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Prophecies about Christ
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Pages 213-214
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Prophecies about Christ
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1 |
Through failing to understand the meaning of the prophecies
about the dominion of the Messiah, the Jews rejected Christ.
`Abdu'l-Bahá says: --
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The Jews still await the coming of the Messiah, and
pray to God day and night to hasten His advent. When
Jesus came they denounced and slew Him, saying: "This
is not the One for Whom we wait. Behold, when the Messiah
shall come, signs and wonders shall testify that He is
in truth the Christ. The Messiah will arise out of an unknown
city. He shall sit upon the throne of David, and
behold, He shall come with a sword of steel, and with a
scepter of iron shall He rule. He shall fulfill the Law of the
Prophets. He shall conquer the East and the West, and
shall glorify His chosen people the Jews. He shall bring
with Him a reign of Peace during which even the animals
shall cease to be at enmity with man. For behold, the wolf
and the lamb shall drink from the same spring ... and all
God's creatures shall be at rest. ..."
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3 |
Thus the Jews thought and spoke, for they did not
understand the Scriptures nor the glorious truths that
were contained in them. The letter they knew by heart,
but of the life-giving Spirit they understood not a word.
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4 |
Hearken, and I will show you the meaning thereof:
Although Christ came from Nazareth, which was a known
place, He came also from heaven. His body was born of
Mary, but His Spirit came from heaven. The sword He
carried was the sword of His tongue, with which He
divided the good from the evil, the true from the false, the
faithful from the unfaithful, and the light from the darkness.
His Word was indeed a sharp sword! The throne
upon which He sat is the Eternal Throne from which
Christ reigns forever, a heavenly throne, not an earthly
one, for the things of earth pass away but heavenly things
pass not away. He reinterpreted and completed the Laws of
Moses and fulfilled the Law of the Prophets. His Word
conquered the East and the West. His kingdom is everlasting.
He exalted those Jews who recognized Him. They
were men and women of humble birth, but contact with
Him made them great and gave them everlasting dignity.
The animals who were to live with one another signified
the different sects and races, who, once having been at
war, were now to dwell in love and charity, drinking together
the Water of Life from Christ the Eternal Spring.
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5 |
Most Christians accept these interpretations of Messianic
prophecies as applied to Christ; but with regard to similar
prophecies about the latter-day Messiah, many of them take
up the same attitude as the Jews, expecting a miraculous display
on the material plane which will fulfill the very letter of
the prophecies.
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