John the Baptist, was foretold of in the Old Testament, as the one who announced the coming of Jehovah. The Bible shows that the prophecies found in Isaiah and Malachi, that speak of the “Coming of Yahweh”, is fulfilled in the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is very clear to the honest mind, that the references in the Gospels, from these two Old Testament Books, show beyond any doubt, that Jesus Christ, through He is a distinct Person from God the Father, is Himself also YAHWEH, and therefore cannot be considered, as some do, to be a “created being”, which is nothing short of the highest blasphemy.
At the opening of his Gospel, Mark writes:
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.” “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord (Yahweh); Make His paths straight”. (1:1-3)
We here have two separate quotations from two Old Testament Prophets, and both prophecies are said to have been fulfilled in the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first is the Prophet Malachi, where we read: “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord (Yahweh) of hosts.” (3:1). And, the other is the Prophet Isaiah: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord (Yahweh); Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the Lord (Yahweh) shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (40:3-5).
The quotation from Malachi in Mark’s Gospel, is in Matthew and Luke, as being spoken by Jesus: “Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John… For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You” (11:7, 10). And, Luke 7:27, “This is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You”.
Jesus’ quotation of the words from Malachi, do not correspond to either, the Hebrew or Greek text of the Old Testament, but on His own Authority. In the prophecy in Malachi, in the Greek text, Yahweh Himself speaks of His own Coming; “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me [Greek, mou]”. In the New Testament references to this passage in Malachi, Yahweh is speaking to Jesus Christ, “Who will prepare Your way before You [Greek, sou]”. Jesus here applies the phrase “My messenger”, to John the Baptist, and the word “you”, to Himself, in doing so, he applies the pronoun referring to God, to Himself, thereby making Himself to be YAHWEH. Something that would have been nothing short of blasphemy, if He was not Almighty God, but a mere created being, as some DARE to teach.
It is very clear, that, to, “prepare Your way before You”, is the SAME as, to “Prepare the way of the Lord”, where BOTH refer to the Lord Jesus Christ. We have already seen that “LORD” here is YAHWEH.
Next we shall look at the prophecy in Isaiah in more detail. This can be found in all of the four Gospels. We have already looked at Mark.
Matthew’s Gospel:
“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord (Yahweh); Make His paths straight.” (3:1-3)
Luke’s Gospel:
“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 (Yahweh); 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” (3:2-6)
John’s Gospel:
“Now this is the testimony of John…“I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord (Yahweh), as the prophet Isaiah said.” (1:19, 23)
The Hebrew of Isaiah 40:3 and the Greek are both different to what is in our Gospels. The Hebrew Masoretic Text, which is the basis for the majority of the Old Testament versions, has it:
“Prepare the way of the Lord (Yahweh); Make straight in the desert a highway for our God”
Though the original language for the Old Testament is Hebrew, yet, the Greek version known as the Septuagint (LXX), is also very important. This version was made some 150 years before the Birth of Jesus Christ, and by about 70 of the best Hebrew scholars of the time, and using Hebrew manuscripts that are very old. This version reads:
“Make straight the paths of our God”
Please refer to the note at the end, for more information on these readings.
Either reading is a very strong testimony to the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The reading in our Gospels is, “Prepare the way of the Lord (Yahweh); Make His paths straight”. Where the “HIS [Greek, autou] paths”, can only refer to “the LORD”, Who has just been mentioned. The prophecy in the New Testament has been applied to the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, whereas, in the Old Testament original, the language is very clear, that it is of the Coming of Yahweh. We can ONLY conclude from this, that Jesus Christ IS YAHWEH. I cannot see any other interpretation for this.
In the Book of Malachi, we have another prophecy about John the Baptist, and the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord (Yahweh). And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse” (4:5-6)
Jesus speaks of this “coming” of the Prophet Elijah, in Matthew’s Gospel:
“Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (11:11-15)
This does not mean that John the Baptist is the same person as Elijah, but, as Luke 1:17 informs us:
“ He will also 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 a people prepared for the Lord”
The next passage we shall look at, is in Luke’s Gospel, where we read the account of the angel’s appearance to Zacharias, about the birth of his son, John.
“But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also 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 (Yahweh) their God. He will also 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 a people prepared for the Lord” (verses, 13-17)
In verse 16 we read: “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord (Yahweh) their God”. The “he” here is John the Baptist. Verse 17 begins with “He”, which is also John, who is said to “go before Him”, where “Him” (autou) clearly refers to “the Lord their God”. This is the natural and right way to understand verse 17. It is very clear from the passages in Isaiah and Malachi, and their application by Jesus Christ to Himself, as the Lord Almighty, in the Gospels, that “the Lord their God” here in Luke, is none other than Jesus Christ, before Whom John went to proclaim the way. It cannot refer to God the Father, as He is not the Messiah, Who is the subject of these words.
At the opening of his Gospel, Mark writes:
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.” “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord (Yahweh); Make His paths straight”. (1:1-3)
We here have two separate quotations from two Old Testament Prophets, and both prophecies are said to have been fulfilled in the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The first is the Prophet Malachi, where we read: “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord (Yahweh) of hosts.” (3:1). And, the other is the Prophet Isaiah: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord (Yahweh); Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted And every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the Lord (Yahweh) shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (40:3-5).
The quotation from Malachi in Mark’s Gospel, is in Matthew and Luke, as being spoken by Jesus: “Jesus began to say to the multitudes concerning John… For this is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You” (11:7, 10). And, Luke 7:27, “This is he of whom it is written: ‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You”.
Jesus’ quotation of the words from Malachi, do not correspond to either, the Hebrew or Greek text of the Old Testament, but on His own Authority. In the prophecy in Malachi, in the Greek text, Yahweh Himself speaks of His own Coming; “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me [Greek, mou]”. In the New Testament references to this passage in Malachi, Yahweh is speaking to Jesus Christ, “Who will prepare Your way before You [Greek, sou]”. Jesus here applies the phrase “My messenger”, to John the Baptist, and the word “you”, to Himself, in doing so, he applies the pronoun referring to God, to Himself, thereby making Himself to be YAHWEH. Something that would have been nothing short of blasphemy, if He was not Almighty God, but a mere created being, as some DARE to teach.
It is very clear, that, to, “prepare Your way before You”, is the SAME as, to “Prepare the way of the Lord”, where BOTH refer to the Lord Jesus Christ. We have already seen that “LORD” here is YAHWEH.
Next we shall look at the prophecy in Isaiah in more detail. This can be found in all of the four Gospels. We have already looked at Mark.
Matthew’s Gospel:
“In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord (Yahweh); Make His paths straight.” (3:1-3)
Luke’s Gospel:
“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 (Yahweh); 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” (3:2-6)
John’s Gospel:
“Now this is the testimony of John…“I am ‘The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Make straight the way of the Lord (Yahweh), as the prophet Isaiah said.” (1:19, 23)
The Hebrew of Isaiah 40:3 and the Greek are both different to what is in our Gospels. The Hebrew Masoretic Text, which is the basis for the majority of the Old Testament versions, has it:
“Prepare the way of the Lord (Yahweh); Make straight in the desert a highway for our God”
Though the original language for the Old Testament is Hebrew, yet, the Greek version known as the Septuagint (LXX), is also very important. This version was made some 150 years before the Birth of Jesus Christ, and by about 70 of the best Hebrew scholars of the time, and using Hebrew manuscripts that are very old. This version reads:
“Make straight the paths of our God”
Please refer to the note at the end, for more information on these readings.
Either reading is a very strong testimony to the Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. The reading in our Gospels is, “Prepare the way of the Lord (Yahweh); Make His paths straight”. Where the “HIS [Greek, autou] paths”, can only refer to “the LORD”, Who has just been mentioned. The prophecy in the New Testament has been applied to the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, whereas, in the Old Testament original, the language is very clear, that it is of the Coming of Yahweh. We can ONLY conclude from this, that Jesus Christ IS YAHWEH. I cannot see any other interpretation for this.
In the Book of Malachi, we have another prophecy about John the Baptist, and the Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord (Yahweh). And he will turn The hearts of the fathers to the children, And the hearts of the children to their fathers, Lest I come and strike the earth with a curse” (4:5-6)
Jesus speaks of this “coming” of the Prophet Elijah, in Matthew’s Gospel:
“Assuredly, I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (11:11-15)
This does not mean that John the Baptist is the same person as Elijah, but, as Luke 1:17 informs us:
“ He will also 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 a people prepared for the Lord”
The next passage we shall look at, is in Luke’s Gospel, where we read the account of the angel’s appearance to Zacharias, about the birth of his son, John.
“But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also 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 (Yahweh) their God. He will also 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 a people prepared for the Lord” (verses, 13-17)
In verse 16 we read: “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord (Yahweh) their God”. The “he” here is John the Baptist. Verse 17 begins with “He”, which is also John, who is said to “go before Him”, where “Him” (autou) clearly refers to “the Lord their God”. This is the natural and right way to understand verse 17. It is very clear from the passages in Isaiah and Malachi, and their application by Jesus Christ to Himself, as the Lord Almighty, in the Gospels, that “the Lord their God” here in Luke, is none other than Jesus Christ, before Whom John went to proclaim the way. It cannot refer to God the Father, as He is not the Messiah, Who is the subject of these words.
