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In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah. He and his wife Elizabeth were really righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands.But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. One day when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God an angel of the Lord, Gabriel, appeared to him and told him that he will have a son who will be called John and who will walk in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years." Then Gabriel said to him that he will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because he did not believe his words, which will come true at their appointed time... Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple. When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant. Soon the baby was born and people asked his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God.

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John prophesied in the Old Testament

John the Baptist was a man who will prepare Israel for the coming of the Messiah. He was the one preparing the way for the Lord, and also, by the words of Jesus, described as the greatest prophet. There must be some prophecies concerning him in the Old Testament...and there really are some!

(Isaiah 40:3-5)The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth; The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Here prophet Isaiah tells us about someone preaching in the dessert telling us to prepare for the glory of the LORD (the Messiah). But, how can we be sure if it's actually concerning John the Baptist?---We know he lived in the desert and we know that he was there to prepare way for Jesus Christ, and we also have his own word telling Jews (and also us) that he is that voice from the desert Isaiah spoke of.(It is from the Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:3, Luke 3:4 John 1:23 )...Isn't it wonderful how this was revealed to Isaiah around 700 years before John's birth.

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(Malachi 3.1)I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty.

Here the God says to prophet Malachi that the messenger will come before the Lord, Messiah. We again have this prophecy confirmed in the gospel in Matthew 11.10, Mark 1.2 and Luke 7, 27. We can also see that ideology in the picture of angel (the same word used for messenger) preparing the way for Israelites in the desert.

(Exodus 23.20) am going to send an angel in front of you, to guard you on the way and to bring you to the place that I have prepared.

Malachi also has another prophecy which was quoted by Gabriel. He predicted that John will have a spirit of Elijah and also that he will turn hearts of parents to their children. Luke 1.17, Matthew 11.14, Mark 9,12

(Malachi 4.5,6)Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

The use of the same words by angel Gabriel was for this purpose, so that John's father can understand the prophecy. Jews expected the return of Elijah and these words had a huge meaning, especially to a priest.

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