Christian Prophecies Fulfilled
Fulfillment of Christian Prophecies in the Baha'i Faith
There are hundreds of prophecies in the Bible concerning the return of Jesus Christ, the five major signs and directives Christ mentioned are:
1. The Gospel shall be preached in all the world.
The Disciples asked Christ: “Tell us, when shall these things be?And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world?” (Matt. 24; 3)
He answered; “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come”. (Matt. 24; 13, 14)
There were many publications in the mid 1800’s stating that the Bible was being preached all over the world. Before 1804 the Bible had already been printed and circulated in 50 languages. In 1816, the American Bible Society was formed, George Storrs, in the newspaper, “Midnight Cry”, on the 4th of May, 1843, states that these two societies [British and American] with their innumerable branches were spreading the Gospel of Christ in every part of the world. The many publications on this subject convinced scholars that this prophecy would be fulfilled by the mid 1840’s.
2. The Time of the Gentiles Fulfilled
The Disciples asked Christ; “ when shall these things be? And what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?” (Luke 21; 7)
Christ warned them of false prophets, and then gave them His second promise;
“…and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentile, until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled…and then they shall see the son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory”. (Luke 21; 24-27)
The term Gentile refers to non-Jews. In 70 AD, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman, Titus, and the Jews were scattered and exiled exactly as had been foretold by Christ. After that the Holy Land was continuously occupied and ruled by non-Jewish people- (gentiles). The Turkish government, as Islamic rulers in the middle east, (including Palestine) under pressure of western powers, notably England, signed an agreement called the Edict of Toleration, in 1844 permitting religious freedom in their territory. At that point, Jews started returning to Palestine and finally established the independent state of Israel. So the second promise was fulfilled by year 1844.
3. Daniel’s Prophecy
The disciples asked Jesus; “what shall be the sign of your coming…” (Matt. 24; 3).
Christ said; “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel, stand in the holy place..” (Matt.24; 15)
Daniel chapters 8 through 12 talks about this subject and he prophesies not only the first coming but the second coming of the Messiah as well. Concerning the first coming of the Messiah, Daniel prophesies that from the restoration of Jerusalem to the time the Messiah gave his life for the sins of the people is 70 weeks (Dan. 9; 24 )
In the Bible each day stands for a year
70 weeks x 7 days per week = 490 days = 490 years
Christ at the time of crucifixion was 33 years old
490 years–33 years = 457 years BC (Before the birth of Christ)
This was the year that king of Persia Artaxerxes issued the decree to restore Jerusalem. (Ezra 7; 7,8 )
Concerning the second coming of the Messiah, here are the exact words of Daniel;
“How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the abomination of desolation, to give the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said on to me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed”. (Dan. 8; 13,14)
2300 days = 2300 years
from year 457 BC to year 1 (birth of Christ) is 456 years
2300 years – 456 years = 1844
The third promise also gives us the year 1844.
4. Thief in the night
In the year 1844 all three of the above prophecies given by Christ were fulfilled. How could that happen? Are we making a mistake? Christ Himself told that He is coming as a thief in the night.
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night…” (II Pet. 3; 10)
When a householder finds out that a thief had been in his house the thief has already gone. So it may have happened in that same way to the majority of humanity, that without their awareness, the Lord came and has gone.
5. Elam- Geographic Location
We have another clue- where on our planet will He appear? The Bible does guide us to that.
“And I will set my throne in Elam…saith the Lord” (Jer. 49; 38)
“…in Elam…” (Dan. 8; 2)
“…toward the east…” (Eze. 43; 1-6)
Christ himself said; “For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the son of man be.” (Matt. 24; 27)
Where is Elam? The historical geography map of the Middle East 2500 years ago shows it to be around the Persian Gulf, and it is east of the Holy Land. In today’s maps, part of Elam is in Iran, and part is in Iraq.
5. The Name of the Lord
Jesus warned us against those using the name of Christ. “For many shall come in my name saying I am Christ; and shall deceive many” (Matt. 24; 5)
So He shall come with new name;
“…and thou shalt be called by a new name”. (Isa. 62; 2)
“…the Lord God shall…call his servants by another name”.(Isa.65;15)
“…To him that overcometh…give him a white stone and in the stone a new name written which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it”. (Rev. 2; 17)
“…and I will write upon him my new name”. (Rev. 3; 12)
At first it seems difficult to accept a new name for the returning Christ but let’s think deeply, if it is the will of God, then we should have peace of mind about this matter.
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