The angel Gabriel prophesied about John's mission. John would turn many people toward Jesus. He would turn the hearts of the fathers toward the children. He would help the disobedient to see truth. Finally, he would ready people to hear the words of the Savior.
"And Zacharias said unto the angel, whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. And behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season." Luke 1:18-20
"And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him
Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her. There is none of they kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all." Luke 1:59-63
To demonstrate his faith, Zacharias followed the command to name his son John against local tradition.
"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate us; to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant; the oath which he sware to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. 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; to give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death to guide our feet into the way of peace." Luke 1:68-79
Also at this time Zacharias prophesied about the mission of his son; he also spoke of the mission of Jesus Christ: redemption, salvation, remission of sins, tender mercies, and light.
"There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." St. John 1:6-9
Like Zacharias, Elisabeth, and John we should focus our service on helping others come to Christ.
"And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel." Luke 1:80
John's adult mission was not easy, giving him plenty of need to grow and develop in spirit as a youngster. Likewise our missions and the missions of our children or the children we have influence over will not be easy. We need to constantly strive to grow and develop in spirit to withstand the temptations and overcome the difficulties of this world. God has a mighty work for each of us if we choose to accept it.
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Reading the scriptures and keeping this journal are my delight. I do not keep an online journal to preach to anyone but myself. I like this format, because I can add pictures and correct my writing easier. If you enjoy reading it, I am happy. If you feel offended, please, realize it is not my intention to offend but to teach myself. No negative comments will not be published.