Do you like visiting the beach? I love hearing the roar of the waves crashing and watching the sun go down in flames of red and orange. Feeling the smooth damp sand under my feet, walking on a long stretch of empty beach, and looking out at the vast sea makes me feel at peace. So I had mixed feelings when I read in Revelation 21 that there would be ‘no more sea’. What? No more ocean?? Why? But, of course, I needed to put on some spiritual glasses to understand what God was really saying. He is so faithful to show us what his word means and then I’m always glad for what he reveals. Stay with me to the end of this page, and I think you’ll be glad there will be ‘no more sea’.
The Bible says:
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first seven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”
Revelation 21:1
The imagery of the ‘sea’ pops up other places in the book of Revelation. In chapter 15, the people of God are standing on a sea of glass mingled with fire. They have gotten victory over the beast and his image and the number of his name. (Rev 15:2) What could the imagery of the sea represent? In the Bible we see examples of two kinds of seas – a stormy seas and a calm sea. Let’s look for some more clues.
The prophet Daniel mentions a great sea. “In my vision by night… four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. Four great beasts came up from the sea.” Daniel 7:2-3
To give us more clarity, the prophet Isaiah said,
“the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.”
Isaiah 57:20
Well that is certainly true. Those four beasts in Daniel’s prophecy [kingdoms of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome] certainly stirred up a lot of trouble like a stormy sea. The governments of our world today are keeping the tradition alive – causing a storm of trouble.
And it’s not just governments causing trouble, wicked people in general leave a path of destruction in their wake, just like a tornado or hurricane. The wicked are certainly like the troubled sea.
The Master of the Sea
What does Jesus have to say to us, when we face the stormy seas of life?
It just so happens that his disciples faced some rough storms on the sea of Galilee. A couple times they thought they were going to die, the storm was so rough. One time Jesus fell asleep in the boat during a terrible storm. The disciples were sure he had forgotten about them and was going to let them die. But Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace be still.” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.
What? That’s it? He just said, ‘Peace be still”, and all was quiet. Who was this man? What kind of power did he have? Even the wind and the sea obey him?!
Jesus quietly asked his disciples, “Why are you fearful? How is it ye have no faith?” Mark 4:40
Basically he wanted them to remember who he was and He wants us to remember who He is too. Jesus is the creator of the wind and the sea. He has all power in heaven and earth and He is on our side. When the storms of life seem insurmountable, we don’t need to be afraid. We can have faith that the God of the universe will see us through the storm and will bring peace to our hearts when we need it most. And friends, this is where the really good news comes.
In the new heaven and the new earth, there will be no more sea. No more nations going to war with each other, no more wicked people hurting others, no more horrible craziness. Now when I read this verse in Revelation, I am filled with gratitude and praise to the powerful God of heaven that can calm the stormy seas in my life now, and will some day get rid of evil and wickedness and pain and suffering forever.
“And I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.”
Revelation 21:1
