John also considers himself inspired (22:6), one who has received and communicates the Spirit’s message (2:7, 11, etc.), but, as noted above, this is the language of a self-described prophet, and John does not call himself an apostle or give any indication of having known the earthly Jesus. It is very unlikely, then, that John of Patmos is identical with the apostle John, son of Zebedee, even though many early Christian writers made that connection (though the reasons for doing so remain unclear).
