Progressive Revelation

[jambun]

Progressive Revelation
 Part 1
Don't forget the Jews don't believe in or even read the New Testament and neither do they believe in Jesus. They believe that he was an impostor and are still awaiting the Messiah. They have no idea who he will be but that it will be obvious when he comes. They believe in the Old Testament which is known as the Tanakh because it contains three sections (i) the Torah (ii) the Nevi'im and (iii) the Kethuvim which has the three initials T, N & K, hence Tanakh. When Abraham said 'they have Moses and the Prophets. let them hear them' he was referring to the Jewish book 'the Tanakh' not the New Testament. Jesus' audience were Jews and Lazarus was a Jew unless he converted. Remember that in those days the world was teeming millions and the Christians only a handful. Just because we all know about Jesus today it doesn't mean that the Jewish populace had any idea who Jesus was. They don't even now. Converts had to be made one heart at a time so it was a very slow process apart from the way Jesus personally taught which was infinitely superior to the way his disciples preached after he was gone. If you preached and drew a crowd most likely the mob would attack you like when Paul preached. So its taken 2,000 years to get this big but its a testimony to the greatness of Christ that there's 2 billion Christians and millions of Churches and I say that as a member of the Bahá'í Faith not Christianity although we are a multi-faith religion in a multi-faith society.
Part 2
 May I just add that Jesus wasn't preaching what the people already knew, his message was new and difficult to recognise for the Jews and Gentiles. The Pharisees (clergy) were teaching what the people already knew ie Judaism. Today the Persian Prophet Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892)is not teaching what the people already know whereas the Christian clergy are teaching what the people already know ie Christianity. Baha'i's believe that the Prophet Bahá'u'lláh is the return of Christ and he has written 100 volumes and spent 40 years in prison and exile. The Baha'i's are heavily persecuted in Iran the land of its birth.
Part 3
 Don't forget the Jews believe in the Old Testament (the Tanakh) and not the New Testament. Christianity inherited the Old Testament from the Jews. The Early Christians must have said to themselves "well Judaism is the Old Religion and Christianity is the New Religion, so we will call the Jewish book the Old Testament and the Christian book the New Testament and put it into one Book the Holy Bible." Jesus came at a time when Judaism had become old and corrupt. It was time for a new religion. Jesus sent his followers out to teach His Religion to the whole world. There was a Christian Golden Age. When Christianity came into temporal power and earthly riches it became old and corrupt so it was time for a new Prophet and a new religion so God sent Muhammad with a new religion called Islam. The Prophet Muhammad sent his followers out to teach His Religion to the whole world. Their religion grew until there was an Islamic Golden Age when they were the most advanced Nations on Earth. Eventually it became old and corrupt so it was time for a new Prophet and a new religion so God sent the Báb (the Gate) (1819-1850) who announced the coming of a greater One who would come after Him. The Báb announced His mission in 1844. He sent His followers out to teach His Religion to all mankind. In 1850 the Báb was shot by firing squad. The One promised by the Báb was the Prophet Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892) who announced his mission in 1853. Once again He sent out His followers to teach His religion to all mankind. He wrote 100 volumes and spent 40 years in prison and exile. His successors were his eldest Son 'Abdu'l-Bahá who wrote many books and Bahá'u'lláh's Great Grandson Shoghi Effendi who wrote many volumes. In the future there will be a Baha'i Golden Age of Peace and harmony between all of the races and religions on Earth. There will be a much more advanced Global Civilization with no more war, starvation, poverty, disease or environmental disaster. Eventually the Bahá'í Faith will become old and outworn and it will be time for a new religion. A new Prophet will come and we will start over again. He will send out his followers to teach His religion to the whole world. Bahá'u'lláh predicted this new Prophet but he said that he won't come for a thousand years. There will be a new Religion with a new Golden Age. Eventually it will become old and outworn and another Prophet will be born and he will start a new Religion so we will start all over again. The Prophets will keep on coming indefinitely.

[Tony Bristow-Stagg]

That is a good summary of the progression from Jesus to Baha'u'llah and what will come to pass.

All the best, Regards Tony