Revelation 21:1 reads,
Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
Does this text teach that the new earth will not have large bodies of water (θαλάσσας)—no more lakes, seas, or oceans? Most think so.
The “sea” . . . must disappear before the eternity of joy can begin.1
The first hint of what the new heaven and new earth will be like comes in John’s observation that there will no longer be any sea. That will be a startling change from the present earth, nearly three-fourths of which is covered by water.2
Why would this be? Most argue that the sea symbolizes evil (or death or disorder), and thus the eradication of evil necessitates the removal of the sea.
From a metaphorical perspective, commentators have seen the absence of the sea as symbolic of the absence of evil.3
His perception that there was no longer any sea is simply another way of saying that in the new creation there is no more death (v. 4).4
Most justifiably see this void as representing an archetypical connotation in the sea (cf. 13:1; 20:13), a principle of disorder, violence, or unrest that marks the old creation (cf. Isa. 57:20; Ps. 107:25-28; Ezek. 28:8). . . . It is not that the sea is evil in itself, but that its aspect is one of hostility to mankind. For instance, the sea was what stood guard over John in his prison on Patmos and separated him from the churches of Asia. . . . The sea is the first of seven evils that John says will no longer exist, the other six being death, mourning, weeping, pain (21:4), the curse (22:3), and night (21:25; 22:5).5
Though the destruction of the sea is mentioned in Rev 21:1, it is noteworthy that the sea is not mentioned in connection with the new heaven and the new earth. This may be because the sea was a negative symbol for chaos and even for the abyss (cf. Rev 13:1 with 11:7).6
John MacArthur argues (uniquely?) that there will not only be no large bodies of water, but no water at all. His reason for arguing this is that
all life on earth is dependent on water for its survival, and the earth is the only known place in the universe where there is sufficient water to sustain life. But believers’ glorified bodies will not require water, unlike present human bodies, whose blood is 90 percent water, and whose flesh is 65 percent water. Thus, the new heaven and the new earth will be based on a completely different life principle than the present universe. There will be a river in heaven, not of water, but of the “water of life” (22:1, 17).7
I’m not so sure. Perhaps there is another option. Apart from the theological questions that it raises in my mind—like whether the absence of large bodies of water, which presumably existed prior to the fall, fully demonstrates the conquering of evil and the reversing of the curse8—there are, I think, grammatical reasons for questioning this conclusion—or at least being open to another.
Let’s look at the text and notice the differences in punctuation.
Here is the text in a few Greek editions:
NA27: Καὶ εἶδον οὐρανὸν καινὸν καὶ γῆν καινήν. ὁ γὰρ πρῶτος οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ πρώτη γῆ ἀπῆλθαν καὶ ἡ θάλασσα οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι.
WH: Καὶ εἶδον οὐρανὸν καινὸν καὶ γῆν καινήν· ὁ γὰρ πρῶτος οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ πρώτη γῆ ἀπῆλθαν, καὶ ἡ θάλασσα οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι.
MT: Καὶ εἶδον οὐρανὸν καινὸν καὶ γῆν καινήν, ὁ γὰρ πρῶτος οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ πρώτη γῆ ἀπῆλθον. Καὶ ἡ θάλασσα οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι.
Here is the text in a few English translations:
ESV: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.
NAS: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.
NET: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had ceased to exist, and the sea existed no more.
NIV: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.
The punctuation differences are minor, but have bearing on the issue at hand. First, is there a hard or soft break after the first clause? Second, is there a hard or soft break after the second clause. The reason this matters is that it has direct bearing on whether the third clause is logically if not grammatically connected to the first clause or the second.
In other words, is John saying, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for (1) the first heaven and the first earth passed way and (2) the sea no longer existed. Or is he saying, “I saw a new heaven and a new earth (for the first heaven and the first earth passed away), and the sea no longer existed.
These differences could be diagrammed this way:
To state the issue another way: is John referring to the old sea that was part of the old created order (option 1), or does he have in view the nonexistence of large bodies of water in the new (options 2)? This question is closely related to that of the temporal deixis of ἔστιν.
It seems to me at least possible that in the third clause John is not describing the absence of large bodies of water in the new earth, but rather the destruction of large bodies of water in the old. This is how Aune seems to take it: “Though the destruction of the sea is mentioned in Rev 21:1, it is noteworthy that the sea is not mentioned in connection with the new heaven and the new earth” (1119). Though Aune doesn’t draw the conclusion I am suggesting, he does see 21:1 as a reference to the removal of the sea in the old earth rather than the nonexistence of the sea in the new.
What about the parallel with “the sea was no more” (v. 1) and “death will be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (v. 4)? To be sure, the similarity is not to be missed. But it is also worth noting that John switches tenses from the present to the future, suggesting perhaps that the present tense refers to the former state of things and the future to the new.9
This reading of the text is tentative since I haven’t found anyone else who suggests it even as a possibility. Am I missing anything that would make this grammatically or theologically unfeasible?
- Grant R. Osborne, Revelation, BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2002), 743. [↩]
- John MacArthur, Revelation 12–22 (Chicago: Moody, 2000), 263. [↩]
- Ibid., 264. [↩]
- J. Ramsey Michaels, Revelation, vol. 20, IVPNTC (Downers Grove: IVP, 1997), Re 21:1. [↩]
- Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 8–22: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1995), 440. [↩]
- David E. Aune, Revelation 17–22, vol. 52C, WBC (Dallas: Word, 2002), 1119. Cf. Osborne, 743. [↩]
- MacArthur, 263. [↩]
- This, however, is not conclusive since not all will be as it once was—the absence of marriage being a prime example. [↩]
- The present of εἰμί is past-referring elsewhere in the NT. E.g., see Köstenberger, “John 5:2 and the Date of John’s Gospel: A Response to Dan Wallace.” [↩]
Chad says
Phil,
Good points. I actually just finished teaching through Revelation. My conclusion is that sea is a symbol for evil and chaos and; thus, its removal is a symbol of death and evil absent from the new heavens and new earth. However, the sea was part of God’s good creation back in Genesis. If we maintain that the new heavens and new earth is new in the sense of renewal and restoration (a amillennial position, which I am), and not total destruction and starting over (like dispensationalists) then why would “seas” be literally taken away, but they would be renewed like the rest of creation (cf., Rom 8:22). I am firm that sea represents evil and chaos, but I am also open to the face that seas will still exists in a renewed creation. In other words, John could simply be speaking of seas symbolically (rooted in OT), while knowing that a renewed creation will literally have seas. Something else that I discussed with this passage was how seas are also symbolic of God’s people separated from each other physically. Currently God’s people are separated from each other because of large bodies of water. I don’t think this point is the primary idea with the removal of seas, but it lends to the evil and chaos idea where seas are seen as something bad toward God’s people.
Chad
dean says
The sea being spoken of in Revelation 21:1, are not a literal sea as we know sea to be. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned”. In the book of Revelation God has foretold what the sea is and what the sea represents.
Andy Naselli says
Phil (and Chad),
Your view sounds somewhat like D. A. Carson’s. (BTW, I’m still working through all this myself. E.g., I’m taking a seminar at TEDS this fall called “Revelation and Apocalyptic Literature” with Dr. Grant Osborne.)
1. “The absence of any sea (21:1) does not establish the hydrological principles of the new heaven and new earth. The sea, as we have noted before, is symbolic for chaos, the old order, death. And so the sea is gone.” D. A. Carson, For the Love of God, vol. 1, entry for Dec. 30.
2. “The sea serves as a symbol for the entire fallen order; that is why in the new heaven and the new earth there is no more sea (21:1). John is distanced from the Almighty by these and related phenomena.”
D. A. Carson, For the Love of God, vol. 2, entry for June 2.
3. Cf. D. A. Carson’s sermon on Revelation 21-22.
Phil Gons says
Thanks for the comments, guys.
Chad, I’m glad to hear that you ended up with the same basic conclusion that I did. Perhaps my analysis of the grammar would lend further support to your position. Kistemaker seems to agree that the new earth will have large bodies of water:
Andy, thanks for the notes about Carson’s view. I wonder if he sees the absence of the sea as only symbolic or as both symbolic and literal. I can’t quite tell, but it appears that perhaps his position is the former. Keep me posted if Osborne happens to address this this semester.
Mike Aubrey says
Phil,
I’d be inclined to think that the article in “the sea” would suggest a specific sea, or the sea, par excellance, which in John’s case would definitely be the Mediterranean Sea.
For that reason, I think the translation “the sea” is better than “any sea.” -Two very different things.
Combined with the tense change, I think John is most likely talking about the old order and also that John says nothing either way about the existence of water in the New Earth.
Phil Gons says
Mike, I’m not so sure that that is the most likely function of the article. θάλασσα almost always takes the article, so its presence doesn’t necessarily point to a specific sea. I’m still inclined to see it as generic rather than well-known.
For a couple proximate examples, see Rev 20:8, 13.
Even if John has the Mediterranean primarily in mind based on his experience, it doesn’t seem best to limit it to that.
That point aside, we are in agreement that most interpreters, who think the new earth will have no large bodies of water, come to their conclusion without solid textual warrant.
Ken Redmon says
The Sea of people will be no more.
Rob says
Not sure about the sea, maybe it represents the law?? Since the law seperated jews and gentiles. I do believe the New earth and new heaven are now and the New Jerusalem is the church.
Tom says
One of the Revelation’s purposes is to reveal the resolutions to the negatives initiated in Genesis. If we examine day two, God, after he turned on the flood-lamp to assess the mess, separated the waters to create the firmament. God did this without making comment. It was as if He was saying, “this might be necessary, but I am not happy about it.” Why didn’t He pronounce it good? Could it be that the “sea” in Revelation was, in fact, the water that was over the heavens.
In day 3, God gathered the waters on the earth and called them “seas” for there were many. But what is removed in Revelation is “sea”. Paul stated that there are 3 heavens. The firmament houses 2–the natural expanse we see and the expanse that the devil operates. The sea separated these from the third. Since it is God’s heart to dwell with mankind, He would not be happy about this necessary thing because evil was afoot from the beginning our this age.
This, I think, is the sea that will be removed. Note that this happens after all evil is judged (so nothing would keep God from setting up His rule here) and it precipitates the kingdom of heaven coming in reality and power. From the beginning, for some reason, God could not dwell fully with man. Food for thought.
Faith says
When I came across that scrupture I was devastated because some people seem to interpret it literally.
I personally hope the seas will exist after this life. I’ve had a love for the ocean since infancy and the way it makes one feel free and closer to God.
Maybe it’s my own inability to understand, but it doesn’t make sense for God to create such a beautiful gift that is so full of life only to completely take it away in the next one.
Chris Reichert says
Wow, all the answers seem to have truth in them. I always thought that the sea meant the different sea of peoples (Chinese, Japanese, Americans, Germans and so on). I thought that people on the new earth will just be called God’s children, or Christians and thus be just one big family, hence no more sea. Or maybe it could be that God takes the salt out of the sea and it becomes fresh, drinkable water for all to use and enjoy? I don’t believe God will make something and then just cancel it, it just doesn’t make sense. If he does destroy the sea, what about all the animals that live there – does he take them away too? It just doesn’t make sense, the lion and the lamb will lay together (so I know there must be animals on the new earth) – why would all the fish be taken away, dolphins, wales etc. etc. Food for thought…
Jan says
I feel that the sea represents DIVISION of man. The oceans seperate/divide peoples. When Jesus comes to rule in the earth, there will be no division.
Phil Gons says
But before the fall, before sin, there were large bodies of water, and they are explicitly called good (Gen 1:10). If they are good and existed as part of the original created order, then they can at least in theory exist when Jesus comes to rule in the new earth.
Brian says
With the masive volcanic activity earlier in Revelation and the tsunami that wipes out 1/3 of the ships (1/3 of the ships are usually in ports), it seems to me quite possible that there will be some sort of geological change that eliminates the oceans and thus – no more seas. I’m curious if there is anyone reading this with a sufficient understanding of volcanology and geological processes that could present a scenario where such an event could occur that elimates the oceans. The only event I can think of… and it’s a bit of a stretch… is if hell is really located in the center of the earth. If that is the case, then when hell is cast into the lake of fire, perhaps, the center of the earth with cool. If that happens, then plate tectonics will cease as will our electromagetic cloak from the solar winds. In this case our atmosphere will be blown away by the solar winds and the oceans will evaporate. If that’s the case, then we’ll all have to have a change in our physiology to be able to survive without air or water. Anyone got a better explanation?
Loretta says
If you google “Pondering Confusion” the author has a theory that speaks to the the model you are presenting…very interesting concept. Also Janet Kneer on you tube has some interesting ideas. There’s no doubt that there were some MAJOR changes to earth during the flood…and more to come.
Kurt says
I’m surprised that there is so little connection of the “sea” with the imagery of the temple and the presence of the “bronze sea” and its place and purpose in the temple. The writer of Revelation is always so aware of the temple and its structure and this is clearly in mind as we come to the new city. The “sea” was for washing necessary to enter the temple. There is no longer the need for a “sea,” a place of cleansing, in order to enter the great city because Jesus has provided once and for all.
Paul says
I think Phil’s suggestion is plausable and am searching for an answer to the last question you pose – has anything been published in recent years? Though I should add I can’t imagine what theological concerns might arise from this reading. At the moment though I think the sea that no longer exists is the primordial waters of chaos. After the white throne appears, earth and then heaven depart, exposing the dead in the Sea, Death and Hades to judgment. Those not in the book of life go into the Lake of fire along with Hades and Death. The only realm making part of the cosmos that remains is the sea – with the throne of God above, this takes us back to the beginning of the Bible, God over the waters. But, when the new heaven and new earth is created, the result is the primordial waters (the Sea) are no more. The second clause explains the first, the third gives the result of the first. Having said that, just as by day 7 the primordial waters are no more but there is a sea, so to in the new creation we would assume there are seas and other water bodies.
Peter G. says
There is no hermeneutical reason to take John’s statement in any other way but LITERALLY. You just can’t pick and choose want you want to interpret literally or symbolically. There is nothing in the text to warrant interpreting the sea as symbolic of chaos and suffering. It’s just not there.
berniejavier says
Great discussion. I am inclined to agree with you, Pete. A great part of the Scriptures is meant to be interpreted literally. It seems like for the more advanced believers, there is a tendency to go deeper into symbolisms and other meanings that are yet to be discovered. Nothing wrong with that as long as it’s intented to glorify God and not lead other people to another sea: the sea of confusion
Tim says
I think there is a connection with chaos or death and the sea, the sea is depicted below in Jer as something that God is protecting us from,
Jeremiah 5:22
‘Do you not fear Me?’ declares the LORD ‘Do you not tremble in My presence? For I have placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, An eternal decree, so it cannot cross over it. Though the waves toss, yet they cannot prevail; Though they roar, yet they cannot cross over it.
amy says
Very interesting read. I wonder if the elimination of the large bodies of water (and all the creatures within) has to do with the fact that they were not destroyed in the Flood. All the old geology must pass away, as even the earth’s crust seems to be transformed. This doesn’t seem to eliminate the possibility of a new type of “sea” that we cannot imagine.
Robert says
If polar ice caps no-longer existed; it heats the earth in a mighty way. The evaporation process is greatly increased putting bodies of water into the atmosphere. This is the new heaven. The earth will return to the way it was prior to the fall. The atmospheric pressure of all that water in the atmosphere acts like a hyperbaric chamber. People heal faster, things grow bigger, people live longer just as they did in the day’s of Noah.
Paul Shoemaker says
Something of a revelation that came to me a few months ago, I have long been puzzled by this phrase. John believed in the 3-Tier Universe, the prevalent belief of his time and place. The sea he refers to is the ‘waters above’ (Genesis 1:-8). John reasoned that the ‘waters above’ must disappear in order for heaven (the city) to come down. Of course we have a very different cosmology now.
Shane Nilssen says
Paul, you’re almost right. It is not the waters from above which disappear, but rather the waters from below which do. Remember, that the beast comes from the same sea/abyss, that’s from below, not above!
Anna says
The bible explains the bible. Revelation was written to ‘Bonbdservants during the tribulation. Rev 1:1; 9. The ‘sea’ is explained to be nations, peoples outside the covenant. No longer are their ‘Jews or Greeks, male or female, slave r free. We are ONE in Christ Jesus. That sea boundry passed away in the first century. Heb 8:13. 1Pet 4:7.
The sea beast came up out of foreign nations not the literal sea.
Shane Nilssen says
The sea is a metonymy for Sheol/Hades itself. It’s not saying that death or evil or chaos will disappear, but rather than Hades itself will disappear. The ancient mythologies that that rivers divided the realms of the living and the dead. Greek mythology in particular, had 5 rivers that created this barrier between the two realms.
1. The river of woe
2. The river of lamentation
3. the river of fire
4. the river of forgetfulness
5. the river of hate
We’re probably most familiar with the River Styx (river of hate) from films like Clash of the Titans.
What John is saying is that the barrier between the living and the dead will be removed so that the dead may cross over to the world-to-come. Effectively, the love of Jesus fords the river of hate. Since Jesus is the light in the darkness, He redeems all of the lost souls contained therein, which is why John later mentions there being no more night, again signifying not the end of death, but rather the very emptying of Hades itself, yes, even for the ‘bad’ people.
Isaiah 42:10, 15-16
Sing to the LORD a new song, Sing His praise from the end of the earth! You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it. You islands and those who dwell on them. “I will lay waste the mountains and hills, And wither all their vegetation; I will make the rivers into coastlands, And dry up the lakes. And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
Isaiah speaks of the blind, which is not a reference to the righteous, but rather to the unrighteous. And the path, the way that he speaks of, is the so-called Way of Life, for which the early Christians were named after, which was defined by the command to love. Thus again, the Way across the river of hate, is love.
Also consider the Psalmist,
7 Where can I go from Thy Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Thy hand will lead me, And Thy right hand will lay hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, And the light around me will be night,”
12 Even the darkness is not dark to Thee, And the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to Thee. (Psa 139:7-12 NAS)
Even if we live in the remotest part of the sea (the abyss), where the worst are imprisoned, even their, the right arm (Messiah) of God shall chase away the darkness and bring His light to there.
Isaiah again speaks of the coming day when the sea and the abyss will be dried up so that the exiles will be able to cross over:
9 Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD; Awake as in the days of old, the generations of long ago. Was it not Thou who cut Rahab in pieces, Who pierced the dragon?
10 Was it not Thou who dried up the sea, The waters of the great deep; Who made the depths of the sea a pathway For the redeemed to cross over?
11 So the ransomed of the LORD will return, And come with joyful shouting to Zion; And everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.
12 “I, even I, am He who comforts you. Who are you that you are afraid of man who dies, And of the son of man who is made like grass;
13 That you have forgotten the LORD your Maker, Who stretched out the heavens, And laid the foundations of the earth; That you fear continually all day long because of the fury of the oppressor, As he makes ready to destroy? But where is the fury of the oppressor?
14 “The exile will soon be set free, and will not die in the dungeon, nor will his bread be lacking.
15 “For I am the LORD your God, who stirs up the sea and its waves roar (the LORD of hosts is His name).
(Isa 51:9-15 NAS)
In the above passage, Isaiah compares the exodus of Israel from Egypt where they cross the Red Sea to what will happen at the end of time, when the sea shall be no more and the exiles shall be set free from the dungeon (Hades). Just as the ancient Israelites passed through the sea to the promised land, so shall the souls imprisoned in Hades cross the river of hate so that they may enter the world-to-come.
16 Thus says the LORD, Who makes a way through the sea And a path through the mighty waters, (Isa 43:16 NAS)
13 He divided the sea, and caused them to pass through; And He made the waters stand up like a heap. (Psa 78:13 NAS)
So important is this symbolism of passing through the waters, that the Red Sea is repeated at the river of Jericho, when God damns the river so that they may yet again crossover.
Yes, even the lake of fire, akin to the river of fire, which is, at most, merely another subsection of Hades, will disappear.
Finally, we can quote Hosea:
14 Shall I ransom them from the power of Sheol? Shall I redeem them from death? O Death, where are your thorns? O Sheol, where is your sting? Compassion will be hidden from My sight.
15 Though he flourishes among the reeds, An east wind will come, The wind of the LORD coming up from the wilderness; And his fountain will become dry, And his spring will be dried up; It will plunder his treasury of every precious article. (Hos 13:14-15 NAS)
In this famous passage, the prophet speaks of how the waters of the dead will become dry, so that the east wind (the very Ruach/Spirit of Messiah who comes like lightning from the east) will come to the Otsar, that is, the treasury of souls where souls return to after death, and Messiah shall plunder this treasury of EVERY precious article.