Little is known of this man, other than what is revealed in his book. In some ways, he can be likened to John the Baptist or perhaps to Jesus. I say this because little is known of John’s life and Jesus’ life until they came into their ministries. As we shall see, there are modern day prophets who have an extremely important ministry heralding the return of Jesus. Little is known of them also, but they are there, hidden from the limelight, being prepared by the Spirit of God and being trained in the school of the Holy Ghost and will suddenly emerge onto the world arena with a unique anointing.

In the book of Malachi, it seems as if God is having a dialogue with His people, particularly with an unfaithful priesthood. They were leading His people astray and dishonoring God’s name. They presented blemished offerings and, rather than be an example to the people as spiritual leaders, they became stumbling blocks. Sinners were honored. Impiety was justified. Inter-marriage with the heathen  that was forbidden in The Law was permitted. Divorce was rampant. Sorcery, impurity and oppression was tolerated. Treacherous dealings with the brethren was common and tithing was disrespected, if adhered to. It is similar to the conditions that prevail today.

On a positive note however, there was promise of change. Malachi spoke of the Messenger of the Covenant, the promise of outpourings of great blessings, that God’s people would become His peculiar treasure and of the dawning of a new day in which God’s people would triumph. He spoke of the appearance of a reformer before the day of the Lord arrived.

We need these things today and indeed, they are an intrinsic part of the message of John the Baptist and those like him today. Malachi’s prophecy concluded with a wonderful statement-

Look! I am sending my messenger to clear the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple. Yes, the messenger of the covenant, in whom you take such delight— look! Here he comes,” says Adonai-Tzva’ot. Malachi 3:1

Look, I will send to you Eliyahu the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible Day of Adonai. Malachi 3:23

As it was with Elijah, signs, wonders and miracles will indeed accompany their ministries, but one major characteristic and often neglected element is that of restoration and repentance.

Teaching about the Kingdom of God will figure prominently.
These will be the hallmarks of their ministries just as it was with Jesus’ ministry.
He taught. He preached and he healed the sick. He told people to repent.

John also told people to repent.

If this herald of Jesus’ coming was to be like Elijah, it behooves us to take a look at this man.
His name means My God is Yahweh. His name and memory have defied the passage of time, but very little is known about him. Other than saying he was a Tishbite, there is an evident lack of genealogy.  His arrival on the scene took place when the spiritual life of the Northern Kingdom was in crisis.

Perhaps this is typifying the state of the church towards the close of this dispensation. Jesus is indeed returning for a glorious Church but there are certain places where what is called “the church” is in crisis. Several years ago, the Lord spoke into my heart in a powerful way saying that He was coming TO the Church and then He was coming FOR the Church. Over the years, I have heard other ministers say similar things. One very prominent leader recently said that the Lord wanted His Church back!

As you will see later, the ministry of John and the prophecy of Isaiah in chapter forty was mainly directed to God’s own covenant people. John’s message was in essence a little like Elijah’s message bringing confrontation and true spirituality to God’s people. Both directly challenged the established order of things.

Elijah suddenly appeared as if out of nowhere. Where was he before then? What was he doing? Scriptures say nothing to answer those questions, but I know that he had a close relationship with God because of what he said and did. He strode into the palace and immediately stated in 1 Kings chapter 17:1 that he stood before the Lord God of Israel and that it would not rain again—until he said so! That is a powerful and bold declaration indeed, but he was able to do so because he knew what God had already said. In Deuteronomy 11:10-17 and 28:15-24, God had decreed that if His people fell into error, He would withhold the rain, so Elijah was correct in making such a bold statement.

In the closing days of this era, men and women who know God and His ways and know what He has said will function in similar manner. This will be necessary because the integrity and effect of God’s word in many churches is all but non existent.
Many learned scholars have taken the super out of the supernatural of God and a duality of religion has crept in as it had in Elijah’s day.

Immediately after he made such a profound declaration, God spoke to him, givng him new assignments.

The phrase, “and the word of the Lord came to him” appears often. God spoke to the man.
When anyone tells people in many churches now that God speaks to them, a wide array of reactions and responses, mostly negative, is sadly amazing.

Another characteristic of Elijah’s ministry was of course the display of supernatural manifestation. Religion dislikes such things, but they accompanied the ministry of Jesus and people in the early church. The evidence is lacking too often today and people really want the tangible reality of God in their lives.
It “proves” that God is God and that is what Elijah did. He proved that his God was God and all other religious activity was false.

The modern day “John the Baptist ministries” will present God in such ways, not to draw attention to themselves, but to bring a demarkation line between the real and the false. It will not be popular in many church circles, but it will present the truth in such a way that no one will have an excuse when they stand alone before God at the end of days.

Isaiah is often regarded as the greatest Old Testament prophet who may be likened to a statesman whose words may be divided into two main segments or events for ease of study purposes into (a) the events leading up to the captivity and (b) post captivity events that contain a blend of predictions, warnings and wonderful promises that are rich in Messianic prophecy.

Much of the latter reaches down the centuries into our dispensation and he talks about the salvation of Jehovah!

We shall look later in depth into part of his declaration that is found in chapter forty.
What is hidden in this portion of God’s word is of vital importance to us today.

When John arrived, some of these words of Isaiah were his theme message—his mandate.

John came as the herald that Malachi spoke of and he came in the spirit and power of Elijah to declare what Isaiah had said hundreds of years beforehand. He came at a troubled time in Israel when idol-worshipping pagans dominated by a cruel dictatorship were occupying the country.

At that time the Roman army was an extremely powerful and very well trained and equipped blend of professional soldiers, conscripts and mercenaries. Cruel and sadistic, they were ruling with a rod of iron over a chosen nation of peoples, aided by a portion of the population who were motivated by greed and a lust for personal power.

We are a chosen generation of people and are living in a hostile environment.
We are not of the world but are living in the world and what I mean by that is that we are living in a world system that is controlled or motivated by the god of this world according to 2 Corinthians 4:4.

This world system is based on the Babylonian system and it is falling apart because men do not communicate with each other on God’s level. Although we may say similar sounding things, we do not see things the same way as each other. We must see things from God’s perspective and say what He says and that takes thinking differently.

We may not be living in conditions as savage as the Roman era, but our morals, values and spirituality is being constantly bombarded as effectively.

The world’s way of thinking and doing things constantly tries to impose its values on us, but I have great news for you. Jesus is building His church and Jesus is coming soon! What exciting days in which we live!

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. Luke 1:5-11.

The timing is specific. The people are specifically named and their lineage discussed.

Because Johns ministry is so vitally important, God was very specific about who He chose for the task and He still chooses people this way today.

If we go back to the time David was on the throne, he organized the priests who were Aaron’s descendents.

Aaron had four sons, who were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. Nadab and Abihu died before Aaaron died died, leaving Eleazar and Ithamar who served as priests and their descendents were to continue in the priestly office.

They were appointed by lot to their various positions in the Temple. This event is recorded in 1 Chronicles 24.

Zechariah was a descendent of one of those descendents of Aaron. His name was Abijah.

Elizabeth also had an honourable lineage that went back to Aaron. Her name, Elisabet was of Hebrew origin going back to a woman called ʾElîshebaÊ¿. She was the wife of Aaron. Part of the meaning of her name is God of the oath.

I doubt if their marriage and John’s birth was any accident. There is, as usual, an intricately woven thread of the plan of God revealed in all of those sometimes boring genealogies.

To preserve this divinely ordered lineage, they should have had a son to assume the office of his father, but they were childless. That was a recipe for disaster. It brought great pressure on them by society and may have caused many hurtful comments about them. I can imagine the gossip. “There must be sin in their lives” and “God is punishing them” may have been such scathing comments. It even happens today and what is shameful is that it often comes from our own Christian brothers and sisters.

Each course of priests and of Levites came on duty for a week, from one Sabbath to another. The service of the week was subdivided among the various families that constituted a course. How they served was interesting as it was like a family affair in which the line was passed from father to son throughout their generations. There were houses of the fathers.

In a given period of time, if there were five houses of fathers, three served each one day, and two each two days. It there were six families, five served each one day, and one two days. If there were eight families, six served each one day, and the other two in conjunction on one day and if there were nine families, five served each one day, and the other four took it two in conjunction for two days.

On Sabbaths the whole course was on duty. On feast-days any priest might come up and join in the ministrations of the sanctuary.
At the Feast of Tabernacles all the twenty-four courses were bound to be present and officiate.
While actually engaged on service in the Temple, the priests were not allowed to drink wine.

The other families or houses also of the course who were in attendance at Jerusalem were also prohibited from drinking wine during the day because, although they were not on actual duty during their week of ministry, may have to be called in to assist their brethren.

Generally speaking, the priests had to undergo courses of instruction and were examined before being allowed to officiate.
Similarly, they were subject to the ordinary tribunals, composed of men learned in the law. The ordained rulers of the synagogues, the teachers of the people, the leaders of their devotions and other officials were not necessarily priests, but simply chosen for their learning and fitness.

The high priest himself was answerable to the Sanhedrim. He wielded considerable influence according to Jewish tradition and should have in every respect, excelled all other priests. Certain marks of outward respect were shown him. In Acts 23, Ananias stepped out of line commanding that Paul be struck and Paul reacted, calling him names and demanded by what right he could so such a thing. When he was told that he was the high priest, Paul apologized. He respected the office, if not the man. Although this should be applied today in the church, I feel that it is taken to extremes when people almost worship the pastor and never question him.

When the high priest entered the Temple three other men accompanied him. One man was at each side and the third behind him.
He might, without being appointed to it, officiate in any part of the Temple services; he had certain exceptional rights, possessed a house in the Temple and he almost exclusively officiated on the Day of Atonement.

For such reasons, office hereditary, especially that of the high priest was regarded as being held for life and hereditary, but in the troubles of the later times of which we speak, the office was subject to carnality, made it a matter of party factions, bribery and even crime.

According to The Law, priests had strict requirements for qualification and I recommend that you read my article on Qualifications for priesthood. Such qualifications and disqualifications are listed in Leviticus 21.

It was under these conditions that whilst Zacharias was fulfilling his allocated task in the temple. As you can see, for God to start implementing His plan, Zacharias had to be in that place at that time and meeting all requirements.

God’s objective is intricately woven, precise and meticulously planned.

Before Zechariah was born, God instructed Moses to construct the Tabernacle and everything associated with it.

I would like to take you now to the Tabernacle where it first started.

The Altar of Incense, also called the Golden Altar, was located between the Golden Lampstand and the Table of Showbread, placed slightly closer to the presence of God, just outside the veil of the Holy of Holies.
It was made of acacia wood, overlaid with gold. It was one cubit long, one cubit wide, and two cubits high (approximately 18″ long, 18″ wide, and 36″ high) and like the Bronze Altar it had four horns, one at each corner. The Altar of Incense had an ornate gold crown or border around the top. It had rings on each side, made of gold, and staves made of acacia wood, overlaid with gold, were inserted into the rings and used to transport the altar.

The priests burned incense on this altar in the morning and in the evening, when the lamps of the Golden Lampstand were trimmed.
The incense was burning unto the Lord continually.

Once a year on the Day of Atonement the priests put the blood of a sacrifice on the four horns, after which blood from that same sacrifice was also taken into the Holy of Holies by the high priest.

There was to be no strange incense burned on the Golden Altar. The incense was to be pure and fragrant, comprised of equal portions of stacte, onycha, galbunum and frankincense, mixed together by the work of perfumers. Only this prescribed mixture was to be used, providing an ever-present, sweet smelling fragrance to God. The full details are found in Exodus 30:1–10, 34–38; 37:25–29.

When a priest entered the tabernacle, he was alone in the Holy Place. Others remained outside, praying. As he entered this sanctum, his first sight would have been that veil ahead with the altar of incense before it. To his left was the golden candlestick that provided the only artificial light there and to his right was the table of shewbread. The presence of God was just on the other side of that veil!

This was such a setting for Zacharias when he went into the temple.

Alone in there with the flickering light of the golden candlestick, he was about to put the incense on the altar when the angel of the Lord appeared.

Luke said that he was standing in the right side of the altar.

We need to see things from God’s perspective and consider any significance to this “right side”.

The right hand is considered to be the favored position. From man’s viewpoint as he entered this place, he would see the altar with the angel standing to his own right hand and the altar thus to his left. God’s viewpoint however was from the other side of that veil, looking outwards. He would have been looking through the veil, seeing the rising incense with Zachariah behind that.

If we recall, God told Moses that He was looking for the blood on Passover night in Egypt, so this raises a question, “Whose right side was it?”

As I pondered over this, it seemed that God was looking at the angel who was standing at His right side as he delivered his message.

When Zachariah saw him, he became afraid, which is not uncommon.

I have had similar encounters and they do indeed impact us as God knows, which is why reassurance is often given.

The angel told him not to be afraid. He told Mary not to be afraid. He told Gideon the same things. The angel delivered his message:
Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
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 prepared for the Lord. Luke 1:13-17.

This is the heart of John’s ministry. The angel’s closing words are paramount. John’s ministry was to God’s people.

John came to get God’s people ready for the coming of the Lord. It is my firm belief that similar ministries are required in our time to prepare God’s people for the coming of the Lord. John did so for the first appearing. Ministries like John will prepare people for His second appearing and we shall delve into that later.

At this point, it would be wise to look at a couple of typical reponses.

People can react in different ways, such fear, unbelief, or by asking questions.

Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. Luke 1:18-20.

Gabriel also visited Mary, announcing the news that she would become Jesus’ mother. She replied-
How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? Luke 1:34.

On face value, both Mary and Zacharias asked similar questions, but that is not so.

I wondered why he was struck dumb whereas Mary was not. His was a doubtful question, lacking faith and were based on natural circumstances. He might have risked making a bad faith confession that would create a bad outcome and the angel could not allow that to happen. Our words carry creative power as we see in Luke 6:45 and Proverbs 18:21.

Mary was aware of the social status and the natural bodily functions necessary for pregnancy and she asked how it would happen, not if it would happen.

Zecharias was in there much longer than normal and those outside began to wonder.
When he finally emerged, it was immediately evident that something had happened.
They perceived that he had seen a vision especially when he could not speak. He remained there until his assignment had finished before returning home.

How did the other priests respond to him? What were their conversations that they had about him? What questions did they asked him and if so, how did he answer?
I have had experiences when I have received a visitation from God and it was awesome to say the least. The physical feelings alone are enough. The hair stood up on the back of my neck and my breathing became deeper and shorter. My heart started pumping more. My wife Marjorie could tell by the look on my face that something had happened.

When he arrived home, his wife must have noticed it and as they communicated together, she began wondering what God had planned. God’s plan is always intricately designed and meticulously implemented. Those sometimes boring scriptures detailing genealogies, places and events are no accident, having been put there to fit in with the Divine purpose and reveal truth to us that is also recorded in human history by such writers as Josephus. Historical records of the rules of the Roman Caesars and kings in many other countries can attest to the things of which I write.

John’s birth was recorded in history. He was to be a special person. Therefore his father had to also be special. Zechariah was a priest. No one really becomes a priest by choice to make this his vocation. Priesthood was a sacred appointment, ordained by God and not by man and should remain so. A priest like Zacharias and others had to possess very strict qualifications and requirements, one of which was the ability to become the father of a son, thus ensuring continuity of the family line. In certain denominations today, priests are celibate and that is not biblical. Qualifications for ministry are clearly laid out in such scriptures as 1 Timothy 3, especially verses 4-5 when Paul told Timothy that such a leader should rule his own house and his children well.

The qualifications for priesthood are listed in Leviticus 21 and God considers this matter very seriously. The lineage had to be preserved and the lack of an heir posed a real problem.

People have a habit of judging others, often on surface value only and I can imagine some gossip about Zecharias and Elizabeth. One typical comment might have been, “There must be sin in their lives”.  Such gossip and innuendo continues to this day. Be careful in judging others. Never leap to conclusions and make assumptions. It could be very damaging and hurtful.

God had chosen this couple—a special couple for a special event at a special moment in time.

Luke said that Zechariah was of the division of Abijah. This is significant. God had commanded Moses to build the Tabernacle and establish the Priesthood, but he had to build it in accord with the pattern God showed him on the mountain. You may see the account in Exodus 25 onwards.

When David was on the throne, he wanted to build the Temple, but God forbade him. He made provision for the Temple construction and for Temple services and Solomon did the actual construction.

The latter included organizing the priests into 24 divisions selected by lot and formulating a duty roster. Each of the 24 divisions provided for two weeks of service by each division, based on a lunar calendar of 48 weeks and duties were allocated impartially by the drawing of lots. The lots were drawn alternately between the families of Eleazar and of Ithamar for the first 16 lots; then the remaining eight assignments of duties fell automatically to the families of Eleazar. See 1 Chronicles 24, especially verse 10.

The priests were a special group within the tribe of Levi, chosen to minister in the sanctuary as seen in Numbers 18 and the duties rotate to the different divisions as seen in Luke 1:5, 8 indicating that that no one priest is permanent.

The priesthood prefigures Christ the great high priest who is the everlasting priest. See Hebrews 7:23–8:6.

Hundreds of years later, Zachariah was one such person chosen by division and by lot, but it was not by chance that he was there to be the recipient of Gabriel’s message. Can you imagine the odds of this particular man being there in the right place at the right time?
God had ordained this encounter before the world was created. Without embarking on the topic of pre-destination, we could say that God has also chosen you and me before the dawn of time for some task that may be great or it may be insignificant in our own estimation but not in the eyes of God. It behooves us to discover what that call is, to determine the timing factor, then enter into it, remembering that the power of choice is in your hands.

His wife Elizabeth also had the right family background, coming from the line of Aaron. Their union was therefore no accident. I urge you to look a little more closely into Matthew 1:1-17. Those often glossed over verses contain a wealth of information. Verse 17 reveals that there are three groups of fourteen generations. This reveals an amazing intricately formed plan. Anyone studying biblical numerology would find this very interesting. For example, the denominators of number 14 are 2 times 7. Therefore the numbers 2, 3 and 7 appear. Add 2 with 3 and the equation is 5 that is the number of grace and the number 7 is comprised of 4 + 3. This cannot be a coincidence.

Let us take a quick look at some of the meanings. Throughout the bible we see two people linked together. Paul and Silas; Abraham and Lot; Peter and John; Isaac and Ishmael; Jacob and Esau are classic examples. We see the First Adam and the Second Adam.

The number two represents many things, one of which is testimony. Another speaks about difference, division or separation.

The number 3 takes on great significance. It represents God’s divine attributes of omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence. It talks of the three persons of the triune Godhead- the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It speaks of past, present and future; thought, word and deed, the three kingdoms- animal, vegetable and mineral. Three represents divine perfection.

The number 4 is comprised of 3 + 1, thus speaking of the trinity or divine perfection with 1, divine sovereignty. There are the 4 corners of the earth, North, South, East and west; 4 seasons of spring, summer autumn and winter and the 4 elements of earth, air, fire and water.

We mentioned the number 5, that most people understand speaks of God’s grace, but there is more to it than that. God made five demands of Pharaoh. The number 5 is seen just about everywhere in the Tabernacle. The holy anointing oil was comprised of 5 elements and it took 5 ingredients to manufacture the incense that Zacharias was destined to burn.

The number 7 is comprised of 5 + 2. We usually think of the Sabbath when God rested on the 7th day. The Hebrew word for 7 is Shevah that basically means to be full of or have enough of. The blessings of Abraham were 7-fold. There were 7 sprinklings of blood on the great Day of Atonement, 7 elements in the Golden Candlestick, 7 appearances of angels, 7 sons of Jesse, 7 miracles of Jesus in John, 7 elements represented 5 times in the 10 Commandments, 7 parables in Matthew, 7 churches in Revelation.

In summary, the number 7 speaks of spiritual perfection.

All the above is a summary of the descriptions of those numbers, revealing that there is an enormous wealth of truth hidden within and somewhere in this list is Jesus.

On that fateful day that we could describe as the fullness of time or at the appointed time, Zachariah was chosen for what may have been a-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Why then? We are finite beings limited to time constraints and find it difficult to comprehend timelessness. God is eternal. He told Moses that He was I Am!

He Is! There is no such thing as time as we understand it, because everything with God always is in the now! Peter said that as far as time goes there is no difference between one day and a thousand years with God.

Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is now so it is ever present. James tells us that we must believe that God is! One day we will understand such things, but for the time being, we have to choose to believe.

If we pause for a moment and reflect on the timing factor, what was the timing factor for Jesus’ arrival?
He could have come hundreds of years before or much later than the actual day.

When I asked the Lord about this, His reply was so simple. “I needed someone to prepare the way for Me”.
I was about to ask the next obvious question as we talked more about this and He answered before I could speak, saying, “I am waiting for someone to prepare the way for My return”. Think about it.

It is often said that we do not know the hour of His appearing, but is that really true? We shall discuss this elsewhere.

Zacharias entered the Temple to burn the incense and we should compare this with the events in the Tabernacle. When the priest entered the Holy Place, there was no artificial light. The only illumination came from the Golden Candlestick to his left. On his right was the Table of Shewbread. Directly in front of him was the Altar of incense. Behind that was the Veil. On the other side of that Veil, in the Holy of Holies was the Ark of the Covenant where the very presence of God rested. It was an awesome position.

I urge you to read Exodus 30:1-10, 37:25-29, 40:19-28, Leviticus 16:13 and Revelation 8:3-4, 9:13 before continuing.

The man approached the Altar of incense before veil and the angel of the Lord stood there on the right side of the Altar as we see in Luke 1:11. This is significant, because the favored position is at one’s right hand. The blessing is imparted by the right hand. When Joseph brought his two sons to Israel for the blessing, he wittingly placed Ephraim at his own right hand and Manasseh at his left and expected Israel to simply stretch out his hands to impart the blessing.

That would have given it to Manasseh, but Israel deliberately crossed his arms to ensure that his own right hand rested on Ephraim’s head.

The one who is imparting the blessing is the greater so we should look at this from that perspective. If my assumption is correct, then we must look outwards from as if from behind that veil and look towards the one who is the recipient. If this were true, as Zacharias entered, the angel would have been at the man’s left hand, looking at him from the same perspective as God! We need to look more at things from God’s perspective.

When the Israelites put the blood of the lamb on the doorposts and lintels of their homes in Exodus chapter twelve, God was looking for something. It was the blood. Jesus shed His blood and is now seated at the right hand of the Father. I always assumed that the blood was applied to the exterior of the houses, but it is possible that it was actually inside the house. Other than God, only those who personally applied it saw it and when we apply the blood of Jesus by faith at salvation, it is a heart attitude. God works from within. The Tabernacle started with construction of the Ark—His presence. It started with the spiritual and progressively moved outwards to the natural.

The first thing that Gabriel told Zacharias was not to be afraid. This is not uncommon. The angel told Gideon not to be afraid. The angel told Mary not to be afraid and on the occasions I have been privileged to have had such encounters, an awesome feeling also came over me. Once when I had such a visitation, I lay on face on the floor and was too afraid to lift my eyes, not knowing what I would see.
On another I fled from the room with my heart pounding furiously because of the sight.
Never be afraid in the negative sense and always check it out—you will know the truth!

He told Zechariah several things:

• God had heard their prayers: A couple like this would have prayed often for an heir. He was a priest and an heir was crucial and met the requirements of God’s Law. We do not know how old they were when they married, but they were now well on in age, so much prayer had gone up.
  God promised Abram an heir but it took 25 years for his son to be born. There are times when we may think that God is never going to answer our prayer and want to give up, but never do that. Assuming your prayer is in accordance with Gods will, I assure you, on the basis of biblical precedent and numerous scripture references that He did hear you and if He heard you, the answer will come. See 1 John 3:21-22; 1 John 5:13-15
• Elizabeth will have a son: Gabriel did not say that they would have a child, but was specific, saying that an heir would come.
  That meant a son.
• Call him John: According to custom and tradition, they should have given him a name identifying him with the family line.
  God wanted him to be called Yoḥanan (the Greek name is IōannÄ"s) for a specific purpose.
  I believe that it was to reveal part of His divine nature. The Hebrew meanings are basically, The Lord graciously gave; Jehovah is gracious; bestowed by the Lord; Jehovah has been gracious or Jehovah has graciously given.
  John 3:16 says that God gave His only beloved and begotten Son. God told Mary to call her Son Jesus.
• There would be great rejoicing: The proud parents would of course rejoiced with the members of their family and I would expect his fellow priests, but there is more involved than that.

God had not spoken for 400 years! Devout Jews were anxiously waiting for a promised Messiah. They wanted to hear from God. When Z’kharyah emerged from the Temple speechless, those outside realized that he had seen a vision. When his wife Elisheva became pregnant, it was evident that something extraordinary was happening. God had started talking again! That would evoke joy indeed to those folk waiting for Messiah.
Perhaps some people started to think that John was the promised one, or at least a great prophet in the mould of Elijah.
In Israel, there were two offices with religious significance—the priest and the prophet. Those who held these offices were anointed by God, they were set apart by God, they were gifted by God, and they functioned as mediators.

A prophet in Israel was not a fortune-teller, an astrologer or a crystal-ball gazer. In Jewish theology, a prophet was singularly endowed and anointed by God to speak the very word of God to people.
When a prophet gave an oracle, as the Spirit of God came upon him, he didn’t say, “In my opinion” or “I think this or I think that”.
He prefaced his announcements with the words: “Thus saith the Lord”.
The Jews thus perceived that a prophet was one whose message had its origin ultimately in God, and that the prophet was an agent of divine revelation.

Suddenly after 400 years of silence, someone who was undoubtedly a God-appointed prophet appeared. Little wonder people rejoiced.

When John started his ministry, he had to dispel many opinions. He had such an impact on many people that he had his own group of disciples, some of whom continued well after his death and the resurrection of Jesus.
He had such a profound impact on Herod that he even thought that John had returned from the dead when hearing of Jesus’ miracles.

Gabriel described the kind of man John would be and what he would do:

• He shall be a holy man: Gabriel described John’s greatness saying that he would live a holy life. True holiness does not require us to live in solitude, live unmarried, abstain from alcohol or adopt other outward appearances or mannerisms that any human being can live. The attitude of the heart is what is important. Godly holiness is dedicaton to God and to the call He makes on the individual.
• He would be Spirit filled: The latter is extremely important and the infilling of the Holy Spirit today is largely discounted today.
• John shall prepare the way of the Lord: Gabriel said that John would usher in revival (perhaps we should elaborate on genuine revival elsewhere) that involved making people ready for the coming Messiah.
  We could say that his message was, “Get ready for Jesus”.
  This is the kind of preaching that is sorely needed today. Please pause for a moment and think of the last time you heard a powerful and anointed message on Jesus’ return.
  He was equipped for such a task by the Holy Spirit, who had not yet come because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
  Today, we are to be similarly anointed for the tasks alloted to each of us as individuals and such anointing comoes by the Holy Spirit.

Zachariah’s response was not very faith-filled and we need to see it again.
Zechariah asked the angel, “How do you expect me to believe this? I’m an old man and my wife is too old to give me a child. What sign can you give me to prove this will happen? Luke 1:18 .

Gabriel had to put a quick stop to this, to prevent him making statements that could nullify what God wanted to do. We can stop Him like that. Unbelief and faithless questioning can stop the anointing as it did to Jesus in His own hometown and what we say can determine the outcome. Proverbs 18:21 reveals:
The power of death and life is in the tongue.

According to Matthew 12:31-37, what is in the heart creates things by what we say.

I think that this is why the man was not permitted to speak until he said precisely what God wanted to hear, “His name is John”.
God would not permit him to make any declaration other than that.
He would not allow Zachariah to hinder His plan by an incorrect faith statement!

Luke tells us that Elizabeth conceived and hid herself for five months.
The Greek word for Hid is Perikryptō. It describes the act of deliberately concealing something by covering it up. Perhaps she wore clothing to disguise her condition and this makes me wonder why. Would they not have been so excited and proud that would have shared their good news? At five months she would have shown signs of pregnancy and how could she have remained hidden for that length of time? Didn’t she have to go shopping? Didn’t she have to hang the washing on the line? Didn’t she have to fetch water?

There are many questions, but it seems that she may have hid herself until Mary arrived so that Mary might not have known of this until the angel told her about it.

When she did emerge from her seclusion, there would have been no doubt that she was with child and it was around the time when the angel visited Mary.

When Gabriel told Mary that her cousin was expecting a child, she went to visit. On her arrival, Elisabeth was filled with the Spirit and John leaped joyfully within her. Mary stayed with her cousin until John was born.

Jewish boys were usually circumcised on the 8th day. When they came to circumcise John and formally name him, the family wanted to call him Zacharias but it was only when his father publicly declared his name John, that his speech returned and he was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. Fear came on the people and the event was circulated around the district.

People wondered what God had planned for this man.

John’s circumcision most likely took place when he was eight days old and with such things resounding in their ears, two proud parents would have raised their son to follow in his father’s footsteps, with the hope that he too would one day become a priest but with such an anointing on him and a miraculous birth—what manner of man would he be?

Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied whilst blessing God. His words are so profound we need to look at them.
“Praise the Lord God of Israel! He has come to take care of his people and to set them free.
He has raised up a mighty Savior for us in the family of his servant David.
He made this promise through his holy prophets long ago.
He promised to save us from our enemies and from the power of all who hate us.
He has shown his mercy to our ancestors and remembered his holy promise, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham.
He promised to rescue us from our enemies’ power so that we could serve him without fear by being holy and honorable as long as we live. Luke 1:68-75

God’s first such promise was made in Genesis 3.

Zacharias then spoke of the ministry that his son would have.
And to you I prophesy, my little son, you will be known as the prophet of the glorious God.
For you will be a forerunner, going before the face of the Master, Yahweh, to prepare hearts to embrace his ways.
You will preach to his people the revelation of salvation life, the cancellation of all our sins, to bring us back to God.
The splendor light of heaven’s glorious sunrise is about to break upon us in holy visitation, all because the merciful heart of our God is so very tender.
The word from heaven will come to us with dazzling light to shine upon those who live in darkness, near death’s dark shadow.
And he will illuminate the path that leads to the way of peace” Luke 1:76-79

Mary would most likely have witnessed all those things before returning home.

Despite such amazing events, John did not begin his ministry for another thirty years!

This reinforces my belief that the most significant ministries take much prior preparation, often in obscurity before emerging into the human arena. Their tasks may be to make one simple message or many messages over a period of time. They are faithful to the tasks allocated to them and always point to the Lord. Rarely do they talk of or promote themselves. John’s ministry was like that and it was of such vital importance, that whilst Jesus said that he was the greatest prophet to ever live, John never performed one miracle, built a church, had a TV ministry or wrote a book.

The bible remains silent about John for all of his preparation time!

Six months after Elizabeth conceived, Gabriel came to Mary with some wonderful news. He said that she was highly favoured with God, that the Lord was with her and that she was blessed among women. She was startled and wondering when he told her not to be afraid and then said that she would become the mother of Jesus.

He told her that her cousin Elizabeth was also pregnant and she went to visit her. When she greeted Elizabeth, John leaped in her womb. He heard the greeting and rejoiced. Elizabeth then received the Holy Spirit and I think that there is a link there. Deep calleth to deep. Iron sharpeneth iron. The Holy Spirit inside us also bears witness with things and there are times when we know it!

Mary’s Magnificat and her status as the Mother of Jesus has been taken beyond the norm with certain people. She was a wonderful woman indeed, but is still a woman who later married and had her own family. Yes—Jesus did have natural brothers and sisters! Luke said that she brought firth her firstborn (Prōtotokos) and not her only son. James was His half-brother.

Mary also asked Gabriel how this could happen. She was a virgin, possibly only about 15 or 16 years of age and was aware of the implications that included social stigma, shame, ostracism and possible stoning. It was a simple question wondering how things would happen unlike Zacharias—a priest who should have known better!

Little is said of these two boys for close to thirty years.

The bible is very silent about Jesus until the time when He was eight days old. Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to Jerusalem according to the Law according to Exodus 13:1-2 when Simeon and Anna prophesied about Jesus and His mission. They returned to Nazareth and returned to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of Passover.

For twelve years, Jesus grew and became filled with wisdom and God’s favor was on Him. When He was twelve years of age, they returned as usual to Jerusalem and He spoke with the leading people in the city, astounding them with His grasp of things. It was when they exercised their parental control, He expressed that He had to go about His Father’s business. If this were to happen today, we could say that Jesus took His Bar Mitzveh. The detailed description is found in Luke 2.

Nothing is said of Him for almost 30 years until He suddenly appeared as John was preaching.

It is at this point we should look at how a real man of God emerges.

Undoubtedly, John’s ministry was one of the most important of all time. He, like many other heroes of the faith was clearly a marked man, but when God calls someone into a ministry, it does not automatically mean that this person immediately enters into it. The more I pondered over this, the more it became evident that the greater the call of God on the person, the greater the responsibility, accountability and preparation.

God told Jeremiah:
“Go down to the house of a potter, and there I will impart My words to you.” So I went down to the house of a potter, and found him working at the wheel. And if the vessel he was making was spoiled, as happens to clay in the potter’s hands, he would make it into another vessel, such as the potter saw fit to make.
Then the word of the Lord came to me: O House of Israel, can I not deal with you like this potter?—says the Lord. Just like clay in the hands of the potter, so are you in My hands, O House of Israel! Jeremiah 18:1-6

At this point perhaps we should look at the start of Jeremiah’s ministry as summarized in Jeremiah 1:
Before I created you in the womb, I selected you; Before you were born, I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet concerning the nations.
I replied: Ah, Lord God! I don’t know how to speak, For I am still a boy.
And the Lord said to me:
Do not say, “I am still a boy,” But go wherever I send you And speak whatever I command you. Have no fear of them, For I am with you to deliver you —declares the Lord.
The Lord put out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: Herewith I put My words into your mouth. See, I appoint you this day Over nations and kingdoms: To uproot and to pull down, To destroy and to overthrow, To build and to plant.

We see here, as we often see elsewhere in scripture that God chooses those He desires to serve and work with Him. Jesus chose His disciples. They did not choose Him—He chose them.

When God makes His choices, He trains, equips, ordains, dispatches and rewards appropriately.

The modern trend today differs from such principles. Often times the person involved, chooses to become a pastor, a priest or some other ministry, often as a profession—but it is a divine calling.

As a result, preparatory work usually involves attending a bible college, a seminary or a tertiary level institution. What is imparted is often great and deserves recognition. The problem however is that the person is not necessarily called of God.

Paul could boast of his background and counted it as dung in Philippians 3 where he reveals there and elsewhere that all of his excellent training and background meant nothing.

He explained that a personal relationship with the Lord—revelation of God and His ways is what matters.

It is one thing to study all of the theological topics that are valid and necessary and learn what is usually denominationally based studies on church history, church government and such matters, but another thing to be called by God and trained in the school of the Holy Spirit. I learned this in my own ministry, having studied in bible school and for a doctorate, only to discover that I did not know God and His ways.

As I pondered these matters, The Lord said, “The most effective ministries I raise always happen after a long, protracted period of training”. He said that most of His ministers spend times in solitude; out of sight, out of mind, rarely in the public limelight until the appointed time arrives for them to emerge as John did as if out of nowhere.

We only need to look at people like Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, Elisha and Paul to see that they had much prior preparation and often under adverse conditions before their ministries started to function.

If we look at Paul, what I say is sobering.

My name is Paul and I have been commissioned as an apostle of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah. My apostleship was not granted to me by any council of men, for I was appointed by Jesus, the Anointed One, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead. Galatians 1:1

Anyone who comes to you with a different message than the grace gospel that you have received will have the curse of God come upon them! For even if we or an angel appeared before you, to give you a different gospel than what we have already proclaimed, God’s curse will be upon them. I will make it clear: Anyone, no matter who they are, that brings you a different gospel than the grace gospel that you have received, let them be condemned and cursed!

I’m obviously not trying to flatter you or water down my message to be popular with men, but my supreme passion is to please God. For if all I attempt to do is please people, I would not be the true servant of the Messiah. Galatians 1:8-10

Many modern preachers would call him a failure because of how he ministered. He continued:
Beloved ones, let me say emphatically that the gospel entrusted to me was not given to me by any man. No one taught me this revelation, for it was given to me directly by the unveiling of Jesus the Anointed One.

By now you have heard stories of how severely I harassed and persecuted Christians and did my best to systematically destroy God’s church, all because of my radical devotion to the Jewish religion.

My zeal and passion for the doctrines of Judaism distinguished me among my people, for I was far more advanced in my religious instruction than others my age.

But then God called me by his grace; and in love, he chose me from my birth to be his.

God’s grace unveiled his Son in me so that I would proclaim him to the non-Jewish people of the world.

After I had this encounter I kept it a secret for some time, sharing it with no one. And I chose not to run to Jerusalem to try to impress those who had become apostles before me.

Instead, I went away into the Arabian Desert for a season until I returned to Damascus, where I had first encountered Jesus.

I remained there for three years until I eventually went up to Jerusalem and met the apostle Peter and stayed with him for a couple of weeks so I could get to know him better.

The only other apostle I met during that time was James, the Lord’s brother.

Everything I’m describing to you I confess before God is the absolute truth.

After my stay in Jerusalem, I went to Syria and southeast Turkey, but remained unknown to the Jewish believers in Judea.

The only thing they heard about me was this: “Our former enemy, who once brutally persecuted us, is now preaching the good news of the faith that he was once obsessed with destroying!” Because of the transformation that took place in my life, they praised God even more!

Fourteen years later I returned to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas and Titus, my coworkers.

God had given me a clear revelation to go and confer with the other apostles concerning the message of grace I was preaching to the non-Jewish people. I spoke privately with those who were viewed as senior leaders of the church. I wanted to make certain that my labor and ministry for the Messiah had not been based on a false understanding of the gospel.

They even accepted Titus without demanding that he follow strict Jewish customs before they would receive him as a brother since he was a Syrian and not a Jew.

I met with them privately and confidentially because false “brothers” had been secretly smuggled into the church meetings.
They were sent to spy on the wonderful liberty and freedom that we have in Jesus the Anointed One. Their agenda was to bring us back into the legalistic bondage of religion. But you must know that we did not submit to their religious shackles not even for a moment, so that we might keep the gospel of grace unadulterated for you.

Even the most honored and esteemed among the brothers were not able to add anything to my message.

Who they are before men makes no difference to me, for God is not impressed by the reputations of men.

So they concluded that I was entrusted with taking the gospel to the non-Jewish people just as Peter was entrusted with taking it to the Jews. For the same God who anointed Peter to be an apostle to the Jews also anointed me as an apostle to those who are not Jewish.

When they all recognized this grace operating in my ministry, James, Peter, and John, the esteemed followers of Jesus, extended to me the warmth of Christian fellowship and honored my calling to minister to the non-Jewish people. They simply requested one thing of me: that I would remember the poor and needy, which was the burden I was already carrying in my heart. Galatians 1:11–2:10 (emphasis mine)

Paul is a prime example of what I am trying to say. No man takes it upon himself to choose a ministry. Neither can man properly train, equip and ordain others for ministry. We recognize God’s calling of course and confirm that calling by ordination.

The reason I draw your attention to this is that the best wine is kept until last. Wine is hidden away until it matures! When it is the right time, it is brought forth.

This is what happened to John. What happened during that thirty unspoken years?

I cannot say for sure, as the bible does not say anything. It seems to me that both Jesus and John were waiting for something.

If Jesus was waiting for John, then John had to be waiting for something. What was it?

He was raised in the home of a priest and was trained accordingly, the hope and joy of loving parents. At some point in his life, John walked away from everything that included home and an inheritance, a wife and family and a career for life.
Jesus said that we should be prepared if necessary to forsake everything to follow Him. Sometimes paying the price is high, but the rewards are great. John paid a great price and went into solitude, out of the public limelight, waiting for something. The key is found in Luke 3:1-2 during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, that the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.

Jesus could not and would not commence His ministry until the Father told Him He could!

He always pleased the Father, always did as the Father wanted and never said anything until He heard it from the Father. Jesus would never have commenced His ministry until the Father approved. If the timing was God’s timing surely John could not and would not do anything until God told him!

I stated before that God has a plan and that plan has a definite timetable. Although He made that prophetic statement back in Genesis 3, perhaps we could liken it to how someone enters an appointment in his or her diary.

This may sound simplistic, but it has helped me understand things more and that God ‘s appointed times and seasons are precise.

John had been spending 30 years of his life in training.

His training commenced at home, but something drew him away from priesthood. Did his father pass away? If so, he must have taken on the son’s responsibilities in looking after his mother and I suppose that he would have stayed there until she went. This is pure conjecture of course but something drove him into obscurity until he emerged into the public arena. It is in places of obscurity that God often forms and moulds His man.

Out of the public light, a man has no one to turn to and no man to support him. We often say that it is not a good thing and that is true up to a point, but please consider that if one draws from a mentor who is not a good role model or a teacher who does not teach truth, or attends a seminary that has no revelation and someone without an anointing ordains him, what does he possess? Blind leaders of the blind can cause everyone to fall into the ditch.

Paul told Timothy to lay hands suddenly on no one in1 Timothy 5:22 and there are several very good reasons for this but the thing to which I wish to draw attention is that we should not put anyone into a responsible position prematurely. Neither should we appoint someone who God did not call.

Paul had supernatural intervention in his life when Jesus both saved him and called him into the ministry but he did not enter into it immediately. In fact, Paul had much opposition from other believers for many years and spent some time in the wilderness before he became the man who wrote most of the New Testament.

He spent 3 years alone then started the Saul of Tarsus Evangelical Ministry, preaching Christ and some fourteen years later was received into fellowship by the foundational apostles.

At one stage only one person believed in him. He was Barnabus, whose ministry is often overlooked, but very important.

Paul was equipped in the School of the Spirit and received his revelation from the Lord. Paul’s “thorn in the flesh” was a buffeting spirit that was due to the abundance of revelation he received. Jesus sent Ananias to pray for him that he might receive his sight in Acts 9:12, so this “thorn” could not be impaired vision. See Romans 16:25; 2 Corinthians 12:7; Galatians 1:12, 2:2; Ephesians 3:3

John was filled with the Holy Spirit before he was born.

The Holy Spirit would have been at work in his life from the moment of conception and so much so that when Mary came to visit Elizabeth, he leaped with joyful anticipation of the future. I believe that the Holy Spirit leaped, evoking John’s reaction.

During his early life John must have felt different—perhaps like a square peg in a round hole. Curious visitors came to visit his parents, talk about his birth and the prophetic declarations made about him. No doubt he was on the receiving end of all kinds of scrutiny and may have become some sort of celebrity for a while until something else came to catch people’s attention. When he was able to talk, many of those visitors could have questioned him about his future etc. Human nature being what it is, visitors probably stopped coming and they were left alone with their own thoughts.

Certain groups of people believe that John was sent into a literal wilderness to live with religious sects such as the Essenes and Qumran, the latter often adopted children to indoctrinate them in their monastery. That is unlikely as his father was a priest and Qumran considered all priests to be corrupt. The only thing in common with the Essenes was water baptism and baptism is by complete immersion. We shall see more of this in the next section.

The Ministry of John the Baptist was so vitally important, that all four Gospels record him. The accounts are fund in Matthew 3:1–6; Mark 1:2–6; Luke 3:3–6 and John 1:19–23.  Jesus stated in Matthew 11:11 and Luke 7:28 that John was the greatest prophet to have walked the earth.

His ministry ushered in a completely new order.

His ministry paved the way for Messiah to come.

John started preaching when the religious leaders were far removed from God’s prescribed order. He baptized people, but baptism was not new. 

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. Matthew 3:1-6. 

He went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Luke 3:3.

His message was simple, yet profound. He simply stated that the kingdom of God is coming.

In order to personally prepare for this coming kingdom, they must repent and be baptized.

John’s baptism is a precursor for Christian baptism. Both are baptisms of repentance for the forgiveness of sins as seen in  Acts 2:38.

The Scriptures teach that John’s baptism, as well as Old Testament sacrifices, actually accomplished forgiveness of sins, even before the cross. Like us, whoever met God’s criteria were justified by faith (see Romans 4:1–25; Galatians 3:1). The only difference is that we look backward to the cross and they looked forward to it. But all are saved by faith, that is, by trusting God’s promise.

John was not the only person to baptize. Jewish proselyte baptism, Essenes’ ritual cleansing and Zoroastrian initiation rites involved baptism. While there are some similarities, there are certain differences.

These other groups baptized themselves rather than being baptized by another person and often repeated baptism.

These other baptisms were for the ritual cleansing found in the Old Testament in places like Leviticus 14:9 and Numbers 19:19; 8:7, but John’s baptism dealt with repentance and such baptism occurred only once. John dealt with the inner man, but these others only dealt with the outer man. John focussed much on the Jews who considered themselves already pure, dealing with sin rather than conformity to religious ritual. This is an issue that jarred the religious mind-sets of the Jewish religious leaders. It still has similar affects today.

Many debates exist about baptism that include infant baptism (usually by sprinkling), baptizing someone “into the church”, a belief that baptism ensures salvation and eternal life and more. Baptismal services also vary. Some insist on full and total immersion once only, whilst other viewpoints baptize in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit immersing the candidate three times. Many times this ceremony is a ritual or a service only. Perhaps it would be best to call this a naming ceremony

The real significance of baptism is one of identification. The qualification is one of belief. Babies cannot believe. They are innocent at this tender age of sin, so to speak and cannot make a conscious decision to follow Christ and that is the qualifier. No human being can represent another to possibly ensure eternal life.

When an individual makes a deliberate decision to follow the Lord, as is often dubbed being born again or getting saved, he or she associates with or joins themselves to Jesus. When he died, they died and are thus buried with Christ. When He rose again, they rise again in newness of life and this is the real meaning of baptism.

At this point, we should look briefly at the timing factor. All that the bible tells us about Jesus is abut His birth, the events leading to His flight into Egypt and His return to Israel and we are told that he was 12 years of age when they went to the Temple in Jerusalem, but nothing more until He was approaching 30 years of age.

Joseph had been warned by the angel of the Lord to flee into Egypt to save the life of Jesus because Herod had ordered the murder of all children up to the age of two.

Herod eventually died and the angel again spoke to Jospeph as follows:
After Herod’s death, an angel of Adonai appeared in a dream to Yosef in Egypt and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to Eretz-Yisra’el, for those who wanted to kill the child are dead.” So he got up, took the child and his mother, and went back to Eretz-Yisra’el.

However, when he heard that Archelaus had succeeded his father Herod as king of Y’hudah, he was afraid to go there. Warned in a dream, he withdrew to the Galil  and settled in a town called Natzeret, so that what had been spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he will be called a Natzrati.

It was during those days that Yochanan the Immerser arrived in the desert of Y’hudah and began proclaiming the message, “Turn from your sins to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!” This is the man Yesha‘yahu was talking about when he said,

“The voice of someone crying out:

‘In the desert prepare the way of Adonai!

Make straight paths for him! Matthew 2:19-2:3

John suddenly appears.

His message was based on the prophecy of Isaiah.

It is this message that led to this topic called “Prepare the way of the Lord”.