The Second Coming

What did Jesus mean when He said one disciple would remain "till I come"?

In this study, Dr. Toby Holt concludes the Gospel of John by examining Jesus' enigmatic word to Peter about the apostle John: "If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?" A rumor spread that John would never die. Dr. Holt untangles the passage, showing what Jesus did and did not promise, and how the earliest Christians understood His return. He distinguishes Christ's final, bodily second coming from His coming in judgment against Jerusalem in AD 70, and lets John's own epilogue frame the certainty of Christ's return. The point presses on every hearer: the question is not merely what our parents or grandparents believed, but whether we ourselves believe — and whether that belief is shaping our choices in light of His coming.

Questions this study answers:

1. Did Jesus promise that the apostle John would never die? No. He only said, "If I will that he remain," and John himself records that the resulting rumor misunderstood His words; Jesus made no such promise.

2. What happened in AD 70, and how does it relate to this passage? Jerusalem and its temple fell under God's judgment — a "coming" of Christ in judgment anticipated in the New Testament, distinct from His final, visible return.

3. How does John's Gospel conclude? With an epilogue affirming the truthfulness of his eyewitness testimony and pointing every reader to ongoing faith in the risen and returning Christ.

"Jesus said to him, 'If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.'" — John 21:22 (NKJV)

Speaker: Dr. Toby Holt is the President of New Geneva Theological Seminary, a Reformed seminary in Colorado Springs. He is known for clear, down-to-earth Bible teaching, and his sermons have been downloaded more than 1.9 million times on SermonAudio. Listen and go deeper: This study is part of New Geneva Theological Seminary's teaching on systematic theology and the great doctrines of the Christian faith. Find more verse-by-verse teaching across the Bible at newgeneva.org. To support this teaching ministry, visit newgeneva.org/give.