Brief compilation on Jerusalem, as a mystical term referring to the City of God, the religion of God in a given Dispensation.

Chapter C45
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Brief compilation on Jerusalem, as a mystical term referring to the City of God, the religion of God in a given Dispensation.

1)
In the following passage, the "new Jerusalem" is the Baha'i Faith, the Dispensation of Baha'u'llah.

O ye beloved of God! O ye children of His Kingdom! Verily, verily the new heaven and the new earth are come. The holy City, new Jerusalem, hath come down from on high in the form of a maid of heaven [Baha'u'llah, the Independent Prophet], veiled, beauteous, and unique, and prepared for reunion with her lovers on earth. The angelic company of the celestial Concourse have joined in a call that hath rung throughout the universe, all loudly and mightily acclaiming: "Hail, O City of God! Abide Thou, and make Thy habitation with the pure, virtuous and holy servants of Thine; for they are Thy people, and Thou art their Lord."
-- Compilation, Bahá'í World Faith, p. 350

O Shaykh! Peruse that which Isaiah hath spoken in His Book. He saith: "Get thee up into the high mountain, O Zion, that bringest good tidings; lift up Thy Voice with strength, O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings. Lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah: 'Behold your God! Behold the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him.'" This Day all the signs have appeared. A Great City hath descended from heaven, and Zion trembleth and exulteth with joy at the Revelation of God, for it hath heard the Voice of God on every side. This Day Jerusalem hath attained unto a new Evangel, for in the stead of the sycamore standeth the cedar. Jerusalem is the place of pilgrimage for all the peoples of the world, and hath been named the Holy City. Together with Zion and Palestine, they are all included within these regions. Wherefore, hath it been said: "Blessed is the man that hath migrated to 'Akká."
-- Baha'u'llah, Epistle to the Son of the Wolf, p. 144

2)
The following is a prophecy about Muhammad and the 12 Imams, in the Book of Revelation. The "new Jerusalem" is Islam.

11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake [a change in the foundations of religion], and great hail.
12:1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
-- King James Bible, Revelation

21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
21:2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
-- Bible: Revelation

The Law of God is also compared to an adorned bride who appears with most beautiful ornaments, as it has been said in chapter 21 of the Revelation of St. John: "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." And in chapter 12, verse 1, it is said: "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." This woman is that bride, the Law of God that descended upon Muhammad. The sun with which she was clothed, and the moon which was under her feet, are the two nations which are under the shadow of that Law, the Persian and Ottoman kingdoms; for the emblem of Persia is the sun, and that of the Ottoman Empire is the crescent moon. Thus the sun and moon are the emblems of two kingdoms which are under the power of the Law of God. Afterward it is said: "upon her head is a crown of twelve stars." These twelve stars are the twelve Imáms, who were the promoters of the Law of Muhammad and the educators of the people, shining like stars in the heaven of guidance.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 68

3)
The following is prophecy about Jesus and the 12 Apostles. The rebuilt "Jerusalem" is Christianity.

9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem [to establish the new City of God for that era, Christianity] unto the Messiah [by Jesus Christ] the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off [the martyrdom of Christ by Jews, who rejected him], but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come [the Twelve Apostles of Christ] shall destroy the city [shall annul Judaism, the previous City of God, and establish Christianity] and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood [an all-encompassing Revelation from God], and unto the end of the war desolations are determined ["war" between the righteous who follow Jesus and those who rejected and persecuted Him, and also persecuted the early Christians].
-- King James Bible: Daniel

To conclude: in the Book of Daniel, from the rebuilding of Jerusalem to the martyrdom of Christ, seventy weeks are appointed; for by the martyrdom of Christ the sacrifice is accomplished and the altar destroyed. This is a prophecy of the manifestation of Christ.
-- `Abdu'l-Bahá, Some Answered Questions, p. 40

Therefore, in this age of lights, specific teachings have become universal, in order that the outpouring of the Merciful One environ both the East and the West, the oneness of the kingdom of humanity become visible and the luminosity of truth enlighten the world of consciousness. The descent of the New Jerusalem is the heavenly religion which secures the prosperity of the human world and is the effulgence of the illumination of the realm of God.
-- Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 380

4)
TABLET TO THE JEWS

47. In the Name of God, the Knower, the Powerful!

Today is the Day wherein the Throne of the Lord calleth among the people unto all the denizens of the earth and commandeth them to glorify and sanctify God.

Today is the Day wherein the angels of heaven continually descend with the chalices of utterance and pitchers of knowledge and, becoming perfumed with the pure and holy fragrances, ascend.

Say: The promised God says: O Concourse of Jews! Ye were of Me, appeared from Me and returned to Me. How is it that ye do not recognize Me now when I have appeared with all the signs? Ye have taken foes for friends and abandoned the real Friend!

In this Day the New Heaven hath appeared and the earth is renewed.

Were ye to gaze with pure eyes, ye would behold the New Jerusalem; and were ye to turn with attentive ears, ye would hear the voice of God.

In this Day all things call unto you and invite you unto the Lord, while ye are so intoxicated with the wine of haughtiness that ye have not become conscious even for a moment. The ear is to hearken unto My voice, and the eye is to behold My beauty. Hearken unto it and be ye thereby warned!

The pillar of God is being erected and hath become manifest by His providence and command. The time of former things is past and a new time has become manifest, and all things are made new by the desire of God. But only a new eye can perceive and a new mind can comprehend this station. The Beginning and the End bore allusion to one blessed Word and that hath come and it become manifest. That Word is the soul of the Divine Books and Epistles, which hath forever been and will be forevermore. That Word is the key to the most great divine Treasury and the supreme hidden Mystery, which hath ever been concealed behind the veil of preservation. That Word is the same Alpha and Omega prophesied of by John. Verily He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden!
-- Compilations, Baha'i Scriptures, p. 116

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