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2. The High Wall Around the Holy City (Revelation 21:12-14)
The Foundation of the Wall: The city of Heaven is built in a strictly square manner like old Babylon and Nineveh, which had already been built with a square layout. On each of these square edges of the city there are three city-gates. All these gates are equal, there is no difference between them; they are called according to the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. This fact is an obvious contrast to the rank and position of each of the twelve sons of Jacob which was dependent on how much they where appreciated by their mothers. The children of Rachel and Leah had a higher position than the children of the maidservants Bilhah and Zilpah. This difference disappears in the sphere of grace, where all are sinners in equal measure and will be justified freely, only by faith in Jesus, the Lamb of God (Romans 3:9-28; Galatians 3:25-29).
A special feature receives the wall of the holy city by its fundament which consists of twelve mighty and precious foundation stones on which are written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb of God.
This fact indicates that not the Old Testament but its interpretation by the apostles of Christ establishes the fundament of New Jerusalem! A house has to be constructed according to its ground plan. Beside the ground plan nobody can build a house. In this way the Old Testament is determined by the New Testament. In the days of John the churches in Minor Asia were made up of Messianic Jews as well as of Hellenistic Christians. By the statement that the wall and its gates are established by its foundation stones, that is the twelve apostles, it was made clear to both groups, that none of them can enter the city of God without the other and that both are reckoned to the bride of the Lamb only by grace.
The twelve apostles of Jesus Christ were all Jews or Israelis. So they establish not only the fundament but also belong to the tribes of Israel whose names are written on the city gates. However, the apostles of the Lamb of God have received through Jesus Christ himself, his teaching, his wonders, his death and resurrection more knowledge and insight than all prophets of the Old Covenant (Ephesians 3:5-6). Particularly, the fact that they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:4) who guided them in all truth and filled them with everlasting life, granted them with the privilege and special position of being the foundation of the church of Jesus Christ up to now (Ephesians 2:19-21; cf. also Matthew 16:18). After all Jesus himself is the foundation of his holy city. He defined by his personality the substance and confinement of his church beforehand which then became visible in the apostles of the Lamb, as he dwelled “in” them and they “in” him (John 15:5; and other verses).
John does not describe in detail the names of the twelve apostles who establish the foundation of New Jerusalem. Of course, Judas Iscariot had not been included any longer, as Satan had entered him (Matthew 26:20-25, Luke 22:1-6; John 13:2.27). The waiting and praying who had been anointed at Pentecost with the Holy Spirit, had chosen Mathias as a substitute apostle before by prayer and casting lots (Acts 1:15-26), who, in fact, had not been mentioned further by Luke in his acts on the early church and its spreading. On the contrary, he reports how Jesus chose Saul of Tarsus, who was called later on Paul (the little), as his apostle for the unclean people (Acts 9:1-19; 26:12-18 and other verses).
Most of the disciples of Jesus had been uneducated fishermen from the Lake of Galilee but not theologians. They had been anything but very religious; however, they all had repented and confessed their sins at Jordan River at the times of John the Baptist. And what a difference! These simple men were chosen to become the foundation of the golden city. They established the basis of the place where God is dwelling. What a miracle had Jesus performed in these uncomplicated men! (Matthew 11:25-30; 1 Corinthians 1:26 - 2:5; and other verses.).
PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, we worship You because You called Your apostles, justified and sanctified them and dwelt in them. We give thanks and praise to You because their teaching and their life became the horizontal projection and the circumference of the true church and anything outside their teaching contains nothing of Your salvation. Amen.
QUESTION:
- Why did the teaching and life of the apostles become the foundation and boundaries of the church?