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The Book of Revelation of Jesus Christ (as stated in verse 1) is given to John (as also stated in verse 1) in symbolic prophecy (as explained to John in verse 20) about Christ's return as the One Who 'was' is' and 'is to come'. The concept of the "return" of Christ being Baha'u'llah is introduced in verse 13 (One 'like' the Son of man), and in effect the whole book is therefore actually being revealed by Christ in His 'return' identity as Bahá'u'lláh.
The Trumpet (verse 10) is Symbolic of the Pen of the Manifestation of God and in this case is Bahá'u'lláh, who from the throne of Jesus (Verse 4) and Bahá'u'lláh (Rev.4:2) is the Speaker throughout the Book of Revelation and consequently is recognized as such in the commentary column throughout this book. This may at first be difficult to accept by those who already have a preconceived idea as to the meaning of the Book of Revelation but understanding of the explanations given with each verse throughout the Book will open one's eyes to what is in fact the central purpose of the Book of Revelation - the recognition of Christ as Bahá'u'lláh in His Return.
The central idea in this book is of course that the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh are the Return of Christ and that all that is said of Christ is said of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh - and vice versa, for in Spirit They are One as they are also One with all of the other Manifestations of God.
The mystery of the Seven Churches to which John is told to write (in Verse 11) are symbolic archetypes of seven historical Prophetic Revelations or Religions of God that have appeared on this planet, as will be explained in detail in the following chapters.
The two Religions of Fulfillment (Bábí and Bahá'í) are the subject of The Book of Revelation in the uniting of the Nine Religions and hence the title of this book - Nine United.
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Bible Verses [1] The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: |
One Bahá'í's Concept
V.1 The Book of Revelation is a revelation of Jesus Christ from God. It was sent to His angel and given to John. The purpose is to show us ‘what is to shortly come to pass’ or 'quickly come to pass' once the 'the last days' have begun. Previously, this has concerned some people about the accuracy of the Book of Revelation because they have felt that it dealt with the time immediately following John's lifetime.
However, Chapter Five explains that until the "One to Come", opens this book no one will understand it. After it is open the time is short for this prophecy to come to pass. We call this the last days of an "old" cycle and the beginning of a New Cycle. As such it is a very important time that all the Prophets of the past looked forward to and that is why the Book of Revelation was written about it and is such an important Book.
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[2] Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. |
V.2 John made a record of all that was told and all that he saw. It is considered a testimony of Jesus Christ, and the Word of God. John was told to write to the seven churches, which are the seven religions of the world.
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[3] Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. |
V.3 Not many want to read this book, because it is full of symbols. When we are given the means to decipher the symbols and receive the meaning, then is when we are told to watch as ‘the time is at hand.’ We are told that
those who read it (the verses) will be blessed.
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[4] John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; |
V.4 John is to write to the seven churches where he had been teaching in Asia. These are in Turkey, which may have been a part of Greece at the time. John was in Patmos a small island in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of Turkey. The towns named are now in ruins mostly, no longer significant, so we take the names as symbols. They each have a meaning that is an attribute, which can be related to each of the major religions of the world. So the ‘churches’ are these religions, which are very significant. He tells them that the message is from Him ‘which is, which was, and which is to come’; because each one is identified with Him Who is, was, and to come with the Seven Spirits before His Throne.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh)
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[5] And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, |
V.5 Jesus is a Faithful Witness, and the ‘first begotten of the dead’. He is called the Prince of kings. We all know how much this Gentle Person suffered, so that we through His word, and because He died for us, would receive life and His love and guidance.
('Abdu'l-Bahá, Tablets of 'Abdu'l-Bahá v3, p. 670) For a discussion of the concept of 'begotten' see the Note at the end of this chapter.
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[6] And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. |
V.6 Through Christ, God gave us special teachers; ministers and priests who studied the writings, helped the poor in spirit, and became teachers of His word. The Testimony given to Christ from God will last forever. To grasp the importance of the Book of Revelation, one needs to grasp the importance of its Revealer (Jesus Christ) to the whole universe and all of eternity.
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[7] Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. |
V.7 The coming "with clouds" or "in the clouds" does not have a literal meaning. It means that men's minds are "clouded" in recognizing The Promised One. This is the verse where Christ first introduces about His Return as Bahá'u'lláh.
in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. .
(Bahá'u'lláh, The Kitáb-i-Íqán, p. 26) A new Revealer always brings a new wave of Spirit, which we see. We see technology growing in leaps and bounds, and in almost every aspect of life there is change. What is missing is that mankind has not caught the spiritual message, so we see crime, immorality, wars, etc This is what causes the kindreds of the earth to wail as the spiritual powers are released.
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[8] I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. |
V.8 In this verse Christ is saying He is the beginning and the ending; the Alpha and the Omega. This goes beyond the human concept of beginning and end. Thus it is saying that ‘Before Abraham was, I am,' and that not only was it He (Christ) in the previous cycle but that He is also the same Spirit to come in Bahá'u'lláh. Christ is telling that His present dispensation is to end but that He will still be present in the New Dispensation as He was present in all the former Dispensations. Again the expression given in verse four, ‘Which is, which was, which is to come,’ ending with ‘the Almighty' in this verse, reinforces that point.
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[9] I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. |
V.9 John introduces himself, saying that he is our brother, and He like us, has a lot of tribulation in his teaching work, and that he is a devout follower of Jesus. He is on a small island called Patmos which was at the time a part of Greece.
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[10] I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet. |
V.10 John was in the ‘Spirit’. He had a vision, and heard a great voice: like a Trumpet. The trumpet is a symbol of the One to come.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 61)
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[11] Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. |
V.11 The voice of the Trumpet tells John that He, like Christ, is The Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last. He is the One chosen by God for this day and Age. It is the Trumpet that tells John to write to the churches.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, p. 30) |
[12] And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks |
V.12 John sees the churches as seven golden candlesticks. The word Golden means ‘Divine’. The churches are the world’s great religions.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 132) |
[13] And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a golden girdle. |
V.13
In the midst of the golden candlesticks John sees the One who is the Trumpet and that He is 'like unto the Son of man'. The emphasis is on 'like' because this is Christ in His new attire. This is ‘The Glory of God’, told about so many times in both the Old and the New Testament. God is ‘Unknowable’ and only through one ‘Christ like’ could we understand. The Arabic word for The Glory of God is ‘Bahá'u'lláh.’
(Ministry of the Custodians, p.379) John saw him wearing a long cloak, and a ‘golden’ sash, which signifies His Divine nature. |
[14] His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as a flame of fire; |
V.14 His hair has become white, which happened when Bahá'u'lláh was age 32 and in prison: this prison was very foul and conditions terrible, however it was the concern about His Forerunner being killed that brought anguish to His soul
(Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come, p.90)
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries: Verse 75)
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[15] And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters. |
V.15
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries: Verse 76)
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[16] And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a sharp two edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength. |
V.16
John tells us that he saw the seven stars, the Revealers of the seven religions, in Bahá'u'lláh's right hand. John said that His countenance was bright like the noon day sun, and out of His mouth His words were as a two-edged sword. The symbolism of a two edged sword is something that cuts two or both ways. For good and evil. This has often been the case of religion which has been a great force for good in establishing societies, but as we read about it in the following chapters religion sometimes becomes inverted and darkened through dogmatism to become very much a force of evil.
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[17] And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: |
V.17 John was overwhelmed. Bahá'u'lláh told him not to fear - and told him also Who He was, “ the first and the last”. This means the latest manifestation of God, or the latest Revealer, identified before as the ‘Alpha and Omega’. He is like Christ, and all the previous Messengers of God as well as Those to come.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries: Verse 45)
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[18] I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. |
V.18 He told John that He will live forever, like those before Him - Moses, Krishna, Jesus etc. He also said that He had the keys of Heaven and Hell and death. This is very powerful, and means that in this Day and Age, God is working through Bahá'u'lláh.
(Bahá'u'lláh, Gems of Divine Mysteries: Verse 46)
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[19] Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter; |
V.19 Bahá'u'lláh is now telling John to write about what he has seen, the things we see happening now and the future
for the religions of the world.
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[20]
The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
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V.20 The mystery of the seven stars and the seven golden candlesticks is that the candlesticks are the religions of the world, and the seven stars, are their angels or Messengers from God. The theme regarding the Seven Churches is very much developed in the next two chapters of the Book of Revelation.
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Note On: Christian Theology "Only Begotten Son"
There are many points of Christian Theology that are dogmatically recited by some individuals when presented with new ideas about religion. We will briefly examine one such idea here. You have undoubtedly often heard the expression
The term 'begotten' most basically means that a child was conceived from the father's sperm. That would be the difference between a "begotten son" and an "adopted son". In the ancient Greek pantheon the gods had supposedly come down to earth and copulated with women and their off-spring were therefore "god begotten". The writers of the Christian Scriptures were at pains to attribute that status and privilege only to Jesus.
In modern technology to begotten from a particular father means to have come from his sperm, perhaps even by artificial insemination. However, the concept that Jesus was in any such sense "begotten" was disturbing to the Muslims and others. While this has become a dogmatic perception among some in this day it was not a part of early Christian Theology. For example -
the Nicene Creed reads:
Christians, Muslims and Bahá'ís all accept the virgin birth of Jesus.
Another matter of interest is that while Matthew Chapter One goes into some length about the relationship of Jesus to David it is again noted that Jesus was born of a virgin and was therefore perhaps in some sense 'adopted' into the lineage rather than 'begotten' into it.
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