THE TWELVE APOSTLES OF THE LAMB
Rev 21:14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
This statement of John in the book of Revelation begs the question: who are the twelve apostles of the Lamb? But this question is misleading, for hardly anyone would argue over the names of eleven of the apostles. So, the real question becomes: who takes Judas Iscariot's place among "the twelve"?
This question begs yet another question: do we have sufficient evidence to conclude that those considered "among the twelve" by the inspired writers of the books of our New Testament are the same as the "twelve apostles of the Lamb" of Rev 21:14?
In this article I hope to convince you, firstly, that Matthias replaced Judas "among the twelve", and NOT Paul. And secondly, I will make an attempt to answer the question of whether Matthias, as opposed to Paul, should be considered as one of "the twelve apostles OF THE LAMB".
The view I am most confronted with says that Paul was the replacement of Judas. The justification for this varies from one person to another. Some say that there are only twelve apostles ALTOGETHER, and thus, Matthias couldn't be one, because Paul's apostleship is undeniable. Some say that Matthias was chosen by man, and Paul was chosen by God.
Keep in mind, that, before one can argue that Paul IS Judas' replacement, one must FIRST explain why Matthias IS NOT. If no reasonable explanation can be made for WHY we should reject Matthias, then all further discussion of Paul as Judas' replacement is moot.
So, again, the question is: Is Matthias God's replacement for Judas as "one of the twelve"? Before we consider this, let's consider what the Holy Spirit inspired scribes of our New Testament had to say about Matthias' appointment "among the twelve".
