Return of Christ

Return of Christ (Ata-ul-Wahid) The first Christians were a Jewish sect called the Nazarenes. They were concerned only with putting Christ into the old faith, a faith charged with Messianism. They accepted Jesus as the Messiah, and they believed he would fulfil all the traditional hopes. Since he failed to do so during his earthly career, he must do so later. A second advent, unknown to Jewish Messianism, thus became a necessity.1 Paul, the early Christian writer, was convinced that Jesus was to return in his lifetime. In 1 Thesselonians verses 15 to 17, to calm the perplexity caused by some Christians dying before Christ’s return, Paul explains that the dead are at no disadvantage, as they will be raised to meet, with the living, the Lord in the air. He says in verse 17. “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” Many of the early church fathers also entertained hopes of Christ’s return. Among them were Didache, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaus and many others.2 The great Augustine however, rejected the idea so effectively that for centuries the subject was completely ignored.3 With the Reformation, the ideas of Christ’s return were again expounded. Periods of unusual stress, attended by wars and other calamities, always bred a swarm of prophecies about the impending end of time, the time of Christ’s return. This was true of the Reformation, The Peasants Revolt, the English, French and American Revolutions, the American Civil War, and the Two World Wars. Immediately prior to 1,000 A.D. many preachers announced the impending end. 1. The Small Sects in America, Clarke 2. The Millennial Hope, Case. 3. Case, op. cit., p. 179: Augustine, City of God, xx. 6 REVIEW OF RELIGIONS Militz of Kromeriz predicted the end between 1365 and 1367. The Anabaptists predicted the end in 1525, Alsted, in Germany named 1694, the French theologian Jurieu chose 1730. The German theologian Bengle fixed the date of Christ’s return at 1836. In 1826, Christoph Hoffman undertook to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem for Christ’s occupancy. The Irvingites in England and Scotland announced 1835, 1838, 1864 and 1866. Mother Ann Lee and her Shakers abolished matrimony-as they believed the end was at hand. William Miller announced 1844. In 1881 Class Epp, a leader of the Mennonite Brethren in Russia predicted Christ’s appearance on March 8, 1889. Another Russian sect, the Dukhobors who settled in Canada, set forth in 1902, some naked, to meet the Lord in some Canadian village.4 One hundred spectulators predicted Christ’s return within a decade after the American Civil War. The Mormons went to Utah to await Christ’s return. Cunningham named 1839, Elliot and Gumming predicted 1866, Brewer and Decker 1867, Seis favoured 1870, Pastor Russell, who founded the Jehovah’s Witnesses predicted 1914 and Guiness 1923.5 William Miller who predicted 1844, had fifty thousand followers, many of whom were so convinced of Christ’s return on October 22, 1844 that they failed to plant crops, gave away their money, discharged their employees, settled their accounts, and made preparations for the climactic midnight cry. “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.”6 We can readily see that the majority of these Christian scholars predicted Christ’s return during the 19th century. I’ll now present the time period that the Holy Bible gives to Christ’s return. “And they shall fall by the edge of the Sword, and shall be lead captive into all nations; And Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the gentiles, until the time of gentiles be fulfilled. And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and waves roaring.’ Mens hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth, for the power of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” (Luke 21:24-27) 4. The Confusion of Tongues, Ferguson. 5. The Approaching End of the Age, Guiness. 6. Origin and Progress of Seventh-Day Adventists, Olsen. RETURN OF CHRIST . / In this prophecy Christ informed the Jews that they will be thoroughly destroyed and banished from Jerusalem and that Jerusalem will be controlled by the gentiles for a set period of time. At the end of the gentile control Jesus predicts his second coming. The first part of the prophecy came-to pass in 70 A.D., Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman Titus. The Jews were scattered and exiled. In 132 A.D. the Jews, under the leadership of Bar Cochba, tried to regain their freedom. They were completely crushed by the Roman army of Hadrian. Many were killed and many were taken captive. Jerusalem was ploughed under and a new city in honour of Hadrian was built upon the ruins. This city was named Aelia Capitalina. Under Roman law, for a Jew to enter Jerusalem was a crime punishable by death. In 637 the Arabs took control of Jerusalem and only a few Jews were allowed back into Jerusalem. The restriction upon the Jews was lifted when Turkey signed the “Edict of Tolerance”, allowing the Jews to freely enter Jerusalem. The date of this document was March 21,1844. This was the end of the time of the gentiles, and this is the time Christ said he would appear. This time is supported by two other prophecies in the Bible. Revelation chapter 11, verses 2 and 3: “And the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. And they shall prophecy a thousand two hundred and three score days.” Taking a month to be thirty days we can see that forty two months is 1,260 days. In biblical prophecy a day stands for a year. This is supported by Numbers 14,34 “Even forty days, each day for a year, and Ezekiel 4,6 “I have appointed these each day for a year.” Again this is a prophecy as to how long the gentiles would hold control over Jerusalem. The time period is 1,260 years. Muslims were in control of Jerusalem when it was handed back to the Jews and 1,260 of the Muslim calender is 1844 of the Christian calender. The city was trodden under precisely as prophesied in Revelations and Christ’s return was expected. Matthew chapter 24, vs. 15: “When yea therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the Holy Place (who so readeth, let him understand).” The prophecy from Daniel which Jesus spoke of is found in Daniel chapter 8, vs. 13 and 14. “Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the 8 REVIEW OF RELIGIONS daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? “And he said unto me, unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” According to William Miller the 490 years as prophesied in Daniel 9, 24 constituted the first part of the 2300 years of this scripture; the period began with “the going forth of the commendment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” Miller identified this with the commandment of Artaxerxes issued in 457 B.C., mentioned in the seventh chapter of Ezra. By taking this date as his starting point and adding 2300 years from Daniel’s prophecy we get the year 1843 A.D. Other prophecies which compliment this time period are Matthew chapter 24 vs. 14: “And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the end come.” It is a well known fact that the Bible is preached in all nations however, when did this first happen. The study of the spread of Christianity conducted by Christian scholars in the 19th century establishes that this was the time when the Bible was preached to all nations. All continents were covered, even the interior of Africa. This all occured, not on a singular missionary basis, but on a massive scale. In 1804, the first British Foreign Bible Society was established, and twelve years later, its sister organization, the American Bible Society came into being. Before the existance of these societies, the Bible had been translated into fifty languages. By 1816, according to the records of these societies, 421 million copies were distributed amongst all nations. Massive efforts were launched by all Christian churches to spread the good news. “A Year Book and Guide to East Africa” published by Robert Hale Ltd. in 1953, states that Christian Missions began their activities among African people in 1844. The book ‘A Hundred Years of Missions” written by Leonard (Doctor), a famous Christian historian of the mission movement states, “For the first time since the apostolic period occured an outburst of general missionary zeal and activity.” He was speaking of the 19th century. Mr. G. S. Faber states in his book “Eight Dissertations”, written in 1844: “The stupendous endeavours of one gigantic community to convey the scriptures in every language to every part of the globe may well deserve to be considered as an eminent sign even of these eventful times. Unless I be much mistaken, such endeavours are preparatory to the final grand diffusion of Christianity, which is the theme of so many inspired prophets, and which cannot be far distant in the present day.” RETURN OF CHRIST 9 Mr. M. Goyer states in his book “Prophetic Fulfillment”, “The British and American Bible societies have since their foundation in 1804, issued 421 million copies of the Scriptures, in practically every country known throughout the globe”. In 1842, Mr. Spicer stated in his book “Our Day in the Light of Prophecy”, that the gospel in his day had been spread to 95% of the inhabitants of the earth. He further stated that in 1842, five treaty ports in China were opened to missionaries and for commerce. In 1844, Turkey was prevailed upon to recognise the right of Muslims to become Christian and Mr. Allen Gardiner established the South American Missions. In 1842, Dr. Livingstone, with the aid of his medical qualifications, opened the door of Bible preaching in the African Interior. Dr. A. T. Pierson wrote in “Modern Mission Century”, “India, Siam, Burma, China, Japan, Turkey, Africa, Mexico, South America were successively and successfully entered. Within five years, from 1853 to 1858 new facilities were given to the entrance and occupation of seven different countries, together embracing half the world population.” In the 19th century, British evangelists and regular missionaries had openly declared that God has ordained for India, the Middle East and Africa to become Christian. Britain, being the mighty empire of the time, made sure that all facilities were granted for the work of her missionaries, Matthew chapter 24 vs. 6: “And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars; See that ye be not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Before the return of Christ there will be wars and rumours of wars. The last century witnessed the following major wars: 1. A war between China and England, terminated in the loss of Hong Kong to England and a treaty was signed in 1842. 2. The Crimean War, England and France and Turkey against Russia 1854. 3. The Sepoy Mutiny 1857 to 1858. 4. France and Italy against Austria 1859. 5. Civil War of United States of America 1861 to 1865. 6. Franco-Prussian War 1870 to 1871. 7. Russian Turkish War 1877 to 1878. 8. War between China and Japan 1890 to 1900. 9. War between Turkey and Greece 1890 to 1900. 10. Invasion of China by all great powers in 1890 to 1900. 11. The Boar War 1890 to 1900. 12. War of 1812 between Canada and United States. This list is just a partial list of the wars of the last century and we can easily 10 REVIEW OF RELIGIONS assume that this prophecy was also fulfilled in the last century. Matthew Chapter 24 vs. 11: “iAnd many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.” In the last century there were five claimants to prophethood, some claiming to be the Messiah and some claiming to be the Mahdi. They were: 1. Mahdi of Sudan 2. Alexander Dowie of Zion U.S.A. 3. Joseph Amith of the Mormon Church 4. Ali Mohammed Bab/Bahaullah of Bahai Faith 5. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian India Matthew chapter 24 vs. 12: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” This is a reference to lawlessness and cruelty which was rampant in the 19th- century. The world saw sea piracy, slavery, civil disorder, the extermination of Indians in North America by the white men and with the onset of the industrial revolution and capitalism, workers were exploited and treated like machines with no rights or privileges. There’s no denying that the Bible establishes the 19th century as the time for Christ’s return. PART II As I have mentioned, the second advent of Jesus Christ was considered imminent by many religious scholars of the last century. William Miller claimed that he had the names and addresses of three thousand preachers who were proclaiming the imminence of the end.8 According to my research the Adventist’s conclusions beset from the Bible were correct. Yet, when Christ failed to appear on October 22, 1844 they turned away in dejection and most of the believers fell away. However, just because Christ failed to appear in the manner the Adventists expected, the evidence from the Bible cannot be ignored. If the Bible was correct concerning the prophecies of Christ’s second coming, its a distinct possibility that Christ did come, but not as expected. For example, Pastor Russell stated that the parousia has already occurred and we are now in the millennium. Christ returned to the upper air in the second advent in 1874.9 Its already been established that there were five 8. Longborough, The Great Second Advent Movement, p. 105. 9. Rutherford, Deliverance, pp. 208, 216. RETURN OF CHRIST 11 claimants to prophethood in the 19th century. Could it be the case that one of these claiments could represent Christ’s return, and does the Bible furnish any evidence to support the fact that another person other than the first Christ could fulfil his second coming? Does the Bible show any examples of this phenomenon already occurring? Indeed it does. In fact Christ himself explains this phenomenon. Malachi chapter 4 vs. 5: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” From this verse three facts can be established. Elijah, a past prophet was to return, this would be his advent and he would be the Messiah’s witnessing prophet. Here “the Lord” as agreed to by both Christians and Jews means the Messiah. The fact that the Jews were expecting Elijah’s or Elias’ return prompted them to ask John the Baptist. John chapter 1 vs. 21: . “And they asked him. What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith. I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered. No.” This verse proves that the Pharisees were indeed expecting Elias to return. The fact that John the Baptist denied being Elias is one of the main reasons they rejected Jesus Christ. Jesus, however, cleared up this confusion in Matthew chapter 17 vs. 12 and 13: “But I say unto you. That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Like wise shall also the Son of Man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.” We can readily conclude that John the Baptist fulfilled the second advent of Elias and the example we were looking for has been found. The question as to whether the Bible gives evidence as to whether another person could fulfil the second coming of Christ must be answered. The answer is found in Matthew chapter 23 vs. 39 “Henceforth ye shall not see me till ye say blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord.” The word “Lord” again refers to the Messiah or Jesus as it did in Malachi chapter 4 vs. 5. Analysing this verse we can see that Jesus states quite clearly that he will not be seen again. “Henceforth ye shall not see me.” He goes on to explain that someone will come in his name. “Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord or blessed is he that comes in the name of Jesus.” 12 REVIEW OF RELIGIONS Up to this point we have established that Christ was to return in the 19th century and that someone else would fulfill his coming, and a previous example of this phenomenon was presented. I will now examine the prophecies from the Bible which describe the Promised Messiah and his followers. The Jehova’s Witnesses claim that there are two hundred verses in the Bible that refer to Christ’s second coming. I have reviewed these verses and found many to be repetitive and many have previously been reviewed. I have chosen to select five prophecies. Matthew chapter 24 vs. 9: “Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you. And ye shall be hated by all nations for my names sake.” Matthew chapter 24 vs. 27: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” Matthew chapter 24 vs. 30: “And then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven, and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Matthew chapter 24 vs. 27: “For as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth unto the west so shall the coming of the son of man be.” Luke chapter 21 vs. 15: “For I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to gainsay nor resist.” Forming an overall picture of the Promised Messiah and his movement from the mentioned prophecies we can ascertain, that the man who will represent Jesus’s second coming will come from east of Jerusalem, since this is where Jesus was when he made this prophecy. His movement will eventually spread to the west and his followers will be persecuted and killed in many nations. The Promised Messiah will have intelligence and wisdom which no adversary will be able to stand against, and his teachings will cause all nations on earth to realize their error and to mourn. His appearance will be accompanied by heavenly signs such as eclipses, the appearance of comets and meteor showers. RETURN OF CHRIST 13 Before I compare these prophecies to the five claimants I will present a list of the astronomical signs witnessed in the last century. . Some of these occurrences are periodical and some.are classified as being unique. Bielids Comet. Was first discovered in 1772, but was not found to be periodical until 1826. In 1832, the comet passed very close to the earth. In 1845, the comet was observed to break in two, and in 1852, at the time of its predicted return, it was found that the two parts of the comet were both very faint and separated by over a million miles. At the time of the expected return in 1866, they were not found. The swarm was observed during December in 1798, 1830, and 1838. Up to 1885, many brilliant meteors were associated with the radiant point, with four observers on November 27th of that year, observing no less than 39,546 meteors in four hours and eight minutes. Since 1899, very few showers from this comet have been observed.10 Leonid. Records of this are found as far back as 585 A.D. In 1799,1833 and 1866-67 the Leonids caused the most spectacular showers of modern times.11 The Great Comet of 1882, one of the brightest of modern times passed within a third of a million miles of the sun.12 The Great Comet of 1843, which hasn’t been given a name, was a periodical comet with an orbit of 400 years. A tail 200 million miles in length, the longest tail of any comet on record, made it a sight of grandeur.13 Halleys comet appeared in 1835 and again in 1910. The head of Holmes comet had a diameter in excess of a million miles. It is one of the largest on record. It appeared in 1899. Another Great Comet appeared in 1811. The second largest comet in actual size ever observed. The head was 1,125,000 miles in diameter, larger than the sun. The tail was 100,000,000 miles in length. Another great comet appeared in 1861. At one time the comet was brighter than any star in the sky, except Venus, and a peculiar glow suffused the entire sky. It could be seen in broad daylight. Morehouse Comet in 1908, showed the most rapid variations in appearance that from day to day it could not be recognised as the same comet. On June 30,1908, the greatest meteorite fall in historic times took place in Siberia. It was probably the head of a small comet.14 10. Science Encyclopedia p. 290 Van Nostrands. 11. Science Encyclopedia p. 1,457. 12. New Age Encyclopedia no. 11 p. 568. 13 and 14. Encyclopedia of Astronomy p. 60 and 61. 14 REVIEW OB RELIGIONS However, the eclipse of the sun and the moon on April 16 and March 21 of 1894 in the east and 1895 in the west is most likely the great sign that Christ predicted. What follows is a list of Periodical Commets and the time of their perihelion passage or nearest approach to the sun. Periodic Comet . Perihelion Passage Barnards 1906.2 . Biela’s 1866.1. Brooks’s 1903.9 Brorsen’s 1890.2 Cunningham’s 1940.9 D’Arrest’s 1897.4 DeVico-E. Swift’s 1901.1 Bonati’s 1858.8 Encke’s 1905.1 Faye’s 1903.3 Finlay’s 1900.2 Halley’s 1835 and 1910.3 Holmes 1899.3 Olter’s 1887.8 Pon’s Brooks 1884.1 Temple’s 1898.8 Temple’s ‘ 1904.8 Temple – L. Swift’s 1903.1 Tuttles 1899.3 Winnecke’s 1904.1 Wolfs 1905.3 The years of intense astronomical activity was between 1833 and 1910, This fact must be applied to all five claimants. I’ll now apply these facts to the five claimants: Mahdi of Sudan Known as al-Mahdi or “The Divinely Guided One”, Muhammad Ahmad ibn Abd Allah, created an Islamic state extending from the Red Sea to Central Africa and founded a movement still influential in Sudan. He was born in 1844. In March, 1881 he revealed to his closest followers what he considered his divine mission. That God had appointed him to purify Islam and destroy all Governments that defied it. On June 29 he claimed himself as the Mahdi. By the end of 1883 he had annihilated three Egyptian Armies. In 1885 he entered Khartoum victorious. He fell ill and died on June 22, 1885.15 15. Encyclopedia Britannica Vol. M p. 349. RETURN OF CHRIST 15 Analysis. When comparing the life and movement of the Mahdi of Sudan to the description of the Promised Messiah given in Biblical prophecies we can conclude that this man is not the Promised Messiah because he did not come from east of Jerusalem, his movement did not spread to the west in any great numbers, his movement spread by means of violence, not wisdom, and he died long before many of the heavenly signs were manifested. Joseph Smith — Mormon Church Joseph Smith was born in 1805 and started his new church in 1830. He claimed he received revelation which were engraved on certain gold plates buried in a hill called Cumrah. These plates were translated into English which is called the Book of Mormon. This book is accepted as having the same authority as the Bible. Joseph Smith is considered a prophet by his followers as is the present head of the movement. Joseph Smith was shot and killed by an angry mob on June 27, 1844.16 Since Joseph Smith did not come from east of Jerusalem its not necessary to analyse any more biblical prophecies as he cannot be the Promised Messiah. John Alexander Dowie Mr. Dowie was born in Edinburgh Scotland. He was convinced while living in Australia that he had the gift of healing. He established the International Divine Healing Association and built a tabernacle in Melbourne Australia. Dowie moved to the Pacific Coast in 1888 and worked there as a divine healer. He eventually moved to Chicago, where he erected a tabernacle and established his Christian Catholic Church in 1896. About this tune he announced himself as Elijah the third, and assumed the title “Elijah the Restorer”. He built Zion City in 1901 and attracted a considerable following. His fortunes turned for the worse and when in Mexico he was deposed from office. He died in 1907 in very poor health and abandoned by his followers, 3,500,000 dollars in debt.17 Like Joseph Smith, Mr. Dowie cannot be the Promised Messiah as he did not come from east of Jerusalem. 16. Comprehensive History of Latter Day Saint;, Roberts. 17. The Small Sects of America, Clark p. 155. 16 REVIEW OF RELIGIONS The Bab — Bahia Faith Mirza Ali Muhammad was born at Shiraz, southern Persia, nor Iran on October 20, 1819 and was a descendant of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. At the age of 25 years, in response to divine command, he declared that “God the Exalted had elected him to the station of Babhood”.18 During a pilgrimage to Mecca in December of 1844 he openly declared his mission, claiming himself the Mahdi and Nuqtiyiula or Primal Point. The Shi’ah doctors vehemently denounced him, and persuaded the Governor of Pars, Husayn Khan, to undertake the suppression of the new heresy. Then commenced for the Bab a long series of scourging, and indignities, imprisonments, deportations and examinations before tribunals which ended in his death in 1850. His followers were, and are still persecuted and murdered.19 The Bab fills many prophecies from the Bible except one. He came from east of Jerusalem, he wrote several books and his followers suffer persecution. However his death in 1850, cancels his claim as the true claimant as the Promised Messiah was to be seen at the time of heavenly signs, and most of the signs occured after his death. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was born in Qadian, Northern India in 1835. He was very dedicated to the study of the Holy Quran and the law promulgated by Islam. He began to receive relevation at the age of 13 and continued to receive it until his death in 1908. In 1891 he announced that God had appointed him the Messiah mentioned in the prophecies contained in the Bible and Holy Quran. He wrote eighty-four books on the subject of religion and claimed the eclipse of the sun and moon in the lunar month of Ramadan in 1894 as divine evidence of the truth of his claim. His writings contained many prophecies, most notably, his foretelling of the First World War and the plight of the Czar of Russia.20 When he claimed he was the Mahdi for the Muslims, the Promised Messiah for the Christians and Shri Krishna for the Hindus he brought upon himself criticism from all directions. Today his followers number 13 million and propagate their faith by means of debates and arguments based on clear and intelligent proofs. 18. A Travellers Narrative, Browne, p. 3. 19. Bahaullah and the New Era, Esslemont. p. 15. 20. Tadhkirah, Muhammad Zafrulla Khan. p. 309. RETURN OF CHRIST . 17 Like the Bahla’s, this community has been and is presently undergoing persecution. In April of 1984, the Government of Pakistan issued an ordinance, making it a criminal offence for followers of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad to call themselves Muslims, say Muslim prayers, or behave in a manner of a Muslim. The punishment of these offences is three years in jail and an unlimited fine. They are not allowed to make the annual pilgrimage to Mecca by orders issued by Saudia Arabia.21 Further evidence of persecution is as follows. A report by the Lawyers Committee for human rights states the Ahmadies sect as a group is subject to systematic and extensive discrimination.22 Dr. Aqueel bin Abdul Qadir of Hyderabad, Sind, Pakistan was attacked and murdered on June 9. His murder seems to be one in a chain of fatal attacks on prominent Ahmadi leaders in the province of Sind. Lahore, Feb. 19th. About 100 Ahmadies have been arrested in various districts of the Punjab for wearing the Kalima badges. Applying the five Biblical prophecies to Mirza Ghulam Ahmad we can conclude. The town he was born in and where his movement started, Qadian India is directly east of Jerusalem. He was born in 1835 and died in 1908 which corresponds very closely to the heavenly signs observed in the last century. The years of his birth and death were marked by heavenly signs. His prolific writings caused his opponents to give credit to his wisdom. He was, and his followers, were, and are presently being persecuted in several nations. Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, by writing Jesus in India, brought severe strain upon Christians, Jews and Orthodox Muslims, by breaking the foundations of their beliefs. The evidence as found in the Bible points quite clearly that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad had fulfilled the second coming of Jesus Christ, and is the Promised Messiah. I will now calculate the odds of all the previously mentioned Biblical prophecies being fulfilled by one person. , I will be using the well known principle of probability. If the chance of one 21. Asian Times, My 5,1985. 22. Dawn, Karachi, Wed. Feb. 20,1985. 18 REVIEW OF RELIGIONS ‘ thing happening is one in x and the chance of another independent or related thing is one in y, then the chance that they both happen is x times y. To illustrate further, if we throw a dice on a table the chance to get a specific number is one in six, but if we throw two dice then the chance of getting the same specific number from both the dice is one in thirty-six. In evaluating these prophecies we shall have to answer this question regarding each prophecy. One man in how many men has fulfilled this particular prophecy? Reviewing the five prophecies. 1. His followers will be afflicted, killed and hated by all nations. 2. He will come from east of Jerusalem. 3. He will be supported by heavenly signs such as eclipses of the sun and moon, comets, meteor showers etc.. 4. His teachings will cause the tribes or nations of the earth to mourn. He will go against contemporary thoughts and ideas of his time. 5. He will be a scholar, teaching wisdom, and he will be an excellent orator. Persecution of his followers: Taking any one year in the last century, or during the lives of the five claimants, how many men on a world-wide scale will lead a religious community that is severely persecuted. Estimating that in any one year there are fifty religious movements world-wide that are persecuted, and the number of religious leaders is 627, 300 Christian, 73 Muslim, 100 Hindu, 25 Buddhist, 5 Jewish and 25 other, we can conclude that the odds of one man fulfilling this prophecy is 50 in 627, or 1 in 13. Place of Origin, east of Jerusalem. If we take the area bounded by the latitude number 30 and that of 35 and go east until we reach the Pacific ocean, then any one living in this area can claim to have fulfilled this prophecy. There were about 150 million people living in that strip from Jerusalem to the Pacific, compared to a world population of 1.5 billion in the last century. The chance of one man fulfilling this prophecy is 1 in 10. He will be supported by heavenly signs. During the unique eclipses of the sun and the moon in 1894 there were 1.5 billion people alive. We don’t know how many people claimed that this sign was the sign of their truth. Let us be generous and estimate 30. The chance of one man fulfilling this prophecy is 30 in 1.5 billion or 1 in 50 million. His teachings will go against contemporary trends and cause many to mourn. At any time there are many scholars or writers or philosophers that have theories contrary to contemporary ideas. RETURN OF CHRIST 19 Let us estimate that of the 1.5 billion people alive in the last century ten thousand fit this description. The odds of one man fulfilling this prophecy is 1 to 150,000. He will be an excellent scholar and orator. Let us estimate that half of the scholars are great orators. The chance of one man fulfilling this prophecy is 1 in 300,000. . Let us now go back to our law of probability and calculate the odds of one man fulfilling all these prophecies. 13 X 10 X 50,000 X 150,000 X 300,000 = 292,500,000,000,000,000,000. Or 3 X 1020. If we want to know the odds of any man who lived in the last century fulfilling these five prophecies we take the number of people who lived in the last century during the time of heavenly signs at 3 billion and divide this number into 3 X 1020, and we get 1 X 1011. The chances of one man fulfilling the five prophecies found in the Bible that have been discussed in this paper is 1 in 100,000,000,000 or one in one hundred billion. However, we have shown that Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian fulfilled all of these prophecies. Therefore it is proven by means of the laws of probability that he is the promised one Jesus spoke of. Rejecting this man is rejecting the mentioned proofs. Rejecting these proofs is simply insane. Jesus has returned, and I hope and pray that a seeker after the truth who may chance to read this paper will accept him, for who can call themselves a true follower of Jesus Christ without accepting the one he prophesied about so long ago. All praise belong to Allah, the most Gracious and Merciful.