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From the Baha'i point of view, Jesus' prophecy concerning the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven has been fulfilled in the Person of Baha'u'llah. This is understood to be true quite simply because the life and teachings of Baha'u'llah indicate that He is from God. The recognition of this is, of course, the most important point and purpose of Jesus' Olivet Discourse for our time. Naturally, there are many who dispute this claim, even as the people before disputed Jesus' claims. But as we have already seen, and will see, these claims are entirely compatible with, and are supported by, Scripture. (123:1) The Meaning of 'Clouds'-- Matthew's Gospel is rendered in English to read that the Son of Man will come 'in the clouds of heaven' (24:30 KJV). Mark records, 'in the clouds'(13:26) and Luke's version says 'in a cloud' (21:27). (123:2) In the Baha'i writings, the clouds mentioned in Scripture are understood to have a symbolic or metaphorical meaning. They represent anything that obscures our vision and prevents us from recognizing the truth. This can cover a wide range of things. For instance, a person may reject Baha'u'llah because he or she disagrees with His teachings. Baha'u'llah writes: (123:3) And now regarding His words, that the Son of man shall 'come in the clouds of heaven'. By the term 'clouds' is meant those things that are contrary to the ways and desires of men.(Certitude 7 1 ) (123:4) Using a slightly different emphasis, 'Abdu'l-Baha writes:-- the cloud referred to in the Gospel is the human body, so called because the body is as a veil to man, which, even as a cloud, preventeth him from beholding the Sun of Truth that shineth from the horizon of Christ. (Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha 168) (123:5) 'Abdu'l-Baha's explanation may pertain both to the human body of the individual who is confronted with a decision of faith and to the human body of the Manifestation (Baha'u'llah). This is possible because people's own physical desires are often the reason they reject the religious teachings of God, while the human nature of Baha'u'llah prevents some from recognizing His divinity. The crucifixion, for example, prevented many people from perceiving Jesus' divinity. They believed that if He were the Messiah it would not be possible to kill Him (Matt. 27:40-2). The symbolism of 'clouds' refers to those things which, like the crucifixion in the case of Christianity, were a 'stumbling block' over which the majority of the Jews fell, thereby failing to accept Christ (1 Cor. 1:23).
(123:6)
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