No, my belief that the Spirit of Truth is a specific reference to Baha’u’llah, who brought the Holy Spirit, would mean that I acknowledge the truth of those passages above.
The passages say that the Spirit of Truth
is the Holy Spirit and you are saying that the Spirit of Truth
brings the Holy Spirit.
Those passages are Jesus saying that the Advocate and the Spirit of Truth are the Holy Spirit that Jesus was promising to send from the Father to Baha’u’llah in the last days.
So Jesus did not bring the Holy Spirit, it was sent from the Father, and we are told that the last days began with Jesus.
Jesus was an advocate, Baha’u’llah was another advocate. The following verses are an obvious reference to another person who brought the Holy Spirit, and at that time the world could not accept him, because it neither saw him nor knew him.
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him.
Jesus was an advocate, and that means that He was a helper and intercedes and advocates for the disciples and the Holy Spirit does, and so the Holy Spirit can be called another Parakletos.
The problem with the Spirit of Truth being Baha'u'llah is that Baha'u'llah was a man and the Spirit of Truth is a spirit, the Holy Spirit.
No, the Bible does not say that that Spirit of Truth is the Holy Spirit and was promised to the disciples of 2000 years ago. That is just how you interpret those verses because that is what you already believe.
John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
You believe that verse above is saying that the Advocate
is the Holy Spirit, but the verse does not say “the Advocate
which is the Holy Spirit.”
It could just as easily mean that the Advocate is the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in Jesus’ name when He sends Baha’u’llah.
John 14:26 is plain English and means that the Advocate is the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send. No it could not mean what you propose it could mean. That is just changing the meaning.
But the Holy Spirit, a spirit, who is the promised Advocate, was promised to the disciples Jesus was speaking to. Read the passages again and it is plain. Also the Holy Spirit that was promised to them (the same one that is the Advocate and Spirit of Truth) was given to them at Pentecost.
That is not a reason to believe that the same Jesus who said He was no more in the world in more than one verse will return to the world. That is just how you interpret those verses because that is what you already believe.
Jesus finished His work on earth so was going to return to the Father and the world would not see Him any more because of that. But He was not going to leave them as orphans, He would come to them along with the Father and dwell in them. Jesus and the Father were going to be in the promised Holy Spirit (Spirit of Truth) and live in the disciples. But that does not mean that Jesus promise of returning one day is not true. It is just as true as the fact that Jesus had finished His work and was going to go to the Father.
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
John 14:23
Jesus replied, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
The Bible does not say that that the same physical body of Jesus was taken up to heaven and will return from heaven.
Acts 1:9-11 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
These verses say that the same spirit of Jesus that was taken up to heaven will return from heaven, from the heaven of the Will of God.
The passage does not mention physical body or spirit, but that is OK as we already know that Jesus was in His resurrection body, His spiritual body, which is immortal and incorruptible and can live anywhere and also which is not just spirit but is flesh and bone. (Notice the passage says flesh and bone and not flesh and blood and also notice that Jesus says that He is not a spirit). This is the body He was in when He ascended to heaven logically.
Luke 24:38 And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet.
Descending from heaven upon the clouds means that the spirit of Jesus, the Christ Spirit, will be made manifest from the heaven of the will of God and will appear in the form of the human temple. Though delivered from the womb of Mary, Jesus in reality descended from the heaven of the will of God. Baha’u’llah descended in like manner, from the heaven of the will of God.
We know how Jesus descended from heaven the first time when He became a man, but Baha'u'llah has to descend from heaven the way Jesus ascended, when the disciples saw Him ascend bodily and disappear into the clouds in the sky.
No, you did not show that. You interpreted the verses to try to make them agree with the Christian understanding.
It does not take much interpretation, just logic and without bringing in ideas from other teachings and trying to make the Bible conform to them, when it really, logically does not.
Apparently you don’t get it, but I do not understand WHY you don’t get it, as every Christian knows that Pentecost was not in the last days, as the Day of Pentecost and the last days are in completely different time periods.
Acts 2 tells us that Pentecost was in the last days and other scriptures I posted to you show that God sent His Son, Jesus in the last days. This was the beginning of the last days and now most Christians think of the last days as the end of the last days.
But anyway, as I posted, Joel's prophecy says the Spirit would come in the last days and after that the signs of the return of Jesus would happen. Baha'i wants the Spirit (Baha'u'llah, who was not a spirit anyway) to come and then the signs of the return of Jesus to happen if Baha'i thinks that the prophecy of Joes refers to the coming of Baha'u'llah.
I am learning some new things I did not know, by looking them up on the internet.
You don't want to believe everything you read on the internet.
But the "church age" is the last days.
Beginning Of The Church Age
Pentecost was also the birthday of the church. The Old Testament period of law was concluded and a new era began. Those who believe in Jesus as Messiah during this present age become part of the body (or bride) of Christ known as the church. The church age began at Pentecost and will conclude when Christ comes back for His own.”
What Happened on the Day of Pentecost?
The church age ends when Christ returns. Those are the last days and what the Bible refers to as the end of the age.
Matthew 24:3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
The church age does end when Christ returns and the last days (last days relative to the age of the earth and the time that humans have been on the earth) are from Jesus first advent to His second advent and all the signs of the end of the age, Jesus 2nd coming, happen before Jesus comes. (not afterwards as the Joel prophecy says, so the Joel prophecy was about, as Peter said, that Pentecost)
Of course, Baha’is believe that Christ already returned so the Church Age ended in 1844 and the new age began, that which Baha’is refer to as the Age of Fulfillment, since all the Bible prophecies will be fulfilled during this new age, which is the Dawn of a New Era.
So why say that the Spirit comes before the signs of the end, as in the prophecy of Joel?
