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BACKGROUND FOR THIS EPISODE

(In Order of Appearance)

NEW TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:

  • Luke 3:1 – While John, Zechariah’s son, was in the desert, the Word of God came to him. This occurred during the 15th year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar. These men were ruling for Caesar: Pontius Pilate ruled Judea; Herod Antipas ruled Galilee
  • Matthew 11:7-8 – After these men left, Jesus began to tell the crowds about John: “What did you people go out into the desert to see? A reed being blown by the wind? 8Why did you go out there? Did you go to see a man dressed in fine clothes? 
  • Luke 1:80 – And so, the little boy was growing up and becoming stronger in spirit. John lived in the desert, away from other people, until the time when he came out to proclaim to Israel.
  • Luke 1:36 – Now listen to this: You know that Elizabeth, your relative, is very old, but she is already pregnant with a son. The woman who could not have a baby has been pregnant for six months! 37With God, nothing is impossible!”
  • Matthew 11:7 – After these men left, Jesus began to tell the crowds about John: “What did you people go out into the desert to see?  A reed being blown by the wind?”
  • Luke 3:1 – While John, Zechariah’s son, was in the desert, the Word of God came to him. This occurred during the 15th year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar. These men were ruling for Caesar: Pontius Pilate ruled Judea; Herod Antipas ruled Galilee; 
  • Luke 1:5,13 – During the time when Herod the Great ruled Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He belonged to Abijah’s section.a His wife came from the family of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth…the angel said to him, “Zechariah, don’t be afraid. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him John. 
  • Luke 1:7 – However, they had no children. Elizabeth could not have a baby. And, both of them were very old.
  • Matthew 3:4 – John always wore clothes made of camel hair. He had a leather belt around his waist. He ate grasshoppers and wild honey. 
  • John 1:31 – “Why did I come, immersing people in water? To show him to the people of Israel.”
  • Luke 1:76 – Now you, little boy, will be called a prophet of the Highest One. You will go ahead of the Lord to make His roads ready.
  • Luke 3:3f – John went throughout the whole area around the Jordan River. He was proclaiming to the people: “Change your hearts and be immersed for the forgiveness of sins.” 4As the words in the book of Isaiah the prophet are written
  • Revelation 1:6 – The first one to rise from death, and the Ruler of the kings of the earth. May glory and power be his forever and ever. Amen! Jesus loves us. He bled, setting us free from our sins. He formed us into a kingdom. We are priests to God, his Father.
  • Colossians 2:12 – You were buried with Christ by immersion. You were also raised with Christ through believing in the power of God who raised Christ from death.
  • John 1:32 – This is the proof that John gave: “I saw the Spirit coming down like a dove from the sky, hovering above him. 
  • Luke 3:10-14 – The crowds were asking John, “So, what should we do!?” 11John was answering them, “If you have two shirts, then share one with the person who doesn’t have one. If you have food, share that, too.” 12Even the tax collectorsd came to John. They wanted to be immersed. They asked John, “Teacher, what should we do!?” 13John answered them, “Don’t take from anyone more taxes than you have been ordered to take.”  The soldiers were asking John, “What about us!? What should we do!?”  John said to them, “Don’t force people to give you their money. Don’t tell lies about anyone. And, be happy with the pay you receive.”
  • Matthew 3:7-10 – When John saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his immersions, he said to them, “You are like poisonous snakes! Who warned you to run away from God’s punishment which is coming!? 8You must do the things which will show that you have really changed your hearts! 9Don’t think this to yourselves: ‘Abraham is our ancestor!’ I tell you that God could make descendants for Abraham from these rocks here. 10The ax is now ready to cut down the trees. Every tree which does not produce good fruit is being cut down and thrown into fire.
  • John 1:24-28 – They had been sent [as spies] from the Pharisee group. 25They asked John, “Since you are not the Messiah, Elijah, or the Prophet, why are you immersing people?” 26John answered them, “Yes, I immerse people in water, but there is another one among you whom you don’t know about. 27He is coming later. I am not worthy to untie his shoelace.” This happened in the town of Bethany (the one across the Jordan River). John was immersing people there.
  • Matthew 3:13-17 – Then Jesus traveled from the land of Galilee to the Jordan River where John was, so that John could immerse him, 14but John was trying to stop him. John said, “I need you to immerse me, yet you are coming to me!?” 15Jesus answered him, “Allow this for now, because this is the proper way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John did so. 16After Jesus was immersed, he came up from the water immediately. Look, the sky was opened for him. He saw the Spirit of God coming down on him like a dove. 17Listen, a Voice came from heaven and said, “This is My Son, and I love him, I am very pleased with him!”
  • John 1:19-23 – The Jewish leaders from Jerusalem sent some priests and Levites to ask John this question: “Who are you?” This is the proof that John gave: 20John did not refuse to answer; he spoke freely. He clearly said, “I am not the Messiah!” 21They asked him, “Who are you? Are you Elijah?” John said, “No, I am not Elijah.” They asked, “Are you the Prophet?” John answered, “No.” 22Then they asked him, “Who are you? We must give an answer to the men who sent us here. What do you say about yourself?” 23John said, “I am ‘a voice shouting in the desert: Prepare the Lord’s road,’ (Isaiah 40:3)  just as Isaiah the prophet said.”
  • Hebrews 4:15 – Our High Priest [Jesus] can sympathize with our weaknesses. He was tempted in every way as we are, but he never sinned! 
  • Hebrews 10:4,11 – Goat’s blood or bull’s blood could never take away sin…11A priest serves at the worship service every day. He offers the same sacrifices again and again, but these things can never take away sin. 
  • John 1:29-34 – The next day, John saw Jesus coming toward him. John said, “Look, God’s Lamb who will take away the world’s sin! 30This is the one I was talking about: ‘The man who is coming behind me has been ahead of me, because he was alive before I was.’ 31I didn’t know him. Why did I come, immersing people in water? To show him to the people of Israel.” 32This is the proof that John gave: “I saw the Spirit coming down like a dove from the sky, hovering above him. 33I didn’t know him, but the One who sent me to immerse people in water said to me, ‘If you see the Spirit coming down and staying upon someone, this is the one who immerses in the Holy Spirit.’ 34I have seen it! I am telling you the truth—he is the Son of God!”
  • Hebrews 10:10,12 – We have been made holy once for all time through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ…But after Jesus Christ offered just one sacrifice for sin forever, he sat down at God’s right hand. 
  • John 1:1,14 – In the beginning was the Word,a and the Word was with God, and the Word was deity…14The Word became human and lived among us for a while. We saw his glory, the kind of glory like that of the Father’s one and onlyc Son—full of gracious love and truth
  • John 1:35-37 –  Again, on the next day, John stood there with two of his followers. 36He looked at Jesus walking by. John said, “Look, God’s Lamb!” 37When the two followers heard John say this, they started to follow Jesus.
OLD TESTAMENT OF THE BIBLE:
  • I Kings 16:29-30 – Later, Ahab (the son of Omri)j became the king over Israel. This happened during Asa’s 38th year as king of Judah.k Ahab (the son of Omri) ruled over Israel in the city of Samaria for 22 years.l 30Ahab (the son of Omri) did many things that were evil in the sight of Yahweh. Ahab did more evil than anyone who lived before him.m 
  • I Kings 17:1 – Now Elijah was a prophet from the town of Tishbeh.a However, he came from those who were living temporarily in the region of Gilead.b Elijah said to Ahab, “I stand in the presence of the Always-Present One, the God of Israel. As surely as the Always-Present One lives, there will be no rain or dew during the next few years—unless I command it!”c
  • I Kings 19:10 – Elijah answered, “O Yahweh, the God of the armies of heaven. I have always served You the best I could. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with You. They have torn down Your altars. They have killed Your prophets with swords. I am the only true prophet left. And now, they are trying to kill me, too!”
  • I Samuel 22:1 – So David left Gath and escaped to the Cave of Adullam.a When David’s brothers and other relatives learned about this, they went down there to visit him. 
  • I Samuel 23:13, 23-29 – So David and his men got up and left Keilah. There were now about 600 men who followed David. And they went wherever they could go. When Saul found out that David had escaped from Keilah, he cut short his trip there… 23Investigate all the hiding places there that David uses. Then come back and tell me everything. After that, I will travel with you. If David is in that area, I will find him. I will track him down among all the clans in Judah!”…but some people warned David…So Saul chased after David into the Desert of Maon…29David left the Desert of Maon and stayed in the hideouts of En-Gedi.
  • I Samuel 24:3 – Saul came to some sheep-pens beside the road.b A cave was there. And, Saul went inside to relieve himself.c Now David and his men were hiding in that cave—deep inside it. 
  • Malachi 4:5 [PREDICTED 420 BC] – “Behold, I will send Elijah the prophetf to you people. He will come before that great and awesome day when the Always-Present One will judge everybody.g 
  • Exodus 39:1,22, 28-29 – They made finely-woven clothes from blue, purple, and red yarn for the priests who were serving in the Holy Place. They also made holy clothes for Aaron, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses…also made the robe of the ephod completely of woven, blue cloth…28a fine cotton turban, fine cotton, decorated caps, cotton underwear from fine-spun cotton, 29and a belt made from fine-spun cotton, and blue, purple, and red yarn, the result of a needle-worker, just as Yahweh had commanded Moses.
  • Zechariah 13:4 – At that time, the false prophets will be ashamed of their so-called ‘visions’ and ‘prophecies.’ They will not wear a prophet’s fur garmentsm to trick people.   Ahaziah said, “That was Elijah from Tishbeh!”
  • II Chronicles 4:2-6 – Then Huram-Abi made a large, round pool from bronze. (It was called “The Pond.”) It was about 47 feetb all around,c 15 feet across,d and 7½ feete deep. 3Under the rim, there were two rows of bronze bulls. There was a carving of a bull at intervals of every few inches. They were formed around the pool when it was molded.f 4The pool was sitting on the backs of twelve bulls made of bronze. Three bulls faced north. Three bulls faced west. Three bulls faced south. And, three bulls faced east. The pool was on top of them, and they faced outward from the center of the pool. 5The sides of the pool were about 4 inches thick.g The rim was shaped like the rim of a cup or like the bud of a lily blossom. The pool could hold about 16,500 gallonsh of water. 6Huram-Abi made ten smaller bowls for washing. He put five of them on the south side. And, he put five of them on the north side. These bowls were to be used to rinse off the animals for the whole burnt-offerings. But the pool was to be used by the priests for washing themselves.i
  • Exodus 19:3,6 – Moses went up to the one true God. Yahweh summoned him from the mountain, saying, “This is what you must say to the household of Jacob, what you must tell the sons of Israel…6To Me, you will become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
  • Daniel 9:25 – [PREDICTED 530 YEARS BEFORE JESUS] “ ‘Learn and understand these things. A command will go forth to rebuild and restore Jerusalem.ff The time from this command,gg until when the Princehh anointed by Godii comes, will be 49 yearsjj and 434 years.kk Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streetsll and defenses around it.mm However, it will be built in a time of trouble.nn 26After the 434 years,oo the Messiah Prince will be killed.pp He will have nothing.qq The people of the Prince who is to come will destroy the city and the Sanctuary.rr That end will come like a flood. War will continue until the very end.ss God has ordered that place to be completely destroyed!tt 27That anointed Prince will confirm the covenant with many peopleuu for 7 years.vv He will put a stop to the offerings and sacrifices after 3½ years.ww [Jesus preached 3-1/2 years]. 

  • Click here for details of Daniel’s astounding prediction in 530 BC of the exact century and exact year the Messiah would begin preaching.

  • Leviticus 1:3-4 – “ ‘If anyone offers a whole burnt-offeringe from the livestock, it must be a male. It must have no physical defects.f The person must voluntarily bring the animal to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting into the presence of Yahweh. 4The person must put his hand on the animal’s head.g Then the Always-Present One will accept that whole burnt-offering. It will cancel the person’s sin
FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS:
  • ANTIQUITIES OF THE JEWS, BOOK 17, 13:1 – When Archelaus…took away the high priesthood from [Joazar] and put Eleazar his brother in his place….Nor did this Eleazar abide long in the high priesthood, Jesus, the son of Sie, being put in his [priesthood] while he was still living.

OTHER JESUS QUOTES IN THIS EPISODE

 

SPECIAL CHARACTERS APPEARING IN OHER EPISODES

Season 8, Star Song, “Bastion of Barrenness”

Season 8, Star Song, “Silent Thunderbolt”

Season 2, Hearts Afire, “The Traitor”