in evident delusion. Thine outward adornment hath rendered thee proud; thou shalt perish, by the Lord of Creation! and thy daughters and widows and those people that are within thee shall lament. Thus doth the Wise, the All-Knowing, admonish thee."" Ezekiel's prophecy concerning Mohammedanism, corresponds exactly with the judgment of Turkey by Beha 'U'llah. Turkey, although not an Arabic kingdom, is the center of Mohammedanism and the head government of the Arabs, for it originated from the Arabic kingdom. The prophet, in the third and fourth verses of the 16th chapter, showed plainly that it is the Mohammedan government, by saying that "Thy father was an Amorite (an Arab tribe) and thy mother a Hittite (another Arab tribe), and as for thy nativity, in the day thou wast born (the commencement of the appearance of the Arabic kingdom in the time of Mohammed), thy navel was not cut, neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee; thou wast not salted at all, nor swaddled at all." This is a description of the Arab tribes, from whence the Arabic kingdom sprang. Nearly all the chapter speaks of this judgment, but three verses (38, 39 and 40) particularly specify it. "And I will judge thee as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy. And I will also give thee into their hands, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thine high places; they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare. They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords." The downfall of Zill-i-Sultan was foreshadowed in an epistle from Beha to Sheykh Bakir. He also foretold the martyrdom of Sultanu'shShuhada (the King of Martyrs) and Mahbubu'shShuhada (the Beloved of Martyrs) in Isfahan. Beha foretold the exile of some of His own followers, which happened when Isma'il Pasha of Egypt, with the council general of Persia, exiled them to the Khartoum. While there, they received an epistle from Beha 'U'llah, promising them that they should return to their homes and see Him at Akka, and that Isma'il Pasha himself should shortly be exiled from the land of Egypt. From "A Year amongst the Persians," by Prof. Browne : "How long were you imprisoned at Khartoum ?" I (Browne) enquired: "and how did you effect your escape?" "We remained there for seven years" replied Haji Mirza Hasan, "and for some time we were unable to communicate with our Master, or even ascertain whither He had been removed (for vague rumors of His removal from Adrianople reached us). At length we foregathered with some Christian missionaries, whose good will we won by manifesting an interest in their doctrines. By means of these, we were enabled to send a letter to Beha, informing Him of our condition. On receiving our letter, Beha at once indited an answer, consoling us in our misfortune and announcing that our oppressor, Isma'il Pasha, would shortly fall from power, and that we should in a little while stand again in the presence of our Master. This letter was intrusted to an Arab called Jasim, who started at once for Khartoum, where he arrived six months later. When we received it, there seemed to be no likelihood that the promises of deliverance which it contained, would be fulfilled; but we were at least no longer wholly cut off from our friends, for the Arab not only took back our answer with him, but made arrangements with believers at Suez, to forward our letters in the future. Soon after this your English general came to Khartoum, I forget his name, but you will probably remember it." "General Gordon," I answered. "Yes," rejoined Haji Mirza Hasan, "that was it." Well, soon after his arrival, he enquired about the prisoners whom he found in Khartoum, and especially about us and the other Persians. As he could find no crime recorded against us, he interrogated us as to the reason of our confinement. We told him that we were innocent of any crime and that we had been condemned unheard, without a chance of defending ourselves. Our statement was confirmed by the prison officials, and General Gordon accordingly telegraphed to Isma'il Pasha demanding the reason of our detention. The replies which he received were vague and unsatisfactory, and he accordingly released us, telling us that we were free to stay or go as we pleased. Haji Mirza Hasan, Ali and myself at once availed ourselves of this permission, and set out for Acre, but our companions, having wives and families in Khartoum, chose to remain there. Soon after this, as you know, Isma'il Pasha was deposed, and the prophecy contained in the epistle was fulfilled." The Pope of Rome having ignored and refused the commands of Beha 'U'llah, another tablet was sent to him, stating that he should be humiliated, and Rome taken from him, a judgment literally fulfilled a few years afterwards, when the Imperial City, which had been under papal dominion for over one thousand years, became subject to the rule of the Kingdom of Italy. Frederick III, then Crown Prince of Germany, during a pilgrimage to Syria, passed by Akka, ignoring an invitation to visit and acknowledge the Manifestation of God. For this, he was judged by the statement that he should never rule his country. He was crowned on his sick bed, and died three months later, literally without having ruled Germany a single day. A prophecy concerning future events in Germany, was uttered by Beha 'U'llah as follows: "O banks of the river Rhine! We have seen you drenched in gore, because the swords of retribution were drawn against you, and you shall have another turn. And we hear the lamentation of Berlin, though it be today in manifest glory." One of His prophecies foretold the future of Persia, blessing the city of Teheran, His birthplace. He said: |