Why did Jesus appoint 12 apostles?
Mark 3:13 - 19
AMP - 13 And He went up on the hillside and called to Him [for Himself] those whom He wanted and chose, and they came to Him. 14 And He appointed twelve to continue to be with Him, and that He might send them out to preach [as apostles or special messengers]
Clarify
•
Share
•
Report
•
Asked May 25 2014
•
Patricia Kila
Supporter
Community answers are sorted based on votes. The higher the vote, the further up an answer is.
Singapore Moses
Supporter
The future rulers over all Israel in the Millennium will be: 1. Jesus Christ, King of kings (Jer. 23:5- 8, Ps. 2 Isa. 9:6- 7 32:1- 5 42:1- 6 Ezek. 43:7; Dan. 2:44- 45 7:13- 14 Zech. 6:12- 13 14:9; Mt. 25:31- 46 Lk. 1:32- 33 Rev. 11:15; 20:1- 10) 2. David, under Christ, over all the tribes (Jer. 30:9; Ezek. 34:24; 37:24- 28 Hos. 3:4- 5) 3. The twelve apostles over one tribe each (Mt. 19:28; Lk. 22:29- 30) 4. Earthly, natural kings will also rule Israel under the resurrected rulers (Ezek. 43:7; Rev. 21:24). 5. Resurrected saints will reign over all Gentile nations eternally (Dan. 7:18, 22, 27; Ps. 149:4- 9 2Cor. 4:8; 6:2; Rom. 8:17; Eph. 2:7; 2Tim. 2:12; Rev. 1:6; 2:25- 27 5:9- 10 11:18; 12:5; 20:4- 6 22:4- 5). 6. Earthly, natural kings will also be over Gentile nations, under the resurrecte saints (Rev. 21:24). To substantiate point 3 above, It is the eternal plan of God that Christ promised that the twelve apostles would sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel when He comes again to set up the kingdom of Israel (Mt. 19:28; Lk. 22:29- 30). Paul spoke of all twelve tribes in his day as having hope in the resurrection (Acts 26:7). James spoke of the twelve tribes scattered abroad and wrote to them (Jas. 1:1). How could he write to ten tribes who were lost and unknown at the time? There will be twelve thousand from each of the twelve tribes sealed in the future tribulation in Palestine, so they will be back in their own land at that time or this could not be true (Rev. 7:1- 8). The twelve tribes will be restored in Palestine during the Millennium, for Ezekiel names them as inheriting twelve portions of the land of promise at that time (Ezek. 47:13- 29). The names of twelve tribes will be on the earthly city Jerusalem in the Millennium (Ezek. 48:30- 35). They will also be on the heavenly New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:12). Since Anglo- Saxons are not going back to Palestine and they plainly declare they are not supposed to go back, then they are not of the twelve tribes of Israel. So now you got an eternal plan of God choosing 12 apostles to reign over 12 tribes of Israel...
Rotimi EWEDEMI
Supporter
The answer to this question is found in the Bible and requires deep study. The 12 apostles were chosen by Jesus from among the multitide of disciples after an all- night prayer to God, according to Luke 6:12-17. Therefore, we can say that while all apostles are disciples, not all disciples are apostles! And, from Mark 3:13-15, it appears that the 12 were chosen for a special assignment and training, Luke 8:1. And, a follower of Jesus would be a disciple but he may or may not be an apostle. The second point is that Jesus prayed all night, no doubt for special guidance and wisdom from his Father before choosing the 12 whom he named or called apostles. Even though The Bible writer Luke did not record the content of the Prayer, we can deduce what his prayer was about from an understanding of the Scriptures. 1. In Luke 22:28-30, during the Lord's evening meal, which Jesus instituted after observance of the Jewish Passover of 33CE and after Judas had left the assembly, Jesus made a covenant for a kingdom with his remaining 11 apostles. He assured them that they will rule as kings with him. Let us note very carefully that the disciples who were not of apostolic class were not in this covenant. They were in fact not invited for both the Passover feast and the latterly instituted Last Supper, v14 2. The words of Jesus in Luke 12:32, and John 14:1-4 therefore applied to the apostolic class. The "little flock" were to be "given the kingdom". 3. God showed Daniel visions recorded in Daniel 7:13,14, 18, 21, 22, 27 which reveal to us that Jesus will be the king of God's Kingdom, and that the "saints of God" will be corulers with Jesus in the Kingdom. And, according to Daniel 2:44, that Kingdom of God under Jesus and the saints will crush human kingdoms and be the only government that will rule the world for ever. Isaiah 9:6,7 confirmed this and announced that peace, justice and righteousness will prevail on the earth under that rulership. 4. We learn from Apostles Paul (in 1Corinthians 6:1-4) and John (in Revelation 1:5,6) That the saints will rule the world and that Jesus has made " us", that is, the saints, to be kings and priests. 5. The Bible, in Revelation 21:2,9-14, speaks of New Jerusalem, that is, symbolic God's Kingdom rulership (Jesus plus the saints; coming down out of heaven to take over rulership of the earth, in answer to the Lord's prayer for the kingdom to come and make God's will to be done on earth as it was in heaven). The names of the 12 apostles of the Christ are said to be written on the foundations of the walls of the New Jerusalem. From the above, it becomes very evident that the terms "apostles", "saints of God", " little flock" and "bride of Christ" are synonymous. Further Bible reasearch reveals other appellations: "Israel of God", "Christ Brothers", the "holy nation", spiritual Israel. The 12 chosen by Jesus while he was on earth were to be first or foundation members of that class. Obviously, others will be chosen later through the instrumentality of the holy spirit. For example apostle Paul was added to the class later. So we can now see why Jesus chose the 12, and what he prayed for. Jesus knew of, and concurred with, God's purpose to redeem mankind through the ransom sacrifice (John 3:16) and to set up a kingdom government that will rule the world. He knew that by means of this kingdom, God will bless all the earth, Genesis 22:17,18; Revelation 21:3-4. He knew that he would have corulers to be chosen from among his followers, Revelation 1:5,6). It was time for him to choose the foundation members of that corulers group, and it was important to choose rightly. So he needed guidance from God. He also knew that the group will take the lead in the proclamation of the good news of the kingdom and in pure worship and lead others to God (Zechariah 8:23; revelation 2:2,9). So he prayed. Why 12? The spiritual nation was to be structured Or patterned just as the fleshly nation of Israel.
Add your Answer
All answers are REVIEWED and MODERATED.
Please ensure your answer MEETS all our guidelines.
A good answer provides new insight and perspective. Here are guidelines to help facilitate a meaningful learning experience for everyone.
- Adhere to the eBible Statement of Faith.
- Your answer should be complete and stand-alone.
- Include supporting arguments, and scripture references if possible. Seek to answer the "why".
- Adhere to a proper tone and spirit of love and understanding.
- For more info see The Complete Guide to eBible