The Cooling Stream

John 1:2-3

John the Baptist came to prepare the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He cleared and opened the route for Him. He let the people know that the Savior was coming.

John the Baptist’s coming was in fulfillment of two important Old Testament prophecies:

• Isaiah 40:3 – “a voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

• Malachi 3:1 –“I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to His temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.

John the Baptist came with a divine mission; it was a heavenly mandate:

• It Involved Preparation (2). He was to clear the way for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ by appealing directly to the people. He came preaching to them, calling on them to repent because the Lord Jesus Christ was coming to deliver them.

• It Involved Proclamation (3). John the Baptist was a lone voice against the dead legalism of the Jews. He was a hard preacher in a dark day and God used him to touch a generation.

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John the Baptist preached during a period when the Jewish religion had become a dead orthodoxy. Legalism and ritual ruled the day. The Jews were in desperate need of a spiritual revival. The Gentiles had given up on religion and viewed most religious beliefs as superstition and foolish tales. Both groups needed just what John preached: the Truth!

We are living in similar day! We have to stand up, open our Bibles, open our mouths and preach the Word of God. The Lord Jesus Christ is coming soon! We are to prepare the way of the Lord Jesus Christ and proclaim His return.

We still hold the same heavenly mandate: We are to preach the Word (2 Tim. 4:2).