'And There Was No More Sea'

The opinions surrounding this verse are tragic

Revelation 21:1 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’

‘And there was no more sea’….this one line found in Revelation 21:1 has been the topic of so much speculation and many find it so very sad, because, well, they love the ocean and can’t imagine a beautiful earth without it.

Let’s take a look at how some of the most respected names within the mainstream church explain this passage.

Steven Lawson - “To the ancient peoples, the sea was frightful and fearsome, an awesome monster, a watery grave. They had no compass to guide them in the open sea. On a cloudy day, their ships were absolutely lost without the stars or the sun to guide them. Their frail ships were at the mercy of the tempestuous ocean’s fearsome, angry storms. The loss of human life in the sea was beyond calculation.”

Randy Alcorn - “When Revelation 21:1 says that “the sea was no more,” we must try to understand sea in exactly the way the writer and his readers of the book of Revelation would have understood it. To the great majority of them, the sea was devoid of the romantic properties many of us associate with it. Rather, the sea consisted of those vast, icy, treacherous, stormy waters that separated families, destroyed ships, and drowned loved ones. It posed a constant threat, with its great creatures that swallowed up seafarers and its salt waters that poisoned people on the open sea who craved freshwater. With that understanding, “no more sea” was a re­assuring prospect!”

According to Steven Lawson and Randy Alcorn, two very prominent names in evangelical circles, this verse should be read through the eyes of the ancient world who would have associated the Sea with treachery, fear, storms, separation, death, destruction and watery graves.

When you understand how far removed their speculation is from the actual message John is communicating, it is both tragic and appalling.

I want to share an observation about this verse that I first read on facebook, I found the biblical support extremely compelling.

First of all, we must start with the basics and an accurate framework. I’m not one to put together jigsaw puzzles, yet I know for those who do, it’s always best to start with the frame of the puzzle and then it becomes a simple matter of filling in the pieces and the overall picture quickly comes into focus. This same principle applies to understanding God’s Word. We must start with a proper framework.

One component of a proper framework for interpreting Scripture is an accurate understanding of Biblical cosmology.

Genesis 1:6-8 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

We see in Genesis 1:6 that the firmament, also called ‘heaven’ was created on the second day of Creation. The firmament is one of three heavens, the portion of the sky where the birds fly is the first heaven, the firmament is the second heaven and the place where God’s throne resides is the third heaven. Remember that Jesus passed thought the heaven(s) Hebrews 4:14

The firmament is simply a dome that rests over the entire earth, it divides the waters above from the waters below and its importance cannot be overstated because it proves that we live in a closed system. A closed system quickly brings down NASA’s whole house of cards and all of their wicked propaganda that requires an outer space that extends for billions of lightyears.

Genesis 1:7 says that the firmament divided waters above from the waters below, in other words, there is water under the firmament, but there is also water above the firmament.  When God flooded the earth in the days of Noah, the bible says that he opened the fountain of the deep and ‘the windows of heaven’. 

Genesis 7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

I believe God literally created portholes of some kind within the firmament through which the waters above came crashing down in  a manner that could best be described as apocalyptic.

Then in the book of Ezekiel we see a vision that includes some unusual creatures who have a dome shaped object just above their heads called a firmament and upon the firmament sits a throne! Ezekiel 1:5, 22-26.

I have no doubt that this is a picture of the real thing, God’s throne sitting just above the firmament, this picture also finds support in the book of Isaiah.

Isaiah 66:1  Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

Isaiah 40:21-22 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:

As you understand biblical cosmology, a beautiful picture emerges of God’s Throne literally positioned just above us, resting on the firmament! He looks down and we are like grasshoppers, is that not amazing? Earth is special, it is unique and has God’s undivided attention. What a Contrast to NASA’s fake space full of chance and chaos.

Now let’s apply biblical cosmology to our framework as we try to understand Revelation 21:1.

We know that the old heaven and earth had just fled away and then John begins chapter 21 by informing us that he saw a New Heaven and a New Earth…‘and there was no more sea’. This begs the question, why would John find it necessary to tell us that the New Earth has no sea? Or is it possible that he is referring to something else entirely?

Well, there is another sea mentioned in the book of Revelation, according to Scripture there is a sea in Heaven and it is described as surrounding God’s Throne as it sits just above the firmament!

Revelation 4:6 “And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal…”. Revelation 15:1-2 “And I saw another sign in heaven…And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire…”

Based on the context, the phrase “there is no more sea” seems to be referring to the crystal sea in Heaven surrounding God’s throne. This sea is the barrier that separates the Holy from the profane and it is being removed! Then, what is the removal of this barrier immediately followed by?

“The holy city, New Jerusalem comes down from God out of heaven….for now the tabernacle of God is with men and He will dwell with them…and shall be with them".

At this point in time, The Great White Throne judgment has just concluded and the last two enemies, death and hell have been dealt their final blow and cast into the lake of fire along with all of those whose names are not written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, once this is complete, God Who is thrice holy and in Who’s presence sin cannot enter, removes the barrier of separation which is then followed by The New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven and God Himself will then dwell with men!

Let this little verse take on a whole new meaning and fill you will wonder and awe and great anticipation, oh, what a day that will be!

Revelation 21:1-3 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.  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

The sea ‘that is no more’ should never be associated with fear, death and tragedy. Instead it is a resounding victory, for God Himself will then tabernacle with men!

I often rise early in the morning and sit out on my porch while it is still dark and quiet outside. I love contemplating the vast firmament full of twinkling stars and what a comfort to know that God Himself is seated right there on His throne…He never sleeps nor slumbers and will never leave me nor forsake me. And someday, after our final enemies are defeated and sin has been fully eradicated from this realm, God Himself will remove the barrier and will come down to where we are and He will dwell with us… we will be his people and He will be our God, forever!