The descent of the Bishop from the Royal Doors to the pulpit upon his arrival in the church and upon application to the Holy icons depicts the descent from the heavenly throne to earth of the Son of God, which took place during the Gospel of the Archangel. - His dressing on the pulpit in sacred clothes marks the incarnation of the Son of God; and all those who serve him in this vestment depict the Angels who served at the mysterious viewing of the incarnation of Christ.
The priests who come to the ambo before the beginning of the Liturgy of the Catechumens, standing in hierarchical order near the Bishop to concelebrate with him, represent the Angels who served Christ in the desert after His Baptism, as well as His further co-workers and servants, the Apostles chosen by Him as witnesses to His life and teaching.
The bishop, being on the pulpit until the small exit, remains in silence, leaving the initial administration of the Liturgy to the priest: this depicts the time of the Forerunner's sermon and the preparation of the way for the Lord. The Royal Doors, opened from the entry of the Bishop into the pulpit, are the gates of heaven, opened with the coming of the Son of God to earth, which He Himself confirmed, saying: From now on you will see heaven open, and the Angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man (John 1:51).
A small exit is performed completely differently than during an ordinary service, and has a different meaning. The priests and all those who serve them, leaving the altar to the pulpit, represent the appearance of Angels in heaven during the Ascension of Christ; and the Bishop himself, accompanied by them, descending from the pulpit to the altar, depicts Christ entering heaven. The overshadowing of dikiriy and trikyriy when the deacon proclaims: Forgive wisdom! - means the Lord’s blessing on the disciples during His ascension; the incense of the throne, the altar and those present by them signifies the grace-filled message of the Holy Spirit.
After reading the Troparions, the deacon begins to loudly remember the Holy Synod and the Reigning House, which is repeated by the clergy; then the name of the officiating Bishop, which is repeated by all those serving him at the altar and the clergy, and finally, the synclit, the army and all Orthodox Christians, which is again repeated by the clergy, indicating that all those mentioned are called by the will of Christ to strengthen the good of the Church.
Next, the Bishop, who had been silent until that time, begins to proclaim and act, thereby depicting the time determined by the words of the Forerunner: He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30); why, everything that had hitherto been the responsibility of the priest now passes to him, and He himself already proclaims: For Holy is our God, and so on. - The Trisagion hymn that follows this is sung not in one choir, but initially in the altar, depicting that the earthly Church, having successively received it from the heavenly one, glorifies the Triune God in accordance with it. During it, the Bishop, emerging from the altar in front of the royal doors, overshadows the people with the cross and dikiria, proclaiming: Look down from heaven, God, and so on. signifies the light of the Gospel illuminating the Church and the power of Christ affirming it.
Then, ascending to the high place of the altar and replacing the dikiri with the trikiri, he again overshadows everyone, signifying that the mysterious light of the Glory of God, shining in the Church, comes from the Ever-Essential Trinity. Retreating to a high place, he removes the Omophorion, depicting that Christ, having ascended to God the Father, betrayed to Him the covenant of adoption of the human race. Sitting on a high place, the Bishop depicts Christ sitting at the right hand of God the Father, and those around him are the Apostles seated on thrones for the judgment of the 12 tribes of Israel.
Descending from the high place after the Gospel, the Bishop again blesses those who are coming from the royal gates, thereby depicting for the second time the blessing of the ascending Savior, who promised the disciples not to be separated from them, but to abide in them forever.
During the Cherubic Song, the Bishop washes his hands at the royal gates, quietly reading a prayer for the blessing of water for the consecration of those coming. - This represents an ancient rite of the primal Church, when Christians who were preparing for communion, upon coming to church, certainly had to wash their hands in the church washbasins, because at that time they received the body of Christ in their hands.
At the great exit, the Bishop, as bearing the image of Christ, himself does not endure the Holy Gifts, but leaves them to those who serve him, and only, having received them at the royal doors, prays over them for the Royal House and for the others, and again hands them over for transfer to the throne.
When the Holy Gifts are already on the throne, the Bishop, as a person prone to sin by nature, horrified by the terrible service set before him, asks his concelebrants to pray for him, and after this, teaching a blessing to the people from the royal doors, he turns to him with the same request. The clergy answers him with the usual Greek greeting.
When pronouncing the Symbol of Faith, the Bishop, on behalf of the entire Church, bows his head into the air, thereby testifying to the submission in mind and heart of those present before the confession of faith, and signifying on his own behalf that, having been buried in Christ, he hopes to be resurrected with Him.
The further observance of the Liturgy has no other features, and the Bishop acts and proclaims in everything as a priest.