Gabriel’s Announcement to Zachariah Shows That Jesus is “the Lord their God.”
But the angel said unto him, ‘Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
And 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 Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.'”
Luke 1:13-17
13 ειπεν δε προς αυτον ο αγγελος μη φοβου ζαχαρια διοτι εισηκουσθη η δεησις σου και η γυνη σου ελισαβετ γεννησει υιον σοι και καλεσεις το ονομα αυτου ιωαννην
14 και εσται χαρα σοι και αγαλλιασις και πολλοι επι τη γεννησει αυτου χαρησονται
15 εσται γαρ μεγας ενωπιον του κυριου και οινον και σικερα ου μη πιη και πνευματος αγιου πλησθησεται ετι εκ κοιλιας μητρος αυτου
16 και πολλους των υιων ισραηλ επιστρεψει επι κυριον τον θεον αυτων
17 και αυτος προελευσεται ενωπιον αυτου εν πνευματι και δυναμει ηλιου επιστρεψαι καρδιας πατερων επι τεκνα και απειθεις εν φρονησει δικαιων ετοιμασαι κυριω λαον κατεσκευασμενον
Gabriel prophesied to Zachariah that the latter would have a natural-born son, who would bring great joy both to him and Elizabeth, and to “many” others, because he would be “great in the sight of the Lord…”
John’s work in the Lord would be to “turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,” and he would “go before ‘him’ in the spirit and power of Elijah” to “make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
The only singular entity prior to verse 17, by which “him” in that verse may be identified, is “The Lord their God.” Only “the Lord” and “John” stand as singular, male third-party entities in the passage. Since John is the “he” causing the turning and “going before” “him”, the Lord remains as the sole Person to which “him” in verse 17 is able to refer.
This is significant because Gabriel’s words serve to demonstrate that the man before whom John would go would be “the Lord their God.” Gabriel thereby states without qualification that the one coming, for whom John would prepare the people, is God the Lord. That One coming, as we know, is Jesus. therefore Gabriel’s words confirm that Jesus Christ is the Lord “their God” – the living and true God, YHWH of Creation, coming to fulfill His prophesied salvation of Israel and of the world.
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