Revelation 21:14; The Twelve Apostles of the Lamb
Revelation 21:14 (KJV) And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
The mention of the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb written on the foundations recalls this group’s mention in connection with the foundation of the church (Ephesians 2:20).
Ephesians 2:20 (KJV) And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
Various attempts to align the stones mentioned later as composing the foundations (v19-20) with particular names of the twelve apostles have been fruitless.
Revelation 21:19-20 (KJV) And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst.
No consensus regarding which stone represents which apostle has emerged. It is significant that John brings together the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles here, and makes a distinction between them. Jesus did the same earlier (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30).
Matthew 19:28 (KJV) And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Luke 22:30 (KJV) That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
This distinction shows the wrongness of identifying the twelve tribes in Revelation 7:4-8 with the church.
Revelation 7:4-8 (KJV) And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel. Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nepthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
“Twelve” represents the whole group of apostles, aside from the issue of whether the number includes Judas Iscariot, Matthias, or Paul. In John 20:24 “twelve” refers to an occasion when only ten were present.
John 20:24 (KJV) But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
In 1 Corinthians 15:5 the same number refers to a group of only eleven. The mention of the twelve apostles here shows the distinctive role of the church in the New Jerusalem, just as the mention of the twelve sons of Israel (v12) distinguishes the role of national Israel.
1 Corinthians 15:5 (KJV) And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve:
One cannot infer from this reference to the twelve apostles that the writer of Revelation was not an apostle (Alford, Lee, Beckwith). Neither is it possible to tell whether Paul or Matthias is the twelfth apostle (Lee). John does not have particular names in mind, but rather the historical and apostolic background of the group as a whole (Moffatt). Continuity from the twelve sons of Israel to the twelve apostles is not the teaching of this passage (contra Beasley-Murray, Hailey), but the dual election of Israel and the church. The words clearly show that God has an eschatological role for both peoples. Beyond dispute, this description of the bride-city separates believers among Israel from believers of the church, and in a symbolic way assigns the two groups separate roles in the new creation. If the two were one merged group of believers, there would have been twelve-four gates instead of twelve or twenty-four foundations instead of twelve (Smith).
That these are apostles “of the Lamb” is another reminder that this city is distinctly the city of the Lamb in His transcendent glory (Beckwith).
[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody, 1995, 464-465]