John the Baptist Testifies of Christ in the Wilderness
The forerunner cries in the wilderness — knowing himself the voice the prophets foretold — and preaches a baptism of repentance: warning of the axe laid to the root and the fire to come, yet pointing always past himself to the mightier One whose way he prepares.
Harmony §1.145 of 5 accountsReading: RE
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The reading is the Restoration Edition — the Joseph Smith Translation reading — carried beside each Gospel and set against the King James baseline. Headers give both numbering systems: the RE chapter and verse, and the traditional KJV reference.
JST
Green — Joseph Smith Translation. Where the Restoration Edition departs in substance from the King James text and the change is in the JST (confirmed against the parallel-column edition). Modernized English (“has” for “hath,”“you” for “thou”) is not marked.
RE
Burgundy — Restoration Edition. Where the RE’s reading departs from the King James but the change is not in the Joseph Smith Translation — the RE’s own editorial reading (e.g. “this day I have begotten you” at the baptism).
DS
Plum — Testimony of St. John. The TSJ (a separate scripture text) and Denver Snuffer’s later commentary share the plum mark.
MatthewMatthew 3:1–12RE Matthew 2:1–3
1And in those days came John the Baptist preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2and saying, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 3For I am he who was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord and make his paths straight."
4And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair and a leather girdle about his loins, and his food was locusts and wild honey. 5Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan. 6And many were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 7But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Why is it that you receive not the preaching of him whom God has sent? If you receive not this in your hearts, you receive not me. And if you receive not me, you receive not him of whom I am sent to bear record; and for your sins, you have no cloak. 8Repent therefore and bring forth fruits meet for repentance. 9And think not to say within yourselves, We are the children of Abraham, and we only have power to bring seed unto our father Abraham; for I say unto you that God is able, of these stones, to raise up children unto Abraham. 10And now also, the ax is laid unto the root of the trees; therefore, every tree which brings not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.
11I indeed baptize you with water upon your repentance, and when he of whom I bear record comes — who is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear, or whose place I am not able to fill — as I said, I indeed baptize you before he comes, that, when he comes, he may baptize you with the holy ghost and fire. 12And it is he of whom I shall bear record, whose winnowing fork shall be in his hand; and he will thoroughly purge his floor and gather his wheat into the storehouse, but in the fullness of his own time will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. Thus came John, preaching and baptizing in the river of Jordan, bearing record that he who was coming after him had power to baptize with the holy ghost and fire.
MarkMark 1:1–8RE Mark 1:1
1The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. 2As it is written in the prophets, "Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee." 3"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight." 4John did baptize in the wilderness and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. 5And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and many were baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6And John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a girdle of skin about his loins, and he did eat locusts and wild honey, 7and preached, saying, There comes one mightier than I after me, the latchets of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8I indeed have baptized you with water; but he shall not only baptize you with water, but with fire and the holy ghost.
LukeLuke 3:1–20RE Luke 3:3–7
1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar — Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene, 2Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, now in this same year, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. 3And he came into all the country about Jordan preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins,
4as it is written in the book of the prophet Esaias. And these are the words, saying, "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight." For behold and see, he shall come, as it is written in the book of the prophets, to take away the sins of the world, and to bring salvation unto the heathen nations; to gather together those who are lost, who are of the sheepfold of Israel, yea, even her dispersed and afflicted; and also to prepare the way and make possible the preaching of the gospel unto the gentiles, and to be a light unto all who sit in darkness, unto the furthest parts of the earth; to bring to pass the resurrection from the dead, and to ascend up on high to dwell on the right hand of the Father until the fullness of time, and the law and the testimony shall be sealed, and the keys of the kingdom shall be delivered up again unto the Father; to administer justice unto all, to come down in judgment upon all, and to convince all the ungodly of their ungodly deeds which they have committed. And all this in the day that he shall come, for it is a day of power. Yea, 5every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, 6and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
7Then said John to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, crying against them with a loud voice, saying, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come! 8Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, Abraham is our father, we have kept the commandments of God and none can inherit the promises but the children of Abraham; for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 9And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees. Every tree therefore which brings not forth good fruit shall be hewn down and cast into the fire.
10And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? 11He answers and says unto them, He that has two coats, let him impart to him who has none. And he that has food, let him do likewise. 12Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? 13And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed unto you. For it is well known unto you, Theophilus, that after the manner of the Jews and according to the custom of their law in receiving money in the treasury, that out of the abundance which was received was appointed unto the poor, every man his portion. And after this manner did the publicans also; wherefore, John said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. 14And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
15And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he was the Christ or not, 16John answered, saying unto all, I indeed baptize you with water, but there comes one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to untie. He shall baptize you with the holy ghost and with fire, 17whose winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor and will gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable. 18And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people. 19But Herod the tetrarch — being reproved of him for Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done — 20added yet this above all: that he shut up John in prison.
JohnJohn 1:6–8RE John 1:2
6There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7The same came into the world for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, to bear record of the gospel through the Son unto all, that through him men might believe. 8He was not that Light, but came to bear witness of that Light.
Testimony of St. JohnJohn 1:6–8T&C 171 · TSJ 1:2
6There was a man sent from God, and his name was John. 7This man was sent as a witness so that he might testify and identify the Light, to give everyone a reason to believe through the Messiah. 8He, John, was not the Light, but he was sent by Heaven as a witness to testify of the Light, and to end the dispensation of Moses, and baptize to begin a new dispensation.
John’s ministry did not end at the Jordan. As a resurrected messenger he returned on 15 May 1829 to confer his own priesthood on Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery — naming it exactly as he had borne it in the wilderness: the keys of the ministering of angels, the gospel of repentance, and baptism for the remission of sins.
Upon you, my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah I confer the priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins. And this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.
John the Forerunner
Preaching from the third chapter of Malachi on the death of Judge Higbee, Joseph Smith dwelt on the Levitical priesthood and showed John to be a Levite — “lawful heir to the Levitical Priesthood,” holding the keys of entrance into the kingdom, so that even Jesus came to him for baptism. The reading follows the Coray Notebook; the McIntire Minute Book preserves a briefer second witness of the same sermon.
Discourse, 21 March 1841, Nauvoo · Howard and Martha Coray Notebook (WJS pp. 65–67)
Joseph Smith read the third chapter of Malachi, and dwelt with emphasis upon the Levitical priesthood and the promise concerning them. He took up John, showed him to be a Levite, and proceeded: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight.” Now it was written that the priests’ lips should keep knowledge, and to them should the people seek for understanding; and above all, the law binds them and us to receive the word of the Lord at the hands of the Levites. Therefore John, being lawful heir to the Levitical Priesthood, the people were bound to receive his testimony. Hence the saying, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
After John had been testifying of Jesus for some time, Jesus came unto him for baptism. John felt that the honor of baptizing his Master was too great a thing — greater than he could claim — and said, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? Jesus replied, Thus it behooveth us to fulfil all righteousness — thus signifying to John the claim of the Aaronic priesthood, which holds the keys of entrance into the kingdom.
Then the three signs which were given were conclusive. The dove which sat upon his shoulder was a sure testimony that he was of God. Brethren, be not deceived, nor doubtful of this fact: a spirit of a good man, or an angel from heaven who has not a body, will never undertake to shake hands with you, for he knows you cannot perceive his touch, and will never extend his hand; but any spirit or body that is attended by a dove, you may know to be a pure spirit. Thus you may in some measure detect the spirits who may come unto you.
John was great in that he baptized Jesus; and for this cause Jesus saith, “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.” But again he says, From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. Jesus, as I said, could not enter except by the administration of John — although John was not a restorer but a forerunner. It was not the lawful priests who rejected Jesus, but the self-made priests. Those who were priests lawfully received the Savior in his station, which was given him by the law. All the authority that we have is from John. The law is not changed, nor the ordinances; the keys of ushering into the kingdom were given to Peter, James, and John.
And he shall purify the sons of Levi. Yes, brethren, the Lord will purify the sons of Levi, good or bad, for it is through them that blessings flow to Israel. And as Israel once was baptized in the cloud and in the sea, so shall God, as a refiner’s fire and a fuller’s soap, purge and purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and as silver; and then, and not till then, shall the offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in days of old and as in former years. And he shall witness against all iniquity, as saith Malachi, and shall sorely chastize those who are gone astray; but still he saith, I am God, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed: return thou unto me, and I will return unto thee. The Lord will begin by revealing the house of Israel among the gentiles; and those who have gone from the ordinances of God shall return unto the keeping of all the law, and observing his judgments and statutes to do them. Then shall the law of the Lord go forth from Zion, and the word of the Lord to the priests, and through them, from Jerusalem.
And I prophesy that the day will come when you will say, Oh that we had given heed; but look now upon our public works — the store, the schoolhouse, for instance — the simoom of the desert has passed over it: the people will not hearken nor hear. And bondage, death, and destruction are close at our heels. The kingdom will not be broken up, but judgments await men: we shall be scattered and driven, gathered again and then dispersed, reestablished and driven abroad, and so on, until the Ancient of days shall sit, and the kingdom and power thereof shall be given to the Saints, and they shall possess it forever and ever — which may God hasten, for Christ’s sake. Amen.
The Kingdom of God in the Days of John
In a discourse near the temple in Nauvoo, Joseph Smith taught that the kingdom of God has been on the earth wherever God has had an authorized servant — and that John was no mere herald: he held the keys of the Aaronic Priesthood and the authority to baptize, so the kingdom of God was already in his hands before Jesus began to teach.
Some say the kingdom of God was not set up on the earth until the day of Pentecost, and that John did not preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, but I say in the name of the Lord, that the kingdom of God was set up on the earth from the days of Adam to the present time, whenever there has been a righteous man on earth unto whom God revealed his word and gave power and authority to administer in his name. And where there is a priest of God, a minister who has power and authority from God to administer in the ordinances of the Gospel, and officiate in the Priesthood of God, there is the kingdom of God; and in consequence of rejecting the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Prophets whom God hath sent, the judgments of God have rested upon people, cities and nations in various ages of the world, which was the case with the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were destroyed for rejecting the Prophets.
Now I will give my testimony. I care not for man, I speak boldly, and faithfully, and with authority. How is it with the kingdom of God? Where did the kingdom of God begin? Where there is no kingdom of God there is no salvation. What constitutes the kingdom of God? Where there is a prophet, a priest, or a righteous man, unto whom God gives his oracles, there is the kingdom of God; and where the oracles of God are not, there the kingdom of God is not.
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, which was a descendant of Aaron, and the Lord 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 revelation.
An angel of God also appeared unto Zacharias while in the Temple, 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.
But, says one, the kingdom of God could not be set up in the days of John, for John said the kingdom was at hand; but I would ask if it could be any nearer to them than to be in the hands of John. The people need not wait for the days of Pentecost to find the kingdom of God, for John had it with him, and he came forth from the wilderness crying out, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is nigh at hand," as much as to say, "Out here I have got the kingdom of God, and you can get it, and I am coming after you, and if you don’t receive it you will be damned;" and the scriptures represent that all Jerusalem went out unto John’s baptism. Here was a legal administrator, and those that were baptized were subjects for a king, and also the laws and oracles of God were there, therefore the kingdom of God was there; for no man could have better authority to administer than John, and our Savior submitted to that authority himself by being baptized by John; therefore the kingdom of God was set up on the earth even in the days of John.
There is a difference between the kingdom of God and the fruits and blessings that flow from that kingdom; because there were more miracles, gifts, visions, healings, tongues, &c., in the days of Jesus Christ and his apostles, and on the day of Pentecost, than under John’s administration, it does not prove by any means that John had not the kingdom of God, any more than it would that a woman had not a milk pan because she had not a pan of milk; for while the pan might be compared to the kingdom, the milk might be compared to the blessings of the kingdom.
John was a priest after the order of Aaron, and had the keys of that priesthood, and came forth preaching repentance and baptism for the remission of sins, but at the same time cries out, "There cometh one after me more mighty than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose," and Christ came according to the words of John, and he was greater than John, because he held the keys of the Melchisedec Priesthood and kingdom of God, and had before revealed the priesthood to Moses; yet Christ was baptized by John to fulfil all righteousness.
And Jesus in his teachings says, "Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." What rock? Revelation. Again he says, "Except ye are born of the water and of the spirit, ye cannot enter into the kingdom of God;" and though the heavens and earth should pass away, my words shall not pass away. If a man is born of the water and the Spirit, he can get into the kingdom of God.
It is evident the kingdom of God was on the earth, and John prepared subjects for the kingdom by preaching the gospel to them and baptizing them, and he prepared the way before the Savior, or came as a forerunner and prepared subjects for the preaching of Christ; and Christ preached through Jerusalem on the same ground where John had preached, and when the Apostles were raised up, they worked in Jerusalem, and Jesus commanded them to tarry there until they were endowed with power from on high. Had they not work to do in Jerusalem? They did work and prepared a people for the Pentecost. The kingdom of God was with them before the day of Pentecost as well as afterwards, and it was also with John, and he preached the same gospel and baptism that Jesus and the Apostles preached after him.
Whenever men can find out the will of God and find an administrator legally authorized from God, there is the kingdom of God; but where these are not, the kingdom of God is not. All the ordinances, systems, and administrations on the earth are of no use to the children of men, unless they are ordained and authorized of God; for nothing will save a man but a legal administrator, for none others will be acknowledged either by God or angels.
I know what I say, I understand my mission and business. God Almighty is my shield, and what can man do if God is my friend? I shall not be sacrificed until my time comes; then I shall be offered freely. All flesh is as grass, and a governor is no better than other men; when he dies he is but a bag of dust. I thank God for preserving me from my enemies; I have no enemies but for the Truth’s sake. I have no desire but to do all men good; I feel to pray for all men; we don’t ask any people to throw away any good they have got, we only ask them to come and get more. What if all the world should embrace this gospel? They would then see eye to eye, and the blessings of God would be poured out upon the people, which is the desire of my whole soul.
Three Reasons John Was the Greatest Prophet
A week later, again at the temple, Joseph Smith returned to the question of John’s greatness and answered it with three reasons — none of them his miracles: John prepared the way, John baptized the Son of God, and John alone held the keys of power on the earth. (The sign of the dove that he names here is treated under the Baptism.)
His miracles could not have constituted his greatness. First, he was entrusted with a divine mission of preparing the way before the face of the Lord. Who ever had such a trust committed to him, before or since? No man. Secondly, he was entrusted with the important mission, and it was required at his hands, to baptize the Son of Man. Who ever had the honor of doing that? Who ever had so great a privilege and glory? Who ever led the Son of God into the waters of baptism, and had the privilege of beholding the Holy Ghost descend in the form of a dove?
Thirdly, John, at that time, was the only legal administrator in the affairs of the kingdom there was then on the earth, and holding the keys of power. The Jews had to obey his instructions, or be damned by their own law; and Christ himself fulfilled all righteousness in becoming obedient to the law which he had given to Moses on the mount, and thereby magnified it, and made it honorable, instead of destroying it. The son of Zacharias wrested the keys, the kingdom, the power, the glory from the Jews, by the holy anointing and decree of heaven, and these three reasons constitute him the greatest prophet born of a woman.
The Only Legal Administrator
Half a year later, preaching from Luke 16:16 and Matthew 11:12, Joseph Smith traced the Aaronic Priesthood as a hereditary line from Aaron down to Zacharias and his son — so that John, holding the keys, was the only legal administrator then on the earth, the one lawful authority to whom even Jesus could come for baptism. To switch from the prepared reading to the original notebooks, use the Scribal accounts toggle.
From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force; for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. John held the Aaronic Priesthood, and was a legal administrator, and the forerunner of Christ, and came to prepare the way before him.
Christ was the head of the Church, the chief corner stone, the spiritual rock upon which the church was built, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. He built up the kingdom, chose Apostles, and ordained them to the Melchizedek Priesthood, giving them power to administer in the ordinances of the Gospel. John was a priest after the order of Aaron before Christ.
And thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons, that they may minister unto me in the priest’s office; for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting Priesthood throughout their generations. Here is a little of law which must be fulfilled. The Levitical Priesthood is forever hereditary — fixed on the head of Aaron and his sons forever, and was in active operation down to Zacharias the father of John. Zacharias would have had no child had not God given him a son. He sent his angel to declare unto Zacharias that his wife Elizabeth should bear him a son, whose name was to be called John. The keys of the Aaronic Priesthood were committed unto him, and he was as the voice of one crying in the wilderness, saying: “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, and make his paths straight.”
The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence. The kingdom of heaven continueth in authority until John. The authority taketh it by absolute power. John, having the power, took the kingdom by authority. How have you obtained all this great knowledge? By the gift of the Holy Ghost. He wrested the kingdom from the Jews — of these stony gentiles, these dogs, to raise up children unto Abraham.
The Savior said unto John, I must be baptized by you. Why so? To fulfil all righteousness. John refuses at first, but afterwards obeyed by administering the ordinance of baptism unto him, Jesus having no other legal administrator to apply to. There is no salvation between the two lids of the Bible without a legal administrator. Jesus was then the legal administrator, and ordained his Apostles.
The Spirit of Elias
Six weeks before his death, Joseph Smith distinguished the spirit of Elias (a forerunner, preparing the way) from the spirit of Elijah (the sealing power) and the spirit of Messiah. The forerunner he named was John the Baptist — sent to prepare, careful not to transcend his bounds.
The spirit of Elias was a going before, to prepare the way for the greater — which was the case with John the Baptist. He came calling through the wilderness, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord and make his paths straight”; and they were informed, if they could receive it, it was the spirit of Elias. And John was very particular to tell the people he was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. He told the people that his mission was to preach repentance and baptize with water, but it was he that should come after him that should baptize with fire and the Holy Ghost.
John’s mission was limited to preaching and baptizing, but what he done was legal; and when Jesus Christ came to any of John’s disciples, he baptized them with fire and the Holy Ghost. … What I want to impress upon your minds is the difference of power in the different parts of the priesthood, so that when any man comes among you saying, “I have the spirit of Elias,” you can know whether he be true or false; for any man that comes having the spirit and power of Elias, he will not transcend his bounds. John did not transcend his bounds, but faithfully performed that part belonging to his office.
DS
Latter-day witness
Denver Snuffer on John the Baptist
Denver Snuffer returns often to John — the lone voice crying in the wilderness, sent of God yet unrecognized by the presiding powers, whose work was to close one dispensation and open another. Gathered here from his book, blog, and talks.
Books
Come, Let Us Adore Him · 2009 · ch. 4, “The Time In Which He Came,” ¶ 18 (≈ p. 59)
Luke begins his Gospel by referencing the great and notable government and religious leaders of the time… the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness… John held no such recognized authority. He may have been called of heaven, but the presiding authorities were so distant from heaven they were neither told of John’s calling, nor were they able to recognize heaven’s imprint on his ministry.
Eighteen Verses · 2007 · ch. 9, “Prospering in the Land,” ¶ 47 (≈ p. 179)
And this is the record of John… He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. (John 1:19–23.)
He was taken into the Judaean wilderness and hidden there to protect him from the authorities… When he returned from the wilderness, he came dressed in camel hair, wearing a leather girdle, eating locusts and wild honey.
Talks & papers
“Christmas Fireside” · 17 Dec 2021 · transcript p. 7
John was raised in the wilderness; he was sort of a curiosity… John was not someone that was welcome to the inner circle of the kingdom, of the hierarchy, of the priestly establishment.
“Righteousness” · 20 Nov 2022 · transcript p. 5
John was sent forth in part to be rejected by the Jews so that he could wrest the keys, the kingdom, and the power and the glory from the Jews… the rejection of John was a necessary step to permit one dispensation to close and another to begin.
“Michelle Stone Interview” · 14 Jul 2023 · transcript p. 27
You can have a single voice crying in the wilderness, like John the Baptist, who, as Joseph put it, the kingdom of God was with John and not with the Jews at the time… But John was a lone voice crying in the wilderness.
Quotations are short excerpts from Denver Snuffer’s book, blog, and talks, shown pending publication permission; discovered via the Restoration Archive (search.restorationarchives.com).
HN
Hugh Nibley on the forerunner
The Forerunner Everywhere
Nibley set John among the desert communities who lived, like the men of the Dead Sea Scrolls, to “prepare the way.” John held only the lesser priesthood, yet his witness ran ahead of the Lord at every turn — pointing to the higher priesthood Christ would bring, and (so the early Christians held) going before him even into the world of the dead.
Mormonism and Early Christianity“The Early Christian Prayer Circle” · Collected Works, Vol. 4
In Matthew 11:7, Jesus is speaking about John the Baptist’s followers and begins, “concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see?” This is a challenge to the desert sectaries. They were out there, as the Manual of Discipline so clearly tells us, to “prepare the way” (see Matthew 11:10). He speaks of John’s great mission as the herald of a dispensation, an “Elias, which was for to come” (Matthew 11:14).
Temple and Cosmos“Apocryphal Writings and the Teachings of the Dead Sea Scrolls” · Collected Works, Vol. 12
John the Baptist, who performed the ordinances with which he was entrusted, foretold in a special language that Christ would bring the ordinances of the higher priesthood after him, because John the Baptist had only the ordinances of the Aaronic, or lesser priesthood, the Pistis Sophia tells us.
Mormonism and Early Christianity“Baptism for the Dead in Ancient Times” · Collected Works, Vol. 4
The parallel between the Lord’s earthly and post-mortal missions is preserved even to the extent of having his coming in the spirit world heralded by John the Baptist. Origen says John “died before him, so that he might descend to the lower regions and announce his coming.” And again: “For everywhere the witness and forerunner of Jesus is John, being born before and dying shortly before the Son of God, so that not only to those of his generation but likewise to those who lived before Christ should liberation from death be preached, and that he might everywhere prepare a people trained to receive the Lord.” … John’s function in the spirit world, like the Savior’s, was identical with his mission on this earth.
Excerpt from the Collected Works of Hugh Nibley; the quotations within are Origen, as cited by Nibley.
Points to Ponder
John knew himself to be the voice Isaiah foretold. What does it mean to find your own life already written in the word of God?
If the authority to prepare the way was on the earth in John’s own day, what does that say about how God works before the world is ready to notice?
John warns that the axe is already laid to the root, and that every tree is known by its fruit. Where does he locate repentance — in claimed descent from Abraham, or in a changed life?
The forerunner who could draw all Jerusalem to the Jordan spends his preaching pointing past himself to One mightier, whose baptism is of fire. What is asked of a witness whose whole errand is to decrease?