"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." (Acts 1:22)
There were many believers in Jesus Christ during His ministry and thereafter. Oftentimes, there were even thousands who heard Him teach and followed Him. But there were 12 men that Jesus hand-selected to play a part in the organization of His Church and to share in His ministry. Those were the 12 Apostles. Their responsibilities differed from the other followers of Christ in that they were to be special witnesses of Christ, the ones who learned at the feet of Him and knew Him best. As we all know, one of the original 12, Judas, betrayed Jesus and later committed suicide soon after leaving a vacancy in the Apostleship. The remaining 11 clearly understood that there was a need for 12 Apostles and thereby prayerfully sought divine revelation to appoint another. Matthias took his place. And so it is that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints follows that pattern the Lord instituted to have 12 Living Apostles continue the ministry today.
Note: To review what Prophets and Apostles, callings and sustainings are, click here.
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THE CALLING OF THE TWELVE
It was that time of year again for General Conference -- October 2015. Again, I worked to tell as many as I could that we'd soon have the opportunity to hear from living Prophets and Apostles which is something most people don't realize is on the Earth today. In the past year or so I had spent as a missionary testifying of the Restoration, I’d gained a deeper love and appreciation for our Church leaders (See "Church Organization"). Not only had I seen their messages bless my own life, but I could see them blessing the lives of others. As I've said before, Prophets and Apostles are evidence of God's love for us and are an essential part of His Church through which He gives us more of His word --- more direction, more understanding, more instruction. And in case you forgot, we do indeed believe that there is one and only one true and necessary Church on the Earth today --- the one that Jesus Christ leads. (See "One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism")
In the six months leading up to this General Conference, one stunning event followed another. Of the Twelve Apostles at the time, Elder L. Tom Perry had died of cancer in May, Boyd K. Packer in July at the age of 90, and Richard G. Scott in September incident to old age. In short, from April General Conference 2015 to this one in October, three of the twelve Apostles had passed away. It wasn’t until October General Conference that three new Apostles were called to fill the vacancy since they have to be sustained by the members of the Church.
There were 12 Apostles in the beginning, there are 12 Apostles today. The Lord Jesus Christ continues to be to one who selects His living Apostles. He reveals His will concerning this matter to the living prophet of His Church. The Prophet doesn’t get to choose the Apostles. There is no voting process or application. Everything is by revelation. The same Son of God who called Apostles two millennia ago continues to do so today. They are Apostles of Jesus Christ, chosen by Him to first and foremost be special witnesses of Him to the world.
When the betrayal and subsequent suicide of Judas left a vacancy in the original Apostleship, Peter and the remaining Apostles knew that another man had to be “ordained to be a witness with us of [Jesus’s] resurrection” (Acts 1:22). It was a necessary thing to have twelve. Two men were appointed. After praying to know concerning the will of God, “The lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles” (vs. 26). It is significant to note that one of the first tasks for the Apostles to do after Christ’s ascension was to organize the Apostleship. So it is today that whenever there are vacancies, another is called to his place as the Lord sees fit to do.
Because we were so close to the Mission Offices, we watched General Conference there on the office computers in English (See "Mission Administration"). We pulled seats together and were so crammed that I literally had to sit on Elder Johnson’s lap for part of it.
We were running a little bit late in between sessions because of our lunch appointment and by the time we got back, the new Apostles had already been announced: Ronald A. Rasband, Gary E. Stevenson, and Dale G, Renlund. It had been over a Century since there were three vacancies in the Apostles so this was definitely one for the Church’s history. Since that time, as of 2018, there were also 2 new Apostles called: Elders Gerrit W. Gong and Ulisses Soares. Whenever there are vacancies in the future, there will be new Apostles called to fill their place.
If you want to learn about the current 12 living Apostles today, you can check out https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/learn/quorum-of-the-twelve-apostles?lang=eng
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