King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 10 notes
1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judæa, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
2Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
3And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
4As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5Every 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;
6And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
And it was literally fulfilled. All flesh saw him because salvation had put on flesh.
The word flesh was used by God here to let us know that this salvation will be physical. It was going to be visible.
7Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
This lets us know the state of the country and people, for them to be described as a generation of vipers.
The country was fallen; God's people were backslidden.
He reprimanded them this way because they, though wicked, somehow came to a place of repentance, which is quite 🤫 uncharacteristic of their nature.
Repentance was not expected of such snakes 🐍
Jesus uses a similar expression and was in the same state of wonder 🤯 at their ways.
Matthew 12:34 KJV
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
How that they were evil yet could speak good things.
8Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
God is able to raise up children through stones to Abraham, because the children of Abraham are not just those who are his children of natural descent, but those of faith.
So raising up children through stones would still be in proper alignments with his justice and righteousness.
He could literally do so and still be right and within parameters of his set order.
This might have been a common saying among the people at the time, hence his referencing it.
That it is not enough to be biologically connected to Abraham.
His figure of speech of stones sounded like a hyperbole, but no, it was not.
It was literal, and it literally happened, in that a people who were not of Abraham — the Gentiles — were made children of Abraham.
John saw and knew what God was capable of doing; he spake not these things on his own.
Even if he was not capable of understanding it, he knew it was possible with God.
Romans 9:26 KJV
And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.
And so true and literal was this statement that he raised up that many sons, such that the biological Israel 🇮🇱 were fewer in number.
Romans 9:29 KJV
And as Esaias said before, Except the Lord of Sabaoth had left us a seed, we had been as Sodoma, and been made like unto Gomorrha.
9And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
10And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
11He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
12Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?
13And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.
14And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
15And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;
A very important verse... They were anticipating the manifestation of the Christ...
Could it be that 30 years ago, when the strange happenings surrounding the birth of 2 babies 🤱, Jesus and John, were publicized, it reached peak circulation?
Thus creating this kind of expectation.
John was a good pastor and preacher as well.
16John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
John's ministry was full of power, for the people were struck at heart ♥ and sought his counsel...
He did not perform any miracles on record, but this ability to bring to repentance shows you the strength 💪 of his calling.
17Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
18And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.
19But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,
20Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.
21Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
22And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Oh Lord, that I will be a beloved son...
23And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being ( as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,
24Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph,
25Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge,
26Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda,
27Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri,
28Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er,
29Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi,
30Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim,
31Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,
32Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson,
33Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda,
34Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor,
35Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala,
36Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech,
37Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan,
38Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.
We are all indeed children of God.
When you trace all of us, our history, we end up in our progenitor, our Father in heaven.
So it's biological ☣. We are children of God 😭