Salvation Is Not From John the Baptist

John the Baptist was an incredibly important person during the gospel times. He came as the third person bearing witness to Jesus and prepared for Jesus's ministry by telling the Jews to repent. John the Baptist was the greatest prophet there ever was.^{(Luke 7:28.)} John's coming was even prophesied, in Isaiah 40:3-5, Malachi 3:1, and Malachi 4:5.

Yet John the Baptist does not provide salvation. If John the Baptist never existed, salvation by doing the will of God^{(Matthew 7:21, Matthew 12:50, Mark 3:35.)} would still exist. If we only listened to John the Baptist, we would all be damned.

In fact, John did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples, And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?^{Matthew 11:2-3 cf. Luke 7:18-19}

Yet, John was a prophet who received prophecy from God. John was in conflict with God regarding the messiah because John was only a prophet who did not understand the will of God.

And that is the difference between Jesus and the prophets. Jesus understood and therefore did the will of his Father, God. John, even though he was a prophet, did not understand the will of God. He merely did as he was told, just like every single previous prophet in the Bible.

Thus, John was the greatest prophet: He paved the way for the messiah. But John did not do the will of God, which is the sole requirement needed to become a sibling to Jesus. Jesus once said when denouncing his own Earthly family, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.^{Matthew 12:49b-50}

And it is by doing the will of God that a person enters into the kingdom of heaven. Jesus said, Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.^{Matthew 7:21}

Thus, we find John was a great prophet. But he is no brother of ours. He did not do the will of God, and thus he is outside the gospel of Jesus Christ, and outside the kingdom of God. This is the same conclusion that Jesus had about John, saying, For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.^{Luke 7:28}

For those in the kingdom of God, for those doing the will of God, we do not need outside instruction because we understand the will of God. And the will of God is simple. Jesus told us it. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.^{John 6:39-40}

Nothing on this Earth matters except for the result: The resurrection of an individual at the last day. That is why the Parable of the Prodigal Son is especially poignant to us today. While the son was in the far country, he was not obeying the will of his father, which was "to come home." The prodigal son could have set up a multibillion dollar industry, but in the eyes of his father, he was still dead. The prodigal son could have set up building and organizations to espouse his father's name and make him known internationally and do many good things in his father's name, but he would still have been doing his own will, not the father's will, which is still the same, "to come home." No, it took the son to hate his life in the far country for him to go home to his father. Just as we need to do today to do the will of God, just as Jesus said, He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.^{John 12:25 cf. Matthew 10:39, 16:25, Mark 8:35, Luke 9:24, 17:33. See also Matthew 10:37-38, Mark 8:34, Luke 14:26-27}

John the Baptist, as a prophet, listened to God and did was he was told. Yet, he did not do the will of God, and thus he is not a child of God. John will probably be resurrected at the last day, but not as a brother to Jesus or us. He will be a servant of God, because he did what he was told, but did not do the will of God.

This is possibly the salvation path of all Jews, even modern day Jews, who do not listen to Jesus. They hold steadfast to the Law of Moses. But Moses wasn't perfect in his understanding of God. Consider this exchange by Jesus and the Pharisees: And the Pharisees came to him, and asked him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife? tempting him. And he answered and said unto them, What did Moses command you? And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away. And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept. But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.^{Mark 10:2-9}

Jesus, who knew the will of God, understood marriage to be a one-time event. Moses, who didn't know the will of God, changed the law of God to fit his own vision. Since Moses didn't understand the will of God, John the Baptist and the rest of his people cannot possibly be the children of God, and thus they cannot tell us how to be resurrected at the last day.

It is as Jesus said, For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.^{Matthew 11:13} The law and prophets were for people who did not understand the will of our Father. Jesus laid God's will bare, and so they are no longer required.