Matthew wrote to the Jews
Mark wrote to the Romans
Luke, a Gentile, wrote to the Greeks
John wrote to the Saints.
John the Beloved, John the Revelator, and the apostle John (as in Peter, James & John) are all the same person. The First Presidency consisted of Peter, and the brothers-James & John.
James and John's father was Zebedee, a fisherman, they are all fishermen and that's how they knew Peter and Andrew and were introduced to Jesus through them.
Here's a way to remember the first 12 apostles: JJJJJPMPANTS. So to remember, here's the story: A woman had quintuplets and named them all with names that started with J - James, John, Judas, James the lesser, and Judas Thadeus. She was so overwhelmed that one night her wife asked how he could help her. She wrote down JJJJJPMPANTS which meant that he should remember the names of the 5 quints and every PM, change their pants (diapers).
They are named in Luke 6:13-16.
(Barthalamew is Nathaniel.)
John wrote 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John, and Revelations. (Paul wrote 14 books)
Proof that John was married is in 2nd John - he wrote "unto the elect lady". It is assumed he meant his wife.
Of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are synoptic. John's is different because he was writing to the Saints, so he wrote sacred teachings and quotes from the Old Testament. His teachings are not in the other Gospels.
Reasons he is called the Beloved: In his writings, he was very humble; he never gave his own name; he called himself "the other disciple" or the "disciple that Jesus loved". Once he said "the other disciple out-ran Peter", referring to himself.
At the Last Supper, John was "in His (Jesus')bosom"
Also When Jesus asked the disciples what they wanted after He was gone, all wanted to die at the age of man (72) but John (who Jesus called "my beloved") wanted to tarry to continue to carry the Gospel to the world. At the cross, John was standing by Jesus' mother and Jesus asked him to care for her. Some reasons He might have asked John instead of His own brothers, whose responsibility it would have been, might have been that His brothers were still not believers, and when they did become believers, they would be persecuted and killed, but John was promised to live (as a translated being) forever so He knew John would be there as long as Mary needed him.
When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were working on the translation, and saw that John stayed as a translated being, they were shown in a vision a document written by John which is now Section 7, in which Jesus calls John, My Beloved.
All the apostles were martyred - from Fox's Book of Martyrs.
JUDAS ISCARIOT - Committed suicide, hanging himself after Jesus was killed.
JAMES (son of Zebedee) - the first apostle martyred, beheaded about 44 A.D
JAMES (son of Alphaeus) - was beaten to death in Jerusalem.
PHILLIP - hanged or crucified in Galilee about 52 A.D.
JUDAS THADDEUS - was shot with an arrow in Rome about 52 A.D.
NATHANIEL (BARTHOLOMEW) - was flayed alive, about 59 A.D.
MATTHEW (son of Alphaeus) - was slain with a battle axe, about 60 A.D.
ANDREW (son of Jonah) — crucified about 60 A.D.
PETER (son of Jonah) — Crucified, head downwards at Rome, about 66 A.D.
PAUL - Was beheaded in Rome by Nero , about 67 A.D.
BARNABUS - Was stoned by the Jews about 73 A.D.
SIMON - was crucified in Judea, about 74 A.D.
MATTHIAS — Was stoned and then beheaded in Ethiopia.
THOMAS — Was run through with a lance, about 90 A.D.
JOHN (son of Zebedee) — "the only apostle who escaped a violent death."
John was exiled to the Isle of Patmos when he was in his 90's but was still in good health and not aging. He was the last leader of the Church and received revelations for the Church there. In the letters he wrote to the leaders in the branches, he always praised them, then gave instruction, then praised them again at the end. It's a good example for us as parents.
While on the Isle of Patmos, he saw the panoramic vision from our pre-earth life through the ages of this earth, to the Celestial heavens. This vision has been given to many others: Adam, Enoch (which is written in Moses 7) Abraham, Isaiah, Nephi, the Brother of Jared, which is written in the sealed portion of the Book of Mormon, and Joseph Smith.
We can understand the Book of Revelations better by studying D&C 77.
John was the only apostle to talk about the war in Heaven and that the war was won by the blood of the Lamb and the testimonies that were given (by us?) - Revelations 12.
He talks about Satan - the name means accuser; he was an accuser of the brethren. It is the same thing that apostates and those who fight against the Church do today - accuse the brethren.
Revelations 21 talks about the Celestial Kingdom.
Where is John now? He (as a translated being) appeared to Joseph Smith with Peter and James (who were resurrected beings) to restore the Melchizedek Priesthood. We understand that now he is among the lost 10 tribes helping to prepare them. Possibly in Russia and the Ukraine. There are 6 million Russians who are Jews. It is the largest group of Jews.
Translated beings look like us except they don't age. They have no pain or illness and will be changed/resurrected in the twinkling of an eye.
Other translated beings include the whole City of Enoch, Moses, Elijah Melqizedek & his city (Salem), Alma, Nephi-son of Helaman, and maybe Ether. Those who were translated before Christ's resurrection were resurrected with Him. These men (and some women) live as translated or as resurrected beings so that they can bring back keys; be good missionaries because nobody can get rid of them - they are bullet proof and can't be tempted by Satan.
The people from the City of Enoch are ministering spirits to many planets.
In Revelations, he recounts the vision, but skips around, so it's a little harder to follow.
1st Seal - first thousand years, or 4000 BC is the white horse, which symbolizes victory. The first thousand years were victorious, with Enoch's whole city being taken up, etc.
3rd Seal - third thousand years or 2000 BC is the black horse which represented famine.
4th Seal - fourth thousand years or 1000 BC was the pale horse, representing fear. That thousand years was filled with death, conquering armies and heroes.
5th Seal - fifth thousand years or 1 AD was the day of martyrdom. Besides Christ and all the apostles, Zachariah, John the Baptist, and many Christians were killed
6th Seal - sixth thousand years or 1000 AD was signs in heaven and on earth - earthquakes, missionary work, restoration, building of temples
7th Seal - seventh thousand years or 2000 AD. Some think it opened on or around 2000 AD. It begins with half hour of silence. If 1000 years is a day in the Lord's reckoning, then a half hour of silence would be 21 years of our time. (we're almost there!)
Then the destroying angels will send out plagues as in Moses' day. there will be darkness which could be caused by the earth beginning to hurl back to Kolob realm; There will be the battle of Armageddon. The soldiers will cover the earth like locust. 200 million will fight against the Gospel then Jesus will come down during Armageddon and end the war. The angels will sing the words of a new song, which are in D&C 84:99-102. John's message in Revelations was that of encouragement and victory.
When Laurel studied to be a Seminary teacher, the teachers had them write "parallel stories" to the scripture stories to help them be more relevant to students. This is one she wrote for Revelations:
PARALLEL STORY TO THE BOOK OF
REVELATION:
IMAGINE THAT YOUR NAME IS JOHN.
YOU ARE ON A FOOTBALL TEAM PLAYING FOR THE GREATEST COACH OF ALL
TIME. YOU LOVE THE COACH, AND WOULD DO
ANYTHING FOR HIM. HE IS KIND AND PATIENT
AND HAS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE. HE HAS BOTH
PLAYED AND COACHED, SO HE UNDERSTANDS WHAT IT’S LIKE TO BE A PLAYER.
TONIGHT IS THE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME BETWEEN YOUR TEAM “ZION”, AND YOUR
LONGTIME RIVALS “BABYLON”. IN SPITE OF
GREAT COACHING, YOUR TEAM IS GETTING KILLED.
AT HALFTIME, THE SCORE IS 35 TO 7.
TO MAKE MATTERS WORSE, ALL THE STARTING
PLAYERS EXCEPT FOR YOURSELF HAVE BEEN TAKEN OUT OF THE GAME BECAUSE OF
INJURIES.
DURING A TIME-OUT, YOU GET A DRINK OF
WATER AND SIT DOWN AT THE END OF THE BENCH ALL BY YOURSELF. MUCH TO YOUR SURPRISE, THE COACH WALKS OVER
TO YOU WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE. “DON’T
WORRY”, HE ASSURES YOU, “WE ARE GOING TO WIN THIS GAME, NO MATTER HOW BAD IT
LOOKS RIGHT NOW.” (THE COACH HAS ALWAYS
BEEN RIGHT IN THE PAST, SO YOU CAN’T HELP BUT TAKE HOPE IN WHAT HE SAYS.)
AT HALF-TIME, THE COACH HANDS YOU A
VIDEO TO WATCH. HE EXPLAINS THAT IT’S
NOT LONG, THAT YOU WILL HAVE TIME TO WATCH IT BEFORE YOU NEED TO GET BACK IN
THE GAME. HE SAYS THAT IT’S A VIDEO OF
THE ENTIRE GAME, AND ASSURES YOU THAT IT WILL CHEER YOU UP.
YOU START TO ASK HOW THE COACH COULD
POSSIBLY HAVE A VIDEO OF THE WHOLE GAME, SINCE THE SECOND HALF HAS NOT YET BEEN
PLAYED. . .BUT YOU DECIDE AGAINST IT. THE COACH HAS BEEN KNOWN TO DO SOME PRETTY
AMAING THINGS IN THE PAST, AND YOU HAVE A TENDENCY TO TRUST HIM. HE TURNS ON THE VIDEO, AND IT BEGINS TO PLAY.
FIRST, YOU WATCH HIGHLIGHTS OF THE
FIRST QUARTER. YOUR TEAM STARTED OUT
REALLY WELL. THAT YOUNG QUARTERBACK,
ENOCH, WHO IS ONLY A FRESHMAN, RAN ALL THE WAY FOR A TOUCHDOWN. BUT THINGS WENT DOWNHILL AFTER THAT. THERE WAS A SERIES OF FUMBLES, AND INJURIES,
AND PENALTIES. YOUR TEAM JUST NEVER
SEEMED TO BE ABLE TO KEEP THE BALL LONG ENOUGH TO SCORE AFTER THAT FIRST FANTASTIC
TOUCHDOWN.
YOU ARE ESPECIALLY ANXIOUS TO WATCH THE LAST PART OF THE GAME. FINALLY, IN THE 4TH QUARTER, THE
COACH SENDS IN ANOTHER YOUNG FRESHMAN QUARTERBACK. HIS NAME IS JOSEPH, AND HE BEGINS TO RALLY
THE REST OF THE TEAM. BECAUSE OF YOUR
YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, YOU ARE ABLE TO HELP AND SUPPORT HIM.
THE BALLGAME BECOMES EVEN MORE EXCITING
DURING THE 4TH QUARTER. IT IS
MIRACULOUS HOW WELL YOUR TEAM IS PLAYING, BUT IT IS THE COACH WHO DESERVES THE
CREDIT.
BABYLON, THE RIVAL TEAM, IS PLAYING DIRTY. THEY ARE DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO INJURE
ZION’S PLAYERS. THE REFEREES SEEM TO BE
BLIND.
SOMEHOW, BECAUSE OF INSPIRED COACHING,
ZION PULLS OUT AHEAD IN THE FINAL MINUTES OF THE GAME. BABYLON IS BADLY DEFEATED! THE FANS GO WILD!!! YOU CAN SEE AND HEAR THEM CELEBRATING IN THE
VIDEO. THEY ARE SINGING “A NEW SONG” – A
VICTORY SONG WRITTEN ESPECIALLY FOR THE OCCASION.
THE VIDEO IS OVER, AND THE COACH IS CALLING YOU TO GET BACK IN AND KEEP
YOUR CHIN UP. YOU ASK IF YOU CAN STAY IN
FOR THE REST OF THE GAME. HE
AGREES. YOU ARE REALLY MOTIVATED NOW,
BECAUSE YOU HAVE SEEN FOR YOURSELF THAT YOUR TEAM WILL WIN.
IT WILL BE UP TO YOU TO RALLY YOUR TEAMMATES, AND TO ENCOURAGE THEM
NEVER TO GIVE UP THE FIGHT!!!!!
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