Hi Dpks,
It seems to me that correct me if Im wrong but you will put somethings in context scripture wise and other thing you dont.
For instance my point earlier that Eph 4 and unity and the bond of peace are related to the gifts in context rather and also if the foundations have served their purpose then so has Jesus as he is part of the foundation! him being the chief cornerstone.
If you read the two/three areas to do with gifts then you will find that unity is mentioned.It is the only place where you will find unity mentioned .In fact what the bible says is that without the gifts functioning correctly in unity then the church is not fit for purpose.
urs staff

Hi Elizabeth,
Just a brief outline on this as the concept isnt hard to understand but it is long scripture wise.
The basic reason why I believe God will restore Apostolic Structure is:
Behold I will send Elijah before the great and terrible day of the lord mentioned in Malachi
These are two different days one before Jesus came the first time and one before he comes again.
The two times Elijah came so far included him restoring the twelve to Israel.The first time on Carmel he restored the twelve stones and the second time he restored the twelve stones as in the form of the twelve Apostles.All of the Apostles came under John's Ministry before they came under Jesus Ministry.
In fact we know that it was a requirment that the twelfth stone or Apostle restored by Peter in the line before Pentecost had to have come from Elijah in the form of John The Baptist.We could put it another way if Peter had not restored the twelfth stone or Apostle the Fire would not have fallen on Pentecost.
The explanation gets longer and down to nitty gritty but thats the basic understanding I have urs staff

P.S in answer to ur other question I dont think we have Apostles as of Peter or Paul today.We may have Apostles as in Church planter types but none with the Authority of Paul or Peter to bring the Church in line with his word
Your Quote:
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I was wondering, .I don’t understand,...(that “it is coming”). how did you come by that statement ? Could you point that out to me in The Word?,...Is it no longer here on earth, at all ?.... Do you believe that the Apostolic as of Jesus / Paul and the other disciples / Apostles teaching no longer exists here today ?..
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twayneb

Acts 1:22-26 (KJV) Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection. And they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and Matthias. And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen, That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place. And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Some to be apostles. The apostles were all chosen by Christ. All had to be witnesses of his resurrection (Ac 1:22). They, therefore, could have no successors, but their own office continues. They still remain teachers and in authority by their writings and example.

I don't know of any person who assumes the title of Apostle today that has been chosen by Christ and is a personal reality witness of Christ' resurrection.

Thank you for reminding me of Paul being an Apostle of Christ, for he surly was a witness of Christ' resurrection.

So we do have Apostles today, speaking to us from infallible Word of God. Paul specifically for the Gentiles.

""The gifts mentioned here in Ephesians abide to the end until the Church is complete and removed from the earth. The apostles are the apostles of the beginning. The apostolate of Mormonism and similar cults is an invention. Nowhere does it say that Paul, Peter or John should have successors; all who lay claim to the title of apostle in the church are deceivers (Re 2:2)."" Gaebelein's Annoted Bible

Revelation 2:1-2 (KJV) Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:

This will probably start a war, but I got this from the Word of God for His Church; The Body of Christ. KJV

In Christ: Phillip

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Phillip

I have seen many in the "churchianity business" with the word "apostle" plastered on their business cards in front of their name and other titles. These should be rejected outright.

Hi Alec: I too realize the Church at large has a number of false apostles.

Yet to say if anyone calls themselves an apostle they are false-outright...is going beyond biblical precedent.

Paul was not shy at all about calling himself an apostle. His humility included making the Church aware of his apostleship. That precedent makes way for an 'apostle' to imitate that with every biblical right to do so.

You must know from reading me in the past I make no room for loons and heretics that call themselves apostle or any other title.

To the others:

As I said in an earlier post, there are plenty of good and godly men who clearly forbid anyone existing as an apostle other than those first apostles.
But the scripture itself does not make such limitations explicitly, nor can one say God will not call other apostles in the future.

Such limitations that include "seeing the resurrection" is purely an eschatological invention. Apostleship...as Paul stated was never contingent upon his 'seeing' the resurrection. It was contingent upon his calling and faithfulness to that call.

Apostleship was not contingent upon 'writing scripture' for we do not have 12 different authors for the new testament, We only have a few, therefore that requirement now excludes the other apostles who authored no biblical text.
By the way Mark...was no apostle. Was Luke ever named among the apostles?

As soon as you put this apostolic litmus test to a biblical test you come away with fails in all directions.
It is true apostles write scripture and testify of the resurrection but it is not true all apostles write scripture or see the resurrection.

It get it that denomination eschatological teachings on the 'end of apostleship' is supposed to be as essential as the inerrant word of God, but in reality it is an overstepping...over-realization of the original 12 apostles.

So, when someone says "apostolic teaching and future apostles" you have a thousand pastors and teachers that immediately conclude ...he's adding to the bible, he's false, he's going to ruin the Church, he's another Joe Smith, he's going to author erroneous doctrines...
and most importantly he's going to undermine my authority, my interpretations and my right to kick out of the kingdom those who are outside my eschatological boundary.

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Marvin

Hi, Marvin,

I enjoy your posts and wasn't replying to you specifically about apostles, but rather to the person who wrote just before me (as an affirmation).

Are there apostles today? Brother Yun is still alive, and was one of the foremost leaders in the underground church in China...yet I have never heard him refer to himself as an apostle. Yes, in the Scriptures Paul certainly did (and rightly so), but he also wrote in 1 Corinthians 4:9: "For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men."

I would be delighted if there were genuine apostles in the earth today, but if there are any ON ACTIVE DUTY we would likely know about it.

Hi Staff,
I appreciate your response ,and the thoughts on ‘the stones’.
I don’t know much about the stones at Carmel, linking it to the New Testament Apostles,.. I would like to study that.
Thank you for stirring my thoughts in that area.
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As per the conversation about The Lord continuing to appoint ‘Apostles’
In our day? ..... I do not know...but one could NEVER go in ‘something new’
,...God has given us the example , .. the foundation, the pattern, to confirm His Word, that He speaks to the us by His Spirit,

So if there is Apostles, (sent one’s),in our day,.. Wouldn’t we believe they could ONLY build upon the foundation already built ?
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We know,! That The Church is built upon ‘the Apostles ‘doctrine’ ,..handed down / taught, ‘REVEALED, unto them by The Lord. it is the pattern,that The Lord has given us for ‘the Church’,.. That upon ‘this Rock’,.. this revealed Word of God,.. seeing it as He see’s it, is the One Church.
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Not one of these men, pieced the doctrine up, and made a ‘denomination’
Because of The Spirit of God within, they spoke the same thing for ‘the Church’
They were continuing with the instructions of Jesus, concerning the the things of ‘the kingdom of God’. . (The gospel)

Could it be, that the side-trackness, got started when man redefined, what ‘the gospel’ s original true meaning was,... is ??
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@“And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;”
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*It was a Church in which we were / are ‘reconciled’ to God.

Reconciled : to reinstate us back to ,...WHO ? To God,... (to The Word of God,) ... to be in ‘unity’ w/The Father, and The Son.

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Ephesians 2:19-22 (KJV) ,
19 “Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner [stone];

21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
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elizabeth

** we must see Jesus, through the eyes of The Spirit,..

Added:
Matthew 16:15-19 (KJV)
15 “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

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.

19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.“

Another question: .. to consider,.. perhaps , ... is it worthy of our consideration?
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Has man ,..in Times past,.. and even until now,.. who possibly did not acquire The Spirit of ‘eyes to see’ ,... has one by one deviated from the foundation set forth by The Lord, through The Apostles Doctrine for the True Church, and ventured off into different denominations ?

Putting one’s to sleep through an easy [ism]... a false gate,...and a false hope ?
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John 9:4-5 (KJV)
“I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
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He ,... His Light, is in us in the world,...
*The Lord gives us a window of His Light, we work while that Light / Day is in us,.. when it is dark, we cannot ‘see’ how to work.

—————-♥️
elizabeth

Hi Elizabeth,
Revelation mentions Apostles as stones.
21:14
The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb

The typology of the temple is used greatly by the Church and I am just showing the typology of Elijah.
For example.
Old testament:Elijah preaches in the Wilderness of Mount Carmel
New Testament:John The Baptist(Elijah) preaches in the wilderness
OT:12 stones put in place by Elijah
NT:12 stones put in place by Elijah (JTB)

OT:Elijah pours water over the sacrifice
NT:Elijah(JTB) pours water over the sacrifice saying that he was fullfilling something that was right

OT:Mt Carmel had Elijah, twelve stones,wood and water
Nt:Elijah (JTB) WOOD (the cross) Stones(acording to Rev 21:14)The Apostles and Water (Baptism of John)

OT:The Fire fell by Elijah
NT:The Fire Fell By Elijah at Pentecost .Peter says unless the new Apostle had come under the Ministry of John he could not be picked.The Ministry of Elijah was a requirment for Pentecost to happen.

OT:All Israel went out to see Elijah
NT:All Judea and the surrounds went out to see John or Elijah (acording to Jesus)

OT:The fire Licked up everything(Tongue analogy)
NT:Tongues of Fire appeared on the disciples

I could go on but John The Baptist replayed Elijah the Tishibite exactly fulfilling his role in all its aspects .
I have had people say to me that it was a coincidence when I point this out ! It usually because they dont like the fact that I am saying that the Bible says its going to happen again.
Jesus says John was Elijah if you care to believe it.He also said after John was dead that Elijah comes again and restores all things if you read the passage carefully,
urs Staff

Staff,
That is absolutely fabulous!
Thank you for making it so plain.

My spirit is quickened at reading this,
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elizabeth