This is a timeline of Jesus's best friend and you will be shocked when you see why millions of people claim that he is still alive on earth today. You already know that John was the disciple who Jesus loved, but there's something you've probably never seen before. It's 30 AD and Jesus is on the cross. But now watch this.
In one eyewitness account, Mark mentions a woman named Salome standing near the cross watching Jesus faithfully, whilst another account written by Matthew once again places her there at Calvary. Did you catch that? Because in a different account written by John, we're told that Jesus mother was standing by the cross alongside a woman simply described as her sister, but her name is never given. So why does some accounts name Salome while another mentions Mary's sister without naming her?
Could it be that these are two descriptions of the same woman seen from different angles? Think about it, if Salome really was Mary's sister, that would mean her son's James and John weren't just disciples following Jesus, but possibly his cousins too. Which might kind of explain why John seems especially close to Jesus. And that also could be why he trusted John with his mother in his final moments because Mary was already his auntie.
OK, so take all of that into your mind and now consider this. If John was born around six AD, that would make him a teenager or in his early 20s back in 26 AD. This is when Jesus calls him to leave his fish and follow him. Now here's the thing. Many people believe he grew up in Bethsaeder, a fishing town on the Sea of Galilee. But what people often miss is John didn't grow up poor. His father Zebedee ran a fishing business solid enough, as the Bible puts it, to employ hired workers.
So jump forward a few years and we are in 27 AD. Around this time period, a lot of John's ministry takes place in areas near the Sea of Galilee, towns like Capernaum and Bethsaeder. Interestingly, archaeologists have uncovered 1st century fishing tools for salt houses and synagogue remains that fit the descriptions of the culture described in the Gospel accounts.
Meanwhile, in 28 AD, John is witnessing Jesus heal folk, cast out demons, preached to growing crowds, and he is formally appointed by his master as one of the 12 disciples. I can assure you of one thing, it wasn't a bed of roses for John. He at times struggled to grasp Jesus mission, for instance he once snitched on and tried to stop an outsider casting out demons in Jesus name.
He joined his brother James in wanting a scary judgment to fall on a Samaritan village and he also joined the arrogant disciples who requested for the highest places in the Kingdom. I do wonder if these mistakes are the reason why Jesus gives John and his brother James the nickname Bo energies, meaning sons of Thunder, because they both had an impulsive character
and a swiftness to judge others. However, John wouldn't always be hot headed and later we'll see him do some incredible things for the Lord. But right now John has a lot to learn. We pick up the story back in 29 AD John is repeatedly included in Jesus smaller inner circle. He is present when Jairus's daughter is brought back to life in Galilee and later witnesses the Transfiguration.
Which by the way, is believed by many Christian writers to be on Mount Table, although some modern scholars suggest Mount Hermon due to its height and proximity to Caesarea Philippi. Do I have permission to go on a little diversion? The appearances of Moses and Elijah alongside Jesus is very significant within Jewish theology. Why? Because it connected Jesus directly to the Law and to the prophets. Does that make sense? In other words, He was the
missing piece of the puzzle. He was the Messiah that the prophets predicted would come, and he was the same Savior who would save them from the law. Because we as sinners, we can never keep that law. But He could keep all of it and its requirements. And though he was the only one who could rescue all of those who were trusting him from sin and the consequences that come from breaking the law.
All right, we are. In AD 30, John has just been sent with Peter into Jerusalem to prepare the Passover meal. This would later be known in Christian tradition as the city's western hill, and it's now called Mount Zion. You might remember that during the meal, John reclines close enough to quietly ask Jesus about the portrayal. This might seem a little strange to you and I, but it was actually really quite common. 1st century dining custom to do
this kind of thing. Later that night, John follows Jesus across the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives and into the olive Grove known as Gethsemane. I can promise you this, no one was more faithful to Jesus on the road to the cross than John, and you're about to see why. In the early hours after Jesus was arrested, John and Peter follow him to the high priest courtyard and John gains access
through a prior connection. Then it happens later on that same day as Jesus crucified outside the city walls at a site early on known as Golgotha. John remains nearby whilst most of the other disciples flee. And as we've already discussed, Jesus entrusts his mother Mary into John's care in that very
moment. It's worth noting that Jesus talking to John on the cross was consistent with Roman practices that allowed observers to be within sight and hearing distance of the one who was put on the cross. Can I ask you what goes through your mind when you hear that here we have the Son of God crucified, and he's thinking about his best friend. He's thinking about his precious mother. But listen to me, He's also
thinking about you and I too. The Bible says He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but for the sins of the whole world. You see, when Jesus paid the ultimate price 2000 years ago, He was paying the price for your sins and for mine. He was fully God, so He knew everything, even the wrongdoing you would commit in the 21st century. And yet He was fully man.
And that is why He alone was the one who was able to save men and women who put their faith in Him, because He became one of us. OK, A few days later, still AD 30, John runs to a rock cut out tomb just outside Jerusalem, a burial style that was well documented in 1st century archaeology. He sees the grave clothes lying separately and believes before seeing Jesus alive. So just a minute, Joe, if the cross involves us, well, what about the resurrection? Well, I'm so glad you asked
because here's the truth. Jesus was also resurrected for you and I so that we can be raised back to life when we die and we can spend eternity with this same Jesus in heaven if we repent and believe on his name. Now here's where our story starts to slip into mystery. In the weeks that follow, John returns N to Galilee and by the Sea of Tiberius, also known as the Sea of Galilee, he is the first to recognize the risen
Jesus standing on the shore. He then alerts Peter, who dives into the water to greet the risen Lord. But during this period, Jesus makes a statement about John that no one can explain, a statement that led to rumours that John was going to be immortal. But more on that later. It's AD 31 and everything changes. John is frequently at the temple complex, one of the largest religious structures in the
ancient world. Whilst entering the temple with Peter, John witnesses the healing of a man who has been unable to walk since birth. This was a public miracle that draws massive attention in a busy pilgrimage area. This then leads to the arrest of Peter and John by the temple authorities, particularly by the Sadducees. You remember that ruling group of people who were known for rejecting the belief in the resurrection Well after Peter and John were questioned, they were later released.
Let's glide ahead. A few years to 42 AD, John begins writing what will become known as the Gospel of John. While scholars debate the exact year it's first put into words, evidence from early manuscript fragments show us that copies of the Gospel were circulating widely from the early 2nd century. For example, a tiny piece of the Gospel of John called the Rylands Papyrus P52 was found in Egypt and is one of the oldest surviving New Testament pieces
we possess. This teaches us that John's story of Jesus had already spread far from the place of its origin by 125 AD, and even some historians claimed that this particular manuscript was written as early as 90 AD. This fragment is so small that it fits in your hand, but it contains part of the conversation between Jesus and Pilate and proves that the Gospel was written early enough to travel across the entire Roman world.
It now lives in the John Rylands Research Institute and Library in Manchester, England, alongside other ancient texts from early Christianity. I was so taken aback when I saw this. On the Joe Rogan Experience, Canadian apologist Wes Huff presented Joe Rogan with a framed self-made replica of the John Ryland's Papyrus 52 manuscript. The very one we're talking about, and the very one that I've seen with my own two eyes in Manchester. Let's sweep across to the spring
of 44AD. Trouble hits the early church when Herod Agrippa begins hating on the believers. James, John's older brother and another of the original apostles, pays the ultimate price by sword, making him the first apostle to be removed from the earth. Peter is arrested too, but ancient historians like Eusebius record that he is miraculously freed from prison. It's 64AD, and John is living in Ephesus, a major city in Asia Minor. Here he writes his three letters, 1 John, 2 John and three John.
These short letters are meant to support early believers. They warn against false teachers and encourage them to live lives marked by love and truth. But listen, that's only half the story. It's now 67 AD, and Roman legions under Titus close in on Jerusalem.
The early church is facing a crisis and and again ancient Christian historians like Euseobus record that John and other believers leave the city ahead of its destruction, heading east to the city of Pella in what is now known as modern day Jordan. Pella is confirmed on historical maps as a refuge for Jews who are fleeing conflict, and its position east of the Jordan River made it a logical place to regroup and plan the next stage of ministry.
Here we see John beginning to think ahead and he starts to focus on communities in in Asia Minor as the church starts to grow and spreads outwards. Decades later in around 95 to 96 AD, John's witness attracts the attention of Roman officials during what we might call the Christian hatred period under Roman Emperor Domitian. Early Christian writers such as Tertilian tell a famous story that John was condemned in Rome and thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil.
As you can imagine, this should have ended his life, but he apparently emerged unharmed, astonishing those who saw it and reportedly leading even some of those in the crowd to convert to Christianity. After this, tradition says he was exiled to a rocky island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea, a place Romans often used as a prison for political or
religious troublemakers. Archaeologists and historians today confirm that Patmos has ancient quarries and a historic cave above the port of the town called Scala. In Scala, there is a cave known as The Cave of the Apocalypse, which has been venerated for centuries as the spot where John received the visions recorded in the Book of Revelation.
The text itself says on the island of Patmos because of the Word of God and the testimony of Jesus, showing that his exile was directly connected to his commitment to speak out boldly for Jesus Christ. After Damitian's death in 96 AD, the Roman Senate reportedly cancelled many of the harsher decrees, and John is freed from exile and returns to Ephesus, an ancient port city in what is now known as western Turkey. This is where he spends his final years.
Early church tradition, recorded by writers like Irenaeus and preserved by historians, places John in Ephesus as a leader who continued to teach the church, edit the gospel, and help shape the early Christian Canon, which was the collection of texts that would later be known as the New Testament. His connection to Ephesus was so strong that a 4th century basilica was built there over a tomb that was traditionally identified as his burial place on the a asolic hill.
This shows us the early Christians revered this site and remembered him as the last of the original apostles. You probably knew that John's death is often cited AS100AD, but brace yourselves because we're about to take a very unexpected turn. The unavoidable conclusion is there are quite literally millions of people who claim that the Apostle John is still alive somewhere on this earth that we are on right now. So let's answer the question Did
John actually die? This is a question that has puzzled readers for centuries, and it starts with one quietly mystifying line. Near the end of John's gospel, after the resurrection, Jesus appears to the disciples on the shore of Galilee. Peter, never able to leave things alone, looks at John and asks Jesus what about him? And Jesus replies, if I want him to remain alive until I come again, what is that to you? That sentence alone started a huge rumor. Why?
Because early believers took it very literally. Whispers spread that John might never die, that he could remain on earth until Jesus returned. John himself, though, steps in in the very next verse and clarifies that Jesus never actually said that. But that didn't stop the idea from growing legs of its own. OK, but if you thought that raised a few eyebrows, wait until you hear this.
Some of you already know that every apostle pays the ultimate price for believing and preaching Christ to a world that hated Christianity. Our church tradition remembers these men, and rightly so. But when it comes to John,
history goes strangely quiet. I almost hesitate to say this, but just to clear up a common mix up, it was John the Baptist who was taken out by Herod Antipus, not John the Apostle, the author of the Gospel of John and also the author of Revelation. Now I'm not going to lie, if the story about John surviving the cauldron of boiling oil, if that is really true, it certainly does add an ounce of credibility
to this theory. But I am interested to know what do you think because I'm about to share some Bible verses with you and I want to know, do these convince you that he's still alive before I share my final conclusion? Jesus once said in Luke 9 verse 27, some standing here will not not taste death before they see the Kingdom of God. Well, here we've got John stood there listening to these very
words. Again, it's important to remember most Christians believe that Jesus is referring to the transfiguration, the resurrection or Pentecost. But a minority have wondered, could John fit that description? After all, he outlived all the other apostles. He survived that ordeal by the Romans. And these same people who pushed this theory claim that John's death account is missing. There are no documents, there's nothing to verify that he actually died.
So it's no surprise that this speculation feeds into another mystery. The two witnesses of Revelation 11. Traditionally, they've been identified as Enoch and Elijah, the only biblical figures who never experienced a normal death. But a small group has suggested that John himself could be one of them. I mean, he is the one who wrote about them in the Book of Revelation. The logic goes like this. Scripture says it is appointed for man wants to die and after that the judge.
So if John never really did die, then theoretically he could return to fulfill that role. Oh, and then there's Revelation one verse 9 where John writes, I John, am your brother and companion in the tribulation. Now most of us as Christians would read that as spiritually as if John is saying, you know, I'm sharing in your daily trials in some way. But others read it more literally. They ask if John were already in heaven or if he was dead, how could he be with believers during the seven-year
tribulation itself? But I can hear exactly what some of you are thinking. Joe, you said millions of people believe this. Who are these people? Well, firstly, there were medieval theologians like Thomas Aquinas, Cornelius Lapidae, and Francis de Sales who entertained the idea that John might be reserved for a final confrontation with evil. Much like Enoch or Elijah.
They imagine that John might be hidden away, preserved somewhere until the end of the age and then centuries later on, biblical movements like the Church of Latter Day Saints interpreted John 21 as meaning that John was granted power over death, that he really is still alive today, he's travelling the world and he's quietly bringing souls to Christ.
Guys, this whole situation gets even more insane in modern times because there are rumours, there are alleged sightings, and there is even a social media figure called John Davis who has convinced his followers that he is the real apostle John. Whilst other spiritual writers and travellers claim that they have had encounters with ancient men in remote places. Alright everyone, now take a deep breath and let us all remember one key fact. None of this, none of this is
verifiable. The fact is this. The Bible never promises immortality to John. In fact, the very passage that caused the rumour is corrected by John, as I've already said in the very next verse. Secondly, no ancient eyewitnesses claim that John lived beyond the 1st century. Quite the opposite. Early church historians all remained consistent.
Writers like Irenaeus, Yuseobus and Polycrates of Ephesus say John lived into old age and died peacefully in Ephesus during the reign of Emperor Trajan around 98 to 117 AD. They use the phrase he sleeps, a common ancient and biblical way of saying he died. We've also seen that archaeology likely backs up John's death with our 4th century basilica in Ephesus, which was long believed by early Christians to be the site of John's tomb. And can I say this?
Even John surviving the cauldron incident doesn't mean eternal life. Tertilian's boiling oil account, If it is true, prove it was divine protection but not immortality. So come on now, did John live forever? Is John still alive? Well, yes and no Personally, I'm very doubtful that he's still mooching around somewhere on earth. But I do believe he's alive in a deeper sense.
Because he trusted in the one who was not only his best friend, but his Savior and Lord. Because he trusted in that man. That means that ultimately he and anyone else who makes that same choice, anyone who puts their trust in Jesus Christ, puts their faith in him, in Yeshua, they also, like John, will live forever and have a real hope beyond the grave. But what about this life, Joe? I know you're talking about heaven now, but but what about this life right now?
Well, I personally believe that Jesus will also restore this earth in a new way. And fascinatingly, one place I believe he's going to restore in the future is Iran, a country that we've been hearing an awful lot about in the news right now. If you want to hear the Bible's script and prediction for what's going to happen in Iran, you better click here right away.