Daily Lessons Received at ‘Akká, January 1908/Journey of the Israelites
| Daily Lessons Received at ‘Akká, January 1908 Journey of the Israelites |
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JOURNEY OF THE ISRAELITES
[edit]Question: Was this a physical or spiritual journey?
Answer: It was both physical and spiritual. They journeyed to the Promised Land, and geography and history both prove that this was a physical journey.
Moses viewed the Promised Land, but died before it was reached, having given over his charge to Joshua.
The crossing of the Red Sea has a spiritual meaning. It was a spiritual journey, through and above the sea of corruption and iniquity of Pharaoh and his people, or army. By the help of God, through Moses, the Israelites were able to cross this sea safely and reach the Promised Land (spiritual state), while Pharaoh and his people were drowned in their own corruption.
The Egyptian history recorded even trifling events. Had such a wonderful thing happened as the parting of the physical sea, it would also have been recorded.
Question: Christ said, “This generation (meaning dispensation) shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.” (St. Luke 21:32.) And in Ex. 20:5 it states that the sins of the fathers will be visited upon the children unto the third and fourth generation. Does this word generation also mean a cycle, or dispensation?
Answer: No, for the word generation has a different meaning in different places. Christ referred to the
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Christ Dispensation, or Cycle, and the other refers to the physical generation.
For example, if a man does a great injustice to another in his life, then, after his death, his son will be despised for having had such a father, and in some cases the injury might be so serious that the effect would reach to the grandson, etc., or a man may, by wrong living, fall into consumption and give that disease to his children unto the third or fourth generation.
Both physically and mentally, the sins of the fathers may be visited upon the children.
Question: What was the cause of the Greek Civilization? Did the Greeks ever have a prophet?
Answer: They had philosophers and great men, but while their civilization was full of beauty and was superior to that of the Romans, it was material—neither moral nor spiritual.
The foundation of the Roman civilization was force; consequently, a downfall was inevitable. Think of a monarch like Nero setting fire to a city and playing upon his lyre while it burned! What kind of a civilization was that?
A prophet brings a spiritual civilization, and after that is established, material progress follows.
Among the Persian pilgrims who called to see us were several Jews from Hamadán. They were new believers and full of enthusiasm. They told us it made them so happy to behold the American sisters, and
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they thanked God that they had lived to see the day with their own eyes wherein the prophecies of the Holy Books were fulfilled.
Ḥájí Mírzá Ḥaydar-‘Alí—that renowned and venerable teacher—said that now he was happy to state there was not a village in Persia, no matter how small, but what contained believers—there might be only one—or ten—or a thousand, but not even the smallest hamlet was without them.9 We remarked the apparent affinity existing between the Persians and Americans, and the visitors said ‘Abdu’l-Bahá had told them that in the future many thousands of Americans would be visiting Persia and many Persians visiting America. This thought seemed to give them all great happiness.