DiscernIt

Are there modern day Apostles?
By Amir Tsarfati
May 25, 2020

“Those new apostles that show up every morning nowadays and call themselves apostles. We better be very, very careful in how we say that and about who. These are the Apostles appointed by God through the Holy Spirit that’s why the Bible says that the church is built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets and Jesus is the chief cornerstone built on top. And that’s why these Apostles wrote the Bible. I mean modern days apostles can they write the Bible? Can they change the Bible? No. Now I don’t underestimate the role of an apostle when it comes to being sent, that’s a different story. But if someone thinks that he is a new version of the Apostles of the first century, that is wrong.”

Bible Bite: Modern Day Prophets?
We live in an age where there is an overabundance of claimants to the office of apostle or prophet. Most, if not all, claim to speak through direct revelation from God, making their statements equal to the written Word of God.

Sadly, some of them gain huge followings in spite of the fact that the Bible makes no mention of such a group being called and anointed and empowered by God in the last days (or at any time during church history, for that matter).

Jesus warned of the rise of such people in the last days who use His name to validate their ministries.

Mark 13:21-23
“Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, ‘Look, He is there!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.

Remember the word christ means “anointed”. Therefore, what Jesus said was that false claims of being anointed by God and false prophets would arise in the last days (according to the context of Mark 13).

Revelation 2:1-3
“To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary.

Remember, this is Jesus talking to His church in the letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2 & 3. He commends the church at Ephesus for testing those who claim to be apostles, and Jesus Himself refers to them as liars.

Are the followers of those who claim to be apostles doing the same today and testing those who make that claim? It appears that they are not, for the criteria of being an apostle in the same sense as, Peter, James, John and Paul is clearly laid out in scripture.

Acts 1:21-22
“Therefore, of these men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from the baptism of John to that day when He was taken up from us, one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection.”

This was the criteria for joining the eleven apostles, and later, Paul would be the exception to the rule as recorded in 1 Corinthians 15:

1 Corinthians 15:8
Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

Paul lists having to see Jesus in resurrected form as criteria for apostleship. Thus, according to the biblical requirements, any claimant to the office of an apostle must have seen Jesus in His resurrected form or have been with Jesus throughout His earthly ministry. This is the case from the time of John the Baptist through Jesus’ ascension to heaven. Obviously, none of those who claim to be apostles today meets the latter criteria.

That means they must have seen the resurrected Lord, which would require a trip to heaven on their part or a trip to earth on Jesus’ part. Neither of which is true, yet the modern-day apostles claim to have made such a trip. We also know when Jesus comes again, He’s coming for the church to meet us all in the air, and then with the church to destroy His enemies and rule the earth in righteousness from Jerusalem.

There is no New Apostolic Reformation because there are no new apostles in the sense of the first-century apostles. These ministered with Jesus and wrote most of the New Testament.

We do need to recognize that the word apostle means “sent one”. There are millions of “sent ones” today and that would include all of us who have been commissioned by Jesus to “Go to the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15) The group who claims to be handpicked by God to lead the church in the last days, however, does not simply claim to be “sent ones”. They don’t claim to speak from God’s Word, but rather, the words they speak, they claim, are God’s word.

Romans 16:17-18
Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple.

This group is to be avoided as are those who claim to be prophets in the Old Testament sense. We also need to recognize the difference between the gift of prophecy and the office of the prophet. Men like Elijah, Isaiah and Ezekiel, who spoke on God’s behalf to the people and were used to foretell future events, are a thing of the past.

Matthew 11:13
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

Jesus said John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament prophets, Hebrews adds this:

Hebrews 1:1-2a
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son.

The New Testament “gift” of prophecy is distinct from the Old Testament prophets in that the word means “to speak by divine inspiration”. Old Testament prophets spoke through direct revelation. To speak by divine inspiration is to be anointed by the Holy Spirit as you speak the word of God, not reveal the future by direct revelation from God. Words of knowledge via the Holy Spirit can certainly include information pertaining to an individual’s future. However, there are no direct revelations from God that relate to directing or informing the whole world about future events or new information concerning God’s plan and will.

2 Peter 1:2-3
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.

Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, Zechariah and the other Old Testament prophets, along with the apostle John, have given us all things we need to know about the future. The New Testament epistles have told us all we need to know about living for God in the present.

1 John 2:18-21
Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

These groups that are rising up and making false claims about positions of power, anointing and appointing from God remind us the end of all things is at hand. Jesus said not to “believe them” or “go after” (meaning follow) those who make such false claims at the time of the end (Luke 21:8).

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

Bible Teaching: A Prophet Like Moses

Copyright © 2020 Behold Israel, All rights reserved.

Our mailing address is:
Behold Israel
P.O. Box 689
Monument, CO 80132