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The neglect of this Discourse is, however, relative to its importance and the attention that has been given to other passages. Anyone who searches long enough will find that there have been numerous views expressed concerning the meaning of Jesus' prophetic sermon. There is no need to attempt to examine them all here. However, there are two main opposing Christian views which should be noted before introducing a Baha'i point of view. (20:4) The first of these views asserts that the return of Christ will not occur literally in the physical appearance of Jesus, but rather will occur, or has occurred, in a general spiritual unfolding of the Church in the world. Christians who adhere to this view believe that many of the prophecies use symbolic language that should be understood spiritually. The other view holds that the same Jesus of Nazareth will return bodily and literally in the clouds of heaven. Christians who await Jesus to return in this manner usually interpret prophecy literally.
(20:5)
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