As the angel measures the holy city (that is, its wall), John learned not only that the city is square, but also what the actual length and width of the city was. Each of its four walls stretched a distance of 12,000 stadia. One stadium is 600 Greek feet, however long that exactly was. The best guess today is that a stadium was some 185 meters or 607 imperial feet. The math would suggest, then, that the city John saw was some 2220 kilometres square (or 1380 miles). To give us some perspective, this city would cover most of the continent of Europe—an impossibility to our minds. But we are not to stumble over this size because, as with so much in the book of Revelation, the number 12,000 is symbolic. The angel had earlier shown John 12 gates with 12 angels and on the gates the names of the 12 tribes of the sons of Israel; he had also shown John the 12 foundations under the wall containing the names of the 12 apostles. 12 is the number capturing the completeness of God’s redemptive work, symbolizing all Israel of Old and New Testaments (Romans 11:26). 1000 is 10 x 10 x 10, symbolizing again the perfection of God’s work. So the size (12,000) communicates to John a lesson parallel to the message of the square, that is, God’s redemptive work is very good
(Genesis 1:31), perfect in every way.
We must also notice that the use of the word stadia
(instead of, say, cubits) is significant inasmuch as 12,000 stadia is the approximate length of the Roman world known in John’s day. Then the lesson is that the Bride, the New Jerusalem, the church, covers the entire known world. Though the church was so weak and insignificant in John’s day to the physical eye, the Lord would have John know of the church’s dominance; God ensures that the church dwarves the biggest cities of the day and has room for countless inhabitants.
16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal.