The answer
St. John concludes the Book of Revelation by describing the heavenly Jerusalem — or as St. Augustine calls it, “The heavenly Church”1360 — the glories and blessings of the heavenly Church, and the desire of our Lord Jesus Christ to come quickly (Rev. 22:20–21) to take His bride the queen to His throne.
Many authors, poets, and philosophers such as Plato depict ideal cities (in their estimation) prescribing for them laws, arrangements, and principles dictated by their philosophy and way of thinking. However, very soon, mistaken or unrealistic principles infiltrate their models, and their ideal cities turn out in fact to be deficient and riddled with shortcomings.
St. John does not imitate their example but rather, ascending by the Spirit, his vision is of a true, ideal, and immortal Church, which is in essence “the tabernacle of God … with men” (Rev. 21:3). As this was difficult to depict or express in human language, he recorded for us what he actually saw, but in simple symbols that leave it to us to go deeper into them and savor the nature of this singular, heavenly city; so far as our spiritual stature allows us to comprehend through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Fr. Tadros Yacoub Malaty
Notes
1360 Cf. St. Augustine of Hippo, City of God 20.17 (NPNF I/2:436).