Zoroastrianism: God renews His covenant with man.

 

38. God renews His covenant with man when needed: The life of man is ever evolving ever moving forward; this is the way God designed us. Does it make any sense that God’s word and covenant to man would not keep pace with the advances man makes both materially and spiritually?  Judaism: Psalms 111:9 “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.”  Christianity: Hebrews 13:20 “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,” God renews His covenant with mankind periodically with the coming of each new manifestation, so the religion of God, periodically, is infused with new life and man takes one more step closer to being the spiritual entity God desires him to be.  Judaism: Genesis 9:9 “Behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;” Genesis 15:18 “In the same day The LORD made a covenant with Abram (Abraham),” Exodus 34:28 “And he was there with The LORD forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.” Deuteronomy 5:1 And Moses called all Israel, and said unto them, Hear, O Israel, the statutes and judgments which I speak in your ears this day, that ye may learn them, and keep, and do them. Deuteronomy 5:2 The LORD our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I will send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me: and The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in:”  Christianity: Hebrews 12:24 “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant,” Hebrews 8:6 “But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.” Hebrews 8:7 “For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.” Hebrews 8:8 “For finding fault with them, He saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:” Hebrews 8:9 “Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in My covenant, and I regarded them not, saith The Lord.” Hebrews 8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put My laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people:” Hebrews 8:13 “In that He saith, A new covenant, He hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”

 ISLAM: 15. “O People of the Book! there hath come to you Our Messenger, revealing to you much that ye used to hide in the Book, and passing over much (that is now unnecessary): There hath come to you from Allah (God) a (new) Light and a perspicuous Book.” 67. “For every Message is a limit of time,”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surahs 5 and 6)

Islam: 7. “And remember We took from the Prophets their Covenant as (We did) from thee: from Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Jesus the son of Mary: We took from them a solemn Covenant:” 101. “When We substitute one revelation for another, and Allah knows best what He reveals (in stages), they say, ‘Thou art but a forger:’ but most of them understand not.” 102. “Say, the Holy Spirit has brought the revelation from thy Lord in truth, in order to strengthen those who believe, and as a guide and Glad Tidings.” A new covenant.

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surah 16 and 33)

Islam: 23. “Allah has revealed (from time to time) the most beautiful Message in the form of a Book, consistent with itself, (yet) repeating its teaching in various aspects.” 106. “None of Our revelations do We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, but We substitute something better or similar; knowest thou not that Allah hath power over all things?”

(The Qur’an (Yusuf Ali tr), Surahs 2 and 39)

 ZOROASTRIANISM: 3. “And we worship the former religions of the world devoted to Righteousness which were instituted at the creation, the holy religions of the Creator Ahura Mazda (God), the resplendent and glorious.” 14. “O Zarathushtra, what righteous man is thy friend for the great covenant?” 19. “He who accomplisheth for me, even Zarathushtra, in accordance with Right that which best agrees with my will, to him as earning the reward of the Other Life.”

(Zoroaster, The Zend-Avesta, Avesta – Yasnas16 and 46) 

 Zoroastrianism: Denkard. Zoroaster, “The advent of true prophets in this world is for the purpose of revealing to the people the mystery of the spiritual world (i.e. the Religion), with the view of checking their longings for sinful acts, and of confirming their resolve for striving after good deeds. (The prophets) should be recognized and their ways followed; the evils wrought by the Devs should be guarded against; and whatever is profitable to them (i.e. to the Devs) should be cast away from one’s essence. And they should not be given admittance into one’s nature. And one shall constantly wage war with the Druj (i.e. the malignant influences) within oneself. 5, 9:2 Druj (i.e. the powers of evil)” “The path which (leads) to Garothman (the highest Heaven, is) the covenant.”

 HINDUISM: “I come, and go, and come. When Righteousness Declines, O Bharata! when Wickedness Is strong, I rise, from age to age, and take Visible shape, and move a man with men, Succouring the good, thrusting the evil back, And setting Virtue on her seat again.” “As I before have been So will I be again for thee; with lightened heart behold! Once more I am thy Krishna, the form thou knew’st of old!” Bringing forth again a new covenant. “Regulation of one’s conduct according to that of the Aryas, peacefulness and contentedness; — these (good qualities) have been settled by the agreement (of the wise) (the covenant) for all orders; he who, according to the precepts of the sacred law, practices these, enters the universal soul.”

(Hindu, Bhagavad Gita (Edwin Arnold tr) chapter 4 and 9 and The Dharma Sutras, Apastamba Prasna I, Patala 8, Khanda 23)

 BUDDHISM: 20. “Making the effort is your affair. The Buddhas (plural, more than one) have pointed out the Way (many times). Those who are on the way and practicing meditation will be freed from Mara’s bonds. The good go to heaven; wrong-doers go to hell;” This agreement, covenant God’s messenger makes with man.

(Buddhist, Dhammapada – Sayings of the Buddha 1 (tr. J. Richards))

 Buddhism: “I am not the first Buddha who came upon earth, nor shall I be the last. In due time another Buddha will arise…. He shall reveal to you the same eternal truths which I have taught you. He will preach to you His religion, (his covenant) glorious in its origin, glorious at the climax and glorious at the goal, in the spirit and in the letter.”

(Buddhism, 1 Sermon of the Great Passing.)

 SABEANISM: “And it was revealed to me (?) and to all of them in this book, and they acted upon this reliable baser acting according to this (its) light and removing nothing from this writing of great revelation that was given to Adam the first man.’ ‘And Thou hast spoken to us with Thy Word And hast commanded us with Thy commandment ‘Be My glory and I will be your Glory. Be my light and I will be your Light. And my name shall be in your mouths And I will be with you.’ Thou art He who over-throwest (false) gods in their high-places And bringest reproach on the divinity of (false) deities.” This is the agreement, the covenant (God) made with Adam. His covenant with mankind. (Sabeanism, Ginza Rba- chapter 75)

 BABI RELIGION: “With each and every Prophet Whom We have sent down in the past, We have established a separate Covenant concerning the Remembrance of God and His Day.”

(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, p. 67)

 Babi Religion: “FEAR ye God and breathe not a word concerning His Most Great Remembrance other than what hath been ordained by God, inasmuch as We have established a separate covenant regarding Him with every Prophet and His followers. Indeed, We have not sent any Messenger without this binding covenant and We do not, of a truth, pass judgement upon anything except after the covenant of Him Who is the Supreme Gate hath been established.” “The Lord of the universe hath never raised up a prophet nor hath He sent down a Book unless He hath established His covenant with all men, calling for their acceptance of the next Revelation and of the next Book; inasmuch as the outpourings of His bounty are ceaseless and without limit.” “PRAISE be to Thee, O Lord, my Best Beloved! Make me steadfast in Thy Cause and grant that I may be reckoned among those who have not violated Thy Covenant nor followed the gods of their own idle fancy.”

(The Bab, Selections from the Writings of the Bab, pp. 46, 86 and 215)

BAHA’I FAITH: “His Holiness Christ made a covenant concerning the Paraclete and gave the tidings of His coming. His Holiness the Prophet Muhammad made a covenant concerning His Holiness the Bab and the Bab was the One promised by Muhammad, for Muhammad gave the tidings of His coming. The Bab made a Covenant concerning the Blessed Beauty of Bahá’u’lláh and gave the glad-tidings of His coming for the Blessed Beauty was the One promised by His Holiness the Bab. Bahá’u’lláh made a covenant concerning a promised One who will become manifest after one thousand or thousands of years. He likewise, with His Supreme Pen, entered into a great Covenant and Testament with all the Bahá’ís whereby they were all commanded to follow the Center of the Covenant after His departure, and turn not away even to a hair’s breadth from obeying Him.” (The meaning of Paraclete, a Comforter) “The Covenant of God is like unto a vast and fathomless ocean.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith and Selections from the writings of Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 358 and p. 223)

Baha’i Faith: “The Manifestations of God are as the heavenly bodies. All have their appointed place and time of ascension, but the Light they give is the same. if one wishes to look for the sun rising, one does not look always at the same point because that point changes with the seasons. When one sees the sun rise further in the north one recognizes it, though it has risen at a different point.”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Abdu’l-Baha in London, p. 67)

Baha’i Faith: “O ye beloved of God, know that steadfastness and firmness in this new and wonderful Covenant is indeed the spirit that quickeneth the hearts which are overflowing with the love of the Glorious Lord; verily, it is the power which penetrates into the hearts of the people of the world!”

(Bahá’í Faith, Abdu’l-Baha, Baha’i World Faith – Abdu’l-Baha Section, p. 357)