John
The Baptist
John 1:15 "John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me."
This is John the Baptist.
[Matthew 16:14] “And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets."
There is as much confusion over who he is, as there is controversy concerning his manner of speech and his rough appearance. John's rough appearance is strangely shown as identical to the man in 2 Kings 1:7-8.
"And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite."
The man is Elijah.
Something else. If we saw someone TODAY dressed in camel's hair with leather girdle eating locusts and wild honey and preaching as he did, we would flip out. We could not handle it.
[Matthew 3:3-6] “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.”
1. John the Baptist was from the womb filled wth JOY … a fruit of the Holy Spirit. A baby filled with joy long before his birth! Abortion is not murder??? It is better to believe the BOOK than men in this matter!
[Luke 1:41-44] “And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.”
2. John the Baptist was A VOICE … “crying in the wilderness”
3. John the Baptist was ELIJAH, if they would have received it.
a. John potentially Elijah!
[Luke 1:17] “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 prepared for the Lord.”
b. Elijah did come!
[Mark 9:12-14] “And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought. But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.”
c. Israel did not receive him.
[Matthew 11:14] “And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.” [John 1:21] “And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.”
d. Elijah does come as one of two witness’s in Revelation 11:3.
“And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.”
4. John the Baptist was A FORERUNNER … to prepare the way of the Lord.
5. John the Baptist was THE BAPTIST [of a different baptism than of today]