<p>1:14 <i>And you shall have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth</i>- The Angel hoped that &quot;many&quot; would perceive in John's birth the good news of Messiah's soon appearing; for the rejoicing was to be because of his significance in God's plan (:15). But did &quot;many&quot; rejoice in this sense? Perhaps as with many such predictions, it is stating a potential rather than an actual truth. &quot;Joy and gladness&quot; is a term only used elsewhere about all of us as we look forward to the Lord's coming (1 Pet. 1:8). Zacharias and Elisabeth are therefore set up as every believer. See on :16.</p>