Because 'the twelve' was the official designation of that apostolic group, not a headcount of men present at any given moment.
In 1 Corinthians 15:5, Paul names the group 'the twelve' after Judas's death had already reduced it to eleven. Les Feldick's teaching treats the Twelve as the specific company Jesus chose for Israel: it was a fixed group of twelve that even acted to restore its number when Judas fell away (Acts 1), and Paul consistently stood apart from them, receiving his apostleship directly from the risen Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:5 — This is the verse where Paul himself calls the group 'the twelve' at a time when only eleven were present, making it the core of the question.
Acts 1:26 — Luke records the filling of the twelfth position, confirming the group's official identity as twelve.
Matthew 10:5 — Jesus personally called and sent the Twelve, establishing 'the twelve' as the group's name.
Scripture itself uses 'the twelve' as a fixed designation. In 1 Corinthians 15:5, Paul writes, 'And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve.' At the point of the resurrection appearances, Judas had already betrayed Christ and was dead, leaving only eleven apostles—yet the term 'the twelve' is retained. The Book of Acts shows the same pattern. After Judas's death, Peter told the assembled disciples that a replacement must be chosen from among those who had companied with them 'all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us' (Acts 1:21). After prayer, 'they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles' (Acts 1:26). The group was restored to twelve, confirming that 'the twelve' was its identifying name. The Gospels likewise present the Twelve as the group Jesus personally chose and sent: 'These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them...' (Matthew 10:5). So when Paul speaks of 'the twelve,' he is using the well-known title of the apostolic company commissioned by Christ—not a precise count of who was alive.
Les Feldick does not linger on the wording of 1 Corinthians 15:5, but his teaching makes clear that 'the twelve' was a set group with a set role. He emphasizes that when Jesus came in His earthly ministry to the nation of Israel, 'He chose the Twelve' (Matthew 10), and their ministry was 'confined to the nation of Israel, within the borders.' For Les, the Twelve belong to Israel's program—they proclaimed the gospel of the Kingdom—not to the Body of Christ. Les also underscores the separate character of Paul's apostleship. Paul 'had absolutely no connection whatsoever with the twelve'; he never walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry, and he received all of his revelations from the ascended Lord after the finished work of the cross. When Judas's vacancy left only eleven, Les says Peter was 'in perfect accord to the will of God' to fill the twelfth slot with Matthias—Paul would never have fit that position. The Twelve, in Les's teaching, are thus a defined group separate from Paul; referring to them as 'the twelve' is simply their identity.
Jesus chose the Twelve during His earthly ministry and sent them only to Israel (Matthew 10:5, KJV: 'These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not'). Les Feldick explains that the Twelve's ministry was 'confined to the nation of Israel, within the borders,' and that they proclaimed the gospel of the Kingdom. Paul, by contrast, was not an extension of their labors but worked in virgin territory among the Gentiles.
Les Feldick points out that after Judas's death there were only eleven men, and the early church's first order of business was to fill the vacant position. He defends Peter against later critics who said he should have waited for Paul: 'Paul wouldn't have fit in that slot any more than a square peg in a round hole.' Peter was 'in perfect accord to the will of God' because he expected the Lord's return soon, not thousands of years later.
No. Les is emphatic that Paul 'had absolutely no connection whatsoever with the twelve.' Paul never walked with Jesus in His earthly ministry, never learned from the Twelve, and instead received all of his revelations from the ascended Lord after the finished work of the cross. Critics at the time considered him an imposter for this reason, which is why he so often defended his apostleship.
Paul matched the Twelve in genealogy—'Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I' (2 Corinthians 11:22)—and he reminded his readers that his gospel came directly from God, not from men. Les notes that people readily accepted the Twelve's apostleship but questioned Paul's, which is why Paul consistently magnified his office as the apostle of the Gentiles.
Paul's Apostleship Came Direct From God
Les says Paul was not an apostle because of any relationship with the Twelve; his gospel and authority came straight from God's revelation, and he was totally broken with his Jewish past.
Paul Had No Connection With the Twelve
Les insists Paul as the apostle had absolutely no connection with the Twelve, and the idea that Peter should have waited for Paul is wrong—Paul would never have fit.
Jesus Chose the Twelve in His Earthly Ministry
Les takes viewers to Matthew 10 to show Jesus personally chose and sent the Twelve with specific instructions—establishing 'the twelve' as a distinct Israel-focused group.
The Twelve's Ministry Was Confined to Israel
Les explains that Paul was not building on the Twelve's labors; their ministry was within Israel's borders, while Paul went to virgin Gentile territory.
Paul Received All Revelations From the Ascended Lord
Les says Paul had no experience with Jesus' earthly ministry or with the Twelve, so he was called an imposter—but all his revelations came from the ascended Lord after the cross, giving him his power.
Paul Always Had to Defend His Apostleship
Les notes that people easily accepted the Twelve's apostleship because of their time with Christ, but Paul had to defend his office at every turn—and he magnified his role as apostle to the Gentiles.
The Twelve Remained Twelve After Judas
Les shows the group was down to eleven after Judas, and Peter immediately moved to fill the vacancy with Matthias—a decision Les defends as God's will, showing that 'the twelve' was the group's fixed identity.
Paul Matched the Twelve in Israelite Heritage
Les shows Paul meeting the Twelve on equal ground—Hebrew, Israelite, seed of Abraham—so the Twelve had nothing over him, and the Lord had appeared to Paul as well.
1 Corinthians 15:5: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
This is the verse in question—Paul calls the group 'the twelve' even though Judas's death had left only eleven apostles at the time of the resurrection appearances.
Acts 1:26: And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
Luke records that after Judas's death the group still numbered only eleven, and Matthias was chosen to restore the official number twelve.
Matthew 10:5: These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
Jesus first named and then sent 'the twelve' as a specific group, showing the term was their official designation from the start.
2 Corinthians 11:22: Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.
Paul grounds his equality with the Twelve in shared Israelite heritage, which Les cites to show Paul's standing.
Paul uses 'the twelve' as the established title of the apostolic group, not a headcount. Les Feldick emphasizes that the Twelve were the specific group Jesus chose for Israel, and after Judas's death the remaining apostles immediately filled the twelfth position with Matthias, keeping the group's identity as the Twelve.
Les Feldick defends Peter's action: Paul wouldn't have fit that slot 'any more than a square peg in a round hole.' Peter was in perfect accord with God's will when he filled the vacancy, because he expected the Lord's return soon.
No. Les Feldick states Paul had absolutely no connection with the Twelve. He never walked with Jesus during His earthly ministry and never learned from the Twelve; all of his revelations came from the risen, ascended Lord.
Les shows Paul matching the Twelve in heritage—'Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I'—and insisting his gospel was not from men. Paul also said he was not building on the Twelve's labors but working in virgin Gentile territory.
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