Question: Who was John the Baptist?

    Answer: The prophet Isaiah prophesied of John about 700 years before the birth and work of John (Isa. 40: 3). John was to prepare the way for Christ (cf. Matt. 3: 1-3).

   John’s parents, birth, and early life. John’s father was Zacharias, and his mother was Elisabeth. Zacharias was a priest, and Elisabeth was of the lineage of Aaron (Lk. 1: 5). Zacharias and Elisabeth were spiritually outstanding (Lk. 1: 6). They, however, were childless (Lk. 1: 7). Elisabeth’s being with child was miraculous (Lk. 1: 36, 37). The angel Gabriel announced John’s birth and also that his name was to be John (Lk. 1: 11-13). We know very little of John’s early life (Lk. 1: 80). John lived in the desert and began his work when he was thirty years of age (Lk. 3: 1, 2).

    John the Baptist’s ministry. As we have seen, John’s work was that of being a forerunner for Christ (Lk. 1: 17). John preached in the wilderness of southern Judea and partly in the Jordan Valley (cf. Matt. 3: 5). His message was "repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand: (Matt. 3: 1, 2). John’s style was forthright and uncompromising (Lk. 3: 8-11: Matt. 3: 10-12; Lk. 3: 19). John believed in and preached eternal punishment (Matt. 3: 10-12).

    John announced the coming kingdom. John was never in the kingdom (Matt. 11: 11), but he preached its imminence (Matt. 3: 1-3). John was already dead when Jesus promised to build His church (Matt. 16: 18, 19). John was called "the Baptist" because he baptized people unto the remission of their sins (John 3: 29, 30; Mk. 1: 4).

    John was a great man and died without compromise. The death of John is the only major account in Mark’s gospel not pertaining to Christ (Mk. 6: 17-29).