12 tribes of Israel isthe root of the number 12.
Twelve represents the authority of God as to whatever is in view .And in this case whether it represent gates or walls of the ccity of Christ prepared and His bride the church.
12 tribes of the first covenant, and the 12 apostles of the Lamb. that makes 24 elders around the throne. it covers the 12 gates, and the 12 pillars in the new jerusalem with thier 24 names. apostleship, is when Jesus chooses you face to face, everyone is not an apostle.
The word twelve is signified representing the authority of God as to whatever is in vein .
The gates and walls are as if it one authority seeing it represent one wife of Christ.
It is not the gates represented by tribes have this kind of measurement and the walls represented by the word apostle another. but together give the whole
Rev 21:17 And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.
Not the measurement of God the city prepared as His eternal bride represents new born again souls not inches and feet.(man's measurement)
Together they make up the whole church as His eternal bride. She is signified be the word hundred and forty and four thousand. Using the word thousand to express an unknown, not revealed .
God does not number His people .Without parables he spoke not hiding the spiritual understanding from natural man revealing it to His bride the church.
Rev 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
The above includes every born again believer from the beginning of time of all nations to include the Jewish nation.
Some take the Jew and try and make the number 1444,000 at literal number of Jewish men that never had sex with human woman., even knowing we are no longer of the flesh and not considered male and female Jew or Gentile .
But it is clearly the chaste virgin bride of Christ in view (Christians) . She is not removed from the book of Revelation for any period of time. it the context of the signified language that many ignore .Christ creating a new bride according to the numbering of His Spirit not the number of man..He does not give exact numbers in that way.
She is signified as a 1444,000 the whole bride is made of gates and walls. Again the word gates and walls according to the unknown number of people .Old testament saints represented by gates and the new testament represented by those sent out of the gates, the same one bride of Christ