A Lesson to Learn from the Sad Demise of John the Baptist
Over and over the anointed and prophets of the Lord spoke of the Promise of God. From Abraham to Malachi, each spoke in their revelation of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, as the Spirit of the Lord instructed them to do. None of them received the fullness of the promise, or beheld the Promise in the flesh. None of them doubted though they had never seen.
It wasn’t until after Malachi’s time, some 400 years of silence later, that the Arc-Angel Gabriel brought word to Zacharias and to his wife Elisabeth, that they would bear a child and he would bring great joy to many people, and that he would be great in the sight of God. We know that Zacharias did not believe and because of his unbelief, Gabriel struck Zacharias with a dumb spirit that he could not speak. Not until the child was born and the time of circumcision came, that when the name was discussed, Zacharias proclaimed the word given to him by Gabriel and declared by writing on the tablet the child's name was "JOHN". Then Zacharias was delivered from the dumb spirit, which was rooted in the spirit of unbelief, and his mouth loosened, and he spake praising the Lord.
Now John was the one spoken of by the Prophet Esaias, being interpreted Isaiah. When John was born, he was born for one purpose: To prepare the way of the Lord's coming. We see this prophesied in Isaiah 40, and spoken in Matthew 3:1-17; Mark 1:1-15; Luke 3:1-22; and John 1:1-36.
Through John, we know that the Spirit of Elias, which interpreted is Elijah, beheld the Promise, in the flesh, who is Jesus. We know this because John in the womb of Elisabeth, when hearing Mary's salutation, jumped and leaped for joy. By the Power of the Holy Spirit, John knew who Jesus was (Luke 1:41).
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When Jesus travelled from Galilee to Jordan to John, to be baptized of him, John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. John, the spirit of Elijah, beheld the Promise in the flesh (Matthew 3:13-15 KJV)
Further, we learn of the Spirit of Elijah in John, after the Configuration on the Mount, when Jesus spoke. As it is written:
And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead. And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
Matthew 17:9-12 KJV
Through Jesus’ own testimony, John was the Spirit of Elias, meaning Elijah. Through the Scriptures we have determined:
Isaiah the Prophet testified of John’s coming.
John the Baptist was anointed by the Holy Spirit upon conception through the word of the Arc-angel Gabriel.
John knew Jesus and Jesus knew John, during the time of conception in the womb.
John was the Spirit of Elijah returned to restore all things.
John beheld the Promise in the flesh, and fulfilled all righteousness.
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There were seven (7) witnesses testifying to the ministry of John:
1. The Heavenly Father
2. The Lord Jesus Christ, the only Begotten Son of God
3. The Holy Spirit
4. The Word of God, through the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 40)
5. The Arc Angel Gabriel
6. Zacharias, John’s dad
7. Elisabeth, John’s mom
The number seven (7) in biblical terms represents completion and perfection on both the spiritual and physical plains.
We know that John was straightway the prophecy of the Lord fulfilled.
In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. The Word of the Lord is established. (2 Corinthians 13:1b KJV)
John witnessed when he baptized Jesus. John and all that were there heard the Father proclaim from Heaven: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Truth be told, all creation heard the declaration of the Father and all of creation rejoiced in the Truth.
Jesus then was led into the wilderness for 40 days for to be tempted of the adversary, to prove His worth, and then to enter into the anointed time of His ministry.
When Jesus returned from temptation, John was soon thereafter arrested by King Herod, and placed into prison (Mark 1:13-14). This timing is very important because John had some 40-60 days, or so, of baptismal work and preaching before his arrest and we know what John preached after the baptism of Jesus (John 3:22-36).
John's work for the Lord reached its high water mark when he baptized Jesus. It was the pinnacle. John now began fading away. Remember
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John stated that one greater than he was here, and that he must become less and less and that He, meaning Jesus, must become more and more. These were not just mere words. This is a tenet of the faith and as such, a spiritual command. We see this in John 3:22-36 before his imprisonment, and that John's imprisonment meant he could do no more, but wait out his destiny that God chose for him.
How ironic it is that John was beheaded for his faith. It was through faith that he preached against the wickedness of Herod and the betrothing of his brother’s wife. It was by faith he preached fruits meet for repentance. It was by faith he preached about the one whom God had sent: “The lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” It was all this preaching that resulted in the decapitation of John.
In retrospect, was this an example of things to come? A prophetic warning of the future? A pre-cursor to the beheading of saints for their faith? Beheading for refusing to renounce Jesus Christ? Beheading for the preaching of fruits meet for repentance? Beheading for refusing to take the mark? (Revelation 13:15 and 20:4)
Now let’s look into the motives and actions of John's disciples.
John’s disciples, through spiritual pride, jealous and envying over the popularity of Jesus, questioned John, thronging Jesus, who was baptizing more people than John and them. John tried to set them straight (John 3:22-26)
John's disciples, through spiritual pride, jealously and enviously judged and condemned the disciples of Jesus because while they and the Pharisees fasted oft, Jesus' disciples fasted not. Through their question, they chided the Lord. (Matthew 9:14).
How much more murmuring and complaining did John’s disciples do amongst themselves that was not written of? How much more did they chide against the Lord in accusing Him of His disciple’s perceived
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spiritual laziness in not fasting amongst themselves, that was not written of?
Were John’s disciples not jealous of Jesus? Did they not envy and covet the authority Jesus commanded, and the attention Jesus received of the people?
Chiding, murmuring, and complaining equates to the tempting of the Lord. Was the curse of Massah and Meribah at work in John’s disciples? (Deuteronomy 6:16)
Jealousy and covetousness are the fruit of those who lack fear of the Lord, for the fear of the Lord protects one from envy, which is jealousy and covetousness. (Proverbs 23:17)
How did the Lord react to the disciples of John who had a proud look? Who knew that their feet were swift in running to spiritual mischief? Who knew that they sowed discord amongst the brethren? (Proverbs 6:16-19) Jesus obediently answered through Divine Instructions spoken in the form of parables, answering in love, with no fruits of judgment or condemnation (Matthew 9:14-17).
It is evident that the disciples of John were religious in nature, operating not in the fear of God, but through traditions and through doctrines of men. Their motive was not to do the works of God for the love of God, but to do the works for the sake of receiving honor from men. They garnered for self.
John was never strucked out (offended) at the works of Christ. No where will you read that John struck out (offended) against the works of Christ. John had the spiritual knowledge of the Promise, and John physically saw the Promise in the flesh, but John DID NOT WITNESS any of the WORKS of the Promise. Any witness John received of the works was subject to his teller’s perception. What you will read is that John's disciples, who struck out (offended) against the works of Christ reported
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them to John, through their spiritual pride and other issues, in a self-serving, slanted way. This is a key factor that aided in John’s spiritual deterioration of faith and striking out (offending) at Christ Himself, not the works.
John was buffeted by the spirits of chiding, murmuring, complaining, jealousy, covetousness, doubt, unbelief, and tradition through his brethren of the faith. It was this buffeting which caused John to forget what he had both heard, and witnessed. His doubt, created through slanted perceptions, caused him to turn from all he had known and spoke, and became ensnared by the adversary (2 Timothy 2:24-26). Doubt caused John to send out two of his disciples to ask Jesus if He was indeed the one who was to be sent. Jesus instructed John’s disciples:
Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see: The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
(Matthew 11:4-6 KJV)
Notice Jesus said AGAIN. This proves that John, who once received, and had been receiving, needed to hear the truth, yet again. That is doubt! And this proves that John’s disciples gave John self-serving, slanted perceptions, causing doubt to blossom in John, causing him to strike out (offend) at Jesus, and ask again.
To this end, John does bear responsibility in his doubt. John had the free will choice to hold on to Truth or retreat from it. John received and lived in Truth since the time of conception. John lived in Truth which was his wilderness. John knew Truth when he baptized Truth. John heard Truth when he heard the Father’s declaration of the Truth. John knew Truth but chose to forget what Truth did for him. Yet through all Truth had done for and through John, John chose to listen to the Pharisee spirit of
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his brethren, and that was to his determent and sad demise. This is the danger that Christ was trying to expose and reveal to us in the passage where he replied to John's disciples saying: "blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me." (Luke 7:23 KJV).
And now the mystery of Jesus’ words in Matthew 11:11 is revealed:
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
John was discouraged. The root cause was not in of himself, but of the spirits working through his disciples against him. These spirits’ focus was to destroy John’s testimony in Christ. And this is what the adversary tries to do to all true believers: destroy their testimony that they are ineffective in edifying the body of Christ, and disrupt the harvest reaping in the fields of the lost, that are white as snow.
The danger of these spirits is evident. These spirits can subtly sneak in, take hold, and ultimately control a person. Their focus is to make their target doubt Jesus, doubt the Word, doubt its lessons, doubt the existence of miracles, and reject all or in part, what they have seen and heard.
In like manner of John, they destroy the individual’s testimony in Christ, making them ineffective in edifying the body of Christ, and disrupt the individual’s service to the Lord. In like manner of John, the outcome for the individual will be the same: spiritual determent and ultimately spiritual demise, unless meekly instructed, instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
(2 Timothy 2:24-26 KJV)
Learn from this!
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Although John never became a Pharisee or Sadducee, his disciples, by evidence of their fruits, spiritually were. Through their behaviors we gain knowledge to the understanding of how the Pharisee and Sadducees of the body of Christ are regrettably raised up. Heed Jesus’ warning!
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:20 KJV Jesus Christ;
This is why the Lord instructs us to:
Fear the Lord your God, for fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
(Proverbs 9:10 KJV)
Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
(Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV)
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the Lord (Leviticus 19:18 KJV)
And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live (Deuteronomy 8:3 KJV).
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This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
(Joshua 1:8 KJV)
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23 KJV)
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much
(James 5:16 KJV)
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
(Philippians 4:6 KJV)
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you
(Matthew 6:33 KJV).
He who has an ear to hear what the Spirit of the Lord is saying let him hear.
Cry out unto the Lord:
“Search my heart O Lord, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and tell me plainly if I have sinned, that I may deal with it quickly, through repentance!”
If He tells you so, address it so…
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Come to Jesus, and He shall give you rest…
Learn of Jesus, for He is meek and lowly in heart; and so you shall rest...
Follow Jesus, and He will make you fishers of men…
Ask of Jesus, for he who asks, receives…
Believe Jesus, for this is the Perfect Will of God for your life…
Love Jesus, for there is no greater love than one who dies for another…
Abide in Jesus that He and His Word may abide in you…
God go with you. Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.
Jesus Christ is Lord.
Randall Morgan
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