Dear Gramps,
Was John the beloved transformed in a twinkling of an eye and will he tarry until the second coming and visit the stakes of Zion? Somehow in our class it was mentioned that he was about 90 years old when he wrote the Book of Revelations. I think time stands still for him after he was transformed. Please elaborate more on this.
Hilda, from Houston, Texas

Dear Hilda,
It is thought that John wrote the Book of Revelations while on the Isle of Patmos. Tradition puts the date of the writing at about 96AD. John’s surname was Boanerges (Sons of Thunder), and his parents were Zebedee and Salome. Peter, James and John were the chief apostles following the advent of the Savior, and could be said to have comprised the presidency of the Church at that time, as they were given by the Lord the keys of the kingdom. These are the three who appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery in 1829 and restored to the earth through them the Melchizedek Priesthood.
John was permitted by the Lord to tarry in the flesh until He comes in answer to his own desire. As recorded on parchment by John and hidden up, his words were revealed to Joseph Smith—

And I [John] said unto him: Lord, give unto me power over death, that I may live and bring souls unto thee. And the Lord said unto me: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, because thou desirest this thou shalt tarry until I come in my glory, and shalt prophesy before nations, kindreds, tongues and people. And for this cause the Lord said unto Peter: If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? For he desired of me that he might bring souls unto me, but thou desiredst that thou mightest speedily come unto me in my kingdom (D&C  7:2-4).

So the promise made to John was that he was to tarry in mortality until the Lord come. He lives as a “translated” mortal being, in that he is not yet subject to death. However, he will be changed from mortality to immortality at the twinkling of an eye when the Lord comes. Translated beings are defined as—

“Individuals who are changed in mortality so that they do not experience physical pain and whose death and resurrection will be in a “twinkling of the eye”; Enoch, Elijah, and John the Beloved are examples.” (Encyclopedia of Mormonism, (New York: Macmillan, 1992),, p.1773).

Gramps