The Writings of John
New Testament Books: Gospel of John, 1, 2 & 3 John & Revelation
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name. – John 20.30-31
The Apostle John, like the Apostle Peter, was one of Jesus’s closest disciples. This was also true of John’s brother, James who was later murdered by King Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12.1-2). These brothers were the sons of Zebedee & were referred to by Jesus as the “Sons of Thunder” (Mk 3.17). And John’s thunderous passion comes out in his writings. He was not merely enchanted by Jesus’s teachings on love & truth, but was deeply impacted by how Jesus exemplified them. He even refers to himself as the disciple “whom Jesus loved” (Jn 13.23). While, love is a strong theme found throughout John’s writings, so are themes of walking or abiding in God’s truth (often referred to as light) and the joy & fellowship that come with doing so.
This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. – John 21.24-25
He also writes much about the eternal life made possible through the death, burial & resurrection of Jesus Christ. As a proponent of the love, truth & eternal life embodied by Jesus, it is understandable then that John was equally passionate about warning people of false teachings & it is John who gives us much teaching about the antichrist.
The Gospel of John was written after the other 3 Gospel books were written. In doing so, John was not only providing additional information to underscore the fact that Jesus is God in the flesh, but also affirming the correctness of the content of the other Gospel books since he did not bother to discuss or elaborate on most of those events – even those remarkable events that only He, Peter & James witnessed first-hand (Mk 5.35-42, 14.32-34, Mt 17.1-2).
After leaving Jerusalem, John ministered in Ephesus (now western Turkey) & surrounding areas. While holding the office of elder in the church, John wrote 3 letters (epistles) that are known as First John, Second John & Third John which were circulated around the churches in the region. He was the longest living Apostle & was exiled to the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea on account of his testimony of Jesus (Rev 1.9). There he wrote his last & most provocative book – Revelation – or technically, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Rev 1.1).
The book of Revelation includes a striking encounter John has with the risen Jesus while on the island of Patmos who then dictates letters for John to write to 7 churches. It is followed with a vision of God’s majestic throne in heaven & then by explicit details regarding the end times including the judgements of the Tribulation period, the last antichrist (the Beast), the battle of Armageddon, Christ’s victory & 1,000 year reign, Satan’s final doom, the Great White Throne Judgment and a new heaven & new earth.
John wraps up the book of Revelation with the following passage, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to apply it to the whole Bible since he was the last surviving apostle & revelator of God’s Word.
The Gospel of John was written after the other 3 Gospel books were written. In doing so, John was not only providing additional information to underscore the fact that Jesus is God in the flesh, but also affirming the correctness of the content of the other Gospel books since he did not bother to discuss or elaborate on most of those events – even those remarkable events that only He, Peter & James witnessed first-hand (Mk 5.35-42, 14.32-34, Mt 17.1-2).
After leaving Jerusalem, John ministered in Ephesus (now western Turkey) & surrounding areas. While holding the office of elder in the church, John wrote 3 letters (epistles) that are known as First John, Second John & Third John which were circulated around the churches in the region. He was the longest living Apostle & was exiled to the island of Patmos in the Aegean Sea on account of his testimony of Jesus (Rev 1.9). There he wrote his last & most provocative book – Revelation – or technically, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Rev 1.1).
The book of Revelation includes a striking encounter John has with the risen Jesus while on the island of Patmos who then dictates letters for John to write to 7 churches. It is followed with a vision of God’s majestic throne in heaven & then by explicit details regarding the end times including the judgements of the Tribulation period, the last antichrist (the Beast), the battle of Armageddon, Christ’s victory & 1,000 year reign, Satan’s final doom, the Great White Throne Judgment and a new heaven & new earth.
John wraps up the book of Revelation with the following passage, but it wouldn’t be a stretch to apply it to the whole Bible since he was the last surviving apostle & revelator of God’s Word.
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen. – Revelation 22.18-21
- Inter-Author Reference: In his Gospel, the Apostle John only notes 7 apostles by name, including Peter, but he does refer to the original “twelve” as a group (Jn 6.70). And he also notes a group of twelve apostles in Rev 21.14.