Christianity & the Baha’i Faith
The Return of Christ
Christians and Baha'is both cherish the promise of the return of Christ, and understand it very differently. Baha'is believe that promise has already been fulfilled in Baha'u'llah: not the man Jesus walking the earth again, but the same divine reality and spirit returning in a new Manifestation, as John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah. Christians await something else: the personal, visible, bodily return of the very same Jesus who was crucified and rose, whom every eye will see. Already come in another, or still awaited in person, is the difference.
What the Baha'i Faith teaches
Baha'is read the return of Christ as the return not of the same individual but of the same spiritual reality and perfections in a new Messenger, as 'Abdu'l-Baha explains through the case of John the Baptist and Elijah:
Just as John came in the spirit and power of Elijah without being Elijah himself, Baha'is believe Baha'u'llah has come in the spirit and power of Christ, fulfilling the promise of his return for this age.
What Christians believe
Christianity awaits the return of the same Jesus, personally and visibly, in a way the whole world will see.
Where they meet
Both hold fast to the hope of a promised one to come, both take the biblical prophecies seriously, and both believe God is at work bringing history toward its fulfillment.
Where they differ
The Baha'i Faith holds that the return of Christ has already come, spiritually, in Baha'u'llah, the reality of Christ returning in a new Manifestation. Christianity awaits the personal, visible, bodily return of the same Jesus who was crucified and rose, this same Jesus, whom every eye will see. Already fulfilled in another, or still awaited in person, is the difference.
Baha’i quotations are from the writings of Baha’u’llah (the Kitab-i-Iqan, Gleanings from the Writings of Baha’u’llah, and the Tablets of Baha’u’llah) and ’Abdu’l-Baha (Some Answered Questions), as published in the Baha’i Reference Library at bahai.org. Bible: King James Version. Every reference on this page was checked against its source.
Frequently asked questions
- Do Baha'is believe Christ has returned?
- Yes. Baha'is believe the return of Christ has been fulfilled in Baha'u'llah, understood not as the man Jesus returning but as the same spiritual reality and power of Christ appearing in a new Manifestation, as John the Baptist came in the spirit and power of Elijah.
- What do Christians expect at the return of Christ?
- The personal, visible, bodily return of the same Jesus who was crucified and rose. This same Jesus, the angels said, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go (Acts 1:11); every eye shall see him (Revelation 1:7). Already fulfilled in another, or still awaited in person, is the difference.
Come and see
The Baha’i Faith honours Jesus as one of the great Manifestations of God; the Gospel invites you to meet him as the unique Son of God, God himself come near. The most direct way to know Jesus is to read his words for yourself. There is no pressure here.
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