Baptist prepares the Lord’s way; David’s throne forever — Christ is God

From Luke’s Gospel. An angel of God says to Zechariah about the holy Baptist: “And there will be joy and gladness for you, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great before the Lord, and he will drink no wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, and he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God.”

And when asked by the Jews, “Who are you?” he says: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.” And Zechariah himself, prophesying over his own child, says: “And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins.” For he went ahead of Christ, and became his forerunner, and proclaimed that the ways were to be prepared for him, and prophesied the word concerning him, turning people as toward God who is able to justify those in sins. Then — how is Christ not God?

“This one will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” So then — shall we lie under one of those like us, ruled continuously and without end, or shall we rather be under God ruling us who are in Christ? And not as if some outside mediator were taken on for this, but as the God and Father holding sway over all things through the Son and in the Son? And if this is true, then Christ is God.