John the Disciple of Jesus was banished to Patmos during the latter years of his life. When Rome had exiled John to Patmos, he was the last remaining member of the Twelve Disciples of Jesus Christ. John was born 6 A.D. His life appears on the Bible Timeline Chart between then and 100 AD. He was a close follower of Christ who was also called the Disciple that Jesus loved.
His Service to Christ
Jesus first encountered John and his brother James on the shores of Galilee. He invited them to become his followers and they complied. John then joined Jesus as he went about his public ministry. John traveled with Jesus during the course of his ministry and was chosen to be in his inner circle as one the Twelve Disciples. This was a special privilege because Jesus had many followers. John was the only disciple that was present when Christ was crucified and he also was extremely loyal to Jesus during the course of his ministry in Jerusalem. Christ told him to watch over Mary his mother who was also present at the crucifixion.
The Early Church
When Jesus came back to life after his crucifix he met John and Peter while they were fishing. Christ referred to him as the Disciple whom Jesus loved. John and Peter told the others what had happened and they went back to Jerusalem until the arrival of the Holy Spirit. John was present with the believers in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit had arrived. He received power and played a critical role with the expansion of the early church.
In the book of Acts John helped Peter to heal people, spread the Gospel and he was imprisoned for preaching the message of Christ. He also cared for Mary, Jesus’ mother, until the time she had died in 54 A.D. King Herod Agrippa I attacked the Christians and caused them to scatter outside of Jerusalem (Acts 12: 1 -17). John ended up in Ephesus.
Some parts of John’s life are not clear and historical sources claim that he was a leader of the church at Ephesus. Eventually he was captured in a persecution campaign by the Roman Emperor Domitian. John was ultimately sentenced to Patmos (Revelation 1:9). Patmos was a small, rocky and barren area where many criminals of Rome were sent to serve out their prison terms in harsh conditions. There were mines on the island that the criminals were forced to work. John was sent to the island for the same reasons because the early Christians were considered a strange cult group who were known for causing trouble within the empire. After John had arrived he began to have visions that were written into the Book of Revelation of the Bible.
Some historians and scholars claim that John died while on Patmos and others say that he was freed from the island before his death. No one is certain when or where he died but many people do agree that he was not executed like the other apostles.
Revelation 1: 9 John speaks about his banishment to the island of Patmos
Acts 12: 1 -17 King Herod Agrippa I attacked the Christians and caused them to scatter outside of Jerusalem.