A Pure River

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.

John Gill meticulously lists what this river is not symbolic of but in the end, still surrenders it to symbolism rather than accepting its literal place in the eternal home. I cannot see any justification to find in it anything other than a literal river proceeding from God's throne. Any other interpretation, I am afraid, throws God's throne into the realm of symbolism and degrades The Revelation, indeed, God Himself, into a series of heavenly parables with little earthly good.

The river is pure, having cleansing properties. Few things are as powerful as water. 

• It hydrates the body
• It cleanses both within and without
• It cools
• It operates machinery
• It cuts out canyons
• It cooks
• It refreshes
• It has served as a means of transportation

The river is a water of life, 

• It contains vast food supplies in the oceans and rivers
• It nourishes plant life
• It assembles an ecosystem from which we find our food sources

The river proceeds from the throne of God

• He is the creator of it
• He is the supplier of it
• He is the source of it
• He is the overseer of it

The river is more than symbolic. It is:

• Real
• Literal and
• Bona Fide

But it is representative of the perpetual and endless supply of love, life and supply which is ours from God.