NO REPLACEMENT FOR JAMES - When Judas betrayed the Lord and took his life, it was necessary that he be replaced. James will rise in “the first resurrection” to assume his throne with the rest of the Twelve, but Judas will not. The Twelve hadn’t lost James eternally, so there was no need to replace him. With the kingdom program in abeyance, a twelfth apostle would not be needed before the resurrection.

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Why No Replacement for James?

by Pastor Ricky Kurth

“If the apostles picked a replacement for Judas when he died, why didn’t they pick a replacement for James when he was killed?”

We know that the Lord told the Twelve that “in the regeneration” they would “sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” in the kingdom of heaven (Matthew 19:28).

So, when Judas betrayed the Lord and took his life, it was necessary that he be replaced, as Peter explained in Acts 1:15-26.

But had the apostles replaced James when he was killed (Acts 12:1,2), there would be thirteen apostles in the resurrection and only twelve thrones on which for them to sit.

Remember, James will rise in “the first resurrection” (Revelation 20:5) to assume his throne with the rest of the Twelve, but Judas will not.

This is similar to how Job lost “seven sons and three daughters” (Job 1:2 cf. 1:18,19) and lots of livestock (1:3 cf. 1:14-17).

Later, when “the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10), He doubled Job’s original number of animals (Job 42:12) but only gave him an additional “seven sons and three daughters” (Job 42:13).

You see, he hadn’t lost his family eternally.

They will rise with him in the resurrection, where he will have twice as much family as he had while here on earth.

And the Twelve hadn’t lost James eternally either, so there was no need to replace him.

With the kingdom program in abeyance, a twelfth apostle would not be needed before the resurrection.

The Berean Bible Society was founded over seventy-five years ago for the sole purpose of helping believers understand and enjoy the Word of God. Our Organization holds without apology to all the fundamentals of the Christian faith and is evangelical, that is, we believe that salvation is by grace through faith alone on the basis of the shed blood of Christ.

We also emphasize the importance of proclaiming the whole counsel of God in light of the Pauline revelation. Insofar as Paul is the apostle of the Gentiles, it is our firm conviction that in his epistles alone we have the doctrine, position, walk, and destiny for the Church, the Body of Christ, during the dispensation of Grace.

When did the Berean Bible Society actually have its beginning? Interestingly, it began in a two-room school house in Preakness (now Wayne), New Jersey. Here a group of believers began to see the importance of understanding the “the mystery” revealed to Paul, and the urgency of proclaiming the unadulterated “gospel of the grace of God”. It was Pastor C. R. Stam’s first pastorate: the Preakness Community Church.

https://www.bereanbiblesociety.org/why-no-replacement-for-james/