Modern Millenarian Thought in the Baha'i Religion: A Study of the Biblical Interpretations of Dr. Leland Jensen

by Michael McCarron

Baha'u'llah and the Throne of David

by Michael McCarron

    Baha'u'llah, was the founder of the Baha'i Faith.  He laid claim to the mantle of Messiahship.  One of his arguments for being the Messiah is that he lays claim to ruling from the throne of David. 

"The Most Great Law is come, and the Ancient Beauty ruleth upon the throne of David. Thus hath My Pen spoken that which the histories of bygone ages have related."  Baha'u'llah, "The Proclamation of Baha'u'llah, pg. 89, accessed 10/9/2009 http://bahai-library.org/writings/bahaullah/pb/pball.html#89

What is the throne of David.  The Tanukh (Old Testament) contains many references to the throne of David.  The throne of David was the crown seat of the Jewish monarchy.  It is also directly related to the rule of the Messiah who shall re-establish the Davidic monarchy which was ended after the Babylonian Captivity. It is written of in Isaiah 6-7:

  6 For to us a child is born,

       to us a son is given,

       and the government will be on his shoulders.

       And he will be called

       Wonderful Counselor, [a] Mighty God,

       Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

 7 Of the increase of his government and peace

       there will be no end.

       He will reign on David's throne

       and over his kingdom,

       establishing and upholding it

       with justice and righteousness

       from that time on and forever.

       The zeal of the LORD Almighty

       will accomplish this.

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+9%3A6-7&version=NIV, accessed 10/9/2009

It is interesting to note that Baha'u'llah is making a direct claim to be the Jewish Messiah.  What was the Jewish conception of the Messiah.  There is no consensus in Judaism regarding the role of the Messiah:

Messiah (Hebrew: משיח‎; mashiah, moshiah, mashiach, or moshiach, ("anointed [one]") is a term used in the Hebrew Bible to describe priests and kings, who were traditionally anointed with the holy anointing oil as described in Exodus 30:22-25. For example, Cyrus the Great, the king of Persia, though not a Hebrew, is referred to as "God's anointed" (Messiah) in the Bible.

In Jewish eschatology, the term came to refer to a future Jewish King from the Davidic line, who will be "anointed" with holy anointing oil and rule the Jewish people during the Messianic Age. In Standard Hebrew, The Messiah is often referred to as מלך המשיח, Mélekh ha-Mashíaẖ (in the Tiberian vocalization pronounced Méleḵ hamMāšîªḥ), literally meaning "the anointed king."

Today, the various Jewish denominations have sharp disagreements about the nature of the Messiah and the Messianic Age, with some groups holding that the Messiah will be a person and other groups holding that the Messiah is a representation of the Messianic Age itself.

Traditional thought and current Orthodox thought has mainly held that the Messiah will be an anointed one (messiah), descended from his father through the Davidic line of King David, who will gather the Jews back into the Land of Israel and usher in an era of peace.

Other denominations, such as Reform Judaism, perceive a Messianic Age when the world will be at peace, but do not agree that there will be a Messiah as the leader of this era, rather they believe that it will be brought about by the work of humankind.   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_messianism, accessed 10/9/2009

As well as there is a tradition of two Messiahs found in some Rabbinic Jewish Circles and the Essene Community:

 "The Damascus Document contains a similar passage, one that supports the idea that in the recurring expression 'Messiah of Aaron and Israel'...two Messiahs are envisaged....he writes: 'the star is the Intepreter of the Law, who will come to Damascus, as it is written: 'A star moves out of Jacob, and a sceptre arises out of Israel'  [=Num 24:17]. The sceptre is the prince of the whole congregation and when he arises he will destroy all the sons of Seth' (7:18-21).  The expositor finds that Num. 24:17¹ refers to two future leaders, and these two are the two Messiahs of the Rule of the Community and the Damascus Document." pg 218, The Encyclopedia of Apocalyptism, By John Joseph Collins, Bernard McGinn, Stephen J. Stein, http://books.google.com/books?id=KjmvzoLAOfoC&pg=PA217&lpg=PA217&dq=%22throne+of+david%22+encyclopedia&source=bl&ots=t12WJFrx7C&sig=jTh2C3NDx-rtQTfEAWUk7BZfqQk&hl=en&ei=0pfPSon1GZCgswOM-biyDg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1#v=onepage&q=throne%20of%20david&f=false accessed 10/9/2009

In another reading of the Essene book, The Rule of the Community, also knows as the Manual of Discipline,  the Messiah is set up by a Priest:

To conclude: it would appear that our passage, rather than being translated and understood with capitalised and connotation laden words, might well be translated quite simply "until the coming of a prophet and the anointed High Priest and the Davidic king"; the meaning, in keeping with the passages in 1 Macc., being: The status quo will remain and the community will maintain its isolation until a prophet will come who will set an anointed, not a garment-laden, High Priest in office and will re-establish the Davidic dynasty on the throne of Israel. pg. 82, The Two "Messiahs" of the Manual of Discipline, Lou H. Silberman, Vetus Testamentum, Vol. 5, Fasc. 1 (Jan., 1955), pp. 77-82, BRILL, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1515768, 06/10/2009 20:42

In Jewish eschatology the messiah must be of the Line of David.  The Tanukh (Old Testament) relates this in the following verse:

"In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness. For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel;" Jeremiah 33:15-17 

 The integration of the Messianic Ideal with the ideal that the Messiah must be from the Line of David (Branch) is very important. This correlation of the line of David with the Messiah is integral to the notion of the Davidic Covenant which is found in the Old Testament:

2 Samuel 7:12-16 (New American Standard Bible)

 12"(A)When your days are complete and you (B)lie down with your fathers, (C)I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.

 13"(D)He shall build a house for My name, and (E)I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

 14"(F)I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; (G)when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men,

 15but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, (H)as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.

 16"(I)Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever."'"

 The Descendants of David are referred to in the Tanukh as "Branches" or as a "Seed". 

Seed:

 A synonym of "house", at least a partial one, the "seed" (zerac,the offspring), is mentioned in 2 Sam. vii 12, which may be understood as a collective (identical with "house") or as an individual (different from "house", but part of it). This ambiguity makes it specially suitable for an oracle, and we may assume with high probability that the term was an element of the original version. page 152, David's Covenant, Heinz Kruse Source: Vetus Testamentum, Vol. 35, Fasc. 2 (Apr., 1985), pp. 139-164 Published by: BRILL Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1518238 06/10/2009 20:46

Whereas Branch is mentioned in the Tanukh:

Isaiah 11

The Branch From Jesse

 1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
       from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.

 2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
       the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
       the Spirit of counsel and of power,
       the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -

 3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
       He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
       or decide by what he hears with his ears;

 4 but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
       with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
       He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
       with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.

 5 Righteousness will be his belt
       and faithfulness the sash around his waist.

 6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
       the leopard will lie down with the goat,
       the calf and the lion and the yearling [a] together;
       and a little child will lead them.

 7 The cow will feed with the bear,
       their young will lie down together,
       and the lion will eat straw like the ox.

 8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
       and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.

 9 They will neither harm nor destroy
       on all my holy mountain,
       for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
       as the waters cover the sea.

 10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious."

Jeremiah 23:5,

" 5 "The days are coming," declares the LORD,
       "when I will raise up to David [a] a righteous Branch,
       a King who will reign wisely
       and do what is just and right in the land."

Part of God's Covenant with David is the eternality of his line or branch or seed:

Psalms 89:1-4:

" 1 I will sing of the LORD's great love forever;
       with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.

 2 I will declare that your love stands firm forever,
       that you established your faithfulness in heaven itself.

 3 You said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one,
       I have sworn to David my servant,

 4 'I will establish your line forever
       and make your throne firm through all generations.' "
       Selah"

Psalms 89:35, 36:

 "Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me."

Thus the Messianic expectation is that a seed from the descendants of David shall arise and shall re-establish the throne of David and that throne shall reign forever, there shall never not be a King to sit on the Throne of David as exemplified in 2 Samuel Chapter 7.  So what does this imply regarding the pronouncement of Baha'u'llah as ruling upon the throne of David?  It can only mean that he is laying claim to Messiahship.  That he is also setting the pattern that his descendants (Branches [Aghsan]) shall reign on his throne. According to the prophecies of the Tanukh Israel shall never be in wont of a King to sit on the Throne of David, which Baha'u'llah relates in his many writings appointing Abdu'l-Baha, his most-Great Branch as the successor to the Davidic Throne.  As one Baha'i scholar has noted:

During the ministries of Baha'u'llah and Abdu'l-Baha they gave the title “Ghusn,” an Arabic word meaning “Branch” (plural Aghsan or Branches) to certain of the male descendants of the Manifestation of God, and to no one else. Abdu'l-Baha was designated the Ghusn-i-'Azam, The Most Mighty Branch. Mirza Muhammad-Ali was designated the Ghusn-i-Akbar, the Greater Branch. Mirza Mihdi was designated the Ghusn-i-Athar, the Purest Branch. Shoghi Effendi was designated the Ghusn-i-Mumtaz, the Chosen Branch. While not all of them had an individual designation, collectively all of the male descendants of the Manifestation of God were known as Aghsan, “Branches,” the plural of Ghusn. No one, absolutely no one else in the Baha'i world, was known as a “Ghusn” or counted among the “Aghsan.” This was, and remains, a matter of crystal clarity.  Brent Poirier, The Baha'i Covenant, http://bahai-covenant.blogspot.com/2009/03/must-guardian-of-cause-be-descendant-of.html, accessed 10/9/2009

However, it is noted that in Christianity, which Baha'u'llah recognizes as the first Messiah, Jesus Christ, Christ meaning to be anointed in the line of David, it is recorded in the New Testament that a branch can be grafted in:

 ¹⁸Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

 19Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in.

 20Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: Romans 11:18-20

It appears with this in mind that `Abdu'l-Baha also made the same observations:

Consider! The Divine Gardener cuts off the dry or weak branch from the good tree and grafts to it, a branch from another tree. He both separates and unites. This is that which His Holiness Christ says: that from all the world they come and enter the Kingdom, and the children of the Kingdom shall be cast out. (cf. Matthew 8:11) Noah’s grandson, Canaan, was detested in the sight of Noah and others were accepted. The brothers of the Blessed Beauty detached themselves from Him, and the Blessed Beauty never met them. He said: “This is an eternal separation between you and Me.” All this was not because the Blessed Beauty was despotic; but because these persons, through their own actions and words deprived themselves from the bounties and bestowals of the Blessed Beauty. His Holiness Christ did not exercise despotism in the case of Judas Iscariot and His own brothers,—but they separated themselves.  Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith, http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/c/BWF/bwf-128.html, accessed 10/9/2009

`Abdu'l-Baha' also delineates writing in Persian, that descendants, which we know is a synonym for Branches, are comprised of physical relations and spiritual relations, he wrote:

As can be seen from this passage, to be considered an Aghsan (Branch) one must have spiritual qualifications, when the physical descent is matched with spiritual qualifications it is "light upon light".  The issue is interesting that `Abdu'l-Baha' suggests there are physical descendants and spiritual descendants. He states elsewhere that all believers are "Children of the Kingdom", "Today illumined and spiritual children are gathered in this meeting. They are the children of the Kingdom. The Kingdom of heaven is for such souls as these, for they are near to God." .  We see here that `Abdu'l-Baha' extends the concept of Israelite to all believers, all Baha'is are all descendants of the Kingdom of God, the Davidic Throne line. 

Abdu'l-Baha clarifies this writing on the two types of descendants:

  There are two kinds of relationship - Physical and Spiritual Relationship.  The highest and greatest is the Spiritual.  The physical is of no importance.  It is very good to possess both in each other....We are all of one family because we are under the shadow of the Blessed Perfection....Spiritual Relationship is the true Family-hood of God's children. (‘Abdu’l Baha, Ten Days in the Light of Acca, compiled by Grundy, 1907 Edition, p46-7) http://books.google.com/books?id=JBsYAAAAYAAJ&dq=Ten+Days+in+the+Light+of+Acca&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=HKUvnAa34u&sig=QSCkNjBgC8C4Udb-05Il68aa79U&hl=en&ei=e6zTSovZNY76sgPqkO3XCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CA4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Abdu'l-Baha further delineates the relationship of spiritual descendants to their spiritual fathers:

63. O thou steadfast in the Covenant!

In reply to thy letter, I am obliged to be brief: Praise thou God that thou hast succeeded in becoming a teacher of young Bahá'ís, young trees of the Abhá Paradise....The spiritual father is greater than the physical one, for the latter bestoweth but this world's life, whereas the former endoweth his child with life everlasting. This is why, in the Law of God, teachers are listed among the heirs.

Now you in reality have acquired all these spiritual children free and gratis, and that is better than having physical children; for such children are not grateful to their fathers, since they feel that the father serveth them because he must and therefore no matter what he doeth for them, they pay it no mind. Spiritual children, however, are always appreciative of their father's loving kindness. This verily is out of the grace of thy Lord, the Beneficent.

('Abdu'l-Bahá, from a Tablet - translated from the Persian) http://bahai-library.com/?file=compilation_bahai_education.html accessed 10/9/2009 

And:

You are all my children, my spiritual children. Spiritual children are dearer than physical children, for it is possible for physical children to turn away from the Spirit of God, but you are spiritual children and, therefore, you are most beloved. I wish for you progress in every degree of development. May God assist you. May you be surrounded by the beneficent light of His countenance, and may you attain maturity under His nurture and protection. You are all blessed. http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/PUP/pup-39.html  The Promulgation of Universal Peace ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Source: US Bahá’í Publishing Trust, 1982 second edition Pages: 470

 Not only does Abdu'l-Baha express that spiritual children have a real father-child relationship with their spiritual teachers he as well denotes them as "young trees" which is to say equivocally that they are branches from the spiritual father. Yet, a special role is given to Abdu'l-Baha as the appointed King of the Davidic Line, the Branch:

"There hath branched from the Sadratu'l-Muntaha this sacred and glorious Being, this Branch of Holiness; well is it with him that hath sought His shelter and abideth beneath His shadow. Verily the Limb of the Law of God hath sprung forth from this Root which God hath firmly implanted in the Ground of His Will, and Whose Branch hath been so uplifted as to encompass the whole of creation. Magnified be He, there fore, for this sublime, this blessed, this mighty, this exalted Handiwork!...A Word hath, as a token of Our grace, gone forth from the Most Great Tablet-- a Word which God hath adorned with the ornament of His own Self, and made it sovereign over the earth and all that is therein, and a sign of His greatness and power among its people...Render thanks unto God, O people, for His appearance; for verily He is the most great Favor unto you, the most perfect bounty upon you; and through Him every mouldering bone is quickened. Whoso turneth towards Him hath turned towards God, and whoso turneth away from Him hath turned away from My beauty, hath repudiated My Proof, and transgressed against Me. He is the Trust of God amongst you, His charge within you, His manif estation unto you and His appearance among His favored servants...We have sent Him down in the form of a human temple. Blest and sanctified be God Who createth whatsoever He willeth through His inviolable, His infallible decree. They who deprive themselves of the shadow of the Branch, are lost in the wilderness of error, are consumed by the heat of worldly desires, and are of those who will assuredly perish." (WO, p. 134-5, Dispensation of Baha'u'llah, 678) http://bahai-library.com/essays/surih.ghusn.html accessed 10/9/2009

It should be bore in mind that Baha'u'llah is himself a descendant of the Davidic Line as claimed by Baha'i sources, through Abrahams wife Keturah, descended through the root of Jesse, the branch of David (see http://www.bci.org/prophecy-fulfilled/lineage.htm). 

In conclusion, we should see that when Baha'u'llah writes that he "ruleth upon the throne of David" he is making a claim to Messiahship that is based on a spiritual as well as physical descent from the Davidic line, which is the covenant of David, that a Messiah shall rise up out of his line, and that line shall endure forever never in wont of a king to sit on the throne of David:

"Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne as the sun before me." Psalms 89:35, 36

By Name, Date and Mission: Biblical Prophecy about the Messiah

 by Michael McCarron

     From the Baha'i perspective the Bible tells us where and when Baha'u'llah would appear.  The following is a brief study of some of the Old Testament and New Testament admonitions regarding the advent of the resurrection of the Davidic Throne, the Messiah (Christos): annointed in the line of David. 

The bible has several different components the component we will be looking at revolves around the apocalyptic books of the bible:  

" Apocalyptic literature was a new genre of prophetical writing that developed in post-Exilic Jewish culture and was popular among millennialist early Christians.

"Apocalypse" (αποκαλυπσις) is the Greek word for "revelation" which means "an unveiling or unfolding of things not previously known and which could not be known apart from the unveiling" (Goswiller 1987 p. 3). The poetry of the Book of Revelation that is traditionally ascribed to John is well known to many Christians who are otherwise unaware of the literary genre it represents.

The apocalyptic literature of Judaism and Christianity embraces a considerable period, from the centuries following the exile down to the close of the middle ages. In the present survey we shall limit ourselves to the great formative periods in this literature—in Judaism from 200 BCE to 100 CE, and in Christianity from 50 to approximately 350 CE. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalyptic_literature 

 The most prominent apocalyptic book mentioned by Baha'i sources in regards to the Advent of the Baha'i Messiah is that of the Book of Daniel.  Abdu'l-Baha addresses this in his work, Some Answered Questions, he writes therein:

  http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SAQ/saq-10.html

 One controvesial aspect of Abdu'l-Baha rendering or interpretation of the Daniel prophecy is the notion of the Day-Year correlation, where he writes, "Each day, according to the text of the Holy Book, is a year. For in the Bible it is said: 'The day of the Lord is one year.'".  This is a heated topic of debate especially in Christian circles:

"The day-year principle, year-day principle or year-for-a-day principle is a method of interpretation of Bible prophecy in which a day in apocalyptic prophecy is sometimes understood to represent a year of actual time. It is used principally by the historicist school of prophetic interpretation.^[1] It is not popular among contemporary scholars, but was held by most Protestant Reformers^[2] and is retained by groups such as the Seventh-day Adventist Church and Jehovah's Witnesses today." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day-year_principle

The biblical basis for the correlation of the day-year principle is found in the Old Testament 

Numbers 14:34

"According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day a year, you shall bear your iniquity, forty years, and you shall know my displeasure.' "

Ezekiel 4:6

"And when you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and bear the punishment of the house of Judah; forty days I assign you, a day for each year."

This method of intepreting apocalyptic revelations was first adopted in the 3rd Century C.E. It was later adapted by medieval scholars, both Christian and Jewish, later it fell into disfavor by Catholic and Protestant scholars, speculatively after many failures in pinpointing the return of Jesus, some speculated such dates as 1260AD, etc.  Which is interesting as the utilization of `Abdu'l-Baha' gives us the figure 1260 lunar years.  In his calculation from above we arrive to the date of 1844 C.E.  the advent of the Baha'i religion through the declaration of the Bab, the prophet founder of Babism the precursor to the Baha'i Faith [456-2,300 = 1844; the end of the abomination of desolation]. The biblical passages which relate to this prophecy are produced here:

Daniel 9:25-26:

25: Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time.

26: And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off, and shall have nothing; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war; desolations are decreed.

Daniel 8:13-14:

13: Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to the one that spoke, "For how long is the vision concerning the continual burnt offering, the transgression that makes desolate, and the giving over of the sanctuary and host to be trampled under foot?"

14: And he said to him, "For two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary shall be restored to its rightful state."

Daniel 12:

 6 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand

11 "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days.

 We have already seen how the 1260 days fits into Abdu'l-Baha's reckoning, we as well have seen how the 2300 days fit into finding the date of 1844. However, Abdu'l-Baha continues in his explanation to point to further dates, the 1290 days equates to the proclamation of Baha'u'llah in 1863.  Then the 1335 days points to 1963, which relates to an enigmatic prophecy of the Seventh Angel found in Some Answered Questions [see The Seventh Angel later in this work]. However, according to Abdu'l-Baha the 1335 days are not lunar years but solar years, which brings us to 1963, a hundred years after the annunciation of Baha'u'llah:

The 2300 day prophecy time line.

Coming out of the 19th century Millerite movement, Seventh-day Adventists placed strong emphasis on understanding the historical fulfillment of the 70 weeks and the 2300 day prophecies.

The 70 weeks prophecy starts with the decree (by Artaxerxes in his 7th year) that allowed for Jerusalem to be restored and rebuilt^[10]. Two previous decrees only dealt with the construction of the Temple,^[11][12] Artaxerxes' 7th year began in 457 BC as counted by the Jewish civil calendar.

The length of the prophetic 69 weeks^[13] is 483 prophetic days.^[14] Citing other prophecies where a prophetic day represents a literal year, ^[15][16] SDAs, following the Millerite lead, set the 483 prophetic days to 483 literal years. Thus, the ending year of the 69 weeks is calculated as: -457 BC + 483 yrs + 1 yr (for switch from BC to AD) = 27 AD.

Daniel 9:25 states that the Anointed One, the Messiah, would come at the end of the 69 weeks which ended in 27 AD. In Luke's narrative, Jesus began his ministry after his baptism^[17] by John.^[18] John began baptizing in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar^[19] which began, according to history, in 27 AD. Thus the ministry of Jesus began in 27 AD precisely at the end of the 69 weeks.

After the 69 weeks the "Anointed One will be cut off."^[20] After the end of the 69 weeks, Jesus died on the cross confirming the first Biblical covenant--"He will confirm a covenant with many for one seven."^[21]

Daniel 9:27 says "In the middle of the seven he will put an end to sacrifice and offering." Jesus was baptized in the Fall of 27 AD and died in the Spring (Easter) of 31 AD -- 3 1/2 years later. At the time of Jesus' death the 4 inch (10 cm) thick curtain between the Holy

Now concerning the verse in Daniel, the interpretation whereof thou didst ask, namely, "Blessed is he who cometh unto the thousand three hundred and thirty five days". These days must be reckoned as solar and not lunar years. For according to this calculation a century will have elapsed from the dawn of the Sun of Truth, then will the teachings of God be firmly established upon the earth, and the Divine Light shall flood the world from the East even unto the West. Then, on this day, will the faithful rejoice! http://bahai-library.com/uhj/beckwith.daniel.prophecy.html

 Hence, from the Hejira in 622CE + 1335 equates to 1957. However, the Guardian of the Faith, Shoghi Effendi, the center of the Covenant relates the following for the year 1963:

The 1335 days referred to by Daniel will be fulfilled in 1963. The date of the Hijra is 622 A.D. The 1335 days is figured according to the solar calendar, but in adjusting the 1335 days, one must take into consideration the time at which the prophecies were given and change them into solar time, which would bring the date to 1963. http://bahai-library.com/uhj/beckwith.daniel.prophecy.html

 It is interesting to note that the Guardian gave three dates for the fulfillment of the 1335 days prophecy of Daniel. While it is clear that the prophecy concerning the 1,335 days is associated with the spread of the Baha'i Faith throughout the world, several different dates are given in our authoritative texts for the actual fulfilment of this prophecy. As mentioned earlier, the two Tablets of the Master which are cited in "The Passing of `Abdu'l-Baha", page 31, suggest different dates for the fulfilment of the prophecy of the 1,335 days: 1963 and 1957. Further, in the letters written by or on behalf of Shoghi Effendi, the Guardian indicates that these same Tablets form the basis for his interpretation of the date of the fulfilment of the 1,335 days referred to in Daniel. Three different dates are either given by the Guardian or can be inferred from these same Tablets -- 1957, 1960, and 1963. It is important to note that the Ten Year Crusade was a process which was to seat the International Baha'i Council through a series of stages to become the Universal House of Justice with the Guardianship serving as it's executive office from 1953 to 1963.  However, this did not happen, with the untimely death of Shoghi Effendi in 1957.  It should be noted that in 1960 Mason Remey made his claim for the Guardianship and in 1963 the Universal House of Justice without a Guardian was elected concurrently in the United States, Mason Remey formed his first organization, which Leland Jensen and Rex Kiing became a part of. Leland Jensen claims that the prophecy actually is about the appearance of the Seventh Angel from the prophecy of Abdu'l-Baha.  Nonetheless, the overarching interpretation of Shoghi Effendi was that the prophecy concerned the completion of his plan to seat the Universal House of Justice in a process, a Universal House of Justice which it could be argued that by necessity had to have a Executive which represents the Davidic Line.  There is no exact understanding from an a universally recognized source aside from the understanding that Abdu'l-Baha gives us regarding this date in a work co-authored by Shoghi Effendi it is recorded that Abdu'l-Baha taught about the 1335 days prophecy of Daniel. We shall read about that in detail later [see 'The Seventh Angel' later in this work].

Aside form the Book of Daniel there are other prophecies regarding the coming of Baha'u'llah as the annointed (messiah) in the line of David. In Ezekiel we read about the coming of the glory (hebrew, 'kabod', greek 'doxa') of God from the East:

 Ezekiel 43:1-7 (KJV):

1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:

2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.

3 And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.

4 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.

5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.

6 And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me.

7 And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places.

 It is eloborated on by Christian sources that the glory of God has the following meaning and occurrences in the Bible:

Glory (Heb. kabhod ; Gr. doxa ). (1.) Abundance, wealth, treasure, and hence honour (Psa 49:12); glory (Gen 31:1; Mat 4:8; Rev 21:24, Rev 21:26). (2.) Honour, dignity (Kg1 3:13; Heb 2:7 Pe1 1:24); of God (Psa 19:1; Psa 29:1); of the mind or heart (Gen 49:6; Psa 7:5; Act 2:46). (3.) Splendour, brightness, majesty (Gen 45:13; Isa 4:5; Act 22:11; Co2 3:7); of Jehovah (Isa 59:19; Isa 60:1; Th2 1:9). (4.) The glorious moral attributes, the infinite perfections of God (Isa 40:5; Act 7:2; Rom 1:23; Rom 9:23; Eph 1:12). Jesus is the "brightness of the Father's glory" (Heb 1:3; Joh 1:14; Joh 2:11). (5.) The bliss of heaven (Rom 2:7, Rom 2:10; Rom 5:2; Rom 8:18; Heb 2:10; Pe1 5:1, Pe1 5:10).   http://www.sacred-texts.com/bib/ebd/ebd150.htm#006, accessed 10/12/2009

 A further understanding of the hebrew term 'Kabod' reveals that the following was understood by Jewish theologians regarding the concept of the Glory of God:

In the earliest documents, as JE and the Book of Samuel, the term kavod denotes: (1) an object in which divinity rests, like the Ark; (2) signs and miracles, like those

shown in Egypt and in the wilderness; and (3) the ethical nature of God, His thirteen attributes. The prophets, as we shall see, added (4) His self-manifestation in history, and (5) a nogah,7 or radiance, which was enlarged by P into (6) a variety of physical phenomena accompanying a theophany, such as fire and cloud.8 This physical manifestation,

medieval Jewish philosophers sought to refine, to apply the process of kedushah to the notion of a physical kavod, so that Saadia produced his theory of a "created light" and a "second air." The Psalms added still another meaning, namely (7) His self-revelation in the beauty and harmony of the Cosmos: "The heavens declare the gloryof God and the earth showeth His handiwork." pg. 367-368, "Holiness and Glory in the Bible: An Approach to the History of Jewish Thought", Israel Efros, The Jewish Quarterly Review, New Series, Vol. 41, No. 4 (Apr., 1951), pp. 363-377, University of Pennsylvania Press, Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1453205 Accessed: 10/10/2009 22:26

Whereas another scholar has given us the following understanding of the term, here denoting that the Kabod was associated with a man:

Several passages in the Bible report that, when men experience a theophany, they see God's Kabod, by which is usually suggested a splendour of light by which God is both revealed and concealed. The prophet Ezekiel, however, adds that the Kabod had a form like a man, and Justin obviously must have Ezekiel's vision in mind when counting "the Glory of the Lord" as one of the names of the Son under the old dispensation. That Justin took the Glory of man-like form in Ez. 1:26 to be Christ is positively evidenced by another enumeration of the names of the Son in the Old Testament: [...] he is called at one time "the Angel of great counsel" [Is. 9, 6], and "Man" (aner) by Ezekiel, and "like the Son of Man" by Daniel, and "Child" by Isaiah As in the Tripartite Tractate, the Son is called "Man". pg 264, "Jewish-Christian Christology and Jewish Mysticism", Jarl Fossum, Vigiliae Christianae, Vol. 37, No. 3 (Sep., 1983), pp. 260-287, BRILL, Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1583086 Accessed: 10/10/2009 22:23

Interestingly the Arabic term Baha', as in Baha'u'llah, literally means the "Glory of God" or in hebrew, 'Kabod YHWH'.  The Baha'i scholar Stephen Lambden notes about the correlation between Kabod and Baha:

 Translated into Biblical Hebrew, Bahá'u'lláh would be Kabód YHWH. Several verses in the book of Isaiah could be understood to predict the manifestation of Bahá'u'lláh and the radiance, the "glory" of the believing Bahá'í: "And the glory of the Lord (kabód YHWH) shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together" (Isaiah 40:5); "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord (kabód YHWH) has risen upon you ... the Lord (YHWH) will arise upon you, and his glory (kabód) will be seen upon you... Then shall you see and be radiant." (Isaiah 60:1, 2b; 5a). Similar prophecies are made elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible. In his Epistle to the Son of the Wolf Bahá'u'lláh cites a few verses from the book of the prophet Isaiah. In certain Arabic translations cited by Him, they contain the word Bahá' – with reference to his Manifestation. Isaiah 2:10 refers to "the glory of His majesty (Bahá'azamatihi)" and 35:2b makes reference to the time when people "shall see the glory of the Lord (majd al-rabb) and the splendour of our God (Bahá'a iláhiná).

Many other Biblical texts contain references to the kabód ("glory") or kabód YHWH ("Glory of the Lord"). Probably alluding to Bahá'u'lláh, Ezekiel described the "Glory of God" in the form of a man (Ezek 1:26; see also Ezekiel chapters 1, Ch 10 & 43:1ff cf. Daniel 7).⁽⁷⁾ Israel Abrahams (1858-1924), reader in Rabbinic and Talmudic Literature at Cambridge University, in the second of his three lectures on The Glory of God (entitled 'Messianic' and delivered in the U.S.A. in the spring of 1924), among other interesting observations, wrote, "The expectation that the divine Glory will be made splendidly manifest with the coming of the Kingship of God is not only a natural hope, it is also a solid foundation for optimism". http://bahai-library.com/bsr/bsr03_1/312_lambden_baha.htm, accessed 10/12/2009

Returning to the prophecy of Ezekiel we see that historically speaking Baha'u'llah does also fit the description of the prophecy as having entered Israel as a prisoner of the Muslim Ottoman Empire, exiled from the east of modern day Iran, biblical Elam.  He could be considered as entering Judah from the east, "came from the way of the east".  Additionally, the prophecy calls for him to enter into the House through the Gate.  The ministry of Baha'u'llah was initiated by a Persian manifestation of God known as the Bab, literally Arabic for "Gate".  It could be intepreted from Ez. 43:7 that the cleansing of the House of God is made through the manifestation of the Glory of God, and in this sense the "throne" is reconvened into the Davidic Line through the manifestation of the Glory of God.

 Yet another interesting passage in the Tanukch (Old Testament) is that of Isaiah Chapter 35 that gives a place for the manifestation of the Glory of God it is recorded:

Isaiah 35: 

 ¹ The desert and the parched land will be glad;

       the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.

       Like the crocus, ² it will burst into bloom;

       it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.

       The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,

       the splendor of Carmel and Sharon;

       they will see the glory of the LORD,

       the splendor of our God.

It is interesting to note that Baha'u'llah was exiled as a prisoner to Akka and later in his ministry literally pitched his tent on Mt. Carmel, in present day Haifa, Israel.  A further interesting reference to a geographic location is understood by Baha'is to occur in Psalml 60:9a:

Who will bring me into the strong city?  

Baha'is interpret the "strong city" as the prison fortress that Baha'u'llah was held in, modern day Acre, Israel. 

One aspect of the prophecies from the Baha'i perspective is the ideal that the Messiah will not be known by a known name of any other previous Prophet.  It is revealed in Isaiah 62:2:

And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.

Related to this according to Baha'i sources is Revelation 3:12:

¹²Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.

Therefore according to the Baha'i perspective this new name is Baha'i which is Arabic for a follower of Baha', literally the people of Baha.  It is interesting to note that in the verse in question calls for Him who overcomes will be made a pillar in the temple of God.  It is known that one of the pillars in the temple was the King's pillar. We have here a reference to the setting up again of the Davidic line for the one on him the new name is written, a scholar notes:

We might understand the pillar metaphor then as an identification of the believer with a functional symbol of royal stability and hence the institution of kingship.  As the author of Revelation clearly aserts thatt there is in fact no temple in the heavenly city (Rev 21:22), it is reasonable to believe that 'pillar in the temple' of Rev 3:12 is intendend to be understood symbolically in the context of the coronation allusions of the specific section.  Whether the allusion of the pillar would in fact be clearly understood by the readers of Revelation seems beside the point, in regard to such an opaque work.  Certainly the coronational connections of the pillar would, on the other hand, be known to anyone as versed in the Hebrew scriptures as the author of Revelaion. pg. 500

The frequent kingship and coronation allusions that are found in Revelation should be realized to reflect an important theme of the work. Kingship is indeed both a major teleological theme of the book as a whole (5:10; 20:4,6; 22:5) and a direct theme of the specific section-- the letters to the seven churches-- in which 3:12 appears (1:4-6; 2:26;3:21).  Whether the application of this theme to all of the elements of Rev 3:12 holds true or not, the theme must not be neglected in any attempt to understand the author's allusions both here and elsewhere in Revelation. pg. 501 The Pillar of Revelation 3:12 and Ancient Coronation Rites, Richard H. Wilkinson, Journal of Biblical Literature, Vol 7, No. 3 (Sep., 1988), pp. 498-501, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3267583 Accessed 12/10/2009 14:14

Again we encounter the ideal of Kingship, specifically the messianic ideal of the Davidic Line.  The new name is the new name of the new Messiah, the Davidic King. Accordingly as we have previously studied the relationshiop of Baha'u'llah to the throne of David, therefore we can see the relationship of the new name being that of Baha' from the Baha'i perspective. That there shall be a new name is rather then one returning with the name of Jesus Christ is confirmed in the book of Matthew 3:3-5:

3 ¶ And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the ^asign of thy coming, and of the end of the ^bworld?

Verse Matt 3:5 is confirmed in Mark 13:6.  So how do we know who the annointed in the Davidic line is, the Messiah? It should be noted that God will name him with his mouth as in Isaiah 62:2 (see above).  That name as seen in previous studied verses is Baha', the Glory of God (hebrew, 'kabod YWHW'). Baha'is point to the following verses for confirmation of this, Mark 8:38, Luke 9:26, Matt 16:27, where the second coming is spoken of as coming in the "Glory of the Father". 

Luke 9:26

For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels. 

Again returning to the term "glory of God" we see that in the New Testament the Hebrew word 'kabod' (glory) is translated into Greek as 'doxa' (δόξα):

 The glory [doxa] of Christ will appear only when the Son of man returns at the end of the age (Mt 16:27; 19:28; 24:30; 25:31; Mk 8:38; 10:37; 13:26; Lk 9:26; 21:27). Luke 24:26 explains that the divine glory of Christ had to await the threshold of death ("Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" cf Acts 2:32-33; 3:13). Then having assumed a glorious poisition with God the Father, Christ would return emanating this glory...

pg. 269, Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, Joel B Green, Scot McKnight, I. Howard Marshall, http://books.google.com/books?id=9ntwNm-tOogC&pg=PA269&lpg=PA269&dq=luke+9:26+doxa&source=bl&ots=oEokpVgmmG&sig=ZmER1-85IoM71MAsEb9E5YiNdj8&hl=en&ei=JYTTSpzOEZHysQPIkJDwCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAoQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=luke%209%3A26%20doxa&f=false accessed 10/12/2009

With this reading we see that at the end of the age the Glory of God comes, Baha'is believe that this is a personage, as in Ez. 1:26:

And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it.

 Therefore, according to the Baha'i understanding of apocalyptic prophecies Baha'u'llah is prophesied by the Old Testament and the New Testament. A Messiah, annointed in the Davidic Line, a teacher sitting upon the throne of David.  In closing it is beneficial to look at one last prophetic verse that of Revelations which details what the Baha'i teachings shall be, "a healing to the nations".

Revelations 22:1-6

The River of Life

 1Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ³No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. 6The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place."

The Baha'i messianic teachings have 12 fruits as written of in Revelations, these 12 fruits are the methods by which the nations can be healed.  Elsewhere in the book of Revelations the 12 principles appear as foundation stones as in Rev. 21:19. The 12 fruits, the 12 foundation stones according to the Baha'i religion are delineated as the following 12 principles:

1. "The Oneness of the World of Humanity." "Hands may be black, white, yellow, or brown, but the hue of the heart is one." The first foundation stone is the jasper ; it is a clear red, like the hue of the heart. In ancient times it was called the bloodstone.
2. "The Independent Investigation of Truth." All must be free to seek out truth in their own way. The second foundation stone, the sapphire, is a clear blue, 'true blue,' and the color of faith, inspiration, loyalty and truth. Man must be free to soar in this "Dome of Heaven's blue truth," and see it with his own eyes.
3. "The Foundation of all Religions is one." Each Revelator has given the same "New Heaven and Earth" but man has polluted and misrepresented these Divine Laws. In reality, they are all one. The third foundation stone, the chalcedony , is pure white, of which Ábdu'l-Bahá said: "While white is apparent, yet in it is hidden and concealed the seven colors. In white all colors are brothers and sisters." White is the symbol of purity, and in its origin each religion is pure, and a brother to every other religion, for all Truth is one.
4. "Religion Must Be the Source of Unity." If it is not, its non-being were better than its being. The fourth foundation stone, the emerald, is green . Green is the color of harmony and unity. There is no color known that green will not harmonize with, as the green foliage blends with every hued flower. It is the color of immortality and also of humility.
5. "Religion must be in accord with Science and Reason." Neither must deny the other. The fifth foundation stone, the sardonyx, is red or brown, according to the way it is held. as it is with science and religion; they are in essence one, but differ in color of manifestation. Today they are coming closer together in their realities in the minds of thinking people.
6. "The Equality of Men and Women." They must be as the two wings of the soul, each equally developed. The sixth foundation stone, the sardius, is a stone in two layers, one white and one red, symbolic of the two in one who unitedly further the progress of mankind.
7."Removal of all Prejudice; Religious, Racial, National, Political, etc." The seventh foundation stone, the pure chrysolite, is exquisitely clear, slightly tinted green. We read in the ancient philosophies of the Chrysolite Tablet that it is the symbol of absolute sincerity and truthfulness, purity and selflessness. Only when our hearts are free from every form of prejudice can they become the 'chrysolite tablet' wheron may be engraved our thoughts and motives.
8. "Universal Peace." The eighth foundation stone, the beryl, isgreenish-blue ; somewhat like the ocean wave as it mounts toward its crest, the blue of faith and loyalty toward our brother man, the green of humility and unity, the harmonious blending into one symmetrical whole, like a beautiful bouquet of flowers. This established in the hearts of man, will also establish Universal Peace.
9. "Universal Education." The ninth foundation stone, the topaz, the glory of the sun, is symbolic of the light of knowledge and the glory of wisdom, which universal education will establish in the world when the golden topaz, Light of the Teachings of Bahá'u'lláh, is understood and lived.
10. "The Spiritual Solution of the Economic Problem." The tenth foundation stone, the chrysoprasus, is like opaque chrysolite, a clear green which embodies truthfulness, justice, sincerity and purity, and these are the requisites necessary for the solution of all economic problems-the Golden Rule-"Do unto others as ye would that they would do unto you."
11. "A Universal Language." The eleventh foundation stone, the jacinth, is somewhat like the jasper, rose red, the universal color, the hue of the heart. A race can only understand the heart of another when it can speak the same language.
12. "An International Tribunal, or Parliament of Nations---The Universal House of Justice with the Davidic Guardian." The twelfth foundation stone, the amethyst , is violet. It symbolizes spiritual light--reverence, healing, serenity, and poise. This Tribunal of all nations must be as the ultraviolet rays for the 'healing of the nations' and it must seek spiritual light in all reverence, that it may fulfill its high calling, imparting a sense of security, poise and serenity to the hearts of all humanity. 
  

Shiloh: An Examination of Genesis 49:10

by Michael McCarron

In the following paper I will look at Apacolyptic Prophecy from the Old Testament regarding a interruption in the Davidic Kingship.  I will examine several passages, reference scholarly commentary on the passages and then show how they are applied by Baha'is to modern historical developments within their Faith.  

"The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs [shiloh] and the obedience of the nations is his." Gen 49:10 NIV

 This verse has significant meaning toward the ideal and concept of the Messiah, one annointed in the line of David.   It is interesting for several reasons, first it is a promise that Judah shall have the rule of the Davidic Line, "the scepter will not depart from Judah"; Second it intimates that the rulership (scepter) will depart at a future date, when the ruler comes to "whom it belongs".  It is also universal in its approach for the "obedience of nations is his".  The concept of this "shiloh" is debated within the the field of biblical studies:

Shiloh (Hebrew: שילה‎) is a figure mentioned in the Hebrew Bible in Genesis 49:10 as part of the benediction given by Jacob to his son Judah. Jacob states that "the scepter will not depart from Judah... until Shiloh comes...". The meaning of this verse is contested.

For those who hold that Shiloh is an otherwise unattested personal name, the verse is interpreted as a Messianic prophecy. This tradition is reflected in the Dead Sea Scrolls, Targums, and various Rabbinic sources. No other verse supports this, nor does the personal name make any obvious sense either to Christians or Jews.

The phrase is translated in the King James Version as "(..) until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be." The Latin Vulgate translates the word as "he who is to be sent," in allusion to the Messiah; and the Septuagint Greek, "until that which is his shall come to Shiloh."

What may be a more suitable solution was originally suggested by the Medieval Jewish scholar Rashi. "Shiloh" is actually a composite of two Hebrew words: shai and loh or in English, "tribute" and "to him." This rendering makes more sense in the immediate context, in the course of the blessing which predicts the rule of Judah, replete with the images of royalty. Unfortunately, the noun that is parallel to shai loh only occurs in one other place in the Hebrew Bible (Proverbs 30:17), in which it means something akin to "obedience."  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiloh_(Biblical_figure) accessed 10/9/2009

 Recent academic discussion of the term Shiloh reveals:

 "In spite of a great deal of scholarly debate, there has been no definitive interpretation of Shiloh.  The KJV simply reproduces in English the Hebrew word "Shiloh". However, it is difficult to make sense of this, since elsewhere in the OT Shiloh is a place and not a person (Josh 18:1; 1 Sam 1:3). Moreover, it is a place associated with judgement rather than hope (PS 78:60; Jer 7:12). Therefore, scholars have explored possible meanings of Shiloh, which has sometimes involved chaning the vowels of the word. One suggestion is that the reference is not to Shiloh but to Shelah, Judah's son.  Another suggestion reflected in the NIV is to understand s[h]iloh as the relative pronoun se, meaning "which" plus a preposition with the third person pronominal suffix meaning "to him", to give the reading, "to whom it belongs." A slightly different change in vocalization is used in the ESV to give "untile tribute comes to him" 

    In spite of these difficulties, it is clear that the passage indicates the dominance of the tribe of Judah will not be lost until the coming of a person or event that will firmly establish it. While the details are debatable, the general import of the blessing is clear: Judah is promised a period of prominence over the other tribes until this culminates in the authority of the monarchy and the domination of the surrounding nations." pg. 186, "Genesis", By James McKeown, http://books.google.com/books?id=-gqTTl1iPr8C&pg=PA186&dq=shiloh+genesis&lr=&ei=51XRSsWfOqX-ygS-n7WCDg#v=onepage&q=shiloh%20genesis&f=false, accessed 10/10/2009

It is of special interest that the phrase in Genesis 49:10 is replicated in Ezekiel 21:26-27:

^{26 thus says the Lord GOD: Remove the turban and take off the crown. Things shall not remain as they are.(A) Exalt that which is low, and bring low that which is exalted.}

²⁷A ruin, ruin, ruin I will make it.^(A) This also shall not be,^(B) until he comes, the one to whom judgment belongs, and I will give it to him.

 This verse is elaborated on in the Bible Dictionary as:

^{The ancient translations (Septaugint, Peshitta, and Targums) understood the word shiloh as meaning "he to whom they belong." This translation also has the support of Ezekiel 21:27; Ezekiel appears to be alluding to Genesis 49:10 and paraphrases the last clause "until he comes to whom it rightfully belongs."  Commentators and translations following this interpretation usually also understand the word translated "lawgiver" as "lawgiver's staff," so that the entire verse [GEN 49:10] would read as follows: "The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from his descendants, until the coming of the one to whom it belongs". [emphasis added] Tyndale Bible Dictionary, pg. 1195, http://books.google.com/books?id=LJ1c9We_ay8C&pg=PA1195&dq=shiloh+genesis+49:10&lr=&ei=U17RSuGOKImmygSJn9j9Ag#v=onepage&q=shiloh%20genesis%2049%3A10&f=false}

Interestingly Marko Jauhiainen connects Ezekiel 21:27 with Zechariah 3:

The oracle of the sword in Ezek 21:23-32 (Eng. 21:18-27) is not dated but gives the impression that the fall of Jerusalem is not very far away....As for the concluding words of the oracle, commentators seem to agree that it draws on Gen 49:10, but there is some debate concerning the way Ezekiel is using this ancient prophecy. Are the turban and the crown-that is, kingship-withdrawn temporarily and given later to the coming righteous king, "my servant David" (Ezekiel 34), or is Ezekiel giving the sacred patriarchal word a cruel twist by announcing that Nebuchadnezzar will be Yahweh's agent of judgment?

Zechariah 3 begins with a heavenly courtroom scene, in which Joshua, the high priest and representative of the people, stands accused by the satan (v. 1). He is clothed with filthy garments (v. 3)-symbolizing his iniquity (v. 4)-but instead of being condemned, his iniquity is taken away and he is clothed with a festal robe (v. 4). There is a general consensus that all this speaks of the cleansing of the (high) priesthood that is necessary for the temple ceremonies to recommence once the temple rebuilding process has been completed.

If being cleansed from iniquity is symbolized by being clothed with pure vestments, why does Joshua also receive a clean turban? Assuming that Zechariah 3 is portraying something like the ordination rite of the high priest, the inclusion of the turban perhaps has a natural explanation. But even in that case it may be serving a double duty, for what happens to Joshua is closely connected to the coming of Zemah, as commentators usually point out. If Zemah is Zechariah's answer to the disaster of the Davidic line announced in Jeremiah 22, as Boda has argued, why not also to a similar disaster announced in Ezekiel 21? Thus, Joshua is not only cleansed and prepared for the temple service as a high priest, but he also receives the turban as a token of the coming servant of Yahweh-Zemah, "to whom it belongs." According to this view, just as the removal of the turban (and crown) from the wicked king represented the fate of the last king of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem, so the giving of the clean turban (and the fashioning of the new crown [6:9-15]) symbolizes the coming of the messianic king and the associated restoration of the fortunes of Gods people. "Turban and Crown Lost and Regained: Ezekiel 21:29-32 and Zechariah's Zemah", Journal of Biblical Literature, Fall 2008 by Jauhiainen, Marko
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7216/is_200810/ai_n32294742/pg_2/?tag=content;col1 accessed 10/12/2009

 It is helpful for us in this study to review two important verses from the Prophet Zechariah where two figures are concerned one a Priest that re-establishes the Throne of David and the second, the King ("Zemah") that shall sit on that Throne:

Zechariah 3:8
Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH (zemah).

Zechariah 6:12
12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH (zemah); and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:

 Academic consensus on Zechariah 3 is controversial¹.  As explained:

The majority of scholars have seen Zechariah 3 and 6:9-15 as evidence for the expansion of the authority of the Zadokite priesthood at the expense of the Davidic dynasty. This has recently been called into question by Rose and Boda, both of whom argue for a far more moderate role for the priestly line. In this essay, I have gone a step further in the same direction by proposing that the prophetic sign-acts and their close connection to Zemah in these two chapters should be interpreted in light of Ezek 21:29-32 (Eng. 21:24-27). Joshua's role is both to stand in for Zemah and, together with his fellow priests, to be a living sign of the coming restoration by walking in the ways of Yahweh and keeping his charge. Zemah is the coming Davidic king who will regain the kingship-symbolized by the turban and crown-lost by the wicked king when Jerusalem fell. If there is any expansion of authority in Zech 6:13, it is not Joshua sharing the rule of Zemah but rather the latter also being a priest on his throne. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_7216/is_200810/ai_n32294742/pg_4/?tag=content;col1

Obviously the staff shall pass to one outside of the tribe of Judah to whom Jacob's blessings in Genesis 49 had given it.  Which scholars have tied into the prophecies of Zechariah regarding a Priest and a Davidic King. Later Jewish thought held that the Scepter transferred to the Exilarchs from whom the Kingship would return to Judah².  This is intersting from the Baha'i perspective as Baha'is hold that Baha'u'llah was a descendant from the Davidic Line through Bostonai, the exilarch.  The throne of Baha'u'llah is held to be the Univesal House of Justice, according to Abdu'l-Baha is comprised of a body of judges and a executive functionary, which would be the "king".  Yet it is interesting for the Davidic Covenant holds that there is a promise from God to David that his line shall rule forever.  Yet, we have in this instance what seems to be a concept that the rulership shall be removed from the physical descendants of Judah, of David.  How could this apparent contradiction be.  Yet we also have as an element in Ezekiel 21:26 three ruins to the Davidic dynasty king it is stated "remove the turban and take off the crown" and "things shall not remain as they are".  Three ruins come to the House of David what could this possibly be?  Most Christian commentators would point this all to the ideal of Jesus as the Messiah, a Davidic King ruling from Heaven.  Which is plausible. Baha'is may point to the relationship of the Bab and Baha'u'llah which also may be a valid intepretation.  However, in the following I would like to suggest that prophecy is an archetype something with a repeating pattern in human experience.  I would offer that there is a historical occurrence from modern Baha'i history which forms a valid intepretation of these passages as applied to actual historical occurences within the Baha'i Faith. 

One of the most controversial episodes in modern Baha'i history revolves around the issue of the succession of the Guardianship.  The leadership of the Baha'i Faith after the passing of the founder of the Faith, Baha'u'llah, went to his son, Abdu'l-Baha.  Abdu'l-Baha appointed in his will that a institution known as the Guardianship (Arabic, 'Waliya') was to be appointed.  The first appointed Guardian, and according to the majority opinion³ of Baha'is the first and last, was Shoghi Effendi. Shoghi Effendi died unexpectedly in 1957.  The majority Baha'i opinion holds that the Guardian should appoint a successor from his "physical" descendants. However, Shoghi Effendi left no will, thus the majority opinion formed the opinion that there could be no successor argueing that there were no "physical" descendants to be appointed, Shoghi Effendi had no children.  Thus, a elite group of Baha'is charged with protecting the faith, known as the "Hands of the Cause of God" [Dec, 1951] declared that the institution of the Guardianship had ceased to exist, declaring using the Islamic theological term "Bada'", literally a change or innovation, that the institution no longer existed, God had changed his mind.  While initially going along with the majority opinion of the Hands of the Cause of God, one Hand, Mason Remey later declared in 1960 that he was in fact the successor to the Shoghi Effendi, later it was revealed that he was the adopted son of Abdu'l-Baha⁴, not known to Baha'is of the time, supporters of Remey's claim argued that he was appointed the Executive of the International Baha'i Council [Jan, 1951], which was the seat of authority for Baha'is in Israel.  His supporters argue by virtue of being an adopted son of Abdu'l-Baha and being the executive President of the IBC he was in fact appointed Shoghi Effendis successor.   No matter where you hold your opinion on these matters it is controversial.  Subsequent to the break between the majority of Baha'is and the supporters of Mason Remey thus the minority opinion holds that the International Baha'i Council, which became the Universal House of Justice in 1963, cannot exist without a Davidic King: a descendant of David, to sit on the throne of God, the Universal House of Justice, also in 1963 Remey formed the first administration of his Baha'i organization. Again we are reminded that Baha'u'llah wrote he ruled on the throne of David, he was a physical descendant of David so by adoption Mason Remey is a descendant of David according to the minority opinion. Thus, for a third time, from the minority Baha'i position,  the throne of David was made a ruin and overturned (Ez. 21:26).  

Subsequent developments for the minority community saw it splinter into differing factions, the history of which is too complicated to go into in this paper⁵. A supporter of Mason Remey, Dr. Leland Jensen, of whose teachings the following intepretation is based on, taught that Abdu'l-Baha revealed that a figure known as the Seventh Angel would appear.  This Seventh Angel is equated with Jesus the Lamb in the Book of Revelation of the New Testament and with Joshua in the Old Testament from the Book of Zechariah according to Dr. Leland Jensen⁶.  In 1969, according to Jensen's supporters a target of a Masonic frameup by politically ambitious individuals, Dr. Jensen was put on civil trial for molesting a patient. Jensen's supporters point out that testimony at the trial by physicians indicate that he was merely performing a appropriate medical procedure to treat the patient.  Nonetheless, he was convicted on the basis of testimony given by witnesses, of whom Jensen's supporters argue none where actual patients of Dr. Jensen, but he was found guilty in the civil trial and sentenced to 20 years in prison⁷.  However, this would lead Dr. Jensen to have an religious epiphany in prison.  He claimed to receive a visitation from an Angel that told him he was the Joshua from Zechariah Chapter 3 and the Seventh Angel from the prophecy of Abdu'l-Baha.  Additional correlations as taught by the Baha'is Under the Provisions of the Covenant with Zechariah 3 are that Dr. Jensen was oppossed by Satan, Dr. Jensen was accussed and given a "dirty jacket" which was then cleansed by an Angel.  He was incarcerated in a prison comprised of stones with seven watch towers, thus equating to the stone with Seven Eyes of Zechariah 3.  He did not lay claim to Guardianship but did lay claim to the function of High Priest in the manner of Joshua of Zechariah⁸.  He taught that Mason Remey was Shiloh of Genesis 49:10⁹.  This is where the interpretation of Genesis 49:10 becomes of interest to us. The intepretation has the following features:

1. The Davidic Kingship is cut-off for a third time (Ez. 21:27). Mason Remey's Guardianship is rejected by the Hands of the Cause (Jer. 23:1-8)

2. A priest re-establishes the Kingship (Zech. 3; Zech 6). Dr. Jensen as Seventh Angel (Rev 11:15) and High Priest, the Lamb of God from the Book of Revelations [see 'The Seventh Angel' later in this work], re-establishes the Davidic Kingship cut-off and overturned.

3. The re-established king is not a "physical" descendant of David, but it is his right. (Genesis 49:10)

4. Mason Remey was charged with building the Baha'i House of Worship (temple) in the Holy Land (Israel) by Shoghi Effendi (Zechariah 6).  

 Thus we have an modern historical episode which is interpreted by the minority community of Baha'is to be based on Biblical Prophecy. 

 In conclusion, we see how Biblical Prophecy is adapted by modern adherents to address a loss in continuity of leadership. Whether the prophecy is true or not is a matter of faith.  In this paper I have laid out the relevant apocalyptic prophecies and shown how adherents can weave them together to explain modern historical developments. 

-------------------------------------------------------

¹ for further reading on this issue, see Zemah and Zerubbabel: messianic expectations in the early postexilic period, By Wolter H. Rose http://books.google.com/books?id=fPP_pOyJbCYC&dq=Zemah+and+Zerubbabel&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=MwJ3fvDRMa&sig=OjrTJTbfoIZUrctOxsByGi1FPm0&hl=en&ei=qsnTSqz_HKbMtAPKz5HTCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false

² see http://books.google.com/books?id=LNlAB58PemcC&pg=PA54&dq=shiloh+genesis&lr=&ei=4VnRSu_3DIa6zATg0MH4DQ#v=onepage&q=shiloh%20genesis&f=false

³ see http://bahai-covenant.blogspot.com/2009/04/shoghi-effendi-didnt-write-will-and.html for the majority opinion arguments

⁴ see http://www.bupc.org/hair-and-blood.html for arguments in support of this.

⁵ for one account of the development of the different factions from the perpective of the Baha'is Under the Provisions of the Covenant, see Leland Jensen's "Most-Mighty Document", pg. 1-37, http://www.bupc.org/Most-Mighty-Document.pdf

⁶ on Jensen, see Balch, Robert; Farnsworth, Gwen and Wilkins, Sue. (1983). "When the Bombs Drop: Reactions to Disconfirmed Prophecy in a Millennial Sect". Sociological Perspectives No. 26. pp. 137–58. Available at http://www.jstor.org/stable/1389088

⁷ For Jensen's supporters claims of innocence see, http://www.alaska.net/~peace/establisher.htm

⁸ Jensen, pg. 95, Most Mighty Document

⁹ Jensen, pg. 42, "Most Mighty Document"

The Seventh Angel: Interpretation as Resolution to Crisis in Succession

by Michael McCarron

In the following paper I examine the little known prophecy from Abdu'l-Baha regarding an appearance of a “Seventh Angel” that shall appear to teach the Spiritual Kingdom of Baha'u'llah to the masses. I will look at the Biblical occurrences relating to the Seventh Angel, then examine the application of the interpretation of the Biblical passages from one Baha'i community, the Baha'is Under the Provisions of the Covenant examining how interpretation of the passages lead to a resolution to a crisis in leadership of the Baha'i community. The interpretation that we shall study are based in millenarian biblical interpretation:

As such it represents a truly unique cross fertilization between on the one hand a very American Protestant understanding of the Bible united with a eastern mystical tradition in the Baha'i Faith, with both sharing in the millenarian vision of an earthly Kingdom of God established on earth to bring in an age of peace. That such a synthesis is possible underlies the joining of eastern with western millenarian thought into a synthesis of cultural beliefs with a common aspiration. With this in mind let us begin a look at the concept of the Seventh Angel in the teachings of Dr. Leland Jensen.

Abdu'l-Baha is recorded in Some Answered Questions spoke of a man to arise to promote the Teachings of the Baha'i Faith. Little is known of this prophecy outside of the small Baha'i community, the Baha'is Under the Provisions of the Covenant (BUPC). Abdu'l-Baha was making a commentary on the Christian Book of Revelation Chapter 11 when he revealed the prophecy concerning the Seventh Angel, the relevant passage is:

http://reference.bahai.org/en/t/ab/SAQ/saq-11.html

It is related by Christian commentators on Rev. 11:15:

"The kingdom of this world has never belonged to anyone other than God (cf. Ps 10:16).  What has happened, however, is that there has been a temporary usurpation of possession, authority, and administration-- which is ending.  In translating the Greek as an ordinary past tense, the heavenly voice is asserting what always has been the case (cf [Rev] 19:6).  Perhaps, the very assertion itself marks a claim of possession from those who trespassed on, and ignored, the divine dominion (cf. Zech 14:9). It is a divine illocutionary act in which the words bring about the reality on earth that John has already seen to be the case in heaven. " pg. 643, The New Interpreter's Bible: A Commentary in Twelve Volumes, Volume XII, Leander E. Keck (ed.), Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1998

According to the teachings of the founder of the BUPC, Dr. Leland Jensen, the Seventh Angel was to appear in 1963, which is given as a date in the earlier part of Abdu'l-Baha's commentary as a date reached by the prophecy from the Book of Daniel of the 1335 days (Dan 12:12). Abdu'l-Baha as noted earlier, said of this date:

Now concerning the verse in Daniel, the interpretation whereof thou didst ask, namely, "Blessed is he who cometh unto the thousand three hundred and thirty five days". These days must be reckoned as solar and not lunar years. For according to this calculation a century will have elapsed from the dawn of the Sun of Truth, then will the teachings of God be firmly established upon the earth, and the Divine Light shall flood the world from the East even unto the West. Then, on this day, will the faithful rejoice! (p. 49-50)

O servant of God! The aforementioned a thousand three hundred and thirty-five years must be reckoned from the day of the flight of His Holiness Muhammad, the Apostle of God, (Hegira) salutations and blessings rest upon Him, at the close of which time the signs of the rise, the glory, the exaltation, the spread of the Word of God throughout the East and the West shall appear. (p. 50)

The Passing of Abdu'l-Baha', Lady Blomfeld and Shoghi Effendi, 1991 Kalimat Press, Los Angeles

http://books.google.com/books?id=TeFVPBHvGh4C&dq=The+Passing+of+%60Abdu'l-Baha%22,&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=fYV7dWUbZi&sig=m6pdVBXLa6Br6qbSeiergyRP7hU&hl=en&ei=wk7TSv6VGoPasQOEr5TwCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CCIQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=daniel&f=false

accessed 10/11/2009

Abdu'l-Baha may have been alluding to other Biblical passages that have an eschatological context in his remarks, for when he relates “and the Divine Light shall flood the world from the East even unto the West”. It certainly is reminded of the passage in the book of Matthew and Luke:

Matthew 8:11-12 (cf. Luke 13:28-29)

11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

This is an eschatological reference to the re-establishment of the covenant. Notice how people come from the east and west and recline at the table with Abraham. The covenant meal here is a reference to the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, the new covenant:

Christians believe that Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant (see Hebrews 8:6). His famous sermon from a hill representing Mount Zion is considered by many Christian scholars to be the antitype [16] of the proclamation of the Old Covenant by Moses from Mount Sinai.

Christians claim that they are God's New Covenant people, on the basis of prophecies such as Jeremiah 31:31-34 and Isaiah 49:8. At the Last Supper, Jesus alludes to these prophecies, saying that the cup of the Passover meal is "the cup of the New Covenant in [his] blood."^[1 Cor. 11:23-26^] This is an eschatological claim, since he is implicitly asserting that the Old Testament rituals of atonement are "fulfilled" in him.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covenant_(biblical)

So we have an overt reference from Abdu'l-Baha to the covenant meal, the Last Supper of Jesus Christ, as well as it should be noted not all that believe are included in the meal, for some are “thrown into the outer darkness”. This will become a key component to the interpretive understanding of Dr. Jensen's interpretation of the Seventh Angel prophecy. It should be noted that Abdu'l-Baha defines angels as believers firm in the Covenant:

 “Today, the Lord of Hosts is the defender of the Covenant, the forces of the Kingdom protect it, heavenly souls tender their services, and heavenly angels promulgate and spread it broadcast.”(Abdu’l-Baha, Selections from the Writings of Abdu’l-Baha, p. 228)

“By angels is meant the divine confirmations and heavenly powers. Angels are also those holy souls who have severed attachment to the earthly world, who are free from the fetters of self and passion and who have attached their hearts to the divine realm and the merciful kingdom. They are of the kingdom, heavenly; they are of the merciful One, divine. They are the manifestations of the divine grace and the dawns of spiritual bounty.”(Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith - Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 410)

We have a clear understanding that the Angel(s) mentioned by Abdu'l-Baha are in fact human beings confirmed in the Covenant. So that the prophecy can be further understood in light of the overt reference to Matthew 8:11² and the intertextual definition of Angels and it's connection to the Covenant that this prophecy has to do with the Covenant of God, a teacher that shall come to establish the Covenant which is the basis of the Kingdom of God. As mentioned earlier the covenant meal, the eucharist or Last Supper of Jesus Christ is a part of the reference in Matthew 8:11. With the understanding that the Christian commentators gives us in regard to Rev 11:15, “is that there has been a temporary usurpation of possession, authority, and administration-- which is ending”. The Seventh Angel is a re-establisher of a covenant, in this specific case in relation to the Baha'is it is the Baha'i Covenant that Abdu'l-Baha is referencing.

Dr. Leland Jensen claimed to be the Seventh Angel of Abdu'l-Baha's prophecy, he also connected this prophecy with the High Priesthood (ha-cohen ha-godal) of Joshua in Zechariah, as noted earlier, the Zechariah prophecy relates to a High Priest that re-establishes the Davidic Kingship of Israel. He also connected the Seventh Angel with the function of the Lamb of God of the Book of Revelation. He claimed to have the “key of David” to interpret the Book of Revelation and as well claimed to be the return of Jesus, figuratively, in the role of High Priest after the order of Melchizedek, who offers bread and wine in the manner of the Eucharist³. He thus connects the role of high priest with that of the Seventh Angel. It is interesting to note that in Zechariah an angel is guiding the high-priest Joshua to re-establish the Davidic Kingship. In the following we shall see how Dr. Jensen provides a commentary on Revelation Chapter 11 and how it is connected to the notion of re-establishing the Davidic Kingship of his time, the Baha'i Guardianship.

Dr. Leland Jensen in the second part of his work, “Entry By Troops” gives an elaborate commentary on the Book of Revelation. The theme of the work is the restoration of the Covenant of God through the Baha'i Revelation, specifically referencing the discontinuation, as noted in his commentary on Zechariah, of the Guardianship of the Baha'i Faith. To begin Dr. Jensen lays claim to the mantle of being the Seventh Angel by interpreting and explaining the 1335 days prophecy of Dan. 12:12:

Daniel gave three dates for the return of Jesus: 1844 as the Bab; 1863 for the

return of Christ, Baha’u’llah; and 1963 for the return of Jesus. He is prophesied by many titles: the Lamb, the High Priest after the Order of Melchizedec, the Knight on the white horse, the seventh angel, Blessed is he who comes to the 1335 days (1963). The 1335 years are from the victory of Muhammad in 628 AD 628 + 1335 = 1963 AD. These are just a few of his titles. “the seventh angel blew his trumpet” means that he gives his explanations and commentaries, dispelling the misinterpretations and false teachings of all the religions of the world. After this the true Religion of God, which was revealed by Baha’u’llah, will be established. This is that Day of God when the Spiritual and Divine Kingdom will be established and last for ever and ever....

[Seventh Angel] will arise, this means that he will arise to combat the Great Violation of the Covenant-breaking “Hands,” and reestablish back into the Faith the Plan of Shoghi Effendi, to have the International Baha’i Council go through the four stages to become the Universal House of Justice, with the descendant of ‘Abdu’l-Baha’s son, Mason Remey, seated as its president: the Davidic King.

pg. 364-365, Entry By Troops

[ At the current juncture I think it is important to delineate what the function of the Lamb of God is in the Book of Revelation. The Lamb of God, which is different from the lamb in the book of John, they are two different greek words used between the book of John and Revelation, the Lamb of God appears 28 times⁴. Some of the occurences to note are:

1. 5:6, The Lamb has 7 eyes and 7 horns, 7 Spirits of God

2. 6:1, The Lamb opens the seals

3. 7:9 The Lamb is given white robes

4. 7:10, salvation is given to the Lamb

5. 14:1 144,000 follow the Lamb

6. 21:4 12 Apostles of the Lamb

Metamorphosis in the Book of Revelation is a studied phenomenon:

A remarkable peculiarity of John's images is their metamorphosis. Images in Rev. do not remain fixed but they change in some of their traits or even entirely. The Great Harlot of Rev. 17:1, for instance, changes into Babylon the Great (v. 5). The metamorphosis of the same woman into a city is found again on a smaller scale in v. 16 where John sketches the devastation... in four stages: two of them, the second and the third, suit a woman, while on the contrary the first and the last suit a city.

pg. 384, A Figurative and Narrative Language Grammar of Revelation Author(s): G. Biguzzi Source: Novum Testamentum, Vol. 45, Fasc. 4 (Oct., 2003), pp. 382-402 Published by: BRILL Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1561106 Accessed: 16/10/2009 17:09

Similarly the Lamb of God metamorphs into the Seventh Angel⁵ according to the interpretation of Dr. Leland Jensen:

The incense, which is the explanations and commentaries of the Lamb, rose

from the hand of the angel before God, who is the seventh angel and who is the

return of the Lamb. The seventh angel is explained by ‘Abdu’l-Baha in Some

Answered Questions, page 66. He explained that this seventh angel would

establish the true Baha’i faith in the world. The prayers of the saints are those

holy ones that remained firm in the Covenant of Baha’u’llah., pg. 292, “Entry by Troops, Part II”

Then in Revelation Chapter 5 the Lamb of God opens the Seven Seals of the Book, which Dr. Leland Jensen teaches is actually the Covenant of Abdu'l-Baha:

“sealed with seven seals” The seven seals are on the outside part of this

scroll.

‘Abdu’l-Baha wrote the Will and Testament in three different parts at three

different times. He sealed each of these parts, making three seals. On the back

of the envelope where it was stuck down ‘Abdu’l-Baha placed three more seals,

and then on the front, where it was addressed, he placed the seventh seal. The

seven seals are thus on the outside part of this scroll, the Will and Testament of

‘Abdu’l-Baha, which was found with the Kitab-i-Ahd, the Covenant of

Baha’u’llah rolled up within., pg. 262, “Entry By Troops, Part II”

So in this way Dr. Leland Jensen uses interpretation first to establish the role of the Seventh Angel, which is a metamorph of the Lamb of God. The covenant is the object of the opening of the seven seals of the Book of Revelation according to the interpretation of Dr. Leland Jensen. What does the book of Revelation according to his interpretation tell us about the Guardianship, the crisis in succession? According to Dr. Jensen, he interprets the throne and him who sits on the throne in Revelations as the institution of the Guardianship. The idea of a throne appears in several places in the Book of Revelation, Rev. 3:21:

And in Rev. 20:11:

Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.

Easton's Bible dictionary relates the following about the Biblical Throne:

Throne occurs in other passages in the book of Revelation:

1:4, Seven Spirits are before the throne.

4:2-10, Heavenly Throne, with a Rainbow, sign of the covenant, above it, this throne has 24 thrones of the Apostles around it.

7:9-17, At the throne of God, Lamb leads the angels whose robes have been made white in the blood of the Lamb, atonement

14:3,5, the 144,000 followers of the Lamb sing a new song before the throne.

19:4, The 24 Apostles and the 4 Living creatures worship God who sits on the throne.

21:5 He who sits on the throne makes all things new.

22:3 The Throne of God and the Lamb is put in the city, 'new Jerusalem'.

Dr. Jensen comments on the throne⁶ first in regards to Rev. 1:4:

This refers to God who makes Himself known through the seven appearances

of the Holy Spirit in the Divine Manifestations before the coming of

Baha’u’llah. They are Adam, Moses, Krishna, Zoroaster, Buddha, Muhammad

and the Bab. The throne is the throne of King David, which Baha’u’llah sat

upon. pg. 226, “Entry by Troops, Part II”

Dr. Jensen then further elaborates on what the 'throne of King David' is and how it relates to the difference between the Messiahship of Jesus and the Messiahship of Baha'u'llah:

The difference between Jesus Christ and Baha’u’llah is that none of Jesus

ancestors sat on the throne of David except David himself. In the 89th Psalms it

is recorded: “Thou hast said; ‘I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I

have sworn to David my servant: I will establish your descendants for ever and

build thy throne for all generations’” (Psalms 89:3, 4). Baha’u’llah’s Covenant

is the continuation of the covenant that God made with David. Baha’u’llah, a

male sperm Descendant of King David seated on the throne of King David, in

His Covenant, passed this Lineage down to His Son, ‘Abdu’l-Baha. ‘Abdu’l-Baha

continued this lineage in his adopted son, of whom Shoghi Effendi placed at the

head, or president of the future Universal House of Justice, the first International

Baha’i Council. pg. 227, “Entry By Troops”

In relation to Rev. 4:2-10, Dr. Jensen relates that the person sitting on the throne is the Guardian and the 24 lesser thrones are those of the Apostles of Jesus the Lamb in his second coming the office of the High Priest (cf. Chapter 4, “Entry By Troops, Part II”). In relation to Rev. 7:9-17 he relates that angels are those loyal to the Davidic kingship of the Guardian. In Rev. 14:3,5 it is related by Dr. Jensen that this represents the ruling Guardian and the 144,000 that proclaim him to the world. In regards to Rev. 19:4 Dr. Jensen explains:

As explained before, “the twenty-four elders” are the twenty-four Apostles of the Lamb, who are now seated in the second International Baha’i Council, which will go through three more stages to become the Universal House of Justice. “the four living creatures” are the four world powers who once were described as beasts because they were void of Spirit. After the whore is destroyed, these four world powers will become spiritual by recognizing the true Revelation of God through the Lamb’s explanations. That is why they are then seen as “living” creatures, as they take on the Spirit of Baha.

“God who is seated on the throne” is represented by the Guardians who are the descendants of Baha’u’llah, who is a descendant of King David seated on the throne of David. All who are believers in the Revelation of Baha’u’llah—they will understand through the Lamb’s explanations that the Guardian is the sign of God on earth. Therefore, they will worship God. pg. 441-442, “Entry By Troops, Part II”

In relation to Rev. 21:5, Dr. Jensen writes that the one sitting on the Throne is Baha'u'llah, and through the Davidic Kingship of the living Guardians all things are made new. Finally, in Rev. 22:3 Dr. Jensen writes:

“the Lamb shall be in it” means that his explanations and commentaries will

guide the House of Justice.

All those who become believers in this Revelation through the Lamb’s explanations will realize that the Guardian is the sign of God on earth, and is the head (executive) of the legislative body of the Universal House of Justice. Without both the Executive Branch and the legislative body there could be no justice, and without justice there could not be a Universal House of Justice. “The legislative body must reinforce the executive, the executive must aid and assist the legislative body so that through the close union and harmony of these two forces, the foundation of fairness and justice may become firm and strong, that all the regions of the world may become even as Paradise itself.” (Will and Testament, p. 15)

pg. 481, “Entry By Troops, Part II”

So by going through Dr. Jensen's interpretations of the Throne in the Book of Revelation we come up with an interpretive argument, that the Lamb of God (Seventh Angel) establishes, what we know through Christian commentary on Rev. 11:15 is a break in the succession of the continuing rule of the living Davidic king that sits on a throne. He interprets the rainbow and the book with the seven seals as being the Covenant of the Cause. He establishes that the function of the Lamb is that of a High Priest which is preceded by the prophecies of Zechariah 3 and 6 that a Priest shall establish the renewed Davidic Kingship. The relationship of the Lamb to the King on the Throne is that of an Establisher by Dr. Jensen's interpretation. In this way, Dr. Jensen establishes the 1335 Days prophecy as relating to the Seventh Angel of the Book of Revelation that `Abdu'l-Baha' says will arise and by cross referencing what `Abdu'l-Baha' wrote of the 1335 days to the Bible, for Dr. Jensen, he sees that the Seventh Angel appears in 1963 as a sign of God and preaches about establishing the Covenant. In this way, the High Priest in accord with the schema of the Book of Revelation, re-establishes the Kingdom in the latter days.