Messianic Prophecies  The scriptures of the world's great religions all contain Messianic prophecies... prophecies which promise that God will one day send a Promised One whose teachings will unite all of humanity into one loving family.
The religions call this Promised One by various names... Jews await the appearance of "another Prophet" like Moses. Hindus look for the return of Krishna. Christians await the return of Christ. Muslims await both the return of Christ and the appearance of Imam Mahdi. Buddhist sutras prophesy the coming of the Maitreya Buddha. Zoroastrian scriptures prophesy the coming of the Saoshyant.
What's fascinating about these prophecies is that they all seem to foretelling the exact same event.

 
JEWISH
"The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me... You must listen to him." --- MOSES- Deuteronomy 18:15 (NIV)

"I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man. He came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away. And his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed." --- Judaism- Daniel 7.13-14


CHRISTIAN
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken; then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."--- Matthew 24.29-31

"If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter... he shall teach you all things." --- JESUS- John 14

"Him that overcometh... I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the... new Jerusalem... and I will write upon him my new name." --- JESUS- Revelation 3

"By those sent forth one after the other... Verily that which ye are promised is about to happen. So when the stars are blotted out, And when the sky is rent asunder... when the Messengers have a time set: For what Day is this being arranged? For the Day of Severance." --- Muhammad- Quran 77

"The Apostle of Allah said, 'Were there remaining but one day of the duration of all time, God would send forth a man from the people of my house, who will fill the earth with equity as it has been filled with oppression.'"--- Islam- Hadith of Abu Dawud

"And [Jesus] shall be a Sign of the Hour [of Judgment]; therefore have no doubt about it, but follow Me: this is a straight way." --- Muhammad- Qur'an 43.61

"The Imam who will create a world state will make the ruling nations pay for their crimes against society. He will bring succor to humanity. He will take out the hidden wealth from the breast of the earth and will distribute it equitably amongst the needy deserving. He will teach you simple living and high thinking. He will make you understand that virtue is a state of character which is always a mean between the two extremes, and which is based upon equity and justice. He will revive the teaching of the Holy Qur'an and the traditions of the Holy Prophet after the world has ignored them as dead letters.... He will protect and defend himself with resources of science and supreme knowledge. His control over these resources will be complete. He will know how supreme they are and how carefully they will have to be used. His mind will be free from desires of bringing harm and injury to humanity. Such a knowledge to him will be like the property which was wrongly possessed by others and for which he was waiting for the permission to repossess and use. He, in the beginning, will be like a poor stranger unknown and uncared for, and Islam then will be in the hopeless and helpless plight of an exhausted camel who has laid down its head and is wagging its tail. With such a start he will establish an empire of God in this world. He will be the final demonstration and proof of God's merciful wish to acquaint man with the right ways of life." --- Islam (Shiite)- Nahjul Balagha, Khutba 141, 187

"Listen attentively with one heart. A man whose spirit shines brightly, a man whose mind is completely unified, a man whose virtue excels everyone--such a man will truly appear in this world. When he preaches precious laws, all the people will totally be satisfied as if the thirsty drink sweet drops of rain from heaven. And each and every one will attain the path of liberation from struggles." --- Buddhism- Sutra of the Great Accomplishment of the Maitreya

"When a thousand two hundred and some years have passed from the inception of the religion of the Arabian (Muhammad) and the overthrow of the kingdom of Iran and the degradation of the followers of My religion, a descendant of the Iranian kings (Baha'u'llah) will be raised up as a Prophet." --- ZOROASTER- Dinkird

Bahá'u'lláh: His Teachings

Because the implications of Bahá'u'lláh's message are both social and spiritual, His teachings redefine the very concept of religion. He is not the Founder of a religion as religion is conventionally understood, but rather the Prophet of civilization and collective transformation--the "Originator of a new universal cycle" in human history.² His message transcends all religious categories. His vision of the oneness of humankind involves not just the deepening of human solidarity, the safeguarding of human rights, or the establishment of an enduring peace, but rather "an organic change in the structure of present-day society, a change such as the world has not yet experienced."³ His prescriptions for the moral reformation of human nature are unique in their approach and universal in their applicability.

At a moment when civilization has lost touch with the underlying spiritual and ethical moorings that anchor human relations, the teachings of Bahá'u'lláh reconnect the individual soul to the world of the sacred and shed new light on humankind's collective destiny. In addressing those fundamental yearnings that incline each human being towards transcendence, Bahá'u'lláh affirms that a loving Creator has fashioned the universe with the "clay of love" and placed within every heart the "essence" of Divine "light" and "beauty."⁴ Humanity, He says, has arrived at the dawn of its maturity, when its "innate excellence" and latent creative capacities can at last find complete expression.⁵ His Revelation has "breathed a new life into every human frame, and instilled into every word a fresh potency. All created things proclaim the evidences of this world-wide regeneration."⁶

As repeatedly emphasized throughout Bahá'u'lláh's writings, the primary purpose of God in revealing His will through His Manifestations is to effect a transformation in the spiritual and material life of human society:

...is not the object of every Revelation to effect a transformation in the whole character of mankind, a transformation that shall manifest itself both outwardly and inwardly, that shall affect both its inner life and external conditions? For if the character of mankind be not changed, the futility of God's universal Manifestations would be apparent.⁷

Bahá'u'lláh, like Abraham, Buddha, Christ, Muhammad and the other Divine Messengers who preceded Him, tapped the deepest roots of human motivation opening up new realms of moral, intellectual, and cultural achievement. "Noble have I created thee," is the Divine assurance, "Rise then unto that for which thou wast created."⁸ He states that "the purpose for which mortal men have...stepped into the realm of being, is that they may work for the betterment of the world and live together in concord and harmony."⁹ "Let each morn," He urges, "be better than its eve and each morrow richer than its yesterday. Man's merit lieth in service and virtue and not in the pageantry of wealth and riches ... Guard against idleness and sloth, and cling unto that which profiteth mankind, whether young or old, whether high or low."¹⁰

The transformation called for by Bahá'u'lláh is directed to the inner life and character of every human being and to the organization of society--a transformation that engenders cooperation, compassion, rectitude of conduct, and justice. In linking spiritual development to personal behavior, Bahá'u'lláh wrote "that the citadels of men's hearts should be subdued through the hosts of a noble character and praiseworthy deeds."¹¹ He exhorts the world's peoples to "illumine their beings with the light of trustworthiness ," "the ornament of honesty," and the "emblems" of "generosity."¹² Service to humankind is the purpose of both individual life and all social arrangements: "Do not busy yourselves in your own concerns; let your thoughts be fixed upon that which will rehabilitate the fortunes of mankind and sanctify the hearts and souls of men."¹³ And further: "The progress of the world, the development of nations, the tranquility of peoples, and the peace of all that dwell on earth are among the principles and ordinances of God."¹⁴

Bahá'u'lláh clearly affirms the deep connection between the practical and spiritual dimensions of human existence. The creation of social structures that promote the development of both individual and collective capacities--capacities of the mind and spirit--receives particular emphasis in His teachings. Human beings, He says, have been "created to carry forward an ever-advancing civilization."¹⁵ The attainment of "knowledge," "wisdom," and "spiritual perception" should be the central object of human endeavor.¹⁶ The pursuit of "Arts, crafts and sciences uplift the world of being, and are conducive to its exaltation."¹⁷ But "in all things," is His advice, humanity must "seek" the "Middle Way" for "whatsoever passeth beyond the limits of moderation will cease to exert a beneficial influence."¹⁸

Just as the physical world is dependent upon the generative power of the sun's rays for its development, so the individual soul's ability to realize its true potential depends entirely upon its response to the interventions of God in human history. It is the creative power of the Revelations of God that unlocks the spiritual, moral, and intellectual capacities latent in human nature. Unaided by this Divine power, human nature remains the prisoner of instinct and of static cultural imperatives. In this regard, Bahá'u'lláh refers to His laws and teachings as the "choice Wine" that is "the breath of life unto all created things."¹⁹ They are "lamps" of God's "loving providence" and the "keys" of His "mercy."²⁰

Humanity, the highest point of creation, contains within itself the capacity to reflect all the Divine attributes, and the soul of each human being is indelibly imprinted with the image of its Creator. "The soul," Bahá'u'lláh says, "is a sign of God, a heavenly gem whose reality the most learned of men hath failed to grasp, and whose mystery no mind, however acute, can ever hope to unravel."²¹ It is only as human beings awaken to their spiritual nature that they can be said to know God: "...to ascend unto the station conferred upon their own inmost being, the station of the knowledge of their own selves."²² The investigation of reality is thus not only the right but the obligation of every human being. Since the Divine perfections are without limit, so the development of the rational soul is eternal, its progress vitally affected by the use it has made of its opportunities during its life on earth. The acquisition of spiritual qualities such as humility, kindness, forbearance, compassion, honesty and generosity prepare the soul for its journey to the light of its Creator. "Know thou of a truth that the soul," Bahá'u'lláh confirms, "after its separation from the body, will continue to progress until it attaineth the presence of God, in a state and condition which neither the revolution of ages and centuries, nor the changes and chances of this world, can alter. It will endure as long as the Kingdom of God, His sovereignty, His dominion and power will endure."²³

Bahá'u'lláh states that "the peoples of the world, of whatever race or religion, derive their inspiration from one heavenly Source, and are the subjects of one God."²⁴ The Founders of the world's religions--Moses, Zoroaster, Buddha, Krishna, Jesus, Muhammad--are one in Their nature and Their purpose, and the effect of these successive Revelations on human consciousness has been cumulative. Each succeeding Divine Messenger has been able to bring a fuller measure of truth, as humanity has developed the capacity to receive it. Further, while the central spiritual thrust has remained constant, the social ordinances brought by the Manifestations of God have been changed to meet the requirements of an ever-evolving humankind. In short, the world's great religious systems are expressions of one, progressively revealed divine plan -- "the changeless Faith of God, eternal in the past, eternal in the future."²⁵

Impelled forward by its steadily deepening relationship with its Creator, humanity has moved through stages in its collective development which are analogous to the periods of infancy, childhood, and adolescence in the lives of its individual members. It is now entering the period of its collective maturity. Fundamental to the challenge of maturity is for all the peoples of the world to embrace the consciousness of their oneness as a single human family whose homeland is the earth itself. "O contending peoples and kindreds of the earth," Bahá'u'lláh urges, "Set your faces towards unity, and let the radiance of its light shine upon you."²⁶ Humanity's "well-being," He affirms, "its peace and security, are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established."²⁷

It is this basic need that the mission of Bahá'u'lláh addresses. While the Manifestations before Him have each lent an essential impulse to the process of social and spiritual maturation, Bahá'u'lláh is empowered to generate forces that will bring into being a peaceful and integrated global society. Although the succession of the Revelations of God will continue "until the end that hath no end"--and with it the spiritual evolution of humanity--we are now entering the culminating stage of the social organization of life on this planet.²⁸ "Peerless is this Day," Bahá'u'lláh states, "for it is as the eye to past ages and centuries, and a light unto the darkness of the times."²⁹

In proclaiming the pivotal principle of the oneness of humankind, Bahá'u'lláh outlines a body of social precepts which He says must guide the future development of society. Strong emphasis is placed on the abolition of prejudices of all kinds. There is, Bahá'u'lláh insists, but one human race; notions that a particular racial or ethnic group is in some way superior to the rest of humanity are without foundation. Women and men are fully equal in the sight of God, and society must reorganize its life so as to give practical effect to this reality. The era has dawned, Bahá'u'lláh says, for the establishment of justice in human affairs, and considerable attention is given in His writings to the responsibility of society to ensure economic justice among its component groups. Closely related to these concerns is the obligation of parents to educate their children and the assertion that it is the responsibility of society to make certain that the means for universal education are provided. Every human being must be trained to "look into all things with a searching eye" so that truth can be independently ascertained ³⁰. The resources of both science and faith must be tapped if the capacities of the world's peoples are to reach the levels needed to address the problems of the present hour. Reliance on consultative decision-making "bestoweth greater awareness and transmuteth conjecture into certitude"--thereby providing the means for effecting meaningful change where social progress has been inhibited.³¹ The adoption of the principle of collective security and the establishment of institutions of governance at the global level will ensure permanent stability and peace in international relations.

Thus, Bahá'u'lláh speaks definitively of life, its meaning, and the afterlife. He addresses both the individual in search of spiritual understanding and a harassed human race in need of tranquility, direction and hope. The moral and spiritual transformation of society, the relief of the diverse peoples of the earth from conflict, injustice, and suffering, and the birth of a progressive and peaceful global civilization are not only possible, Bahá'u'lláh says, but inevitable.

"This is the Day", Bahá'u'lláh proclaims, "in which God's most excellent favors have been poured out upon men, the Day in which His most mighty grace hath been infused into all created things."³² Every human being is the beneficiary of this process, and his "whole duty...in this Day is to attain that share of the flood of grace which God poureth forth for him."³³ The history of humanity as one people is only now beginning. "Great is thy blessedness, O earth, for thou hast been made the foot-stool of thy God, and been chosen as the seat of His mighty throne."³⁴ "Soon will the present-day order be rolled up, and a new one spread out in its stead. Verily, the Lord speaketh the truth, and is the Knower of things unseen."³⁵