The twelve gates of the city were made of twelve solid pearls. "The twelve gates," explains St. Andrew, "are evidently the twelve disciples of Christ, through whom we have come to know the door and the way of life. They are also twelve beads, as having received enlightenment and brilliance from the only precious beads – Christ. The street of the city is pure gold, like transparent glass.

All these details express one and the same idea that in the heavenly Church of God everything is holy, pure, beautiful and stable, everything is majestic, spiritual and precious." The Twelve Apostles—Twelve 315   pearls — received their beauty from the great heavenly pearl, for the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant who gathers good pearls.

"But I have not seen the temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty is his temple, and the Lamb" (Rev. 21:22). A city without a temple, for the Lord God Almighty is its temple and the Lamb. The Lamb, slain for the sins of peace on earth, becomes the Temple Himself. There will be no more visible churches, because our earthly temples are needed in order to be able to get "into God Himself," who is the Temple in all of us.

And here the grace of the Heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit becomes the Temple. People already live in God: God the Father, God the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the Temple in which they will all live. The Lord said: "I will destroy this temple made with hands, and in three days I will raise up another, not made with hands" (Mark 14:58). He spoke of the temple of His body. The temple of the body of Christ reaches its fullness, and it is covered by God the Father and the Holy Spirit.

"And the city has no need of the sun or the moon to shine for its light, for the glory of God has shone upon it, and the Lamb is its lamp. The saved nations will walk in his light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory and honor to him. Its gates shall not be shut in the daytime; And there will be no night there. And they will bring into it the glory and honor of the nations. And no unclean thing shall enter into it, nor shall any one be given over to abomination and falsehood, but only those which are written in the Lamb's book of life" (Rev. 21:23-27).

There will be neither sun nor moon in the new Jerusalem. In the Scriptures there are these words: "The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night" (Psalm 120:6); "The Lord will guard your going out and your going in from now on and forever" (Psalm 120:8). These psalms speak of this very city, where there is no sun or moon, because the glory of the Lord has shone upon it.

His lamp is the Lamb, that is, Jesus Christ Himself, Who will shine and cover all the saved with His radiance. 316   People will look into the face of Christ, and Christ will look at everyone. There will be no night because it will remain in hell — in utter darkness. The night will pass for the inhabitants of the lake of fire, the righteous will live in a new city of eternal peace, a peace that will never be replaced by war.

There will be no sleep in the new Jerusalem either, because there will be no need for it. As the prophet Isaiah said: "Those who trust in the Lord shall renew their strength: they shall lift up their wings like eagles, they shall flow and not be weary, they shall walk and not be weary" (Isaiah 40:31). The righteous will gain wings and will fly, needing neither sleep nor rest.

"Its gates shall not be shut in the daytime; but there shall be no night there" (Rev. 21:25). The gates of the heavenly city will not be locked, because there is no need to lock them during the day. The enemy has been destroyed – there is no one to darken the blessed life of the saved. No evil will pass or creep into the city, there will be no more sins or evil thoughts. "And they shall bring into it the glory and honor of the nations" (Rev. 21:26).

To the risen Christ, to His light of Tabor, all nations will bring their glory and honor. The entire renewed universe will flock to the throne of God and the Lamb. We are already seeing the beginning of this process. Each nation tries to bring all its beauty to the Church: majestic temples decorated with traditional national ornaments, beautiful icons, luxurious vestments.

People pray in different languages: Tatar, Romanian, Greek, and so on. All these are glimpses of the glory and splendor that await the saved in the New Jerusalem. This city will include all the best that humanity has created. Globalization will take place, but "according to the Holy Trinity" – on the foundation, on the foundation, on the rock whose name is Jesus Christ. Earthly Globalization Is Babylonian 317   a harlot who is waiting to be burned, and globalization in the city of God is the eternal unity of all peoples singing a hymn of joy before the resurrected Jesus Christ.

"And no unclean thing shall enter into it, nor shall any one be given over to abomination and falsehood, but only those which are written in the Lamb's book of life" (Rev. 21:27). Only those who are recorded in the Book of Life of God will enter this city, only those who are baptized in the Orthodox faith have a chance of salvation, of entering the New Jerusalem. The choice will be made by everyone, and after Baptism this choice will no longer exist. Freedom of choice will end. What is God's action in the world?

These are the so-called probability theory, the theory of relativity, and the theory of uncertainty. God does not bind anyone. But even Baptism does not mean automatic salvation, because the world is not reducible to any mechanical laws, it is ruled by several freedoms: the freedom of God, the freedom of people and the freedom of Angels. 318 Chapter twenty-two "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Rev. 22:1).

In the heart of the city itself, the New Jerusalem, flows a wonderfully clear river of the water of life, bright as crystal, emanating from the Throne of God and the Lamb. What is this water of life? This is the grace of the Lord God, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third hypostasis of the Holy Trinity. The Holy Spirit proceeds from God the Father, and through the Son He is poured out on all creation. As the prophets predicted, the water of life is the Holy Spirit, Who has now been poured out on people.