The New Jerusalem The Adornment Of The Bride
We can not imagine the things that John saw coming down from Heaven while he was on the Isle of Patmos on the Lord’s day. John saw enough to fill another world. One great wonder that he saw is found in Rev 21:2 (And I John saw the holy city New Jerusalem coming down from God out of Heaven prepared as a bride adorn for her husband.
John saw the adornment of the bride. The word adornment means something that is used to make a person or thing more beautiful, to embellish, to enhance. John saw the embellishment of the bride coming down in the New Jerusalem. There is nothing new about adornments. They have become a tradition around the world. Adornments include cosmetic jewelry, clothing, fingernail modification, head ware, and breading. These are just a few examples that we are familiar with. There are tribes in Africa and women in Thailand who have taken that adornment to another level. The women of Thailand adorn themselves with brass coils that fit around their necks. These coils can weigh up to twenty pounds and stretch their necks over twelve inches. Their necks are so long that they can not lean backwards. They must drink from a straw. And then there are the women of the Mursi tribe, located in the far southwest corner of Ethiopia. The women of this tribe take round plates called lip plate, which are half the size of bowling pins, and insert them in their lips as part of their adornment. John proclaimed that the bride of Christ would be adorn by God at the coming of the New Jerusalem. While man have spent generations trying to adorn himself with the carnal adornment of this world this spirit has even found it’s way into our churches in the form of materialism salvation; if I pay my tithes, the Lord owes me a new car or new house and a big bank account. The New Jerusalem has nothing to do with this world’s adornments. It is coming straight out of Heaven from God; prepared with the adornment of God. The New Jerusalem is not coming shrouded in mystery, but in plain sight. John saw it over two thousand years ago and it has been coming ever since. It is here right now visible to the eye that can see it.