Jesus and his twelve apostles

Apostles of Jesus

The word apostle means “one who is sent out.” In the New Testament, there are two primary usages of the word apostle. The first is in specifically referring to the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. The second is in generically referring to other individuals who are sent out to be messengers/ambassadors of Jesus Christ.

ELS (equidistant letter skip)

For instance, if someone wanted to embed a message that was translated into Blue Shoe, it might look something like this: Brown Lunch Units Exist; SearcH our hOme to Enter By counting letters only, the message is decrypted by using every fifth letter. Using this method, letter skips can involve hundreds, even thousands. After a name or phrase is found, the letters encoding the words are arranged so the phrase becomes visible. Then, other words of related meaning are sought. These are described with complex statistics to “prove” they are not presented by random chance.

Illustrated below is scripture from the Codex Leningrad, (the Hebrew Bible). By using the latest technology "the E.L.S. system," the revelations, and mystery of God's Word unfold to reveal hidden words, messages, etc. This is further proof that God really does exist, and the Bible (God's Word) is a reliable source of information.

ELS (equidistant letter skip) reveals the word "disciples" (למדים)

Take a look at this Hebrew verse below; it says, "At 55 equal skip distant letters," the Hebrew word (למדים ), which means "Disciples" in English.

English translation

8) He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.
9) And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.
10) Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11) He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12) Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

ELS (equidistant letter skip) reveals the names of the twelve apostles

Simon (who is called Peter)

Take a look at this Hebrew verses below; it says, "At 14 equal skip distant letters," the Hebrew name (כפה), which means "Peter" in English.

English translation

Andrew (the brother of Simon/Peter)

Take a look at this Hebrew verse below; it says, "At 48 equal skip distant letters," the Hebrew name (אנדרי), which means "Andrew" in English.

English translation

1) Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2) For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3) He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4) Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

James, son of Zebedee

Take a look at this Hebrew verse below; it says, "At 34 equal skip distant letters," the Hebrew name (יעקוב), which means "James" in English.

English translation

1) Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.
2) Shake thyself from the dust; arise, and sit down, O Jerusalem: loose thyself from the bands of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion.

John (the brother of James)

Take a look at this Hebrew verse below; it says, "At 28 equal skip distant letters," the Hebrew name (יוחנן), which means "John" in English.

English translation Isaiah 53:8-10

Philip

Take a look at this Hebrew verses below; it says, "At 133 equal skip distant letters," the Hebrew name (פילף), which means "Philip" in English.

English translation

12) For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.
13) Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
14) As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
15) So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
Isaiah 53:1-5
1) Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2) For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3) He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4) Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Thomas

Take a look at this Hebrew verse below; it says, "At 35 equal skip distant letters," the Hebrew name (תומא), which means "Thomas" in English.

English translation Isaiah 53:2-5

2) For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3) He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4) Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Mathew (the tax collector)

Take a look at these two Hebrew verses below; it says, "At 295 equal skip distant letters," (in reverse) the Hebrew name (מתתי), which means "Mathew" in English.

Start counting from the bottom verse (Isaiah 53:1-8). In reverse (left to right) from the red arrow, and continue counting into (Isaiah 52:6-15)

English translation

Isaiah 52:6-15
6) Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.
7) How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!
8) Thy watchmen shall lift up the voice; with the voice together shall they sing: for they shall see eye to eye, when the LORD shall bring again Zion.
9) Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem: for the LORD hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem.
10) The LORD hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of our God.
11) Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the LORD.
12) For ye shall not go out with haste, nor go by flight: for the LORD will go before you; and the God of Israel will be your rereward.
13) Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high.
14) As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
15) So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.
Isaiah 53:1-8
1) Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?
2) For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
3) He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4) Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6) All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7) He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.
8) He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

James, son of Alphaeus

Take a look at this Hebrew verse below; it says, "At 20 equal skip distant letters," the Hebrew name (יעקב), which means "James" in English.

English translation

Judas (also known as Thaddaeus)

Take a look at this Hebrew verse below; it says, "At 50 equal skip distant letters," the Hebrew name (תדי), which means "Thaddaeus" in English.

English translation Isaiah 53:10-12

10) Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.
11) He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.
12) Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

Simon the Zealot

Take a look at this Hebrew verses below; it says, "At 47 equal skip distant letters," the Hebrew name (שמעון), which means "Simon" in English.

English translation Isaiah 52:14-15

14) As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:
15) So shall he sprinkle many nations; the kings shall shut their mouths at him: for that which had not been told them shall they see; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.

Judas Iscariot was replaced by Matthias

Take a look at this Hebrew verse below; it says, "At 11 equal skip distant letters," the Hebrew name (מתיה), which means "Matthias" in English.

English translation Isaiah 53:5

5) But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Bartholomew/Nathanael

Bartholomew is listed as one of the twelve disciples of Jesus in each of the four references to the group (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13). In the Gospel of John, however, he is always referred to as Nathanael (John 1:45–49; 21:2). Bartholomew is a Hebrew surname meaning “son of Tolmai.” So Nathanael is the son of Tolmai, or Nathanael Bar-Tolmai.

In each of the listings of the disciples, the names of Philip and Bartholomew are linked, which could mean they were good friends or even related. What we know about Bartholomew/Nathanael comes primarily from the account of his call by Jesus (John 1:45–49). After Jesus called Philip to follow Him, Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (verse 45). This would seem to indicate Philip and Nathanael were students of the Law and the Prophets and that Philip recognized from their study that Jesus was the Messiah they had been waiting for.

The twelve apostles held a unique position. In referring to the New Jerusalem, Revelation 21:14 states, “The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.” The twelve apostles are also referred to in Matthew 10:2; Mark 3:14; 4:10; 6:7; 9:35; 14:10, 17, 20; Luke 6:13; 9:1; 22:14; John 6:71; Acts 6:2; and 1 Corinthians 15:5. It was these twelve apostles who were the first messengers of the gospel after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It was these twelve apostles who were the foundation of the church with Jesus being the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).

This specific type of apostle is not present in the church today. The qualifications of this type of apostle were:
1) to have been a witness of the resurrected Christ (1 Corinthians 9:1),
2) to have been explicitly chosen by the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:15), and
3) to have the ability to perform signs and wonders (Acts 2:43; 2 Corinthians 12:12). The responsibility of the twelve apostles, were to lay the foundation of the church.

Beyond the unique twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, there were also apostles in a generic sense. Barnabas is referred to as an “apostle” in Acts 13:2 and 14:14. Andronicus and Junias are possibly identified as apostles in Romans 16:7. The same Greek word usually translated “apostle” is used to refer to Titus in 2 Corinthians 8:23 and Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25. So, there definitely seems to be room for the term apostle being used to refer to someone besides the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ. Anyone who was “sent” could be called an apostle.

There are some today who are seeking to restore the position of apostle. This is a dangerous movement. There is absolutely no biblical evidence to support such an understanding of the role of apostle today. This would fit with the New Testament’s warning against false apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13).

Twelve apostles

Mathew 28:18-20

Acts 1:8

Romans 10:15

2 Corinthians 5:18-20