Jesus chose 12 men to become his first apostles. Scholars have given symbolic meaning to certain numbers in the Bible. Seven is seen as representing perfection or completeness, such as the creation taking seven days. Three can mean unity, such as the Trinity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and 40 can mean a very long time, such as the 40 years Israel wandered in the desert. Twelve seems to represent government or order. Jacob had 12 sons, whose names later became the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. In the Book of Revelation (chapter 21) John saw the city of Jerusalem encircled by a wall that had 12 gates protected by 12 angels. To maintain the completeness of the 12 apostles, in Acts 1, Matthias was named to take the place of Judas, who had betrayed Jesus.
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