Bahá'u'lláh and the New EraEsslemont, J. E. (John Ebenezer)
Religion
Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era
Esslemont, J. E. (John Ebenezer)
Bahai Faith; Bahá'u'lláh, 1817-1892
In the Book of Íqán Bahá’u’lláh explains that these prophecies about the
sun, moon and stars, the heavens and the earth, are symbolical and are not
to be understood merely in the literal sense. The Prophets were primarily
concerned with spiritual, not material, things; with spiritual, not with
physical, light. When They mention the sun, in connection with the Day of
Judgment, They refer to the Sun of Righteousness. The sun is the supreme
source of light, so Moses was a sun for the Hebrews, Christ for the
Christians, and Muḥammad for the Muslims. When the Prophets speak of the
sun being darkened, what is meant is that the pure teachings of these
spiritual Suns have become obscured by misrepresentation, misunderstanding
and prejudice, so that the people are in spiritual darkness. The moon and
stars are the lesser sources of illumination, the religious leaders and
teachers, who should guide and inspire the people. When it is said that
the moon shall not give her light or shall be turned into blood, and the
stars shall fall from heaven, it is indicated that the leaders of the
churches shall become debased, engaging in strife and contention, and the
priests shall become worldly minded, concerned about earthly instead of
heavenly things.
The meaning of these prophecies is not exhausted by one explanation,
however, and there are other senses in which these symbols can be
interpreted. Bahá’u’lláh says that in another sense the words “sun,”
“moon,” and “stars” are applied to the ordinances and instructions enacted
in every religion. As in every subsequent Manifestation the ceremonies,
forms, customs and instructions of the preceding Manifestations are
changed in accordance with the requirements of the times, so, in this
sense the sun and moon are changed and the stars dispersed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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