Jesus said to him (Peter), “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” (John 21:22) Is Jesus implying that he will return to earth during the lifetime of John?

Simply put, no. This belief is a misinterpretation of the scripture. Allow me to paraphrase what is written here. It is as though Christ was saying, “if I desire for John to live up until the end of time, why should it matter to you? Your only need is to follow me.” Jesus is rebuking Peter for trying to gather information that was none of his business.

It can be likened to this analogy. A friend comes to you and asks, “what’s in your pockets?” Knowing that information is not for him to know, you respond, “what’s the difference if I have nothing or a million dollars? You should mind your own business.”