If you look in the "Authorized Version" of the New Testament you'll find three words missing. "Amen" at the end of The Book of Acts, "Amen" at the end of The Book of James and "Amen" at the end of III John. The Greek manuscripts of the received text also do not show any "Amen" for these three books.
All of the other books of the New Testament have a formal closing....except these three. The Acts, as we have been discussing, is primarily a history of the first few years of the Church and spends most of the time with Paul. It ends abruptly with Paul still in Rome under house arrest. We know that he was taken to Rome twice but the book of Acts only covers this first incarceration. We touched on the fact that he may have gone on to Spain and Britain between these two arrests but no scripture will verify that. I believe that the Book of Acts is yet to be finished and it may or may not be the "Sonnini Manuscript" (post #617). Nevertheless it has no formal closing!
The book of James is addressed to whom???? The Twelve Tribes scattered among the Nations. We have been discussing the ministry of the Twelve Apostles, primarily Peter, and where he (they) did go. Well, we know that our Lord and Saviour told them in [Matthew 10:5-6] not to go among the Gentiles or Samaritans but go to the "Lost Sheep of the House of Israel"......the twelve tribes scattered among the Nations. We also know that this is exactly where the Apostle Peter went. He writes from Babylon to God's elect! [1 Peter 1:1-2] These folks are Israelites, scattered during the dispersion and they have a Foreknowledge of God. They are not Gentiles! And James is addressing these folks also and probably many others to whom Peter and the other Apostles are visiting... or soon to visit. I believe the Book of James in incomplete also because I don't believe the Lord wants yet to disclose exactly where these Israelites were....or now are...yet.
This brings us to III John....and Simon Magus. As I mentioned in one of my earlier posts, John wrote late....and as such, was well aware of the corruption of the Gospel which began immediately after Pentecost and was well under way by the time he wrote his Epistles, Gospel and Revelation. John mentions in verses 9 and 10 that there is malicious gossip and shunning by one of the bishops, Diotrephes, and he has excommunicated some and refuses entry to others. He puts himself first (verse 9). These passages show what Paul refers to more than once...[Galatians 1:6][II Thessalonians 2:3-7][Acts 20:29-30][II Timothy 2:17-18] and of course, [Jude 4]. This diabolical counterfeit religion of Simon Magus had crept into the early Church and John did not even dare to put it in writing [III John 13]. He wanted to wait and see "Gaius" in person to discuss the matter further....face to face!
For this reason, and the lack of an "Amen" at the close of III John, it tells me that his book is yet incomplete also and we will learn more later on about this sinister corruption of the Gospel by Simon Magus.
That is, we "know" that if we ignore later verses and the witnesses we don't like. Otherwise we "know" no such thing.
There is NO suggestion whatsoever, "not even of any kind" in the text. It is an assumption, that the the instruction in the text you cite over and over again, as though repetition were a kind of proof, and discussion a matter more of endurance than of reason, has to do with the general ministry of the 12. And there are texts -- I quoted one -- which can be reasonably understood as instructions, after the resurrection, to go into all the world.