The Warnings
To begin at the end of the old and the beginning of the new we
will, of necessity, look to John the Baptist. First we are to hear
what is revealed through him and from him. We will look at what Jesus
Himself says to the Priests, and what He says about those
under-submission to Satan the deceiver. Because unknown to Israel and
the Religious Jewish elders and Priest's, their world had been turned
upside down (as they are now in this present day) and have been for a
long while through the worshiping the traditions and ordinances of
man instead of worship God, and are thereby guilty of idolatry and
fornication in the worship of this god and not the God of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob.
John
the Baptist Proclaims Repentance to Israel
Matthew
3:1-6, 7-10, 11-12, 13-17
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of
Judea, saying, Repent: 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 the way of the Lord,
make His paths straight. This same John had as 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 from Jerusalem, and all Judea,
and all the region round about Jordan, many who were baptized of him
in Jordan, confessing their sins. (parallel passages Mark 1:1-8, Luke
3:1-9, 15-17 and John 1:19-28)
Here
is our first clue of something is very wrong and the first warning.
When
he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he
said to them, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from
the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet (fit)
for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have
Abraham to our
father: for I say to you, that God is able of these stones to raise
up children unto Abraham. And now also the ax is laid to the root of
the trees: therefore every tree which brings
not forth good fruit
is hewn (cut)
down, and cast into the fire. We
must keep in mind that Israel was likened to an Olive tree and what
John the Baptist is telling them is that they are not a fruitful tree
because the fruit if any is of no value. We would say, God has cut
them off at the knees because they are not playing by the rules, the
law and the prophets and have fallen from grace, which in this case
means favor with God. He has in-effect removed their candlestick from
them. This candlestick in metaphor is Abraham because Abraham was
also known as the root of the tree and not the Lord. John by way of
revelation is now speaking for God because he was in spirit like
Elijah, a righteous (spiritually clean) man who walked with God.I indeed baptize you with water to repentance: but He that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and fire: Whose fan is in His hand, and He will throughly purge His floor, and gather His wheat into the garner; for He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
Here
we have Jesus revealed and receives Water Baptism.
Then
came Jesus from Galilee to Jordan to John, to be baptized of him. But
John forbade Him, saying, I have need to be baptized by You, and come
You to me (this tells us that
John knew Him before as the Holy One)?
Jesus
answering said to him, Suffer
now:
for thus it becomes us to fulfill all righteousness.
Then He suffered him.Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened to Him, and he (John the Baptist) saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: An a voice from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.”
When we do a name comparison search we find that both Moses in the ancient Egyptian language (Exodus 2:10) and Jesus in the Hebrew and Aramaic mean saved by water. In Deuteronomy 18:15, 18-19, Moses there adds “YEH” to Oshea signifying that when the Messiah came that He would be one who God would raise up and to Him the people of the earth would gather. It was not Moses who would save them but Jehuses (Jesus). As in Acts 3:22 of 18-26 and Deuteronomy 18:18 of 15-19.
The
Warnings Follow
Luke
3:3-9
John came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism
of repentance for the remission of sins; As
it is written in the book of the words of Esaias 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 shall be brought low; and the crooked shall
be made straight, and the rough ways shall
be made
smooth; All flesh shall see the salvation (heal and defend, protect)
of God. Then he said to the multitude that came to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers (relating to Genesis 3 and the evil of mans fallen state and the Religion therein concealed), who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham as our father: for I say to you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham. For now also the ax is laid to the root of the trees: every tree therefore which brings not good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire. (parallel passage Matthew 3:5-12)
Then went out to John from Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and these were baptized in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said to them, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? For the purpose of bring forth fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say to you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. Now the ax is laid to the root of the trees (here this is relating to the Priest's and elders to whom John is speaking): therefore every tree which brings not forth good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire.
For I indeed baptize you with water to repentance: but he that comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.
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