John the Baptist?

Question

What can you tell me about John the Baptist?

Answer 1

Miraculous Birth. In the year 3 B.C.E., during the assigned time of service of the division of Abijah, it became Zechariah’s turn to enjoy the rare privilege of offering incense in the sanctuary. As he stood before the altar of incense, the angel Gabriel appeared with the announcement that he would have a son, who was to be called John. This son would be a lifetime Nazirite, as Samson had been. He was to be great before Jehovah, to go before Him “to get ready for Jehovah a prepared people.” John’s birth would be by a miracle of God, since Zechariah and Elizabeth were both of advanced age.

John spent the early years of his life in the hill country of Judea, where his parents lived. He “went on growing and getting strong in spirit, and he continued in the deserts until the day of showing himself openly to Israel.” According to Luke, John began his ministry in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. John would have been then about 30 years old.

John began his preaching in the Wilderness of Judea, saying: “Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” He wore clothing of camel hair and a leather girdle around his loins, similar to the dress of the prophet Elijah. John’s food consisted of insect locusts and wild honey. He was a teacher and was, accordingly, called “Rabbi” by his disciples.

John preached baptism for forgiveness of sins for those repenting, confining his baptism to Jews and proselytes to the Jews’ religion. John taught those coming to him that they should share things and not commit extortion, that they should be satisfied with their provisions and harass no one. He also taught his baptized followers how to pray to God.

John performed no miracles, as had Elijah, yet he came with the spirit and power of Elijah. He performed a powerful work in ‘turning the hearts of fathers to children and the disobedient ones to the practical wisdom of righteous ones.’ He fulfilled the purpose for which he had been sent, “to get ready for Jehovah a prepared people.

In the autumn of 29 C.E., Jesus came to John to be baptized. God had promised John a sign so that he could identify the Son of God. When Jesus was baptized, the sign was fulfilled: John saw God’s spirit coming down upon Jesus and heard God’s own voice declaring Jesus to be His Son.

Closing Days of His Ministry
John was forcibly taken out of the field. He was thrown into prison by Herod Antipas because John had reproved Antipas for his adulterous marriage to Herodias, whom he had taken away from his brother Philip.

Herodias carried out her grudge against John. During Herod’s birthday celebration the daughter of Herodias delighted Herod with her dancing, upon which Herod swore to her that he would give her whatever she asked. Influenced by her mother, she asked for the head of John. Herod, out of regard for his oath and for those present, granted her request. John was beheaded in prison and his head was delivered on a platter to the girl, who brought it to her mother. John’s disciples later came and removed John’s body and buried him, reporting the matter to Jesus.

John’s baptism continued until Pentecost day, 33 C.E., when the holy spirit was poured out. From that time on, baptism “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy spirit” was preached. Those who thereafter were baptized in John’s baptism had to be rebaptized in the name of the Lord Jesus in order to become receivers of holy spirit.

Answer 2

Who is John the Baptist?
Read the following verses and believe what you read, where you find it. Notice the word restore in Matthew 17:11. Restoration is always found in connection with the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew 17:10 And his disciples asked him, saying, why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
Matthew 17:11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come and restore all things.
Matthew 17:12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.
Matthew 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
Acts 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you.
Acts 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the time of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

Notice the statement of the Lord that Elijah is going to come (Matt 17:11). In Matthew 17:12 the Lord tell them that that Elias is come already. What you find here is an apparent contradiction, and yet there is no contradiction if you analyze it carefully.

Luke 9:18 And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him;
And he asked them, them saying, whom say the people that I am?
Luke 9:19 They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and other say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.
Luke 9:20 He said unto them, but whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, the Christ of God.

Now we can see that there is a confusion about three people: John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, and Elias. Although the Lord told us that John the Baptist was Elias. Look at what John said of himself.

John 1:19-20 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, no.

This is also typical of the apparent contradiction that you may find in the word of God. Jesus said that John was Elias; John said he was not Elias.

Luke 1:15-17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just: to make ready a people for the Lord.

Peter preached the Gospel of the Kingdom to Israel in Acts chapter 2 thru chapter 7 and if they would have repented then Jesus Christ would have come back, and John the Baptist would have been Elijah. The first coming of Christ could have been the second coming, if the Nation of Israel would have received Him as their King, but we know that they rejected Him and the Nation of Israel has been cut off and the Gentiles have been added in (Romans 11:25). Notice how the Holy Spirit reinforces the teaching that John the Baptist is only a type of Elijah, who would have fulfilled the prophecy if Christ had returned in the book of Acts. Since Christ delayed his return (upon Israel’s rejection), and called out Paul to preach to the Gentiles and give him a new gospel (I Cor 15:1-4; Gal 1:11), then Elijah’s return is postponed until after the rapture of the church (I Thes 4:12-18).

Malachi 4:4-6 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
Other References: Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1; Mark 1:4; Mark 1:15.

Answer 3

John the Baptist a key figure in the Biblical stories of Jesus Christ. According to the Gospels, John's role was to announce the coming of Jesus: in John 1:23 he tells interrogators, "I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way of the Lord.'" According to Matthew 3:4, he wore clothing made of camel's hair and ate locusts and wild honey, and baptized people in the river Jordan. (It was after being baptized by John that Jesus was led to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.) John later was executed by the ruler Herod; as told in Matthew chapter 14, Herod granted the demand of Salome to "give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter."

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Answer 4

The Bible says he did not and will not go to heaven but we know he will be resurrected to live on earth. He was the forerunner to Jesus (he paved the way for Jesus' ministry). He was his (Jesus') fleshly cousin through his mother, Elizabeth. He was born 6 months earlier than Jesus. What more do you want to know?

Answer 5

Funny! 100!

Answer 6

He was born (not conceived) without original sin. We know this because it says that he leaped in the womb with joy at the sound of the voice of the mother of our Lord. The mother of our Lord was conceived without original sin because it was the will of God that His chosen mother not be tainted with sin. Mary is the ark of the New Covenant.

Answer 7

He taught outside of the temple(church).

Answer 8

He was the one who cried in the wilderness...He was the fist to preach that the kingdom was at hand...he got his head cut off...he was NOT Jesus's cousin!!!

Answer 9

He baptized or clean people with water, this symbolizes clean thoughts from now on, so go and sin no more.