I was challenged pretty severely last night... oh well, got to live what I teach, huh? God works these things to our good.

Yeah CD, John was the only one who did not die a martyr's death. He was extremely old when he was exiled by the Emperor Domitian to Patmos until Domitian was himself put to death. The Apostle John had been the bishop or the master pastor of Ephesus until that time that he was taken, and Patmos actually was out in the sea looking back toward Ephesus ( a kind of slap in the face ). When Domitian died, John was released and returned back to Ephesus to work there again where he continued to plant churches until his death.

Jerome said this: "In the fourteenth year then after Nero Domitian having raised a second persecution he was banished to the island of Patmos, and wrote the Apocalypse, on which Justin Martyr and Irenaeus afterwards wrote commentaries. But Domitian having been put to death and his acts, on account of his excessive cruelty, having been annulled by the senate, he returned to Ephesus under Pertinax and continuing there until the tithe of the emperor Trajan, founded and built churches throughout all Asia."


A bishop is actually a pastor or a master pastor of an area. He was for many years before this the Bishop or pastor of Ephesus. The word bishop has taken on different meanings over the years.

He went back to being their bishop and did a lot of work out of Ephesus after that. I don't know if he was the actual leader of the Apostolic leadership of the church at that time, but I do know that at this time he was the last surviving apostle who was the kind of apostle that has apostolic authority as being someone taught by Jesus themselves. He was the last of the Disciples to die and all the others had been martyred at that point.

This was in the A.D. 90's around AD 96 or so. He was a very old man, but was still very active for some time after returning from Patmos. There are some other early fathers' reports of his life around that time, and most of them agree with Jerome here. He did continue to start a number of new churches even at his advanced age.

Matthew 26:38 actually says this>
Matthew 26:38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.

Jesus was asking them to tarry or wait (the inner 3... John, James, and Peter) with Jesus and pray with him through the night while he prayed preparing for him to be taken and crucified. Later, when he would find them asleep, he would ask them if they could not tarry with him one hour without falling asleep. Okay?



I hope that answered your question, CD.

James




FireStorm

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Quote:
Philippians 3:8-10 " 8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things [but] loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them [but] dung, that I may win Christ, 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;


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