“Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife. And he... showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God” (Rev. 21:9-109And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. 10And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, (Revelation 21:9‑10)).
How does the “New Jerusalem” descend out of heaven? Does it come down to the earth? No, we find the nations walking in the light of it. When the Lord descends from heaven with a shout, He is not coming down to this earth. When He comes with that shout it is to call His people up to meet Him in the air. So, you see that “descending” does not mean that it comes down and settles on this earth. It goes just far enough to light up this world with the glory that we will be associated with in company with our bridegroom. What a lovely expression “the bride, the Lamb’s wife.” I love the thought of the Lamb’s wife. It could have said the “King’s wife” or the “wife of the Lord of glory.” So there is a special word to bring joy to our hearts when we think of the Lamb, because that very expression tells us of how we who know the Saviour are someday going to be united to Him in His victim character the Lamb that was slain in His love for us.
A. M. Barry (from an address)