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Moses foretold the coming of other Prophets after Him, in particular a
Prophet “like unto thee” (Jesus Christ). He said: “The LORD thy God
will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like
unto Me; unto Him ye shall hearken… And the LORD said unto Me… I will raise
them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto Thee, and will put My
words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him.
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which
He shall speak in My name, I will require it of him.” (Deuteronomy 18:15-19)
He also gave the criteria for recognising a Prophet: “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.” (see: Deut. 18:18-22)
Jesus said that “the words which I speak unto you I speak not of Myself: but
the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works.” (John 14:10)
Unfortunately, the followers of Moses rejected this promised Messiah when He
came.
Shoghi Effendi, Guardian of the Bahá’í Faith, writes about Bahá’u’lláh’s
Station with regard to Judaism: “To Him Isaiah, the greatest of the Jewish
prophets, had alluded as the “Glory of the Lord,” the “Everlasting
Father,” the “Prince of Peace,” the “Wonderful,” the
“Counsellor,” the “Rod come forth out of the stem of Jesse” and the
“Branch grown out of His roots,” Who “shall be established upon the
throne of David,” Who “will come with strong hand,” Who “shall
judge among the nations,” Who “shall smite the earth with the rod of His
mouth, and with the breath of His lips slay the wicked,” and Who “shall
assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from
the four corners of the earth.” Of Him David had sung in his Psalms,
acclaiming Him as the “Lord of Hosts” and the “King of Glory.” To
Him Haggai had referred as the “Desire of all nations,” and Zachariah as
the “Branch” Who “shall grow up out of His place,” and “shall
build the Temple of the Lord.” Ezekiel had extolled Him as the “Lord”
Who “shall be king over all the earth,” while to His day Joel and
Zephaniah had both referred as the “day of Jehovah,” the latter
describing it as “a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of
wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and
thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and
against the high towers.” His Day Ezekiel and Daniel had, moreover, both
acclaimed as the “day of the Lord,” and Malachi described as “the
great and dreadful day of the Lord” when “the Sun of Righteousness”
will “arise, with healing in His wings,” whilst Daniel had pronounced His
advent as signalizing the end of the “abomination that maketh desolate.””
(Shoghi Effendi: “God Passes By”, pp. 94-95)
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government
shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller,
The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of
his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and
upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with
justice from henceforth even for ever.” (Isaiah 9:6-7)
“And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch
shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the
spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit
of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD… And in that day there shall be a
root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the
Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.” (Isaiah 11:1-10)
“Cry out and shout, thou inabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of
Israel in the midst of thee.” (Isaiah 12:6)
“‘Call out to Zion, O Carmel, and announce the joyful tidings: He that was
hidden from mortal eyes is come! His all-conquering sovereignty is manifest; His
all-encompassing splendour is revealed. Beware lest thou hesitate or halt.
Hasten forth and circumambulate the City of God that hath descended from heaven,
the celestial Kaaba round which have circled in adoration the favoured of God,
the pure in heart, and the company of the most exalted angels. Oh, how I long to
announce unto every spot on the surface of the earth, and to carry to each one
of its cities, the glad-tidings of this Revelation—a Revelation to which the
heart of Sinai hath been attracted, and in whose name the Burning Bush is
calling: “Unto God, the Lord of Lords, belong the kingdoms of earth and heaven.”
Verily this is the Day in which both land and sea rejoice at this announcement,
the Day for which have been laid up those things which God, through a bounty
beyond the ken of mortal mind or heart, hath destined for revelation. Ere long
will God sail His Ark upon thee, and will manifest the people of Bahá who have
been mentioned in the Book of Names.’”
Bahá’u’lláh – The
Tablet of Carmel
(“Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh”, pp. 4-5)
“He, verily, is come with His Kingdom, and all the atoms cry aloud: “Lo!
The Lord is come in His great majesty! He Who is the Father is come, and the
Son, in the holy vale, crieth out: “Here am I, here am I, O Lord, My God!”,
whilst Sinai circleth round the House, and the Burning Bush calleth out: “The
All-Bounteous is come mounted upon the clouds! Blessed is he that draweth nigh
unto Him, and woe betide them that are far away.”…
Say: This is an Announcement whereat the hearts of the Prophets and
Messengers have rejoiced. This is the One Whom the heart of the world remembreth,
and is promised in the Books of God, the Mighty, the All-Wise. The hands of the
Messengers were, in their desire to meet Me, upraised towards God, the Mighty,
the Glorified. Unto this testifieth that which hath been sent down in the sacred
Scriptures by Him Who is the Lord of might and power.
Some lamented in their separation from Me, others endured hardships in My
path, and still others laid down their lives for the sake of My Beauty, could ye
but know it. Say: I, verily, have not sought to extol Mine own Self, but rather
God Himself, were ye to judge fairly. Naught can be seen in Me except God and
His Cause, could ye but perceive it. I am the One Whom the tongue of Isaiah hath
extolled, the One with Whose name both the Torah and the Evangel were adorned.
Thus hath it been decreed in the Scriptures of thy Lord, the Most Merciful. He,
verily, hath borne witness unto Me, as I bear witness unto Him. And God
testifieth to the truth of My words.
Say: The Books have been sent down for naught but My remembrance.
Whosoever is receptive to their call shall perceive therefrom the sweet
fragrances of My name and My praise; and he who hath unstopped the ear of his
inmost heart shall hear from every word thereof: “The True One is come! He
indeed is the beloved of the worlds!””
Bahá’u’lláh – The
Súriy-i-Haykal, 159, 163-165
(“The Summons of the Lord of Hosts”, pp. 84-86)
