Re: Progressive Revelation

[Smaneck]

In a message dated 12/20/2004 5:06:45 P.M. Central Standard Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: While I'm open to a "broader" understanding of the term, I feel that because the passage from Baha'u'llah opens with : "Contemplate with thine inward eye the chain of successive Revelations that hath linked the Manifestation of Adam with that of the Báb."; Dear Sandy,   Oh I think the concept is implicit in Baha'u'llah's Writings. It is just that the term itself is derived from Christianity. Khazeh posted the following website and Table of Contents of one 19th century work on this subject on Bridges some time ago. Since it wasn't exactly a personal post, I'm sure he won't mind if I place it below. I may have to take back what I said earlier about dispensationalism, but I think its ties are more with Christian millenarianism in general.   warmest, Susan The book THE APPROACHING END OF THE AGE VIEWED IN THE LIGHT OF HISTORY, PROPHECY, AND SCIENCE by H. GRATTAN GUINNESS MDCCCLXXIX (1879) IS AVAILABLE ON THE INTERNET http://www.historicism.com/Guinness/Approaching/aeota.htm Part I. PROGRESSIVE REVELATION CHAPTER I. GOD'S REVELATION OF HIMSELF TO MAN HAS BEEN A PROGRESSIVE ONE.- TRUTH IN GENERAL HAS BEEN REVEALED PROGRESSIVELY. PROPHECY, THE DIVINE HISTORY OF THE FUTURE, CONSISTS OF A SERIES OF PROGRESSIVE REVELATIONS.- PRACTICAL RESULTS OF THE COMPREHENSION AND APPLICATION OF THIS PRINCIPLE. CHAPTER II. PROGRESSIVE REVELATIONS AS TO THE RELATIVE PERIOD OF THE SECOND ADVENT OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST. CHAPTER III. PROGRESSIVE REVELATIONS AS TO THE MILLENNIUM, THE RESURRECTION, AND THE JUDGMENT. Part II. PROGRESSIVE INTERPRETATION. CHAPTER 1. HUMAN COMPREHENSION OF DIVINE PROPHECY HAS BEEN, AND WAS INTENDED TO BE PROGRESSIVE.-THREE IMPORTANT INFERENCES FROM DANIEL XII.9. - THERE IS A BLAMELESS AND A GUILTY IGNORANCE OF THE FULFILMENT OF PROPHECY. - INSTANCES OF EACH.- REASONS FOR A PARTIAL AND TEMPORARY OBSCURITY OF PROPHECY; AND MEANS BY WHICH PROGRESSIVE COMPREHENSION OF ITS SIGNIFICATION HAS BEEN GRANTED. CHAPTER II. CONSIDERATION OF CERTAIN BROAD PRINCIPLES, ON WHICH THE APOCALYPSE IS TO BE INTERPRETED.-IT IS A SYMBOLIC PROPHECY, AND MUST BE TRANSLATED INTO ORDINARY LANGUAGE BEFORE IT CAN BE UNDERSTOOD. CHAPTER III. THE APOCALYPSE IS A CONTINUING PROPHECY EXTENDING FROM ITS OWN TIME, TO THE CONSUMMATION OF ALL THINGS.-IMPORTANCE OF HISTORICAL KNOWLEDGE, IN ORDER TO ITS CORRECT INTERPRETATION. IT IS A PROPHECY CONCERNING THE EXPERIENCES OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH, IN THE WORLD, AND NOT CONCERNING THOSE OF THE JEWISH NATION. Part III. FORETOLD AND FULFILLED. CHAPTER I. THE PROPHECIES OF "BABYLON," AND "THE BEAST."-REASONS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THESE TWO PROPHECIES. -FUNDAMENTAL, DIVINELY INTERPRETED; PRACTICALLY IMPORTANT.-BABYLON THE GREAT REPRESENTS THE APOSTATE CHURCH OF ROME. CHAPTER II. THE MAN OF SIN, OR ANTICHRIST. A GREAT FOURFOLD PROPHECY OF FUNDAMENTAL IMPORTANCE (DAN 7:7-27, REV 13:1-9, REV 17, 2THESS 2).- THE ROMAN POWER.-ITS LAST FORM AS PREDICTED HERE.- INDIVIDUAL AND DYNASTIC USE OF THE WORD "KING."- AN APOSTATE, BLASPHEMOUS, AND PERSECUTING POWER,- EXACTLY ANSWERING TO THE ONE HERE PREDICTED, HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR MORE THAN TWELVE CENTURIES, IN THE SUCCESSION OF THE POPES OF ROME-ORIGIN OF THIS POWER.-ITS MORAL CHARACTER.- ITS SELF-EXALTING UTTERANCES.- ITS SELF- EXALTING ACTS. -ITS SUBTLETIES; --FALSE DOCTRINES, AND LYING WONDERS.- ITS IDOLATRIES. -ITS DOMINION.-ITS PERSECUTION OF THE SAINTS.-ITS DURATION.-ITS DOOM. Part IV. INQUIRY INTO THE DIVINE SYSTEM OF TIMES AND SEASONS NATURAL AND REVEALED. SECTION I . SOLAR AND LUNAR DOMINION CAUSAL AND CHRONOLOGICAL. CHAPTER I. CHRONOLOGY, BIBLICAL AND NATURAL. IS THERE HARMONY BETWEEN THE TWO? SOLAR AND LUNAR DOMINION IN THE INORGANIC WORLD. SOLI-LUNAR CONTROL OF TERRESTRIAL REVOLUTIONS. WINDS. RAINS, OCEAN CURRENTS. -TIDES, ELECTRIC AND MAGNETIC VARIATIONS. CHAPTER II. SOLI-LUNAR DOMINION IN THE ORGANIC WORLD. EFFECTS OF LIGHT AND HEAT ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF PLANTS AND ANIMALS AND OF THE HUMAN RACE.- DIURNAL AND SEASONAL CHANGES IN RELATION TO HEALTH AND DISEASE. SECTION II. THE LAW OF COMPLETION IN WEEKS. CHAPTER I. THE WEEK IN RELATION TO THE PERIODICITY OF VITAL PHENOMENA. PERIODICITY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF INSECTS, FISHES, BIRDS AND MAMMALIA.-PERIODICITY IN THE GROWTH AND FUNCTIONAL ACTIVITY OF MANKIND IN HEALTH AND IN DISEASE. CHAPTER II. THE WEEK IN SCRIPTURE. THERE IS - A CHRONOLOGICAL SYSTEM IN SCRIPTURE.-IT IS A SYSTEM OF WEEKS.- THIS SYSTEM IS TRACEABLE THROUGHOUT THE LAW, THE PROPHETS, AND THE GOSPEL.-THE WEEK IN THE MOSAIC RITUAL.-THE WEEK IN. JEWISH HISTORY.-THE WEEK IN PROPHECY.-THE WEEK OF DAYS -OF WEEKS-OF MONTHS-OF YEARS-OF WEEKS OF YEARS-OF YEARS OF YEARS-OF MILLENARIES. CHAPTER III. THE WEEK IN HISTORY. SCRIPTURE THE CHART OF HISTORY.-PRELIMINARY QUESTIONS AS TO HISTORIC AND PROPHETIC CHRONOLOGY.- THE AGE OF THE HUMAN RACE. -OLD TESTAMENT CHRONOLOGY.- THE HEBREW AND THE SEPTUAGINT CHRONOLOGY COMPARED.- HOW ARE WE TO INTERPRET THE SYMBOLIC PERIODS OF PROPHETIC CHRONOLOGY?-EXPOSITION AND DEFENCE OF THE YEAR- DATE SYSTEM.-MORAL FEATURES DISTINGUISHING THE THREE GREAT DISPENSATIONS-THE PATRIARCHAL-THE JEWISH-THE CHRISTIAN.-CHRONOLOGICAL MEASURES OF THESE DISPENSATIONS.-THE PERIOD OF "SEVEN TIMES"SHOWN TO BE THE DURATION OF THE LAST OR GENTILE DISPENSATION, AND ALSO OF THE TWO EARLIER. SECTION III. SOLI-LUNAR CYCLES, AND THEIR RELATION TO THE CHRONOLOGY OF HISTORY. CHAPTER I. SOLAR AND LUNAR SUPREMACY IN THE ORDERING OF TERRESTRIAL TIME. CHAPTER II. DIFFICULTY OF HARMONIZING SOLAR AND LUNAR MEASURES. CHAPTER III. CYCLICAL CHARACTER OF THE PROPHETIC PERIODS OF DANIEL AND THE APOCALYPSE. DISCOVERIES OF M.. DE CHESEAUX. CHAPTER IV. THE PROPHETIC TIMES AND THEIR EPACTS. CHAPTER V. SOLI-LUNAR MEASURES OF OUR LORD'S EARTHLY LIFETIME, AND OF HUMAN HISTORY AS A WHOLE. CHAPTER VI. CONCLUDING REMARKS. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---- NOTE: This edition does not include several chapters which appeared in the 1878 edition. These chapters originally appeared between the above Chapters V and VI. The original chapters were as follows: Chapter V. The Abrahamic Week in History. Soli-lunar Measures of the Abrahamic Week, and of the great Dispensational Week with which it corresponds. Chapter VI. Soli-lunar measures of human history as a whole, or the Immanuel year. Chapter VII. The cycle of the precession of the equinoxes. Chapter VIII. Cycle of the solar perigree. Chapter IX. Cycle of the variation in the length of the seasons. Chapter X. Cycle of the variation of the Excentricity of the earth's orbit. Chapter XI. Cycle of the lunar perigree. Chapter XII. The Eclipse Cycle. Chapter XIII. Planetary periods. Chapter XIV. Summary of facts. Chapter XV. Concluding remarks. The bearing of the Divine system of times and seasons here investigated on the question of the premillennial advent, the futurist controversy, the inspiration of scripture, and the nearness of the End of the Age. ~ When the Lord sees fit to provide us with a scanner capable of handling this task we will add the above missing chapters to this work. Sorry for the inconvenience. --Historicism.com __________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:archive@mail-archive.com To unsubscribe, send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, use subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu