3– Promises of Jesus Coming II

Jesus' precursor, John the Baptist (Matthew 3:3) is prophetically announced here. He is appropriately introduced as the voice of Him that crieth in the wilderness (Mark 1:3; Luke 3:4-6; John 1:23), the caller is hidden behind the Glory of the One of his call. He is but a "voice" sounding out his call like a long-drawn trumpet blast of a king's forerunner who goes on before an Eastern king to make sure the way is clear for the passage of the entourage. A voice is calling out so that all will expect and await the King. The forerunner having been presented; his message is given. It contains four things:

1. A command to prepare clear the way of the Lord (Malachi. 3:1; 4:5-6). The wilderness and to make a worldly highway for God. The simple ''path" or "road" (Hebrew derek) has in view the first advent, but "raised causeway" embraces the Second advent.
2. A promise of justice and equity describes a moral and spiritual condition that will only be on earth during the Kingdom age (Isaiah 9:6-7; 11:3-5), when at the Messiah's second advent He will destroy all evildoers (Revelation 19:11-21) and smash the satanic world system. Then, incarcerating Satan and the powers of darkness in the abyss, which will begin the Kingdom conditions (Zechariah 13:2; Revelation 20:1-3) for the state of affairs described in verse 4.
3. A prediction of the revelation of God's glory (Isaiah 6:3; Habakkuk 2:14), which glory was mostly hidden at the first advent, but which shall be obviously evident at the second advent (Daniel 7:9-14; Zechariah 12:10; Matthew 24:27-30 25:31-34; Revelation 19:11-21) That fact is emphatically predicated in the phrase: And all flesh, meaning all mankind (Isaiah 49:26; J