What does Revelation 21:13 mean?

God is a God of order. If we look at creation we can see this truth. He did not create man until the rest of creation was finished and ready to accommodate human life. When He gave instructions for the building of the tabernacle, God left nothing to the Israelites' guesswork. From the placement of the furniture, to the coverings for the tabernacle, everything pictured Christ and the work of redemption (Hebrews 8:5; 9:11).

In the New Jerusalem God placed twelve gates in an orderly pattern. Three gates were located on the city's east side, three on the north side, three on the south side, and three on the west side. Verse 12 informs us that the names of Israel's twelve tribes are inscribed on the gates. Most likely the arrangement of the gates follows the arrangement of Israel's encampment in the desert: on the east, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun; on the south, Reuben, Simeon, and Gad; on the west, Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin; on the north, Dan, Asher, and Naphtali (Numbers 2). The inclusion of Dan, which seems to have been excluded in Revelation 7:5–8, follows the pattern of Ezekiel 48:31–34.