Expert: Marilyn - 8/19/2009

Question
QUESTION: Under whose teachings, instructions or guideance was the twelved apostle or original desciple selected after Judas? Why not thirteen or more were selected after Judas took his life?

ANSWER: Hello Gesus;

Jesus is the One who decided on 12 Apostles after an all night prayer session, Luke 6:12-16. The Greek word for what the NIV translates as, "spent the night," is dianuktereuo, which is one word for not only spending the night, but toiling, staying on task all night long. The NIV says that He prayed "to God," but literally it says Jesus prayed the prayer OF God. In other words, Jesus spent the entire night communing with the Father and the Holy Spirit speaking aloud the Words the Three of Them were all thinking simultaneously. In the morning, Jesus chooses the twelve out of the many who followed Him wherever He went. In those days the method of mentoring and teaching was for the students to practically live with the Rabbi 24/7, following him around.

There were twelve sons of Jacob who became the patriarchs of Israel, God's first people. Jesus continues the tradition, choosing twelve Apostles to be the church's twelve patriarchs.

In Acts 1:15-26 the Apostle Peter speaks to the other believers teaching that David had prophesied about Judas. In verse 20 he quotes Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8 which say, "May his place be deserted; let there be no one dwell in it," and "May another take his place of leadership." Then Peter said, "Therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who have been with us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us beginning from John's baptism to the time when Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of His resurrection." Two men were nominated, then they cast lots and Matthias was chosen.

Before the Holy Spirit came to indwell the Apostles, God, unless the Scripture gave a clear answer, was confined the three methods of revealing His will to His people: 1) through dreams, 2) through the prophets and 3) through the Urim and Thummim. The Urim and Thummim were one white stone and one black stone which the high priest kept inside his breastplate. The questioner asked his question, a "yes" or "no" question, and the Urim and Thummim were cast. The Urim and Thummim were cast in faith believing that God would cause the one He wanted would come up as the answer. Peter and the Apostles used this principle, that God could cause the lots to come up how He wanted them to come up, to choose Judas' replacement.

Jesus had made the decision to continue the tradition of 12 patriarchs of God's people and that is why the Apostles and believers only wanted to replace Judas. It's clear Peter had been giving the matter much prayer and thought. He wanted to replace Judas based on his understanding of the Scripture and employed a method Moses instituted when the high priest's breastplate was first created--casting lots.

Sincerely,
Marilyn

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I happen to agree with your answer. Now I have a other question. I believe Paul is not an apostle but rather a instrument or vessel to serve a certain purpose yet many follow his teachings and believe he is a apostle simply because he claims to be. I believe there is something wrong in that picture.

ANSWER: Hello Gesus;

Paul calls himself an Apostle in Galatians 1. Paul is a new class of Apostle and in a class by himself.

The name Apostle comes from the Greek, "apostolos," which means "to send forth," but more than a messenger it means someone who is like a delegate, a representative. The online Catholic encyclopedia says that Jesus undoubtedly used the "Aramaic word being seliah, by which also the later Jews, and probably already the Jews before Christ, denoted "those who were dispatched from the mother city by the rulers of the race on any foreign mission, especially such as were charged with collecting the tribute paid to the temple service" (Lightfoot, "Galatians", London, 1896, p. 93)." http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/01626c.htm

Certain Pentecostal ministers today call themselves "apostles," but the term traditionally has been reserved for those who were personally called by Jesus. Paul was personally called by Jesus during his Damascus road experience, Acts 9:4-9; 26:12-18. In its simplest definition an apostle is one who has been personally called by the Lord Jesus to go out and do all the things He did, preach, teach, heal, raise the dead and so forth. We're all called to do the things Jesus did, but most of us are called by the Holy Spirit rather than during a personal encounter with the Lord.

Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles and represents a new, radical thing God began when Peter first saw the vision of the sheet loaded with unclean things to eat, Acts 10. After Paul's Damascus experience he disappears from the narrative for over a year while he studied the Word. When he came back, he roared into view as a man bent on reaching the Gentiles. This is ironic, and fits in with what Jesus told Ananias, "This man is my chosen instrument to carry My Name before the Gentiles and their kids and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for My Name," Acts 9:15 & 16.

Paul, as a Pharisee's Pharisee, would have observed all the restrictions for associating with unclean Gentiles--don't touch them, don't get close enough for their breath to hit, don't eat their food, etc. etc. Yet, this zealous man who has striven so hard to cleanse the Jewish faith of Jesus' heresy, is the very one who must not only acknowledge Jesus is Lord, but obey Him to the point of associating and bringing the filthy Gentiles into the kingdom. This would have been part of the suffering Jesus said He had in store for him.

It's a radical thing what Paul was called to do and did. One the other Apostles seemed to have approached only half-heartedly. Paul is a new class of Apostle. He calls himself one "abnormally born," I Corinthians 15:8. He represents a class of person who witnesses the risen Lord after His ascension into heaven and is personally called. If a person claims to be an apostle today, I would think he would have to meet that criteria.

Some argue that Matthias is not an apostle after all because the Lord did not personally select him; this group argues that Paul is the 12th apostle because Jesus personally selected him. There is merit to this argument.

Sincerely,

Marilyn

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: ok let me get this straight. In Numbers 1:1-42, He tells us of what is to be. In Acts 1:15-26 we are told what needs to be done in the selection of the 12th apostle. In Luke 22:28-30 he tells who is to sit with him. We know that all things need be done to fullfill all prophesis. If Paul''s account on his way to Damascus is true then is the Messiahs second coming happen already in that instant. Does not Paul teach false teachings or teachings that are not of the Messiah.

Answer
Hello Gesus;

Numbers 1:1-42 is about the census of Israel...to what are you referring?

We are told not what is to be done in terms of the selection of the 12th apostle--we are told what they decided to do. Peter arrived at his decision, likely after prayer, though we're not told he prayed about it. All we are specifically told is he based the decision on his interpretation of the two Scriptures he cited. I don't see any indication that the Holy Spirit specifically asked him to do what he did. God allows us to participate in forming the present and thereby creating the future. He does not micromanage everything. Is Matthias a true Apostle? Some say no.

How does Paul's Damascus road account indicate the second coming? Can't Jesus visit whomever He chooses, whenever He chooses? If He wanted to show up in your living room and have a chat with you, couldn't He do that without it being the "second coming"? Normally people use the term "second coming" in reference to Jesus' very public return in power and glory.

Of His return Jesus said, "..this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. So when you see standing in the Holy Place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader understand..." He adds "great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world," "For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man...the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other," Matthew 24:14, 15, 21, 24, 29, 30 & 31.

Before Jesus will return in glory as the Conquering Warrior, the Gospel has to be preached to all the nations. This hasn't happened, there are still people groups out there who haven't heard the message. Second, there are only two ways to create a biblical "abomination that causes desolation." The first is to erect and idol in the Jewish temple, the second is to sacrifice a pig or another unclean animal on the altar in the Jewish temple. Since the Jewish temple was destroyed in AD 70, there first must be a Jewish temple before this prophecy can be fulfilled. There have been efforts in that direction. The search is on for a red heifer required to consecrate the priests; the temple articles are being created, some are finished; the priests are being trained and recently a Muslim man came out in favor of erecting a Jewish temple next door to the Dome of the Rock in the name of world peace. But this hasn't happened yet. We haven't seen distress that is unrivaled in world history...etc. etc. Until those things happen, the second coming is not imminent.

Are you saying that Paul's teachings are erroneous because you think that his seeing the Messiah is the second coming? If Jesus has already returned as the Conquering Warrior, how come He is not ruling and reigning everywhere?

Sincerely,

Marilyn