Hebrew - Messiah; Greek - Christ
Isaiah 40:3-5, 1 Nephi 10:7-10
Spirit of Elias - prepare the way for a greater revelation (Joseph Smith)
"The spirit of Elias is to prepare the way for a greater revelation of God, which is the Priesthood that Aaron was ordained unto. And when God sends a man into the world to prepare for a greater work, holding the keys of the power of Elias, it was called the doctrine of Elias, even from the early ages of the world." See this link (TotPJS) for lots of information on Elias.
D&C 84:26-28 - Where did John the Baptist get his authority?
Was not his ordination to the Priesthood (McConkie)
Joseph Smith said something on this topic too (see below)
"As touching the Gospel and baptism that John preached, I would say that John came preaching the Gospel for the remission of sins; he had his authority from God, and the oracles of God were with him, and the kingdom of God for a season seemed to rest with John alone. The Lord promised Zacharias that he should have a son who was a descendant of Aaron, the Lord having promised that the priesthood should continue with Aaron and his seed throughout their generations. Let no man take this honor upon himself, except he be called of God, as was Aaron; and Aaron received his call by revelations. An angel of God also appeared unto Zacharias while in the Temple, and told him that he should have a son, whose name should be John, and he should be filled with the Holy Ghost. Zacharias was a priest of God, and officiating in the Temple, and John was a priest after his father, and held the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood, and was called of god to preach the Gospel of the kingdom of God. The Jews, as a nation, having departed from the law of God and the Gospel of the Lord, prepared the way for transferring it to the Gentiles." (link)
What did John the Baptist do to prepare the way?
* declared repentance and baptized
Mikvah - Jewish baptismal font - Jews were baptizing before John the Baptist.
Why was it important that there would be someone to prepare the way?
* John the Baptist set up things for the Kingdom of God
* if someone shows up and says "I am the Messiah" we won't believe him. But if he says the Messiah is coming, when he comes we would believe.
* D&C 65:1-6 - Calling on all of us to prepare world and people that Christ is coming again.
Why did Jesus get baptized?
* to show humility before the father (2 Nephi)
John the Baptist only baptized but did not confer the Holy Ghost. Jesus baptized, but gift of the Holy Ghost was not conferred until after the resurrection.
John 1:3-4 footnote
Temptations - Hebrews 2:18
The Lord went to commune with God. Only after that communion (strengthening) was he tempted.
Do we "go into the wilderness" to fast, pray & ponder - to commune with God?
If thou be the Son of God
* He didn't doubt - He didn't need to "confirm"
David O McKay on temptation ("Unspotted from the World", Ensign, August 2009, 24–29)
"These evils present themselves insidiously in our daily associations. They come in the shape of temptations, as they came to the Savior after His baptism. What were those temptations? When Satan said, “Command that these stones be made bread” (Matthew 4:3), he was appealing to the appetite. He knew that Jesus was hungry, that He was physically weak, and [he] thought that by pointing to those little lime stones which resemble somewhat a Jewish loaf of bread, he could awaken a desire to eat. Failing in that, when he received the divine word, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4), Satan then tried Him in another way. He dared Him—an appeal to His pride, to His vanity. … But the Savior answered him in terms of scripture, “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God” (Matthew 4:7). What was the third? An appeal to His love of power, domain, wealth: “All these things [the kingdoms of the world and the glory thereof] will I give thee,” said the tempter, “if thou wilt fall down and worship me” (Matthew 4:9). “Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve” (Matthew 4:10).
Now, nearly every temptation that comes to you and me comes in one of those forms. Classify them, and you will find that under one of those three nearly every given temptation that makes you and me spotted, ever so little may be, comes to us as (1) a temptation of the appetite; (2) a yielding to the pride and fashion and vanity of those alienated from the things of God; or (3) a gratifying of the passion, or a desire for the riches of the world, or power among men. …"
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