Articles
John The Baptist’s Prophecy and Our Salvation
Before John the Baptist was born, an angel told his father Zechariah, “… you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” After John the Baptist was born and Zechariah spoke again, he blessed the Lord and then told a prophecy. Luke 1:76-79 says, “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Normally, a person becoming a Nazarite meant that they were dedicating themselves to the Lord by following the vows of abstaining from fermented drinks, anything that entails the grape, cutting their hair, being near a dead body, and performing a sacrificial ritual after the vow was completed (Numbers 6:3-20). In part due to his mother avoiding strong drinks, John had been a Nazarite since he was in the womb. However, he was special amongst other Nazarites of the Bible because he had also been filled with the Holy Spirit since the womb. John was also unique because Luke 1:80 tells us he sequestered himself in the wilderness until it was his time to prepare the way for Jesus. Mathew 3:4 additionally mentions that he ate a diet of locusts and honey. John’s dedication to God and his mission to prepare the way for Jesus is expressed in Matthew 11:11, which reads, “Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist.”
Yet, it is marvelous that anyone can be greater than John. Matthew 11:11 also tells us, “Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Despite John’s greatness, every person has something that he never did: salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus’ death and resurrection has allowed us to be forgiven of our sins, develop a relationship with God, and become a living temple for His Holy Spirit. Romans 10:9-11 reads, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’” If you have not been baptized or have and need to restrengthen your relationship with God, then act with the zeal of John the Baptist and wait no longer
