity is gone. What kind of Jesus I believe in? Well, that question I am asking myself for 6 months now... For now I see him as a Prophet, a Messenger, someone good, but that's it. I totally do not see him as the Son of God as christianity and mormons see him (by the way, I never believed the mormon story on how Mary got pregnant!)...

A great truth

2009-10-07T20:25:00.002+02:00

To show compassion to the wicked is to oppress the righteous; to pardon oppressors is to tyrannize the oppressed.

- Sadi, "Gulistan"

Thinking out loud

2009-10-07T10:38:00.007+02:00

It's almost 10 months now since my family was strong enough to decide that we would not go to LDS meetings anymore. Sometimes I look back and I wonder why did I had the faith to stay that long. I also wonder where I got the strength to attend every Sunday and to finish a 2 year full-time mission. I stayed active this long because of my love for Jesus Christ and for his teachings. I had a testimony that was founded on revelation and love but now I realise that maybe I was just "in love" with the church. Let me explain: once we stopped attending I started investigating the history of the church and what I found was not what I expected. It was desappintment after desapointment and it was very hard for me to find out that after what I read that I could no longer consider myself as a LDS / Mormon. The best way I could define myself was a disciple of Jesus. But this term does not reflect what I was feeling.

Leaving the LDS church was not an easy thing to do but it was worthwhile. Suddenly I felt free but I could not even think why. With time and study I realized why it was. I realized that the church was not true, period. Suddenly I was invaded with feelings of desappointment but also feeling sorry for all the nice people I left behind. I requested not to be contacted by local (ward) leaders but I said that members could contact me as long as they would not speak about religion.

A few weeks ago my wife decided to recycle all our LDS books, so everything went to the container park, except the books we used while we were missionaries (scriptures) and the pictures taken during nice activities.

Sometimes I get a mail from members warning me of the dangers my family is facing, the eternal consequences, etc. We understand people's concerns because we did the same thing in the past, but we feel free and happy with our decision. It was a good decision and maybe the most important decision in our lives, the best one.

We never considered ourselves better than anyone else, but we got often puzzled wondering why we did not feel uplifted in meetings, why things were said in such a simple way that even babies would have understood and yet, adult members failed time and time again to do what they were told to.As a family we did our best by always doing what General Authorities requied from us. My wife quit her job to go on a mission and I stopped my studies. We married in the London Temple and we started immediately a family. 10 months after our marriage our oldest daughter was born. At that time I was working half-time and my wife was working full-time and following evening classes. Although we did what GA's taught, local leaders were constantly putting us down and giving us a bad reputation. We had days that we only ate spaghetti or rice, and thanks to my in-laws we could eat some meat once in a while. We always payed our tiding. We kept out of dept. we fed missionaries, we attended meetings, but when we arrived at the chappel on sundays many people would turn their backs to us. We do not even watch our marriage film because we do not want to hear the bad comments from members on our wedding. They criticezed us but they went to the reception to take a free meal. Even taking people with them that was not invited.

With time I realized that I was in a religious organization that had so much of man and so little of Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. When I was 6 months at home on a sick leave I had lots of time to think. I didn't like what I found but I kept everything to myself. After that I did not do Home Teaching as required because I could not testify about things I was doubting. When I went I did it as a friend.

When our family heard that the bishopric had a hard time when our family attended church meetings and that they prefered us to stay home, I felt that the time was there for us to leave. For good.

I tried to take my life back and slowly I manage doing that. We now have new friends who love and respect us. People who care and that are really happy when we are together. We know that they don't backbite on us. We feel safe and good enjoying their company. Every saturday we get together for a few hours and spend a enjoyable time together. Since we stopped attending the LDS church there was no more criticism on us nor on our children.

Our belongings are respected. When we take something with us when visiting our friends we know that when we leave our things are intact. In the LDS church sometimes a jacket desappeared, our scriptures desappeared, my oldest daughter's new Bible was put in water behind her back... and how much she cried when she saw that! Our family was insulted and mocked by adult members who amused themselves writing things about us in Hymn Books.... my, this list could go on and on, but the bottom line here is that we were managed to get out (although technically we are still in).

If they will ever excommunicate us that doesn't matter because now we know where we stand for and what the LDS church stands for. We will not even bother about showing up, time together as a family is much more important. Quality time!

I found myself enjoying reading the Coran and about the Baha'i Faith. This one is such a beautiful faith and I'm glad for having discovered them both. I was so wrong about Islam that I now learned to love that religion. I didn't know the Baha'is and now I love them and sometimes I even feel I'm one of them. I know a few and they have such a inner peace that I also want to have.

We are not upset with the LDS church, we are desappointed. But we forgave them because that is what brings people happiness. If we are able to forgive that means that we are able "to let go" and to live our life to the fullest "without taking things with us".

We cannot undo things in our past but we surely can do something about our future. We took our life back and the LDS church has no longer power over us. They are history. Thanks to the church I met many wonderful people and I also met my wife and got our children, but that was maybe the only purpose for us to be in the church. To know each other, to build our family and to raise our children, but now there are other purposes in our lives and we need to find them.

I decided to write this in English to share with as much people as possible. My purpose is not to backbite on the LDS church which has many good things, but to help others who are maybe feeling the same thing as us and who don't know what to do. Our family is here to help and to sustain you if you are feeling the way we do/did.

I would like to finish leaving this quote:

If religion becomes a cause of dislike, hatred and division, it were better to be without it, and to withdraw from such a religion would be a truly religious act. For it is clear that the purpose of a remedy is to cure; but if the remedy should only aggravate the complaint it had better be left alone. Any religion which is not a cause of love and unity is no religion.

Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 129

Uma declaração gonza

2009-09-30T21:48:00.000+02:00

Uma declaração gonza - melhor que esta explicação não existe.

Cavaco está a perder a razão

2009-09-30T08:19:00.001+02:00

A mania da perseguição e as explicações tipo bébé-mimado são um alarme para que outro lhe tome o lugar. O Professor Cavaco Silva deve calçar os chinelos e ir gozar o resto dos seus dias na sua casa do Algarve, já fez estragos demais. Dá má imagem de Portugal e mostrou não saber nada de informática, já para não falar no resto.

O primo Luis

2009-09-30T08:14:00.000+02:00

O meu primo Luis Fazenda é candidato do Bloco de Esquerda à Presidência da Câmara de Lisboa. Conheço-o bem e por ter falado muitas vezes com ele no passado e partilhar muitas das suas ideias, apoio-o.