The death of John the Baptist
Don Bradley 12-25-25
No surprise, Dad has led us to:
Luke 3:20
20Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.
If I slip into the first person telling of this thing, can't be helped.
The world's understanding of his passing, 5 months before Yeshua's, is limited to either fiction or what the Holy Word gave us. If you search out the matter, there is really nothing out there or any detail of how he passed. He was beheaded under orders of Herod Antipas and his severed head presented on a silver charger or platter to Salome, who half danced it over to her mother whom let out a shrill cackle. As they do.
As it happens, I have full knowledge of this event – if you will have it – for reasons that will likely make sense, after a fashion. Some of you have figured it out; many of you don't want to.
To help with understanding, I will set the scene for you all and then provide that unholy day, a sky filled with black clouds and patches of rain. I resisted doing this the last 3 days, but Dad insisted that I should. I see no value in giving such a horrific thing to the world. All these dramatic endings of John in movies and books are such hogwash, but it makes for a great dramatic story, does it not. John giving some impassioned speech before Herod just before they take his head, 3 movies. Variations on a theme of that; John is stout, vibrant, full of something; likely drama class balderdash. Anyways...
John, in addition to baptizing anyone whom wanted it, from all over the Mediterranean, not just Judea, was an often a vocal critic of the sins of the land and which malefactors were doing what. Just like I have been doing since 1995, thirty years now. Very often, King Herod Antipas (Herod from now on) was a frequent expose of John's. From the beginning, spies moved in John's circle. These were Pharisees, spies from Herod's court, as well as Romans who always happened to be in any crowd, yet never willing to be baptized. They stood out. Just like they do now. As with Yeshua, they often tried to trap him him with trick questions or word games, so they could use his own words to arrest him for any kind of crime or cause that would result in a Death Sentence. They didn't just want to just arrest him and lock him up for a month or whatever, because the people would see this as an assault against a prophet and would become rebellious and even – especially with the zealots – do acts of revenge and terrorism the ruling religious and political powers already had enough of. It was a fine line. They needed dirt on John the public would readily agree with, as well as keeping the fiery zealots from doing sabotage and other things. This was the reality on the ground, in the days of John and Yeshua.
John didn't care. He spoke as he was guided by YHVH to speak. Even when the Pharisees sent armed men to arrest him, somehow, by divine Providence, they couldn't or didn't have the nerve for it. John's time had not yet come.
It was the same with Yeshua. Even the Holy Word tells us that they tried on several occasions to arrest Yesh and could not, for one reason or another, try as they might. John was the last of the Old Testament Prophets and the first of the new testament Prophets to die for Christ Yeshua. That is a fact. His martyrdom preceded Yeshua's by 5 months. 5 months. Remember that number in the year upcoming. You'll understand when the time comes. If understanding is what you truly wish to have.
As events would happen, John began bagging on Herod's marriage to his dead brother's wife. That whole story is in the Bible, so I won't go over it here. Herodias, nagged Herod day and night to arrest John, which Herod did not want to do. He knew the people loved John, and the Romans and Pharisees were having none of that, at least publicly. Everyone was waiting for someone else to get John, but not them. Add to it, Yeshua was out and about and John was singing Yesh's praises as the Messiah foretold in hundreds of places in the scrolls to anyone who would listen and that he John, had baptized the Savior, often regaling the gatherings with that day's events; over and over again. And spies from both their respective home towns had informed the ruling powers that John and Yeshua were cousins, both families knew each other and that story is well told in the Bible as well. Hot potato kind of thing; damned if you do, damned if you don't. It was real problem for them. What to do with these two guys? Preaching repentance, the Kingdom of Heaven and that's the last thing you want the slave population to be thinking about.
I understand. They're lucky John didn't come as Elijah (that would be later, in these latter days) with command of fire and judgment. Most of them would have likely, had very unpleasant experiences. I digress. Sorry.
Now, as it happens, Kings like lots of palaces all over the place. Just like the elite powers do now, the real powers. Several estates all over the place. Herod was no different. And, in Macherus, Herod had a Estate/castle like place, up on a ridge knoll fronting a small mountain, complete with basements and a low level grotto/dungeon underneath the main structure as well as against the mountain road that ran between the knoll and the mountain and built into it, a series of 4 cells half built into the mountain. It was a single structure, the 4 cells, with a short hallway in front of the heavy wooden doors with a single horizontal slit about 5 feet from the floor. At the end of the hall, was a room facing the hall, heavy door closed in front. It was lit by lantern or torch, for there were no windows in either the cells, hallway, or room on the end. I can still see it now.
It was in the 3rd cell from the room at the end to the right as you came in the hall that John was placed. Door opens and it's a tiny cell with nothing but a slop bucket, straw on the floor and manacles from the the common walls of each cell. A set for the wrists and a set for the ankles. Not much moving around. The height was about 5 and a half feet, so you had to stoop to enter. They intentionally made this place as miserable as possible. John was the only prisoner. Forget all the movies of John in Prison with iron bars, lots of room, a bed, a table, all that. That's just Hollywood. This was a pit. The only thing I've seen in film that matched it, was Ben Hur with Heston and the place his sister and mother were thrown into. That was accurate. Cecil B. Demille got that one right.
Rebuilt cell of John's with a window they added in. No windows. The darkness was part of the torment. They wanted you to suffer as much as possible. And sitting in shit, piss and darkness for more than a month is more than most minds can handle. You simply go insane. And that's the point. Turn you into a gibbering half crazed fool they can make sport of. With the boot and the fist. It never ends. You become a plaything for cruel bastards.
And damn, if that fate never seems to end.
Also, they stripped you naked. Took everything from you. So, there you are, in a cold cell, on feces covered straw sitting in your own excrement and piss for the duration. About as nasty a circumstance for ANYONE. Only the most hated got in these cells. Otherwise, John would have been in the basement. But his fire and light was too great to have underneath the palace, so they stuck him out with the rats. Get the picture?
After someone came out, they used coal oil to burn out the cell and then put in fresh straw. For the next person.
So, there John sat, day and night blurring and blending together, the only hint of daytime in total darkness was the sounds of horses and people talking out on the road in front of these cells. That's how you knew it was daytime. Every few days, they would change out the slop bucket of water and watery food, such as it was, and there you were. After the first three weeks, all you have is...well, to go further would be to give the devils more giggles who no doubt are being turned on by this kind of cruelty. Mossad and the adrenochromers do this kind of thing to prisoners and children. In our time.
John was there for awhile. Seemed like a life time. Just memories, good ones, about doings for Dad and that Great Day with Yesh and others whom came for redemption and repentance. You had at least that. I can't speak for other prisoners. Guards once told me everyone goes mad after two weeks. I am sure it was more than a month.
In total darkness, time has no meaning. You trying and find ways to move your body to new spots, because you get these horrific skin lesions and sores that bring rats in to gnaw when you drift off. So you never really sleep, because the moment you finally get out of your body, the rats come nibbling. It's a hell of a fate. Thanks.
And I've often wondered, is another jewel in the crown really worth all that? Doesn't seem so to me. Then you realize in the same breath, jewels are authorities in Heaven and Earth; not just pretty rocks set in gold.
You know the rest. Herod's wife wanted John's death more than anything. Bish was a High Priestess in some Mithras cult and that family did BAAL rites in the high places and groves. Child sacrifice was common. Soldiers snatched children off the street, never to be seen again. And who are you going to complain too? The Romans? Help yourself, they were doing it too.
Herodias wanted John badly and came up with this scam, she and Salome worked out ahead of time. It's all in the Word. But also, Salome invented the dance of the Seven Veils just for this occasion. Sluts still do this dance to this very day. By the last veil removal, the girl is naked, and she by that time, has everything right in the face of the intended party. You get it.
So, half asleep, scratching yet another spot, this one under the right back/arm the door opens and light bursts in the room. You cannot open your eyes, because light is painful. But, hands are fumbling at your manacles, removing them and before you know it, a guy on each side – your eyes are still shut, OUCH – are lifting you up and carrying you out and to the left. You can just now start to open your eyes and find you are being taken to the room at the end. Door is opened and you are dropped to the floor. Starting to look through squinted eyes, you see you have 3 guards, one in the corner you can't quite make out and no doubt the two that carried you here, now pushing your head over a block set about 3 feet from the back wall. They get on either side, and a rough rope pulls your head down on the block. Someone is yanking your hair off to one side. All of this is happening very fast, no time to think or process. The guards don't say a word; neither do you, things are just happening fast. But, you understand what is about to happen. The end.
It took 3 whacks with a slightly curved sword to do the deed. He felt every blow; it burns, like a searing white hot knife, each time. The center of the curved blade had to land directly over your spine. They half missed the first two times. Thanks fellas. Don't do this very often, do you?
That's it. You're out. A chamberlain comes in puts John's head in a burlap bag and scurries off and out and towards the palace. Last thing John saw, in his other body. It was about midnight.
Now the world knows.
Don
Historically, there is a legend that Salome was haunted all her days, along with mommy, with the floating head of John, dripping blood, usually when they were about to do some wicked thing. They say. Even paintings to that effect. You can read about that, if you dig up the stories. Dig up. Hey, I made a funny.
As well, the reliquary of John's body parts ended in churches, private collections, all over the far east, America, and Europe to this very day, to be used in black masses and other satanic rites. As they do. Severed heads of prophets and saints bring the highest prices among black magicians.
Welcome to Earth.
