125 years ago--The death of Bahá’u’lláh

I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.
And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.
But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die. Deuteronomy 18:18-20

For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. Mark 13:22

Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.
All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. John 10:7-8

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

On May 29, 1892, Bahá’u’lláh, born Mírzá Ḥusayn-`Alí Núrí, died at the age of 74. Bahá’u’lláh, a Persian, founded the Bahá'í Faith in 1863.

According to the Bahá’í Faith website:

Throughout history, God has sent to humanity a series of divine Educators—known as Manifestations of God—whose teachings have provided the basis for the advancement of civilization. These Manifestations have included Abraham, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses, Buddha, Jesus, and Muhammad. Bahá’u’lláh, the latest of these Messengers, explained that the religions of the world come from the same Source and are in essence successive chapters of one religion from God.

Bahá’ís believe the crucial need facing humanity is to find a unifying vision of the future of society and of the nature and purpose of life. Such a vision unfolds in the writings of Bahá’u’lláh.

I have some disagreements with the above statements. I very much disagree that such figures as Krishna, Zoroaster, Buddha, Muhammad, and Bahá’u’lláh are messengers of God. A major problem with the Bahá’í Faith is its erroneous view of progressive revelation. According to the Bahá’í Faith, I'm supposed to believe, for instance, that Muhammad and Jesus are both Manifestations of God, with Muhammad, of course, appearing six centuries later. However, the God of the Bahá’í Faith contradicts himself in his progressive revelation; the Qur'an, alleged to be the revelation from God through Muhammad, flatly denies that Jesus was crucified, and denies that God has a son. The Bible, of course, affirms that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He was crucified for our sins to satisfy His Father's conditions for the payment of the penalty of sin. The Bible and the Qur'an can't both be true on this.

The biblical view of progressive revelation is that God has progressively revealed Himself, but later revelation has built on previous revelation without contradicting previous revelation. The New Testament builds on the Old Testament, but doesn't contradict it, recording, for instance, numerous Old Testament messianic prophecies (such as the passage from Deuteronomy 18 mentioned above) that were fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Understanding God's Truth: How Progressive Revelation Can Help You Understand the Bible by John Cunningham was published by a small publisher in Alberta in 1981 and may be difficult to find, but this blogger found the book very helpful.

I also take issue with the indication in the passage above that Bahá’u’lláh is a Manifestation in the line of the others mentioned. First and most important, Jesus Christ stands alone, and I take great offense at him being placed on a level of equality with the other "Manifestations of God." Second, it seems that in the Bahá’í Faith talks out of both sides of its mouth; some "Manifestations" are more equal than others, with Bahá’u’lláh above the others:

Bahá’u’lláh—the “Glory of God”—is the Promised One foretold by the Báb and all of the Divine Messengers of the past. Bahá’u’lláh delivered a new Revelation from God to humanity. Thousands of verses, letters and books flowed from His pen. In His Writings, He outlined a framework for the development of a global civilization which takes into account both the spiritual and material dimensions of human life. For this, He endured 40 years of imprisonment, torture and exile.

I have no desire to delve into other Bahá’í Faith errors; the ones I've mentioned are enough to show that Bahá’u’lláh was not a true "Manifestation of God," and that the God of the Bahá’í Faith is a false god.