Did John's death prove Christ's 1st Coming in 70AD
In this newsletter, we'll delve into the intriguing ending of the Gospel of John. This gospel concludes with Jesus directing the focus of Peter and John towards their futures and how their deaths will bring glory to God. While Peter was crucified and died as a martyr, John, the Beloved disciple, had a different fate. He lived a long life and was the only disciple to see Jesus' coming, which is believed to have occurred during the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. This fascinating twist in the gospel raises questions about why John was chosen to live and what significance it holds for us today. Let's explore this further in this newsletter.
The passage in question reads as follows:
Joh 21:21-23 LEB
21 So when he saw this one, Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, but what about this one?”
22 Jesus said to him, “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So this saying went out to the brothers that that disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”
Have you ever wondered about the intriguing conversation between Jesus and his disciples, when he made the remarkable prediction about two of his closest followers? Jesus proclaimed that Peter would live a long life, until he reached old age, but John would outlive him. This statement caused a bit of confusion among the disciples as they believed that John would not only outlive them all, but also live forever. The early church writers tell us that Peter passed away in Rome around AD 67-68, putting the time frame being discussed at least 35 years into the future.
So, what did Jesus actually mean by this prediction? Did he mean that John would live until Jesus' second coming, or was it until his ascension a few days later? This question has sparked much debate and discussion among biblical commentators, but there is a general consensus that when Jesus says he wants John to live until he comes back, he is referring to his second coming. This theory is supported by the NIV Bible notes which state that "Jesus clearly refers to his second coming." Of course to us partial preterists it was his first coming. And Matthew Henry's Bible Commentary adds "Let him not die until Christ comes to destroy Jerusalem." The other apostles had already passed away before this event, but John survived and lived for many more years.
The English term “return” can be a bit ambiguous, so it's important to delve deeper into the specific Greek words used. Thankfully, the Greek language has a clear differentiation between the words used for "return" as "come unto them" and "return" as "depart from them" or "return to the Father". The Greek word "erchomai" is used to describe Jesus' coming into his kingdom on earth, and it literally translates to "to come" or "to arrive". This word is used to describe the coming of the Son of man into his kingdom.
So you can see it's pretty clear that when Jesus says he's going to the Father, he's using hypago and poryu. When Jesus says he will return to his disciples, he uses erchomai. The use of these terms is consistent. Therefore, we have every reason to believe that Jesus uses these words in the same usual way when he says that he wants John to live until he comes, that is, until he comes to them.
This definitely confirms Jesus' words to John that this really happened! When Jesus came in AD 70 Jesus' words were fulfilled. After all, another theme in John's Gospel is the way John goes on to say that Jesus did something "that the Scripture might be fulfilled." For John it is important that the prophecies of Jesus are fulfilled. This appears to be another example of that theme of achievement. It also makes sense that John concludes his Gospel on this high note, looking ahead to one of the most important events foretold by Jesus, the consummation of the Kingdom and the completion of our Atonement at his Coming. How thrilling that John lived to see this and write about it in his Apocalypse of Christ.
Jesus honored John by saying he wanted him to live until he saw Jesus come. Jesus had already hinted at this a few times and the disciples knew that only some of them would live to see Jesus come. Jesus promised that this generation would not pass away until all these things happened.
John 21:22 Jesus said to him, "If I want him to stay until I come, [erchomai] what does it matter to you? Follow me!"
Here is a cross reference my Bible provides on how the same word is used in reference to the same topic.
Mat 16:28 Truly I say to you, there are some of you present here who will NOT die before SEEING the Son of man coming [erchomai] in his kingdom.
Mat 10:23 “But if they persecute you in one city, flee to another; for truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of man [erchomai] comes.
Mat 23,39 "For I tell you that from now on you will not see me again until you say: 'BLESSED IS THE COMING [erchomai] IN THE NAME OF THE LORD!' "
What words, then, does Jesus use to describe the return to the Father? When Jesus speaks of leaving, going or ascending to the Father, he uses three different words:
1) poryuo, which means GO, LEAVE or return
2) hypago, which means GOING AWAY or LEAVING
3) anabain, meaning to ascend, as in his ascension.
Sometimes the word erchomai, coming, is used in stark contrast to poryuo, departing, to describe Jesus' return to the Father. Here are two examples that illustrate the opposite meaning of these terms.
John 14:28
"You heard that I said to you, 'I am going away [hypago] and coming [erchomai] to you." If you had loved me, you would have rejoiced, for I go to the Father [poryu] because the father is greater than me.
Acts 1:11
They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking at the sky? This Jesus, whom you took up to heaven, will come [erchomai] in the same way as you saw him go up to heaven [poryu].
It also makes sense that John concludes his Gospel on this high note, looking ahead to one of the most important events foretold by Jesus, the consummation of the Kingdom and the completion of our Atonement at his Second Coming. How thrilling that John lived to see this and write about it in his Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Jesus honored John by saying he wanted him to live until he saw Christ's coming. He had already hinted at this a few times and the disciples knew that only some of them would live to see Jesus come. Jesus promised that this generation would not pass away until all these things happened.
Peter was curious when he asked Jesus if he would live to see Jesus' arrival. Jesus didn't give a straight answer, but it seems that he chose John to be one of the lucky few to witness it. This was a big deal, because Jesus himself chose John for this honor. This made a strong impact on the disciples and showed how much Jesus trusted and valued John.
NON-RELATED PARALELL
As we bring this newsletter to a close, we are reminded of a striking similarity between John's gospel and the story of Simeon in Luke. Simeon, a righteous and pious man in Jerusalem, was told by the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah.
Luk 2:25-26 LEB 25 And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he would see the Lord’s Christ.
This parallel is echoed in Jesus' words to John, revealing that he too would not see death until he witnessed the coming of the Lord.
It is fascinating to see how the themes of divine revelations and waiting for the Messiah run throughout the scriptures. The fact that Jesus honored John by selecting him as a witness to his grand arrival only further emphasizes the importance of this message.
As we close this newsletter, let us be reminded of the significance of these events and their impact on our faith. Christ indeed did truly come in 70AD. He did not return in 70AD. He spoke if his coming, and later in the new testament Christ's return was promised in the book of Acts and anticipated in The Epistle to the Hebrews.
Till next time