Examining the Beloved Disciple
An Overview
John asked for it. Literally. As Jesus was traveling to Jerusalem, knowing of his impending death, young John asked if he could sit beside Jesus after they got killed in Jerusalem (okay, not in those exact words). While Jesus deferred the heavenly seating chart to God, John's devotion did not go unnoticed.
This Bible study on "the son of Zebedee" will cover the entire life of John, from his days with the other John (the Baptist), to his days as one of the twelve, to his years in ministry, and all the way to Patmos where the received the Revelation.
Lessons
Chapter 1
The Son of Thunder
Chapter 2
Little John
Chapter 3
The Promise
Chapter 4
Boot Camp
Chapter 5
A Prophecy Unpacked
Chapter 6
Neck Deep
Chapter 7
Two Olives
Chapter 8
Pinky Swear
Chapter 9
A Good Death
Chapter 10
The Wandering Jew
Chapter 11
The Fake News Fighter
Chapter 12
The Gospel of John
Meet the family of John: His father Zebedee, his mother (whose name is not certain), and his brother James (which James is that?). We'll discuss his role as a second son, the social status of his father, his mother as a follower of Christ, and a clarification of the three Jameses (James Zebedee, James Alphaeus, and James Clopas).
Lesson Two goes into the background of the beloved disciple himself. In doing so, we'll delve into the theory that John was only a teenager and look at several verses that seem to support this theory.
What did Mom ask? We'll look at the humor (and powerful) incident on the road to Jerusalem where the Zebedee family showed their willingness to follow Jesus to the bitter end.
To become the "Beloved Disciple," John had to be trained. This chapter will look at the education of St. John.
What did Jesus mean by that? Buried in some very cool prophecies are some specific lines most likely meant for John. We'll look at the strange implications of these minor prophecies.
Why doesn't this guy die? That must've been the question Emperor Palpatine (err...Domitian) asked when a public execution of the last disciple goes horribly wrong.
While sitting on Patmos, John is shown the future of Christianity...until everything is halted to discuss the concept of the Two Olive Trees. Like John, we'll get an education on this bit of lore.
When Jesus made promises to John, he kept them. We'll look at the theory of John being one of the two witnesses and the verses that support John "lingering" until Jesus returns again.
John got what he wanted...a good death. This chapter will look at what happens to the two witnesses in their showdown with Team Antichrist.
So if John didn't die in Ephesus, what happened to him? Did he ascend like Elijah, only to return later? Or did he wander the earth as a strange old man? Both? Neither? We'll discuss this theory.
As the eldest surviving disciple, John confronted a new threat...gnostics. He defends his church against heresies in this study of his epistles.
The final chapter looks at how the "old" John theory shapes his perspective in writing his Gospel.