Modern Apostles? The Early Church Exposes the Truth | Sam Shamoun Answers

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:00]Um, but anyways, but anyways, they were they were mentioning to me like we were talking a little bit like the differences between our churches and one of the things that was really I guess weird for me cuz I couldn't comprehend it was that they were saying that in their church uh they have people that they use the title like prophet, prophetess, apostle.

[00:00:22]And uh and like I guess the thing that kind of tripped me up was the apostle part cuz I was like cuz in my head I'm thinking well, the only apostles I know were like the 12 apostles that Jesus had. Yeah.

[00:00:34]So, I guess Okay, so then what you're you're going to have to show them if you want to show that their apostles and prophets are not legit. You know how you do it?

[00:00:42]How?

[00:00:43]You don't go there out of scripture cuz there's nothing explicit in the scripture.

[00:00:47]Can't show it explicitly in scripture.

[00:00:49]So, what you're going to do is you're going to say, "Okay, let me ask you a question.

[00:00:52]The very Bible you have in your possession, who did God use to preserve it and canonize it?" What are they going to say? Answer for them. So, you're going to have to then press them say, "Hold on, what do you mean you can't tell us? You have a set of books that you've accepted as inspired scripture.

[00:01:06]But let's say I'm an inquirer, I'm an agnostic or atheist. I want to know how I can be certain those books you have are those that God inspired to be part of the scripture that you follow? They got to answer that question." And so, the moment they say history, say, "Well, now we got a problem."

[00:01:22]What do you mean?

[00:01:23]We go to history and look at the church that God used to give you those scriptures.

[00:01:28]We're told in history that the apostles were placed by the bishops of the church. Why do you think in the book of or in the New Testament the apostles went around appointing bishops, elders, teaching them the fullness of the faith and then telling them it would be their duty to shepherd the church after their departure. No reference of them appointing apostles to succeed them.

[00:01:53]It's bishops. Like in Acts 20:17-35 Paul summons the bishops.

[00:02:00]And he tells them that he didn't stop night and day with tears teaching the full counsel of God for 3 years. Because the Holy Spirit had appointed them to be the overseers, to be the shepherds of the flock of the church of Jesus Christ.

[00:02:13]And it would be their duty to protect the flock from wolves and false Christians. So, where are the apostles and prophets as replacement of the apostles and prophets? We don't have it. It was bishops. That's like Acts 20 17 to 35. I'm in here. For I did not shrink from declaring to the whole counsel of God. Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. So, whom did the Holy Spirit appoint to replace the apostles to protect the church, feed the church, expose false teachers and get rid of them?

[00:02:46]Other apostles or who?

[00:02:48]>> No.

[00:02:49]The whole counsel of God. Take heed.

[00:02:52]>> Who are these people?

[00:02:54]All right. So, the overseers are who?

[00:02:56]The elders, the bishops, right? Mhm. All right. Because they were given the duty to do what?

[00:03:02]To care for the church of God which he obtained with the blood of his own son.

[00:03:06]Why? Because he says, "I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock. So, you're going to protect the sheep from the wolves, the false teachers. And even from your midst people fall away embracing damnable heretical teachings like Martin Luther did."

[00:03:20]So, you are the ones who are going to now be entrusted with the deposit of faith that we've taught you, that you've understood cuz we've taught you what it means and how to apply it.

[00:03:30]And you've been living it. And the Spirit has moved us to then appoint you cuz I'm leaving. The apostles leaving, going home, going to heaven. You're going to take over.

[00:03:39]Can they still be used by the Holy Spirit even though they're not God can use Yes, God can use all of them and any of them. In fact, God is so amazing he even used a false prophet Balaam to prophesy and inspired him by the Holy Spirit. And he actually saw Jesus Christ. And his words are part of inspired scripture.

[00:04:00]Balaam, the false prophet. Yes, God can use and I'm not saying they're false Christians, tools of Satan.

[00:04:08]They can be those who in their ignorance, to no fault of their own, not knowing any better, being used of the Spirit in spite of their bad theology. But once they're confronted with the facts, then it's a different story. So, my point to you is, if people no fault of their own, don't know any better, and yet they pick up a Bible and they see their apostles and prophets, can God still work through them in such a way that they will have enough of the truth to indicate that they are seeking the true God, and because they don't know any better, cuz they're poorly catechized, God will then still work through them in spite of their imperfection. The Lord says, "Same measure you use will be used against you." So, if you got want if you want God to deal people strictly, and that everyone has to get their Ps and Qs in order, no one's going to heaven on this side of glory, cuz no one has perfect theology. Okay. Right? Yes.

[00:05:05]So, what I'm trying to get at is God, who's a God of infinite love and compassion and mercy, knows the hearts of folks, know where they're at, knows their level of understanding, and if to no fault of their own, he will work through their hearts, desire, and crying out to the true God, and then work through them. But, here's the thing, as they seek God and seek to know his will more perfectly, God will make himself known more clearly. That's why you now have a conversation with a Pentecostal. Who do you think arranged that meeting? Who do you think is going to be guilty of worse judgment, them or you?

[00:05:42]Me. Aren't you thankful that God is merciful, compassionate, and patient?

[00:05:45]Yes, sir. So, instead of worrying about their status, you got to worry about yours because you are in the Catholic Church and it's historically goes to the time of the apostles.

[00:05:56]What's your excuse for being so ignorant? God is going to punish you more severely.

[00:06:01]Yikes. Okay. [laughter] No, I'm not kidding. You will be punished more severely. Says the more you know, the greater your judgment.

[00:06:08]Yep, I yeah. So why you worried about them? And say, "Well, wouldn't that be deceptive?" What's deceptive is that you think because you're in the Catholic Church, you're safer than they are. Well, no, it's actually the opposite. At least they can plead ignorance. What can you plead?

[00:06:24]Can't plead nothing.

[00:06:26]Your judgment is worse.

[00:06:28]Yeah.

[00:06:29]So what are you going to do about it?

[00:06:30]Guess I got to get catechized quickly.

[00:06:32]Good idea. So then then you can be a light to that person. Hey, buddy, see like here if it was talking to me. Okay.

[00:06:38]So you got to be ready. So how do we know?

[00:06:42]We don't have bishops and prophets replacing the apostles cuz the pattern in the New Testament is they didn't appoint apostles, they appointed bishops. They appoint appointed deacons.

[00:06:53]That's the pattern we see. Like here in 1 Timothy 3, he gives the qualifications not of an apostle to replace him, but a bishop. The saying is sure, if anyone aspires to the office of bishop, you see?

[00:07:05]And deacons. So from the bishop from the deacons arose the chief bishop, the head bishop, and the elders subject to him and deacons subject to them. So what we find in the New Testament is bishops, a chief bishop over the other bishops called elders, a presbyter, deacons, and here I'm going to use this holy saint to show you how the church was set up.

[00:07:32]Now why is Ignatius important for you?

[00:07:35]He's important for you because he was a disciple of the apostles. He was trained by Peter, Paul, the other apostles.

[00:07:44]They appointed him, taught him, and he was the bishop of the church in Antioch, Syria.

[00:07:50]And he wrote seven letters preserved on his way to being killed, martyred in the Coliseum, cuz he wanted to die as a sacrifice for Christ, and he wanted to die by having the beast tear his flesh to shreds, cuz he said, "I want to offer my flesh as bread to God."

[00:08:08]This is this holy martyr. May the Holy Spirit fill us the way it fills Ignatius to love Jesus, and Holy Spirit, forgive us.

[00:08:16]All right. Now, I'm going to tell you what he says about the office of bishop. You ready? Mhm.

[00:08:21]Now, remember, he's writing right after the Apostle John would have written Revelation.

[00:08:28]So, John writes Revelation, and he dies.

[00:08:31]Ignatius is writing right after.

[00:08:33]Between 107 10 107 112 AD, right? Look what he says about the bishop. Now, let's see what he says about the church. He's writing to the church at Smyrna, the Smyrnians. And here, when you click, I am going to show you. See? Go online. It's right there, so you guys don't think I'm lying. Look what he says. Who are the successors of the holy apostles? Whom did the Lord appoint to take over after the apostles left?

[00:08:59]Follow me. Chapter 8. See that you all follow the bishop. Does it say all follow the apostle? Nope. Says bishop.

[00:09:07]Even as Jesus Christ does the Father.

[00:09:08]You see what he's saying?

[00:09:10]The bishop is to you what the Father is to Jesus Christ.

[00:09:14]Oh, okay.

[00:09:16]You see the authority of the bishop?

[00:09:18]Mhm.

[00:09:20]Then it's big.

[00:09:21]The bishop is to you what the Father is to Jesus Christ. Now, did Jesus perfectly submit to the Father? Yes. So, that's what Ignatius saying. You better perfectly submit to the bishop.

[00:09:33]Obviously, a spirit-filled bishop who's a true Christian. He's not talking about wolves.

[00:09:38]But anyway, let's continue. The presbytery, those are the elders, are your apostles. Oh, there you go. Who replaced the apostles? The bishops, the elders under the authority of the chief bishop. See right there?

[00:09:55]Mhm. The presbytery means the elders.

[00:09:58]So, who are our apostles? Who take over the apostles? Who?

[00:10:03]The elders, the presbytery. Which we would call priests, like Bree said, they're called priests, the presbytery, right? Mhm. Oh.

[00:10:10]>> So, the bishop is God the Father to us.

[00:10:13]The presbytery, the elders, whom we call priests, are the apostles to us.

[00:10:18]And reverence the deacons as being this institution of God, meaning the deacons are the ones who organize the church.

[00:10:23]Let no man do anything connected with the church without the prophet or without the bishop. Without the bishop. Oh.

[00:10:31]Let that be deemed Let Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist, which is administered either by the bishop, meaning your Eucharist will not be accepted if it's not from the bishop or someone he trusts.

[00:10:47]Damn.

[00:10:49]So, if I take bread and cup from someone who's not validly appointed, truly appointed by men who are appointed by men who are appointed, going back to the apostles, then that's not a proper Eucharist. But now, let's put things in perspective.

[00:11:07]What if someone, to no fault of his own, doesn't know this, doesn't know Ignatius, doesn't know Polycarp, doesn't know Irenaeus, doesn't know church history, and follows a Bible that he's trusting some guy to interpret, but he's oblivious to where the Bible came.

[00:11:25]Will God see my heart and pity me and have mercy on me, knowing in my heart I want to take communion, I want to get baptized cuz I believe the word and I love Jesus, but I'm doing it in a way that isn't the proper way to no fault of my own. Can the Lord then still bless that person and honor that and credit to him? Of course he can.

[00:11:48]>> Yes.

[00:11:50]Mhm.

[00:11:51]But once the person is confronted with the facts, that's a different story.

[00:11:55]This does not apply to me or you.

[00:11:57]Why? Cuz we know. I know now. Now if I walk away, my judgement will be severe.

[00:12:04]Very severe.

[00:12:06]Let's continue cuz I want to finish this for you. Let that be deemed a proper Eucharist which is administered either by the bishop, right? Or by one whom he has entrusted. So the bishop has to entrust him.

[00:12:16]Wherever the bishop shall appear, notice there's no church without the bishop.

[00:12:22]There let the multitude of the people also be. Even as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.

[00:12:29]See it?

[00:12:30]Mhm.

[00:12:31]It is not lawful without the bishop either to baptize or celebrate life feast because it says it is not lawful.

[00:12:40]It's unlawful if you do something without the bishop either to baptize or celebrate the life feast.

[00:12:44]But whatsoever he shall approve of, that is also pleasing to God.

[00:12:48]So that everything that that is done may be secure and valid. So if I see the pattern New Testament, what do I find?

[00:12:54]They're appointing bishops, right?

[00:12:56]Mhm.

[00:12:57]And then I read the very disciples of the apostles cuz their writings are here. They are preserved and they confirm, yes, this is what the apostles set up. The bishop now governs the church.

[00:13:09]He is to us what God the Father is to Jesus. The presbytery, the elders, the priests, they are our apostles. In other words, we don't have apostles and prophets ruling the church.

[00:13:21]It's the bishop, the presbytery, the deacons. And then finally, I want you to just see this one, chapter nine. Honor the bishop. Moreover, it is in accordance with reason that we should return to soberness of conduct and while yet we have opportunity, exercise repentance towards God. See, it's not too late for you and me.

[00:13:38]Now that you know your guilt and sin, repent and ask God to rectify.

[00:13:43]It is well to reverence both God and the bishop. Hold on. Who do you give reverence to? Only God?

[00:13:48]God and the bishop.

[00:13:50]No mention of apostles, huh?

[00:13:52]Nope.

[00:13:53]Now watch what he says. He who honors the bishop has been honored by God. You want to know if God has honored you? You know he's honored you the way you treat your bishop.

[00:14:04]Ooh.

[00:14:06]What he just said. He who HONORS THE BISHOP HAS BEEN honored by God.

[00:14:10]He who does anything without the knowledge of bishop doesn't really serve the devil. So if you do something without the authority of your bishop and his blessing, you are not serving God, you're serving Satan cuz you're doing what you want when you want. Let all things then abound to you through grace for you are worthy. You have refreshed me in all things and Jesus Christ shall refresh you.

[00:14:29]You have loved me when absent as well as when present. May God recompense you for whose sake while you endure all things, you shall attain unto him.