The Twelve Apostles called by Jesus during his ministry at Jerusalem appear chiefly in Nephi’s vision, where the angel names them the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Nephi first saw twelve others following the Lamb of God; after the Lamb was lifted up on the cross and slain, he saw the multitudes of the earth gather to fight against the apostles, and the great and spacious building in which the house of Israel assembled fell (1 Nephi 11:34-36). The angel told Nephi that all nations who fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb would be destroyed (1 Nephi 11:36).
The angel told Nephi the twelve apostles would judge the twelve tribes of Israel, and that the twelve Nephite ministers chosen from among Nephi’s seed would in turn be judged by them; the angel declared them “righteous forever,” for through faith in the Lamb of God their garments were made white in his blood (1 Nephi 12:9-10). The gospel proceeded from a Jew and contained the fulness of the gospel, of which the twelve apostles bear record; it went from the Jews to the Gentiles by their hand before the formation of the great and abominable church, which took away plain and precious parts (1 Nephi 13:24-26). Later records brought by the Gentiles would establish the truth of the records of the twelve apostles and restore what had been taken (1 Nephi 13:39-40). Moroni later commended his readers to the Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles had written (Ether 12:41).
One of the twelve, named by the angel as John, was ordained to write the remainder of the things Nephi saw, including the end of the world; Nephi was forbidden to write those parts, which were reserved for John (1 Nephi 14:20-27).
Among the Nephites, Jesus chose twelve and gave them power and authority to baptize, telling the multitude they were blessed if they would heed these twelve (3 Nephi 12:1).