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Jesus Christ Was Right and No One Can Explain John's Timeline · Off The Kirb Ministries

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