The river of water of life flows out of the throne of God in the holy city (Rev. 22:1) and that is where it is clearly named but that is not where it first appears in the Bible. The river in the garden of Eden (Gen. 2:10) was a figure of it. It is the river that makes glad the city of God (Psa. 46:4) and flows out of the house of God (Ezek. 47:1) bringing life wherever it goes (Ezek. 47:5). It represents God as the fountain of life (Jer. 2:13) flowing out to thirsty people (John 4:14) to become in them rivers of living water that flow out of their innermost being (John 7:38-39).
The river in the garden was a physical river, no doubt, but in the rest of these verses it represents God in Christ flowing out as the Spirit (John 7:39). Christ Jesus is the life (John 14:6). He became a life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45), the pneumatic Christ (2 Cor. 3:17) in order to give life (John 10:10) to those who receive Him (John 1:14) by believing into Him (John 3:16). This flowing life is one of the chief blessings the redeemed will enjoy for eternity (Rev. 22:1) but, praise the Lord, we can enjoy it freely even now (Rev. 22:17).
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