In a previous post, I interacted with the argument forwarded by Ron Rhodes and Marian Bodine that Rev 21:14 is problematic to LDS ecclesiology. In answering their claims, I quoted Raymond Brown et al., that argued that the twelve apostles in this verse is not a statement that there would be no more apostles of Christ, but instead, is to be understood symbolically of the twelve tribes of Israel.
In the literature of the Second Temple period, there are many parallels between this verse in the book of Revelation; notice the following from texts discovered at Qumran which further substantiates the "symbolic" reading of this verse:
11Q19 (11QTemple) 39:11-16; 40:11-13
And the names of the gates of this [cou]rtyard are according to the name[s] of the children of Is[ra]el: Simeon, Levi and Judah to the East; [Reb]ben, Joseph and Benjamin to the South; Issachar, Zebulun and Gad to the West; Dan, Naphtali and Asher to the North. And between one gate and other the measurement is: from the North-east corner up to the gate of Simeon ninety-nine cubits, and the gate, twenty-eight cubits, and from this gate up to the gate of [. . . ] Levi, ninety-nine 16 cubits; and the gate, twenty-eight cubits; and from the gate of Levi up to the gate of Judah . . . In [it] there will be three gates, and three to the South, and three to the West, and three to the North. And the width of the gates will be fifty cubits and their height seventy cubits.
5Q15 (5QNew Jerusalem), fragment 1, column 1, lines 2-5: Also [he showed me the mea]surements of [all the] blo[cks. Between one block and other there is the street,] six rods wide, forty-two cubits. [And] the main [street]s [which] from the East [to West; the] forty-two cubits. [And] the main [street]s [which] from East [to West; the] wid[th of the street, of two] of them is ten rods, sev[enty cubits;] and the third, [the main which passes to the lef]t of [the] tem[ple he mea]sured; eighte[en] rods wide, one hund[red and twen]ty-six cubits.
4Q554 (4QNew Jerusalem), fragment 1, column 1, lines 9-22: In the S[ou]th [. . .] . . . and they are all different from [another . . .from the] East [corner] which is to the North [. . .] thirty-five stadia. And [this door is called the door of Simeon]; and from this door up [to] the central door [he measured thirty-five stadia; and] this door is which is called the door of [Levi. And he measures from this door up to the S]outh [door:] thirty-five stadia; [and this door is called the door of Judah. And from] this door he measured up to the [southeastern] corner [thirty-five stadia. And] from Blank this corner to the West [he measured to the door 25 stadia; and this door] is called the door of Joseph [. . . And from this door he measured to the central door:] 25 [stadi]a; and [this door is called the door of Benjamin. And from] this [do]or he measured up to the door [25 stadia: and this door is called] the door of Reuben and [from] this [do]or [he measured up to the West corner: 25 stadia. And] from this corner he measured up.
