Is the Apostle John still alive?

[Marvin Knox]

"21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers[b] that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”" Jn. 21:21-23 (ESV)

There are several very interesting things about this passage. First, notice that Christ is the one who advances the possibility that John might remain until his second coming. This is not a possibility that is advanced by anyone else in the discussion - Christ himself suggests the possibility. This means that there is a strong implication that this will in fact happen in reality.

Second, the very fact that Christ mentions John remaining alive until his second coming is proof that it is indeed possible. Christ could supernaturally preserve John's body so that it does not age. John could then remain alive undercover for the next 2000 years without anyone ever knowing.

Next, there is the fact that the Apostle John wrote the book of Revelation at a very advanced age (he must have been in his eighties). Yet in the book he shows a great deal of clarity of thought and a lucidity which would escape most eighty-year-olds (the book of Revelation is one of the most brilliant books ever written).

Finally, there is this passage in the book of Revelation:

"11 And I was told, “You must again prophesy about many peoples and nations and languages and kings.”" Rev. 10:11 (ESV)

Most interpreters take this as a reference to John's future prophecy in the book of Revelation - but could it be referring to a time in the far distant future when John will once again prophesy - maybe as one of the two witnesses? Is it possible that the Apostle John is in fact one of the two witnesses?

One last note. The Apostle John's tomb is supposedly in Ephesus, but in order for my thesis to be correct it would obviously have to be just ancient folktale and legend. The fact of the matter is we really have no idea how most of the Apostles died. All we have are church legends.

Anyways, is it possible that the Apostle John is still alive today? I certainly believe so, just by virtue of the fact that it is Jesus Christ who advanced the possibility.

I wouldn't presume to be dogmatic about all this.

But I have felt that there is a good chance that John is one of the two witnesses in the Book of Revelation.

Some say that Elijah will be one of them. I believe that John the Baptist was Elijah and therefore look elsewhere to explain the two witnesses in the last days.

I've got my money on Enoch, from the pre-flood era and John the Apostle from the apostolic era.

Again though - I would never say that dogmatically or bet my house on it.

Just sayin that I'd bet a few bucks on it.

 

[Nicksc]

I noticed no one mentioned Matthew 24: 34I tell you the truth, this generationj will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. Or Luke 21: 32I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place.
I believe John is still here.

 

[andreic86]

That is not evidence. Jesus never "suggested" it, nor implied that it was a possibility. It was a means of telling the other disciples to mind their own business.

Actually this is quite indicative of what our Lord meant to say. Remember that, though this seems like a casual conversation, this is also Scripture and our Lord knew that even then. Pick of words is not random.

 

[andreic86]

There is strong evidence in the Scriptures that the beloved apostle John is still alive on earth, without having tasted death. Here are some arguments:

I will that he tarry

We have the account of Peter asking our Lord what will happen to John. Now, Jesus' response should not be taken lightly. After all, He was/is the Son of God, and He knew very well the impact of His words and that these will become scripture.

John 21:22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

They shall not taste death

WIth other occasion, Jesus tells us there are some who will not die before His return.

Matthew 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

What is a generation?

Matt 24:34 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all these things be accomplished.

We have multiple numbers that can define a generation in terms of years, all from the Bible. Some say 70, others 80, 100 or even 120. This is especially important when you link this verse to the events described in the previous ones.
However, it is not uncommon that a biblical prophecy has more than one fulfullment. With this in mind, we can say that a generation has passed when its last member has passed. In this case, the prophecy regarding the generation would be fulfilled through John (and maybe others) still being alive, thus keeping the generation "current" or "not passed".

My cup you shall drink

Tradition specifically indicates the way every other apostle died, except for John. For John, we only have second-hand accounts, with no actual witness. In lack of such an account, tradition assumes John died of age.

However this seems in contradiction to our Savior's words when He told John and Jacob that they too will suffer martyrdom.

Matt. 20:23 He said to them, "My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father."
( Matthew 20 Parallel Chapters )

He was talking to John and his brother James, prophesying their martyrdom. It is very interesting that they were caught in the same prophecy and the way this is fulfilled: James was the first to be martyred of all apostles. John will be the last. There is a possibility that he will be one of the two witnesses mentioned in Revelation, though there is a little timing issue there.

More like John?

Let's go back to one of the verses:

Matthew 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

The use of plural here indicates that there is more than one person having part of this fate. So who might the others that will tarry be? We don't know exactly who was among the people gathered then listening to Jesus. But have a look at this passage from Revelation:

Revelation 1:7 - "Look, he is coming with the clouds," and "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him"; and all peoples on earth "will mourn because of him." So shall it be! Amen.
( Revelation 1:7 "Look, he is coming with the clouds," and "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him"; and all peoples on earth "will mourn because of him." So shall it be! Amen. )

Notice the common verb here? Both verses talk about people that will see the return with their own eyes, and each verse tell us a bit about those people - that they shall not taste death until then, and that some of them are those who pierced him, respectively.

 

[BobRyan]

"21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers[b] that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”" Jn. 21:21-23 (ESV)..
Anyways, is it possible that the Apostle John is still alive today? I certainly believe so, just by virtue of the fact that it is Jesus Christ who advanced the possibility.

John said in the actual chapter that to claim that John would not die would be to misinterpret the statement of Christ.

23 Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; BUT Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”

 

[Citizen of the Kingdom]

I have a feeling that what was being described was the old religion of Judaism surviving until Christ's second coming but nevertheless the new covenant was about following Jesus in love expressed to His own.

 

[andreic86]

John said in the actual chapter that to claim that John would not die would be to misinterpret the statement of Christ.

23 Therefore this saying went out among the brethren that that disciple would not die; BUT Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but only, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”

To claim that John would never die - that would be to misinterpret His statement, and that was the reason of John's correction. He then merely repeated Jesus' statement that John would remain until He returns.
This is in harmony with the other verses that talk about people who would not taste death until they see Christ's return. That "until" means they will taste death then or afterwards.

 

[RBL72]

Jesus himself clearly left open the possibility that the apostle John would remain alive until his second coming. If this was something new, or out of the clear blue, when Jesus mentioned this we could perhaps consider that it was a misunderstanding on the part of the reader or with the translation. It is actually our problem however, that we take His promises of eternal life as meaning that they do not apply here on this earth. I could cite numerous passages to support what I am saying here, but probably the clearest would be what Jesus himself said when he was about to raise Lazarus from the dead. “He that liveth and believe on me shall never die, believeth thou this?” The response here that Jesus gave was actually refuting what Martha said, i.e., commonly held beliefs, actually to this day, when she stated that her brother shall rise again in the resurrection of the last day. We really need to hear and understand what Jesus was saying here, as this definitely supports the subject scripture of this discussion in the last chapter of the Gospel of John. Thank you.