Prophets and Apostles of Christ’s Church
Hi, I’m Danny. And I was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for 60 years. In my video’s - instead of using the English word “Jesus,” I call Him by His Aramaic name “Yeshua.”
As a young man on my LDS mission, we taught that the original church Yeshua built was upon a foundation of apostles and prophets. We used as proof text, passages from the writing of Paul. Ephesians 2:19-20 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” But our opposing message as LDS missionaries to the world was that the foundation of Christ’s church didn’t hold up under persecution and apostasy after Yeshua and His apostles died off. Christ let the foundation crumble and the church was completely lost for over fifteen hundred years, until Joseph Smith restored it, according to Mormonism.
We taught that message even though Yeshua guaranteed He would build His church, and nothing would stop it from growing. Matthew 16:18 “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” And to secure it, He would be the chief corner stone of that foundation.
Again, I have taught in a couple other videos on the incorrect LDS doctrine of a great apostasy. Mormonism surmises the reason the church didn’t survive the promise Yeshua made about “the gates of hell” not prevailing against it – is because the priesthood of the apostles ended with the death of those men. They were not able to pass their priesthood on to others in time to keep the church going.
For one thing - according to the New Testament, the men Yeshua called as His apostles never held a priesthood. Mormonism teaches that Yeshua called and ordained 12, giving them priesthood authority. They quote John 15:16 “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you and ordained you.” Mormon art wrongly depicts Yeshua laying His hands on the heads of the apostles as if in the act of “ordaining” and conferring the Melchizedek priesthood up on them. This depiction is totally incorrect and misleading. Yeshua picked these men to represent Him and He “ordained” them – which in the Greek means “to appoint” or “to authorize.” No where is priesthood by the laying on of hands mentioned in relation to their calling as apostles. Yeshua solely authorized them by the power of His word to represent Him in the spreading of the gospel. (I will do another important video addressing the problems with Mormon priesthood.)
My father was a contractor and growing up as a teenager, I helped him build houses. When we poured concrete footings and foundation walls, we reinforced them with rod iron rebar to ensure the dried cement would never fail to support the structure we were going to build upon. A building inspector would have to approve our work.
Now I ask - how many foundations does a house have or need? Just one! After the foundation is laid, it’s not necessary to keep adding foundation upon foundation or tear up a perfectly good foundation to install another foundation. If it’s laid properly, it will endure the lifetime of the building. Remember, Yeshua was the son of a carpenter. He was also the Son of God, who created everything. I think He knew what he was doing when He laid a permanent foundation for His church.
During His Sermon on the Mount, Yeshua told a parable recorded in Matthew 7:24-27 “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.” I ask you - was Yeshua like the “foolish man” who built upon the sand or like the “wise Man” who built his church upon a rock?
How hypocritical it would have been for Yeshua to teach this parable, knowing His own house - the Ecclesia or body of believer - would be built upon a foundation that wouldn’t withstand the storms of false teachers, false doctrines, persecution, etc. On the contrary – Yeshua was the “wise Son of Man” who built His church on a firm foundation. Christ being the Rock.
Let’s talk separately about these apostles and prophets as the foundation. First prophets - Who were those prophets? A prophet was called by God to be a prophet. A prophet in the Old Testament was someone who was used by God to communicate His message to the world. Often, a prophet in the Old Testament predicted the future. The prophets came from a variety of backgrounds, spoke to different audiences, possessed unique styles, and used assorted methods. Most of the Old Testament prophets’ messages concerned the people of Israel. If other nations were mentioned in the prophecies, it was usually in connection to those nations’ dealings with Israel. A prophet often led a difficult and dangerous life. Many were killed.
Yeshua spoke of Jerusalem as those Luke 13:34 “which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee.” Speaking to the Jewish leaders of his day, Stephen asked this condemning question: Acts 7:52 “Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers.” The Old Testament also mentions false prophets. These were liars who claimed to speak for God, but were intent upon deceiving the people or serving their own interests.
The role of Old Testament prophets reached its conclusion in the person of John the Baptist, who was predicted in Malachi 4:5 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.” and speaking of John in Luke 7:26–27 “But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.” And finally the ultimate Prophet in Yeshua, who was “like Moses” predicted in Deuteronomy 18:15 and Acts 3:22.
In a discourse about John the Baptist, Yeshua honored John as a prophet with these words: Matthew 11:11 “Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.” The greatness concerning John has to do with his unique position in history. John held the honor of being chosen by God as the forerunner to the Messiah. John’s mission was to personally prepare the world for Christ’s arrival.
When Yeshua came, John introduced Him as the Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world (John 1:35–36). It was this introduction that accredited Yeshua before the Jewish crowds and leaders, some of whom believed on Yeshua, and many of whom did not. John was also the “greatest” in that God had chosen him to break the 430 years of divine silence that had existed since the prophet Malachi. John was the bridge from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. John was the last of the Old Testament prophets and stood on the cusp of a new dispensation. His preaching was the end of the Law and the beginning of Promised Salvation. It says in Luke 16:16 “The law and the prophets were until John.” He was the last in the long line of prophets who anticipated Christ, and he was the only prophet who would truly see Christ in the flesh.
Nowhere does the Bible say that a prophet is to lead God’s church. You know why? Hebrews 1:1-2 “God, who at sundry times (various times) and in divers manners (assorted ways) spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” Yeshua is the head of the body which is His church and He speaks today not through human mediators as in the past, but through His Holy Spirit to each Believer. Yeshua has done away with the calling of mortal prophets, and He alone remains the sole Prophet of His church.
The title “prophet” is used many times in the Gospels when other people refer to Yeshua. Christ also alluded to Himself as a prophet in Mark 6:4 “But Jesus, said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.” God had told Moses that someday He would send another prophet to Israel, Deuteronomy 18:18 “I will raise them up a Prophet (capital P) from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.” Yeshua was the prophet who fulfilled that prophecy. Acts 7:37 “This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear.”
The other essential part of the foundation of Christ’s church besides “prophets” were “apostles.” Initially, Yeshua chose twelve disciples to be His Apostles. After Judas Iscariot died, the resurrected Yeshua chose Paul to be an Apostle. To be clear, these apostles were not prophets. The Greek word for "apostles" is “apóstolos.” It literally means "one who is sent out" or “sent forth” by another, with a special commission to represent another and to accomplish his work.
There were specifically defined biblical qualifications to be an Apostle for Christ. Each qualification has multiple scriptural references supporting it. As I list these qualifications, ask yourself if any of today’s Mormon apostles meet all or any of these requirements?
Each of the original twelve Apostles was personally hand-picked by the Lord (Matthew 10:1-4) Also, Paul (Galatians 1:1).
Each of the original twelve Apostles was taught and trained by Yeshua, Himself (John 17:6-8) Also, Paul (Galatians 1:12-17).
Each Apostle was an eyewitness to Yeshua’s earthly ministry (Acts 10:38-39).
Each Apostle was an eyewitness to the glorification of Yeshua. (2 Peter 1:16-18).
Each of the original twelve Apostles was called and ordained by Yeshua to preach the gospel to the world (Mark 3:14) Also, Paul (Acts 9:15-16).
Each of the original twelve Apostles was given power from Yeshua to perform miracles (Matthew 10:1,8) Also, Paul (Acts 19:11).
Each of the Apostles (except Judas) witnessed Yeshua’s crucifixion and death (John 19:25-27).
Each of the original twelve Apostles (except Judas) witnessed and testified they saw the resurrected Lord (Acts 1:21-22) Also, Paul (1 Corinthians 9:1).
Each of the Apostles (except Judas) physically touched and handled Yeshua’s resurrected body (1 John 1:1-3).
Each of the Apostles (except Judas) were made a spectacle before the world and appointed to die for their witness of Christ (1 Corinthians 4:9-10).
Each of the Apostle’s (except Judas) testimony of what they saw and heard was written and contained in Scripture (Acts 22:15).
Those ancient Apostles (except Judas) became the foundation of the Christ’s Church (Ephesians 2:19-22).
And, finally
Those Apostles (except Judas) and plus Paul were granted a place of honor with their names on the twelve foundation walls of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:14).
Again, do modern LDS apostles meet any of those qualifications? Obviously not!
Another proof text LDS missionaries use is Ephesians 4:11-12 “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
“Edoken” is Greek for the word “gave” in Eph. 4:11. The text uses the past tense of “he gave,” for a reason. It was a finished action. He “gave” apostles and prophets. That portion of the building - the foundation was completed. There was no more need for replacement prophets or apostles. The foundation “has” been laid. We are blessed with a record of their accomplishments and teachings contained in the Holy Bible.
No where does the Bible prescribe apostles as a continuous on-going position. What we see as qualified apostleship cannot be fulfilled by anyone alive today. After all the eyewitnesses of Yeshua’s life, ministry, and resurrection died, there were no more apostles needed in His church. There is only One we refer to as our living Apostle – who is Yeshua. Hebrews 3:1 “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle (capital A) and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus.”
Mormonism claims to have 15 apostles and prophets, which don’t meet any of the biblical qualifications. What is the difference between the foundation of Christ’s church and the LDS Church? Mormonism’s foundation is a worldly and materialistic foundation. Christianity’s foundation is a spiritual foundation.
Remember, what Paul says in Ephesians 2:19-20 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.” Now, pay close attention to the verses that follow. Vs 21-22 “In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” Paul is describing a spiritual following – a church consisting of a foundation and a building growing into a holy temple as a habitation of God’s children through the Spirit. It’s not material like worldly religious corporations and institutions. It is a spiritual body of believers.
In the future, I will discuss the organization of the early church and the church today in both Mormonism and Christianity.
Thanks for sticking till the end. And watch more videos at Talking to Mormons on You Tube and TalkingtoMormons.com
God Bless!