Chapter 7.
Gabriel Foretold
The Birth of John the Baptist.
Two miracle babies were born in B.C. 5. Due to multiple revisions of calendaring systems in former times, according to our current calendars, Jesus was born in late B.C. 5, over four years “B.C.”, “Before Christ”. And, John the Baptist was born six months earlier. Both births were miraculous. God planted the embryo of Jesus into the womb of a young virgin named Mary before she ever had a sexual relationship with any man, including her husband-to-be, Joseph, and Jesus was born. Also, God regenerated the reproductive organs of an elderly couple, Elisabeth and Zacharias, and they brought forth John the Baptist.
Luke documented the story of Elisabeth and Zacharias ...
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. (Luke 1:5-7 KJV)
The “Herod” mentioned here is “Herod the Great”. He was raised as a Jew in an Edomite family that had converted to Judaism. Yet, he and his father had fought for the Romans as they conquered much of the Middle East. So, the Romans had installed him as the vassal king of Judea.
Gabriel Disclosed
A Startling Prophecy
To Zacharias.
Luke detailed the events preceding the birth of John the Baptist ...
... it came to pass, that while he [Zacharias] executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
(Luke 1:8-17 KJV)
Zacharias and Elisabeth had often prayed for a child. But, those prayer requests had never borne fruit. By the day of Gabriel’s visitation, Zacharias and Elisabeth were well beyond the normal age of child-bearing. They had abandoned their dream. But, God had not. He was about to give them a son -- a man so great that on one occasion Jesus said, “Of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist.” (Matthew 11:11 NLT)
Gabriel delivered these instructions from the Lord, “Name the baby ‘John’ and urge him not to imbibe in fermented beverages.”
And, Gabriel made some surprising promises, “Your son will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb.” These predictions force us to ponder the tension between “predestination” and “free will”. Could John have rebelled against the Lord? Today, we receive the Holy Spirit when we believe that Jesus is the Son of God and we ask Him to erase our sins and we pledge to make Him the Lord of our lives. Baby John received the Spirit before he did any of these. How? The answer is anchored in God’s infinite foreknowledge. He knew John would become a believer. He knew John would ask Him to forgive his sins. He knew John would want Him to be the Lord of his life. So, God gave baby John the Holy Spirit when he was yet an embryo. Many Christians will say that God blessed them before they were saved -- that God rescued them from peril or kept them from a sinful pursuit or healed them of a life-threatening ailment before they became Christians. God often blesses in advance those who will later serve Him.
Truly, every Christian should be ready to say, “God loved me before I loved Him.” The following statements confirm this thought. Peter taught that we Christians were chosen, “elected”, for salvation and eternal life before we were born, because God foresaw that we would become Christians. He said that we are the ...
Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father ... (1 Peter 1:2 KJV)
The New Living Translation states the same verse this way ...
God the Father knew you and chose you long ago, and his Spirit has made you holy. As a result, you have obeyed him and have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 1:2 NLT)
Paul proclaimed that we Christians were chosen before God began making planet Earth and the human race.
... [God] hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love.
(Ephesians 1:4 KJV)
And, it is refreshing to read the same verse from the New Living Translation.
... before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. (Ephesians 1:4 NLT)
God chose us long ago because He could see that we would choose to serve Him.
Gabriel added a description of what baby John would accomplish when he reached manhood. He said, “John’s preaching will cause a great stir. He will attract huge crowds. Many in Israel will turn to the Lord when they hear John’s sermons. And, John’s ministry will precede the Ministry of the Messiah by about six months. John will have the spirit and power of the prophet, Elijah. He will turn the hearts of wayward fathers to their children and the hearts of the disobedient to the counsel of the just. He will prepare the willing for the coming of the Messiah.”
Zacharias Was Made Speechless
Till John Was Born.
Zacharias was overwhelmed by the words of Gabriel. He could not believe the fabulous promises he had heard. Luke detailed for us the conclusion of the conversation between Zacharias and Gabriel.
... 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 KJV)
We could see this judgment against Zacharias as a punishment, but it is best seen as a faith-builder. Zacharias was devout. He just had trouble believing that God would answer his prayers in such a miraculous manner. During the nine months of Elisabeth’s pregnancy, he could see the growing proof of God’s amazing generosity. His faith was strengthened by his temporary adversity..
Zacharias Went Home
To Be With Elisabeth.
Amazed and confused, Zacharias exited the inner court of the Temple and confronted the anxious congregation in the outer court. Somehow, he let them know he had seen a vision and had lost his ability to speak. He remained on Temple duty until his contingent of the priesthood had completed its term of service, and then, he hurried home to his beloved wife. Luke reported these events with these words ...
... the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. (Luke 1:21-23 KJV)
Zacharias and Elisabeth Rejoiced
As God’s Promises Came True.
Thrilled that God’s promises were happening, yet worried that she might lose baby John because of her age, Elisabeth kept to herself for the first five months of her pregnancy. Luke said ...
... after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
(Luke 1:24-25 KJV