For two thousand years John the Baptist has been seen as the one who first predicted the coming of the Messiah and then recognized Jesus as "the Lamb of God" at his baptism in the Jordan River. John the Baptist, however, was not merely the herald of Jesus. He was Jesus. He became a Christos, an anointed one, after his process of God-realization, symbolized by his baptism in the Jordan.He became the very Messiah for whom the Jews had waited so long. But this Redeemer was expected to fulfill a long list of prophesies that had been penned down by ancient prophets. John the Baptist did not correspond to these prophesies. The evangelists, therefore, gave him posthumously a new name and a new identity, one that referred to a character from the Old Testament: Joshua son of Nun, which translated liberally, means Son of God. This book shows how this volatile concept is covertly woven into the fabric of the gospel stories -- for "those who have ears and want to hear." And when we unravel this grand secret, we also find solutions to many other inexplicable Biblical mysteries. The reader will discover the true identity of the enigmatic Manna, which God caused to come from heaven to sustain the Israelites on their forty year trek through the wilderness. The rather unbelievable story of Jonah, who emerged alive and well after three days in the belly of a great fish, will be clarified. And we'll learn why the disciples of Jesus were told to cast their fishing net on the right side of their boats. And much more!Through the ages there has always been a small group of initiated who guarded the secret that John the Baptist was Jesus. This book contains many paintings of old masters such as Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Correggio, in which this knowledge is secretly expressed.

The search for the real historical person known as John the Baptist and the traditions that began with him • Explores why John the Baptist is so crucially important to the Freemasons, who were originally known as “St. John’s Men” • Reveals how John and Jesus were equal partners and shared a common spiritual vision to rebuild Israel and overcome corruption in the Temple of Jerusalem • Explains the connections between John as lord of the summer solstice, his mysterious severed head, fertility rites, and ancient Jewish harvest festivals Few Freemasons today understand why the most significant date in the Masonic calendar is June 24th--the Feast of the Birth of St. John the Baptist and the traditional date for appointing Grand Masters. Nor do many of them know that Masons used to be known as “St. John’s Men” or that John the Baptist was fundamental to the original Masonic philosophy of personal transformation. Starting with the mystery of John in Freemasonry, Tobias Churton searches out the historical Baptist through the gospels and ancient histories, unearthing the real story behind the figure lauded by Jesus’s words “no greater man was ever born of woman.” He investigates John’s links with the Essenes and the Gnostics, links that flourish to this day. Exposing how the apostle Paul challenged John’s following, twisting his message and creating the image of John as “merely” a herald of Jesus, the author shows how Paul may have been behind the executions of both John and Jesus and reveals a precise date for the crucifixion and the astonishing meaning of the phrase “the third day.” He examines the significance of John’s severed head to holy knights, such as the Knights Templar, and of Leonardo’s famous painting of John. Churton also explains connections between John, the summer solstice, fertility rites, and ancient Jewish harvest festivals. Revealing John as a courageous, revolutionary figure as vital to the origins of Christianity as his cousin Jesus himself, Churton shows how John and Jesus, as equal partners, launched a covert spiritual operation to overcome corruption in the Temple of Jerusalem, re-initiate Israel, and resurrect Creation.

An analysis that challenges the conventional Christian hierarchy of John the Baptist and Jesus of Nazareth While the Christian tradition has subordinated John the Baptist to Jesus of Nazareth, John himself would likely have disagreed with that ranking. In this eye-opening new book, John the Baptist in History and Theology, Joel Marcus makes a powerful case that John saw himself, not Jesus, as the proclaimer and initiator of the kingdom of God and his own ministry as the center of God's saving action in history. Although the Fourth Gospel has the Baptist saying, "He must increase, but I must decrease," Marcus contends that this and other biblical and extrabiblical evidence reveal a continuing competition between the two men that early Christians sought to muffle. Like Jesus, John was an apocalyptic prophet who looked forward to the imminent end of the world and the establishment of God's rule on earth. Originally a member of the Dead Sea Sect, an apocalyptic community within Judaism, John broke with the group over his growing conviction that he himself was Elijah, the end-time prophet who would inaugurate God's kingdom on earth. Through his ministry of baptism, he ushered all who came to him—Jews and non-Jews alike—into this dawning new age. Jesus began his career as a follower of the Baptist, but, like other successor figures in religious history, he parted ways from his predecessor as he became convinced of his own centrality in God's purposes. Meanwhile John's mass following and apocalyptic message became political threats to Herod Antipas, who had John executed to abort any revolutionary movement. Based on close critical-historical readings of early texts—including the accounts of John in the Gospels and in Josephus's Antiquities—as well as parallels from later religious movements, John the Baptist in History and Theology situates the Baptist within Second Temple Judaism and compares him to other apocalyptic thinkers from ancient and modern times. It concludes with thoughtful reflections on how its revisionist interpretations might be incorporated into the Christian faith.

The Antiquities of the Jews is a 20-volume historiographical work composed by Flavius Josephus in the 13th year of the reign of Roman emperor Flavius Domitian. The book contains an account of history of the Jewish people, written in Greek for Josephus' gentile patrons. In the first ten volumes, Josephus follows the events of the historical books of the Hebrew Bible beginning with the creation of Adam and Eve. The second ten volumes continue the history of the Jewish people beyond the biblical text and up to the Jewish War. This work provides valuable background material to historians wishing to understand 1st-century AD Judaism and the early Christian period._x000D_ _x000D_ Titus Flavius Josephus was a first-century Romano-Jewish scholar, historian and hagiographer, who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly descent and a mother who claimed royal ancestry. He initially fought against the Romans during the First Jewish–Roman War as head of Jewish forces in Galilee, until surrendering in 67 CE to Roman forces led by Vespasian after the six-week siege of Jotapata. After Vespasian became Emperor in 69 CE, he granted Josephus his freedom, at which time Josephus assumed the emperor's family name of Flavius. He fully defected to the Roman side and was granted Roman citizenship. Josephus recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the first century CE and the First Jewish–Roman War, including the Siege of Masada. His most important works were The Jewish War (c. 75) and Antiquities of the Jews (c. 94)._x000D_

Table of Contents 1. You Must Know and Believe in the Ministry of John the Baptist (Mark 1:1-2) 2. John the Baptist Was Not a Failure (Matthew 11:1-14) 3. John the Baptist, Who Came in the Way of Righteousness (Matthew 17:1-13) 4. Look at the Ministry of John the Baptist! (Luke 1:17-23) 5. Let Us Gladly Enjoy the Glory of God (John 1:1-14) 6. Do You Know the Ministries of Two Servants of God? (John 1:30-36) 7. Why Did Jesus Have to Receive the Baptism? (John 3:22-36) 8. Spread the True Gospel and Jesus’ Righteous Deed (Matthew 3:1-17) 9. The Relationship between the Work of John the Baptist and the Gospel of Atonement for Our Sins (Matthew 21:32) 10. Jesus Who Came to Blot Out Your Sins (Matthew 3:13-17) 11. “Behold, I Send My Messenger” (Mark 1:1-5) 12. Let’s Believe in Jesus with the Understanding of John the Baptist (Luke 1:1-17) The New Testament begins with the Four Gospels, that is, the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. All of the Four Gospels dealt with and completely recorded the ministry of John the Baptist. It is because his ministry is so important. Without the understanding of the ministry of John the Baptist, we cannot claim to know the ministry of Jesus Christ. If so, we can ask ourselves, "Was the ministry of John the Baptist recorded in the Four Gospels of that much importance?" Pointing out John the Baptist, even Jesus said, "And if you are willing to receive it, he is Elijah who is to come" (Matthew 11:14). Hence, John the Baptist was a man born on this earth to carry out a special ministry. Jesus also said, "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force" (Matthew 11:12). This is true because John the Baptist was born on this earth, and when he baptized Jesus Christ, the sins of this world were passed on to Him. Thus, Jesus was able to take on the sins of this world at once. By having allowed this to be so, the Lord has allowed those who believe in the ministry of John the Baptist and the ministry of Jesus to enter Heaven by receiving the cleansing of sins. This is the meaning inherent in the Scripture passage from the Gospel of Matthew chapter 11, verses 12-14. Do you believe that the gospel of the water and the Spirit is the Truth? If you do, it means that you know the ministry of John the Baptist and the ministry of Jesus completely. However, many Christians who do not understand the ministry of John the Baptist do not know the gospel Truth of the water and the Spirit, and they lead their life of faith only with the fervors of their flesh. Though ignorance, such people do not even try to know the ministry of John the Baptist written in the Four Gospels. Hence, the ministry of John the Baptist has all too long been coming under disregard even among Christians who claim to believe in Jesus. Perhaps for this reason, I find there isn't that many people who have interest in the ministry of John the Baptist these days. Thus, people are prone to look strangely at those who have interest on this topic. It is because many people have been looking away from the ministry of John the Baptist and the ministry of Jesus reluctantly for all too long. The New Life Mission https://www.bjnewlife.org

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Is it possible to reconcile Jesus, the Prince of Peace, with religious violence? From the Inquisition to the burning of women healers to modern pedophilia scandals, spiritual leaders and followers are deeply divided about how to reconcile the teachings of Jesus with the atrocities of church history. How did his message get misinterpreted, and what relevance does that message have in the 21st century? Here, critically acclaimed author and social historian Rex Weyler explores the mystery surrounding the historical Jesus, whose voice and words have been distorted by centuries of revision. By examining the research of international Bible scholars and some 200 ancient sources, including the recently discovered Gospels of Thomas and Mary, Weyler recreates the life of Jesus and his legacy, from the Roman Empire to the present day. Combining popular history with modern scholarship, The Jesus Sayings is a revelatory and highly readable work that entertains, inspires, and enlightens.