Preparing the way
“Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth;
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ”
Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?”
He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.”
Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”
And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.”
Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?”
So he said to them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”
Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”
And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison.”
This passage of Scripture speaks of the ministry of a prophet who is considered the greatest of all prophets. This is John the Baptist.
We read about Moses, David, Jacob, Abraham, and Isaac, who were also called prophets. These were great men! We read about the miracles Elijah performed: he brought down fire from heaven, then ascended into the heavens on a fiery chariot. The chariots were horses. What kind of creatures were they that looked like horses?! And he was taken into heaven in the fire, and even his mantle fell, untouched by the fire!
But when we read about John the Baptist, we have not the same feelings or emotions. We don’t read about him healing anyone or performing even a single miracle. But the Lord Christ called him the greatest prophet of all the prophets who lived on earth. And not only because he was the forerunner. Through a series of specific circumstances, he saw and baptized Christ Himself – everyone would dream of this!
He saw Christ, he recognized Him! It seems to me that some prophets might not have recognized Him. He heard about what He would be like. He received this from the Father a certain time before, how the Lord would appear to him: “On whomever you see…,” said the Lord. And he did see!
What preconditions did John the Baptist have?
He was in the desert. What was he doing there? There hadn’t been the Voice yet. There hadn’t been relationship yet. It was a one-way street.
He moved as he felt. Yes, he was filled with the Spirit from his mother’s womb, but he was not yet anointed for ministry. And in the desert, where the Lord led him, by prompting, as he moved there in camel’s hair clothing, eating locusts and wild honey, we see John, who had not yet heard the Voice. He had not heard the Voice publicly—though the Lord, of course, spoke to him—the prophet’s appearance to the world had not yet occurred.
And then the Voice began to speak. The prophet hears the Voice. And the Voice comes in God’s time. We sometimes say, “It’s our time.” Well, it’s clear what we mean. But there is God’s time. During the time of Annas and Caiaphas, John hears the Voice—in God’s right time, in the wilderness of waiting and searching.
I think of John as he lives and hears not the Voice, he eats locusts and wild honey and keeps moving. He feels the Lord’s hand strongly upon him. And he waits. This is the patience of a prophet.
Perhaps some of us today are these people who are waiting. I’ve been thinking about these pauses when people are waiting. They live well with God, they are faithful to Him. But they feel like they’re in a drought. They feel like they’re in some kind of stagnation. But they are faithful, they remain.
Know that there are times when you must wait. It’s very easy to quit waiting and just go on. We read in Scripture how Saul didn’t wait enough for the prophet. We read in Scripture how he persevered under the enemy attack and he had a word to wait for the prophet. But he didn’t make it to meet him and brought the offering himself. He thought the prophet was late. He doubted God and offered the sacrifice first. Yes, he believed; otherwise, why would he offer the sacrifice? He would have simply gone on the attack, and that’s it, with prayer, of course. But he offered the sacrifice. Do you see, he is such a believer! But he believes distortedly. Samuel appears and says, “Why have you disobeyed the Lord?”
Disobedience is the same as witchcraft and sorcery. It’s worse than sorcery, because you’re manipulating. You wanted to “twist God’s arm” so that He would bless you on your terms. You created your time, but missed His time, didn’t wait for His time, and began to create your own time and revealed yourself to the world ahead of time.
John waited for this moment, this Kairos. Today, in the age of popularity and the pursuit of “likes” and followers, we know that people cross the line from the very beginning. The prophet was to wait to the end!
You know, John was several months older than Christ and was His cousin.
He was no longer a young lad, he was a grown man. Here he is in the desert, unrevealed for the world. His father was the famous high priest, Zechariah. That is, his bloodline was of the highest order, and he was under the sign. Israel was waiting to see what kind of man this would be, for Zechariah was numb because he doubted the Lord’s words given through the Angel. Everyone was waiting to see what kind of child this would be. And when the child was born, weaned from his mother’s breast, grown up, suddenly, in full sight of all people, he went into the desert, to live in the wild! There’s a small monastery there now.
But can you imagine what the desert is like? He lived alone, without an assistant, without an armor-bearer. And so he went into all the region around Jordan.
All these years I thought he had stayed in the desert. And you thought so too. But he walked through the entire region on foot! And today I was shocked that John the Baptist was an Evangelist! Give glory to God! We read: ” he went into all the region around Jordan”.
I imagine how he gained his strength in the desert with its locusts and wild honey. It’s just it is not said about him like it is said about Elijah, how he moved and walked, all shaggy and hairy. Because all the attention was now to shift from John to Christ. If he had lived at the same time with Elijah, a little further away from him, he certainly would have been no weaker than Elijah.
The fearless prophet John the Baptist—the forerunner—is part of the Gospel of Christ. Glory to God!
Here comes the prophet out of the desert after hearing the Voice. And he waited for the Voice. He receives the Voice and begins to move all over the region around the Jordan, visiting every town and village.
Look, he’s going all over the region, preaching the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. We thought everyone was coming to him. An entire theology even developed that John stayed in the desert, while all of Jerusalem went, riding on donkeys, and people flocked to him from all around.
No! First, he walked on foot and preached the gospel, and then he baptized. Oh, what liberation from ignorance!
What did John the Baptist preach? Let’s look at the prophet’s sermon.
Today, we’re not talking about him – we’re talking about us. We speak of the appearance of Christ as an awakening before the Coming, as a manifestation of God’s glory, as the final signs and wonders of God’s glory, which will surely appear. It will not be so that the darkness will thicken and the Church will slowly fade and disappear.
There will be a manifestation! And the Lord will arise like a giant and give His battle cry! Like a woman in labor, the West, North, South, and East will cry out and tremble! And all people shall know that the Lord works miracles! And the Kingdom of God will come in power, not in silence! It will not be quiet, it will be loud, so loud that everyone’s ears will ring!
That’s why it’s about us. That’s why it’s not about John the Baptist, but about you and me. And all of Scripture is about that.
What does the Prophet preach? What should we preach before Christ’s coming? Baptism, repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Brothers and sisters, preach baptism, preach repentance! Preach that we must be baptized for the forgiveness of sins!
As it is written in the book of the Prophet Isaiah, who speaks—and today you have heard this word: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled
And every mountain and hill brought low;
The crooked places shall be made straight
And the rough ways smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God!'”
The Prophet’s sermon: “Prepare the way of the Lord.”
Look, we listen to this as if it were some Old Testament. But you can address the crowd like that. You can go anytime, now or tonight, come up to any person and say, “Prepare the way of the Lord!” And it will be pure, 100% prophecy. They will say, “How can I prepare the way of the Lord?” — In your heart prepare the way of the Lord! Prepare the way of the Lord in your generation! Prepare the way of the Lord in your calling! Remove obstacles. Tear down mountains and hills, lift up what is low, straighten what is crooked. Prepare the way of the Lord! This is the most relevant prophecy for every person today.
Include the words, “Prepare the way of the Lord,” in your vocabulary and your preaching.
Equalization for the sake of salvation. Do you see what God is doing? What is preparation? It means to make all things even. So that the high things may be lowered, and the low things may be raised; so that the crooked ways may be made straight, and the rough paths may be made smooth. And then shall all flesh see… All flesh, upon whom the Holy Spirit will be poured out, all flesh.
So, first: prepare the way for all flesh. And then the Spirit will be poured out on all flesh. Glory to Him!
“John said to the people who came out to be baptized by him.” See, this is a sermon on repentance, what did it consist of?
““Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 9And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”trees. Every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Now, that was a sermon on repentance! That is, repent! Today, the modern church has removed the word “repent” from their sermons. Remember: “repent” will be there until the Lord comes. Don’t do this with the Good news! Don’t do this with preaching! Don’t exclude the word “repent” from your preaching! If you do, you’ve hidden the wounds of Christ, you’ve hidden the cross, covered with the Blood! If you speak of God without the word “repent,” you’re hiding the cross, you’re hiding the suffering of Christ, you’re hiding His torment. Don’t do this! Don’t distort the Gospel! Tell people: “Believe and repent! And receive the gift of the Holy Spirit!”
His preaching reached so deep into the people’s hearts so deep that they asked him, “What shall we do?” Remember that on the day of Pentecost? What question did they ask? — Exactly the same! That’s what prophets and apostles are! They make people think about what matters most. They don’t speak abstract thoughts and ideas. They bring people straight to the decision. And the person says, “What shall we do, men brothers? What shall we do, after such words?”
John answered them, “Whoever has two coats, let him give to the one who has none.” Do you see, Golgotha had not yet happened. He begins to teach them how to await redemption, how to prepare the way. His preaching spoke of preparing the Way.” And he tells them, “Whoever has two coats, let him give to the one who has none. Whoever has food, let him do likewise.” The Prophet’s sermon raised the fundamental questions of human life: “How to live? What to do from now on?”
“Then tax collectors also came to be baptized” – all of them asked Him, “What shall we do?” This is the question our preaching must stir! Not to comfort or massage people trying to calm them down, but to draw him forth for the major question, that changes life!
The soldiers asked, “And what shall we do?” And He said to them, “Do no intimidate anyone, or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.” This is a word for military men. He preached to them the righteousness of God in salvation, faith, and the truth of God, understanding that people were taken there by different paths and revealing to each of them a way out by grace.
This is what the prophet does – he brings everyone to salvation and shows them what stone lies in the way and what its name is, which must be removed and the way prepared for the Lord.
“Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.”
The prophet’s sermon is always about Christ. Always about Christ! They want to lift up the prophet, they want to glorify him. They ask him about this, that, and a third thing, which is a temptation for him, even with good intentions. But he always points to Christ and says, “He is mightier than I,” and “He comes to baptize with the Spirit and fire. Listen to Him. He will gather the wheat into His barn and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire!”
He preaches grace and judgment. “And he preached many other exhortations to the people, teaching them.” That’s what a prophet does. He is also a teacher. That’s what I like! He taught the people many other things. He preached the Good news! That is, he is a prophet-evangelist.
This is the New Testament today. A prophet-evangelist, his preaching is good. John taught people who perhaps didn’t understand how to practically repent. John the Baptist was there to instruct them. He was a man. And he was a prophet. What a wonderful man John the Baptist was! He always had people around in need of the word of life.
John gave all his closest disciples, who had fasted much as they had been taught – to Christ. And when the future apostles asked him about Christ: “What about Christ? What about this Jesus from Galilee?” He said, “Go to Him.” And he gave them to Him who was greater than himself.
What a wonderful man—John the Baptist! A man of God!
“Now Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evils that Herod had done, also added this above all, that he had shut John up in prison.”
John rebuked. The prophet entered into suffering. The prophet stepped on the path of martyrdom. And you know that after the vile dance that Herodias’s daughter, Salome, danced, Herod saw the head of John the Baptist on a platter. John was beheaded. After him, Apostle Paul was beheaded—some time later, several decades later. The Path to Martyrdom. A True Prophet.
Jesus said, “From righteous Abel to Zechariah…” All the prophets ended their journey with martyrdom.
John the Baptist completes this mission, joining the Old and New Testaments with his ministry.
“Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus was also baptized; and while He prayed, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased!’
Do you see? There’s the transition. Jesus was baptized, He prayed, and the heavens were opened. The Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove. And there was a voice!
The prophet brought himself to the paths of God, to the revelation of Jesus Christ. He saw Jesus. I think this is the dream and goal of every prophet—to see the Redeemer, to see the One in Whom their entire dream rests. Jesus knows the hearts of the prophets, for He Himself is the Prophet of prophets, of whom Moses was told that a Prophet greater than he would arise. He knew that the dream of every prophet was to see the Messiah. A true prophet knows the Messiah even in the Old Testament
Christ said that all the prophets “…looked to see My day.”
You see, all the prophets knew that there was a Messiah who was to appear to this world. John the Baptist was faithful to the end, saw Jesus Christ, even baptized Him with water and testified to Him that He was the Son of God. Glory to the Lord! He said, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.”
So, dear brothers and sisters, today we have covered some principles of prophetic ministry. We spoke about the great prophet, as Christ said of Him. Take all these principles. They speak specifically about his preaching, his actions, how he moved. And today for me it is great joy, grace and refreshment—John the Prophet was an evangelist, he was a teacher, and he was a mentor. He was not a mystical figure. He was just like our brothers. He simply carried a prophetic ministry, glory to Jesus! Hallelujah! Study it, read the Acts of the Apostles, read the letters of the apostles, how they teach about the supernatural, how they moved with the gospel to the supernatural.
And remember that evangelism and the supernatural, prophecy and power, have a cause-and-effect relationship.
Without evangelism, miracles are unnecessary. Remember that there are no miracles because you do not evangelize. Evangelize, pray, perform miracles! And God will manifest Himself in the dimension of prophetic power.