John the Baptist - Luke 1:80

This account was published in the Times and Seasons newspaper as an unsigned article that was assumed to be written by Joseph Smith, though the article “The Confusing Case of Zachariah” disputes whether or not it was actually written as doctrine, it was an interesting point, but it seems possible that this was the case. What happened to John from the time he fled into the wilderness to when he was preaching and baptizing in the wilderness is not mentioned in the scriptures. The January 1991 Ensign article “There is Not a Greater Prophet” says, “Latter-day revelation shows that John’s preaching and knowledge of the gospel were far more extensive than the King James Version of the Bible credits him. The Joseph Smith Translation states that John ‘came into the world for a witness,… to bear record of the gospel through the Son, unto all.’ He taught personal righteousness, emphasizing repentance, confession, baptism, prayer, fasting, and receiving the Holy Ghost. He discussed brotherly kindness, generosity, honesty, moral virtue, and justice. John likewise spoke of the gathering of Israel, the conversion and adoption of the gentiles into Israel, the second coming of the Messiah, the resurrection of the dead, the keys of the kingdom, the fullness of time, and the Day of Judgment. As John grew to maturity, the Holy Ghost prepared the young man’s mind for his ministry. John received the Holy Ghost while he was in his mother’s womb, and no one can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelation. John was ‘baptized while yet in his childhood,’ was set apart for his mission by an angel when he was only eight days old, and later received the full keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, including the keys of the ministering of angels. It follows that he would have received the visitation of angels during these preparatory years. Elder James E. Talmage wrote that John ‘had been a student under the tutelage of divine teachers; and there in the wilderness of Judea the word of the Lord reached him; as in similar environment it had reached Moses and Elijah of old.’ The training of this great Elias required the finest spiritual education possible and included study of the scriptures, lessons in Israel’s history, the workings and revelations of the Holy Ghost, and the ministry of angels. When John came forth preaching at the age of thirty, he was ready. He knew what his mission was and what he was to do, and he had the authority to go about it.”

I feel like I understand John the Baptist and his mission so much more now. Honestly, I don’t think that I’ll ever be able to fully grasp it in this life time because of the resources that we have and my limited mental capacity. But I definitely have more to think about and try to understand.

Tomorrow we’ll look at the annunciation and Mary and Joseph as people, which I’m really excited about because I’ve been trying to write a post entitled “Joseph: The Unsung Hero of Christmas” about Joseph the adopted father of Jesus because I think that he’s really important and played a very vital role in His life and is so often overlooked.