907. And he measured the city with a reed, twelve thousand stadia. The length, and the breadth, and the height of it were equal signifies the quality of that church from doctrine shown, that all things of it were from the good of love. "To measure with a reed," signifies to know the quality of a thing (n. 904); and because the angel measured it before John, it signifies to show him in order that he might know it; by "city," here Jerusalem, is signified the Lord's New Church as to doctrine (n. 879, 880); by "twelve thousand stadia" are signified all the goods and truths of that church; that "twelve thousand" signify the same as twelve, and that "twelve" signify all goods and truths, and that it is spoken of the church, may be seen above (n. 348). By "stadia" are signified the same as by measures, and by "measures" are signified quality (n. 313, 486). The reason why it is said that "the length, breadth, and height of it are equal" is that all things of that church were from the good of love, for by "length" is signified the good of love, and by "breadth" the truth from that good (n. 906); and by "height" is signified good and truth together in every degree, for height is from the highest to the lowest, and the highest descends to the lowest by degrees, which are called degrees of altitude, in which the heavens are, from the highest or third heaven to the lowest or first; concerning these degrees see the treatise on The Angelic Wisdom concerning the Divine Love and Wisdom, chapter 3. The reason why "the length, and breadth, and height of it are equal," signifies that all things are from the good of love, is because "length," which signifies the good of love, precedes, and "the breadth" is equal to it; thus as is "the length," so also is "the height"; otherwise to what purpose could it be said that the height of the city was twelve thousand stadia, thus it would rise immensely above the clouds, yea, above the atmosphere of air, the height of which does not exceed thirty stadia? It would even reach up an immense way into the ether towards the zenith. That by these three being equal, is signified that all things of that church are from the good of love, appears also from what follows, for it is said that "the city was pure gold like unto pure glass" (verse 18); and also that "the street of the city was pure gold like pellucid glass" (verse 21), and by "gold" is signified the good of love. That all things of heaven and the church are from the good of love, and the good of love is from the Lord, will be seen in the next article.