None Greater Than John The Baptist.
Jesus Christ Himself said that “Of those born among women, there is none greater than John The Baptist. But those who are least in the Kingdom are greater than he”.
So if John was The Greatest of those born among women, He should have a testimony to prove it. Even as Paul the Apostle said that he wasn’t lacking anything that the most eminent Apostles have.” And rightly so but John the Baptist was credited as “those born of women” and as the last of the era of the Prophets.
And it is us, the New Will and Testament believers who should at least understand these things. And more importantly it was John The Baptist and cousin of Jesus who had these words to say as he introduced the newly weds as family and the witness saying “36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him
Christ said that John was qualified as “greatest of those born among women” because of his direct association with Jesus. John 3 quote
They both grew up in Galilee. They were both from Galilee. They were cousins. Johns father Zachariah served at the porch, at the alter, in the Temple of Jerusalem, of which only the High Priests had a higher clearance
John was the first to know about the immanent destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish era as being “at hand” saying “who has warned you of the wrath to come?” We say “that Jerusalem” because there is a Heavenly one the earthen one was a replica for instruction purposes only. And why the Jews city, temple and artifacts became a blasphemous rendition that invoked the disdain from God the Father. That Jerusalem’s true purpose was meant only to be a teaching tool and an aid for the invisible one called “The Kingdom prepared from the Foundations of the world”. To mean the eternal one in the Heavens that their brick made model was to teach them about. Kind of like toys for tots, and why they were called children in the Old Covenant nearly 1200 times because they did not make this connection. Even as Jesus scolded them saying “you do the deeds of your father Satan.
And, it was also the Jews as the last stewards, who lifted their Jerusalem higher than the God they were suppose to be instructed about. In turn they served their carnal copies as though they were Holy. That was their Blasphemy! To steal attention to be directed intended to be directed to God, to in turn take unto themselves Glory for YHWH unto themselves like the final era Jews do too.
That is why John came and said to them “you brood of vipers and sons of Satan, who has warned you to flee from the coming wrath. Therefore bare fruits worthy of repentance for God is able to raise up from these rocks sons of Abraham.” And God did. He took them from among the Gentile nations. To mean even for the Jews, that they could only enter as just any other nation, at least from those who were left of the dispersion. For this reasons Christ said their temple was to be destroyed “till not one stone was left upon another” to become unrecognizable and unable to rebuild lest His anger be kindled again.
For this reason the Jews temple replacements were called “living stones assembled together a habitation of God in the Spirit with Jesus Christ the chief cornerstone, they were assembled to. Remember what Christ said to Peter? For you are Petros, and on this (Petra) rock, I will Assemble/build My Kingdom.”
To make the point that the Jews, their leaders, buildings, feasts and fixtures were meant to be used only as teaching tools of the Eternal. And because they redirected praise from God to themselves, they were, not only removed but punished. Yes, punished.
So when John the Baptist showed his rank and asked the Jews “Who has warned YOU to flee from the wrath to come, the wrath “was NOT meant for those of the Gentiles who came to worship from miles around. It was the Gentiles who who became the true heirs, as evidenced by the term “Time of the Gentiles” that came after the Jews and After the expiration of The Old Covenant Kingdom with all its laws person and places. And why the command went out to “go ye therefore (to LEAVE that Jerusalem) and go throughout the world, teaching and preaching all I have commanded you?” That “The Kingdom of God is at hand”, any time and any where “two or more are gathered together in My name”. Were the words of our Christ and crossover point into His Kingdom.
Therefore, enter The Kingdom of The New Will and Testament. Not a covenant, but a Testament associated with a death to mean The Cross for the distribution to the heirs of the Kingdom. That is how we became (past tense) “heirs to the Kingdom of God at and” as being The Jerusalem that Descends out of Heaven from The Father as described at The end of Johns Revelation “which God gave him to show His servant John (The Baptist) of things that must immediately take place. This is the Gospel, because it did, And John the Baptist was the latest and the greatest and the last. The Old Testament times, persons places and things were to be NO MORE!
And no where in the teaching of Christ, did He ever commend the Jew for anything, no where. They were under judgement as false stewards and the absconders of praise intended for God as they do again today. They became expired, or obsoleted with their rendition of Jerusalem, for no carnal kingdom could do. Amen
For this John was baptizing on the Gentile side of the river Jordan, and why he asked the Jews “who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come”. Was obvious because John was Baptizing Gentiles outside of Judah. Even as their baptism took them across the Jordan away from the old Jerusalem and into “The Kingdom at hand”, and why John was qualified to do so.
These were “the acts of John the Baptist’ and why he was the greatest from the Law era and of those born among women. So that we could be born of the Spirit as the Heirs of the things of God.
If this testimony of John was not true, he would NOT have baptized the Christ as the Heir of the Kingdom, away from that Jerusalem, because with it too, there was a “Heavenly’ one their carnal one mimicked. Even as John asked Jesus “are you coming to be baptized of me? I should be baptized by you! And Jesus said, so let it be for now to fulfill all righteousness”. So John baptized his younger cousin Jesus to then say “and I saw the Spirit of God descend upon Him to remain upon Him. And John went on to say that, He “truly is The Son of God” and Heir to the Kingdom.” To mean “The King” Even as we quote the pro-phecy Micah 5.2 saying “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Though you are little among the thousands of (the tribe of, NOT the land of) Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to Me The One to be Ruler in Israel, Whose goings forth are from of old, From [a]everlasting.”
So that both John and Jesus were raised In Galilee, and Jesus was called the “Man from Galilee”. Yes John and Jesus grew up away from Jerusalem. Jesus as a boy was missing from his family who had departed home. Having been aware of it hours later, his carnal father returned to find Jesus in the temple debating with the leaders of that day, and they were amazed at his incites. And when his earthen father asked the boy Jesus what He was doing, He simply replied “I must be about My fathers business” indicating that He knew He had another.
So yes with this background and Johns association with the person called Jesus, and Johns father Zachariah, of whom the Jewish leaders were condemned as Christ accused the Jews saying of Johns father Zachariah “Of whom you killed between the porch and the Altar. Which the Altar was the most Holy place in the Temple service where only The High priest went once a year. And that was a great sanctification process and high demands and qualification to serve the Holy of Holy’s. And John the Baptists father was that man as a qualification to be greatest of those born among women.
So yes, unequivocally, “of those born among women, there was none greater the John the Baptist”, to mean from among all those that went before him. Why? Because those who are born of the Spirit are greater than he, because we are the recipients for what those men gave their lives for, so that we could be part of “The new and living way to the Father.
So we beg to ask, since these testimonies are true, then John the Baptist has to have a written testimony to be the greatest. A written testimony is their eternal witness. Yes their are those who wrote about him, but those are second hand accounts at best.
And of Johns greatest and the last act for us before his murder. He was the best man and the legal witness at His cousins wedding. With instructions from our Heavenly Father, who told John what to look for in his baptizing, to know when his time was over, He said “upon whom you see the Holy Spirit descend upon to remain upon, this is He” This tells us a few things. That John had such incite into the Spirit, to see the Holy Spirit “descend like a dove to remain upon Jesus”. Other prophets didn’t do this.
That for the Holy Spirit to “descend to remain upon Him” and to remain upon Him” indicates the melding and the enmeshing of two like as in a wedding, a becoming ONE. And not so much just a melding, but the combination of the components necessary to have offspring. That with the coming together of these two similar entities, like Adam was one before the rib was removed he was One, or Wed. When Adam and Eve were be split to become two, it was for disclosure purposes only for the recipients of that creation. And because of their split, there had to be a reunification for “The New Creation”. So may we re-introduce to you The Wife and The Bride of Christ “come down from Heaven to remain upon, that this is truly the Son of God”…
And just so that you Do Not remain confused, The creation of the first five days, was all foundational for what was coming. It was all supportive as a foundation only like a table set up for a display. For what was really being the creation of God, was His Image and Likeness in Adam. And further displayed as the removal of the rib to become Eve, or more correctly in Hebrew “Havah”. That is as far as we will go with Her for now for She is another teaching.
But the point is that what God considered was His creation, was His images. So then with this description made clear. That when we think of the “New Creation”, we think of Adam and Eves replacements.
And this is where we get back to John The Baptist being greatest of those born of the flesh. And of Johns era of the prophets to be over, completed and “fulfilled”, is that He would not only baptize his cousin, but that He would introduce His replacement and Adam and Eves replacements.
and see the doors open into “The Kingdom of God at Hand” and into The New Creation that is not new in the sense that it just came into be. But New in the sense that it had never been seen before, and New in the sense that what the the Baptism of Jesus Christ gave us? The pro-generator of those “Born from Above” meaning Heaven, and those Born of the Spirit”, to also have the connotation of being carried around, borne? And again “The Kingdom prepared (before)the foundations of the world” Because this “New Creation” is not so much a creation but a reality for those of us who are “born and borne of the spirit”.
So then, for those who are expecting a do-over in a carnal way, or supposing the carnal creation to become renewed and refurbished, which is really not new but a remodel. Have you really considered what the term “at hand ” means? Because if you are waiting for something more concrete to “walk in newness of life”. You really haven’t responded to the Gospel. Didin’t Christ at the cross say “It is finished”? Is He NOT “seated at the right hand of the Father waiting for His enemies to become His footstool?
And as a “spoiler alert”. John the Apostle did NOT wright The Book of The revelation. John the Baptist did because of the previously mentioned qualifications and of being “greatest born among women, and the greatest and the last prophet. That all the law and the prophets there is none greater than John. For this he was beheaded as the end of an era. All the law and the prophets were till John.
And you can take that account and overlap here with John the Baptist witnessing that Wedding taking place as the cousin and the best man, and the witness here from John the Apostles view about John The Baptist Officiating that event of as it happed saying “26 And they (the Disiples) came unto John, and asked him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. 27 John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. 28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. (to introduse Him and pass the batton on to my replacement and the replacement of all the law and the prophets and their successor) 29 He that hath the Bride (The Holy Spirit) is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom (John The Baptist), which standeth and heareth Him, rejoiceth greatly because of the Bridegroom’s(a title for a newly wed) voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. 30 He must increase (with the New Creation), but I must decrease (with the old order and way of doing things). 31 He (Jesus) that cometh from above (speaking of His pre-exsistance) is above all: he that is of the earth (John from The Law era) is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: He that cometh from heaven is above all. 32 And what He hath seen and heard, that he testifieth; and no man receiveth his testimony.
The question is, do you? Are you in the Old as evidenced by your expectations? That only those born again can see the Kingdom?” And those “Born above cn enter the Kingdom?” The “Kingdom of God at hand?
Is this you? Can you see this? Do you have ears to hear and eyes to see? Then blessed are you and welcome home for “The Kingdom of God is still, “At hand” Amen!