John, in order to see the new Jerusalem, ascends in the Holy Spirit to a great and high mountain. Something similar happened to the prophet Ezekiel, but he saw everything indistinctly, unclearly, because he lived in those times when mankind was not justified by the blood of Christ: "In the twenty-fifth year after our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth [day] of the month, in the fourteenth year after the destruction of the city, on that very day the hand of the Lord was upon me, and He led me there.

In the visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, and on it, on the south side, there were as it were city buildings; and brought me there. And behold, a man whose appearance was like the sight of shining brass, and a linen rope in his hand, and a reed of measurement, and he stood at the gate. And this man said to me, "Son of man! With three thine eyes, and listen with thine ears, and set thy heart upon all that I shall show thee, for this is why thou hast been brought hither, that I may shew thee. all that thou shalt see, thou shalt build up unto the house of Israel'" (Ezekiel 40:1-4).

And then he sees a kind of sacred Temple, an image of the Temple. Here John sees the new Jerusalem coming down from heaven from God, the dwelling place in which Cer dwells   kov. Now some say that the new world will be only material, others that it will only be spiritual. Moreover, the second opinion is more widespread, as a result of which people reach a certain symbolism of spirituality, the idea of the absolute destruction of the material world after the end of time.

It must be understood that such a statement contradicts the Holy Scriptures and our hope for the resurrection of the flesh. The resurrected body will live in the material world, and not otherwise. "And he showed me a great city, holy Jerusalem, which came down from heaven from God" (Rev. 21:10). This city was prepared by God, it descends from heaven, that is, it is still with God, above the cosmos, above the world of Angels. "He has the glory of God.

His luminary was like the most precious stone, as if it were a crystalline jasper stone" (Rev. 21:11). The first thing that is said about this city is that it has the glory of God, that is, it will shine with the glory of God. The glory of God is the light of triumph and power. The New Jerusalem is filled with radiance, filled with light without shadows. After all, the light of God is a light without shadows, a very special light that seems to envelop everything.

There is a parallel to this description in the prophet Isaiah: "Arise, shine, [Jerusalem], for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen over you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and darkness the nations; but the Lord shall shine upon thee, and His glory shall be manifested upon thee. And the nations shall come to thy light, and kings to the radiance that riseth upon thee. Lift up your eyes and look around: they are all gathering, coming to you; thy sons come from afar, and carry thy daughters in their arms.160

Then you will see, and you will rejoice, and your heart will tremble, and your heart will be enlarged, because the riches of the sea will turn to you, the wealth of the nations will come to you. A multitude of camels will cover you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; they will all come from Sheba, and bring gold and frankincense, and proclaim glory 305   Gentlemen. All the sheep of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee; The rams of Nebaioth shall serve thee: they shall ascend upon my altar with a good sacrifice, and I will glorify the house of my glory.

Who are these that fly like clouds, and like doves to their dovecotes? Thus the isles are waiting for me, and before them are the ships of Tarshish, to bring thy sons from afar, and with them their silver and their gold, in the name of the Lord thy God, and of the Holy One of Israel, because he hath glorified thee. Then shall the sons of foreigners build thy walls, and their kings shall serve thee; for in my anger I have smitten you, but in my good pleasure I will be merciful to you.

And thy gates shall always be opened, and shall not be shut day or night, that the inheritance of the nations may be brought unto thee, and their kings may be brought in. For the people and kingdoms that will not serve you will perish, and such nations will be utterly destroyed. The glory of Lebanon will come to you, cypress and singing and cedar together, to adorn the place of my sanctuary, and I will glorify my footstool" (Isa. 60, 1-13).

All nations gather and bring all the best. They come with their great gifts, prepared, accumulated during all the time of earthly years. Camels are a symbol of wealth. The main decoration of the city is cedar, lebanon and cypress. They symbolize the Cross, the main decoration of the holy city. At the onset of the great gathering to the New Jerusalem, the Cross will appear in heaven.

As soon as you see that the heavens are rolled up into a scroll, and you see the Cross, know that the time of gathering to the New Jerusalem has come. "His light was like a most precious stone, as a crystalline jasper stone" (Rev. 21:11). Green, transparent, crystalline jasper with beautiful veins161 — such will be the luminary of the city, radiating the glory of God. It's God Himself.

A little further it will be said that God Himself will shine. But why does He shine like a green crystal? Because he is overwhelmed with life, according to the same 306   On the day of the Holy Spirit, the clergy of the Orthodox Church are obligated to put on green clothes as a sign of future glory. "He has a large and high wall, has twelve gates, and on them twelve angels; on the gate are written the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: from the east three gates, from the north three gates, from the south three gates, from the west three gates" (Rev. 21:12-13).

The city has a large and high wall, that is, it is magnificently protected so that no evil will ever penetrate into it. The walls signify the great enclosure of God. When we speak of the New Jerusalem, we mean material and symbolic reality, which are directly interconnected. God's protection will manifest itself as visible walls, but these visible walls are also a reflection of how God governs the world.

It is like an icon: it is the same material object that expresses certain spiritual realities. And it's the same here. The high wall signifies the complete protection of God, and the twelve gates mean that there are twelve paths to enter the city. Previously, there was one gate to paradise, but here there are already twelve of them. Why? The Twelve Apostles are the twelve gates leading to the New Jerusalem.