Revelation 22:1; A Pure River of Water of Life, Clear as Crystal
Revelation 22:1 (KJV) And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
Unlimited access to this life-giving water will assure residences of the New Jerusalem of an everlasting enjoyment of life. In the new creation the physical properties of water will impart the spiritual life which this creation can only portray through the metaphor of water. These are literal waters that are of such a nature and quality as to answer to the New Jerusalem to which they belong. Just as men on this earth have never known such a city, neither have they known such waters (Seiss).
The words “clear as crystal” describe the river’s appearance . The two words occur separately from each other, but never together elsewhere in the book. “Clear” is in Revelation 15:6; 19:8; 22:16 and “crystal” in Revelation 4:6.
Revelation 15:6 (KJV) And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.
Revelation 19:8 (KJV) And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.
Revelation 22:16 (KJV) I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
Revelation 4:6 (KJV) And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.
Together they envision the river as a sort of shimmering and sparkling stream of water as it pass over mountain rocks.
The routes of the water is “the throne of God and of the Lamb”. Until now, the prophet has distinguished the Son from the Father who sits on the throne (cf. Revelation 5:6, 13; 6:16; 7:10, 17), but now they are together on throne (Swete).
Revelation 5:6 (KJV) And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.
Revelation 5:13 (KJV) And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever.
Revelation 7:10 (KJV) And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
Revelation 7:17 (KJV) For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
Joint occupancy of the throne in heaven is the teaching of both Revelation 3:1 and 22:3 (cf. Hebrews 1:3).
Revelation 3:1 (KJV) And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead.
Revelation 22:3 (KJV) And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
Hebrews 1:3 (KJV) Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Two persons sit on one throne, but they are not two separate entities. God is one (1 Timothy 2:5; Galatians 3:20), and the Father and the Son are one (John 10:30).
1 Timothy 2:5 (KJV) For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
Galatians 3:20 (KJV) Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
John 10:30 (KJV) I and my Father are one.
Man in his finiteness cannot grasp the truth of the infinite being of the triune God.
The waters of life proceeding from the throne is similar to the picture of Ezekiel 47:1 (cf. Zechariah 14:8), where water comes out of the temple (Johnson). This is a fitting picture because God is the author of life.
Ezekiel 47:1 (KJV) Afterward he brought me again unto the door of the house; and, behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward: for the forefront of the house stood toward the east, and the waters came down from under from the right side of the house, at the south side of the altar.
Zechariah 14:8 (KJV) And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
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 (Mounce).
[Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8-22 – An Exegetical Commentary, Moody, 1995, 482]