The Idolatrous Nature of the First Century Religious System

John is at war with a religious system the same way that Elijah was. And he's taking on the leaders of that system and they don't like it. I mean, do you hear the kind of words that John says? The Pharisees and the scribes are not there to let us see if we should accept this guy as they're there to try to figure out what's going on. We just cast his eyes up there and says, you brood of vipers who warned you to flee from the wrath to come this sort of thing. It's hard to miss all the things that are mirrored between the two.