The fourth year of John the Baptist's ministry started.
The fourth year of John the Baptist's ministry started. His ministry of preparing the people for Christ was drawing to a close, for this was his primary purpose. The Lord himself, whose way John had prepared, entered into his ministry. He executed his prophetic office and sealed his ministry with famous miracles, for John did no miracles. John's ministry of preparation was so celebrated by Isaiah and Malachi so many ages before. None will wonder that so long a period of time was assigned to it by us when they consider that a shorter time for so great a work would be too short especially without the help of miracles to accomplish as much as the angel Gabriel confirmed to his father Zacharias that John should do. (LUK 1:16-17) "Many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God, and he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, that he may turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, and to prepare a people ready for the Lord,"