“In 3rd Nephi 5:44, where it says Jesus called and gave the power and authority to baptize to 12, does that mean he appointed apostles? And if He did, what happened to the original 12? Were there 2 sets of apostles? And if the answer is yes - will that happen again?”
“I heard you say that numbers are important to God. So why do we have twelve? Is there a difference between the word Apostle and Disciple? What can an Apostle do that an Elder can't”
What Nephi is told early in the Book of Mormon
1 Nephi 3:86-98, 112-116 – “86 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying, Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record. 87 And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross, and slain for the sins of the world. 88 And after that he was slain, I saw the multitudes of the earth, that they were gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb; for thus were the twelve called by the angel of the Lord. 89 And the multitude of the earth was gathered together; 90 And I beheld that they were in a large and spacious building, like unto the building which my father saw. 91 And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying, Behold the world and the wisdom thereof; 92 Yea, behold, the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 93 And it came to pass that I saw and bear record, that the great and spacious building was the pride of the world; 94 And it fell; and the fall thereof was exceeding great. 95 And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying, Thus shall be the destruction of all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people, that shall fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb. 96 And it came to pass that the angel said unto me, Look and behold thy seed, and also the seed of thy brethren! 97 And I looked and beheld the land of promise; 98 And I beheld multitudes of people, yea, even as it were in number as many as the sand of the sea. … 112 And I saw the heavens open, and the Lamb of God descending out of heaven; and he came down and he shewed himself unto them. 113 And I also saw and bear record that the Holy Ghost fell upon twelve others, and they were ordained of God, and chosen. 114 And the angel spake unto me, saying, Behold the twelve disciples of the Lamb, which are chosen to minister unto thy seed. 115 And he saith unto me, Thou remembereth the twelve apostles of the Lamb? Behold they are they which shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel. 116 Wherefore, the twelve ministers of thy seed shall be judged of them; for ye are of the house of Israel; and these twelve ministers which thou beholdest, shall judge thy seed.”
In the above, the 12 in Jerusalem are referred to as “apostles”, and the 12 in the Americas are referred to as “disciples” and “ministers”. There were never two sets of apostles, but there was a set of apostles (12) and a set of disciples (12) at one point in time. The 12 disciples in the Book of Mormon are never called apostles, though their duties in general were the same.
Some have referred to the 12 disciples in the Americas as elders. Apostles are also elders as we will see.
Moroni 3:1 – “The manner which the disciples, which were called the elders of the church, ordained priests and teachers.
What Alma writes
Alma 21:9-15 – “9 And these are the words: Behold, I perceive that this very people, the Nephites, according to the spirit of revelation which is in me, in four hundred years from the time that Jesus Christ shall manifest himself unto them, shall dwindle in unbelief; 10 Yea, and then shall they see wars and pestilences, yea, famines and bloodshed, even until the people of Nephi shall become extinct; 11 Yea, and this because they shall dwindle in unbelief, and fall into the works of darkness and lasciviousness, and all manner of iniquities; 12 Yea, I say unto you, that because they shall sin against so great light and knowledge; yea, I say unto you, that from that day, even the fourth generation shall not all pass away, before this great iniquity shall come; 13 And when that great day cometh, behold, the time very soon cometh that those which are now, or the seed of those which are now numbered among the people of Nephi, shall no more be numbered among the people of Nephi; 14 But whosoever remaineth, and is not destroyed in that great and dreadful day, shall be numbered among the Lamanites, and shall become like unto them, all, save it be a few, who shall be called the disciples of the Lord; 15 And them shall the Lamanites pursue, even until they shall become extinct. And now, because of iniquity, this prophecy shall be fulfilled.”
Therefore, the 12 disciples in the Americas were hunted down and became extinct with the exception of the 3 that would tarry (more on that later).
Jesus calls twelve apostles in Jerusalem
Luke 6:12-13 – “12 And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;”
In the above, the 12 in Jerusalem were called disciples, but were also specifically given another title “apostles”. This was specifically pointed out by Luke.
Matthew 10:1-4 – “1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.”
Matthew 19:27-28 – “27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? 28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
Again, the 12 apostles in Jerusalem will judge the 12 tribes of Israel (including the 12 disciples in the Americas).
12 apostles in Jerusalem were replaced with others
Judas was replaced with Matthias – Acts 1:15-26
Paul (Saul) and Barnabas were apostles – Acts 13:2, 14:14
James, the Lord’s brother (who is not to be confused with James, the Brother of John, and who were the sons of Zebedee; nor with James, the son of Alphaeus)
Galatians 1:19 – “But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother.”
Possibly Silvanus and Timotheus
1 Thessalonians 1:1 – “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians which is in God the Father and in the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Thessalonians 2:5-6 – “For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness: Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.”
Andronicus and Junia
Romans 16:7 – “Salute Andronicus and Junia, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me.”
Possibly Apollos
1 Corinthians 4:6,9 – “6 And these things, brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another… 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.”
Jesus calls twelve disciples in the Americas
3 Nephi 5:44-46 – “44 And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words unto Nephi, and to those which had been called (now the number of them which had been called and received power and authority to baptize, were twelve), 45 And behold he stretched forth his hand unto the multitude, and cried unto them, saying, Blessed are ye if ye shall give heed unto the words of these twelve which I have chosen from among you to minister unto you, and to be your servants; 46 And unto them I have given power, that they may baptize you with water, and after that ye are baptized with water, behold I will baptize you with fire and with the Holy Ghost;”
3 Nephi 6:1-2 – “1 And now it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he looked upon the twelve whom he had chosen, and saith unto them, Remember the words which I have spoken. 2 For behold, ye are they which I have chosen to minister unto this people.”
3 Nephi 9:4 – “4 And it came to pass that on the morrow, when the multitude was gathered together, behold Nephi and his brother whom he had raised from the dead, whose name was Timothy, and also his son, whose name was Jonas, and also Mathoni, and Mathonihah, his brother, and Kumen, and Kumenonhi, and Jeremiah, and Shemnon, and Jonas, and Zedekiah, and Isaiah: now these were the names of the disciples whom Jesus had chosen.”
See mural posted below ... this is the Quetzalcoatl mural in the National Palace depicting the white god in the mist of dark skinned natives. Notice the 12 surrounding Quetzalcoatl in the mural (and that three are standing separate from the others msl)
John the apostle and 3 disciples in the Americas will tarry until Christ returns
John 21:20-23 – “20 Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee? 21 Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22 Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. 23 Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?”
3 Nephi 13:12-24 – “12 And it came to pass when Jesus had said these words, he spake unto his disciples, one by one, saying unto them, What is it that ye desire of me after that I am gone to the Father? 13 And they all spake, save it were three, saying, We desire that after we have lived unto the age of man, that our ministry, wherein thou hast called us, may have an end, that we may speedily come unto thee, in thy kingdom. 14 And he saith unto them, Blessed are ye, because ye desire this thing of me; therefore after that ye are seventy and two years old, ye shall come unto me in my kingdom, and with me ye shall find rest. 15 And when he had spoken unto them, he turned himself unto the three, and said unto them, What will ye that I should do unto you, when I am gone unto the Father? 16 And they sorrowed in their hearts, for they durst not speak unto him the thing which they desired. 17 And he saith unto them, Behold, I know your thoughts, and ye have desired the thing which John, my beloved, which was with me in my ministry, before that I was lifted up by the Jews, desired of me; 18 Therefore more blessed are ye, for ye shall never taste of death, but ye shall live to behold all the doings of the Father, unto the children of men, even until all things shall be fulfilled, according to the will of the Father, when I shall come in my glory, with the powers of heaven; 19 And ye shall never endure the pains of death; but when I shall come in my glory, ye shall be changed in the twinkling of an eye, from mortality to immortality; and then shall ye be blessed in the kingdom of my Father. 20 And again, ye shall not have pain while ye shall dwell in the flesh, neither sorrow, save it be for the sins of the world; 21 And all this will I do because of the thing which ye have desired of me, for ye have desired that ye might bring the souls of men unto me, while the world shall stand; and for this cause ye shall have fullness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father; 22 Yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fullness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father; and the Father and I are one; 23 And the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and the Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the children of men, because of me. 24 And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words, he touched every one of them with his finger, save it were the three which were to tarry, and then he departed.”
Like the 12 apostles in Jerusalem, the 12 disciples in the Americas were originally replaced with others
4 Nephi 1:15-16 – “15 And it came to pass that the seventy and first year passed away, and also the seventy and second year; yea, and in fine, until the seventy and ninth year had passed away; yea, even an hundred years had passed away, and the disciples of Jesus, whom he had chosen, had all gone to the paradise of God, save it were the three which should tarry; 16 And there were other disciples ordained in their stead; and also many of that generation which had passed away.”
Disciples persecuted in the Americas
4 Nephi 1:31-35 – “31 And again, there was another church which denied the Christ; and they did persecute the true church of Christ; because of their humility, and their belief in Christ, and they did despise them, because of the many miracles which were wrought among them; 32 Therefore they did exercise power and authority over the disciples of Jesus which did tarry with them, and they did cast them into prison; 33 But by the power of the word of God, which was in them, the prisons were rent in twain, and they went forth doing mighty miracles among them. 34 Nevertheless, and notwithstanding all these miracles, the people did harden their hearts, and did seek to kill them, even as the Jews at Jerusalem sought to kill Jesus, according to his word, 35 And they did cast them into furnaces of fire, and they came forth receiving no harm; and they also cast them into dens of wild beasts, and they did play with the wild beasts even as a child with a lamb; and they did come forth from among them, receiving no harm.”
Only the 3 that tarry eventually remain on the earth
Mormon 1:12-17 – “12 And it came to pass that they did have in this same year a number of battles, in the which the Nephites did beat the Lamanites, and did slay many of them. 13 And it came to pass that the Lamanites withdrew their design, and there was peace settled in the land, and peace did remain for the space of about four years, that there was no blood shed. 14 But wickedness did prevail upon the face of the whole land, insomuch that the Lord did take away his beloved disciples, and the work of miracles and of healing did cease, because of the iniquity of the people. 15 And there were no gifts from the Lord, and the Holy Ghost did not come upon any, because of their wickedness and unbelief. 16 And I, being fifteen years of age, and being somewhat of a sober mind, therefore I was visited of the Lord, and tasted, and knew of the goodness of Jesus. 17 And I did endeavor to preach unto this people, but my mouth was shut, and I was forbidden that I should preach unto them; for behold they had willfully rebelled against their God, and the beloved disciples were taken away out of the land, because of their iniquity.”
Mormon 4:11-12 – “11 And now behold, I say no more concerning them, for there are none, save it be the Lamanites and robbers, that do exist upon the face of the land; 12 And there are none that do know the true God, save it be the disciples of Jesus, which did tarry in the land until the wickedness of the people was so great that the Lord would not suffer them to remain with the people; and whether they be upon the face of the land, no man knoweth.”
What Mormon writes regarding judgment
Mormon 1:82-84 – “82 Therefore I write unto you, Gentiles, and also unto you, house of Israel, when the work shall commence, that ye shall be about to prepare to return to the land of your inheritance; 83 Yea, behold, I write unto all the ends of the earth; yea, unto you, twelve tribes of Israel, which shall be judged according to your works, by the twelve whom Jesus chose to be his disciples in the land of Jerusalem. 84 And I write also unto the remnant of this people, which shall also be judged by the twelve whom Jesus chose in this land; and they shall be judged by the other twelve whom Jesus chose in the land of Jerusalem.”
Will there be a total of 24 disciples / apostles again?
Due to geographical constraints at the time of Christ, Christ ordained 12 among the Nephite/Lamanites and another 12 among those in Jerusalem. With the restoration of the Church of Christ, and the global representation that it now has, it is no longer necessary to have more than 12 in the Church of Christ.
Note that Christ also visited other lands besides the Americas after his resurrection, and it is entirely possibly that Christ appointed even others to the ministry beside these 24 disciples / apostles.
3 Nephi 7:23-26 – “23 But behold, ye have both heard my voice, and seen me, and ye are my sheep, and ye are numbered among them which the Father hath given me. 24 And verily, verily, I say unto you, that I have other sheep, which are not of this land; neither of the land of Jerusalem; neither in any parts of that land round about, whither I have been to minister. 25 For they of which I speak, are they which have not as yet heard my voice; neither have I at any time manifested myself unto them. 26 But I have received a commandment of the Father, that I should go unto them, and that they shall hear my voice, and shall be numbered among my sheep, that there may be one fold, and one shepherd; therefore I go to shew myself unto them.”
Again, duties of 12 disciples in Americas similar to that of 12 apostles in Jerusalem
There are some that do believe the 12 disciples in the Americas should be referred to as “apostles” since their duties were the same, and also because of the following verse:
Moroni 2:1-3 – “1 The words of Christ, which he spake unto his disciples, the twelve whom he had chosen, as he laid his hands upon them. 2 And he called them by name, saying, Ye shall call on the Father in my name, in mighty prayer; and after that ye have done this, ye shall have power that on him whom ye shall lay your hands, ye shall give the Holy Ghost; and in my name shall ye give it, for thus do mine apostles. 3 Now Christ spake these words unto them at the time of his first appearing; and the multitude heard it not, but the disciples heard it, and on as many as they laid their hands, fell the Holy Ghost.”
The phrase “for thus do mine apostles”, should be taken as a reference to the apostles in Jerusalem. At the same time, the 12 disciples did have the same duties as the 12 apostles with the exception of primary authority in Christ’s church that existed among different locations. As we saw previously, the 12 apostles in Jerusalem will judge the 12 disciples in the Americas and the lost tribes of Israel. In this way, the 12 apostles were given authority over the 12 disciples and they were in that way ‘different’. The 12 apostles had more authority than the 12 disciples.
The Book of Mormon time and time again refers to the 12 in the Americas as “disciples” and that is the term we should use.
Note that in Revelation we are told that there are 12 that sit at the head of the church under Christ (not 24):
Revelation 12:1 – “1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:”
Others have been called “disciple”
Matthew 27:57 – “57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:”
Strong’s Greek G3100 is the word in Matthew 27:57:
mathéteuó: to be a disciple, to make a disciple
Original Word: μαθητεύω Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: mathéteuó Phonetic Spelling: (math-ayt-yoo'-o) Short Definition: I make disciples, make into disciples Definition: I make a disciple of, train in discipleship; pass: I am trained, discipled, instructed.
Another form of the word “disciple”:
Strong’s Greek G3101:
mathétés: a disciple
Original Word: μαθητής, οῦ, ὁ Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: mathétés Phonetic Spelling: (math-ay-tes') Short Definition: a learner, disciple, pupil Definition: a learner, disciple, pupil.
Joseph of Arimathaea was instructed and followed Christ’s teaching. In that way, he was a disciple, but he was not one of the 12 disciples (apostles) in Jerusalem.
Other uses of the term “disciple”:
Acts 6:1-2 – “1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration. 2 Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.”
Acts 9:36 – “36 Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did.”
Etc.
The disciples were later called Christians:
Acts 11:26 – “And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.”
A disciple is someone that has been instructed and trained in Christian teachings and is a follower of Christ. The 12 disciples in Jerusalem were both disciples and Apostles (having oversight of the church), but not all disciples are apostles.
Duties of Apostles vs. Elders
Church of Christ Articles of Faith and Practice #13:
“We believe in the same church organization as existed in the time of Christ and His Apostles. The highest office in the church is that of an apostle, of whom there are twelve, who constitute special witnesses for Jesus Christ. They have the missionary supervision and the general watchcare of all of the churches.”
Strong’s definition of an apostle, G652:
apostolos: a messenger, one sent on a mission, an apostle
Original Word: ἀπόστολος, ου, ὁ Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration: apostolos Phonetic Spelling: (ap-os'-tol-os) Short Definition: an apostle, a messenger, an envoy, a delegate Definition: a messenger, envoy, delegate, one commissioned by another to represent him in some way, especially a man sent out by Jesus Christ Himself to preach the Gospel; an apostle.
Strong’s definition of an elder, G4245:
presbuteros: elder
Original Word: πρεσβύτερος, α, ον Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: presbuteros Phonetic Spelling: (pres-boo'-ter-os) Short Definition: elder Definition: elder, usually used as subst.; an elder, a member of the Sanhedrin, an elder of a Christian assembly.
An elder and apostle have the same duties, with the exception of missionary responsibilities and general oversight of the entire Church of Christ (duty of the apostles). Both an apostle and elder baptize, lay on the hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost, ordain other ministers, administer the sacrament, and teach. Elder is a term that has been used even in Old Testament times. In the Church of Christ (both early and present), in general, it represents those exercising oversight of the flock.
Reference “Priesthood_offices_study.doc”
Note that Peter and John both acknowledge that they were not only apostles, but also elders:
1 Peter 5:1 – “1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:”
2 John 1:1 – “1 The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth;”
3 John 1:1 – “1 The elder unto the wellbeloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth.”
Note again what we find in Moroni, where the 12 disciples in the Americas were referred to as elders:
Moroni 3:1 – “The manner which the disciples, which were called the elders of the church, ordained priests and teachers.
Summary:
An apostle is an elder and disciple of Christ’s teachings.
An elder is a disciple, but not necessarily an apostle.
A disciple is not necessarily an elder or apostle. Disciples were later called Christians.
What’s so significant about the number 12?
The number 12 is said by many Bible commentators to represent perfection of government. Twelve is the number used for both the House of Israel (the 12 sons of Jacob-Israel / the 12 tribes) and the 12 apostles of Christ’s church.
The number 12 has been selected by God to achieve his purposes. This is not something that man has construed, but God Himself. In God’s wisdom, He believes that 12 is the number required to provide foundation, and enough support to get the job done. Consider a rope with 2 strands instead of 3 strands. Also consider having 4 or 5 apostles, instead of 12. Twelve seems to be not too less, not too many, but just right in the eyes of God.
Consider other occurrences of the number 12:
Twelve signs of the zodiac
The product of the number three (perfection of divinity) x four (the number of the earth – earth, air, fire, water)
Twelve months in a year
Twelve pillars were erected at Mt. Sinai – Exodus 24:4
Twelve pillars were erected in the Promised Land – Joshua 4:1-9
Twelve statues of oxen held up the water basin in Solomon’s Temple – 1 Kings 7:25
Twelve men were selected by God to conduct the census of the tribes – Numbers 1:2-16
Twelve princes of Israel brought gifts to the Sanctuary on twelve days – Numbers 7:10-83
Twelve spies sent to Canaan – Numbers 13:1-15
Jesus is twelve years old when He questions the scholars in the Temple – Luke 2:42
Twelve legions of angels – Matthew 26:53 144,000 servants of God (12 times 12) – Revelation 7:4
Twelve gates of the New Jerusalem – Revelation 21:12 Twelve foundations of the New Jerusalem – Revelation 21:16,17
The Trees of Life in the new creation will bear twelve kinds of fruits – Revelation 22:2
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