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There are many other references in the Baha'i writings which indicate the spiritual nature of the Rapture. In one passage, 'Abdu'l-Baha tells the believers that 'through the power of the Word of God ye will bring to life the dead now buried in the graves of their sensual desires' (Selections from the Writings of 'Abdu'l-Baha 37). In another passage, 'Abdu'l-Baha says that the believers 'have risen upward to the refreshing skies of love' (ibid.). This last phrase is similar to a passage by Baha'u'llah that was specifically addressed to Christians: (125:1) Blessed is the man who hath detached himself from all else but Me, hath soared in the atmosphere of My love . . . and hath shone forth from the horizon of divine knowledge engaged in My praise and glorification. (Tablets of Baha'u'llah 17) (125:2) From a Baha'i point of view, the meaning of Paul's depiction of Christ's return and the Rapture lies in the symbolism of such terms as 'heaven','clouds', 'dead in Christ' and 'air'. An interpretation of 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 may be as follows: The 'dead in Christ' signifies those 'dead in unbelief' (Certitude 114), those who have fallen away from the religious life. The 'dead in Christ will rise first' indicates that, in a general sense, many of the first to believe in Baha'u'llah will be those who have died spiritually because they have abandoned religious life. (125:3) Following these verses, Paul says, 'Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air'. This appears to refer to those who are still faithful to Christ and who await His return. These would be the next to embrace the Revelation of Baha'u'llah and to be caught up in the 'clouds of knowledge' (Gleanings 45), that is, the next to have their lives changed and raised up spiritually by the divine teachings and laws (Certitude 71-2). (125:4) Based on this interpretation, the promised Rapture has already taken place. The Baha'is constitute the 'dead' and 'living' who have been raised up into the clouds of heaven. Baha'u'llah writes:
(125:5)
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