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.

Through the apostles and their successors, we enter this city. In addition, the twelve apostles symbolize the unity of the Church. There is a gate on all four sides of the city to show that nations are gathering from all corners of the earth. The New Jerusalem is a city for all nations. At each of the twelve gates there is one Angel. St. Andrew of Caesarea explains that these are the same Angels who helped the Twelve Apostles in their missionary work – the Guardian Angels of the Apostles.

If every Christian has a Guardian Angel, how great are the 307   Guardian Angels of the Apostles. For example, we know the Guardian Angel of the Mother of God, his name was Archangel Gabriel. "On the gates are written the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel" (Rev. 21:12), that is, it is emphasized here that this city is the fulfillment of the very hope that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had.

What they had been waiting for, what they had hoped for, had finally come true. In addition, twelve names of the tribes of Israel are written on the twelve gates, as a sign that this city is an assembly of Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians, they are gathered together in the name of Christ. "The wall of the city has twelve foundations, and on them are the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. He who spoke to me had a golden reed to measure the city, and its gates, and the walls thereof.

The city is located in a quadrangle, and its length is the same as its latitude. And he measured the city with a reed for twelve thousand stades; its length and breadth and height are equal" (Rev. 21, 14-16). The Church of God is founded on one stone – Christ, and on Him there are twelve other stones – the apostles. These precious stones lying at the foundation of the walls are the holy apostles on whom the city was founded, since their labors, their ministry, gave birth to the new Jerusalem.

We see that the real material world is an expression of visible things. "He who spoke to me had a golden reed to measure the city, and its gates, and the walls thereof" (Rev. 21:15). Like the prophet Ezekiel and the apostle John, the angel shows the measure of the city to demonstrate that this city was designed and designed by God. God makes all things "by measure, number, and weight" (Wis. 11:21)

, as the Book of the Wisdom of Solomon testifies. Indeed, God designed the city and knows all its inhabitants, so the whole city is measured. The golden reed is called because it is incorruptible. 308   "The city is located in a quadrangle, and its length is the same as its latitude. And he measured the city with a reed for twelve thousand stades; its length and breadth and height are equal" (Rev. 21, 16). The city is described here as a cube.

A cube is a regular polyhedron, each face of which is a square (a quadrilateral in which all angles are right and all sides are equal). The structure of the city in the form of a cube means its hardness and strength, because it is equal in width, height and length. That is, the city is absolutely stable. Therefore, all altars in the altars of Orthodox churches are made square.