Another of Satan’s Counterfeits by W. C. DUNSCOMBE

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 18, 1910

Another of Satan’s Counterfeits

By W. C. DUNSCOMBE

W. C. DUNSCOMBE, M. D.

THE Word of God tells us that in the last days there will arise false christs and false prophets. Satan is now working with great power to deceive all who are not rooted and grounded in God’s Word. One of his latest counterfeits is the “Bahai movement.” The teachings of the “Bahais” are of a nature to attract under their banner those who look for universal peace and the gradual ushering in of an earthly millennium.

This movement, in its origin and teachings, and in the persecutions which its followers have endured, bears many resemblances to Christian teachings, and to the events which immediately preceded and followed the manifestation of Christ in the flesh. Its origin was in Shiraz, Persia, May 23, 1844. In the same year that Christ entered into the most holy place in the heavenly sanctuary, there to make the final atonement, and when this glorious third angel’s message began to be proclaimed, there arose a young man, Ali Mohammed, who declared himself to be the Bab (Arabic word for door or gate), or forerunner, of him whom God should manifest,—a great teacher, who was soon to appear with manifest signs of divine power, and through whose teachings the religious unity of all peoples would be accomplished. This man proclaimed his mission zealously, and soon gathered many followers around him. His propaganda having stirred up the opposition of the Mohammedans, he was imprisoned, and later, in 1850, was put to death. Among those who espoused the cause of the Bab was Baha’o’llh, a young man of a noble family of Teheran. After the death of the Bab, he rallied the believers together, and later, in 1862, proclaimed himself to be the one whom the Bab had foretold,—“he whom God would manifest.” He was also imprisoned, and after being banished to various places, died in 1892. Before his death he commanded

his followers to set their faces toward his eldest son, Abbas Effendi, whom he had chosen as the expounder of his teachings, the one who would establish his cause in the world.

This son is now at liberty, and is actively promulgating his father’s teachings, which in many points resemble the teachings of Christ, and he is evidently a student of both the Old and New Testaments. However, the same lies which Satan has from the beginning sought to implant in the heart of man are deceptively taught in this new doctrine. The main theme is that this Bahai movement will unite all men, of whatever creed or nationality, in one fraternal bond; that this world will, in its present state, be brought under the guidance of God, and then the millennium will be ushered in. It teaches the immortality of the soul, and that heaven and hell are simply conditions, the soul which lives in God being in that state called heaven, and vice versa. It also teaches that warfare should be abolished and many other good principles. To quote from the writings of its adherents: “It is the establishment of God’s kingdom among men, and it is the nucleus from which will evolve the great, universal civilization.” This movement is spreading all over the world, and there are organized assemblies in most of the large cities of Europe, America, and Asia Minor. One of its earnest advocates made a tour through the East during the years 1908 and 1909, lecturing in many of the large cities. While in Tokyo, he lectured in the Y. M. C. A. to a large hall filled with Japanese students. To my mind this movement is but another evidence of the importance of the third angel’s message. Coincident with the proclamation of the true message, Satan brings forth his counterfeit message, and presents a false messiah, who cries, “Peace! Peace!” when there is no peace. Surely we need the Holy Spirit, that the true message may go forth with a loud cry, and that we may proclaim with power that the time is near at hand when “the Lord also shall roar out of Zion, . . . and the heavens and the earth shall shake.”

Tokyo, Japan.