nify that many from each tribe shall be saved, [1] and through these tribes shall the nations be blessed. Hence there are three gates on each side to show that all nations are called to the Faith and to salvation. [2]
14. The twelve foundation stones bear the names of the twelve Apostles because Christ "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Him self being the chief corner-stone, in whom all the building being framed together groweth up into an holy temple in the Lord." [3]
15, 16. The angel measures the city and finds that it is a cube, a symbol of perfection. The dimensions are composed of the mystic numbers 12 and 1000, symbols of perfection and immensity. The reed is of gold, the symbol of charity, to signify that none can enter the heavenly Jerusalem unless he be enriched with good works and bear the treasure of Christian charity.
17. The height of the outer wall surrounding the city is insignificant when compared to the height of the city which is perfectly secure in itself and needs no protecting wall. The wall is measured in cubits, a measure in common use among men, but now employed by the angel in a mystic sense.
18-21. The description of the mystic Jerusalem is evidently symbolic. The dimensions signify perfection
