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In The Book of Certitude, Baha'u'llah refers to the stars mentioned in Matthew 24:29 as 'the stars of understanding and utterance' and in another passage as 'the Stars of divine wisdom' (66). He indicates that the falling of the stars can symbolize the failure of the leaders of previous religions to recognize the new Manifestation (ibid. 36). In a Tablet especially addressed to Christians, Baha'u'llah writes: (111:2) O concourse of bishops! Ye are the stars of the heaven of My knowledge. My mercy desireth not that ye should fall upon the earth. My justice, however, declareth: 'This is that which the Son hath decreed.' And whatsoever hath proceeded out of His blameless, His truth-speaking, trustworthy mouth, can never be altered. (Tablets of Baha'u'llah 14) (111:3) According to this explanation, the prophecy recorded in Matthew 24:29 indicates that the signs heralding Christ's return will be the decline of spiritual leadership and religious practice. Corruption in the Church, confusion among Christian believers, opposition to and rejection of Baha'u'llah, and other similar occurrences, are all aspects of prophecy unfolding in this day. (111:4) The Baha'i view suggests that the signs described in Matthew 24:29 will characterize that stage of the tribulation which heralds the Second Advent. When the Second Advent is upon us 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken'. These signs symbolize the final outcome of the tribulation: the obscuring of the religious guidance of Christ, the abandonment of religious practice, and the downfall of religious institutions.
(111:5)
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