Jesus dwells in every Born-Again Christian, and they have complete access to the fullness of God. He is as He has always been, and as He will always be (See Heb 13:8). The supernatural gifts and governmental authority have been given to every Christian to edify and perfect them as needed at any given moment in time. It is up to the individual Disciple to appropriate the gift(s) as the Holy Spirit directs.
Filling the role, or ministry duties, of an apostle or prophet, and being in the official office of an Apostle or Prophet are two very, very different things. The underlying meaning of the word ‘apostle’ (Gk: apostolos) is one that is sent on a mission as an authoritative delegate. Anyone who has served as a church planter, missionary, or proclaimed the Gospel, has fulfilled the equipping ministry spiritual gifts of an apostle or prophet, but that does not make them a Prophet, or an Apostle like the 12 Jesus personally chose.
A person would be hard-pressed not to find the vast majority of Bible scholars throughout history have taught that the offices of Apostle and Prophet, which were used to build the initial foundation (Gk: themelios: the beginning substruction of a building, wall, or city) of the church, are on-going. A foundation of a building project is laid only once, and not continuously. The Church built its foundation on the “faith which was ONCE and for all delivered to the saints." We are to "remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jude 3, 17 NIV, see also 2 Peter 3:2).
In the New Testament, God, the Father, spoke to God, the Son, Jesus, who spoke to the Apostles who were then moved by God, the Holy Spirit, to speak and write down what they were told, which became the New Testament, and is precisely what God intended to use to complete the building of the final foundation (a noun, not an adjective) of the Church, ‘Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone” (2 Peter 1:19-21; Eph 2:20; Acts 2:42), which is why the Bible) alone is "breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness" (2 Tim 3:16). The new life in Christ has been firmly built on the rock-solid foundation of Jesus and cannot be destroyed by the storms of circumstances (Matt 7:24-27).
The teaching that there are modern-day Apostles and Prophets is not new to church history. Many protestant fringe groups have attempted to restore the offices, including the Montanists (second century), the Irvingites (the 1830s), and the Apostolic Church (early 1900’s). The modern so-called Five-Fold Ministry morphed out of the Latter Rain Movement which started around 1910, along with the Manifested Sons of God / Joel’s Army, Kingdom Now, Word of Faith, Dominionism, the 7-Mountain Mandate, the New Apostolic Reformation, and its latest iteration, the heterodox Apostolic-Prophetic movement.
The name/term for the movement was conjured up by C. Peter Wagner, a self-appointed apostolic ‘general,’ to describe this loose informal network of an unadvertised governmental structure that seeks to establish a fourth house within the Church (distinct from Catholicism, Protestantism and Orthodox Christianity) that will take dominion of the earth, under the authority of new apostles and prophets, because God originally gave it to humanity but lost it at the fall.
The restored offices of Apostle (the highest office) and Prophet (2nd in command) are purported to govern the church because they have the god-given authority to receive new extra-biblical divine revelation and are commissioned to instruct their followers on how to appropriately respond and implement it.
This supposedly started happening in the 1980s, and then the ‘2nd apostolic age’ began in 2001, according to Wagner, who explained how he came up with the name in the book Churchquake!: How the New Apostolic Reformation Is Shaking Up the Church As We Know It (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1999), 34-37.
The teaching of the restored offices of apostle and prophet is actually built upon a false premise (see Eph 4:11-16). It correctly reads in the Greek as a FOUR-fold ministry, and not FIVE-fold, because the words ‘pastor’ and ‘teacher’ are separated by the Greek word “‘kai” which is a conjunctive (meaning even as, even so, also), and links the words "pastor/shepherd/bishop" and "teachers" as a single ongoing office.
The official offices of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Teaching-Pastor were already given - “gave (Gk: ‘didomi’ – a demonstrated pronoun already granted and bestowed) some (Gk: ‘tous' = men – to make a partition or distribute into), on the one hand, as Apostles…” by Jesus in order to equip the saints (Eph 4:7).
APOSTLES
After the death of the traitor, Judas Iscariot, Peter was adamantly intent on filling the vacant position with a qualified person and personally deemed it necessary that there must remain 12 Apostles, no more, and no less (Acts 1:15-17, 20-22). In a detailed manner, he lays out exactly what the replacement's qualifications must be. For a person to actually become an Apostle, they had to physically (not spiritually) have met one or all of the following requirements:
1. Been an eyewitness and with Jesus during the whole three years that Jesus was among them (Acts 1:21).
2. Been an eyewitness of Jesus’ baptism when the Heavenly Father validated Jesus and His work (Acts 1:22).
3. Directly heard Jesus speak and been an eyewitness to His healings and other miracles (John 17:6; Acts 1:22).
4. Been an eyewitness to Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross (Acts 1:22).
5. Been an eyewitness to Jesus walking, talking, and eating among the disciples again after His resurrection (1 Cor 9:1; Matt 10:1-4; Heb 2:3-4).
6. Needed to have been selected and appointed by God Himself (Mark 3:14-15, 6:40; Acts 1:24–25; 9:15, Rom 1:1).
7. Their calling was authenticated “by signs and wonders and miracles” (Acts 2:43, 8:6-7; 2 Cor 12:12.)
However, the Apostle Peter, in his usual defining impetuousness, proceeded to step out in front of God after being commanded by Jesus to "wait" (Gk: "kathizó' = sit down, to tarry without activity) for the Holy Spirit who will empower them to do His will (Luke 24:49). Peter had previously done the same thing on the Mount of Transfiguration when he offered plans to build three altars, and said "Let's see which of these two God has chosen" by using an Old Testament, pre-Pentecost method of hearing from God, rather than from Him through the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:12-26).
Peter also foolhardily told Jesus he would never be killed on the Cross (Acts 1:12-26; Matt 16:23). Jesus responded by calling him satan, which of course, he was not, but the point being made was that the authoritative will of God takes precedence over feelings and emotions. Even Paul, at one time, had to rebuke Peter for his fleshly reactions (Gal 2:11-14).
The remaining Apostles also chose not to obey Jesus and wait for the Holy Spirit. It is evident that the Apostles were genuinely sincere in desiring for the Lord to make the final choice between the two men by the casting of lots. They were very familiar with the priest's use of Urim and Thummim to determine God's will under the Old Covenant, as well as the story of Jonah and the terrified sailors who cast lots for God to show them who was the source of their problems.
The other Apostles joined Peter and fell back on the ways of the Law and Old Covenant and did what is the equivalent to picking a name out of a hat, by choosing a replacement for Judas, who was considered to be among them and ‘numbered’ (Gk: ‘kateerithmeeménos’) which means counted or figured. Yet, Jesus had just commanded them not to do ANYTHING but WAIT for the Holy Spirit whom He was sending to lead and guide them into all truth, at the Day of Pentecost.
There were 120 disciples with the remaining Apostles, yet only two made the cut for consideration. They were Joseph, called Barsabas, surnamed Justus, and Matthias (Acts 1:23-26). Matthias ended up being picked to replace Judas Iscariot as one of the 12. Many in the church still consider him to be the only 12th office holder of Apostle. Yet, after that day, there is absolutely zero mention of Matthias from that point on in the Scriptures, or in history as well.
Some say that James also held the office of Apostle. That would make him the 13th Apostle. Paul did refer to James, who worked beside him, as an Apostle like himself, even though he said that he was not worthy of being one, he met the requirements of also being numbered among the 12 (Acts 9:1-19; Gal 1:19).
Jesus had appeared to James, His brother by Joseph and Mary, who was doing the work of an Apostle just like Barnabas (1 Cor 15:7). James probably wrote the Epistle of James, but he is not one of the 12 Apostles listed as those Jesus personally hand-picked (Matt 13:55-56; Mark 6:3). He became a firm Born-Again Believer and follower of Jesus, as well as the leader of the Jerusalem church (1 Cor 9:5; Gal 2:9).
It has also been said that the disciple Barnabas held the office of Apostle because he was also seen doing the work of an Apostle (Acts 14:4). That would make him the 14th Apostle. Luke describes Barnabas as an individual who was distinct from the 12 Apostles (Acts 4:36; 9:27; 15:2, 22).
Barnabas and James were called ‘apostles’ in the sense that they were working like an Apostle to proclaim the Gospel with Paul (Acts 13:1–3), just like there are those who do the spiritual work of an Apostle today, such as a church planter, missionary, or denominational overseer.
Paul states that Andronicus and Junia were "well known among the apostles" (Rom 16:7). This has been interpreted by some to mean they held the office of Apostle, with Junia as the only female Apostle. That would make them the 15th and 16th Apostle. It must be noted that the common name Junia is “Iounian” in Greek and is in the accusative, which means that ‘Junia’ could be a woman or ‘Junias’ could be a man.
Silas has been called by some to be an Apostle because he was referred to as one who was with Timothy and Paul (Thess 1:1, 2:6). That would make him the 17th Apostle. He also performed the functions of an apostle as Paul's companion in his second missionary journey (Acts 15:40).
Timothy is also considered to have held the office of Apostle. That would make him the 18th Apostle. However, he is only called a "brother" when Paul refers to himself as "an apostle of Christ" (2 Cor. 1:10). Timothy performed many of the functions of an Apostle in the commissioning of Paul in both the first and second books of Timothy. However, Paul refers to him as his "son" in the faith (1 Tim 1:1-2, 18; 2 Tim 1:2, 2:1).
Apollos has been said to have held the office of Apostle because he was included among “us apostles" along with Paul and Peter. That would make him the 19th Apostle (1 Cor. 4:9; see also: 4:6, 3:22, and 3:4-6).
The Scriptures say that Jesus “appeared” to more than five hundred disciples at one time who were working to promote the Gospel (Luke 10:1-24). Jesus also sent out 70 to work in the apostolic ministry. The Eastern Church calls them apostles and not disciples because the meaning of the words is virtually the same (1 Cor 15:6). Does that mean there are a total of 589 first-century apostles?
In the broad usage of the term, an Apostle was a first-century evangelist who bore witness to the resurrection of Christ, and an itinerant missionary sent by Him to make disciples of all nations. Being well-known within a circle of leaders, and working alongside them does not make a person a fellow leader just as a staff member of a politician is not the actual chosen/elected politician. It would seem to be pretty clear that God did not select Matthias, James, Barnabas, Andronicus, Junia, Silas, Timothy, Apollos, or the other 570, to be one of the 12 Apostles.
It would also seem logical that the only clear choice by God to hold the office of an Apostle vacated by Judas was Saul of Tarsus, later to be called Paul, who identified himself with the Apostles and humbly said that he was personally chosen by Jesus to be an Apostle (See Rom 1:1; 1 Cor 1:1,9:1-2, 15:9; 2 Cor 12:12; Gal 1:1; Eph 1:1, Col 1:1; 1 Tim 1:1, 2:7; 2 Tim 1:11; Tit 1:1).
Paul proved his qualification by being the central figure in the propagation of the Gospel, especially to the Gentiles. He wrote more than half the books in the New Testament; He took the Gospel on at least three missionary trips throughout the world. He was stoned, drowned, beaten, imprisoned, starved, hated, and loved. He even raised up (through God's power) a young man who fell to his death in a church meeting. In short, Paul made full proof of his apostleship.
PROPHETS
The office of Prophet and the Spiritual Gift of Prophecy active today are two very different things. As previously stated, the offices of Apostle and Prophet were used by Jesus to establish the foundation of the church. The distinguishing biblical characteristic of a Prophet is that they spoke on behalf of God through messages they received directly from Him. They never spoke on their authority or shared their personal opinions, but instead delivered the message God directly gave them. The Bible says that anyone claiming the office of Prophet was required to be 100% correct in all prophecies (see Deut 18:20-22). The official Prophets of the Bible were holy people who were moved by the Spirit of God and spoke from Him (2 Pet 1:20-21).
The single event that clearly and definitively separated the Old Covenant from the New Covenant is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, which is the birth of the universal Church because Jesus came to reside/dwell within those that become Born-Again (1 Cor 6:19). As stated previously, Jesus had commanded the Disciples not to do anything but to wait for the promised gift of the Father (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4). On that day, the Gift of Prophecy was extended to the whole Church so that it became prophetic as well. The ongoing spiritual Gift of Prophecy is celebrated and valued in Scripture. However, real concerns and warnings are raised about false prophets, and every Born-Again Christian is implored to test the prophecies (1 Thess 5:19-22; see also 1 John 4:2).
As was true in the Old Testament, the primary job of New Testament Prophets was to proclaim the Word of God (Acts 11:28; Eph 3:5). The word ‘proclaim’ comes from two Greek words meaning “before,” or “in place of” and “to speak.” The Bible makes it clear that a ‘prophet’ is someone who speaks on God’s behalf to the people and there is no inaccuracy in their words. When the Prophets of old, before the New Testament was completed, received their message from God, it was perfect, free from any error. They spoke confidently knowing that what they said God would bring to pass (Isa 42:9; Deut. 18:22; Jer 28:9; Ezek. 33:33). The writings of the New Testament Prophets carried the same authority as writings of the Old Testament Prophets. Jesus said His words were given by God the Father (John 12:29).
Even though the New Testament Scriptures mention Apostles and Prophets, they do not provide the church with a list of duties for those positions as it does for the office of Evangelist, Pastor/Shepherd/Bishop (Acts 1:20-26). If God intended for there to be a modern-day office of Prophets or Apostles, He would have provided the list of duties in the NT Scriptures 2000+ years ago.
MINISTRY MULLIGANS
The Old Testament Prophet Jonah has been accused of making a mistake in his prophecy against Nineveh and is most often cited as proof that the modern-day Prophet deserves a ‘ministry mulligan’ when they are wrong (See Jonah 3:4-10). The Hebrew word, ‘haphak’ translated as “overthrown” in verse 4 is a verb and indicates reflexive action. It is used about 100 times in the Old Testament and is most often translated into English as "turn," "turned," "transformed," "changed," "turned away," or "turned from." Most of the time, the word refers to some type of change or transformation that doesn't involve physical destruction. Jonah's prophecy was ultimately, and literally, fulfilled after the 40 days. Nineveh would have been transformed after 40 days, whether through repentance or physical destruction.
In the New Testament, Agabus is also used as an example of a Prophet making a ‘mistake.’ He prophesied about the heart of what God was saying, and he was correct in the details (See Acts 21:10-11). The word “bind” in Greek means to prohibit, forbid, hold up, stop, or keep from happening. In addition, the Greek word for “shall deliver” is “paradidomi” and means to surrender, i.e., yield up, transmit. It is translated as betray, bring forth, cast, commit, deliver (up), give (over, up), hazard, put in prison, recommend. The word “into” is the Greek word “eis” and is very important in the sentence to understand the contextual meaning. It is a primary preposition; to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of a place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etc.).
"Then all the city was stirred up, and the people ran together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul. Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains. He inquired who he was and what he had done" (Acts 21:30-33 ESV)
The verses above in the Greek context reveals that the actual result of the Jew's action when grabbing Paul was that they did deliver him to the Gentiles. There was clearly no prophetic mangling made.
Judas Barsabbas was also considered a New Testament Prophet, yet we hear nothing about, or from him after approximately 50 A.D. We also hear nothing from, or about, Silas/Silvanus after 52 A.D. The offices of Apostle and Prophet were no longer needed after the first century because the New Testament was completed by 90 A.D and “was ONCE for all ALL entrusted to the saints" (Jude 3 - emphasis mine).
The majority of prophecies given today by modern ‘prophets’ use dreams, sensory gut-feelings, experiences, and opinions to give conditional, non-specific, non-detailed predictions and call it the word of the Lord, supporting what they said by quoting primarily from the Old Testament, and then ask for money or to buy their latest book.
These modern ‘prophets’ are not expected to be 100 percent accurate in their predictions, so the ‘prophecies’ are often vaguely worded, which makes it difficult to determine whether or not they will ever be fulfilled. That helps to cover up those that are erroneous and false (See Deut 18:20-22). So many words of prophecy given today are just the happy thoughts of cotton candy Christianity, which is sweet to the taste and full of fluff, with no substance.
TESTING THE PROPHETS
There are just three ultimate tests to determine if a Prophet’s words are from God. The first is whether it lines up with the Bible (Isa 8:19-20). Second, if it comes “to pass” (Deut. 18:22 KJV, Ezek 12:25, Jer 28:9). Third, if it does not cause divisions or upsets one's faith by teaching things contrary to sound biblical doctrine, they have been taught (Rom 16:17). If the answer is 'no' to any of those three questions, Christians are commanded to “Stay away from them” (Rom 16:17 NLT).
It is essential to understand that an intentional false prophet primarily seeks to turn people away from God; “Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them” (Deut 13:2 KJV). However, the Bible warns there will be false prophets who bring about “great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect” (Matt 24:24 KJV).
There are absolutely no legitimate examples in the Bible of a true Prophet of God making any “mistakes.” The Bible makes it clear that when the Prophets of both the Old and New Testament received a “word” from God, it was perfect and free from any error. If they were not, God had some rather harsh words for them:
“Therefore,” declares the Lord, “I am against the prophets who steal from one another words supposedly from me.… “When these people, or a prophet or a priest, ask you, ‘What is the oracle of the Lord?’ say to them, ‘What oracle? I will forsake you, declares the Lord.’ If a prophet or a priest or anyone else claims, ‘This is the oracle of the Lord,’ I will punish that man and his household.…Therefore, I will surely forget you and cast you out of my presence along with the city I gave to you and your fathers. I will bring upon you everlasting disgrace-everlasting shame that will not be forgotten” (Jer 23:30-40 NIV).
Using the supernatural gift of prophecy is not the same as holding the official office of ‘Prophet.’ In the past God had to speak through the “prophets at many times and in various ways,” but, for the last two thousand years - and forevermore - the Father has: “spoken to us by His Son whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Heb 1:1-3 NIV).
The ministry gifts of apostle and prophet still exist today. However, the foundational offices of Apostle and Prophet in the first generation of the church are no longer needed (Eph 2:20, 3:5). They were in a separate category from the ongoing offices of Evangelist and Teaching-Pastor/Shepherd/Elder, which still exist today because they are those who preach, teach, and lead the church as the Scriptures attest (Eph 4:11). The Bible provides very explicit instructions and requirements for those continuing offices but none for apostles or prophets because they were not intended to continue.
The New Testament urges Born-Again Christians to avoid false doctrine by remembering what the apostles ALREADY said in the Bible, and not by listening to what new self-ascribed apostles say today (2 Pet. 2:1; 3:1-2; Jude 3-4, 17). Special revelations that conflict with, or add to, the Scriptures are to be rejected (1 Thess 5:19-22).
There are only 12 thrones and foundational walls of the New Jerusalem, with the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb written in them (Matt 19:28; Rev 21:14). One could confidently surmise that the name of the traitor, Judas Iscariot is not one of them.
The absolute foundation of the universal Church is the Word, Jesus Christ. No one can lay a foundation other than that which is already laid (1 Cor 3:11). The offices of Evangelist and Teaching-Pastor / Overseer /Elder /Bishop /Shepherd remain and are ongoing. They were not used to build the foundation of the Church (Titus 1:5-9; 1 Tim. 3:1-7; 2 Tim 2:2; 1 Peter 2:7, 5:1-4).
Either we are 100% submitted to the sovereign, supernatural work of the Holy Spirit and wait wholly upon Him to make decisions to lead and guide us, or we pick pieces of paper out of a hat or roll the dice to decide what we should do next in our lives or ministry.
There are no "new" doctrines or “secret revelations” hidden from the Church (See 1 Tim 1:3-4; 2 John 1:9-10). The enemy wants Christians to believe that they need new visions and revelations given by self-proclaimed modern ‘apostles’ and ‘prophets’ because it denies the sufficiency of the Bible (See 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Cor 11:13-15). Ultimately, all prophecies will cease (1 Cor 13:8-12).
It was through the Prophets, and the 12 hand-picked Apostles, that the New Testament Scriptures were given for all generations to come. The term ‘apostle’ is never used again in the book of Acts after Chapter 16. When the last of the 12 Apostles died, other offices besides apostleship, not requiring an eyewitness relationship with Jesus, would carry on the work.
The works based religious caste system of the “apostolic-prophetic” governmental authority teaching is confusing at best and most often theologically contradictory, illogical and intellectually incongruent. Jesus taught that a house divided against itself would not stand (Matt 12:25). God “is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints” (1 Cor 14:33 KJV).
When the New Testament was completed, the office of Apostle and Prophet, who helped in conveying the authoritative words from God for the founding and building of the Church, were replaced by the written Word of God, the Bible, which is the final and absolute authority in the life of a Born-Again Christian, to equip “the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” (Eph 4:12-15 ESV). The “building up” of the Church, and not its foundational construction, will continue until it is mature (v.12).
