What DID John the Baptist believe? DID John SAY BELIEVE or CALL Jesus GOD?

First let us examine the Quick Facts:

Who is John the Baptist?

Is there any evidence of John the Baptist being a real person and not a MYTH?

Who did Jesus say John the Baptist was in Matthew 11? 

What do Trinitarians say and believe? 

What DID John the Baptist believe? 

DID John SAY BELIEVE or CALL Jesus GOD?  

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Who is John the Baptist? 

John the Baptist fulfilled the Bible prophecies. 

A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3.  

“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. 
And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight behold he is coming, says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:1.  

We read in Luke 1:5 to 8: In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

John the Baptist was born by a GOD miracle from the son of Zechariah, an old man, and his wife Elizabeth who was past the menopause and therefore unable to have children. 
According to this account the birth of John was foretold by the angel Gabriel to Zechariah. Wikipedia.

We turn to John 1:19.
And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”   22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” 23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straighth the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.” John 1:22,23. 

In the Gospel of John: The fourth gospel describes John the Baptist as a man sent from God” who “ has not the light”, but “ came as a witness, to bear witness to the light, so that through him, everyone might believe”. 
John clearly denies being the Christ or Elijah or ‘ the prophet’, instead describing himself as the “ voice of one crying in the wilderness”. 
Upon literary analysis it is clear that John is the “testifier and confessor par excellence” particularly when compared to figures like Nicodemus.

Matthias Grünewald detail of the Isenheim Altarpiece Jesus’s baptism is implied but not depicted. Unlike the other gospels, it is John himself who testifies to seeing “ The Spirit come down from heaven like a dove and rest on him”.

John explicitly announces that Jesus is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit”. 
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 


Is there any evidence of John the Baptist being a real person and not a MYTH? 

Many believe John the Baptist is mentioned by the Jewish historian Josephus.--- In Flavius Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews. Antiquities 18.5.2 116-119. 21.

Now some of the Jews thought that the destruction of Herod's army came from God, and that very justly, as a punishment of what he did against John, that was called the Baptist: for Herod slew him, who was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing [with water] would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins [only], but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness. Now when [many] others came in crowds about him, for they were very greatly moved [or pleased] by hearing his words, Herod, who feared lest the great influence John had over the people might put it into his power and inclination to raise a rebellion, (for they seemed ready to do any thing he should advise,) thought it best, by putting him to death, to prevent any mischief he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties, by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Accordingly he was sent a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I before mentioned, and was there put to death. Now the Jews had an opinion that the destruction of this army was sent as a punishment upon Herod, and a mark of God’s displeasure to him. http://perseus.uchicago.edu/perseus-cgi/citequery3.pl?dbname=GreekTexts&query=Joseph.%20AJ%2018.127&getid=1 22. 

And 2000 years later, we also have PHYSICAL evidence of John the Baptist. 

Radiocarbon dating prove bones found could be those of John the Baptist.  

NEW DISCOVERY - BONES FOUND COULD BE THOSE OF JOHN THE BAPTIST.

QUICK FACTS: 

The bones were discovered by official Bulgarian archaeologists Kazimir Popkonstantinov and Rossina Kostova in the ruins of a Bulgarian Church on the island of Sveti Ivan which translates as St John in Bulgarian.

The bones are clearly consistent with someone who lived in the early first century AD.

Scientists believed by the mitochondrial DNA genome sequence that ALL the 8 human bones found were all from the same individual. 

Scientists identified a family group of genes the DNA haplotype, most commonly found in today’s Middle East, which was where John the Baptist's was born. The bones were buried, only a few hundred years after the death of John the Baptist, which means they are less likely to be forgeries.






Scientist Thomas Higham, confirms the date of Radiocarbon dating, prove the bones to be 30 a,d, which is when John the Baptist is supposed to have died, by decapitation as recorded in the scriptures.

Scientists confirm that the bones could quite possibly be the bones of John the Baptist as it has been recorded in historical documents that the monastery in which they were found had received a portion of St John the Baptists relics in the fifth or early sixth centuries.  
For the full article: Bones found, of John the Baptist, see link here: https://wwwrealdiscoveriesorg-simon.blogspot.com/2012/10/www.html

Who did Jesus say John the Baptist was in Matthew 11?

Matthew 11: English Standard Version. 

 7 As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 8 What then did you go out to see? A manb dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. 9 What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. 10 This is he of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ 11 Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. 
Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.   

In John 5:35, we read Jesus saying: He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.  

What do Trinitarians say and believe?  

Notice what Trinitarian teacher Matt Slick the President and Founder of the Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry, SAYS:
Clearly the Bible prophecies that John the Baptist will prepare the way of YAHWEH (Jehovah); yet it is Jesus who arrives on the scene. How can this be? 
The simple answer is that Jesus is divine; that is, He is the fullness of deity in bodily form. Colossians 2:9.  

What DID John the Baptist believe? 
DID John SAY BELIEVE or CALL Jesus GOD?

Let’s turn to John the Baptist in John 1:19: 
And this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem, that they might ask him, “ ho are you?"
John 1:28-
Behold, the Lamb of God 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 
31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” 32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. 33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” 37. As we clearly read and see, John clearly professes, a “belief that, Jesus is the Son of God”, and “the Lamb of His God”.

There is NOTHING whatsoever about the Son of GOD being His Father GOD.  

These are the BIBLICAL FACTS from the lips of Jesus: born of women said Jesus: there has arisen no one greater, than John the Baptist.  

DID John the Baptist SAY BELIEVE or CALL Jesus GOD?

Let’s look again:  
I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”  John 33;34.

As we see.
The SIMPLE answer is NO: this is the Son of God.” 

Notice, John did NOT say: Jesus is GOD. But that Jesus is the Son of His GOD.  

There are NO contradictions by the great prophet.
John the Baptist clearly believed and taught what GOD and His Son always taught throughout the Bible, that GOD did not send Himself but instead GOD GAVE and SENT and  SACRIFICED His only BEGOTTEN Son The Christ.  

Who DO YOU BELIEVE?

Do you believe Trinitarians teachers like Matt Slick who say believe and teach Jesus is YAHWEH, (Jehovah)?  

Or do you believe the great prophet John the Baptist who never said a single word that YAHWEH (Jehovah GOD), was DISGUISED as His own Son?

But instead: And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.” John 1:34.  

YET AGAIN THE BIBLICAL FACTS PROVE: Jesus is the Christ, (NOT GOD) but the Son of the living GOD. 

Matthew 16:16. And that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31.