Bahá'u'lláh is the promised Spirit of Truth that would come!This article is --55-- printed pages. If you wish to read and/or print-out chapter-by-chapter then click HERE! There is no copyright. It is not an official Bahá'í publication, but reflects the personal opinions of its author. Feel free to make copies and share them.
"Obtain that Holy Spirit of Promise~then you can be sealed to Eternal Life."(The Words of Joseph Smith, p.15)
This article shows how the symbols used in the Mormon Endowment Ceremony and symbols on Mormon Temples themselves contain prophetic "types and shadows" of The Báb and Bahá'u'lláh; the two founding Messengers of God of the Bahá'í Religion
Dear Seeker of Truth, The Bahá'í Faith is an independent World Religion with over 6 million followers in over 150 countries. The Faith was founded in 1844 by Siyyid Ali Muhammed Shirazi (called "Bábu'lláh" meaning "The Gate of God"); a descendant of the Prophet Muhammed Who claimed to be the promised Imam Mahdi ("Divinely-guided Leader") of Shi'ite Islam. Western Bahá'ís know Him as "The Báb". The Báb (1819-1850) was the Forerunner (like John the Baptist) of Bahá'u'lláh ("Bah-HAH-oo-LAH"): the Promised One of all religions.
Bahá'ís believe that Bahá'u'lláh (1817-1892) is the Return of Christ in the Glory of the Father. They believe that He is the Holy Ghost incarnate, the promised Spirit of Truth; the "Holy Spirit of Promise".
Bahá'u'lláh was a direct descendant of King David of Israel, and King Cyrus of Persia (whom the Lord called in Isaiah: "mine annointed"). He was born Mirza Husein Alí Núrí in 1817 in the Elborz mountains of Írán; the son of a Persian nobleman and direct descandant of King David via the Jewish Exilarch Bostanai (Head of the exiled Jews in Íráq) and his Persian princess wife Princess Dara (c. 700 A.D.).
The Revelation of Muhammed
The story begins in 570 A.D.; five-hundred years after the Temple in Jersusalem is destroyed by the Romans. In the village of Mecca, in Arabia, there is a young woman named Amina. She is married to Abdu'lláh; a Bedouin of the tribe of Quraysh; direct descendants of Ishmael, the firstborn of Abraham.
Amina is pregnant. At the fifth month of her pregnancy a "man" appears to her and says, "Peace be unto you, oh you choicest of created beings!" Amina asks who the man is. The man replies, "I am the Prophet Nuh [Noah], good news and joyful tidings to you, oh Amina, who are to be the mother of the celebrated and victorious Prophet of the last times!" The man then disappears.
Just before she is due to give birth, a man in white wool suddenly appears and points to her belly and says, "Peace be upon you, oh Messenger of Alláh!" Amina asks who this man is. The man replies, "I am Isa [Jesus] son of Maryam [Mary], the Messiah. Best of tidings to you, oh Amina, the time is near that you will give birth, so prepare youself and make ready." (Muhammadan Reality: The Descent of Nur Muhammad, p.7 online)
Muhammad ibn Abdu'llah was born in 570 A.D. His father died when He was 6. He was raised by His uncle Abu Talib. He learned the trade of caravan driver and merchant from Abu Talib. He was intensely interested in religion. As He travelled for business, He studied with the Jews, and the various Christian sects, and the Sabians, and the Zoroastrians. He joined none of them. He was content to be a Haníf (Arabic: "Pure One"); one who worshipped ALLÁH alone without formal religion or ritual.
At that time in Arabia a third of all men are killed in combat. The various Arab tribes and clans often have war with each other. Abu Talib takes the young Muhammad to battle with him; to pick up spent arrows. In time, Muhammad would become one of the gifted and renownced archers of the Quraysh. As a gift for His service and skill in battle, He is awarded a white stallion.
Muhammad becomes well-known as a very honest businessman and arbitrator (settler of disbutes between other parties). He becomes known as Amín (Arabic: "Faithful and True").
At age 40, in 610 A.D., in a cave in Mount Hira, a small mount just outside of Mecca, Muhammad retreats for several weeks of prayer and meditation; as He does every year. Suddently, one night, a "man" appears in the cave without announcing himself first. Muhammad thinks the "man" is a thief in the night; because, in Arabia where people live in tents and caves, one must announce himself before enterning. This "man" did not. The "man" SHOUTS "IQUAA!" ("RECITE!"). Muhammad says, "What do you want me to recite?" The "man" SHOUTS again "IQUAA!" ("RECITE!"). Muhammad starts to get scared. He replied, "I don't know how to read." The "man" SHOUTS again:
RECITE in the name of your Lord, Who created mankind from clots of blood. RECITE, and your Lord will be the Bountiful, He Who has taught by the pen, taught mankind what was not known. (Surah 96:1-5)Muhammad is now very frightened. A thief in the night has entered His cave, and is telling Him to "recite" but has no book with him to recite from. The "man" is insane, and probably dangeorus. Muhammad then flees the cave, but, when He gets outside it is just beginning to get light, and Muhammad sees the man standing upon the horizon in every directly He looks.
Gabriel standing upon the horizon in the air in every direction Muhammad looks.Muhammed realizes that the "man" is an angel, and the angel says His name is "Gabriel". He teaches Muhammad to "recite" 114 divinely-inspired poems known as "Surahs". They are later combiled into one book which is named "The Recital" (al-Qúr'án).
For the next 30 years Muhammad teaches Arabs the Qúr'án, and they become known as "Muslims" ("Submitters" to God). His religion is named ISLÁM (Arabic: "Peaceful Surrender" to God). In Islamic lore, Melchizedek (the King of Salem) was the first Muslim, and he taught this religion to Abraham. Muslims consider Abraham, Moses, and Jesus to be Messenger of God; Prophets of ISLÁM.
Was Muhammad a true Prophet?
Joseph Smith apparently thought so; according to four close friends of his.
Thomas Marsh was Joseph Smith's original senior apostle (president of the Council of the Twelve). He later left the Church, but always was a believer in The Book of Mormon. Marsh said:
" I have heard the Prophet [Joseph Smith] says that...he would be the second Mahomet [Muhammed] to this generation." (Correspondance & Orders, 1841, p.57)George M. Hinkle, another close friend of Joseph Smith, and Commander of the Mormon Militia in Missouri, said:"I have heard Joseph Smith Jr. say that he believed Mahomet was a good man...that Mahomet was a true Prophet!" (ibid, p.128)George A. Smith, cousin and confidant to Joseph Smith Jr., and apostle and counselor to Brigham Young, says in General Conference in 1855 (Brigham Young was seated right behind him):"About six hundred years after Christ a Prophet arose in Arabia, by the name of Mahomet [Muhammed]....Now this man descended from Abraham and was no doubt raised up by God." (Journal of Discourses 3:28)George Q. Cannon, another confidant of Joseph Smith, and later an LDS apostle, said in General Conference:"I believe that Mahomet [Muhammed]--who the Christians deride and call a false prophet and stigmatize with a great many epithets--I believe that he was a man raised up by the Almighty." (Journal of Discourses 24:371)Joseph Smith was referred by in the American press as "the Modern Mahomet", and Mormonism was often called "America's Islam".
Muhammad did many miracles; mostly dealing with water. During one military campaign the soldiers were out of water except for one swallow. They came to a well but their enemies had poisoned it. They offered the last shallow of water to Muhammed, who then gulped the last mouthful of water (to the disappointment of his troops who were hoping he would pour it out as a jesture of comradeship). But Muhammed gulped it and shallowed it, but then Muhammed belched up a torrent of clear fresh water, and kept belching up fresh clean water until He filled the empty water-sacks of all his troops; saving their lives.
Muhammad spent many years in military campaigns against pagan Arab tribes that tried to destroy the Muslims. He protected Christians, and never once fought against them. He fought against pagan Arabs who worshipped idols, buried their daughters alive (if they had more than one or two daughters it was considered shameful), and engaged in many pagan practices. Muhammad fought them usually with numbers 10 to 1 in the pagan's favor. Still, the Muslims won just about all the battles. The more Muhammad was victorius, the more Arabs were converted to Islám, and joined in the military campaigns.
Muhammad chose green as his color, after the symbol of the fig. He once plucked a fig and said:
"If I had to mention a fruit that descended from Paradise I would say this is it." (Bukhari)His descendants (the Siyyids) would wear green turbans and green sashes; symbols of fig leaves (Muhammad being the "Fig Tree" and they the "leaves" of the Tree).Muhammed was known as a just judge and arbitrator of disputes. He was a very gifted archer, and road a white horse. He was known to his friends and family as "Amín" (Arabic: "Faithful and True").
I saw heaven open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. (Rev. 19:11)Muhammad prophesied that after His death no Prophet would succeed Him, but in the latter-days One would arise from His own family, in Persia (Írán), and teach the True Religion. He named that One the "Imám Mahdi" (Arabic: "Rightly-guided Leader"). The Imám Mahdi would be a "Siyyid" (descendant of Muhammad) and a Persian. He would teach the True Religion, and prepare the way for Al-Maseeh (i.e. the return of Jesus).
Still today, Shi'ite Muslims await the coming of Two Chosen Ones: Al-Mahdi (the chosen siyyid who would teach the True Faith) and Al-Maseeh (the descent of Jesus once again to the earth).
After the death of Muhammed the Muslims ("Moose-limz") split into two factions: those that followed Muhammad's son-in-law Alí ("Ah-lee"), and those that followed their own elected leader; an old man with much experience. The majority followed the older man, and became known as Súnnís ("Soo-neez"). A small faction followed the Imám Alí, and became known as Shí'ís ("Shee-eez") or "Shi'ites". The Súnní leaders eventually persecuted the Shí'ís, and the Shí'ís fled Arabia. First they fled to Íráq, and then finally to Elam; a provice of Persia. From Elam they conquered all of Persia; which became a Shi'ite nation. The LORD said via the prophet Jeremiah:
"And I will set My throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king [or Persia] and the princes, saith the LORD." (Jeremiah 49:38)The Imam Alí was the husband of Fatimah; the daughter of Muhammad (who had no sons). The descendants of Muhammad (the Siyyids) first conquered Elam, and from Elam the rest of Persia; which became known as Írán (Arabic: Aryans).
The Imám Alí ibn Abu TalibThe Siyyids wore green turbans (and other articles of green); to distinguish themselves from other Muslims (who wore most other colors but not green); symbols of the fig leaf. Many Siyyids today still wear green turbans.
A modern Siyyid (descendant of Muhammed) in green turban and coat.The Shi'ites awaited the day that one among the Siyyids would arise to teach the True Religion, and every Shi'ite sect (there were many) believed theirs was the true religion. Muhammed prophesied that in the latter-days Islá would schism into 72 sects, and all but 1 would be ripe for Hell-fire. Each Sect believed they were the "One", and that the Mahdi would prove that when he came.
In 1844 a descendant of Muhammad named Siyyid Muhammad Alí Shírází (1819-1850), a merchant living in Shíráz, Írán, proclaimed Himself the promised Imám Mahdi. At first He converted many souls; including many Shi'ite Mullas (clergyman). He called Himself "BÁBU'LLÁH;" which means "The Gate of GOD" in Arabic. The followers of The Bab became known as "Bábís" ("bahbeez").
Shi'ite Muslims expected the appearance of the Mahdi in 1844 somehwere in Persia; based upon Islamic prophecies and numerological calculations.At first, The Báb attracted many Mullas (Arabic: "Learned Ones"--clergy) because the Mullas knew that the Mahdi was to arise in Persia, be a Siyyid (descendant of the Prophet Muhammad), and appear in the year 1260 A.H. (1844 A.D.). A number of Mullas converted. But then The Báb began teaching a number of "heretical" doctrines such as:
1) Jesus was "the Son of God" (a terribly blasphemy in orthodox Islam!)
2) He (The Báb) was a Prophet (another heresy since Muslims consider Muhammad to be the Final Prophet for all time)
3) Women did not need to veil their faces (at the time unveiled women were considered nude)
4) The Qúr'án was not the final Revelation from God (another heresy)
5) Prophets and certain "Chosen Ones" return to earth in every Dispensation (this smacked of transmigration of souls--yet another "heresy" in the ears of orthodox Shi'ite Muslims)
6) There is no bodily (i.e. physical) resurrection, but a resurrection of the soul that can take place while living or after death (another heresy)
7) Hell-fire is not eternal nor literal, but is a symbol of rejecting the Manifestation of God (another heresy)
8) Jews and Christians need not be Muslims to be saved (another heresy)
9) Another would come after The Báb ("He Whom God Will Make Manifest") Who shall be greater than The Báb Who will be the "Descent of God" upon the Earth (yet another heresy since orthodox Muslims believe that the Creator cannot become a creature).The Báb (as He is now known) was declared a "false mahdi" and a "heretic", and imprisoned. While in prison He was tortured; to get Him to confess that He was a liar and false mahdi. He did not do this, but bore the torture without saying a word.
In 1850 two Bábí teen-agers attempted to kill the Shah (King) of Írán; because he had ordered the deaths of their parents. The Shah survived because the guns used had only bird-shot in them. But this gave the enemies of The Báb the excuse they needed to kill Him and as many of His followers as they could.
The Miracle of the Martyrdom
After the attempt on the life of the Shah, The Báb was taken to Tabriz (a city in northwest Írán) to be executed. It was prophesied that the Imám Mahdi would be killed by Muslims. So, the executioners assigned a regiment of Christian Armenians (10% of the population of Írán) to execute The Báb; 750 rifles. A crowd of thousands came to see His execution in the Tabriz public square. The executioners decided to execute The Bab an hour early; as a way to please the crowd (who were growing restless). The Bab said He had to conplete instructions to a disciple. His executioners refused, and took Him from His cell to the place of execution. He was suspended by ropes over a ledge. The 750 Armenian riflemen took aim. The command was given, and they fired. The square was filled with smoke (this was before smokeless powder). When the smoke cleared, The Báb was gone! The crowd began to shout "MIRACLE! MIRACLE! HE IS THE MAHDI!" The executioners then rushed in and found that the ropes had been severed by the bullets. The picked up the severed ropes and showed the crowd, shouting, "There is no miracle! The bullets severed the ropes! There is no miracle!" They found The Báb back in His cell; finishing His final instructions to His assistant, and then saying, "I am now ready". They took Him out again to the same spot. This time one of His disciples wished to be executed with Him, and the executioners obliged. They tied the two men together. But they found that the Christian Armenians would not fire again! They considered what happened to be a sign from God, and they refused to fire again. Another Muslim regiment (who had been controlling the crowd) was brought in, and this time their bullets found their mark. Thus the prophecy was fulfilled that Muslims would kill the Imám Mahdi.
An artist's rendition of events during the episode of The Báb.The followers of The Báb were horribly persecuted by the Shi'ite Muslims. They were considered heretics and cultists. The Báb wrote that Jesus was the "Son of God"; a horrible blasphemy in the ears of orthodox Muslims! Over 20,000 Bábís were martyred. The most popular ways of killing them were cutting their throats, splitting their chests and tearing out their hearts, or disemboilment.
A Bábí being killed by two Muslims as an anti-Bábí crowd looks on (c. 1847)
Photo (c.1890) of an entire Bahá'í family in Yazd, Írán, a few hours after Muslims cut their throats (wife, husband, lad, and two infants). Their crime? Apostasy from Islam; a crime which still carries the death-penalty in most Islamic countries.The First Vision of Bahá'u'lláh
In 1845 Mirza Husein Alí Núrí (1817-1892), a direct descendant of King David of Israel and King Cyrus of Persia-- accepts the Revelation of The Báb. He was given a new name: BAHÁ'U'LLÁH ("The GLORY of GOD" in Arabic). After the martyrdom of The Báb in 1850, Bahá'u'lláh was imprisoned for 4 months in the "Black Pit" of Tehran, Írán. While there He received a vision of "the Maid of Heaven" (Heavenly Mother) Who informed Him that He was the Promised One: the Messiah ben David of Judaism, the SPIRIT OF TRUTH in Christianity, the Shah Bahram of Zoroastrianism, the Maitreya Buddha of Buddhism, the Kalki Avatar of Hinduism, etc.
Bahá'u'lláh and His followers were exiled from Írán first to Baghdad, and finally to Akka; at that time a prison city 15 miles north of Haifa, Israel. He directed that the remains of The Báb be enshrined on the Sacred Spot in Mount Carmel. Later, a beautiful Holy Shrine was built over the Spot; which is a pilgrimage destination for Baha'is.
Bahá'ís ascending to the Shrine of The Báb on Mount Carmel (Haifa, Israel)In the Muslim year 1308 A.H. 1890-91 A.D. Bahá'u'lláh pitched His tent on Mount Carmel three separate times, and, near the Cave of Elijah, recited the "Tablet of Carmel"; which was His announcement to the World that He was the Promised One. He said:
The Spirit said to Joseph the Seer:"Call out to Zion, O Carmel! He who was hidden [veiled] from mortal eyes has come!
"As the dews of Carmel so shall the knowledge of God descend upon them. (D&C 128:19)
The Son of Man PropheciesOn February 14th, 1835, Joseph Smith prophesied that the coming of the Lord was near, and that "56 years should wind-up the scene" (DHC 2:182). 1835 + 56 years = 1891 In the Index to the History of the Church (volume 7), under "Second Coming", it reads:
Joseph indicates it would be in 56 years. V2:182On April 6th, 1843, Joseph Smith prophesied:
"I prophesy in the name of the Lord God--& let it be written, that the Son of Man will not come in the heavens till I am 85 years old, 48 years hense, or about 1890." (Diary of Joseph Smith, 6 April 1843, LDS Church Archives, quoted in The Revelations of Joseph Smith, p.345n.3)LDS Church leaders removed this direct prophecy when they incorporated Joseph Smith's diary entry (April 6, 1843) as D&C 130 in 1856; 14 years after Joseph Smith was killed. Why? Perhaps they feared it would not come to pass. The vast great majority of Mormons are totally unaware of this direct prophecy. Only Mormon historians and a few apologists and researchers are aware of it.H.M. Balyuzi, a Bahá'í "Hand of the Cause" (apostle) wrote:
"In that year, 1890, Bahá'u'lláh visited Haifa, and pitched His tent on Mount Carmel. To the Mounain of God came the Lord of Hosts, and the prophecies of old as well as His own emphatic promise were fulfilled." (Baha'u'llah~The Word Made Flesh, p.63)
During His exile in Baghdad the Bábí missionaries were making many converts from the local Muslims. This enraged the local Muslim clergy. So, they told lies about the Bábís; which caused a mob to riot and burn the house of many Bábí leaders; including the house of Bahá'u'lláh; Whose entire wardrobe was burned. In response, the Bábí women made for Bahá'u'lláh a new wardrobe from red Persian drapes; entirely in red. He wore this when, in 1863, He announced to the Bábís that He was the new Manifesation of God; the SPIRIT OF TRUTH.
"And the Lord shall be red in his apparel, and his garments like him that treadeth a wine-vat." (D&C 133:48) Most of the Bábís recognized Bahá'u'lláh as the promised "He Whom God Shall Make Manifest"; the One "greater than The Báb" Who would come; because they knew of His great wisdom and miracles. They changed their name from "Bábís" (followers of The Báb) to "Bahá'ís" (followers of BAHA). The word BAHA means GLORY in Arabic.
'Abdu'l-Baha (Servant of Glory)
Many early Western Bahá'ís believed that the Eldest Son of Bahá'u'lláh, whose name was Abbas Effendi 'Abdu'l-Baha (ob-dul-bah-hah) which means "Servant of Glory" in Arabic) was Jesus returned with a new name. He traveled to Europe in 1911 and to the U.S. in 1912. The first Persian Bahá'ís; arrived in New York City in 1900, and the New York Herald wrote: 
In the original version of the First Vision, Joseph Smith wrote that Jesus appeared to him and said: "Behold, I come quickly as it is written of me, in the cloud clothed in the glory of my Father!" (Diary of Joseph Smith, p.6) Most Mormons do not know about this version which was written by Joseph Smith himself."Is Christ living in the world to-day? There are tens of thousands of persons who believe He is; that the Kingdom of Heaven has been established upon the earth." ( New York Herald, Aug. 12, 1900)Bahá'ís at that time wrote:"Abbas is heir and Master of the Kingdom; He was on earth 1900 years ago as the Nazarene." (Lou Getsinger, Notes at Acca, p.24)"He has come again in the Kingdom of His Father." (Thorton Chase, Before Abraham Was I AM, p.46)
"He is the Son of God, the only Door, the Lord of Mankind." (Asadu'llah, Sacred Mysteries, p.74)
A young 'Abdu'l-Baha and an older version (c. 1920)'Abdu'l-Baha was the "Mother Teresa" of His day. He took care of the dead and dying of Haifa; no matter their religion. When rich American and British Bahá'ís came to visit Him in Haifa, He served them personally; serving their black servants first. All the monies they gave Him He gave to the poor and hungry of Haifa and Akka; no matter what their religion.
In 1912 a Mormon woman named Xorol Richards has prophetic dreams. She dreams that Jesus comes to Salt Lake City and knocks on the Door of the Salt Lake Temple, but is refused entry. She is convinced that Jesus is coming soon, but that the Saints (Mormons) would reject Him. She tells her cousin, LeGrand Richards, about her recurrent dreams.
In September, 1912, as part of His American tour, 'Abdu'l-Baha enters Salt Lake City. He attended the National Irrigation Congress in the Tabernacle. He knocked on the Door of the Salt Lake Temple, and, of course, was not let in. The Salt Lake Tribune does a large article on Him which includes a photo. Xorol Richards recognizes Him, and seeks Him out. She becomes the first Mormon to become a Bahá'í. She tries to tell other Mormons about the Faith, but she is shunned. Her Mormon family tells her that she has been duped by "false prophets". She tells her cousin LeGrand Richards who purportedly tells her, "You know the truth, and I know it, but the Saints [Mormons] are not ready for the truth! They won't be ready for a long, long time!". Many decades later, LeGrand Richards becomes a Mormon apostle.
The Door of the Salt Lake Temple.LDS Church President Wilford Woodruff once said that he remembered Joseph Smith once prophesying that the Saints (Mormons) would become a great people "in the midst of the Rocky Mountains" and that Jesus "will come to them while in the Rocky Mountains". Woodruff (the last Church President to actually prophesy, have visions, and receive "Thus Saith the LORD" Revelations) then said he believed there were those in the audience who would "stand in the flesh when the Lord Jesus Christ visits the Zion of God here in the mountains of Israel (Conference Report, April 1898, p.57)
Mormons considered Utah to be the "mountains of Israel", or latter-day Israel; since the Mormons considered themselves to be Israelites (descendants of Ephraim), but not Jews (the descendants of Judah).
'Abdu'l-Baha denied He was "Christ", and said His only title should be "'Abdu'l-Baha" ("Servant of Glory"). Bahá'ís do not believe that ordinary human beings can return to this planet (reincarnate), but other lives on other planets are possible. The Prophets, on the other hand, are Manifestations of the Names/Attributes of God on earth. These Names/Attributes can return as often as God wills.
Bahá'ís believe that the return Christ, the Manifestation of God, was fulfilled in Muhammed, The Báb, and Bahá'u'lláh.
'Abdu'l-Baha was called "The Master" and "The Mystery of God", and even the "Son of God" because He was the return of the WORD of God.
The LORD said to Joseph the Seer:
24 This is eternal lives-- to know the only wise and true God, and Jesus Christ, whom he hath sent. (D&C 132:24)The LORD promised Joseph the Seer "crowns of eternal lives in the eternal worlds". (D&C 132:55) "Eternal Lives" is now intepreted by Mormons as referring to having children (lives) for all eternity after being Exalted. However, Heber C. Kimball (one of the original Mormon apostles) believed it referred to multiple mortal probations (multiple lifetimes). Kimball was well known for his amazing prophetic abilities.
After Baghdad the Bahá'ís were later exiled to Adrianople, and later to the Turkish prison city of Akka; in what is now northern Israel.
Bahá'u'lláh owned a mansion on the tiny island of Bahjí ("Bah-Zhee") just outside of Akka. Over the entrance to His living quarters in that mansion was a white veil. Whoever came to see Bahá'u'lláh had to pass through that white veil in order to enter His Presence.
Bahá'u'lláh wrote 100 books and thousands of "tablets" (epistles) which are accepted as Scripture in the Faith. He died in 1892. Many reported "seeing" Him after His death; including the chief Mulla (minister) of the Muslims of Akka (who considered the Bahá'ís to be apostates and heretics). He saw Bahá'u'lláh open his door and enter his room.
Mormons who have become Bahá'ís have noticed that there are MANY THINGS in Mormon Temples which seem to "testify" of or "point to" The Báb and Bahá'u'lláh. This article will examine some of those things.
The purpose of this article is NOT to reveal Mormon temple secrets! No "signs or tokens" in the Mormon Endowment Ceremony are revealed in this article! Rather, it is to examine what seems to be Divine "hints" in the Mormon Temple that seem to testify of The Báb and Bahá'u'lláh. Many Mormons who have become Bahá'ís have retained their belief that Joseph Smith was inspired of God. He once prophesied that the "Son of Man" would unveil His Face in the years 1890-91; (D&C 130) the very years Bahá'u'lláh came out openly and claimed to be the "Son of Man" (He proclaimed it secretly to the Bábí in 1863, but publicly in the Muslim year 1308 (1890-91 A.D.).
Bahá'í Evaluations of the Mormon Temple
There are some striking similarities between what occurs in Mormon Temples and some things in the Bahá'í Faith. For example:
*The symbol of the Báb was the five-pointed star. This was because in Arabic "Báb" means "5" (B(2) + A(1) +B(2)= 5) but also "gate".
The symbol of The BábThe 5-pointed star symbol can be found on the outside of older Mormon Temples (such as the Salt Lake Temple).
One of many 5-pointed stars on the outside of the Salt Lake Temple. Notice also the hand holding the trumpet coming forth from behind a cloud.The symbol of 5 also comes to bear in the Washing and Anoiting Room where Patrons are anointed on their 5 senses. Also, before 1990, Patrons would embrace at the white veil "on the five points of fellowship"; which is strikingly similar to the Bábí embrace.
The followers of The Báb greeted each other like Muslims, but they met on 5 points of their body; a secret sign of The Báb ("The Gate" in Arabic).Mormons used to (pre-1990) meet on "5 points" at a "gate" which was covered by a white veil as part of the Endowment Ceremony. After meeting of the "5 points" the veil was parted and the Temple-goer would enter a small well-furnished room called "the Celestial Room" which was symbolic of entering the Presence of the Lord.
Another symbol of The Báb was a Point with a cicle around it. This was a reference to the "Black Stone" in the center of the Kaaba ("Squared" Bulding); the sacred object that Muslims had to compass 7 times durin the Hajj (Arabic: "Pilgrimage"). The Black Stone was the "Primal Point" of the Hajj, and represented the "point" of a Compass that draws a cicle.
The Primal Point was the very center of the Muslim world; which was considered to be the Navel of the Earth. The Báb called Himself the "Primal Point", and drew a cicle with a compass around a black "dot"; identifying Himself with the "dot".
The most sacred shrine in Islam is the Ka'aba (Arabic: "Square"). This is a cube-shape squared building that houses the Hajera Stone ("Black Stone"). In the 7th century, Muhammad smashed all the idols in this building, and then made it the Most Holy Shrine in Islám. Muslims are required to do their HAJJ (Pilgrimage) if they are able once in their lifetime; to go to Mecca and dawn a white shawl and go through a ritual which includes compassing the Ka'aba ("Square") 7 times. There is a circle around the Ka'aba which the pilgrims follow as they compass the square. This circle is called "The Navel of the World". After the 7 compasses around the Ka'aba, the pilgrims bow toward the Ka'aba on their knees (the right one first).
The Ka'aba ("Square")The Salt Lake Temple was supposed to have the Point-in-a-Circle symbol, but the granite was too hard so it was decided not to all the symbols they had planned to use. But, the Portland LDS Temple used the Point-within-a-Circle symbol:
The Point-in-a-circle within a Square symbol on the Portland LDS Temple. Brigham Young told the builders to include this symbol on the Salt Lake Temple. But the granite was too hard, so they left it out. It was eventually included on the Portland Oregon Temple. Not even the builders know its meaning. Now YOU do.The Mormon Endowment Ceremony cultimates in the "Veil Ceremony" which is when patrons (i.e. Mormons who worship in or "patronize" the Temple) must approach "The Veil" (temples have at least 3 and sometimes as many as 24 veils) and give certain sacred "signs and tokens" (words and jestures and grips) in order to "pass through" The Veil and enter the Celestial Room; which is symbolic of the Celestial Kingdom (the Presence of God the Father).
Before 1890 Baha'u'llah was sequestered in a prison city, in an apartment separated by a white veil. Anyone who wished to see the face of the "Son of Man" had to pass through the white veil into His Presence.
The "veil" in a typical Mormon Temple. It has 4 marks which are symbols. The Veil represents the "Face" of the Son of Man that is "veiled".
68 Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him; for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will. (D&C 88:68)Most Mormons living in the days of Joseph Smith believed that Jesus would return sometime during 1890-91; wearing red garments. This is because Joseph Smith prophesied twice that the "Son of Man" would unveil His Face during that time. Most Mormons are totally unaware that Joseph Smith was planning, before his death, to travel to the Holy Land, and await the coming of the Lord in that land. He was going to leave the Church in the hands of Hyrum Smith; his brother. But this did not happen. Joseph Smith had seen the face of Jesus many times! Why would Jesus say to Joseph, "If you live until thou art 85 years of age you shall see my Face" when Joseph had already seen Jesus' face many times? The "Son of Man" Who would unveil His face in 1890-91 would not be Jesus! Rather, He would be the incarnation of the Holy Ghost.Mormons still await the incarnation of the Holy Ghost; a day when the Holy Ghost will "come down and get a body" like the Son (Jesus) has. But Joseph Smith said in April of 1843:
"The Holy Ghost is now in a state of probation which, if he should perform in righteousness, he may pass through the same or a similar course of things that the Son has." (The Words of Joseph Smith, p.245, 27 August 1843)The phrase "state of probation" refers to a "mortal life" according to The Book of Mormon (1 Nephi 10:21, 2 Nephi 2:2,30, 33:9, Mormon 9:28). Joseph Smith was saying (in 1843) that the Holy Ghost was having a mortal life somewhere on earth "now" (1843). This has led some Mormons to speculate that Joseph Smith may have been the incarnation of the Holy Ghost. But he never claimed to be. Bahá'u'lláh (Who was alive in Persia in 1843) did!But Mormons are not concerned about this. They are confident that whatever they need to know, "The Brethren" (Church apostles) will tell them. If and when the Holy Ghost comes down and "gets a body" The Brethren will inform them, and not until then.
The Jews thought the very thing about the Messiah. When the Messiah appears, their Brethren (priesthood-leaders--the High Priests) would inform them. They never did. Jesus was a false messiah; according to their Brethren; just one of many. To the leaders of the Priesthood in the time of Jesus, He was just a minor nuisance. When the Roman guards said that two men in shinning apparel came down form heaven and rolled the stone away, "The Brethren" simply bribed the men to lie, saying, "His disciples came at night and stole his body".
The Brethren could not "see". They had no Spirit of Discernment as they claimed. And the people trusted their Brethren! They thought blindly following their Brethren was the only course of safety. Because of that blind faith, they lost their salvation. All the divine promises to them and their children were given to others.
Bahá'u'lláh claimed to be the the Spirit of Truth. He unveiled His Face to Westerners beginning in 1890, and proclaimed Himself the Holy Spirit of Promise in 1891 when He wrote and recited the Tablet of Carmel at the Sacred Spot on Mount Carmel; which is now covered by the Holy Shrine of The Báb.
23 Ye were also in the beginning with the Father; that which is Spirit, even the Spirit of Truth. (D&C 93:23)The Doctrine & Covenants identifies the Father with the Spirit; just as Joseph Smith did in his Lectures on Faith.Why did Church leaders change this doctrine? Why did they remove the Lectures on Faith from the Book of Doctrine and Covenants?
Again, Mormons don't ask! Those few who do ask are told: "Don't question the Brethren!" (Church leaders).
Most Mormons today believe that the Holy Ghost will come down merely "to get a body" and that's all. What mission will He have? Mormons don't speculate. They don't inquire. They are confident that "The Brethren" will give them all they need to know.
*When Mormons go to "take out" (receive) their "Endowments" this means they go to a Mormon Temple to take upon themselves 5 Covenants. They are washed and anointed (sprinkled with water by an olive branch and touched with olive oil on 5 places). Then they dress in the "Holy Robes of the Priesthood" (all white clothing and one green article of covering) and go into a large room that resembles a small movie theatre. They are shown a film about the Fall of Adam and Eve (a Parable). They change their white shawl from left shoulder to right shoulder. Then they go before a small altar and say prayers. Then each one is led to the "Veil" which is a "gate" to the "Celestial Room" which is symbolic of the Celestial Kingdom. A hand comes forth from behind the veil, and the patron must give "secret signs" they learned before during the film (or re-inactment). Once they do that, they "embrace" with "the Lord behind the veil" and enter the "rest" (Presence) of the Lord; the veil is parted and they walk into the Celestial Room where they meditate or pray for 15 minutes, then return to the locker room.
Many Mormons are "mystified" by the Endowment ceremony when they first go through it. Many are confused. They don't know what the symbols mean. If they ask, they are told, "You'll learn THAT in the Temple!". Yet, when they go to the Temple, they don't learn "that". The only time they are allowed to ask questions is in the Celestial Room, but there is nobody there to ask but other patrons (temple-goers). The high priests are at the Veil working (the high priests don't know the answers anyway). There is nobody to ask but each other. Few ask. Most believe that when they die they will come to heavenly Veils, and do exactly as they did on earth, and pass through these Veins in Heaven and enter the Presence of God the Father and receive great heavenly rewards which include Eternal Marriage and Godhood. To "ask" what the symbols mean is to appear to not have enough "faith". So, most never ask.
Jesus appeared 2000 years ago. The common people looked to their religion leaders; the Sadduccees and the Pharisees. The Sadducees were the priesthood-leaders of the day. They believed that salvation was in their temple rites. The Pharisees believed that salvation was in the TORAH (Law); the first five books of Moses. Jesus told them that the Temple rites and the Scriptures simply testified of Him. He said:
39 Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have Eternal Life: and they are they which testify of me. (John 5:39)In other words, "You think you have Eternal Life in your temple rituals and your Scriptures, but these things merely are types and shadows of me! I am the Promised One! Your temple rites and commandments you keep are not ends in themselves, but they were established merely so that the pure-in-heart among you would recognize Me when I came!"Did they recognize Him?
Only a few: the pure-in-heart. Most rejected Him as "just another" false messiah: one of many. Their religious leaders rejected Him, and they blindly followed their religious leaders; thinking they were following God by doing so.
The modern Temple simply testifies of The Báb and Bahá'u'lláh, Who wrote:
Say: The most great Trumpet has appeared, and has spoken forth the truth, sounding,...(Surah of the Companions)*The "veil" in all Mormons temples has 4 symbols; the symbols of which are sacred (and secret). Endowed Mormons (those who have been through the Endowment Ceremony) know what the 4 symbols are, but they do not know the the symbols mean. Most are not at all concerned with this. They are told they need only "keep" the 5 Covenants, and they will receive great earthly and heavenly rewards. So, most do not question the meaning of the symbols. I believe that the White Veil and the 4 symbols on the Veil (5 symbols total) symbolicly represents the Two Promised Ones: The Báb and Bahá'u'lláh.
From every direction the signs have been manifested.
O High Priests! The Hand of Omnipotence is stretched forth from behind the clouds; behold it with new eyes. The tokens of HIs majesty and greatness are unveiled!" (Proclamations of Bahá'u'lláh, p.108-9)*Bahá'u'lláh claimed to be the "Son of Man", He called His Cause "the Celestial Kingdom". To see His Face one had to enter His Presence (room) whose entrance was covered by a white veil. Prof. Edward G. Browne (of Cambridge University) entered that room in 1890 when Bahá'u'lláh first allowed Westerners to part the veil and see His Face. Bahá'u'lláh wrote:
The Voice of the Son of Man is calling aloud from the sacred veil: "Here am I, here am I, O Go, My God!" The Father is come!The LORD told Joseph the Seer:Verily, I say, this is the Day in which mankind can behold the Face and hear the Voice of the Promised One. (Gleanings 10:7)
68 Therefore, sanctify yourselves that your minds become single to God, and the days will come that you shall see him for he will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in his own time, and in his own way, and according to his own will. (D&C 88:68)*There are 5 Covenants (Laws) which Mormons must keep in order to enter the Presence of the Father (pass beyond the white veil and enter the Celestial Room which is a symbol of the Celestial Kingdom).*Patrons wear all white clothing. Many of the Bábis wore all white; to distringuish themselves from Muslims.
The followers of The Báb wore all-white clothing in order to distinguish themselves from their Muslim neighbors. The Báb Himself wore white and green (the symbol of a descendant of Muhammad)Muhammad chose green as His color; the color of the fig leaf. His descendants were the "Siyyid", and wore green turbans.
*In the Mormon Endowment Ceremony, women where veils over their faces, but only when they pray.
Bábí women did not always go veiled as did Muslim women, but only veiled themselves during prayer.
*In the Mormon Endowment Ceremony "Temple Patrons" (i.e. those who patronized Mormon Temples) pray in a circle in what is known as a "Prayer Circle". Bábís would also pray in a circle instead in lines like Muslims did.
*During the Endowment Ceremony Patrons (temple-ceremony attendees) take the shawl that covers their left shoulders and place it over their right sholders. No explanation is given as to why this is done.
When Muslims make a pilgrimage to Mecca they wear all-white and a white shawl that is draped over their left sholder. The Báb changed this for Bábís, and made them wear this shawl over their right sholders after they changed from Muslim to Bábí.
*Before the Muslim year 1308 A.H. (1890-91 A.D.), the entrance of the Presence of Bahá'u'lláh (His apartment in Akka, Israel) was drapped with a white veil. In April, 1890, British professor Edward G. Brown went to visit Baha'u'llah in Akka. He had to pass through a white veil to enter His Presence. Here is the photo that Prof. Brown took:
Brown's photo of the apartment of Bahá'u'lláh in Akka, Israel. Taken in April 1890. Notice the white veils over the windows and over the entrance (on the right behind of the couches).*In 1890 tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints in Utah expected Jesus to "unveil His face" as promised to the Prophet Joseph Smith in D&C 130. They expected Him to descend from the sky, in clouds of glory, wearing red garments; over "Zion" in Jackson County, Missouri.
The Glory of the Lord In a Revelation to Joseph Smith it says that a "house" would be built unto the Lord "in this generation" and that "the Glory of the Lord" would surround it. Mormons believed that a temple would be built in Jackson County, Missouri, and that "The Glory of the Lord" would surround it. Because of persecution no temple was ever built. In another Revelation Joseph Smith asked when the "Son of Man" would reveal His face, and the Lord replied that if Joseph lived until age 85 (1890-91) He would "see the face of the Son of Man" (D&C 130:6). Mormons combined these two Revelations in their minds; believing that JESUS would appear in the temple in Jackson County sometime during the years 1890-91 and unveil His face. Mormons believed that the "generation" living when the Revelation was given (1832) would not all die-out before they would return to Jackson County and build the promised temple so that Jesus could return there, in glory, in red garments, and unveil His face.Needless to say, that generation died out, there was no temple in Jackson County built, and 1890-91 came and went without the promised Second Coming. Most Mormons today are totally unaware of this aspect of LDS history.
Bahá'ís who were formerly LDS believe that all the prophecies were fulfilled, but not as Mormons expected them to be.
When the Lord did not decent from heaven, in glory and in red garments, many were terribly disappinted when the Lord did not "unveil His face" as promised. Mormon leaders said it was because the Saints were "not prepared" enough and the "Lord thus delayed His coming".
*Bahá'u'lláh communicated to the world and to the Bahá'ís via His Pen (which He held in His right hand). In the LDS Endowment Ceremony, a right hand comes forth from behind the white veil; which is symbolic of the "Lord Behind the Veil" reaching out to us and inviting us into His Presence.
*The Celestial Room is similar to Bahá'u'lláh's own Apartment; with the entance thereof covered by a white veil.
*Bahá'u'lláh often refered to His Cause (the Bahá'í Faith) as "the Celestial Kingdom". Mormons believe that the "Celestial Kingdom" is "on the other side of the veil". The purpose of the Church is to "prepare" us for entrance into "the Celestial Kingdom".
*Bahá'u'lláh declared that He was "the Father" and to become His disciple was to enter His "Presence", but that He was "veiled" from the understanding of most people. Only the most spiritual Seekers of Truth would recognize Him and enter His Presence (the Celestial Kingdom).
*In the Mormon Endowment Ceremony each Patron is given a "New Name". This is symbolic of the New Name they will have in the Resurrection. The Báb gave Himself and the Bábís literal new names. He gave Mirza Husayn Alí of Núr the name of Bahá'u'lláh: "the Glory of God" in Arabic. Bábís were also given white stones that they set in rings; today called "ringstones".
*The symbols on the white veil (and on the garments of Mormons) cannot be discussed, but Mormons who have become Bahá'ís know that these too point to Bahá'u'lláh. The very name Bahá'u'lláh means "The Glory of God" in Arabic, and are a combination of 4 Arabic letters: B-H-L-L (Bah-Hah-OOL-Lah). The B is a symbol of the Ka'aBA; the squared building that Muslims bow to on their Hajj (Pilgrimage) to Mecca. The H represents the HAjj wherein their compass the Ka'aba 7 times. The first L presents the navel which the Ka'aba is symbolic of. The final L repsents the knees that are bowed to the Ka'aba.
*There are 4 symbols on the white veils in Mormon Temples, and the same 4 symbols are on the "Garments" (sacred white undergarments) that every Endowed Mormon wears at all times except for bathing, sports, and intimate relations with their spouse.
*Bahá'ís also believe in Salvation for the dead, and they have prayers for the dead. But they do not practice gospel ordinances for the dead other than prayers for the dead.
*'Abdu'l-Baha (the Son of Bahá'u'lláh and Interpreter of the Faith) taught the concept of Eternal Marriage. Bahá'ís who truly accept Bahá'u'lláh are "sealed" to Eternal Life; NOT by any Priesthood power, but because Bahá'u'lláh is the Holy Spirit of Promise. Bahá'í men and women journey through the Worlds of God together as man and wife.
*'Abdu'l-Baha taught the Pre-Existence, that before this world was created all humans were brought into the Pre-Existence (i.e. they were created in time, but brought back into the Pre-Existence by God) and told they were going to earth to be tested. In Mystical Islam this is called the 'Primordial Day of the Covenant'. It is believed by Sufis as well, and is mentioned in the Qu'ran.
*The Qúr'án (one the Holy Books of the Bahá'í Faith and THE Holy Book of Islam) teaches that the truly Faithful ("Mo'men") shall become Adams and Eves in their own Gardens of Eden, and shall be served by male (ghulam) and female (houri) servants for all eternity.
*When Muslims go on their pilgrimage to Mecca they wear a white shawl over their left sholder, and they kneel in a circle in the Great Mosque around a cube-shaped building called the Ka'aba (Arabic: "cubed" or "squared"); which resembles a large alter. The Ka'aba is the squared cube around which the worshippers form a circle. They compass the Ka'aba seven times. The Ka'aba is called the Navel of the World. There they kneel on their knees starting first with the right knee.
Muslims pilgrims wearing white shawls over their left shoulder cicummambulate (compass) the squared Ka'aba (called the "Navel" of the world) 7 times then bow on their knees.As The Báb claimed to be the "Primal Point" (point within a circle), so Baha'u'llah claimed to be the Heavenly Ka'aba come down from heaven. He wrote in 1891:
Call out to Zion, O Carmel, and announce the joyful tidings: He that was hidden from mortal eyes is come! His all-conquering sovereighnty is manifest; His all-encompassing splendour is revealed. Bewared lest that hestate or halt. Hasten forth and circumambulate [compass] the City of God that hath descended from heaven, the celestial Kaaba round wich have circled in adoration the favoured of God, the pure in heart, and the company of the most exalted angels." (Tablets of Baha'u'llah Revealed After the Kitab-i-Aqdas, p.4)
Masonic Symbols
The Báb represents the Compass that makes a point within a circle. Muslims must circumambulate (walk around) the Ka'aba along the path of the circle 7 times before they stop and bow toward the Square (Ka'aba). The Báb claimed to be the promised Imam Mahdi of Shi'ite Islam Who according to Muslim prophecy would "rule" for 7 lunar years. The Bab made His declaration in March 1844, and He was killed in July 1850; 7 lunar years later.
The meaning of this is that Muslims must await the Point Within the Compass, and follow Him, but after 7 (lunar) years they must stop and bow to the Square Who is the Heavenly Ka'aba come down to earth.
Bahá'u'lláh represents the Square; the heavenly Ka'aba that descends to earth. Within the Ka'aba is the Hajera Stone ("The Black Stone"). This is the "Philosopher's Stone"; the stone which by touching it brings immortality. The Stone is a symbol of the WORD of God that comes from within the Square that brings eternal life.
The Báb and Bahá'u'lláh are called the "Twin Manifestations"; because They appeared at about the same time. Both are Manifestations of God.
The Square and Compass is a Masonic symbol. Freemasonry came from the Order of the Temple of Solomon; an order of Christian warrior-monks that protected Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land in the Middle-ages. During the Crusades the Templars made a covenant with a secret society of Shi'ite Muslims called the Assasseen (who were not hashish users nor "assassins" as their enemies claimed). The Assasseen were from the Elborz Mountains of Írán. They were considered heretics to other Muslims, and were prevented from going on pilgrimage to Mecca. So, they designed their "pilgrimate" in the form of a secret ritual that included handclasps and jestures. They took the Square as a symbol of the Ka'aba ("Square") and the Compass as the symbol of the circumambulation (walking in a circle) of the Ka'aba 7 times during Hajj (pilgrimage). They initiated many of the members of the Order of the Temple into their secret rituals.
The Order consisted of Serving Brethren (left), Knight-monks (center), and Priests (right). Most of the Serving Brethren were Stone-Masons. The Order built many castles, forts, and other works in stone both in the Holy Land and in Europe.The Order of the Temple became the largest and richest and most powerful Order of Monks and Priests in Christendom. They built most of the castles and cathedrals of Europe. They were the "bankers" of Christendom. They had hundreds of business enterprises. The Order had "secret rites" that could not be divulged to the uninitiated.
The Order was almost completely destroyed in the 14th century by Pope Clement V and the King of France because they were considered "heretics". They accused the Templars of despising the Cross, and worshipping an idol called "BAPHOMET". Many scholars today think "Baphomet" is the Old French rendering of the Turkish word for Muhammad ("Mahomet").
"Baphomet was the same Old French word as 'Muhammad'." (Dungeon, Fire, and Sword)The heads of the Order of the Temple of Solomon, sent to the Holy Land to defend Christian pilgrims from Muslim bandits, were converted to a "heretical" form of Islám which they kept hidden in secret rites and rituals."The term is a corruption of Mahomet, who in several medieval Latin poems seems to be called by this name [Baphomet]" ("Baphomet" LoveToKnow 1911 Online Encyclopedia)
"Baphomet (bae-fomet) [a. Baphomet; cf. Pr. Bafomet. Ops. Mafomet]. A. A form of the name Mahomet used by medieval writers." (Myth of Baphomet, p.1 online)
"A medieval European rendering of Muhammad, the name of the Prophet of Islam." (Baphomet-SourceryForge)
"Apparently, a very common medieval French spelling of the prophet Muhammad was 'Baphomet'." (Myths and Stories of the Knights Templars)
The Templars built the city of St. Joan of Arc ("Acre" in French); which the Arabs called "Akko" or "Akka". The Templars employed many stonemasons to build for them castles and priories both in the Holy Land, and later in Europe. One of the headquarters of the Order was in Mormont (pronounced "Mormon") in what is now Belgium.
Why the Order was persecuted and destroyed depends upon who you ask. The Pope and King of France said that the Order was practicing occult rituals, engaging in sodomy, spitting upon the Cross, and worshipping an idol they called "Baphomet". According to Freemasonic historians, the Order was destroyed because the King of France and Clement V wanted the considerable wealth of the Order.
The stonemasons of the Order escaped persecution; because they were (at that time) building the Cathedrals of Europe for the Catholic Archbishops. The real wealth of the Order lay with the Knights; not the stonemasons. Some Knights of the Order fled to Scotland; where a remnant of the Order still exists today. About 100 years later some members of the Order in England formed the first Grand Lodge of Freemasonry. One of them was William Smith; a direct ancestor of Joseph Smith. One of the first Masonic symbols was the Square and Compass. Another symbol was the 9-sided star; a symbol of the 9 founders of the Order of the Temple.
Where did the Order of the Temple of Solomon get their secret rites and symbols? There are many theories. One is that while they were in Palestine the knights were initiated into a secret order of Muslims who awaited the coming of the Imam Mahdi, and the Order borrowed from this secret society of Shi'ite Muslims (Nizari Ismailis) their symbols; one being the Square and Compass. The Shi'ites were not allowed to go on Hajj (Pilgrimage) to Mecca; because the Sunnis controlled Mecca. So, they formed other rituals. The Square represented the Ka'aba (Arabic: "SQUARE"), and the Compass represented the circle around the Ka'aba that Muslims had to circumambulate (walk around) 7 times, and then bow on their knees. The Square and Compass was symbolic of the two Promised Ones of Shi'ite Islám; Al-Mahdi (Compass) and Al-Maseeh (Square).
The Square and Compass were originally the symbols of a secret society of Shi'ite Muslims called the Assasseen (which means "guardians" of the secrets), and they represent the coming Imam Mahdi (the Compass) and the return of Christ (Square or Heavenly Ka'aba). The Templars (and later the Freemasons) took these symbols and used them for their own Orders.
The Assassins were Shi'ite Muslims from Persia who joined in the military campaigns against the Crusaders. However, they were considered "heretics" by other Muslims; who shunned them. The Templars and Assassins joined together in mutual aid and defense, and many scholars believe this is when the Templars were first introduced to the secret rites of the Assassins.
The term "Assassin" means "political murderer" today in English; because of the works of Marco Polo, who wrote that the "Assassin" meant "user of Hashish" and that they sent murderers high on hashish to kill the leaders of their enemies. But Polo got his information from anti-Assassin sources. The Assassins did not use hashish, and they did not go around murdering the leaders of their enemies. Much of what is written against them is similar to anti-Mormon books about the "Danites" and "Destroying Angels" of Brigham Young and "the Mormons".
The story of the covenant between the Templars and the Assassins is told in the following book:
The Assassins were the "Guardians" of the Secrets. They awaiting the coming of two Promised Ones: the Al-Madhi (Guided One) and the Al-Maseeh (Messiah). The symbol of al-Mahdi was the Compass (the compassing of the Ka'aba seven times during Hajj), and the symbol of Al-Maseeh was the Square (the Heavenly Ka'aba). The Assassins were learn the secrets while sitting in front of two poles called in Arabic Al-Báb ("The Gate").
The Báb claimed to be the "Primal Point"; the Point within the cicle of a Compass. The dispensation of The Báb lasted 7 lunar years (1260-1267 A.H./1844-1850 A.D.). Bahá'u'lláh claimed to be the Square; Heavenly Kaaba come down to earth. He claimed to be the Messiah ben David. The Jews expected two "Christs"; the Messiah ben Joseph (the Suffering Messiah) and the Messiah ben David (the Reigning Messiah). Bahá'u'lláh was a direct descendant of King David via Bostanai of the House of David and Princess Dara of Persia.
In the 11th century Arab traders from Shiraz (a city in Persia) landed on an island off the coast of east Africa. They found the natives to be Indonesians; not Africans. They used the island as a way-station between the coast of Africa, Madagascar, and points north. They brought blacks as slaves to the islands. The Swahili speaking blacks named the main island Ko-Moro (Swahili: "Land of Fire") because the islands had active volcanoes. The Arabs called in "Camorah". The Arab merchants built a fort on the main island, which the blacks named Moro-Nee (Swahili: "Fiery Place"); because it was at the foot of an active volcano. The Shi'ite Arabs from Shiraz pronounced it "Moro-Nai"> The Portuguese landed there in the 15th century, and found an Arab Persian ruler from Shiraz named Siyyid Husein ibn Alí Shirazí. One of the descendants of the Shirazis would later be born, in 1817, in Iran, as Siyyid Muhammad Alí Shirazí; otherwise known as "The Báb".
Two years earlier, in the Elborz Mountains of Írán, near the old fortress of the Assassins (Persian: "Keepers" of the Secrets), was born one Mirza Husein Alí Núrí (Arabic: "Prince Kindness Exalted of Light"); known today as Bahá'u'lláh (Arabic: "The Glory of God"). He would spend the last 24 years of His life in Akka; the city built by the Templars (and where they made a covenant with the Assassins) and named by them St. Joan d'Acre.
The most popular "Mormon" symbol is that of the "Angel Moroni" blowing a trumpet. symbol can be found on the top of most Mormon Temples:
But the original angel was designed as a windvein for the top of the Nauvoo Temple. It was designed by Joseph Smith himself. It showed an angel in flight, blowing a trumpet, wearing Muslim clothing with a green turban, holding a book (not gold plates), with the square and compass and flaming heart above it:
This is not a symbol of the angel Moroni, but of Gabriel was to appear as "a thief in the night" and with "the voice of the Archangel" and "with the sound of a trumpet". The "book" that the Angel is holding open is not The Book of Mormon, but the Bible; open to the 14th Chapter of the Book of Revelations where it says John sees "another angel flying in the midst of heaven". Mormons think that is the Angel Moroni, but John actually sees thee angels in that chapter, all flying in heaven. These 3 Angels are symbols of the three Messengers of God Who came after the Dispensation of Jesus:
*Muhammad
*The Báb
*Bahá'u'lláhIn Hebrew, and in Greek, "angel" and "messenger" is the same word.
It was the Order of the Temple of Solomon that founded Freemasonry; the largest fraternal organization in the world. The basis of Freemasonry is the "Blue Lodge" which consists of a Lodge Room where "degree work" is done. There are three degrees: Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, and Master Mason. These are rituals wherein a candidate is blindfolded, and led around with a flaxen cord around his neck. He must pass certain keywords, grips, and tokens in order to pass-by sentinels who try to stop him. If he passes all, he kneels at an altar and a degree is confired upon him. The "signs and tokens" are needed to pass-by Masonic sentinels and stand in front of the Worshipful Master in the East; who then confers the degree.
Joseph Smith was made a Mason in Nauvoo, and became a Master Mason (3rd Degree). At his death he gave the Masonic "call of distress" (raising the arms three times and saying: "O Lord, my God, is there no help for the widow's son?"--this is what Hyrum Abiff did in the Masonic legend of Hyrum Abiff). The Masons in the mob ignored this, and killed Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum.
Anti-Mormons and skeptics believe that Joseph Smith "borrowed" (or stole) Masonic rites and created the Mormon Endowment Ceremony from them. On the other hand, Joseph Smith never denied the connection between Masonic and Mormon rituals. He called Freemasonry a "corruption" of the greater Priesthood, and called the Endowment "Celestial Masonry", or Masonic rites restored to their original purity.
Mormons believe that the Endowment Ceremony teaches them "signs and tokens" that they can use after death to pass-by angel-sentinels and return to the Presence of God the Father and receive "crowns" (exaltation) and "eternal lives".
Where do the Freemasonic rituals come from?
There are many theories. Some say they were simply "invented out of whole cloth" in the 17th century by William Smith (ancestory of Joseph Smith) and others. Others say that they came from the old Roman stonemason trade unions. Others say they came from the Templars; the Order of the Temple of Solomon. But where did the Templars get these secret rites and symbols?
The Templars got them from the Assasseen; the "guardians" of the secrets headquartered in the Elborz Mountains of Írán.
Many authors are claiming today that the Templars were just the "military arm" of an organization called the Priory of Sion. The Priory of Sion was an order of Roman Catholic monks who claimed to be the guardians of the "Holy Grail"; the cup that captured the blood of Jesus on the Cross. Some modern authors (like the author of The DaVinci Code) claim that the "Holy Grail" (French: "Saint Greal" pronounced "Sahng Reyal") was not a cup, but it referred to the "Royal Blood" (French: "Sang Real"); the royal bloodline of Jesus and Mary Magdalene. According to legend, Mary Magdalene and another Mary (the mother of James and John) fled the Holy Land when the Emperor tried to kill all the descendants of David (as a way to stop "Messianic" upraisings). Mary and Mary Magdalene landed on what is now the French coast; at a place called today Les Sts. Maries de la Mer ("The Two Saint Marys of the Sea").
A few Mormon apostles taught that Jesus was married and had children. Mormon legend says that Joseph Smith and Brigham Young (a cousin to Joseph Smith) both claimed they were descended from Jesus.
The story goes that the descendants of Mary Magdelene married into the House of Merovee of Languedoc; the kings of Languedoc. The symbol of the Merovee was the honeybee. Many centuries later, Languedoc became part of France.
The main monestary of the Priory of Sion was located in the hamlet of Mormont (pronounced "Mormon") in what is now Belgium. It is located in a part of Belgium where most of the people are of German descent, and often speak both French and German.
In the early 1600s the Priory of Sion (a confirmed historical order of Roman Catholic monks) sold their monastery to the Jesuits, and disappeared. About about this time there appeared in America, in Pennsylvania, an order of German speaking "Protestant" monks called the Zion Brotherhood (also "Zionistic Brotherhood" etc.). The Zion Brotherhood claimed to be the custodians of the Order of Melchizedek; a priesthood of the original Apostles of Jesus (so they claimed). The built a cloister at Ephrata, Pennsylvania, and built a temple of wood at the cloister there wherein their practiced Masonic-like secret rites. They also baptized for the dead. One of the monks was Peter Whitmer; who later left the Brotherhood and moved 6 miles away. He married, and one of his sons was David Whitmer; one of the Three Witnesses to The Book of Mormon Five of Peter's other sons became five of the Eight Witnesses to The Book of Mormon:
The Three Witnesses testified of seeing "angelic messengers" and the Gold Plates. The Eight Witnesses testified of seeing and handling the Gold Plates (Joseph Smith translated the charactors on the Gold Plates into The Book of Mormon).
It was in a house owned by Peter Whitmer, in Harmony Pennsylvania, wherein Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (acting as scribe) translated and wrote The Book of Mormon. The sons of Peter Whitmer (who was ordained into the Order of Melchizedek when he was a member of the Zion Brotherhood) were Peter Jr., Jacob (called "James"), John, David, and Christian.
David Whitmer once wrote that during the translation process, when he was helping Joseph Smith move, he saw an old man carrying a large napsak. The man took out a hankerchief and wiped his face, saying how hot it was. Joseph Smith and the old man exchanged pleasantries. Later, Joseph Smith asked David Whitmer "Do you know who that man was?" David said he did not. Joseph replied, "That was Moroni!"
The purpose of the Zion Brotherhood was to establish The City of New Jerusalem in the Wilderness of America. They considered themselves to be the "Woman Clothed With The Sun" who carried the Man-Child, and was chased by the Red Dragon (the Papacy), but was saved by two Wings of a Great Eagle (in the Book of Revelations). Some believe that the Zion Brotherhood created the first Grand Lodge of Freemasons in England.
The symbol of the Priory of Zion was an All-Seeing Eye with a Crown over it surrounded by 9 stars. This is also the symbol of Brigham Young's "Council of the Kingdom of God", and he minted coins with that symbol ("Seal of the Apostles") when Utah was still known as "Deseret" (Jaredite: "Honeybee"):
The top figure is the symbol of the Priory of Sion (from a book by Jacob Boehme). The bottom is a Mormon coin with the Seal of the Apostles (All-Seeing Eye with a Crown on top surrounded by 9 stars).When Joseph Smith first formulated the Endowment Ceremony, he chose 9 men to be his "Anointed Quorum", and conferred upon them the Endowment. Later, the Endowment became open to all faithful Latter-day Saints.
Joseph Smith was a true SEER! He was prepared for that mission since before he was born. There really was a "messenger" called Moroni. There really were golden plates (an alloy of brass and gold). There really were "angelic" messengers that confirmed upon Joseph and others certain "keys".
The Book of Mormon is TRUE! It is divine. It is a divine cipher. It is a divine prophetic parable; like the Masonic Legend of Hyrum Abiff; divine prophetic truths coached in metaphorical symbols. It is like a prophetic dream. It is a divine parable of America; the fate of the proud, arrogant, self-righteous, Mammon- worshipping white race in America; who will be utterly destroyed by the colored races unless they repent and come to Christ. Count the numbers. Count the time from Jesus' appearance to the Nephites until the final battle at Cumorah. That is how much time the whites in America have. It is to reveal, and to conceal. It reveals its message to the Pure-in-Heart. From all else, it conceals it. Only the Pure-in-Heart will be able to dicipher it; its true meaning and message. See if you can decipher it.
Symbolism of the Salt Lake Temple
All Mormons know that the Salt Lake Temple is the most important temple in the Church. Within it contains the "Upper Room"; the "Holy of Holies" of the Mormon Faith. The Salt Lake Temple faces due east. It has 6 towers; 3 on the East and 3 on the West. Mormons interpret these 6 towers as the 6 offices of the Greater and Lesser Priesthood: High Priest, Seventy, Elder, Priest, Teacher, Deacon. But Joseph Smith, in a letter to Joseph Hull of Lempter, New Hamshire, wrote:
"The time has been when the WM [Worshipful Master] was in Asia, at the East, the SW [Senior Warden] in Europe, at the West, and the JW in Africa, at the South. Well, now, how will it be after the new arragements? I must still look to Asia to find the W.M." (No Help for the Widow's Son, 1980, p.29)In Lodge rooms the Worshipful Master sits in the East, the Senior Warden in the West, and the Junior Warden in the South. Joseph Smith saw himself as the Senior Warden in the West. A lesser Prophet (Junior Warden) would arise in Africa, and the Worshipful Master (Master of the Lodge) would arise in the East; as the sun arises in the East.
The Worshipful Master (W.M.) sits in the East, the Senior Warden (S.W.) in the West, and the Junior Warden (J.W.) in the South.A Lodge is not said to be "duly formed" until all the major officers of the Lodge ( Worshipful Master in the East, Senior Warden in the West, Junior Warden in the South) and their assistants are seated. Then the Lodge is "dully formed" and it can begin its "standard works".
Joseph Smith,in his letter to Joseph Hull, continues:
"I must still look to Asia to find the W.M. Well, what next? Why, there is a spot in North America exactly due west from where King Solomon's temple stood. It will be the choice of our S.W., but he alone can't govern the lodge amidst all the bustle. Well, how shall we get out of this scrape? Why, we must wait with patience until South America has made the choice of the J.W. When the above described Lodge is duly formed and begins to work, we may expect to have peace on earth, good will to men." (No Help, p.29)What did Joseph Smith mean by this?He meant this: *The W.M., S.W., and J.W. represent three Orders; one in Asia, one in Europe, and one in Africa. They are all working together doing "secret" work (like in a Lodge).
*The S.W. [Senior Warden] left Europe and came to America. Due West from King Solomon's Temple (Mount Moriah) shall be the City of New Jerusalem.
*The J.W. [Junior Warden] was in Africa, but we must patiently wait until he goes to South America.
*The W.M. [Worshipful Master] is in Asia, and will remain there.
*When all three are seated in their proper places (as in a Lodge), on their respective thrones, then you can expect to see the commencement of the promised Millennium.
In other words, there are three separate organizations working together for a common goal. They work in secret because they cannot work openly (persecution). They use parables and symbols to teach certain truths that only the Pure-in-Heart can see and recognize. The Senior Warden [Priory of Sion] came from Europe to America. The Junior Warden [?] must come from Africa to South America. The Worshipful Master [?] will remain in Asia; in the EAST. Once they are all seated the Lodge is "dully formed" and we can being "work" (the Millennium or 1000 year Reign of Christ on earth).
Why all the secrecy? Why all the symbols and allegories and metaphor?
The answer is simple.
Jesus said He spoke in Parables so that only the Pure-in-Heart could understand what He said. Why? Because the message is only for the Pure-in-Heart. Only they will have the spiritual capacity to understand and recognize. All others won't be able to "see" because they are spiritually blind, and Eternal Lives is not for them.
The spiritually-blind shall follow the spiritually-blind, but the Pure-in-Heart shall take the Holy Spirit of Promise as their Guide.
The Salt Lake Temple is filled with Masonic symbols:
*The All-Seeying Eye
*The Hand-clasps
*etc.On the West and East ends of the Salt Lake Temple are three Towers. The East Towers are higher (more exalted) than the West Towers. There are 5 spires on the towers, and one Angel on the highest Tower (East).
The Three Towers are symbolic of the Chairs of the Worshipful Master of a Lodge and his two assistants:
In the EAST of a Masonic Lodge there are three chairs; the highest for the Worshipful Master, and two lower ones on either side for his assistants.
In the West there are three chairs; the highest for the Senior Warden and his two assistants.
In the South there are three chairs; the highest for the Junior Warden and his two assistants.
The highest chair is the Worshipful Master, then the Senior Warden, then the Junior Warden.
The three low towers (spires) in the West of the Salt Lake Temple represents the leaders of the Church (three members of The First Presidency). The three high towers (spires) in the East represent the Worshipful Master and His two Deacons "servants" who shall arise in the East. The Salt Lake Temple faces East, it is because the Worshipful Master shall arise in the East:
The three towers represent three chairs in the East of a Lodge (the Worshipful Master's Chair being highest). Notice the 2 Doors. The three towers on the EAST of the Temple are higher (more exalted) than the three towers on the WEST of the Temple.The Three Towers in the WEST are symbolic of the S.W. (Senior Warden) and his two assistants.
The Three Towers in the EAST (which are higher and more exalted) are symbolic of the W.M. (Worshipful Master) and his two assistants.
In a Masonic Lodge, a Candidate wishes to enter the Lodge and receive "Light" (Arabic: "NÚR"). The Candidate must first pass by the Senior Warden on his way to his ultimate goal; which is to come to the Presence of the Worshipful Master and receive his degree and metals (rewards). The three higher Towers on the east represent the Worshipful Master and his two "servants" (Senior Deacon and Junior Deacon). The Worshipful Master is the One Who Arises in the East and confirs upon the Candidate the "degree" and "metals" (rewards). For Mormons, this represents the Lord Behind the Veil who is hidden behind a white veil. One must use the "Signs and Tokens" to pass-by the Seninels on the way to the Presence of the Father Who dwells behind a white veil. If one gives the correct "signs and tokens" (key words, hand-clasps, and jestures), then the white veil is parted and the Patron (temple-goer) is invited into a small well- furnished room called "the Celestial Room"; which symbolicly represents the Presence of God the Father, or the Celestial Kingdom.
The Three Towers on the West represents the Senior Warden and his two assistants. This is symbolic of The First Presidency of the Kingdom of God on Earth (the LDS Church).
The Three Towers on the East (which are higher and more exalted) represents the Worshipful Master and his two servants. The most high tower on the Salt Lake Temple (East Tower with the angel blowing a trumpet) represents the Chair of the Worshipful Master in the East; which is higher (more exalted) than the others.
In the Blue Lodge of Masonry, the Candidate first appears before the Senior Warden who prepares him to pass by other sentinels, and to finally appear before the Worshipful Master of the Lodge who confers upon the Candidate his degree and metal (rewards). This is symbolic of the Church (Senior Warden) preparing the Patron (Temple-goer) to enter into the Presence of "The Father"; the Lord behind the Veil; there to receive your heavenly rewards. The Lord Behind the Veil is behind a white veil with Masonic symbols of them. One must give the Lord Behind the Veil the correct "signs and tokens". If this is done correctly, then the white veil is parted, and one enters the Celestial Room (symbolic of the Celestial Kingdom or the Presence of God the Father).
The very purpose of being a Mormon, a Latter-day Saint, is the heavenly rewards which are:
*Eternal Marriage
*Eternal Lives (interpreted today as having children for eternity)
*GodhoodEternal Lives was interpreted by Heber C. Kimball and others as referring to a form of reincarnation, or becoming Adams and Eves of many different worlds. But today Mormons interpret it as "eternal increase", or having children ("lives") for eternity.
Notice the windows on the Salt Lake Temple:
This too is a "sign" and a "token" a symbolic "clue" for the Pure-in-Heart.
This is the front of the house of 'Abdu'l-Baha in Haifa (now called the "Pilgrim House"):
The house of 'Abdu'l-Baha in Haifa. Bahá'í pilgrims who visited Him here believed He was the reincarnation of Jesus (the Son).Brigham Young claimed he saw the Salt Lake Temple in a "vision". It is the only Mormon temple built upon a vision.
The Three High Towers of the Salt Lake Temple which stand in the EAST represent the 3 Central Figures of the Bahá'í Faith, the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, that would arise in the East (Asia). They are higher than the three towers/spires on the West; because the Kingdom of Heaven is HIGHER and GREATER than the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God on earth (the Church) is the Terrestrial Kingdom. The Kingdom of Heaven on earth is the Celestial Kingdom. We must "pass through" the white veil in order to enter the Presence of the Father which is the Celestial Kingdom. Both Kingdoms exist in our dimension, and in other dimensions as well. Mormons believe that the three Kingdoms of Glory exist only "on the other side of the veil". They don't exist on earth. But this is incorrect. They exist after death as they exist here. The Terrestrial Kingdom of God is the Church. It is the Kingdom of God on TERRA (Latin: Earth). The Kingdom of God (West) was established to "prepare the way" for the Kingdom of Heaven that comes down to earth. The Kingdom of Heaven is the CELESTIAL (Latin: "Heavenly") KINGDOM THAT SHALL COME DOWN TO EARTH TO MEET THE KINGDOM OF GOD:
1 HEAKEN, andlo, a voice as of one sent down from on high, who is mighty and powerful, whose going forth is unto the ends of the earth, yea, whose voice is unto men--Prepare ye the way of the the Lord, make his paths straight.The LORD said to Joseph the SEER (in D&C 65) that:
2 The keys of the kingdom of God [Church] are committed unto men on the earth, and from thence the gospel shall roll forth unto the ends of the earth, as the stone which is but out of the mountain without hands shall foll forth, until it has filled the whole earth.
3 Yea, a voice crying__Prepare ye the way of the Lord, prepare ye the supper of the Lamb, make ready for the Bridegroom.
> 5 Call upon the Lord, that his kingdom [Church] may go forth upon the earth, that the inhabitants thereof may receive it, and be prepared for the days to come, when the the Son of Man shall come down in heaven, clothed in the brightness of his GLORY [Arabic: BAHA], to meet the kingom of God [Church] which is set up on the earth.
6 Wherefore, may the kingdom of God [Church] go forth, that the kingdom of heaven [Faith] may come." (D&C 65)*The Kingdom of God (Church) was established on earth for two purposes: 1. To preach the Gospel to all nations (verses 1 through 4).
2. To prepare the way for the Kingdom of Heaven which shall come down from heaven when the Son of Man appears in the brightness of His Glory, to meet the Kingdom of God on earth (verses 5 and 6).
Can anything be more clear?
The Kingdom of Heaven will descend from heaven and come down to earth with the coming of the Son of Man ______in______ "GLORY".
The Church acts as the "John the Baptist" to the "Son of Man" Who shall come down in "GLORY" with the Kingdom of Heaven to "meet" the Kingdom of God on earth!
The Kingdom of God [Church] was established to prepare the way for the Kingdom of Heaven which shall "come down" with the Son of Man, Who shall come in His "GLORY", and the two will "meet" upon the Earth.
The LDS Bible Dictionary (found in all new editions of LDS Bibles) says: Bahá'u'lláh wrote:
"Kingdom of Heaven or Kingdom of God. These terms are used in various combinations and with various meanings. Generally speaking, the kingdom of God on earth is the Church. It is a preparation for the greater kingdom~ the celestial or kingdom of heaven." (LDS Bible Dict., p.721)The Kingdom of Heaven will come down to meet the Kingdom of God, and the meeting place is Earth! The Son of Man shall come "in" His Glory, and bring the Kingdom of Heaven with Him. The Kingdom of Heaven is the Celestial Kingdom.Bahá'u'lláh identified Himself as "the Son of Man":
The Voice of the Son of Man is calling aloud from the sacred veil: Here am I, here am I, My God! The Father has come and that which ye were promised in the Kingdom of God is fulfilled. World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, p.104-5)The first Son of Man was Yeh'o'shuah (Jesus), the second Son of Man was Bahá'u'lláh.He sat behind a white veil over the entrance of His apartment in Akka. In 1890 He parted the veil and came out openly. Three times during the Muslim year 1308 A.H. (1+3+0+8=12), which is a lunar year between late and early March of 1890 and 1891, He recited the Tablet of Carmel in a thundering voice, in Arabic, from the Sacred Spot on Mount Carmel:
"Call out to Zion, O Carmel! He Who was hidden from mortal eyes has come!"
For three times during this year (three times during 1890 and 1891) Baha'u'llah sat on Mount Carmel in the EAST; the seat of the Worshipful Master, and proclaimed the Day of the LORD had arrived.
Joseph Smith prophecied in 1835 that the coming of the Lord is "nigh, even fifty-six years should wind-up the scene" (1835+56=1891). He later prophesied "in the name of the Lord and let it be written" that "the Son of Man" would come "48 years hence, or about 1890". He was promised that "if" he lived until he was 85 years of age (1890-91) he would "see the face of the Son of Man".
Joseph Smith had plans to leave the Church with his brother Hyrum, and go to the Holy Land with Orson Hyde (who had been there already), and wait for the coming of the Son of Man in the Holy Land.
Bahá'u'lláh referred to the Cause of God as the "Celestial Kingdom":
We of a certainly, have no intent in the Celestial Kingdom, but to exalt His Cause and glorify His praise. (Kitab-i-Aqdas, p.82)The Spirit said unto Joseph the Seer:
This Comforter is the promise [i.e. Holy Spirit of Promise] which I give you of eternal life, even the glory of the Celestial Kingdom. (D&C 88:4-5)Bahá'u'lláh wrote:Seek me dililgently and ye shall find me. (D&C 88:63)
The Comforter Whose advent all the Scriptures have promised is now come that He may reveal unto you all the knowledge and wisdom. Seek Him over the surface of the entire earth, haply ye may find Him. (Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p.12)Confused?Blessed is the soul that hath been raised to life by My quickening breath and hath gained admittance into My Heavenly Kingdom. (Lawh-i-Aqdas 24:10)
Good! You are meant to be confused! The Pure-in-Heart will begin to "see". All others are meant not to "see". Why did Jesus speak in parables that most of His listeners could not understand Him? His disciples asked Him. Jesus said:
Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand. (Luke 8:10)The Masonic Legend of Hyrum Abiff was a parable of the Restoration.The Book of Mormon is a parable of the white people (Nephites) and the colored peoples (Lamanites) of the Americas; and the fate of the "fair ones" should they not forsake materialism and repent.
The Endowment Ceremony is a parable of preparing while in the Terrestrial Kingdom (the Church) to enter the Celestial Kingdom (the Faith).
He who has spiritual eyes, let him see!
He who has spiritual ears, let him hear!
O Seeker of Truth!
The Kingdom of God [Church] was never meant to be an "end" in itself! It was established for one purpose only; to prepare the way (i.e. to prepare the Pure-in-Heart) for the the descent of the Kingdom of Heaven (Celestial Kingdom) on earth. You think you have Eternal Life in your rituals and priesthoods! But they only testify of the Holy Spirit of Promise. You think you are "Sealed" together for eternity by a "Sealer"? You have not been sealed to anything! There is no sealing until you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise!There is no "Eternal Lives" without the Holy Spirit of Promise. There is no "Eternal Marriage" without the Holy Spirit of Promise. There is no "Sealing" without the Holy Spirit of Promise. All these things, the baptisms, the sealings, the priesthoods, the "signs and tokens" are just "types and shadows" the of the true Sealing that comes by accepting and following the Holy Spirit of Promise.
The first Persian Bahá'ís arrived in New York City from Haifa Palestine (as it was then called) in August of 1900; to prepare the way for the visit of 'Abdu'l-Baha twelve years later. The New York Herald interviewed those who could speak English, and wrote:
"In Christ in the world today? There are tens of thousands of persons who believe He is; that the Kingdom of Heaven has been established upon the earth." (New York Herald, Aug. 12, 1900)
The Lord Shall Be Red In His Apparel
Bahá'u'lláh was sent to the Siyah Chal ("Black Pit") of Tehran after The Báb was martyred. During that time He had a vision of the Maid of Heaven (Heavenly Mother) in which She told Him of His true station. He and many other Bábís were exiled to Baghdad. They made converts, which enraged the local clergy. Mobs burned His house. Bábí women made for Him a new wardrope of red Persian Tarmih drapes; the only cloth they had left.
48 And the Lord shall be red in his apparel, and his garments like him that treadeth the win-vat. (D&C 133:48)In 1863, in Baghdad, He told the Bábís that He was the Promised One awaited by The B&aaacute;b; the Heavenly Kaaba come down to earth, the Manifestation of the Father on earth. He is exiled again to Erdine (Turkey), and finally to Akka, Palestine (as it was then called); the very city the Templars had built, and where they made their covenant with the Assassins. He was a political prisoner. In 1878 He moved from the prison city to a mansion just outside of Akka called Bahjí. In His apartment in that mansion were white veils that covered the windows and the entrance into His apartment. To see His face, one had to "pass through" the white veil. He kept His true identify hidden from non-Believers save for a few Seekers, and letters to kings and popes announcing to them His station. He prophecied of their fates in these letters, and all His prophecies came to pass.Being of royal Persian blood, Bahá'u'lláh did not walk or travel on the ground, but rode a horse or was carried in a palanquin.
Ancient drawing of an Egyptian palanquin bearing a nobleman.
22 And again, verily I say unto you, that the Son of Man cometh not in the form of a woman, neither of a man traveling on the earth. (D&C 49:22)In the years 1308 A.H. (1890-91) He stepped forth from behind the white veil, and road to Mount Carmel in Haifa, and pitched His tent at a certain Spot, and from this spot recited in a load thundering Voice, the Tablet of Carmel. He recited this three times; with His Eldest Son 'Abdu'l-Baha at His side.
My son, if thou livest until thou art 85 years of age [1890-91] thou shalt see the Face of the Son of Man. (D&C 130)Joseph Smith once prophesied "in the name of the Lord" that "if" he be allowed to live he would "drink white wine" with Orson Hyde in the Holy Land (Diary of Joseph Smith, entry for January 20th, 1843, LDS Church Archives). Joseph Smith had plans to leave the Church with his brother Hyrum, and travel with Orson Hyde to the Holy Land (Hyde had been there once already), but both Joseph and his brother Hyrum died by the hands of a mob in a jail in Carthage, Illinois, in June of 1844.Why did Joseph Smith wish to travel to Palestine with Orson Hyde?
Because he wanted to see the Face of the Son of Man; Who would "unveil" His Face when Joseph Smith turned 85 (1890-91). If Joseph Smith lived, he would see the face of the Son of Man. But, Joseph had seen Jesus' face many times. This Son of Man would not be the face of Jesus.
Bahá'u'lláh wrote:
The Voice of the Son of Man is calling aloud from the sacred veil: Here am I, here am I, O God, My God! The Father hath come, and that which ye were promsied in the kingdom of God is fulfilled. (The Words of Bahá'u'lláh, p.104)Bahá'u'lláh died in 1892, and was buried under the mansion at Bahjí. Many saw Him after His death; including the chief Muslim Mulla (clergyman) of Akka.
'Abdu'l-Baha Arrives in Salt Lake City
On Sunday, September 29th, 1912, 'Abdu'l-Baha arrives in Salt Lake City. He goes to the Utah State Fair. He sits in the Prophet's chair at the National Irrigation Congress meeting in the Tabernacle (most attendees are Mormon) that afternoon. He knocks on the door to the Salt Lake Temple. He is refused entry. He says to His secretary:
" This Salt Lake City is beautiful, but it is spiritually dead." ("Interview of Sachiro Fujita", Bahá'í Library Online)The next day He leaves on a train for San Francisco, and from there back to Haifa.Xorol Richards, a Mormon woman of incredible visions, spirituality, and humility, sees His photo in The Salt Lake Tribune. She seeks out the Bahá'ís, and soon becomes a Bahá'í; the first Mormon to do so.
The Jews (for the most part) rejected their Lord. They failed to recognize Him when He came; save only a few of the most spiritually-minded (the Pure-in-Heart). Mormons believe they never would fail to recognize Jesus when He returned! Certainly, the Brethren (Church apostles) would recognize Him, and the people would simply follow the Brethren.
Mormons expect Jesus to return in the sky, with thousands of angels blowing trumpets, wearing red garments.
The popular Mormon belief regarding Jesus' returnBut Joseph Smith wrote:
1 When the Savior shall appear we shall see him as he is. We shall see that he is a man like ourselves. (D&C 130:1)What did Joseph Smith mean "like ourselves"? Mormons think he meant "male like us" but flying around in the sky; spitting out fire-balls upon the wicked. But Joseph Smith meant that the Savior would be "a man like ourselves". The Savior would return as a mortal man; subject to hunger, thirst, pain, and death.
Brigham Young taught that Adam and Eve were "celestial beings" when they came to this planet. They died before on their own planet, but they died again. The Faithful are not promised to live one l___o___n___g life forever, but they are promised "eternal lives" (D&C 132:24 and 55).
Asadu'lláh, a Persian Bahá'í and secretary and friend of 'Abdu'l-Baha, wrote of Him:
"He is the Son of God, the only Door, the Lord of Mankind." (Sacred Mysteries, p.74)
The Two Christs Awaited By The Jews The Jewish belief in two Messiahs comes from the vision of the prophet Zechariah (chapter 4 and 5). An Angels shows Zechariah a vision, and in this vision Zechariah sees two identical olive trees, and between the two olive trees he sees a golden bowl; the olive trees are feeding oil into the bowl, and the bowl is pouring out oil into a menorah (7-piped lamb).
What Zechariah saw in his vision. The Angel identified the two olive trees as "the two annointed ones" of the Lord. "Annointed One" is "Messiah" in Hebrew, or "Christ" in Greek. This is why the Jews expected two Christs; not two advents of one Christ, but two different Christs (Messiah ben Joseph and Messiah ben David).
Messiah="annointed one" (Hebrew)
Christ="annointed one" (Greek)
The Official Seal of the State of Israel is based upon this vision; with two olive brances representing the two Olive Trees (which represent the two Christs).
In 1820 Joseph Smith has a vision of two Beings who resembly each other "exactly". In his original version he wrote that one appeared, and then another appeared after the first. One says "This is my Beloved Son, here ye him" while pointing to the other. The other identifies Himself as Jesus Christ, and says that He is "coming quickly as it it written, in the glory of my Father".
Bahá'u'lláh identified Himself as the "Father". And the Father is the Spirit of Truth.
Ye were in the beginning with the Father, even the Spirit of Truth (D&C 93:23)Bahá'u'lláh is the return of the "Father", and 'Abdu'l-Baha is the return of the "Son". Two thousand years ago the "Father" and the "Son" were One in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus and Christ became "Jesus Christ" at His baptism when John baptized Him in the Jordan River, and a dove came down. That dove was Christ; who entered and overshadowed Jesus:
When the Father (the Spirit of Truth) entered Jesus, He became Jesus Christ. The Father was in Him, and He was in the Father; literally. The Father was pure Spirit (Lectures on Faith) Who dwelt in Jesus from His baptism until the Cross. He was pure Spirit until He came down and was born Mirza Husein Alí Núrí; the Holy Spirit of Promise.
The Father and the Son were "One" in "Jesus Christ".
In the latter-days, They were separate. This is why Joseph Smith see "two Beings" that exactly resemble each other in His vision. He sees the Father and the Son; Who are separate Persons, but were One in Jesus Christ.
Mosiah wrote that the Father was "Spirit" (the Spirit of Truth), and the Son was "flesh". They were "one God" in Jesus Christ:
2 And because he dwellth in flesh she shall be called the Son of God, and having subjected the flesh to the willl of the Father,being the Father and the Son--Mormon wrote:
3 The Father, because he was conceived by the power of God; and the Son, because of the flesh; thus becoming the Father and the Son--
4 And they are One God, yea, the very Eternal Father of heaven and of earth. (Mosiah 15:2-4)9 And because of the fall of man came Jesus Christ, even the Father and the Son;....(Mormon 9:12)Ether wrote of Jesus's appeareance to the Brother of Jared:14 Behold, I am Jesus Christ. I am the Father and the Son. (Ether 3:14)The Spirit said to Joseph the Seer:17 And he received all power, both in heaven and on earth, and the glory of the Father was with him, for he dwelt in him. (D&C 93:17)The Glory of the Father dwelt in Jesus two thousand years ago. The name Bahá'u'lláh in Arabic means "The Glory of God (the Father)".But the Father left the Son on the Cross, and this is why the Son cried out, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? [My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?] (Matt. 27:46).
The Father (Spirit of Truth) leaves Jesus on the CrossChrist=The Father
Jesus=The Son
Jesus Christ=The Father and the Son
The Father, as pure Spirit, dwelt in Jesus two thousand years ago. He came down to this earth as a prince of the Houses of David of Israel and Cyrus of Persia, in the 19th century. He is the return of the Christ-Spirit that dwelt in Jesus for 3 and 1/2 years. He is not the return of Jesus, the Son of God. He is the return of Christ in "the Glory of the Father" (Bahá'u'lláh).
Why did the Father (the Spirit of Truth) leave Jesus on the Cross? Because only He (the Son) could pay for the sins of mankind. That was His mission. The Son is the WORD of God, and the Creator. If the Creation "falls" it is the responsibility of the Son (Who is Creator) to redeem that fallen creation.
When Jesus said "The Father is in me, and I am in the Father" (John 14:11) He meant that literally. The Two were One in Jesus Christ. But They would not return as One Being.
Bahá'u'lláh wrote of Himself:
Verily, He Who is the Spirit of Truth is now come to guide you unto all truth. He speaketh not as prompted by His own Self, but as bidden by Him Who is the All-Wise. Say, this is the One Who hath glofified the Son and hath exalted His Cause. (Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p.12)Bahá'u'lláh wrote of 'Abdu'l-Baha:A WORD which God hath adorned with the ornament of His Own Self, and made it sovereign over the earth and all there is therein. (The World Order of Bahá'u'lláh, p.135)
Anti-Mormons claimed that the Mormon Endowment Ceremony was simply "borrowed" by Joseph Smith from Freemasonic rites. But where did the Freemasonic rites come from? There are many theories. Some say they were simply invented in the 17th century by William Smith and others who formed the first Grand Lodge. Others say they are based upon the rites of the Templars. Where did the Templars get them? Many are now saying that they got them from the secret rites of the Assassins ("Guardians" of the Secrets); who were Shi'ite Muslims, and awaited the coming of the two Promised Ones of Shi'ite Islám.
Joseph Smith called the Endowment Ceremony "Celestial Masonry", and told members of his Anointed Quorum (9 friends of the Propeht that received his highest ordinances) that Freemasonry was a corruption of the Higher Priesthood as Catholicism was a corruption of the Lesser Priesthood. He claimed that he had "restored" the true Masonic rites back to their original purity. He called and anointed 9 men and initiated them into the new ritual; which eventually was openned up to all faithful Mormons and called "The Endowment". He used these symbols too in order to try to prepare the pure-in-heart among the Latter-day Saints to recognize the One Mighty-and-Strong and the Son of Man.
A few have.
As the Sun Rising in the East *When Muslims go on their pilgrimage to Mecca they done a white garment which they wear over their left shoulder. The Báb commanded His disciples to wear the sash over their right shoulders, and so Bábís changed from the left shoulder to the right shoulder.
*During the Mormon Endowment Ceremony, temple patrons where all white (except for one green article), and, during the ceremony, they change their white shawl from the left shoulder to the right shoulder. No "reason" as to what the shawl symbolizes, or why there is a change from left to right shoulder, is ever given. Most Mormons never ask "why".
Mormon Temples are supposed to face East; the place where the Son of Man is supposed to appear. Lyman Wight, one of the original Apostles of the Restoration (men who actually prophesied, had daytime visions, and received Revelations) prophesied at a Church conference in 1833:
"And the Spirit fell upon Lyman Wight and he prophesied concerning the coming of Christ. He said that there were some in the congregation that should live until the Savior should descend from heaven....He said that coming of the Savior would be like the Sun raising in the east, and will cover the whole earth." (The Life of Joseph Smith the Prophet, p.113)Did Lyman Wight prophesy falsely? Are any living in 1833 still alive today?Yet, some living in 1833 were alive when 'Abdu'l-Baha knocked on the East Door of the Salt Lake Temple in September of 1912. Only a very few Latter-day Saints recognize Him when He came from the East unto the West.
One of the symbols of the Baha'i Revelation is the Sun rising in the EastBrigham Young once said, in General Conference, that Jesus had been to this earth "many times" and that we He came again "few would recognize Him". (JD 14:10)
How could this be? Mormons think that when Jesus returns He will come in the sky with thousands of angels blowing trumpets. How could you NOT recognize Him? Certainly, the "Living Prophet" would recognize Him...wouldn't he?
The Church has had no "Living Prophet" since Wilford Woodruff; the very last President or Apostle who prophesied, had daytime visions, and received "Thus saith the Lord" Revelations. Presidents and apostles after Woodruff may call themselves "Prophets/Seers/Revelators", but they do not prophesy, they do not see visions, and they do not receive divine revelations.
Prophets who do not prophesy are not prophets.
Seers who do not see visions are not seers.
Revelators who do not revelate are not revelators.It is simply that simple.
The Jewish High Priests did not recognize Jesus as the Messiah. They thought He was a false chirst; one of many, and a minor nuisance.
Yet, the commong people believed their High Priests, and followed them. They followed their "Brethren".
Only the Pure-in-Heart would recognize Him.
He who has eyes, let him see! For the naturally-minded this is all foolishness! The things of God are foolishness for them. They will laugh and snicker and dismiss with the wave of a hand. The natural man is an enemy to God. Those who are carnally-minded will not "see" anything, but be confused. They will put blind faith in their Brethren as the Jews put in their priesthood-leaders. The truth is not for them. The truth will not be revealed to them. The greater glory is not for them. But those who are spiritually-minded will "see". Then they must make a decision.And their eternity will depend upon that decision.
Why the Endowment is Secret Why is the Endowment Ceremony in Mormon Temples secret? It is said that the purpose of the Endowment is "to reveal and to conceal"; in other words, it is to reveal sacred truths to the Elect (pure-in-heart) but to conceal these truths from all others. In other words, the Endowment is for faithful Mormons only because it is a place of Covenants. Those who do not wish to take out their 5 Covenants therein have no business in the Temple. However, the Endowment is published on the Internet. So how does it remain a "secret"? It remains a secret because even though the Endowment Ceremony and symbols are published on the Internet, they are still only symbols, and symbols are representations of other things. For example, if an alien from another planet entered a Christian church and saw people drinking wine and earting bread he would think they were merely hungry. He would not understand the symbolism. The Endowment Ceremony is a series of symbols: signs and tokens. They mean nothing in themselves. Most Mormons believe that in the Afterlife they must remember the Signs and Tokens in order to enter the Presence of the Father and receive their heavenly rewards. However, the Signs and Tokens (indeed the entire Endowment Ceremony) may refer to something else entirely.
Joseph Smith once said that the "signs and tokens" are merely "shadows". He said that the "sealings" in the temple were not "true sealings" but was in fact only a "type and shadow" of the true sealing that comes by being sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise. In his last Revelation, the Holy Spirit told the Seer Joseph Smith:
All covenants...that are not made and entered into by the Holy Spirit of Promise... are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead.... (D&C 132:7)In other words, Mormons who are "sealed" in Mormon Temples are not truly sealed, but this is just a symbolic act of the true sealing that comes by being sealed by the Holy Spirit of Promise.Mormons believe that they are "sealed" by the Holy Spirit of Promise in LDS Temples because the "Sealers" (high priests) have divine authority. If they "keep the covenants" and remain active in the Church, and obey their priesthood-leaders without question, and pay a full tithing, and do everything their leaders tell them to do, then they will be "sealed" to their wives or husbands and children in the Resurrection of the Dead. Otherwise, they will spend eternity alone; as some sort of eternal monk or nun.
On the other hand, Bahá'ís who were formerly Mormon now believe that the Holy Spirit of Promise is Bahá'u'lláh, and that the "sealings" in Mormon Temples are merely "types of shadows" (signs and tokens) of the true sealing that occurs when one recognizes Baha'u'llah as the Holy Spirit of Promise and covenants with Him (this is called "The Greater Covenant").
Mormons believe that in order to reach the highest glory in the Celestial Kingdom (i.e. the celestial glory of the Celestial Kingdom) they must go to the Temple and learn certain "signs and token"; which are sacred "words" and "jestures" and "handshakes". If they know these and remember them, and "keep the Covenents" that go along with them, then, after they die, they can use them to by-pass the Angels which stand as Sentinels on the way to the Presence of God the Father. If they reach the Presence of God the Father, then they are crowned with "Glory"; they become "gods" and "goddesses".
Most Mormons believe the Signs and Tokens are literal, and that they will have to memorize them in order to get into the Presence of God the Father "on the other side of the veil" (i.e. after death). More spiritual Mormons view them as symbols tied into the 5 Covenants they make, that if they "keep" the 5 Covenants faithfully until death, then they will be allowed to enter the Presence of God the Father and become "Gods" themselves (under the Father).
Some Mormons who have become Bahá'ís believe that the Endowment Ceremony testifies of Bahá'u'lláh; just like the Jewish Temple testified of Jesus!
Moses established the Jewish Temple to teach the Israelites about blood atonement for sin; the very Mission of Jesus Christ. Jesus was the "Lamb of God" without spot (sin) Who would come and offer Himself as "a final sacrifice for sin" (Hebrews 9:12).
Bahá'u'lláh claimed to be the incarnation of the Holy Ghost on earth; just as Jesus was the incarnation of God the Son. Before 1890, one had to "pass through" a white veil in order to enter the Presence of Bahá'u'lláh in His mansion on the isle of Bahjí; just outside of the city of Akka in the Holy Land. Before one could pass through that White Veil, one had to know:
*The Son. One had to be interviewed by 'Abdu'l-Baha; the eldest Son of Bahá'u'lláh. Many early Bahá'ís believed that 'Abdu'l-Baha was the reincarnation of Jesus. Bahá'ís believe that 'Abdu'l-Baha has an absolutely unique Station. He was not a Prophet lesser or otherwise, but is considered by Bahá'ís to be sinless and infallible. Bahá'u'lláh named Him "The Mystery of God". 'Abdu'l-Baha traveled to America in 1911-1912. In September of 1912 He came to Salt Lake City, and walked its downtown streets. He sat in the Tabernacle, in the Prophet's seat, during the National Irrigation Congress. One Mormon woman who lived in Salt Lake City at that time, by the name of Xorol Richards (who had prophetic dreams about Jesus coming to His Temple in Salt Lake City during her lifetime), recognized 'Abdu'l-Baha as the One Who appeared in her dreams, and she became the first Mormon who became a Bahá'í. She told her cousin LeGrand Richards, who, according to Xorol, also became a Believer, but said, "The Saints are not ready for this. One day they will be. But not yet!" LeGrand Richards later became a Mormon Apostle. While in Salt Lake City, 'Abdu'l-Baha knocked on the east door of the Salt Lake Temple seeking entrance Needless to say, He was not let in.The Báb gave to each of His disciples a small white stone, and in the midst of this stone a symbol that was secret to all but The Bábís. The symbol represented their new name. Bahá'ís continue to use such a stone, but place it in a ring, and call it the "Ring-Stone". Bahá'ís are buried with this ring-stone.*The New Name. The Báb gave each of his Disciples a "New Name" in Arabic. This was continued among the Bahá'ís who were allowed to enter the Presence of Bahá'u'lláh. 'Abdu'l-Baha continued to give to each Bahá'í who went on a pilgrimage a "New Name" in Arabic.
Most Mormons never question the meaning of the Endowment Ceremonies. They simply take it on faith that if they keep the 5 Covenants and/or remember the "signs and tokens" they will be "blessed" in this life, and, in the Afterlife, the will pass-by the sentinels, part the white veil, and enter the Presence of God the Father; to be crowned with glory and honor forever and ever.
Conclusion
The Jewish Temple was nothing more than a House of Signs and Tokens that point to Jesus. But most of the Jews couldn't recognize that. They believed that the Temple Rituals were an end in themselves; that they testified of nothing more than atonement for their sins so they could enter Paradise. But Jesus came and said that the Temple merely testified of Him. For that blasphemy, the High Priests had Him crucified.
The High Priests in Jesus' day had the authority of God, but they lacked the Spirit of Discernment. They saw their Priesthood and their authority as ENDS IN THEMSELVES and their WAY TO HEAVEN,, and not what they really were: signs and tokens of the PROMISED ONE (Yeh'o'shuah).
The Presiding High Priests of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (i.e. The First Presidency) have the authority of God, but they lack the Spirit of Discernment. They see their Priesthood and their authority as ENDS IN THEMSELVES, and their WAY TO HEAVEN, and not what they really are: signs and tokens ("types and shadows") of the Promised One (Bahá'u'lláh); Who is.....
The Holy Spirit of Promise! Joseph Smith said:
"Obtain that Holy Spirit of Promise~then you can be sealed to Eternal Life!"(The Words of Joseph Smith, p.15)
Jesus said:
Howbeit when he, the Spirit of Truth is come, he will guide you unto all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me.... (John 16:13-14)Bahá'u'lláh wrote:
Verily, He Who is the Spirit of Truth is now come to guide you unto all truth. He speaketh not as prompted by HIs own self, but as bidden by Him Who is the All-Wise. Say, this is the One Who hath glorified the Son and hath exalted His Cause. (Tablets of Bahá'u'lláh, p.12)The Jews (save a few of the most spiritually-minded ones) could not recognize that their Temple rites were "types of shadows" of the Promised Messiah. They followed their brethren (priesthood leaders), and rejected Him. Today, they still await Him.
Will the latter-day Priesthood of God do the same?
You already know the answer.
There are three types of people:
1) Natural
2) Carnal
3) Spiritual
All these types of people exist among all peoples; including among active Latter-day Saints. The Natural will "schoff" at this, and think it is humerous and foolish. The Carnal will say:
"If this Bahá'u'lláh fellow was the Holy Spirit of Promise, the Brethen would have told us long ago! Since they didn't, he can't be anything but a false prophet!"
The very last Church President (or apostle) to actually prophesy, or see visions, or receive "Thus Saith the LORD" Revelations was Wilford Woodruff (d.1900); the last of the original apostles of Joseph Smith. Since that time, no LDS Church President or Apostle, has made one prophecy, had one supernatural daytime vision, or received one "Thus Saith the LORD" Revelation. Mormons are not allowed to ask "Why?". If they do, they are told: "DON'T QUESTION THE BRETHREN!" (i.e. "or...ELSE!").
The Natural will laught and snicker; because the things of God are foolishness to the. They are simply fodder for Hell-fire.
The Carnal will blindly trust their priesthood-leaders. They shall receive heavenly rewards, but not the highest ones.
The Spiritual, on the other hand, will be pricked in their hearts, and know what I've written is true! What will they do?
In late 1989 members of the LDS Church First Presidency and each member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were sent copies of an article which showed how the Mormon Endowment Ceremony testified of the Báb and Bahá'u'lláh. Very shortly thereafter the First Presidency sent a secret directive to all Temple Presidencies and instructed them that the Five Points of Fellowship, the Penalties, as well as a few other things, be DROPPED from the Endowment Ceremony. These rites had been part of the Endowment Ceremony since the time they were introduced by Joseph Smith. No explanation was given to Mormons as to why this was done. Any Members who asked "why?" were told "See your bishop!" and then lovingly conselled "Don't question The Brethren!"
Mere coincidence?
Perhaps.
Mormons who have become Bahá'ís now see what the Endowment Ceremony was for. It was to give us symbolic clues of the coming of "The One Mighty and Strong" (The Báb) and "The Son of Man" (Bahá'u'lláh) ; how to recognize Them when They came. That is all. And those who recognize the Father and accept Him enter His Presence in this life as well as the Afterlife.
Latter-day Saints who are truly Seekers of Truth will recognize Bahá'u'lláh as the Spirit of Truth, their beloved Heavenly Father; either in this life, or the next. But MOST of them will not. The great majority of Mormons shall, like the Jews of old, simply follow their human leaders.
What will you do?
You can contact them the Salt Lake Valley Bahá'ís at (801) 582-3135. If you live outside of Utah then you can contact the local Bahá'ís by going to contact.bahai.us on the Internet or dailing 1-800-228-6483 anytime day or night.
Dear LDS Seeker of Truth,
Joseph Smith was a true SEER (Bahá'ís do not use "Prophet" for him because he was not a Manifestation of God)! He prophesied of Bahá'u'lláh! The very ordinances of Mormon Temples testify of The Báb and Bahá'u'lláh! Joseph Smith had plans to leave the Church in the care of his brother Hyrum, and to tavel (with Orson Hyde) to the Holy Land so he would "see the face of the Son of Man" when he turned 85 (1890-91); but only "if" he lived until then. The Bahá'í Faith is the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth and the Celestial Kingdom has come down to Earth! All you must now do is SEEK IT!
FREE Baha'i literature mailed to your home upon request. Nobody will knock on your door. The Free Info Packet will be mailed to you via the U.S. Postal Service. Just call the number below to request the Free Baha'i Info Packet:
May God bless you! Go in peace!
Darrick Evenson
2005
The Bahá'í Faith: An Introduction for Seekers of Truth:
In order to fully understand the Signs and Tokens of the Temple you
must read....
The Bahá'í Faith: An Introduction for LDS Seekers
The 1890-91 Prophecies of
Joseph Smith FULFILLED in the Bahá'í Faith!
Questions for the Seeker of Truth:
