Baptist II on the river Delaware

MILFORD — Over two millennia ago, as Biblical accounts detail, a man known as John the Baptist practiced his religious work on the River Jordan, paving the way for the arrival of Jesus Christ. Thousands of years later, his self-proclaimed successor, John the Baptist II, is doing his own work along the River Delaware, getting ready for what he believes will be the second coming. Many residents are familiar with his silver pick-up truck, adorned with large religious signs, often parked on Broad Street. That is one of the ways this local man says he is “heralding Christ’s return.” And to his knowledge, he is the first person to literally use his vehicle to do so. Though his title is clever, it is no marketing scheme. “I don’t believe myself to be the second John the Baptist, I know that I am,” he writes in an e-mail. “People can believe it or not. Thier (sic) choice is not my business. My business is to present this Good News,” he added. In his first interview ever consented to, “John” requested that he remain anonymous for the safety of himself and his family. John said he receives many threats and that he has even experienced attempts against his life in the past. “To many this may sound like the pot calling the kettle black, but there are some very unstable people out there,” he said. John calls himself a “laborer and soldier” with four main duties, in his words: Presenting the Good News about Jesus Christ, preparing the way for the return of the Lord, edifying saints, and fighting a war against Satan and his Gang. “Each part of the Body of Christ has a role ordained by God for them. Mine is being the prophet John the Baptist the 2nd…All the parts of Christ’s Body need each other and are important. I will do my job and I have faith and trust in my brothers and sisters in the Lord that they will do thiers (sic),” he wrote. John has lived in Milford for the past twenty years and started parking his now famous truck in the town a little over two years ago. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, John says, he believes it is his mission to alert the public of the return of Jesus Christ and to urge people to make the necessary preparations. “Prepare all the Lord’s way, or don’t, Jesus Christ’s Return draws nearer everyday,” signs on his truck read. But his mission goes far beyond parking his vehicle in Milford, he said. John has been across the country to seven cities so far in his travels. At each stop, he parks his truck in a strategic place to maximize visibility. John said that a recent upgrade now provides sleeping quarters, allowing him to travel farther and longer. John said he has received complaints about the presence of his truck in Milford, but Borough President Matt Osterberg said there are no regulations on the books that would prohibit the activity other than a two-hour parking rule where applicable. “I see no reason to stop him from preaching his beliefs…he has strong religious convictions and should be allowed to state them,” Osterberg said. Father Gerald Mullally of St. Patrick’s Church in Milford has seen the truck often, and so have members of his parish. “On one hand, there is never any harm in calling attention to God, but on the other hand, even God can suffer from bad press,” he said. According to the Bible, Jesus once stated that there is no greater man born to woman than the original John the Baptist, a man Father Mullally said had a singular role in pointing to the coming of Jesus. Mullally, who never met John, said he doubts not only the necessity of a second John the Baptist, but also where the local man would get the authority to assert himself as such. “People can speak prophetically, but not in the place of someone who is an actual historical figure,” he said. “I don’t doubt [John’s] personal goodness and dedication, but you can have that and still not be right,” Mullally said. Despite skepticism, threats, and complaints, the future will only bring more cities and small towns for the evangelical truck and its faithful owner. And as thousands across the country take a gander at the truck, the PO Box listed on its side will always read, Milford, PA — home base for this local prophet who is afforded some luxuries the first John never had: a mobile billboard, a mailing address, and a Web site, www.johnthebaptist2nd.com .