The following is the results of your search for John The Baptist.
John The Baptist: The "forerunner of our Lord." We have but fragmentary and imperfect
accounts of him in the Gospels. He was of priestly descent. His
father, Zacharias, was a priest of the course of Abia
(1 Chronicles 24:10)
and his mother, Elisabeth, was of the daughters of Aaron
(Luke 1:5)
The mission of John was the subject of prophecy
(Matthew 3:3; Isaiah 40:3)
(Malachi 3:1) His birth, which took place six months before that of
Jesus, was foretold by an angel. Zacharias, deprived of the power of
speech as a token of God's truth and a reproof of his own incredulity
with reference to the birth of his son, had the power of speech
restored to him on the occasion of his circumcision
(Luke 1:64) After
this no more is recorded of him for thirty years than what is
mentioned in
(Luke 1:80) John was a Nazarite from his birth
(Luke 1:15; Numbers 6:1-12) He spent his early years in the mountainous
tract of Judah lying between Jerusalem and the Dead Sea
(Matthew 3:1-12)
At length he came forth into public life, and great multitudes from
"every quarter" were attracted to him. The sum of his preaching was
the necessity of repentance. He denounced the Sadducees and Pharisees
as a "generation of vipers," and warned them of the folly of trusting
to external privileges
(Luke 3:8) "As a preacher, John was eminently
practical and discriminating. Self-love and covetousness were the
prevalent sins of the people at large. On them, therefore, he enjoined
charity and consideration for others. The publicans he cautioned
against extortion, the soldiers against crime and plunder." His
doctrine and manner of life roused the entire south of Palestine, and
the people from all parts flocked to the place where he was, on the
banks of the Jordan. There he baptized thousands unto repentance. The
fame of John reached the ears of Jesus in Nazareth
(Matthew 3:5) and he
came from Galilee to Jordan to be baptized of John, on the special
ground that it became him to "fulfil all righteousness"
(Matthew 3:15)
John's special office ceased with the baptism of Jesus, who must now
"increase" as the King come to his kingdom. He continued, however, for
a while to bear testimony to the Messiahship of Jesus. He pointed him
out to his disciples, saying, "Behold the Lamb of God." His public
ministry was suddenly (after about six months probably) brought to a
close by his being cast into prison by Herod, whom he had reproved for
the sin of having taken to himself the wife of his brother Philip
(Luke 3:19) He was shut up in the castle of Machaerus (q.v.), a
fortress on the southern extremity of Peraea, 9 miles east of
the Dead Sea, and here he was beheaded. His disciples, having
consigned the headless body to the grave, went and told Jesus all that
had occurred
(Matthew 14:3-12) John's death occurred apparently just
before the third Passover of our Lord's ministry. Our Lord himself
testified regarding him that he was a "burning and a shining light"
(John 5:35)
