The Dead Sea Scrolls

[civilwarbuff]

I like that, jaybird, that Jesus referred to a work John would be familiar with...

Obviously, in prison John the Baptist had a MOMENT OF DOUBT
even though he had seen the Holy Spirit descend like a dove on Jesus at baptism
and had heard the voice from heaven say "this is my beloved son"
and KNEW that this was the Messiah

now in prison he has doubts -- "are you really the One?"

No doubt John, along with most Jews, viewed the Messiah as a physical king not a spirtual king.
Act 1
6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?
It seems even at this point the apostles were expecting a physical king/kingdom.

 

[Anto9us]

Absolutely they were still expecting a physically restored kingdom of Israel.

many Christians today are as well, in a yet-to-occur 70th "week" from Daniel's prophecy

John the Baptist is an interesting figure in many ways; he and Jesus were cousins, only 6 months apart

So John certainly "knew" Jesus, but did not know that He was Messiah til the baptism, and seeing the Holy Spirit descend on Him,
and as said above, he came to doubt even that in the persecution of prison

John's father was a priest in the Temple -- John seems to be "outside of the Temple worship altogether"
in a milieu which does indeed seem to match what we know of ESSENES

I just re-read THE ZADOKITE DOCUMENT, one of the scrolls found at Qumran
it seems to deal with rules of being back in a CAMP life, outside the Temple worship,
though a real Temple stood in Jerusalem at the time

In his sermon at Pentecost, Peter speaks of David:
2:34
For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand
2:35
Until I make thy foes thy footstool.

Later Peter speaks of Jesus
Act 3:20
And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Act 3:21
Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things,
which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

 

[Anto9us]

As I ponder this now, things don't seem to match what I had used to think of as
"the harrowing of hell"
Christ descended to the dead/hades - where were both Abraham's Bosom/Paradise as well as "the bad place"/Torments -- separated by a chasm as illustrated in the parable of Luke 16
He "preached to the spirits in prison"
1Pe 3:18
For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
1Pe 3:19
By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison

And I thought Christ brought the OT saints from Paradise up to heaven with Him, yet I guess not at this point, cuz Peter said
"David is not ascended into the heavens"

Two RELIGIOUS parties at Jesus' time - Pharisees and Sadducees -- had radically different theologies, yet jointly ran the Temple worship.
Two POLITICAL parties - Zealots and Herodians - also differed widely in cooperation/resistance to the Gentile rulers

and maybe the ESSENES -- though never mentioned in the Bible -- knew more than the 4 parties that are mentioned

 

[reba]

The scriptures tell us what His Kingdom is..
Rom 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

 

[jaybird]

John's father was a priest in the Temple -- John seems to be "outside of the Temple worship altogether"
in a milieu which does indeed seem to match what we know of ESSENES

there is a tradition as well as a document of the nag hammadi library that Zechariah was murdered by the pharisees. it only makes sense they wouldnt have liked each other, Zechariah was a man that walked in the ways of the Most High, the pharisees were corrupt.