Transitions from prophet to Prophet

Matthew 11:7: [7] And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?

[8] But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.
[9] But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
[10] For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
[11] Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

“There’s not been a greater prophet in all Israel’s history than John the Baptist;  ‘notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.’

“So John is this tremendous Old Testament prophet, but there’s something bigger coming after him. John’s over here and the preaching of the kingdom of God is over there, so there’s a separation.

“Who’s the first person in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John who’s filled with the Spirit? John the Baptist. Luke 1 says Elisabeth’s baby leaped in her womb. Like lightning. ‘I know who he is!’ John had a connection with the program coming and there’s a transition in there.

“The passage reads, [39] And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
[40] And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
[41] And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
[42] And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
[43] And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
[44] For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

“John was the first person in a 400-year period who the Father had sent.  John 1:6: [6] There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. God says, ‘He’s my messenger and he’s sent with my Word.’

“The way the Father sent him, John 1 says, [30] This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
[31] And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
[32] And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
[33] And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

“God literally, personally, verbally communicated the instructions to John, so John is a crossover kind of a guy. He’s a transition period. The Old Testament was still in effect, the law was still there. But there’s this new stuff that’s coming. John points to it, saying, ‘There’s the one going to tell you,’ and Christ teaches about it.

“So you’re having a transition in these books that moves you into the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom and that’s about this covenant that’s coming.

“They don’t know about Christ dying; He doesn’t tell them about that until the end. They don’t understand it even when He did. He kept that secret and we understand why that is, because of the wisdom of God.

“But after the resurrection, Christ opens their Scripture so they can understand exactly what’s there; it’s not hidden from them anymore, and then they’re able to go out and preach their message and they preach about this coming . . . In Hebrews 6 it says, [4] For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost,
[5] And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,

“All those powers aren’t here yet, they’re not functioning for you, but you’ve gotten a foretaste of them. They got a foretaste of them at Pentecost and so forth.

“So, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are technically still the law program, but yes this is when Christ is beginning to introduce the issue—He is the messenger of the covenant as a prophet.

“Paul writes in Romans 15, [8] Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:

“He was a prophet. He wasn’t just our Savior, God in the flesh, He had a prophetic teaching ministry and He was the messenger of the new covenant: ‘Here’s what’s coming; here’s how it’s going to operate,’ and the ethics of the new covenant that He lays out in the Sermon of the Mount and so forth. That’s the thinking process that’s going to be in the Kingdom Believers in the ages to come.”