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There can be no doubt that when it is said: the Son of man is "come down from heaven", this is a spiritual truth, not a material fact. It means that although Christ was, apparently, born from the womb of Mary, His spirit, and the reality of His teachings, came from God. (101:1) Just as Christ’s coming down from heaven is a spiritual rather than a physical fact, so too His disappearance under the earth for three days, His subsequent resurrection and ascension up to heaven are spiritual, not physical facts. They are all inward, not outward truths. (101:2) Bahá'u'lláh’s teachings say clearly: (101:3) Therefore we say that the meaning of Christ’s resurrection is as follows: The disciples were troubled and agitated after the martyrdom of Christ. The Reality of Christ, which signifies His teachings, His bounties, His perfections and His spiritual power, was hidden and concealed for two or three days after His martyrdom, and was not resplendent and manifest. No, rather it was lost; for the believers were few in number and were troubled and agitated. The Cause of Christ was like a lifeless body; and, when after three days the disciples became assured and steadfast, and began to serve the Cause of Christ, and resolved to spread the divine teachings, putting His counsels into practice, and arising to serve Him, the Reality of Christ became resplendent and His bounty appeared; His religion found life; His teachings and His admonitions became evident and visible. In other words, the Cause of Christ was like a lifeless body until the life and bounty of the Holy Spirit surrounded it.5 (101:4) Let us examine the inner meaning of the resurrection and, by means of the Scriptures, prove to our own satisfaction that it is symbolical. (101:5) The resurrection and ascension of Christ, if taken literally, are contrary to science and to reason. Bahá'u'lláh’s teachings say that any religion which is contrary to true science is nothing more than superstition. (101:6) Science has proved that there are stars in space millions of light years away from us. If the physical body of Christ were to ascend into a heaven beyond this universe, the journey would not be completed yet. It would take millions of years, and He would still be ascending. Mathematicians, during the 1840s, scoffed at those literal-minded Bible scholars who said Christ would soon appear "on a cloud". Clouds, they said, are vapours which rise from the earth, they do not "come down". They also pointed out that Christ would have to make hundreds of thousands of "solo flights" if all the world were to see Him, because of the curvature of the earth. [See Thief in the Night, pp. 1-5.] (101:7) Obviously, the coming, the resurrection, and the ascension of Christ were symbolical. (101:8) If Christ really had risen physically from the dead, then all His patient love and teaching would be fruitless. Men would believe in Him solely because of this miracle, and not because of a sincere, voluntary effort on their part to turn toward God. A miracle of this nature would compel the wickedest sinner to repent. The sheep and the goats would both respond to the force of this prodigy, and moral values would be set aside. Belief would be brought about by coercion. This is contrary to the spirit of the teachings of Christ, as well as to those of all the Messengers of God.
(101:9)
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