John's Story

The Jesus Chronicles #1

by Tim LaHaye, Jerry B. Jenkins

NEW

Genres: Christian Fiction, Christian, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Biblical Fiction, Religion, Biblical

368 pages, Paperback

First published November 21, 2006

About the author

Timothy "Tim" F. LaHaye was an American evangelical Christian minister, author, and speaker, best known for the Left Behind series of apocalyptic fiction, which he co-wrote with Jerry B. Jenkins.

He has written over 50 books, both fiction and non-fiction.

Reviews

[Westman · Rating 5 out of 5]

John's story gives an interesting outlook form the perspective of Jesus' youngest apostle, John, son of Zebedee. I like it because it explains the reason John wrote his account of the gospel, to prove the Jesus was Christ and that He claimed to be so many times. It also explains John's exile to Patmos and the revelation he received from the Lord and how the last book in the bible came to be. I really enjoyed this book because it shows that even though John was the youngest and although he was the only apostle not to die a martyr's death, he went through many tortures and used the last bit of his life to spread the gospel. It is really inspiring and gives great insight to the issues of the early christian church

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully powerful book. I especially liked it and was humbled by its powerful words. This is in my own words, the people's very realistic reactions when the first copy of the book of Revelation was read. I wish we could all respond likewise when reading and studying the Word of God. As if we actually fear and admire His Presence.
I know that this is just a story of how they think it went, but it felt as though I was actually there when John wrote the Epistles and Revelation. Great writing.

[Brian Eshleman]

Interesting looking at the context of Gnosticism that was already sneaking into the church. The same thing is at work today in belief systems that would make Jesus less than He was.

[Heitham Hammad · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Looking forward to the other 3 books." Wonderful series.

[Cindy (BKind2Books) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book - the life of the apostle John has all the makings of a wonderful, inspiring story. It took a lot of doing, but the authors have managed to make him a lifeless, cardboard character. It's the Biblical equivalent of a movie tie-in / novelization. Save time - just read the word of John in the back and skip the rest.

[Pamela · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much like a Bible commentary in narrative form; the characters lack depth and personality.

[J. Else]

The writing style is a little difficult to follow, the characters are impersonal, and overall I felt this was more of a study guide than a story. A 90-year-old John is recounting his time with Jesus to combat the new religion sprouting up making false claims about who Jesus was and his message. His narration was long and verbatem to the gospel, but suddenly he'd break the narrative and speak to another character. It was rather jarring and I felt took away from the beauty of John's gospel. The characters in the book felt some strong emotions, but I could not feel them myself. The authors did not bridge this gap. Stories about superficial characters who have perfect faith are not relatible to the average reader and are not engaging. I did enjoy learning a little more about the time period after Jesus' death, but I was left wanting more story! As I said, this was more of a teaching guide about John's gospel and the end of his life than a story with chracters on a personal journey. The authors can pen some marvelous stories, but I felt they missed the mark on this one.

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

A faithful account of how the Apostle John creates his Gospel of Jesus Christ as seen through his eyes. As this is Tim LaHaye's and Jerry Jenkins's first in the series, "The Jesus Chronicles", there is much Scriptural foundation here, but as a work of Biblical "fiction", there is a lot to be desired.
The characters need more development, and although details seem historically correct, there just isn't much here to compel the reader to be inspired. The story of John and his burning desire to write his eyewitness account of his association with the Lord is admirable, but could have been told more interestingly.

[Dempse Kb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read all four books in this series now, and I'm glad I did because while it was not the best of the bunch (I really liked Matthew and Luke), it was very interested and still gave me a better understanding of why John waited so long to write his gospel. Sure I could have read it on wiki but it wouldn't have been anywhere near as interesting. Tim LaHaye writes in a clear and accessible way that I appreciate when trying to grasp biblical concepts. .

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am Roman Catholic and grew up with the bible and church. And I am very familiar with the gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

What I enjoyed about this book was the telling of the stories through John, his first person account of his life with Jesus and afterwards.

I loved the retelling of the stories. Even though I heard them a thousand times, it just seemed so much clearer when John told the stories firsthand.

I also didn't know John was the oldest apostle, only one to die of natural causes (all others were martyred). The most fascinating was when they tried to kill John by boiling him in oil....and John never burned... but walked out of the cauldron... Of course I don't know if this is true ... but so many accounts...

I love reading these type of books when the world around me is going absolutely crazy. It helps ground me.

[Grace Lukich · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is such a cool concept!! i loved getting to read through the context of when and how john wrote his books of the bible & the way it was told through his narrative was super engaging. it will def stick w me for a while. i’m excited to pick up the other ones!!

[Steve Curll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was difficult to sort the fiction from non-fiction, unlike it sequel(Mark's Story) While book two weaved the entire gospel into the plot, this behind the scene view of John writing his gospel and the revelation used only a portion of the scripture. A description of John Surviving being "Boiled in Oil" is not documented and is unclear whether it was fiction or maybe part of tradition.Nevertheless, one character presents a clear picture of Gnostic theology, which John was counteracting with his gospel. We see a good outline of John in that we see 7 signs or proofs of Christ's deity in his writing.Warning! A few of these gnostic teachings have recently been seen in local churches, This book might help you discern some of this false doctrine. Otherwise, remember, this is a bible based novel,laced with 2 men's interpretations. It is not Bible study material. Still, it gives a lot of the actual Gospel of John and a bit of Revelation to add inspiration,so is worth the read.

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn't what I expected. I truly wanted and expected John's story about his life, his thoughts and what he went through. This is basically a story about John at 95 years old writing his books of the Bible. I wanted to hear the stories first hand as if he were living it right then. I wanted more details about his stay at Patmos also. I just thought these two writers would above and beyond. Maybe they were rushed by their publishers. Maybe they are taking on too much by putting out too many books in a year. Or maybe they just aren't taking the time to do it right. I'm leery about buying the rest of the books in this series. This book was good but it wasn't as great as it could be. Just didn't live up to my expectations.

[Sandra Ziesmer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is hardly marketable as biblical fiction, it is 90% straight scripture. It can perhaps serve as a tool of evangelism and might attract readers who otherwise might not read the Bible. The story is taken mostly word for word from the pages of the Bible, and in addition, contains the Gospel of John, the 3 epistles of John, and the Book of Revelation in the back.

[Elaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointed in these authors. It was mostly just reading from the Bible...very little other plot.

[Gale Penton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good book. I felt like I was listening to John tell about Jesus and about the revelations given to him. I enjoyed it very much.

[Lauri Gentry · Rating 4 out of 5]

John's account of his time with Jesus and his time spent in Patmos penning the book of Revelation.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bearing in mind that this book is historical fiction and the description promised that it was the story of John’s life, I was expecting more than this book delivered, especially since I have read and enjoyed other books by these authors. I feel I learned/know more about John’s life as a follower of Jesus from Biblical accounts than what I read in this book — and it was difficult in some places to separate fact from fiction. That being said, I learned a lot about John’s last years on earth, the culture at that time, and his experiences in writing the Gospel of John; 1, 2, and 3 John; and Revelation. That was worth the read — and I look forward to meeting him in heaven one day.

[Orpha Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well when I bought the book I didn't know what to expect but just the fact that it was written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins I knew it had to be good and I was not disappointed. I loved the book because although it was really like reading the Godpel of John and the book of Revelations it was done in a way that put it all into perspective as to what the church was going through at that time and what John suffered for the Gospel. I just bought the other two books Mark's story and Luke's. I know these will be just as good!

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderfully written novel, by Tim LaHaye. He takes literary efforts to bring us a story of how John's life could have been, The last disciple of Jesus Christ, finished out his days. The story begins with John imprisoned and after being boiled in oil and surviving, the story takes you through his life as a teacher. He mentors and keeps the church going while preaching to others of the time.
The story takes place around 95 A.D. which places John in his 90's. I highly recommend this series, known as the Jesus Chronicles, which is a series of 4 books.

[Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fiction novel covers the latter years of John, the Disciple of Christ. I found it very interesting as it covered parts of his life that I knew little about for example: his commitment to Patmos Island by the Romans and the challenges he was assigned to at the age of 90, his dictation of several books of the Bible during the last years of his life (e.g. the three books of John and Revelation, and the illnesses he fought during the last years of his life.

Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins have written many Biblical books I have enjoyed, but I found this one very educational.

[Katie O'malley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's the people in this book that really make this an enjoyable, if not particularly memorable read. It's fascinating to see what might have really happened day-to-day in the life of John, following his exile to Patmos and when he returned to spread the word of Revelation. It's not so much the story of his life but the story of him getting the prophecy to the people and speaking against false teachers, but is done in a really riveting way.
As with any Biblical fiction, there are liberties taken with plots, dialogs, and events.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

John's Story is the first book in The Jesus Chronicles. It can be read as a standalone. It is an interesting mix of story and scripture. The last part of the book includes the New Testament books John wrote. My only complaint is that the authors did not include any sources for some of their story. So it is difficult for me to determine how much is based on historical facts and how much is just fiction.

[Joe Wisniewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is at the top of my list. It is an easy read. It is an educational read and simply a very well done historical novel.

You truly feel you are there with John in his waning years and shared his anger and frustration with the gnostic movement as he was the last apostle and the last of His disciples.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book - very interesting concept, using biblical text along with fictional text to tell a historical fictional account. I had to get a hold of Mark and Luke's story and now waiting on Matthew's story. I can't wait!

[Ashley Hobgood · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had read this e-book because I'm a fan of Tim LaHaye. I enjoyed reading this book I learned about John's final years. I loved the story because of the drama and history. I thought the novel was well written. It is a must read.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I Love This Novel

This book is excellent, fascinating and very well written. I recommend this to everyone. I look forward to reading the next 3 in the series. I gave 5 stars for the reasons above. I couldn't put this book down.

[Tjbrowne Browne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am intrigued by the stories of the disciples, but I couldn't suspend my disbelief in the overly simplified characters.

[Kel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highlights the last years of John the Apostles and the struggles of the early Christian Church. Well done.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book that makes the scriptures come alive as they weave the story of John's perspective of the events he witnessed.