A Closer Look
At John the Immerser
“A True Witness Indeed”
Matthew 3:1-3 - It was during those days that Yochanan the Immerser arrived in the desert of Y'hudah and began proclaiming the message, "Turn from your sins to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near!" This is the man Yesha`yahu was talking about when he said, "The voice of someone crying out: `In the desert prepare the way of ADONAI! Make straight paths for him!'"
As I was reading John chapter one today, the Holy Spirit illuminated John the Immerser’s ministry to me in a new way. Just as Yeshua spoke concerning Nathanael, “Here is an Israelite indeed [a true descendant of Jacob], in whom there is no guile nor deceit nor falsehood nor duplicity!” (AMP, John 1:47), the Holy Spirit revealed to me how John the Immerser was “A True Witness Indeed.” Also, in the same way that God raised up John the Immerser to prepare the way for the first coming of Yeshua Christ, He is raising up a generation of “Immersers and True Witnesses indeed” to prepare the way for the second coming of Yeshua Christ!
John the Immerser’s voice was a single voice. Yet, this Generation of Immersers and True Witnesses Indeed will be a SINGLE HARMONY of voices UNITED as ONE VOICE crying out, “In the desert make the way of ADONAI straight!” (CJB, John 1:23) John the Immerser was not only positioned “in the desert,” but he was crying out a command for the people to make the way of ADONAI straight “in the desert”! I pray that we SEE and HEAR the distinction! While some sing and focus on the by and by glory of Heaven, and others preach the material prosperity of experiencing a man-made perception of Heaven on Earth, the TRUE IMMERSERS AND WITNESSES INDEED are crying out, “In the desert make the way of ADONAI straight!” (CJB, John 1:23) We must MAKE WAY for the coming and manifestation of ADONAI’S presence and glory in the Earth every day, and ULTIMATELY His Second Coming into the Earth to REIGN as the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.
The nation of Israel spent FORTY YEARS in the desert, because they were not ready to ENTER into the Promised Land. Though our souls long for Heaven, we must honestly consider the fact that we, the people of God and Body of Messiah are NOT READY! The Israelites had to WAIT FORTY YEARS for an entire generation to DIE OFF, in order that the next generation could GO FORTH! YET, WHAT IF A TRUE IMMERSER AND TRUE WITNESS INDEED had risen up and cried out, “In the desert make the way of ADONAI straight!” WHAT IF A TRUE IMMERSER AND WITNESS INDEED had risen up and not only CRIED OUT with their PHYSICAL VOICE, but ALSO cried out as a LIVING DEMONSTRATION OF TRUE REPENTANCE, IMMERSION, and WITNESS of ADONAI? (Please, understand that I am not negating or underestimating the value of Moses’, Joshua’s, and Caleb’s voices in the wilderness, which are tremendous, YET DISTINCT from John’s Voice of Immersion and True Witness Indeed.) I truly believe that the story would have played out in an entirely different way. For, although God is sovereign and just, He has given mankind a liberty to CHOOSE their path and destiny by the choices that they make daily. Therefore, we can CHOOSE to BE that generation of IMMERSERS and TRUE WITNESSES INDEED!
Now let us take a closer look at what the Holy Spirit revealed in John chapter one, concerning John the Immerser’s ministry as “A True Witness Indeed.”
John 1:6 - 8 “There was a man sent from God whose name was Yochanan. He came to be a testimony, to bear witness concerning the light; so that through him, everyone might put his trust in God and be faithful to him. He himself was not that light; no, he came to bear witness concerning the light.” (CJB)
John 1:6 - 8 “There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came to witness, that he might testify of the Light, that all men might believe in it [adhere to it, trust it, and rely upon it] through him. He was not the Light himself, but came that he might bear witness regarding the Light.” (AMP)
The Apostle John’s introduction of John the Immerser distinctly identifies him as “a testimony, to bear witness concerning the light”. According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary (1996), the words testimony, evidence, and witness derive from the same Greek word “maturia”, which is most often translated as testimony. Whereas, the Hebrew word “ud” translated “to bear witness” can also be translated “to take as witness, repeat, admonish, warn, assure protection, relieve.”
In other words, God is calling forth a Chosen Generation of True Witnesses Indeed to repeatedly testify and bear witness of the Second Coming of Yeshua by admonishing and warning a crooked and perverse generation of coming judgment. They will cry aloud and spare not! They will assure the protection of the pure Truth and nothing but the Truth! They will usher in Yeshua Christ’s coming, as they relieve, ease, alleviate, reduce, lessen, and lighten the presence and and influence of sin, perversion, and deception by crying out, “In the desert make the way of ADONAI straight!” (CJB, John 1:23) with the powerful evidence of true repentance revealed through their words AND lives.
John 1:15 – 18 – “Yochanan witnessed concerning him when he cried out, "This is the man I was talking about when I said, `The one coming after me has come to rank ahead of me, because he existed before me.'" We have all received from his fullness, yes, grace upon grace. For the Torah was given through Moshe; grace and truth came through Yeshua the Messiah. No one has ever seen God; but the only and unique Son, who is identical with God and is at the Father's side -- he has made him known.” (CJB)
John 1:15 – 18 - “John testified about Him and cried out, This was He of Whom I said, He Who comes after me has priority over me, for He was before me. [He takes rank above me, for He existed before I did. He has advanced before me, because He is my Chief.] For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received [all had a share and we were all supplied with] one grace after another and spiritual blessing upon spiritual blessing and even favor upon favor and gift [heaped] upon gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, grace (unearned, undeserved favor and spiritual blessing) and truth came through Jesus Christ. No man has ever seen God at any time; the only unique Son, or the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, He has declared Him [He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known]. (AMP)
Notice the testimony of John the Immerser! He has a one track mind and speech… It’s all about Yeshua – the ONE who is coming. Then when God revealed who Yeshua was to him he proclaimed, "This is the man I was talking about”! In other words, he had spent ALL of his energy and time telling the people of the ONE who would come. He waited expectantly and IMMERSED others in the SAME EXPECTATION of the ARRIVAL of YESHUA CHRIST (the Messiah).
Therefore, this new generation of IMMERSERS and TRUE WITNESSES INDEED will be DRENCHED and SOAKING WET with EXPECTATION of the Second Coming of ADONAI! This EXPECTATION will be contagious! Others will come, having been drawn to this remnant for one reason only… to be IMMERSED in the expectation and reality of the Son (YESHUA ADONAI), Who is sure to come! Although the promised physical return of Christ will be their focus of expectation, they will WAIT on the LORD with such expectation that VISITATIONS OF ADONAI will IMMERSE them many times over even before the physical “Second Coming” of ADONAI in the Person of Resurrected YESHUA. I now see that this is the clarified VISION that the Lord has given to me of gatherings of His people coming together as ONE with ONE purpose… to WAIT on the LORD… WAIT on His VISITATION in their midst. Their focus is on HIM, not their agenda or order of service! It is out of this place and position of WAITING that TRUE WORSHIP will be birthed and miracles, signs, and wonders manifested, though they will NOT be seeking these. They will ONLY seek ADONAI!
John 1:19-28 – “Here is Yochanan's testimony: when the Judeans sent cohanim and L'vi'im from Yerushalayim to ask him, "Who are you?" he was very straightforward and stated clearly, "I am not the Messiah." "Then who are you?" they asked him. "Are you Eliyahu?" "No, I am not," he said. "Are you `the prophet,' the one we're expecting?" "No," he replied. So they said to him, "Who are you? -- so that we can give an answer to the people who sent us. What do you have to say about yourself?" He answered in the words of Yesha`yahu the prophet, "I am The voice of someone crying out: `In the desert make the way of ADONAI straight!'" Some of those who had been sent were P'rushim. They asked him, "If you are neither the Messiah nor Eliyahu nor `the prophet,' then why are you immersing people?" To them Yochanan replied, "I am immersing people in water, but among you is standing someone whom you don't know. He is the one coming after me -- I'm not good enough even to untie his sandal!" All this took place in Beit-Anyah, east of the Yarden, where Yochanan was immersing. (CBJ)
John 1:19-28 - “And this is the testimony of John when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, Who are you? He confessed (admitted the truth) and did not try to conceal it, but acknowledged, I am not the Christ! They asked him, What then? Are you Elijah? And he said, I am not! Are you the Prophet? And he answered, No! Then they said to him, Who are you? Tell us, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself? He said, I am the voice of one crying aloud in the wilderness [the voice of one shouting in the desert], Prepare the way of the Lord [level, straighten out, the path of the Lord], as the prophet Isaiah said. The messengers had been sent from the Pharisees. And they asked him, Why then are you baptizing if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet? John answered them, I [only] baptize in (with) water. Among you there stands One Whom you do not recognize and with Whom you are not acquainted and of Whom you know nothing. It is He Who, coming after me, is preferred before me, the string of Whose sandal I am not worthy to unloose. These things occurred in Bethany (Bethabara) across the Jordan [at the Jordan crossing], where John was then baptizing.” (AMP)
Notice that John the Immerser had absolutely no confusion about who he was and what he was sent by God to do! He was SECURE in God’s purpose for his life! He repeatedly stated, “I am not! . . . I am not! . . . No!” Oh if we, as the people of God could only GET THIS! The testimony of this harmony of unified IMMERSERS and TRUE WITNESSES INDEED will be, “I am not you. You are not me, but we are we!”
OK! John the Immerser, so you are NOT any of these . . . THEN WHO ARE YOU??? “He answered in the words of Yesha`yahu the prophet, "I am The voice of someone crying out: `In the desert make the way of ADONAI straight!'" (CJB, John 1:23) Yes! John the Immerser reduced the essence of who he was down to “THE VOICE” . . . a single MESSAGE . . . `In the desert make the way of ADONAI straight!'" (CJB, John 1:23) He came in the name of the book that was written of him AND revealed in the Holy Scriptures. Saints of God, if we would diligently search the Scriptures we would find ourselves . . . our voice . . . our purpose . . . our calling . . . our ministry . . . God's VISION for our lives, just as John the Immerser and EVEN Yeshua Himself demonstrated through their testimony and lives! We will come in the name of THE BOOK (the Holy Scriptures) that was written of us! This is in light of God's word to us through Apostle Theresa's recent post (on the Scribal Anointing Network)! Let us reread this word and reflect on it in light of John the Immerser and True Witness Indeed and in light of God's call for a Chosen Generation of Immersers and True Witnesses Indeed to ARISE and proclaim, `In the desert make the way of ADONAI straight!'" (CJB, John 1:23)
Yet, the RELIGIOUS folk, who came to interrogate him, (sound familiar?) were more focused on who John was NOT than who he was or his purpose in the Earth. Their words said they wanted to know who he was, but their actions revealed they only wanted to DISCREDIT him! In essence, they said, “You are NOT . . . You are NOT . . . You are NOT . . . So, if you are NOT any of these, then why do you do what you do? What right do you have to IMMERSE people?”
Please, forgive me for diverting in another direction for just a minute. Saints of God, Have you been surrounded by people, circumstances, and situations telling you who you are NOT? Well the TESTIMONY of John the Immerser is here TODAY to set you free from man’s expectations of you, in order that you can be IMMERSED in the GODHEAD and RELEASED to fulfill His EXPECTATIONS of you, which far surpass anything man could ever think or imagine in . . . through . . . and for you! So, be encouraged to keep goin’ on in the Lord, in order to BECOME a chosen Immerser and True Witness Indeed! Yes, I emphasize the word BECOME, because God has revealed to me that our Educational focus (Christian AND secular) has been wrong all along!!! Get this! How often do we ask children, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The Holy Spirit showed me that this is DETRIMENTAL, because this line of questioning is focused in the wrong direction. Rather, we ought to continuously ask our children AND ourselves (as children of the Most High God) this ESSENTIAL question: WHO ARE YOU BECOMING? Holy Spirit will address the clear distinction between these two questions through the 24/7 LIFE Academy teaching series at another time. For now, I will just drop this nugget of Holy Spirit revelation into your spirit for further reflection and meditation.
So, who was John the Immerser and True Witness Indeed? He was THE VOICE of PREPARATION, REVELATION, and REFORMATION! My! My! My! Yes! Get this! HE WAS THE APOSTOLIC VOICE OF HIS TIME! For God has revealed to me that the APOSTOLIC PROCESS is none other than . . . PREPARATION, REVELATION, and REFORMATION . . . not compartmentalized into distinct segments of time, thought, or space, but intertwined into ONE just as the GODHEAD is ONE LORD OVER ALL! This threefold process of PREPARATION, REVELATION, and REFORMATION leads to RECONCILIATION, the work of True SALVATION in the Earth.
Furthermore, John explained that he “only” immersed with water (cleansing and PREPARATION), but THE ONE who they really needed to know (REVELATION) was coming. Thus, his message of REFORMATION: `In the desert make the way of ADONAI straight!'" (CJB, John 1:23) In other words, John the Immerser was saying, “You religious folk are so focused on ME, and it’s NOT ABOUT ME! I am just a WITNESS of the ONE you really need to know!” John the Immerser walked in a spirit of HUMILITY that was ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY for him to fulfill his purpose and calling as an IMMERSER and TRUE WITNESS INDEED of Yeshua Christ (the Messiah), the ONE who was coming as THE APOSTLE (ABBA’s Sent One) of Reconciliation! Likewise, this Chosen Generation of Immersers and True Witnesses Indeed that the Godhead is raising up to prepare the way for the Second Coming of Yeshua MUST walk in a spirit of HUMILITY, in order to fulfill their HARMONIOUS PURPOSE in the Earth.
John 1:29 – 37 – “The next day, Yochanan saw Yeshua coming toward him and said, "Look! God's lamb! The one who is taking away the sin of the world! This is the man I was talking about when I said, `After me is coming someone who has come to rank above me, because he existed before me.' I myself did not know who he was, but the reason I came immersing with water was so that he might be made known to Isra'el." Then Yochanan gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit coming down from heaven like a dove, and remaining on him. I myself did not know who he was, but the one who sent me to immerse in water said to me, `The one on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining, this is the one who immerses in the Ruach HaKodesh.' And I have seen and borne witness that this is the Son of God." The next day, Yochanan was again standing with two of his talmidim. On seeing Yeshua walking by, he said, "Look! God's lamb!" His two talmidim heard him speaking, and they followed Yeshua.” (CBJ)
John 1:29 – 37 – “The next day John saw Jesus coming to him and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God, Who takes away the sin of the world! This is He of Whom I said, After me comes a Man Who has priority over me [Who takes rank above me] because He was before me and existed before I did. And I did not know Him and did not recognize Him [myself]; but it is in order that He should be made manifest and be revealed to Israel [be brought out where we can see Him] that I came baptizing in (with) water. John gave further evidence, saying, I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and it dwelt on Him [never to depart]. And I did not know Him nor recognize Him, but He Who sent me to baptize [j]in (with) water said to me, Upon Him Whom you shall see the Spirit descend and remain, that One is He Who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen [that happen--I actually did see it] and my testimony is that this is the Son of God! Again the next day John was standing with two of his disciples, And he looked at Jesus as He walked along, and said, Look! There is the Lamb of God! The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Him. (AMP)
Notice John the Immerser’s Purpose Statement for his ministry! I bet you didn’t know they had strategic planning way back then in Yeshua’s day! “The reason I came immersing with water was so that he might be made known to Isra'el." (CJB) Yes, true Immersers and True Witnesses Indeed have a PURPOSE for what they do! It is to MAKE YESHUA CHRIST (the Messiah) KNOWN to a generation hanging out in the wilderness. Yes! Even today there is an ENTIRE GENERATION (which include a whole lot of church folk) hanging out in the wilderness that need to hear, `In the desert make the way of ADONAI straight!'" (CJB, John 1:23) For Yeshua Christ (the Messiah) is coming AGAIN . . . ‘The ONE who immerses in the Ruach HaKodesh.' (Holy Spirit – God with and in us)” Yes! Yeshua, Who is seated on the right hand of ABBA, making intercession for us, is STILL in the business of Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit) IMMERSION. In fact, Yeshua returned to ABBA for this purpose . . . in order to SEND and IMMERSE His disciples in the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit)!
Saints of God, what is your voice? Do you know your voice? Are you willing to lift your voice in HARMONY with the UNITED voices of IMMERSERS and TRUE WITNESSES INDEED of the Second Coming of Yeshua Christ (the Messiah)? Who will WAIT on ADONAI in order to SEE HIM and cry out, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!”? The FRUIT of this UNITED and HARMONIOUS VOICE in the Earth will be the SAME FRUIT as the FRUIT of John the Immerser’s Testimony . . . The two disciples heard him say this, and they followed Him . . .
An entire generation will come to intimately know and follow Yeshua!
What greater testimony or witness is there in the Earth? NO NOT ONE!
© 2011 Christine Lombard, All Rights Reserved, Use Only with Permission
References
Vine W. E. (1996). Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words with Topical Index. Nashville, TE: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
