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NASB | Isaiah 57:1 The righteous man perishes, and no man takes it to heart; And devout men are taken away, while no one understands. For the righteous man is taken away from evil, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Isaiah 57:1 The righteous man perishes [at the hand of evil], and no one takes it to heart; Faithful and devout men are taken away, while no one understands That the righteous person is taken away [to be spared] from disaster and evil. |
Bible Question: He was talking to Phillip. And if in context, I am to conclude he was talking to the apostles, and thus only the apostles would do the works Jesus did, does that mean that verses 1-27 only apply to the apostles? |
Bible Answer: Dear Sister M. Sorry it took so long to reply to your Q. Foundational Gifts Apostles and prophets, for example, are foundational gifts (Ephesians 2:19-20). The church is built on this foundation, the apostles and prophets. The nature of a foundation is that it is built upon; a builder does not continue to construct a foundation, but rather having laid that foundation, he proceeds to build upon it. Once the foundation is laid, there is no need to build another. The church, in Ephesians 2:19-22, is pictured as a great building, a temple, in which God dwells. The foundation of this building is "the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone" (verse 20). The apostles and prophets were unique in their position: their teaching is foundational to the church in that without it, the entire edifice would collapse. The truth given to us by God through the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 3:5) supports the church. This is anticipated in Christ's statement to Peter in Matthew 16:18-19 which presents Peter, the representative of the apostles, holding the keys of the kingdom as the rock on which Christ will build His church. The apostles were foundational to the church; Christ was the chief corner stone. This is implied also in Revelation 21:14 which states that the apostles' names are on the twelve foundation stones of the wall in the New Jerusalem. In recording for the church the life and teaching of Christ, the apostles and prophets are foundational. Christ is the chief corner stone: to His redemptive labors nothing can be added. But the apostles and prophets do supplement that work in the sense that they bear witness to it. With that foundation intact, the gifts which make up the foundation are no longer needed. I hope this excerpt from an aticle by Fred Zaspel helps. It sure hs helped me in my quest to discern God's truth. To God be the Glory!!! Brother John |