688. 第7节 通过约翰的施洗预备道路, 以便主耶和华能降世完成救赎
玛拉基书写到:
万军之耶和华说: “我要差遣我的使者在我前面预备道路。 你们所寻求的主, 必忽然进入他的殿; 立约的使者, 就是你们所仰慕的, 快要来到。 ”他来的日子, 谁能当得起呢? 他显现的时候, 谁能立得住呢? (玛拉基书3:1-2)
又:
看哪! 耶和华大而可畏之日未到以前, 我必差遣先知以利亚到你们那里去! 免得我来咒诅遍地。 (玛拉基书4:5-6)
父亲撒迦利亚预言他的儿子约翰, 说:
孩子啊, 你要称为至高者的先知; 因为你要行在主的前面, 预备祂的道路。 (路加福音1:76)
主自己也这样对约翰说:
经上记着说, 看哪, 我要差遣我的使者在你前面预备道路。 (路加福音7:27)
从这些经文清楚可知, 约翰就是被差遣预备耶和华神道路的先知, 以便祂能降世完成救赎。 还清楚可知, 约翰通过洗礼和宣讲主来预备这路; 若没有这样的预备, 地上的一切早就受到诅咒的重击灭亡了。
688. The Baptism of John Prepared the Way So That Jehovah God Could Descend into the World and Bring about Redemption
In Malachi we read, "Behold, I am sending my messenger, who will prepare the way before me; and the Lord whom you seek and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire will suddenly come to his temple. Who can endure the day of his coming? Who can remain standing when he appears?" (Malachi 3:1-2). The same book goes on to say, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and dreadful day of Jehovah comes, so that I will not come and strike the earth with a curse" (Malachi 4:5-6). When Zechariah the father is prophesying about his son John, he says, "You, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest. You will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways" (Luke 1:76). The Lord himself says about John, "This is he of whom it is written, 'Behold, I am sending my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you'" (Luke 7:27).
These passages make it clear that John was the prophet who was sent to prepare the way for Jehovah God, who was to come down into the world and bring about redemption. They also make it clear that how John prepared the way was through baptizing and also announcing the Coming of the Lord; and that if this preparation had not occurred, all people there would have been struck with a curse and would have perished.
688. VII. By John's baptism the way was prepared for Jehovah the Lord to come down into the world and carry out redemption.
We read in Malachi:
Look, I am sending my messenger who will prepare the way before me, and suddenly the Lord whom you seek will come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Who will endure the day of his coming, and who will stand firm when he appears? Malachi 3:1-2.
and again:
Look, I shall send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of Jehovah comes, so that I may not come and strike the land with a curse, Malachi 4:5-6.
When his father Zechariah prophesied about his son John:
You, my child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, Luke 1:76.
The Lord Himself said about John the Baptist:
He it is of whom it was written, Look, I am sending my messenger before your 1 face, who will prepare your way in front of you, Luke 7:27.
It is clear from these passages that John was the prophet who was sent to prepare the way for Jehovah God, so that He could come down into the world and carry out redemption. It is also clear that he prepared that way by baptising, and by announcing the Lord's coming; and that but for that preparation all there would have been struck with a curse and would have perished.
Footnotes:
1. Latin: 'my face', corrected in the Author's copy.
688. VII. BY THE BAPTISM OF JOHN A WAY WAS PREPARED, THAT JEHOVAH THE LORD MIGHT DESCEND INTO THE WORLD AND ACCOMPLISH REDEMPTION.
It is written in Malachi:
Behold, I send My messenger, and he shall prepare the way before Me; and the Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye long for. Who will abide the day of His coming, and who will stand when He shall appear? (Conjugial Love 3[1], 2).
And again:
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah comes; lest I come and smite the earth with a curse (Conjugial Love 4[5], 6).
And Zacharias the father, prophesying of his son John, says:
Thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High; for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready His ways (Luke 1:76).
And the Lord Himself says of this same John:
This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send My angel before Thy face, who shall prepare Thy way before Thee (Luke 7:27).
From all this it is clear that this John was the prophet sent to make ready the way of Jehovah God, who should descend into the world and accomplish redemption; and that he made ready that way by baptism, and by announcing the coming of the Lord; and that without such preparation all on earth would have been smitten with a curse and would have perished.
688. VII. BY THE BAPTISM OF JOHN A WAY WAS PREPARED THAT JEHOVAH THE LORD MIGHT DESCEND INTO THE WORLD AND ACCOMPLISH THE WORK OF REDEMPTION.
It is written in Malachi,
"Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to His temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in... But who may abide the day of His coming? and who shall stand when He appeareth?" Malachi 3:1-2;
and again,
"Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord... lest I come and smite the earth with a curse" Malachi 4:5-6;
and the father Zacharias, prophesying of his son John, says,
"Thou, child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, to prepare His ways," Luke 1:76;
and the Lord Himself says of that John,
"This is he of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before my (A.V., thy) face, which shall prepare thy way before thee" Luke 7:27.
From these passages it is evident that John was the prophet sent to prepare the way for Jehovah God, so that He might descend into the world and accomplish the work of redemption; and that he prepared the way by Baptism, and at the same time by proclaiming the Lord's coming; and that without such preparation all in the world would have been smitten with a curse, and would have perished.
688. Quod per Baptisma Johannis praeparata sit via, ut Jehovah Dominus in Mundum posset descendere, et Redemptionem peragere.
Apud Malachiam legitur, Ecce Ego mitto Angelum meum, qui parabit viam ante Me, et subito veniet ad Templum suum Dominus, Quem vos quaeritis, et Angelus foederis, quem vos desideratis; quis sustinebit diem adventus Ipsius, et quis consistet cum apparuerit, Malachias 3:1-2, 1 ac iterum, Ecce Ego mittam vobis Eliam Prophetam, antequam venit dies Jehovae magnus et terribilis, ne veniam et percutiam terram anathemate, Malachias 3:23. 2 Et Zacharias pater prophetans de filio suo Johanne, Tu puer propheta Altissimi vocaberis, praeibis ante faciem Domini, ad parandum vias Ipsius, Luca 1:76. 3 Et Ipse Dominus de illo Johanne, "Hic est, de quo scriptum est, ecce Ego mitto Angelum meum ante faciem tuam, 4 qui praeparabit viam tuam coram Te," Luca 7:27. Ex his evidens est, quod Johannes ille fuerit propheta, qui missus est ad parandum viam Jehovae Deo, qui descenderet in Mundum, et Redemptionem perageret, et quod paraverit illam viam per Baptisma, et tunc annuntiationem Adventus Domini, et quod absque illa praeparatione omnes ibi anathemate percussi fuissent, et periissent.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: Cap. 3:1.
2. Sic Schmidt, sed Biblia Hebraica 3:24 et Biblia Anglica 4:5-6. Prima editio: Cap. 3:23, 24.