And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know the word which the Lord
hath not spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the
thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath
not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously: thou shalt not
be afraid of him.--Duet. xviii, 21-22.
Creative Power of God's Word
God, and God alone, has the power to do whatever He wills, and the
greatest proof of a Manifestation of God is the creative power of His
word--its effectiveness to change and transform all human affairs and to
triumph over all human opposition. Through the word of the Prophets God
announces His will, and the immediate or subsequent fulfillment of that
word is the clearest proof of the Prophet's claim and of the genuineness
of His inspiration.
For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from the heaven, and
returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring
forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to
the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth:
it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that
which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent
it.--Isa. lv, 10-11.
When the disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus with the question:
"Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?" the answer of
Jesus was simply to point to the effects wrought by His words:--
Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The
blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are
cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor
have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever
shall not be offended in me.--Matt. xi, 4-6.
Let us now see what evidence there is to show whether the words of
Baha'u'llah have this creative power which is distinctive of the word of
God.
Baha'u'llah commanded the rulers to establish universal peace, and their
prolongation of the policy of war since 1869-1870 has overthrown many
ancient dynasties, while each successive war has produced less and less
fruits of victory, until the European War of 1914-1918 revealed the
historically startling fact that was has become disastrous to victor and
vanquished alike.(40)
Baha'u'llah bade the rulers likewise to act as trustees of those under
their control, making political authority a means to true general welfare.
The progress toward social legislation has been unprecedented.
He commanded limitation of the extremes of wealth and poverty, and ever
since, legislation for the establishment of minimum subsistence levels and
for graduated taxation of wealth by income and inheritance taxes has been
a constant concern. He commanded the abolition of both chattel and
economic slavery, and ever since, the progress toward emancipation has
been a ferment in all parts of the world.
Baha'u'llah declared the equality of men and women, expressed through
equal responsibilities and equal rights and privileges, and since that
declaration, the bonds by which women have been bound for ages have been
breaking, and woman has rapidly been securing her rightful place as the
equal and partner of man.
He declared the fundamental oneness of religions, and the succeeding
interval has witnessed the most determined efforts of sincere souls in all
parts of the world to achieve a new degree of tolerance, of mutual
understanding and of cooperation for universal ends. The sectarian
attitude has everywhere been undermined, and its historical position has
become more and more untenable. The basis of exclusiveness in religion has
been destroyed by the same forces making nationalism of the self-contained
type incapable of survival.
He commanded universal education, and made the independent investigation
of truth a proof of spiritual vitality. Modern civilization has been
stirred to its depths by this new leaven. Compulsory education for
children, and the extension of educational facilities for adults, have
become a primary policy of government. Nations which deliberately seek to
restrict that very policy have aroused revolution within and suspicion and
fear outside their boundaries.
Baha'u'llah commanded the adoption of a universal auxiliary language, and
Dr. Zamenhof and others obeyed His call by devoting their lives and genius
to this great task and opportunity.
Above all, Baha'u'llah imbued humanity with a new spirit, arousing new
longings in minds and hearts and new ideals for society. Nothing in all
history is so dramatic and impressive as the course of events since the
dawn of the Baha'i era in 1844. Year by year, the power of a dead past
prolonged through outworn ideas, habits, attitudes and institutions has
weakened, until at present every intelligent man and woman on earth
realizes that humanity is passing through its most terrible crisis. On the
one hand we see the new creation arising as the light of Baha'u'llah's
teaching has revealed the true path of evolution. On the other hand we see
naught but disaster and frustration in all realms where that light is
resisted or ignored.
Yet, to the faithful Baha'i, these and countless other evidences,
impressive as they are, fail to give the real measure of the spiritual
majesty of Baha'u'llah. His life on earth, and the irresistible force of
His inspired words, stand as the only true criterion of the will of God.
A study of the more detailed prophecies of Baha'u'llah and their
fulfillment will give powerful corroborative evidence. Of these prophecies
we shall now proceed to give a few examples, about the authenticity of
which there can be no dispute. They were widely published and known before
their fulfillment came about. The letter which He sent to the crowned
heads of the world, in which many of these prophecies occur, were compiled
in a book which was first published in Bombay in the late nineteenth
century. Several editions have since been published. We shall also give
some examples of noteworthy prophecies by 'Abdu'l-Baha.
Napoleon III
In the year 1869 Baha'u'llah wrote to Napoleon III, rebuking him for his
lust of war and for the contempt with which he had treated a former letter
from Baha'u'llah. The Epistle contains the following stern warning:--
For what thou has done, thy kingdom shall be thrown into
confusion, and thine empire shall pass from thine hands, as a
punishment for that which thou has wrought. Then wilt thou know
how thou has plainly erred. Commotions shall seize all the people
in that land, unless thou arisest to held this Cause, and
followest Him Who is the Spirit of God (Jesus Christ) in this, the
Straight Path. Hath thy pomp made thee proud? By My Life! It shall
not endure; nay, it shall soon pass away, unless thou holdest fast
by this firm Cord. We see abasement hastening after thee, whilst
thou art of the heedless.
Needless to say, Napoleon, who was then at the zenith of his power, paid
no heed to this warning. In the following year he went to war with
Prussia, firmly convinced that his troops could easily gain Berlin; but
the tragedy foretold by Baha'u'llah overwhelmed him. He was defeated at
Saarbruck, at Weisenburg, at Metz, and finally in the crushing catastrophe
at Sedan. He was then carried prisoner to Prussia, and came to a miserable
end in England two years later. Germany
Baha'u'llah later gave an equally solemn warning to the conquerors of
Napoleon, which also fell on deaf ears and received a terrible
fulfillment. In the Book of Aqdas, which was begun in Adrianople, and
finished in the early years of Baha'u'llah's imprisonment in Akka, He
addressed the Emperor of Germany as follows:--
O King of Berlin! ... Do thou remember the one whose power
transcended thy power (Napoleon III) and whose station excelled
thy station. Where is he? Whither are gone the things he
possessed? Take warning, and be not of them that are fast asleep.
He it was who cast the Tablet of God behind him, when We made
known unto him what the hosts of tyranny had caused Us to suffer.
Wherefore, disgrace assailed him from all sides, and he went down
to dust in great loss. Think deeply, O King, concerning him, and
concerning them who, like unto thee, have conquered cities and
ruled over men. The All-Merciful brought them down from their
palaces to their graves. Be warned, be of them who reflect....
O banks of the Rhine! We have seen you covered with gore, inasmuch
as the swords of retribution were drawn against you; and you shall
have another turn. And We hear the lamentations of Berlin, though
she be today in conspicuous glory.--Kitab-i-Aqdas.
During the period of German successes in the Great War of 1914-1918, and
especially during the last great German offensive in the spring of 1918,
this well-known prophecy was extensively quoted by the opponents of the
Baha'i Faith in Persia, in order to discredit Baha'u'llah; but when the
forward sweep of the victorious Germans was suddenly transformed into
crushing, overwhelming disaster, the efforts of these enemies of the
Baha'i Cause recoiled on themselves, and the notoriety which they had
given to the prophecy became a powerful means of enhancing the reputation
of Baha'u'llah. Persia
In the Book of Aqdas written when the tyrannical Nasiri'd-Din _Sh_ah was
at the height of his power, Baha'u'llah blesses the city of Tihran, which
is the capital of Persia, and His own birthplace, and says of it:--
Let nothing grieve thee, O Land of Ta (Tihran), for God hath
chosen thee to be the source of the joy of all mankind. He shall,
if it be His will, bless thy throne with one who will rule with
justice, who will gather together the flock of God which the
wolves have scattered. Such a ruler will, with joy and gladness,
turn his face towards, and extend his favors unto, the people of
Baha. He indeed is accounted in the sight of God as a jewel among
men. Upon him rest forever the glory of God, and the glory of all
that dwell in the kingdom of His Revelation.
Rejoice with great joy, for God hath made thee "the Day Spring of
His light," inasmuch as within thee was born the Manifestation of
His Glory. Be thou glad for this name that hath been conferred
upon thee--a name through which the Day Star of Grace hath shed its
splendor, through which both earth and heaven have been illumined.
Ere long will the state of affairs within thee be changed, and the
reins of power fall into the hands of the people. Verily, thy Lord
is the All-Knowing. His authority embraceth all things. Rest thou
assured in the gracious favor of thy Lord. The eye of His
loving-kindness shall everlastingly be directed towards thee. The
day is approaching when thy agitation will have been transmuted
into peace and quiet calm. Thus hath it been decreed in the
wondrous Book.--Gleanings from the Writings of Baha'u'llah, pp.
110-111.
So far, Persia has only begun to emerge from the period of confusion
foretold by Baha'u'llah, but already constitutional government has been
started, and signs are not lacking that a brighter era is at hand. Turkey
To the Sultan of Turkey and his Prime Minister ''Ali Pa_sh_a, Baha'u'llah,
then (in 1868) confined in a Turkish prison, addressed some of His most
solemn, grave warnings. To the Sultan He wrote from the Barracks at Akka:--
O thou who considerest thyself the greatest of all men ... erelong
thy name shall be forgotten and thou shalt find thyself in great
loss. According to thy opinion, this Quickener of the world and
its Peacemaker is culpable and seditious. What crime have the
women, children and suffering babes committed to merit thy wrath,
oppression and hate? You have persecuted a number of souls who
have shown no opposition in your country, and who have instigated
no revolution against the government; nay, rather, by day and by
night they have been peacefully engaged in the mentioning of God.
You have pillaged their properties, and through your tyrannical
acts, all that they had was taken from them.... Before God, a
handful of dust is greater than your kingdom, glory, sovereignty
and dominion, and should He desire, He would scatter you as the
sand of the desert. Erelong His wrath shall overtake you,
revolutions shall appear in your midst and your countries will be
divided! Then you will weep and lament and nowhere will you find
help and protection. ... Be ye watchful, for the wrath of God is
prepared, and erelong you shall behold that which is written by
the Pen of Command.
And to 'Ali Pa_sh_a He wrote:--
Thou hast, O Chief, committed that which hath made Muhammad, the
Apostle of God, groan in the Most Exalted Paradise. The world hath
made thee proud, so much so that thou hast turned away from the
Face through Whose brightness the Concourse on high hath been
illumined. Soon thou shalt find thyself in evident loss. Thou
didst unite with the Ruler of Persia for doing Me harm, although I
had come to you from the Dawning-place of the Almighty, the Great,
with a Cause which refreshed the eyes of the favored ones of
God....
Didst thou think that thou could put out the fire which God hath
enkindled in the Universe? No! I declare by His True Soul, wert
thou of those who understand. More than that, by what thou hast
done its blaze and flame have been increased. Soon it will
encompass the world and its inhabitants.... The day is approaching
when the Land of Mystery (Adrianople) and what is beside it shall
be changed, and shall pass out of the hands of the King, and
commotions shall appear, and the voice of lamentation shall be
raised, and the evidences of mischief shall be revealed on all
sides, and confusion shall spread by reason of that which hath
befallen these captives [Baha'u'llah and His companions] at the
hands of the hosts of oppression. The course of things shall be
altered, and conditions shall wax so grievous, that the very sand
on the desolate hills will moan, and the trees on the mountain
will weep, and blood will flow out of all things. Then wilt thou
behold the people in sore distress....
Thus hath the matter been decreed on the part of the Designer, the
Wise, Whose command the hosts of heaven and earth could not
withstand, nor could all the kings and rulers withhold Him from
that which He willeth. Calamities are the oil for this Lamp, and
through them its Light increaseth, were ye of those who know! All
oppositions displayed by the oppressors are indeed as heralds to
this Faith, and by them the appearance of God and His Cause have
become widely spread among the people of the world.
Again in the Book of Aqdas He wrote:--
O Spot [Constantinople] that art situate on the shores of the two
seas! The throne of tyranny hath, verily, been established upon
thee, and the flame of hatred hath been kindled within thy bosom,
in such wise that the Concourse on high and they who circle around
the Exalted Throne have wailed and lamented. We behold in thee the
foolish ruling over the wise, and darkness vaunting itself against
the light. Thou art indeed filled with manifest pride. Hath thine
outward splendor made thee vainglorious? By Him Who is the Lord of
mankind! It shall soon perish, and thy daughters and thy widows
and all the kindreds that dwell within thee shall lament. Thus
informeth thee the All-Knowing, the All-Wise.
The successive calamities which have befallen this once great empire since
the publication of these warnings have furnished an eloquent commentary on
their prophetic significance.
America
In the Book of Aqdas, revealed in Akka in 1873, Baha'u'llah appealed to
America as follows:--
O Rulers of America and the Presidents of the Republics therein
... Give ear unto that which hath been raised from the Dayspring
of Grandeur: Verily, there is none other God but Me, the Lord of
Utterance, the All-Knowing. Bind ye the broken with the hands of
justice, and crush the oppressor who flourisheth with the rod of
the commandments of your Lord, the Ordainer, the
All-Wise.--Kitab-i-Aqdas.
'Abdu'l-Baha in His addresses in America and elsewhere frequently
expressed the hope, the prayer and the assurance that the banner of
international peace would be first raised in America. At Cincinnati, Ohio,
on November 5, 1912, He said:--
America is a noble nation, a standard-bearer of peace throughout
the world, shedding her light to all regions. Other nations are
not untrammeled and free of intrigues like the United States, and
are unable to bring about Universal Peace. But America, thank God,
is at peace with all the world, and is worthy of raising the flag
of brotherhood and International Peace. When the summons to
International Peace is raised by America, all the rest of the
world will cry: "Yes, we accept." The nations of every clime will
join in adopting the teachings of Baha'u'llah, revealed over fifty
years ago. In His Epistles He asked the parliaments of the world
to send their best and wisest men to an international world
parliament that should decide all questions between the peoples
and establish peace ... then we shall have the Parliament of Man
of which the prophets have dreamed.
The appeals of Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha have already been responded
to, in a large measure, by the United States of America, and in no country
of the world have the Baha'i teachings met with readier acceptance. The
role assigned to America, of summoning the nations to international peace,
has as yet, however, been only partially played, and Baha'is are awaiting
with interest the developments which the future has in store.(41)
The Great War
Both Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha on many occasions foretold with
surprising accuracy the coming of the Great War of 1914-1918. At
Sacramento, California, on October 26, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Baha said:--"Today the
European continent is like an arsenal. It is a storehouse of explosives,
ready for just a spark, and one spark could set aflame the whole of
Europe, particularly at this time, when the Balkan question is before the
world."
In many of His addresses in America and Europe He gave similar warning. In
another address in California in October 1912 He said:--
We are on the eve of the Battle of Armageddon referred to in the
sixteenth chapter of Revelation. The time is two years hence, when
only a spark will set aflame the whole of Europe.
The social unrest in all countries, the growing religious
scepticism antecedent to the millennium, and already here, will
set aflame the whole of Europe as is prophesied in the Book of
Daniel and in the Book (Revelation) of John.
By 1917 kingdoms will fall and cataclysms will rock the earth.
(Reported by Mrs. Corinne True in The North Shore Review,
September 26, 1914, Chicago, U.S.A.)
On the eve of the great conflict He said:--
A great melee of the civilized nations is in sight. A tremendous
conflict is at hand. The world is at the threshold of a most
tragic struggle.... Vast armies--millions of men--are being
mobilized and stationed at their frontiers. They are being
prepared for the fearful contest. The slightest friction will
bring them into a terrific crash, and there will be a
conflagration, the like of which is not recorded in the past
history of mankind. (At Haifa, August 3, 1914).
Social Troubles After the War
Both Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha also foretold a period of great social
upheaval, conflict and calamity as an inevitable result of the irreligion
and prejudices, the ignorance and superstition, prevalent throughout the
world. The great international military conflict was but one phase of this
upheaval. In a Tablet dated January, 1920, He wrote:--
O ye lovers of truth! O ye servants of mankind! As the sweet
fragrance of your thoughts and high intentions has breathed upon
me, I feel that my soul is irresistibly prompted to communicate
with you.
Ponder in your hearts how grievous is the turmoil in which the
world is plunged; how the nations of the earth are besmeared with
human blood, nay their very soil is turned into clotted gore. The
flame of war has caused so wild a conflagration that the world in
its early days, in its middle ages, or in modern times has never
witnessed its like. The millstones of war have ground and crushed
many a human head, nay, even more severe has been the lot of these
victims. Flourishing countries have been made desolate, cities
have been laid level with the ground, and smiling villages have
been turned into ruin. Fathers have lost their sons, and sons
turned fatherless. Mothers have shed tears of blood in mourning
for their youths, little children have been made orphans, and
women left wanderers and homeless. In a word, humanity, in all its
phases, has been debased. Loud is the cry and wailing of orphans,
and bitter the lamentations of mothers which are echoed by the
skies.
The prime cause for all these happenings is racial, national,
religious, and political prejudice, and the root of all this
prejudice lies in outworn and deepseated traditions, be they
religious, racial, national, or political. So long as these
traditions remain, the foundation of human edifice is insecure,
and mankind itself is exposed to continuous peril.
Now in this radiant age, when the essence of all beings has been
made manifest, and the hidden secret of all created thing has been
revealed, when the morning light of truth has broken and turned
the darkness of the world into light, is it meet and seemly that
such a frightful carnage which brings irretrievable ruin upon the
world should be made possible? By God! that cannot be.
Christ summoned all the people of the world to reconciliation and
peace. He commanded Peter to return his sword unto its scabbard.
Such was His wish and counsel, and yet they that bear His name
have unsheathed the sword! How great the difference between their
deeds and the explicit text of the Gospel!
Sixty years ago Baha'u'llah, even as the shining sun, shone in the
firmament of Persia, and proclaimed that the world is wrapt in
darkness and this darkness is fraught with disastrous results, and
will lead to fearful strife. In His prison city of Akka, He
apostrophized in unmistakable terms the Emperor of Germany,
declaring that a terrible war shall take place, and Berlin will
break forth in lamentation and wailing. In like manner, whilst the
wronged prisoner of the Sultan of Turkey in the citadel of Akka,
He clearly and emphatically wrote him that Constantinople will
fall a prey to grave disorder, in such wise that the women and
children will raise their moaning cry. In brief, He addressed
epistles to all the chief rulers and sovereigns of the world, and
all that He foretold has been fulfilled. From His pen of glory
flowed teachings for the prevention of war, and these have been
scattered far and wide.
His first teaching is the search after truth. Blind imitation, He
declared, killeth the spirit of man, whereas the investigation of
truth frees the world from the darkness of prejudice.
His second teaching is the oneness of mankind. All men are but one
fold, and God the loving Shepherd. He bestoweth upon them His most
great mercy, and considers them all as one. "Thou shalt find no
difference amongst the creatures of God." They are all His
servants, and all seek His bounty.
His third teaching is that religion is the most mighty stronghold.
It should be conducive to unity, rather than be the cause of
enmity and hate. Should it lead to enmity and hate better not have
it at all. For religion is even as medicine, which if it should
aggravate the disease, its abandonment would be preferred.
Likewise, religious, racial, national, and political prejudice,
all are subversive of the foundation of human society, all lead to
bloodshed, all heap ruin upon mankind. So long as these remain,
the dread of war will continue. The sole remedy is universal
peace. And this is achieved only by the establishment of a supreme
Tribunal, representative of all governments and peoples. All
national and international problems should be referred to this
tribunal, and whatsoever be its decision that should be enforced.
Were a government or people to dissent, the world as a whole
should rise against it.
And among His teachings is the equality in right of men and women,
and so on with many other similar teachings that have been
revealed by His pen.
At present it has been made evident and manifest that these
principles are the very life of the world, and the embodiment of
its true spirit. And now, ye, who are the servants of mankind,
should exert yourselves, heart and soul, to free the world from
the darkness of materialism and human prejudice, that it may be
illumined with the light of the City of God.
Praise be to Him, ye are acquainted with the various schools,
institutions and principles of the world; today nothing short of
these divine teachings can assure peace and tranquillity to
mankind. But for these teachings, this darkness shall never
vanish, these chronic diseases shall never be healed; nay, they
shall grow fiercer from day to day. The Balkans will remain
restless, and it condition will aggravate. The vanquished will not
keep still, but will seize every means to kindle anew the flame of
war. Modern universal movements will do their utmost to carry out
their purpose and intentions. The Movement of the Left will
acquire great importance, and its influence will spread.
Wherefore, endeavor that with an illumined heart, a heavenly
spirit, and a divine strength, and aided by His grace, ye may
bestow God's bountiful gift upon the world ... the gift of comfort
and tranquillity for all mankind.
In a talk given in November 1919, He said:--
Baha'u'llah frequently predicted that there would be a period when
irreligion and consequent anarchy would prevail. The chaos will be
due to too great liberty among people who are not ready for it,
and in consequence there will have to be a temporary reversion to
coercive government, in the interests of the people themselves and
in order to prevent disorder and chaos. It is clear that each
nation now wishes complete self-determination and freedom of
action, but some of them are not ready for it. The prevailing
state of the world is one of irreligion, which is bound to result
in anarchy and confusion. I have always said that the peace
proposals following the great war were only a glimmer of the dawn,
and not the sunrise.
Coming of the Kingdom of God
Amid these troublous times, however, the Cause of God will prosper. The
calamities caused by selfish struggle for individual existence, or for
party or sectarian or national gain, will induce the people to turn in
despair to the remedy offered by the Word of God. The more calamities
abound, the more will the people turn to the only true remedy. Baha'u'llah
says in his Epistle to the _Sh_ah:--
God hath made afflictions as a morning shower to this green
pasture, and as a wick for His Lamp, whereby earth and heaven are
illumined.... Through affliction hath His Light shone and His
Praise been bright unceasingly; this hath been His method through
past ages and bygone times.
Both Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha predict in the most confident terms the
speedy triumph of spirituality over materiality and the consequent
establishment of the Most Great Peace. 'Abdu'l-Baha wrote in 1904:--
Know this, that hardships and misfortunes shall increase day by
day, and the people shall be distressed. The doors of joy and
happiness shall be closed on all sides. Terrible wars shall
happen. Disappointment and the frustration of hopes shall surround
the people from every direction until they are obliged to turn to
God. Then the lights of great happiness shall enlighten the
horizons, so that the cry of "Ya Baha'u'l-Abha!" may arise on all
sides.--Tablet to L.D.B. quoted in Compilation on War and Peace, p.
187.
When asked, in February 1914, whether any of the Great Powers would become
believers, He replied:--
All the people of the world will become believers. Should you
compare the beginning of the Cause with its position today, you
would see what a quick influence the Word of God has, and now the
Cause of God has encompassed the world.... Unquestionably, all
will come under the shadow of the Cause of God.
He declared that the establishment of world unity will come about during
the present century. In one of His Tablets He wrote:--
... All the members of the human family, whether peoples or
governments, cities or villages, have become increasingly
interdependent. For none is self-sufficiency any longer possible,
inasmuch as political ties unite all peoples and nations, and the
bonds of trade and industry, of agriculture and education, are
being strengthened every day. Hence the unity of all mankind can
in this day be achieved. Verily this is none other but one of the
wonders of this wondrous age, this glorious century--the century of
light--has been endowed with the unique and unprecedented glory,
power and illumination. Hence the miraculous unfolding of a fresh
marvel every day. Eventually it will be seen how bright its
candles will burn in the assemblage of man.
In the last two verses of the Book of Daniel occur the cryptic
words:--"Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three
hundred and five and thirty days. But go thy way till the end be: for thou
shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days."
Many have been the attempts of learned students to solve the problem of
the significance of these words. In a tabletalk at which the writer was
present, 'Abdu'l-Baha reckoned the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy from
the date of the beginning of the Muhammadan era.
'Abdu'l-Baha's Tablets make it clear that this prophecy refers to the one
hundredth anniversary of the Declaration of Baha'u'llah in Ba_gh_dad, or
the year 1963:--
Now concerning the verse in Daniel, the interpretation whereof
thou didst ask, namely, "Blessed is he who cometh unto the
thousand, three hundred and thirty-five days." These days must be
reckoned as solar and not lunar years. For according to this
calculation a century will have elapsed from the dawn of the Sun
of Truth, then will the teachings of God be firmly established
upon the earth, and the Divine Light shall flood the world from
the East even unto the West. Then, on this day, will the faithful
rejoice!
Akka and Haifa
Mirza Ahmad Sohrab recorded in his diary the following prophecy about Akka
and Haifa uttered by 'Abdu'l-Baha while seated by the window of one of the
Baha'i Pilgrim Homes at Haifa on February 14, 1914:--
The view from the Pilgrim Home is very attractive, especially as
it faces the Blessed Tom of Baha'u'llah. In the future the
distance between Akka and Haifa will be built up, and the two
cities will join and clasp hands, becoming the two terminal
section of one mighty metropolis. As I look now over this scene, I
see so clearly that it will become one of the first emporiums of
the world. This great semicircular bay will be transformed into
the finest harbor, wherein the ships of all nations will seek
shelter and refuge. The great vessels of all peoples will come to
this port, bringing on their decks thousands and thousands of men
and women from every part of the globe. The mountain and the plain
will be dotted with the most modern buildings and palaces.
Industries will be established and various institutions of
philanthropic nature will be founded. The flowers of civilization
and culture from all nations will be brought here to blend their
fragrances together and blaze the way for the brotherhood of man.
Wonderful gardens, orchards, groves and parks will be laid out on
all sides. At night the great city will be lighted by electricity.
The entire harbor from Akka to Haifa will be one path of
illumination. Powerful searchlights will be placed on both sides
of Mount Carmel to guide the steamers. Mount Carmel itself, from
top to bottom, will be submerged in a sea of lights. A person
standing on the summit of Mount Carmel, and the passengers of the
steamers coming to it, will look upon the most sublime and
majestic spectacle of the whole world.
From every part of the mountain the symphony of "Ya
Baha'u'l-Abha!" will be raised, and before the daybreak
soul-entrancing music accompanied by melodious voices will be
uplifted towards the throne of the Almighty.
Indeed, God's ways are mysterious and unsearchable. What outward
relation exists between _Sh_iraz and Tihran, Ba_gh_dad and
Constantinople, Adrianople and Akka and Haifa? God worked
patiently, step by step, through these various cities, according
to His own definite and eternal plan, so that the prophecies and
predictions as foretold by the Prophets might be fulfilled. This
golden thread of promise concerning the Messianic Millennium runs
through the Bible, and it was so destined that God in His own good
time would cause its appearance. Not even a single word will be
left meaningless and unfulfilled.