Krateo (Gr) – “to take hold of” (Eng) - krateo is Greek word that means “to have power,” “to get possession of,” “to be master of,” “to obtain,” “to take hold of,” “to seize,” “to keep carefully and faithfully,” “to restrain.” Krateo is what Herod did to John the Baptists when he was put in prison (Matthew 14:3). Jesus said the shepherd is willing to krateo the sheep that has fallen into a pit in order to lift it out, even, on the Sabbath ( Matt.12:11). In Revelation 2:1 Jesus krateo the seven stars in his right hand and the church is told in Revelation 2:24-25 to krateo the Word of Truth that they have been given and not to seek the “mysteries” and “deep doctrines”:
“to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,
I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.” |
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John the Baptist seems to have been a prophet who God called out from among the Essenes, a religious sect in opposition to the Pharisees, Saducees and the morality of the Jewish priesthood.
The Essenes were in the wilderness in Qumran (location of the Dead Sea Scrolls) just a 2-4 miles away from where John the Baptist preached and baptized. The Essenes practice extensive ritual washings, or baptisms, and the Essenes sited
Isaiah 40:3,
"A voice of one calling: 'In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.' "
John is known for is baptism and using Isaiah 40:3 as his text verse. (More here and here and here.) |
