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Daily Devotions

The Ministry of John the Baptist

By September 30, 2015No Comments

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 KJV

These prophetic words are the final verses of the Old Testament. It would be another four hundred years before the people of Israel would hear from God. The prophecy says that the prophet Elijah would come and minister before the Day of the Lord. This, along with Malachi 3:1 is a prophetic reference to John the Baptist. In Luke 1:17, when announcing his birth to Zechariah, the angel Gabriel said he would go forth in the spirit and power of Elijah. In Matthew 17:12-13, Jesus acknowledged to His disciples that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of this prophecy. The ministry of John the Baptist prepared the way for the Lord Jesus Christ, who alone can prepare people for the Day of Judgment to come.

Lord, I continue to be amazed by the prophetic details of the Old Testament and their fulfillment in the New Testament. The ministry of John the Baptist did turn hearts to the Lord and prepared them for the judgment to come. Although this judgment is still to occur, I rejoice that my own heart has been prepared because of the One announced through the ministry of John the Baptist.