John the Baptist was the forerunner of the coming of the Lord. He was a physical cousin of the Lord. He was called by God to go out into the wilderness of Judea and prepare the way of the Lord. His message to the people of Israel was to repent of their sins for the Kingdom of God was

at hand. This message is still the same today. We are to tell people that they must repent in order to enter the Kingdom of God. Without repentance there is no forgiveness of sins and therefore hell becomes the eternal reality rather than heaven.