Bahá'ís believe that throughout history the Creator has revealed Himself and His Teachings to humanity through a series of Divine Messengers. The Mission of these Emissaries from God is to educate and train the souls of human beings. These Messengers or Teachers have come to all people and parts of the planet.

Bahá'ís believe that there is, in essence, only one religion and all the Messengers of God have progressively revealed its nature. These religions are as chapters of the same book, are as gems which are linked together by a golden chain. God has never left humanity without guidance, nor, the Bahá'ís believe, will He ever stop sending Messengers.

There will be others coming after Bahá'u'lláh, until the end of time. Bahá'u'lláh has specifically stated that another Teacher will not appear sooner than a thousand years. Until that time, the Bahá'ís believe Bahá'u'lláh has brought the guidance that humanity needs.

Together, the world's great religions are expressions of a single unfolding Divine plan:

The study of religious history shows a recurring cycle characterized by the appearance of the Messenger, rejection by the people around Him, the ultimate acceptance of His Teachings, the building of a civilization based on them, its decline, then a religious rebirth through the coming of a new Messenger.

The Bahá'ís believe that the continual appearances of the Messengers of God are the source of spiritual renewal and human development to humankind. With every new impulse of revelation from God comes larger and larger circles of unity. So far, humanity has successfully established the unities of clan, of tribe, of agricultural village, of city-state, and of nation.

No matter when and where it appeared, each religion predicted the coming of a unique Promised One of all ages. This is the Messenger that would bring about the logical next step for human development after nationhood, that of creating the largest circle of unity, that of the entire world.

Bahá'ís believe that Bahá'u'lláh is that Promised One foretold in all the Holy Scriptures. They have examined the prophecies and the proofs and concluded that He is that One.

For Bahá'ís of Jewish background, Bahá'u'lláh is the appearance of the promised "Lord of Hosts" come down "with ten thousands of saints." A descendent of Abraham and a "scion from the root of Jesse," Bahá'u'lláh has come to lead the way for nations to "beat their swords into plowshares." Bahá'u'lláh's involuntary exile to the Holy Land, along with other historical events, both during Bahá'u'lláh's lifetime and afterward, are seen as fulfilling many prophecies in the Bible.

For Bahá'ís of Buddhist background, Bahá'u'lláh fulfills the prophecies for the coming of "a Buddha named Maitreye, the Buddha of universal fellowship" who will, according to Buddhist traditions, bring peace and enlightenment for all humanity. They see the fulfillment of many prophecies, such as the fact that the Buddha Maitreye is to come from "the West." Iran, the birthplace of Bahá'u'lláh, is West of India.

For Bahá'ís of Hindu background, Bahá'u'lláh comes as the return of Krishna, the "Tenth Avatar" and the "Most Great Spirit." He is "the birthless, the deathless," the One who, "when goodness grows weak, "returns" in every age" to "establish righteousness" as promised in the Bhagavad-Gita.

For Bahá'ís of Zoroastrian background, Bahá'u'lláh is the promised "Shah Bahram" and "Saoshyant." Bahá'u'lláh was a descendent of the Persian king, Yazdegerd the third, and the One foretold by God's Messenger, Zoroaster, in His prophecy many centuries ago: "When a thousand two hundred and some years have passed from the inception of the religion of Arabians and the overthrow of the Kingdom of Iran and the degradation of the followers of My religion, a descendent of Iranian Kings will be raised up as a prophet." --Denkart, ATMN, p. 171

For Bahá'ís of Christian background, Bahá'u'lláh fulfills the promises of Christ's return "in the Glory of the Father" and "Comforter" and "Spirit of Truth."

The fact that the Faith was founded in 1844 relates to numerous Christian prophecies, including Matthew 24:15, where Christ refers to the prophecy of Daniel which Christian scholars have calculated to work out exactly to that year.

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Bahá'í and Christianity

Another prophecy concerning 1844 is in Matthew 24:14 "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Central Africa and China were finally opened to Christianity in the 1840's, and that was widely seen by Christian scholars as fulfilling the promise that Christ would return.

In 1844 the Edict of Toleration was signed, allowing the Jews, who had been dispersed for nearly two thousand years, to return to the Holy Land, thus fulfilling another prophecy: "until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled..." --Luke, 21:24

In Bahá'u'lláh's teachings and in the world-wide Bahá'í community, Bahá'ís see the fulfillment of Christ's promise to return and bring all people together so that "there shall be one fold, and one shepherd."

For Bahá'ís of Moslem background, Bahá'u'lláh fulfills the promise of the Quran for the "Day of God" and the "Great Announcement," when "God" will come down "overshadowed with clouds." They see in the dramatic events of the Faith the fulfillment of many traditional statements of Muhammad, which have long been a puzzle.

For Bahá'ís of other backgrounds, such as the many indigenous peoples of North and South America, Africa, Asia, the Pacific Islands, and Australia whose religions have often referred to a time when "all the tribes will be gathered into one tribe," and many other prophecies. Bahá'u'lláh fulfills their expectations, and they have warmly embraced the Faith.

Having studied His life and teachings, many indigenous peoples from every continent have concluded that Bahá'u'lláh, indeed, is the Promised One of their own ancient faiths. Because they have become Bahá'ís, they now accept the other Messengers of God that Bahá'u'lláh refers to as well, such as Jesus Christ.