I am a Baha'i. Like to know understanding of Christians on Luke 3:3-6, Isaiah 40:3-5

[thebesttrees]

I am a Baha'i and as someone who studies the Bible, would like to know the understanding of Christians regarding the prophecies about John the Baptist in the Bible as recorded in Isaiah 40:3-5 and which are referenced in Luke 3:3-6.

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

And don't forget the prophecies in Malachi. What would you like to know?

 

[Butch5]

I am a Baha'i and as someone who studies the Bible, would like to know the understanding of Christians regarding the prophecies about John the Baptist in the Bible as recorded in Isaiah 40:3-5 and which are referenced in Luke 3:3-6.

What in particular are you looking for?

 

[Jackson123]

I believe John the Baptist is preparing the coming and only savior Jesus Christ.

 

[GodIsSalvation]

John was the voice crying in the wilderness. The prophecy is about Jesus.

 

[thebesttrees]

What in particular are you looking for?

Wow the responses are rapid here! I would like to know your understanding of how the prophecies were fulfilled and please limit yourself to these two in Luke and Isaiah. You can be as detailed as you wish.

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

John confessed he was the voice of one crying in the wilderness in John 1:19-23[SUP]19 [/SUP]And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
[SUP]20 [/SUP]And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
[SUP]21 [/SUP]And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
[SUP]22 [/SUP]Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
[SUP]23 [/SUP]He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

 

[Butch5]

Wow the responses are rapid here! I would like to know your understanding of how the prophecies were fulfilled and please limit yourself to these two in Luke and Isaiah. You can be as detailed as you wish.

I'm not sure exactly what you're getting at, but, I'll start with this. The prophesy is about John the Baptist being sent forth to prepare the way for Israel's messiah. Isaiah prophesied that this would happen and John is the fulfillment of it. I'm sure you probably want more than this but I'm not sure which direction you want to go in .

 

[thebesttrees]

John confessed he was the voice of one crying in the wilderness in John 1:19-23[SUP]19 [/SUP]And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
[SUP]20 [/SUP]And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
[SUP]21 [/SUP]And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
[SUP]22 [/SUP]Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
[SUP]23 [/SUP]He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

Thank you. I believe I will have to be more specific about what I would like to learn. Here are the verses from Luke 3

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.

Here is my question: what is a Christian's understanding of

1. WILDERNESS?
2. MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT?
3. How was EVERY VALLEY FILLED?
4. How was EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL BROUGHT LOW?
5. How were THE CROOKED MADE STRAIGHT?
6. How were THE ROUGH WAYS MADE SMOOTH?
7. How did ALL FLESH SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD at the time of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ?

Thank you.

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

John confessed he was the voice of one crying in the wilderness in John 1:19-23[SUP]19 [/SUP]And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
[SUP]20 [/SUP]And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
[SUP]21 [/SUP]And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
[SUP]22 [/SUP]Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?
[SUP]23 [/SUP]He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

Jesus also confirms Johns testimony here as well.
Matthew 11:11-15[SUP]11 [/SUP]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.
[SUP]12 [/SUP]And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
[SUP]13 [/SUP]For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
[SUP]14 [/SUP]And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
[SUP]15 [/SUP]He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.

 

[ISeeYou]

Maybe some of these will help you see its John

They are often very detailed and scattered in so many places

Of John (Jesus said)

For all the prophets and the law prophesied "until John"

If ye will receive it, this is Elijah, which was for to come.

As Jesus also said....For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things

John would go forth in the Spirit power of the Elijah for to come

John 3:28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

As John said,

John 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness,
As Isaiah states,

Isaiah 40:1 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Prov 16:17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

Mat 3:1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

More confirmation of Isaiah in Mat and Luke, just compare the two

Mat 3:3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. (John 1:3 also)

Mat 21:32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

These two bear witness of each other this way

Luke 1:15 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.

Luke 7:28 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.

The two had to fulfill all righteousness

Luke 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijahs, to turn the hearts of the fathersto the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

He shall go "before him" (the Lord)

and John's testimony was of "he cometh after me" (the Lord)

Mat 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightierthan I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Another picture of Elijah/John in Kings

2Kings 1:7 And he said unto them,

What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words?

2Kings 1:8 And they answered him,

He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins.

And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.

And of John the baptist,

Mark 1:6 And John was clothed with camel's hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;

Luke 7:24 And... he (Jesus) began to speak unto the people concerning John,

What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

Luke 7:25 But what went ye out for to see?

A man clothed in soft raiment?

Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings' courts.

Luke 7:26 But what went ye out for to see?

A prophet?

Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet.

Luke 7:27 This is he, of whom it is written,

Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

Luke 1:76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest:

for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

I cut this as best I could because I have it written up inclusive of everywhere he is found, but its difficult to cut out and reassemble again, but the verse in Luke is the same in Mat I believe, they run parallel in the gospels often and I might run it off Mat where you might run it off of Luke, but often they are witnesses speaking similar to one another.

 

[posthuman]

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children,
and the heart of the children to their fathers,
lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
(Malachi 4:5-6)

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
(Matthew 3:1-2)

repentance is to turn the heart away from wickedness and toward God.
the commandments of God are to love Him, and to love one another -- those children that walk in Him have hearts turned to Him, their father. those earthly fathers that keep His ways have love for their children. both in earthly kindness to children of their blood and spiritual goodness to what may be spiritually called children. so this is the outcome of repentance: keeping the Lord's commands, having love for Him and for each other, and having no love for Babylon.

did the land receive him?

For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine,
and you say, 'He has a demon.'
(Luke 7:33)

they did not. Herod imprisoned and beheaded John, and the world chose Barabbas and crucified the Lord.

so the curse came on Israel. Jerusalem was scourged and the temple thrown down stone by stone. today an abomination is built on the mount, men all over the world imagine vain things and run after all kinds of false prophets and teachings of demons, thinking themselves gods and living under strong delusion.
and the Lord waits for the cup of His indignation to be filled.

 

[ISeeYou]

Oh sorry just overpass me, I have trouble if people dont write out the whole of the verse because my eyesight is so sad.

 

[thebesttrees]

Thank you. I believe I will have to be more specific about what I would like to learn. Here are the verses from Luke 3

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.

Here is my question: what is a Christian's understanding of

1. WILDERNESS?
2. MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT?
3. How was EVERY VALLEY FILLED?
4. How was EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL BROUGHT LOW?
5. How were THE CROOKED MADE STRAIGHT?
6. How were THE ROUGH WAYS MADE SMOOTH?
7. How did ALL FLESH SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD at the time of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ?

Thank you.

 

[posthuman]

Oh sorry just overpass me, I have trouble if people dont write out the whole of the verse because my eyesight is so sad.

no really, thank you for putting all that scripture together.
i appreciate having it written in the thread instead of alluded to, so i don't have to go off searching and looking-up. i would always rather have the Word in front of me than in a box somewhere that i have to go look for and open - what i can see in front of me is better than what i can remember without looking

 

[VioletReigns]

Here is my question: what is a Christian's understanding of

1. WILDERNESS?
2. MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT?
3. How was EVERY VALLEY FILLED?
4. How was EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL BROUGHT LOW?
5. How were THE CROOKED MADE STRAIGHT?
6. How were THE ROUGH WAYS MADE SMOOTH?
7. How did ALL FLESH SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD at the time of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ?

Thank you.

How, you ask? Nobody can tell you how paths are made straight, how the crooked is made straight, how valleys are filled, how mountains are brought low, how the rough is made smooth. Nobody on earth, that is. By God can! Only when we repent and find forgiveness in Christ Jesus our Savior and Lord are these things made reality to us. But to explain them, no man can. It is by the miracle of grace in Jesus Christ that these things can be. That the flesh can see the Salvation of God in Jesus Christ.

I know that the Bahá'í faith believes that Jesus was only a messenger delivering divine visions. That is not correct. Jesus cannot be a divine messenger as He proclaimed He and God are One and the same. Either Jesus was the son of God, the Savior of the world, or He was a confused mad man to proclaim such things. It is impossible for Him to be only a messenger.

I can tell you that once I was blind, and now I see. Once I was lost, but now I'm found. Once I was dead in sin, but I'm now alive in Christ Jesus my Lord. How? Only by the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I pray the Lord Jesus Himself enlighten you to the Truth, my friend.

 

[ISeeYou]

no really, thank you for putting all that scripture together.
i appreciate having it written in the thread instead of alluded to, so i don't have to go off searching and looking-up. i would always rather have the Word in front of me than in a box somewhere that i have to go look for and open - what i can see in front of me is better than what i can remember without looking

Thanks for being understanding I have written out from old thru into new with the various types, in extra large font, and I take that off and the colors. But I just saw the one you posted a couple of posts up which was what I was looking at myself, I was like, okay, look who goes before (that would be Elijah/ John) as John is the Elijah for to come, and if he was sent before then if those hearts werent turn come the curse, and that is shown in Elisha (who follow after Elijah) who also received a double portion of his mantle (even as John baptized Jesus (and the Spirit of God ascended on him, like it follows these patterns that are woven throughout in so many places you feel like your ripping the person off to stop short of these things.

Similar to what you just posted, the match up I have founnd for those (breifly) are these, if they can help you out.

Mat 21:32 For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.


Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers,

*lest I come* and smite the earth with a curse.

Whereas John said...

Mat 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

Even as Hebrews said...

Heb 6:7 For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God:

Whereas of these...

Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.

Whereas John said,

The ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

And again in Hebrews

Heb 6:8 But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing;

whose end is to be burned.

So again, nigh unto cursing, or the curse follows after the same

Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Its like this smiting with a curse part, thats split between "he shall turn the heart... and the... lest I come" part, between two.

Then when you look at Elijah and Elisha...

Elisha followed after Elijah who received a double portion of the Spirit of Elijah who was also the one who cursed the children of the city

2Kings 2:24 And he (Elisha) turned back, and looked on them, and cursed them in the name of the LORD. And there came forth two she bears out of the wood, and tare forty and two children of them.


And it came to pass, when they were gone over,

that Elijah said unto Elisha,

Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.

And Elisha (who follows after Elijah) says

I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

Yet of John we know... He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

Whereas Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Ghost

And its right here (specifically so) John forbids Jesus

But John forbad him, saying,

I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

And, Jesus said

"Suffer it for now" in that it behooveth us (both) in fulfilling all righteousness
(for John came in the way of righteousness)

"and then" John did suffer Him

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water:

And, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he (John) saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove,and lighting upon him: (the sign given him)

And likewise ...

John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

Even here...

Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

And the two disciples heard him speak,

and they followed Jesus.

Then between the two (Elijah and Elisha) here is recognized after the same here...

When the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said,

The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha.

And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

Andas John points to Jesus (these hearing John) as the Elijah for to come (Elisha also comes after Elijah)

The mantle in other words and so it goes,

Jesus turns...

Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them,

What seek ye?

They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

He saith unto them, Come and see.

And they (others) came unto John, and said unto him,

Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

Theres a pattern between them in various things.

I saw you caught that and this subject is of great interest to me.

 

[InSpiritInTruth]

Thank you. I believe I will have to be more specific about what I would like to learn. Here are the verses from Luke 3

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.

Here is my question: what is a Christian's understanding of

1. WILDERNESS?
2. MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT?
3. How was EVERY VALLEY FILLED?
4. How was EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL BROUGHT LOW?
5. How were THE CROOKED MADE STRAIGHT?
6. How were THE ROUGH WAYS MADE SMOOTH?
7. How did ALL FLESH SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD at the time of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ?

Thank you.

1. John preached in the wilderness 2 John cleared the way for Messiah 3 Every valley being filled is symbolic of those who humble themselves as being filled with the Truth. 4 The mountains being brought low are those who do not humble themselves to the message and are cut off. 5 The crooked ways are the sinful ways of man being corrected by repentance from sin. 6 The rough ways made smooth means those who had a rough understanding in the word of God would be polished like a precious stone is once rough, and then polished. 7 "All flesh" refers to the Gentiles, who will also see the salvation of God through Jesus Christ.

 

[posthuman]

1. WILDERNESS?
2. MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT?
3. How was EVERY VALLEY FILLED?
4. How was EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL BROUGHT LOW?
5. How were THE CROOKED MADE STRAIGHT?
6. How were THE ROUGH WAYS MADE SMOOTH?
7. How did ALL FLESH SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD at the time of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ?

Thank you.

1. wilderness - a spiritual life without order, direction and peace. godlessness.
2. make His paths straight - walk in righteousness rather than wickedness. in truth and light, not lies and darkness.
3. valleys filled - going forward, not descending, spiritually walking in uprightness
4. mountains brought low - obstacles and burdens being no more obstacles or burdens. spiritually walking with meekness, considering trials small things.
5. crooked made straight - iniquity exchanged for righteousness.
6. rough ways made smooth - having the peace of God that overcomes every anxiety. having a spirit of discernment, wisdom and understanding, and assurance - knowing the Way and empowered to walk in it.
7. all flesh will see the Salvation of God - everything hidden will be brought into the open. when He returns to judge the world, every eye will see Him, and every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that He is Lord.

we have ALL these things in Christ, who IS the Salvation of God.
He came to give life to us dead in our sin. where i walked as though in a wilderness, i have put my trust in Him, and He has been faithful to bring me out of confusion and into the knowledge of His Truth. He has taken my iniquity and hidden it in the bottom of the sea, clothing me with His righteousness and putting in me a spirit willing and able to walk in His light - a voice in my ear saying "this is the way, walk in it."
casting all my cares on Him, confessing He is Lord and following after Him, i no longer descend into depths of sorrow and hopelessness, to confusion and shame, but seeing Him and walking after Him my way is always straight ahead in front of me. knowing and confessing my shortcoming, my degradation, my sin - and trusting in His righteousness, by faith and not my own power, but His - there is no steep hill and no trial that is insurmountable and all pride in myself is destroyed, knowing and understanding who He is, Him working in me, every mountain in my path is uprooted and cast into the sea! what troubles do i have? what pitfalls can His hand not rescue me from? what stone can cause me to stumble that He is unable to remove? God has justified, God sanctifies, God has given of Himself to propitiate for me!
i trust WHOLLY in Him, and the road is no longer either perilous, hard to navigate or hidden - Jesus is the Way, and He is straight and perfect and not burdensome. Jesus is the Truth, and the truth is not confused, contradictory or unfamiliar. Jesus is the Life, and life is not blind or deaf or unable to sense. Jesus is of God, salvation from chaos and darkness and death!



♪♪ You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy ♫
(Psalm 30:11)

Thank you.

no really, thank God!

 

[posthuman]

And Elisha (who follows after Elijah) says

I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.

Yet of John we know... He shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

Whereas Jesus Christ was conceived of the Holy Ghost

And its right here (specifically so) John forbids Jesus

But John forbad him, saying,

I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

And, Jesus said

"Suffer it for now" in that it behooveth us (both) in fulfilling all righteousness
(for John came in the way of righteousness)

"and then" John did suffer Him

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water:

And, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he (John) saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove,and lighting upon him: (the sign given him)

And likewise ...

John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

Even here...

Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;

And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!

And the two disciples heard him speak,

and they followed Jesus.

Then between the two (Elijah and Elisha) here is recognized after the same here...

When the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said,

The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha.

And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him.

Andas John points to Jesus (these hearing John) as the Elijah for to come (Elisha also comes after Elijah)

The mantle in other words and so it goes,

Jesus turns...

Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them,

What seek ye?

They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

He saith unto them, Come and see.

And they (others) came unto John, and said unto him,

Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him.

Theres a pattern between them in various things.

I saw you caught that and this subject is of great interest to me.

wow!

and

John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come,
the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
(Luke 3:16)

where the one that prepared the way baptized with one portion - water, to repentance
the Way Himself baptizes with two portions - the Holy Spirit and fire, to two things, His death, whereby we are set free from the condemnation of sin, and to His resurrection, in which we are redeemed and regenerated and made new with life!

and

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your Father in heaven.
(Matthew 5:43-45)

Moses showed us righteousness through the law, and Christ is become our righteousness that is a righteousness by faith, which instead works in us to fulfill such things!

the cup that was cleaned on the outside but soiled within has been washed inside and out! and not just scrubbed and rinsed, but made new!! doubly clean!

what a Savior!!