You asked about Revelations, and said that Chapters 17 and 18 especially scared you. Now, I don't want to get into a long exposé about prophesies (there are many books that do this better than I could), but would just like to point out a few basic principles I use for understanding prophesy in general. First, you probably already realize that the language in almost all prophesy is symbolic: stars in the night are religious leaders who guide the people after the Sun of Reality has set; clouds and smoke are anything that blocks the people's vision from seeing the truth; a tremendous catastrophe can symbolize the peoples' turning their backs on God, etc.
Secondly, in order to comprehend most prophesy, it is necessary to understand a fundamental religious principle that Baha'is call "Progressive Revelation", which simply means that God reveals His will for humankind gradually, from age to age through His chosen Messengers, like chapters of a book, not suddenly for once and for all. Thus, Moses brought us one chapter of the truth, and Jesus brought another chapter. Then He said "I still have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now", prophesying that other Messengers of God would be sent after Him to bring more chapters. Prophecies usually refer to the advent of those Messengers to come, the time and circumstances of their coming, and how they and their followers will be pursued and finally victorious.
Thirdly, one cannot just read prophesy like a story book and expect to understand it, any more than you can watch a bird outside your window and expect to comprehend all of its bodily functions, how it flies, etc. There are people who dedicate their entire lives to studying birds, and if you want to know anything about them, you ask an expert. Similarly, the study of Holy Writings is a science (called exegesis), and there are scholars who have spent their entire lives to studying that science. Not all of them agree with each other on all points, any more than there is absolute agreement among scientists, but then again, that is what keeps people searching and studying, and we would do well to take advantage of their work.
Finally, most prophesies are not for the guidance of the people who live in the time in which they are revealed. Rather, they are for the guidance of the people who live in the time in which they are fulfilled. That is what it means when John was told to seal up the books until the time of the end. Luckily for us, virtually everything contained in the Apocalypse has been unfolding gradually from the time of Jesus all the way up to the present day, so it is now possible to try and understand it and gain an incredible historical perspective from it. That perspective in and of itself is a source of hope, courage, and inspiration to serve the Cause of God in this unique Day.
Now, this precise moment in that historical process, when the "Christian West" and "Moslem East" are on the verge of a massive standoff, is probably not a good time to be to be telling a Christian that Muhammad is also a Messenger of God, because I'm sure you will agree that both Christians and Moslems have strayed very far away from the inner essence of their respective Teachings. But the fact is that chapters 17 and 18 of the Apocalypse refer to that period in history when the chapter of the God's truth that was revealed to humankind through Muhammad was betrayed and trodden under foot by his supposed followers. Actually, the glorious chapters that follow are closer to our time, and I am not just saying this to cheer you up.
Obviously, what I have just said about prophesy in general is only the broad pencil-strokes. If you want to get deeper into this fascinating topic, I recommend a very good website: http://bci.org/prophecy-fulfilled/index.htm Here you will find a little bit of everything, but what I most recommend for you is the section on "Religious Unity", which explains in greater detail the basic principles I have just touched upon, then "Christian Prophecies", which contains a very thorough analysis of the Revelation of Saint John from beginning to end, and finally "Christian Topics", which covers a number of issues that should be of interest to you.
However, before you get into this fascinating study, after which you will know more than most about Christian prophecy, I suggest you take a bubble bath of encouragement in the attached statement called "The Promise of World Peace". Here you will find the categorical promise that world peace is "not only possible, but inevitable", although humanity must decide whether to make peace after "unimaginable horrors" (like what just happened) or through a timely, conscious act of will. The rest of the statement talks about why we have not reached peace so far, what needs to be done to achieve it, and what we can expect for the future.
You said, "I think you already think that the United States is in for something bad". Actually, I think it is in for something very good, but first it seems to need some hard knocks in order to wake up to its true calling. I believe the US is called upon to lead the rest of the world into peace, as defined in the "Promise of World Peace". The issue for me is not if, but when. The frustration I have expressed is from seeing how far the American people seemed to be from perceiving the real underlying problems and what urgently needed to be done about them. We seemed to have been treating these issues almost like a spectator sport, until a foul ball came and hit us squarely in the forehead. Now we have awakened to the need to participate more directly in what is going on. The question is, how?
Our personal mission at this precise time in history should be to do everything in our power to encourage the American people to establish peace NOW, and not wait until we no longer have any other choice. During normal times, our mission could be limited to something normal like "to lighten my neighbor's load" or "to lend a helping hand". But extraordinary times like these require extraordinary missions. Peace is within our reach at this very moment, and yet the world still resists making the small sacrifices (like unlimited national sovereignty) needed to do the job right for once and for all, which obviously does not exactly mean "returning to a 'normal' life". We seem to want to try everything else first (ignoring the problem, or throwing money/bombs at it), which will only put off the inevitable and deepen our own and everybody else's suffering.
This suffering you speak of is nothing but the birth pangs of the new world the attached statement speaks of. Knowing this not only gives me hope for the future, but also makes it clear that my role should be to assist in the advancement of this birthing process. That is what we as Baha'is are trying to do with all our heart, so we have no time to worry or to be afraid. The worst thing that could happen is that we die, but then again we never expected to live on this earthly plane forever, did we? So for me the real worst thing would be to die without having made a difference. The best thing that could happen is that while we yet live we can help our world come closer to its true, glorious destiny. And that would make it all worthwhile.
Note: The opinions and views expressed in this article are those of the author only and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of VirtualBahai or any institution of the Baha’i Faith.
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