Revelation 22:1

"And he showed me" signals new aspects of the city that John’s angel-guide proceeded to point out. The pure river seems to be symbolic of the refreshment and sustenance that God provides through eternal life (cf. Jeremiah 2:13; Jeremiah 17:13; Psalms 36:9; Proverbs 10:11; Proverbs 13:14; Proverbs 14:27; Proverbs 16:22; Zechariah 14:8), though it, like the city itself, is probably also a literal river (cf. Genesis 2:10; Genesis 2:14). We should not confuse this river with the one flowing from the Jerusalem temple during the Millennium (Ezekiel 47:1; Ezekiel 47:9; Ezekiel 47:12; Zechariah 14:8). John described the river he saw as bright or clear as a crystal; it was a shimmering, sparkling stream of unpolluted water. [Note: Robertson, 6:479.] This river proceeded from the throne that belongs to God and the Lamb (cf. Revelation 22:3; Revelation 3:21; Isaiah 35:6-9; Ezekiel 47:1; Zechariah 14:8; Hebrews 1:3). This throne evidently stood at the head of the main street of the city so that looking down this street the throne appeared to be in its middle. Revelation 22:1-2 make slightly better sense if we take the clause "in the middle of its street" as describing the location of the throne. In this case it completes the thought begun in Revelation 22:1. The other option is to take it as describing the location of the tree. In this case it begins the thought that continues through Revelation 22:2.

"This is a symbolic way of describing the reign of eternal life in the age to come [and God as its source]. The symbolism of a river of life is a common one in biblical thought [cf. Psalms 46:4; Ezekiel 47:1-12; Zechariah 14:8; John 4:10; John 4:14]." [Note: Ladd, p. 286.]

"The point of the passage is to teach that in the eternal state God’s people will live at the source of the life-giving stream, the very presence of God Himself . . ." [Note: Thomas, Revelation 8-22, p. 482. See Mounce, p. 386.]