Baha'is under the Provisions of the Covenant (BUPC)

Thursday 5 January 2017

Baha’i Month: Sharaf/Honor 1, 173 B.E. (12/31/2016)

The peoples of the world are fast asleep. Were they to wake from their slumber, they would hasten with eagerness unto God, the All-Knowing, the All-Wise. They would cast away everything they possess, be it all the treasures of the earth, that their Lord may remember them to the extent of addressing to them but one word. Such is the instruction given you by Him Who holdeth the knowledge of things hidden, in a Tablet which the eye of creation hath not seen, and which is revealed to none except His own Self, the omnipotent protector of all worlds. So bewildered are they in the drunkenness of their evil desires, that they are powerless to recognize the Lord of all being, Whose voice calleth aloud from every direction: “There is none other God but Me, the Mighty, the All-Wise.”

Baha’u’llah, Gleanings LXXI (exc.)



When delivering the glad tidings, speak out and say: the Promised One of all the world’s peoples hath now been made manifest. For each and every people, and every religion, await a Promised One, and Bahá’u’lláh is that One Who is awaited by all; and therefore the Cause of Bahá’u’lláh will bring about the oneness of mankind, and the tabernacle of unity will be upraised on the heights of the world, and the banners of the universality of all humankind will be unfurled on the peaks of the earth. When thou dost loose thy tongue to deliver this great good news, this will become the means of teaching the people.

Abdu’l-Baha’, Selections 65 (exc.)



Baha’u’llah’s 12 Principle Foundation for a Sustainable Spiritual Civilization


The Seventh Generation, Black Snake, Little Horn, and the four Beasts of Daniel 7

In 2016 we’ve witnessed the prayerful, peaceful rise to action of the prophesied Seventh Generation of the Indigenous Tribal Nations of North America, taking their stand at Standing Rock in North Dakota in protection of water, land, sacred sites, and human rights against the prophesied “Black Snake” of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL), being built there illegally by Energy Transfer Partners (ETP) on the unceded treaty land of the Standing Rock Sioux and other tribes, as stipulated in the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851, and again on April 29th (the Most Holy Day of Ridvan), 1868. This spiritual movement and living monument of Water Protectors, begun in April of 2016 by the youth of the Seventh Generation, is comprised of over 300 Tribal Nations, thought by many to be the largest gathering of Native American Tribes in history, as well as a diversity of humans from the Black Lives Matter movement, feminists, the LGBTQ community, clergy and representatives from all faiths and religions, politicians, immigrants, celebrities, people of all colors, races, and creeds, as well as thousands of US military veterans, all standing strong together at Standing Rock.
As the Water Protectors have prayerfully and peacefully exercised their civil, human, and constitutional rights, they’ve been met with severe oppression by a militarized police force, and have been brutalized violently at every step – bitten by attack dogs, sprayed with mace and pepper spray, beaten with batons, arrested, stripped and cavity searched, held in dog kennels, marked on the arms with numbers for processing, shot with rubber bullets, concussion grenades, and other less lethal rounds, shot with LRAD sound cannons, and sprayed continuously with pressurized water hoses in sub-freezing temperatures. All of these human rights violations have been recorded on video by citizens and reported by independent media organizations, even as the mainstream corporate media blackout of these atrocities persisted during the most violent episodes by organizations with direct ties to the fossil fuel industry.

Simultaneously over the course of 2016, we’ve witnessed the rise to power of the “Little Horn”, demagogue Donald Trump, with his arrogant, boastful, racist, sexist, xenophobic, misogynistic, narcissistic, fascist political campaign and subsequent win of the US presidential election, making him currently the president-elect of the United States of America. Trump has a mutual financial relationship with ETP and the Black Snake, owning stock in ETP as well as Phillips 66, that also funds DAPL, and also receiving campaign contributions from Kelcy Warren, the CEO of ETP. The Trump administration has announced its plans and desire to change laws in order to privatize the land of Native American Tribal Nations, in further support of the Black Snake of oil, greed, colonialism, and oppression.

In the Book of Daniel is the prophecy of a “little horn” who will rise to power, described in this way:

“After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.” Daniel 7:7-8 KJV

From the Chinvat, posted by the Guardian on April 28th of 2016:

“The Little Horn

“I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn” (KJV) “This little horn had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly” (NLV) “speaking arrogant things” (NETB) “a mouth uttering great boasts” (NASB) “that spoke boastfully” (NIV) “Look! It had eyes like those of a human being and a mouth that boasted with audacious claims” (ISV). The Book of Daniel Chapter Seven verse Eight.”

Donald Trump described in mainstream news sources as “boastful” and “arrogant” during 2016:

“Donald Trump’s boastful ignorance…” – The Washington Post
“How can anyone act so arrogantly and meanly in public life?” – CNN
“Boastful Donald Trump” – The Inquisitor

Trump was also given the nickname “Little Trump” by fellow Republican Newt Gingrich:

“The little Trump [little horn] is frankly pathetic.” – Newt Gingrich
“The little Trump [little horn] gets involved at a personality level” and is “very sensitive, particularly to anything which attacks his own sense of integrity or his own sense of respectability, and he reacts very intensely, almost uncontrollably, to those kinds of situations.” – Newt Gingrich

Baha’u’llah explains that “We speak one word, and by it we intend one and seventy meanings; each one of these meanings we can explain.” The following hypotheses are some my thoughts and meditations, as well as the result of consultation and discussion with Neal.

England

“The first was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man’s heart was given to it.” We know from Dr. Jensen’s explanations and commentaries that this prophecy refers to the Independence of the US from British rule. Some have pointed to Brexit, or the British exit from the European Union, as a precursor or at least similar situation to the rise of Trump in America. In this scenario, the first beast Daniel describes might be seen as Britain exiting the EU.

Russia

“And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it”. Throughout the democratic and republican primaries, there were allusions made in the media to Russian cyber-attacks and possible Russian meddling in the US election process, and now, American intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian hackers acted to aid in a Trump victory in the US presidential election. The Russian bear is the widespread symbol of Russia.

France?

“After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.” I’m not sure of the connection as of now in this scenario, other than the possibility of the election of Marin La Pen of the National Front, and the possibility of a “Brexit” type of exit from the EU by France next year.

The Republican Party

“The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” Daniel 7: 23-25 KJV

In the current scheme of things, the fourth beast in Daniel 7, which is “diverse” from the other beasts, can be seen to be the Republican Party in US politics. It’s different, as the other beasts described are nations, which we’ll take a look at later.

Neal pointed out to me that at the Iowa caucus of the Republican Party primaries, which was held on February 1st, 2016, there were at that time 10 other male candidates (10 kings) as well as Trump (Little Horn), in the running to become the Republican Party candidate for President of the United States. By the next day, February 2nd, 2016, 3 of these 10 “kings” dropped out, or were “plucked up by the roots”.

It’s clear that this Little Trump/Little Horn fits the description of one speaking boastfully, arrogantly, and making audacious claims as he now speaks for this “beast” of the Republican Party. According to Trump, nearly everything he does and says is terrific, fantastic, the best, and the greatest. There are so many alarming aspects of Trump’s rise that could be discussed, from his scapegoating and demonizing of ethnic and religious minorities, to his blatant misogyny and sexism, including bragging about sexual assault, to his racist founding and promotion of the so-called Birther Movement, employing fear tactics that have emboldened and empowered hate groups and hateful rhetoric across the United States. Aside from stacking his transition team and future cabinet with Wall Street billionaires, Trump has appointed white nationalist/supremacist, Steve Bannon, as his chief White House strategist, openly racist and anti-LGBTQ senator Jeff Sessions as Attorney General, environmental activism opponent and climate change denier Scott Pruitt as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, retired General James “Mad Dog” Mattis, who’s philosophy is “Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet”, as Secretary of Defense, and is expected to appoint Exxon Mobil CEO Rex Tillerson as Secretary of State.

Timeline

Meanwhile, the outgoing Obama administration has not granted the easement for ETP and DAPL to finish the oil pipeline across the Missouri River, giving the Water Protectors a brief victory in the ongoing battle against the Black Snake. However, ETP, in financial and political concert with Trump and his potential incoming administration, would undoubtedly be in support of the Black Snake, as Trump has openly declared.

“And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.”

Looking at “a time” as a 90 day prophetic season, and therefore 3 ½ times as 315 days (90 + 180 + 45), from the Iowa Caucus on February 1st/2nd, 2016, when 3 of the 10 “kings”, or male candidates, were “plucked up by the roots”, there are 315 days until December 12th/13th, 2016. December 13th marks what is called the “Safe Harbor” date in the US presidential election process, when, barring any recounts changing the electoral vote, president-elect Trump will reach a point where the election results can no longer be changed, unless the electoral college intervenes on December 19th.

Alternatively, or concurrently, the “time and times and the diving of time” may be 3 ½ times where a time is 360 days, or a total of 1260 days. This could be taken from either the election of Trump on November 8th, 2016 (bringing us to April 21st, 2020), or perhaps beginning at the inauguration of Trump on January 20th, 2016.

In the scenario of the 315 day time period from February to December of 2016, we may see “the saints” as embodied in the living monument of Water Protectors, representing a diversity of humanity, united in prayer and spiritual protection of water, land, environmental, economic, religious, and human rights. If Trump’s rise continues beyond December 13th and 19th, we may be looking at another layer of meaning and a continued or overlapping timeline.

“As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time.”

The good news is that this prophecy in Daniel envisions an eventual end to the oppression, and the giving over of the kingdom to the people of God.

“But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” Daniel 7: 26-27 KJV

1 comment:

Baha'u'llah

The Return of Christ

As the Bab gave his life so that Baha'u'llah should live, Baha'u'llah and 'Abdu'l-Baha gave their lives that the Davidic lineage should last for ever as the Presidents of the true Universal House of Justice of Baha'u'llah. The line of David has continued safe in America from the days of the Master's visit to that continent in 1912 when he rested for a day in the Rocky Mountains and where God has established his seed for ever.

http://www.uhj.net

Popular