In my early Christian days I was not overly thrilled when I discovered this verse. Rev 21:1, “Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also, there was no more sea.” I love the ocean – being by it, being in it, looking over it, smelling its fresh salty fragrance; I love the changing colours and moods of the ocean. I cannot imagine living so far inland that the beach is not within easy reach.
But is John speaking only about the large body of salt water we call the sea? If so, for what purpose is it removed from the new earth? Or does he have something else in mind? We need to consider the way in which the Bible speaks of the sea. What does the sea symbolise; how did those in the ancient world look upon the sea? Only then we can understand what John means and why we will rejoice in it.
A perusal of scripture reveals the following:
* The sea suffers from creation’s curse – Psalm 93, Psalm 107:23-31, Matt 8:23-27
* The sea depicts human unrest – Psalm 65:7, Isaiah 17:12-13, Isaiah 57:20
* The sea represents the separation of people – Gen 10:4-5, Num 24:24, Jonah 1:3
* The sea is used by God to judge – Gen 7, Exodus 15:1, Jonah 1:4, Luke 17:2
To bring these ideas together, when John says of the new earth, “there was no more sea”, we can understand him to be speaking metaphorically (as he does throughout Revelation). There will be no more curse, no more unrest or revolt, no one will be a foreigner, never again will judgement proceed from God. John’s words picture a world of tranquility and peace; a people who are whole and one with each other. But what about the sound of crashing waves, the sea breeze, the salty smell, the water lapping against your skin? The scriptures reveal a new world that’s fruitfulness is derived from rivers of plenteous life-giving water.
Ezekiel 47:1-2, “Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and there was water, flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the front of the temple faced east; the water was flowing from under the right side of the temple, south of the altar. (2) He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gateway that faces east; and there was water running out on the right side.”
Rev 22:1-2, “And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. (2) In the middle of its street, and on either side of the river, was the tree of life, which bore twelve fruits, each tree yielding its fruit every month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”
There were rivers in the first creation and there are rivers in the new creation. Rivers flow somewhere. Eventually they make their way into the sea. There is no reason to suppose that the earth will not consist of high mountains, dense forests, vast plains, deep valleys and an immense body of water – all redeemed to the glory of God. Like everything else, the sea was created by God and declared to be very good. C.H. Spurgeon believed that John’s language is purely metaphorical. He could not conceive of a world without it’s “great wide sea with its gleaming waves and shelly shores.” Neither can I and I hope he is right.