Timeline of John's Ministry

Let's draw a timeline that will give us a better idea of when John lived.
Through the middle of a sheet of paper, draw a horizontal line, at least 8" long.
Mark off 1/2" segments, or longer if your line is longer than 8".
Label your first line on the left 25 AD. Continue labeling from left to right, in five-year intervals, going from 25 AD to 100 AD.
The times given below are approximate and may differ from other sources, but they'll give you a good feel for what was happening during John's lifetime.
Mark and label these events in John's life under your line.

• 28-30 AD John is one of Jesus' disciples.
• 30-70 AD John the Apostle is one of the leaders of the Jerusalem church.
• 70-95 AD John flees to Ephesus and serves as a leader (elder) in the Ephesian church.
• 85-90 AD John writes the Gospel of John.
• 90-94 AD John writes 1,2, and 3 John.
• 95-96 AD John is exiled to the island of Patmos, where he writes Revelation.
• 96-100 AD John returns to Ephesus until his death.

Mark and label these events that took place during John's lifetime over your line.

• 35 AD Paul converted.
• 44 AD James (John's brother) martyred.
• 60s AD Peter and Paul martyred.
• 66-70 AD Jewish revolt against Rome
• 70 AD The Romans destroy Jerusalem. Christians and Jews are killed, captured, or flee.
• 81-96 AD Domitian is Emperor of Rome.
• 95-96 AD Christians persecuted by Domitian
• 96 AD Domitian dies.

After drawing your timeline, answer these questions:

• After Jesus' death, where did John live and minister?
• Why do you think John moved from Jerusalem to Ephesus?
• What did he do in Ephesus?
• Why did John spend time on Patmos?
• What did he do while on Patmos?
• What made it possible for him to leave Patmos?
• Where did John spend the last years of his life?
• His life ended during the reign of Emperor Trajan, who persecuted Christians even more than Emperor Domitian. It his said that Trajan "bathed the empire red in the blood of Christians." So, we don't know whether John died peacefully or violently, but we do know that he lived to be quite old and was the last of Christ's first disciples to die.

If you'd like to learn more about some of the places where John lived, here are some websites:

You probably have a better map in a study Bible, but if not, you can find Jerusalem, Ephesus, and Patmos at this site: http://www.biblestudy.org/maps/pauls-first-journey-map.html.

Here's one man's visit to the ruins of Ephesus and what he learned, as told in his blog: http://www.markroberts.com/htmfiles/resources/ancientephesus.htm.

If you'd like to learn more about the history of Patmos, check out this site: http://www.greeka.com/dodecanese/patmos/patmos-history.htm.

Here are two sites about Jerusalem. The first gives general information about its history, and the second will tell you more about what Jerusalem was like during the first century, the time when John lived there.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/jerusalem.aspx

http://www.bible-history.com/jerusalem/firstcenturyjerusalem_overview.html

We've looked at who wrote 1 John, to whom it was written, when John lived, and where John lived. In our next blog, we'll look at why John wrote this first of his epistles.