(1) The river of life--22:1. The symbols of flowing rivers and streams of water run through the entire body of the scriptures. Literally, for a source of supply and security a great city was situated on the river; and figuratively it was applied to the needs of the soul and the source of all spiritual blessing. The mention of the flowing stream was in the description of the garden of Eden in Genesis 2:10. When God planted the garden for the abode of the first pair it was said that “ a river went out of Eden to water the garden” ; and its waters were parted into four streams which formed the mighty rivers which compassed the later inhabited land and upon the banks of which great cities were built. The name of the first river was Pison “ which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there was gold.” The second river was Gihon, which encompassed Ethiopia. The third river was Hiddekel, which bordered Syria; and the fourth river was the famed Euphrates which was called “ the great river” (Genesis 15:18; Deuteronomy 1:7); and which formed the eastern boundary of the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 11:24), and of David’ s conquests (2 Samuel 8:3 -- 1 Chronicles 18:1-3), and beside which the captive Jew wept in Babylon . It was the river associated with the prophecies of Jeremiah (chapters 13:4-7; 46:2-10; 51:63) concerning the fortunes of Israel, and in the apocalypses of Revelation (chapters 9:14; 16:12) in connection with the events pertaining to the tribulation period of the church. The beauty and blessing of the church was made the object of prophetic psalmody by the singer of Israel in the figurative cadence of Psa 46:1-11 : “ There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted.” This sublime psalm blends into the visions of Revelation. The Psalmist identified this “ city of God” by his reference to the holy place of the tabernacles--the old and the new tabernacles-and the holy place of the old was the type of the new. It was a thousand years before the establishment of the church that David swept the harp of psalm-prophecy and sang of this city of God. It was the new Zion, the new Jerusalem, His church of the new covenant, in which the river of divine love should perpetually flow; the streams whereof--the channels of his love--should distribute the benefits which make glad the people of God. The breadth and length and depth and height of infinite love (Ephesians 3:18) cannot be finitely comprehended, but in the symbolism of the New Jerusalem, with its ever widening and deepening stream, it flows through the church to bring blessings abundant. The pure river of the New Jerusalem had no pollution. It was clear as crystal , without mingled elements to obscure its entrancing brightness. It proceeded out of the throne of God , its source was perennial and no force of man could stop its flow. It was in the midst of the street, where without respect of persons it was accessible all to drink of its water freely. It was symbolic of the fullness of life and salvation in which the redeemed shared with unhindered and unrestrained access.