yesterday
Mike Abendroth
Do Apostles and Prophets Exist Today?
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I Are there
Apostles Today? A.
What is an
apostle? The word apostle is a
translation of the Greek word apostolos.
The word apostle means "a sent one" in the sense of a
representative of God sent to the people. B.
Who were the
apostles? 1.
In the Gospels "The Gospels demonstrate very
clearly that the Twelve were the apostles. They were with Jesus and were sent
out occasionally to preach and perform miracles" (see Matt. 10:2; Luke
6:13; 9:1-10; 17:5). (Thomas R. Edgar, Satisfied
by the Promise of the Spirit, p. 53) 2.
In the Book of Acts With the defection of Judas,
Matthias was chosen by lot to replace him and become part of the Twelve. The
Twelve made up a closed circle with no additions possible. The names of the
Twelve are inscribed on the twelve foundation stones of the wall of the New
Jerusalem (Rev. 21:14). Acts also indicates that there were other apostles
who were not considered part of the Twelve. This would include Paul and
Barnabas (Acts 14:4, 14). 3.
In the Epistles James, the brother of the Lord, is
called an apostle in Galatians 1:19. Some believe Paul includes Silvanus as
an apostle in 1 Thessalonians 2:6-7. Others believe that Andronicus and
Junias were apostles since Paul refers to them as those "who are
outstanding among the apostles" (Rom. 16:7). Paul, however, is probably
stating that these men were known and well respected by the apostles, not
that they were apostles themselves. 4.
Summary:
C.
Requirements of
an apostle 1. An
apostle was an eye witness to the Resurrection. To be an apostle, one must
have actually seen the risen Jesus Christ a. Acts 1:22 When the apostles were
seeking Judas' replacement, they were looking for a man who had seen the
risen Christ: "It is therefore necessary that of the men who have
accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us
beginning with the baptism of John, until the day that He was taken up from
us one of these should become a witness with us of His resurrection"
(Acts 1:21-22). Matthias, the one chosen, was such a witness. b. 1 Corinthians 9:1-2 Paul, when
defending his apostleship, stated, "Am I not free? Am I not an apostle?
Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?" Paul fulfilled this requirement when he
saw the risen Christ on the Damascus road (Acts 9:1-9). "Since Paul
considered the fact that he had seen the resurrected Lord to be evidence of
his apostleship, it is evident that to be an apostle one must have seen the
resurrected Lord. An apostle saw the resurrected Lord in a real physical
manifestation." (Edgar, p. 57) c. 1 Corinthians 15:5-8 Christ, after His
resurrection, "appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. . . then He
appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as it were to
one untimely born, He appeared to me [Paul] also." d. Summary: e. Conclusion This criteria of being an
eyewitness to the resurrection, rules out the possibility of anyone being an
apostle since the time of the early church. Some have argued against this by
saying that there is no scriptural reason why the Lord has not, or could not,
appear to others in his church (Jack Deere, Surprised By The Power of the Spirit, p. 248), but there is no
credible evidence that the resurrected Christ appeared to anyone since the early
church era. Paul said, "last of all. . . He appeared to me also (1 Cor.
15:58). That Paul was "last of all" to see the risen Christ
indicates that his experience was not to be repeated. 2. An
apostle was able to perform undeniable miracles Paul states in 2 Corinthians
12:12 that he did not lack any of the credentials of an apostle: "The
signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by
signs and wonders and miracles." "Paul was defending his
apostleship against some who doubted his apostolic authority. If doing
miracles had been the common experience of ordinary Christians, it would be
foolish for Paul to try to prove his apostleship by citing the miracles he
had done. It is obvious, though, that even during the apostolic age Christians
couldn't do signs, wonders, and mighty deeds. Precisely because those things
were unique to the apostles, Paul could use his experience with signs and
wonders as proof of his authority." (John MacArthur, Charismatic Chaos, p. 121) 3. The
gift of apostle was given only at the beginning of the church Ephesians 2:20
refers to the church "having been built upon the foundation of the
apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone."
"The ministry of the Apostles and prophets was to lay the foundation of
the church; they brought the truth regarding the one body in Christ to
mankind. . . . Once you have laid the foundation, there is no other
foundation that needs to be laid. There is no other truth that needs to be
conveyed for the church to be constructed so there is no need for more
apostles or prophets." (Gilbert W. Rugh, Spiritual Gifts, p. 26) 4. Apostles
were personally chosen by Jesus Christ Matthew 10:1-4 describes the choosing
of the twelve apostles by Jesus. The disciples called on the Lord to guide
them in picking the replacement for Judas (Acts 1:24). Paul was chosen by
Christ on the Damascus road (Acts 9:1- 9). This concept of choosing is found
in Romans 1:5; Galatians 1-2; and 1 Timothy 2:7. 5. Apostles
received revelation According to Ephesians 3:4-5 apostles were the recipients
of new revelation. 6. Apostles
had unique authority The apostles "were granted special authority as
Christ's personal representatives. This meant that when speaking or writing
in certain capacities, they were mouthpieces of the Lord Himself. Their
jurisdiction pertained to the church as a whole, not just to one local
congregation. They were particularly instrumental in expanding frontiers of
the gospel, and thus their connection with one particular locality was never
more than temporary." (Robert L. Thomas, Understanding Spiritual Gals, p. 78) Their authority is very
strong according to such passages as 1 Corinthians 4:19-2 1; 5:3-4; and 2
Corinthians 13:2-3, 10. D.
Apostles do not
exist today "In general the church has not accepted the notion of
the existence of apostles since the first century A.D. In fact many
supporters of the charismatic movement do not believe that apostles are
present in the church today. The great majority of genuine believers
throughout the history of the church have never believed that apostleship was
a gift given past the first generation of the church. The arguments of those
who do believe that apostles are present today have failed to convince the
majority of Christians. New Testament apostles are not present today. The
gift of apostleship was given to individuals in the early church but has not
been given since." (Edgar, p. 63) II Is the gift of
prophecy for today? A. The issue Noncharismatics have
traditionally held that the gift of prophecy was temporary in nature.
Charismatics, on the other hand, generally see the gift of prophecy as
presently active in the present age. This leads to the question, "Is the
gift of prophecy for today?" B. Definitions 1. Prophesy
(propheteuo) This verbal form means
'to be a prophet' or 'to expound or preach under the influence of the Holy
Spirit.' "The verb prophesy
signifies the communication of information that is derived in a supernatural
manner (by revelation), and in biblical references it concerns events that
are future." (Edgar, p. 65) 2. Prophet
(prophetes) The noun prophet refers to a person who speaks
for God and interprets His will to the people. Basically, a prophet had the
ability to receive direct revelation from God and then communicate that
revelation to men. 3. Prophecy
(propheteia) The noun
"prophecy" usually refers to the message or content delivered by
prophesying. 4. The
gift of prophecy "The gift of prophecy included receiving a message
directly from God through special revelation, being guided in declaring it to
the people, and having it authenticated in some way by God Himself. The
content of that message may have included telling the future, but it also
included revelation from God concerning the present." (Charles C. Ryrie,
The Holy Spirit, p. 86)
C. Prediction and prophecy Some debate
has existed as to whether a prophet is primarily a forthteller (i.e.
preacher, edifier, exhorter) or a foreteller (i.e. one who predicts the
future). Though some would see prophecy as another name for preaching, the
gift of prophecy includes elements of divine revelation and foretelling. 1. Old
Testament a.
Deuteronomy
18:20-22 "But the prophet who shall speak a word presumptuously in
My name which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he shall speak in
the name of other gods, that prophet shall die. And you may say in your
heart, 'How shall we know that the word which the Lord has not spoken?' When
a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or
come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has
spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him" (Deut.
18:20-22). "These verses not only indicate that a prophet speaks by
direct command (revelation) of the Lord, but they imply that prediction is
normally involved in prophecy. They also clearly state that the test of a
prophet of God is whether he can predict (foretell)." (Edgar, p. 66) b. 2 Samuel 7 The prophet Nathan received direct revelation concerning the Davidic Covenant.
2. New
Testament a.
Gospels The
majority of references to prophets in the Gospels refer to the Old Testament
prophets. References to Jesus as "prophet" in John 4:19; 6:14;
7:40; 9:17 show that the Jews understood a prophet as one who received direct
revelation and was one who could foretell the future. b.
Acts The
Book of Acts indicates that the prophets in both the Old and New Testaments
were involved in ministry that included foretelling (Acts 2:30-31; 3:18-25;
7:52; 10:43; 11:27-28; 21:10; 26:22-23). c.
Epistles
The epistles refer to both Old and New Testament prophets. The New Testament
prophets are presented as those who were foundational to the church (Eph.
2:20), and received direct revelation (Eph. 3:5). d. Revelation In the Book of Revelation the prophets are linked to foretelling (Rev. 22:6).
3. Conclusion: "While preaching is essentially a merging of the gifts of teaching and exhortation, prophecy has the primary elements of prediction and revelation." (F. David Farnell, "When Will The Gift of Prophecy Cease?" Bibliotheca Sacra 150 (April-June 1993), p. 184)
D. Reasons for the cessation of prophecy: 1.
The New Testament prophets were part of the
foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20) Ephesians 2:20 states that the
church has "been built upon the foundation of the apostles and
prophets." "Since Paul was referring to the universal church in
Ephesians 2:20 and the apostles and prophets laid the church's foundation by
receiving and transmitting revelation (3:5), the strong implication is that
once the church was established, the gift would be discontinued. By its very
nature, a foundation cannot be continuously relaid." (Farnell, p. 189) a.
Revelatory
purpose of prophets "Ephesians 3:5-10 helps interpret 2:20, for it
deals with the revelatory impact the apostles and New Testament prophets had
in the church. From 3:5 it becomes clear that apostles and New Testament
prophets were of primary importance as vehicles of revelation, thereby
providing the foundation for the church: the mystery of Jewish and Gentile
inclusion in the universal body of Christ, the church (3:9-10). . . .This
mystery was fully revealed to the body of Christ by the end of the apostolic
era through proclamation. . . . Once that revelation had been made, it no
longer needed to be given by the Spirit again since it was proclaimed by the
apostles, particularly Paul. Once a mystery is revealed, it is no longer a
mystery and does not need to be revealed again." (Farnell, pp. 187-88) b.
Close
association with the Apostles The prophetic gift was closely associated
with the gift of apostleship. Many who believe that prophets and prophecy
exist today, admit that "there are no apostles today" (Wayne
Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy in the New Testament and Today, pp. 275-76).
Ephesians 2:20 not only shows the temporary nature of the gift of apostleship
but it also shows that the gift of prophecy was also foundational and
therefore temporary. With the completion of the New Testament, the gift of
prophecy also became obsolete. (Farnell, fn. 59, p. 189) c. 1 Corinthians 13:8 This text teaches that "prophecy. . . will be done away. . . when the perfect comes." That prophecy will cease when the "perfect" comes is not in doubt. But what does the "perfect" refer to? Some take the perfect to refer to the second coming of Christ. Thus, prophecy will continue until Christ comes again. Others, however, take the "perfect" to refer to the maturing of the church and the completion of the canon. Thus, with the completion of the canon there no longer is a need for prophecy and it will be "done away with."
2.
The prophets of the Bible prophesied without error
unlike those who claim the prophetic gift today If the gift of prophecy never
ceased and has continued on to today, the prophecies given today should be
100% accurate, just as they were in biblical times. But they are not.
Deuteronomy 13:2 and 18:22 states the criteria for prophets. Prophets must be
100% accurate with their prophecies and their prophecies must be in line with
revealed biblical truth. If a prophet ever gives inaccurate or unbiblical
prophecies he is a false prophet and is to be rejected immediately. a.
Revelations
from God cannot be in error "Many today claim to be receiving
visions, dreams, and revelations from God. The problem is that their
'revelations' are not infallible. Some of them are flatly wrong. But a
fallible revelation from God is a contradiction in terms . . . . The problem
with making testable prophecies in the name of the Lord is that they might
prove to be false. This might not seem to be too significant until we
remember that the test of a prophet is not whether he is sometimes right but
whether he is ever wrong. Moses declared, 'If what a prophet proclaims in the
name of the Lord does not take place or come true, that is a message the Lord
has not spoken. That prophet has spoken presumptuously' (Deuteronomy 18:22).
The penalty for false prophecy under the Old Testament law was death (v. 20).
If that law were still in effect today, there would undoubtedly be far fewer
persons claiming prophetic powers." (Norman Geisler, Signs and Wonders, pp. 138- 39) b.
False
prophecies abound For more on false prophecies made by modern-day
charismatics prophets see John MacArthur's, Charismatic Chaos, pp. 66-84;
Norman Geisler's, Signs and Wonders, pp. 63-64, 138-39; Victor Budgen's, The
Charismatics and the Word of God, p. 11. c.
Modern-day
Charismatics admit that fallible prophecy is often given today. ·
"There is almost uniform testimony from
all sections of the charismatic movement that prophecy is imperfect and
impure and will contain elements which are not to be obeyed or trusted."
(Wayne A. Grudem, The Gift of Prophecy
in the New Testament and Today, p. 110) ·
Another Vineyard movement proponent says,
"Prophecy today. . . is not in the category of revelation given to us in
the Holy Spirit. . . . A person may hear the voice of the Lord and be
compelled to speak, but there is no assurance that it is pollutant-free.
There will be a mixture of flesh and spirit." (Mallone, Those Controversial Gifts, pp. 39-40) d. Conclusion Fallible prophecy is a misnomer. The Bible gives no examples of fallible prophecy or any instruction that prophets of God could ever prophesy in error. That false prophecies are admittedly given, even by modern-day proponents of prophecy, shows us that the prophecies of today do not match up with the biblical gift of prophecy.
3.
Church History argues that the true gift of prophecy
ceased in the first century church If the gift of prophecy never ceased we
would expect to see an unbroken line of prophetic occurrences from the
apostolic times to the present. a.
Prophecy in the latter half of the first century
"Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they
are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world"
(1 John 4:1). ·
Jezebel The church at Thyatira was troubled by
a woman named Jezebel "who call herself a prophetess" (Rev. 2:20). ·
Prophecy at the end of the Book of Revelation
"I testify to everyone who hear the words of the prophecy of this book:
if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in
this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this
prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life and from the
holy city, which are written in this book" (Revelation 22:18-19). Some
have taken this declaration by John or Jesus to mean that the gift of
prophecy ceased with the book of Revelation. Since the canon was complete
there is no longer any need for divine revelation. (See Robert L. Thomas,
"The Spiritual Gift of Prophecy in REV 22:18, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, June 1989, pp.
201-216) b.
Prophecy in the
second century "In the second century A.D. the tendency toward false
prophecy evidenced in the New Testament had increased. As Friedrich notes,
'False prophets caused the early church a good deal of trouble'" (F.
David Farnell, "The Current Debate about New Testament Prophecy, Bibliotecha Sacra, July- September
1992, p. 284). ·
The Montanist Heresy "Montanus was a
second-century heretic from Phrygia who believed he was a prophet sent by God
to reform Christianity through asceticism, the practice of glossolalia, and
continued prophetic revelation. He believed he was inspired by the Holy
Spirit in all his teaching. Two so-called prophetesses, Priscilla and
Maximilla, were instrumental in the spread of Montanism" (MacArthur, p.
73). Montanus prophesied that Zion or Jerusalem would come down from Heaven
to either the village of Pepuza or Tymion in Phrygia. Priscilla confirmed
this in her prophecy saying, "Having assumed the form of a woman. . .
Christ came to me in a bright robe and put wisdom in me, and revealed to me
that his place is holy, and that it is here that Jerusalem will descend from
heaven." Accordingly, the church branded Montanism as a serious heresy. ·
Results of the Montanist heresy "The
perceived abuse of this 'new prophecy' by Montanists led to the gradual
discrediting and disappearance of prophecy from the beginning of the third
century. Hill confirms this by noting that 'the repudiation of Montanism
marks the effective end of prophecy in the Church.'" (Farnell, p. 294) ·
Shift to apostolic teaching "From the
demise of Montanism until the turn of the present century, prophetic
phenomena were never a part of a major movement in Christianity. Instead,
focus began to shift to apostolic doctrine and study of the Scriptures as the
source of Christian doctrine and knowledge." (Farnell, p. 295) ·
Muratorian Fragment The Muratorian Fragment,
dating around A.D. 170, explicitly states that the number of prophets
"is complete," thereby indicating an end to prophetic expression.
c.
Prophecy in the
fourth century By the time of Chrysostom, in the fourth century, the
prophetic gift was considered a past phenomenon. (Chrysostom, Homilies in First Corinthians, Homily
29; cf. Homily 36.) d.
Prophecy in the
Reformation period "The Reformers themselves viewed 'miraculous'
spiritual gifts, such as prophecy, tongues, and miracles, as belonging to the
apostolic or precanonical age, not to their own generation. With minor
exceptions, such as some (though certainly not most) of the Anabaptists. the
gifts of prophecy and tongues were not exhibited during the
Reformation." (Farnell, p. 296) e.
Prophecy in the
post-Reformation era ·
Quakers The Quakers of the 17th century
claimed an "inner light" that could be received by those who would
wait in silence until God revealed Himself through a form of prophesying. ·
French Huguenots In the early 1700s the
Huguenots in southeastern France began prophesying and speaking in tongues. ·
Edward Irving A dynamic London preacher of the
1830s, he predicted the immediate return of Christ and a restoration of the
offices and gifts of the Apostolic Age. Because of his prophecies he was
ousted from the Church of Scotland and formed the Catholic Apostolic Church. ·
Cult Groups Cults such as the Mormons,
Jehovah's Witnesses, Roman Catholicism, and Christian Science all claim
revelation outside of the Bible. f.
Prophecy in the
modern era: ·
Charles F. Parham (1873-1929) Parham is known
as "the father of the modern Pentecostal movement." He developed
the Pentecostal view of "the baptism of the Holy Ghost." · The Vineyard Movement "Perhaps the most recent emphasis on the practice of miraculous gifts like New Testament prophecy is the Vineyard and the Signs and Wonders movements, which have developed in the 1980s. Those associated with this trend affirm the continuation of all miraculous gifts mentioned in the New Testament but then reject the label of 'Pentecostal' or 'charismatic.' " (Farnell, p. 301)
g. Conclusion: The overwhelming testimony of the church for the first 1900 years has been that the gift of prophecy ceased with the apostles. There has been no unbroken line of prophecy in the orthodox church and those claiming the gift were almost always heretical.
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Thomas Watson, "[Jesus] alone is the Prince of Preachers. He alone is the best of expositors."