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Prophecies Given by Baha'u'llah (18:56) To put into perspective Baha'u'llah's insight we must consider that He was born and grew up in a society that in many ways was profoundly superstitious, prejudiced, and fanatical. Baha'u'llah never attended school. He spent most of His life as an exile and prisoner of the Ottoman Empire, experiencing the cruelest deprivation. All of His Writings were revealed spontaneously and with great rapidity-either written by His own hand or recorded by one of His followers as He revealed them. His Words were never premeditated, never revised or corrected, never changed. All of His Words-even entire books-were revealed in final form from beginning to end. Indeed, He was like a perfect mirror reflecting the Words revealed by God. Once the light of the sun strikes a mirror and is reflected, there is no way to take back the light. And so it was with Baha'u'llah's Words; once they were uttered, they were final. He wrote extensively-the equivalent of one hundred volumes over a period of forty years. Many of His writings on the prerequisites for the establishment of a thriving, spiritual world civilization were so far-sighted that it has only been with the passage of time that the world has appreciated their value. Some of His Teachings are still considered utopian, and will only be realized after mankind endures further suffering because of it's neglect of spiritual values. (18:57) What did Baha'u'llah have to say about the future? (18:58) He predicted the eventual unification of the human race. The principle enshrined in His words Ye are the fruits of one tree, and the leaves of one branch (gwb, CXXXII) is increasingly used by society at large as the standard by which all efforts at social progress are measured. His proclamation of the oneness of humankind, uttered at a time when it was common for certain peoples to think that others were sub-human, has since been confirmed by every human science: biology, anatomy, genetics, sociology, anthropology, physiology, and psychology, to name some. (18:59) Baha'u'llah predicted the establishment of world peace after a period of great suffering. He wrote that peace will come in two stages, which He referred to as the Lesser Peace and the Most Great Peace. After the lack of response to His message, Baha'u'llah admonished the rulers: (18:60) Now that ye have refused the Most Great Peace, hold ye fast unto this the Lesser Peace, that haply ye may in some degree better your own condition and that of your dependents. (pdc 27) (18:61) The Baha'i Writings state that the Lesser Peace, in which the nations of the world will reluctantly implement Baha'u'llah's principle of collective security-unaware that the guiding Hand of God is directing their destiny-will come about as a result of immense suffering which humanity will bring upon itself. The Lesser Peace will represent the end of war, but will not represent an end to mankind's suffering, which will continue to deepen because of its lack of spirituality. The Most Great Peace, on the other hand, will be the result of the maturation of humankind consequent to its spiritualization over a long period of time. (18:62) Baha'u'llah predicted the establishment of the full equality of women and men. His teaching that women and men have been and will always be equal in the sight of God was revealed at a time when women in any country didn't even have the right to vote, when they were oppressed in one form or another in every nation. But now, increasingly, this principle is recognized as vital to the future of humanity. The Baha'i Writings state that this principle is one of the most important, though less acknowledged, prerequisites to the establishment of world peace, for it is only when women are accorded full participation in the life of society that their collective desire for peace will be realized. (18:63) Baha'u'llah predicted that the world would one day adopt an auxiliary language to facilitate communication among peoples in order to remedy the fundamental lack of communication which undermines efforts towards peace. He wrote: (18:64) The day is approaching when all the peoples of the world will have adopted one universal language and one common script. When this is achieved, to whatsoever city a man may journey, it shall be as if he were entering his own home. (pob 115) (18:65) Although when Baha'u'llah wrote these words, the adoption of a world language seemed inconceivable, it now appears inevitable. (18:66) Baha'u'llah predicted the explosion of scientific knowledge. He stated: In the days to come, ye will, verily, behold things of which ye have never heard before, and referred to the most marvelous sciences that would be manifest.. in the course of time at the bidding of Him Who is the Almighty, the All-Knowing (gwb, LXXIV). The stupendous advances in science that have occurred since the time of His statements on this subject have all confirmed His prophetic knowledge.
(18:67)
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