“Concerning apostles and prophets, act according to the Gospel’s teaching.
Receive every apostle as the Lord. He should not stay for more than a single day, or two days if necessary. But if he remains for three days, he is a false prophet. When he leaves, let the apostle receive nothing except bread, until he finds a place to stay. But if he asks for money, he is a false prophet.” (The Didache, Teaching of Twelve Apostles, written at the time of the Apostle John, late first Century.)
“For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves are not wise.” (2 Corinthians 10:12)
Interpreting the Book of Revelation is like…well, its like this, if you have ten commentaries you have ten different opinions. The best anyone can do is to speculate. We can get some general ideas of what is going to happen in the future, but anytime anyone tries to put together timings and events you can count on it being wrong. I think we can predict that something will happen on or about some time frame, but we don’t know what, or we can predict some event foretold by John, or Isaiah, but we don’t know when. It is only after the events actually happen that we can point to a specific prophecy in the book (Ether 4:16). I am going out on a limb, here, to present something I found in the Book of Revelation in the second and third chapters taking place now in America. Something not covered in commentaries; events unfolding that John foretold coming to pass in our day.
The purpose of the Book of Revelation is to show “his servants things which must shortly come to pass” (Rev. 1:1). I have found the Lord often uses phrases that cause us to assume things that the Lord never intended. The use of the word “Shortly” (tachos>a brief space (of time), in haste) doesn’t mean the event will come to pass soon, as in the near future. The Lord uses the word “soon” to convey the idea that once the events in Revelation start to happen in the far future, they will come in a speedy succession. It is in the same spirit of how He uses the word “quickly”. When Christ says He will come quickly (Rev. 3:11), He means that when we all realize He is in process of coming, He will come so quickly that we will not have time to repent. Christ is speaking through John to the generation in which the events of the book are to take place. He is using as an analogy a congregation he knows very well. Like most scripture there are applications to be drawn for all generations from the first century to our day. The ultimate purpose of these prophecies is to prepare the saints in the last days so they will not lose faith as these things are happening all around them.
“Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter: The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.” (Revelation 1:19-20)
Chapters two and three of Revelation almost seem out place in this book. John is instructed to write to seven churches in Western Asia Minor. What is that all about? It is easy to see why commentators and most readers of the Bible consider these chapters to primarily be describing challenges of the congregations in Asia Minor. It seems out of place with the rest of the book because it appears to discusses contemporary events as opposed to the major theme of the book describing a vision of the very last days before Christ appears in glory. Chapter one is quite carefully portraying the seven churches as faithful covenant churches. So if the Lord is giving us a prophecy of a covenant church, faithful to the gospel of Christ in the last days, we must take heed because it is about us. One commentator writes this about these chapters:
“Chapters two and three of Revelation contain counsel and commendation to the seven churches in Asia; and what is said applies, in principle, to all congregations of saints in all the world, in all ages. In each instance, the promises given are conditioned upon the requirement that the recipients shall overcome the world.” ( McConkie, Bruce R., Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, Vol. III, Salt Lake City, Bookcraft, 1973, p. 447)
This comment is typical of many commentators writing on the Book of Revelation. What they say is true enough, but, they don’t recognize the prophecy within the council to the seven churches. The prophecy is to be fulfilled at the time the rest of the Book of Revelation is fulfilled. In this posting I want to focus on the prophesies concerning the first church, Ephesus. There are some things hidden there that I never considered until very recently.
“Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write….I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil; and thou has tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast labored, and hast not fainted.” (Revelation 2:1-3)
John is writing to a contemporary congregation or church that does good works, maybe even emphasizes works and good deeds, is quite judgmental to sins, has been severely persecuted, and is dealing with false apostles. They find the apostles to be false. The corresponding church in the last days will also be emphasizing good works, will suffer severe persecution, tends toward a judgmental attitude towards sinners, and will be dealing with false apostles and prophets. Dealing with apostles in the last days is a sign of the times. John is writing to and about the true body of Christ, the true church in his day and in the last days. The Lord states that in the last days there will be men posing as apostles that are not apostles. This did happen in the first century after Christ. There were traveling preachers teaching all kinds of doctrines claiming to be apostles, seeking their support from the churches. It will also be a feature of the Church of Christ in the last days.
How do you try apostles, and how would you recognize a false one? True followers of Christ will be exposed to false priests and apostles and will have to be able to reject them. So just what is an apostle? How important is it to recognize false apostles?
I know of one major church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) that believes there are men alive today in this generation that are apostles. They believe and teach that they have the same authority as the apostles called by Christ and are called to be prophets, seers, and revelators. There are other Mormon churches that have broken off from the Church that Joseph Smith established in 1830 that also believe in modern apostles. There are yet again other protestant churches that call pastors and elders of their congregation “apostles”1. The LDS Church is the one that stands out in America, claiming to have an unbroken line of authority from Jesus Christ.
Let’s explore what the scriptures teach about how to identify true apostles. In Greek, Apostle (Apostolos) literally means ambassador, (one who is sent); a commissioner of Christ having special powers (From Strong’s Concordance). From Acts chapter 1 we get the sense that an apostle needs to be a personal witness of the death and resurrection of the Savior (Acts 1:22-26). We also get that from Paul in 1 Corinthians: ” Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? (1 Cor. 9:1-2).
Here is a definition of “apostle” from a man who claims to be an apostle of Christ in the LDS Church, who states it isn’t necessary to have seen Jesus Christ:
“The role of Apostle today is the same as it was anciently. Our commission is to go into all the world and proclaim, “Jesus Christ, and him crucified”. An Apostle is a missionary and a special witness of the name of Christ. The name of Christ refers to the totality of the Savior’s mission, death, and resurrection–His Authority, His doctrine,…As special witnesses of the name of Christ, we bear testimony of the reality, divinity, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.” (David A. Bednar, Special Witnesses of the Name of Christ, Religious Educator, Vol 12, no. 2, 2011.) Can you represent yourself as an apostle and testify of the reality of Christ without actually meeting Him, experiencing Him in a real physical way like the Apostles of Old? Is the role claimed here really the same as it was anciently?
According to Paul and the original twelve apostles of Christ, an apostle has a literal eyewitness testimony of Jesus Christ. According to David Bednar, an apostle has a special witness of the “name” of Christ. He doesn’t believe it is necessary to have witnessed Christ in person and testify of that experience. Why? The stated reason is that He won’t talk of personal spiritual experiences, especially any having to do with Christ because it is too sacred an experience. The real reason is because none of the current apostles in the Quorum of the Twelve have seen or witnessed Christ and they do not want to admit that to the church membership. There have been a couple, however, members of the Quorum of the Twelve having admitted publicly not having had any special experiences with Christ.
In the early days of the Mormon Church all of the newly called apostles were instructed to seek to have a personal manifestation of Christ. Oliver Cowdery, second elder in the church after Joseph Smith, told the newly called apostles in 1835 that their calling as an apostle was not completed until they had received their commission directly from Christ. According to Heber J. Grant, who was president of the church from 1918 to 1945, ‘I know of no instance of anyone having met the Savior since the Prophet Joseph Smith.” 2 I am aware of a few instances of authorities of the church claiming to have had a visitation from Christ, but most of them are apocryphal, not reported until after their deaths by relatives many years later. There are a couple though, that may actually be genuine, but they are extremely rare.
Elder Dallin Oaks, another current Apostle of the LDS Church, was speaking to a large gathering of youth in Bellevue, Washington in January, 2016, and he said this when asked about having profound spiritual experiences: “I have never had experiences like that, and I don’t know anyone in the first presidency or among the quorum of the twelve who have had that kind experience.…a testimony settles on us gradually like so much dust on a window sill, or so much dew on the grass. One day you didn’t have a testimony and the next day you do, but you can’t say when that happened.”
So what does it mean to the members of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles when they say they are a “special witness of the name of Christ”? They may quote the 107th section of the Doctrine and Covenants which gives the Twelve Apostles a charge to “testify of the name of Christ.” I don’t believe they understand what Joseph Smith meant by this. They assume that that if the Spirit of God testifies to them of Christ, and since they are called apostles, they then are special witnesses. But that is no more than the average member of the church can receive from heaven through the Holy Spirit. There is more to receiving and testifying of the name of Christ than Elder Bednar talks about above.
Apostles assume they have a sure knowledge of Christ, but that assumption is based on the mistaken idea that the Holy Ghost trumps a physical witness of Christ where He appears to you in person or vision as Joseph Smith experienced. That is a mistaken belief that was not held by Joseph Smith, nor taught by him.3 Nor is it scriptural. The testimony of the reality of Christ requires a knowledge in “reality”; this reality as opposed to a spiritual one, in the actual presence of Christ. The testimony of the Holy Ghost is important, but does not replace meeting Christ in person. It is convenient for those who are authorities to claim their authority through the Holy Ghost when they have not been able to experience Christ in person, i.e., receive their calling and election from Him directly. Most of this belief has its foundation in the idea that you can sin against Jesus Christ and be forgiven, but you cannot sin against the Holy Ghost and be forgiven. That is a true statement, but it has mistakenly been applied to the idea that a physical connection with Christ is secondary to a witness by the Holy Ghost.
A witness of Christ is more than the acknowledgement by the Holy Ghost that Christ is the author and source of salvation. There is a mystery here. You must “know” Christ, you must know the name by which you will be called. What name? Isn’t it sufficient to believe in Christ and in His ability to save you? No. You have to receive His name and take it upon you. How do you obtain the name? In one sense you take upon yourself the name of Christ when you are baptized. But in the special sense that the apostles testify of, the obtaining of the name of Christ is a fulness, the end of your salvation which you obtain directly from Christ (2 Peter 1:4,10-11). That is what is meant by enduring to the end. Christ is the beginning and the end. So to testify of the name of Christ has a deeper meaning than at first glance. It actually does mean that to testify of Christ as a special witness, it is necessary that you have met Christ personally and testify, like the original Apostles, of the reality of His death and resurrection. So, you judge if the apostles of the Mormon Church are true apostles or not. They say they are, sure, but according to the scriptural accounts that we have and the writings of Joseph Smith, they are not fully vested. What they are is authorities of a church holding an office they call “apostle”.
The second part of John’s writing to the Church at Ephesus goes like this:
“Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of its place, except thou repent.” (Revelation 2:4-5)
This is a direct revelation that the church in the last days will fall. The first love and first works are the saints seeking Christ and obtaining his words directly, face to face, in this life and receive salvation directly from the Lord. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, pgs. 149-151) That is the whole purpose, and fulness of the Doctrine of Christ. (2 Nephi 32:6) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, indeed all churches today, have downplayed the doctrine of receiving the calling and election, the second comforter. This is understandable that they would do this because we have so few reports of it happening. Authorities in the LDS Church have taught more insistently in the last 20 years that anyone seeking a calling and election from Christ may be in danger of starting down the road to apostacy. They can not acknowledge that anyone before themselves could receive a visitation from Christ. It is inconceivable to them that anyone else could receive their calling and election. Surely the Lord would come to his “anointed” apostles before anyone of lower priesthood in the church.
The first love is Christ. The warning that John writes to the churches in our day is a counsel to not put our trust in false apostles. It is typical of false prophets and apostles that they place themselves in the position of being the go-between heaven and the congregation. Should the Lord come to you and instruct you to do something that is counter to the instruction of the authorities, you would be counted a sinner or apostate. But of course that would never happen, right? When a false apostle teaches that we must follow them (“Follow the Prophet”) instead of the Savior, it insinuates that we must not seek to have a personal relationship with Christ. One of the major prophets of the Book of Mormon teaches when Christ comes to us we must follow Him above any church authority (2 Nephi 31). John says here we must repent and follow, seek, or go back to our first love- Christ. The consequences of not repenting from following false apostles and not seeking the first love is that we will be moved out of our place (Revelation 2:5).
“And the whole world lieth in sin, and groaneth under darkness and under the bondage of sin. And by this you may know they are under the bondage of sin, because they come not unto me…and your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received–which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation.” (D&C 84:49-54)
“And if my people will hearken unto my voice, and unto the voice of my servants whom I have appointed to lead my people, behold, verily I say unto you, they shall not be moved out their place.” (D&C 124:45) (Note: The servants mentioned here were Joseph and Hyrum Smith. The people did not hearken to the voice of these servants so Joseph and Hyrum were taken out of their midst and the saints were removed from their place both physically and spiritually.)
The promise John gives to the church is that if they repent of not following their first love, “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” (Revelation 2:7)
In verse 6, John mentions the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which the people of Ephesus hate. Who were the Nicolaitans? It is no mystery why he singles out this apostate doctrine out of the dozens of others that the people were exposed to. The Nicolaitans were a sect that taught that once having accepted Jesus as your Lord you are saved and cannot lose your salvation. So they indulged in all kinds of immoral acts, believing they will never lose their place in heaven. Their doctrine is also related to the doctrine of Balaam (Revelation 2:14-15), which includes preaching for money, one of the signs of false apostles who practice priestcrafts.4 This is a doctrine that is believed quite universally, indeed with some gusto, among most Christian Churches today.
In conclusion, the discourse of John to the seven churches, which was dictated by Christ, is a prophesy to the churches in the last days. Beware of men who say they are apostles and are not, do not follow them, follow the Savior. Return to the first love–Jesus Christ. He also reminds us that we hate immorality and priestcrafts (doctrine of Nicolaitans and Balaam), which do exist within the churches, even the LDS Church, so you are under condemnation to recognize if you are being misled. So far I have covered only the Church at Ephesus. The writings for the other six churches also contain prophecy and warnings as well as promises for faithfulness.
Notes:
1There is a movement in the US called the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) which desires to establish a new branch of Christianity seeking to restore the offices of prophet and apostle within the church. It is mostly associated with Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches.
2 Heber J. Grant, letter to Mrs. Claud Peery, April 13, 1926, typescript in Lester Bush papers, University of Utah Archives.
3 “A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing unto you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day of soon; (i.e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Christ Jesus.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p.151.; see also John 14:12-27. Read Teachings, p.298 under heading of Calling and Election) Clearly, Joseph taught that the pinnacle of experience, is to become perfect in Christ Jesus, which is to have him appear to you.
4 The apostles of the Mormon church receive six figure salaries and very generous allowances for housing, cars, etc. Kenneth Copeland, televangelist has a net worth estimated of around $700 million, Pat Robinson is worth an estimated $100 Million, Rick Warren, pastor of Saddle Back Church in Orange County has a net worth of $25 million, and Joel Osteen is worth about $40 million. Although some of these personalities don’t claim to be apostles, preaching and teaching the words of Christ can be an extremely profitable business. Kenneth Copeland, responding to a question regarding his lavish lifestyle, answered, “ “You may think it’s too grand. I don’t care what you think. I heard from heaven. Glory to God, hallelujah!‘” For churches that say they follow the New Testament, this is a far cry from what was practiced and taught 2,000 years ago.