And All Flesh Shall See the Salvation of God - Part 1413

"The Lord hath made bare His holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God ..." (Isaiah 52:10)

"And all flesh shall see the salvation of God  ...." (Luke 3:6)

The Word of God came unto John (the son of Zacharias) in the wilderness, and he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, and he did so according to the words of Esaias [Isaiah] the prophet.

"As it is written ... "The voice of one crying in the wilderness -- Prepare ye 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; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." (Luke 3:1-6)

Not some or a few, but ALL flesh shall see the salvation of God. All flesh will know the Lamb of God that John proclaimed would come after him --whose shoe latches he wasn't even worthy to latch. And while there were those who mused in their hearts about John and whether he were the Christ, John never changed his response.

That is, John told them that he indeed baptized with water, but One mightier than him would come -- "the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire; whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and will gather the wheat into His garner ..." (Luke 3:1-18)

This all happened in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests. (Luke 3:1) The angel of the Lord said unto Zacharias that his prayer had been heard, "and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John." (Luke 1:13-15)

And thou shalt have joy and gladness and many shall rejoice at his birth -- "for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb, and many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God -- and he shall go before Him in the Spirit and power of Elias, "to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children," and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:11-19)

And this John did, as Jesus duly noted, when He asked the people, "What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? But what went ye out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled [clothed], and live delicately in king's courts. but what went ye out to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet [for] this is he, of whom it is written, "Behold, I send My messenger before thy face, which shall prepare Thy way before Thee." For I say unto you -- "Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the baptist: but he that is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than he." (Luke 7:24-28)

And yet, John the baptist never took the glory for himself. He always pointed to Jesus, the One who would come after him. Although John was great in the sight of the Lord, and indeed, not a greater prophet than he, according to Jesus, he still said when he saw Jesus coming toward him, "Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world. This is He of whom I said, "After me comes a man which is preferred before me; for He was before me. And I knew Him not, but that He should be made manifest to Israel. Therefore, am I come baptizing with water." (John 1:19-39)

Why Jesus? Because, as Philip soon after pointed out to Nathaniel, Jesus is the One of whom Moses wrote about in the law and the prophets too. (John 1:45) The promised Christ. The prophesied Messiah. The mystery that was hid from the beginning of the world.

God Himself becoming our Saviour.

"But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that being justified by His grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:4-7)

So, if John the baptist continually pointed to Jesus, why are we so determined as believers to stop at John's baptism of repentance. Why do we stop with the message of the forerunner?

There is so much more to be found in Jesus. Reach out for His goodness and mercy today. Repent, and be baptized in His precious Name -- the Name of the Lord Jesus -- so that you too can receive the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:36-47) Clothe yourself in His righteousness. Let Him cuddle you in the palm of His hand. Ask Jesus to give you His gifts -- "severally as He will." (I Corinthians 12:4-11) His gifts of wisdom and knowledge, prophecy, and discerning of spirits.

Because when we seek Jesus first in our life, and His righteousness, He will baptize you with the Holy Ghost and fire. (Matthew 3:11)

And He will never give us a stone when we ask for bread. Jesus -- the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the Ending, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. He never lets go of those whom He loved enough to shed His precious blood on the cross. Never, and this is the message that John the baptist understood when he saw Jesus off in the distance.

"Behold, the Lamb of God ..."

John decreasing in his ministry so that Jesus would increase.  Stand in the offering plate.