The New Jerusalem

In Revelation Chapter 21 we are introduce to what is called the new Jerusalem which is described as a city and as a bride, and which is identified with the Tabernacle, the glory of God, and the 12 tribes of Israel. Remember that the Ark was built as an abode for the Presence of God, and that it was housed in the Tabernacle until the Temple was built. That the Tabernacle was placed at the center of the camp surrounded by the twelve tribes in four camps.

In I Kings 8:10 we read that when the Ark had been placed in the Holy of Holies, the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord. Rev 21 is a description of the descent of the glory or presence of the Lord to the earth, similar to Jacob's dream. An astronomical metaphor is used. The city is likened to a precious stone falling from heaven. Alchemically, the stone that fell from heaven is the soul, the earth, the world and the Cosmos, all represented as a bride exiled from her husband and named Shekinah.

The Hebrew cosmogeny (story of Creation) is one of seperations symbolizing the division of the primal Unity. God is seperated from the world and man, and man is seperated from woman. Its a dualistic story symbolized by a two headed eagle, or two pillars. God as primal Unity is symbolized by an equilateral triangle as we see on the HOT. God as revealed in the world is symbolized by a right triangle.

Since we all know that Heaven is 'up', the best way to describe how the Presence of God gets to the earth, is by coming 'down. The Glory can be depicted artistically either as the heavenly glory like we see with the eye in the triangle on the Great Seal, or it can be depicted as the earthly presence ala the Shekinah. This is taken from one of George Washigton's Masonic apron's. The eye (reminiscent of the vesica from which the equilateral triangle derives) is the transcendence, the hexagonal grouping of seven stars is the planetary spheres as well as the cube of the Shekinah.

What is being illustrated is two aspects of God (Being), essence and existence, noumena and phenomena, depicted as masculine and feminine. The next image is taken from another of Washington's Masonic aprons. Here the triangle is at the center surrounded by eight rays. If there is any question that the sun is the earthly model of the glory, take another look at the page on St Peter's Bascilica.

The square and cube are affilated with the earth, while the circle is affiliated with the heavens. Also the earth is feminine and the sky god is masculine. In the Rebis image we see the woman half holding a square and the man half holding the compasses used to draw a circle.

The compasses also relate to the triangle, as they make an equilateral one when opened to 60 degrees.

The equilateral triangle represents the sky god and the square the earth mother. The cube as the perfect 3D rectilinear object symbolizes the perfection of the Creation. "The city lieth foursquare... The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal", meaning that it would have a square 'foot print' on the ground.

The city had a great wall that had twelve gates, three in the east, and three in the north, west and south, just like the tribes in the desert. As a matter of fact, the names of the tribes are written on the gates, just as they were on the breastplate of the priest. The wall also had 12 foundations with the names of the disciples on them, garnished by 12 stones.

We are told that the wall measured 144 cubits and that the city measured 12,000 furlongs, but we don't know if that is a side, or a perimeter, or what? Since the city was foursquare with 12 gates, three on each side, one might presume that a measure of 12,000 would be 3,000 on each of four sides. If you want to be abstract about it, all that we are really given is 4 groups of 3, 12, 144, a square and a cube.

The Oblation

In Ezekiel 48:31 we see that the gates of the city shall be after the names of the tribes, three north, three east, west and south; four thousand five hundred measures per side, 18,000 measures round, so we can presume we are dealing with squares here. Also the word 'circle' appears only once in the KJV.

The oblation is described in Ez 48:9 as 25,000 reeds square, 'Of this there shall be for the sanctuary five hundred in length, with five hundred in breadth, square round about.' (Ez 45:2) The altar in the desert was 5x5 and is described in Exodus 25. Five is the number of the microcosm, as six is the number of the macrocosm.

The Oblation

The Sanctuary

As far as floor plans go we are looking at foursquare surfaces with 5x5 sides for
the holy places. With the most holy place being offset from the center a bit.

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