REVELATION 21:1

One of the most puzzling statements in an already puzzling book is found in this verse, which describes the New Earth in which “the sea was no more.” Hoekema, for example, states, “There is a difference of opinion on the question of whether the words 'and the sea was no more' should be understood literally or figuratively.” But he fails to point out that even those (majority of scholars) who treat it as figurative do not always agree with one another although they all recognize that the sea must represent something undesirable. . Below are some of the comments that have been made regarding the meaning of this verse. You will note that the figurative explanations really all tend to meld into one another and do not differ in any appreciable degree.

Literal Interpretation

It is generally the dispensationalists who hold to this opinion, and they usually do not even attempt to explain why the sea should be absent in the New Earth. Walvoord states, “In contrast with the present earth which has most of its surface covered by water, no large body of water will be on the new earth...No landmarks whatever are given concerning the new earth, and nothing is known of its characteristics, vegetation, color, or form.” And elsewhere he only comments, “The physical characteristics of it [the New Earth] differ widely from the present earth...”

Forces of Chaos

By contrast, the more liberal writers tend to stress the influences that the the myths of neighboring cultures had on biblical writings. Thus, McGinn states, “The apocalyptic authors used the ancient Near Eastern combat myth, which saw the formation of the world as the result of the victory of the divine warrior over the monsters of the watery chaos, to give meaning to present and future events.”

Ellul: “This mention is curious, simply because, though it was not the power of chaos, it had been its image: even that must disappear from the new creation.”

Symbol of What is Feared

“The Hebrews displayed little interest in, or enthusiasm for, the sea. Probably their fear of the ocean stemmed from the ancient Semitic belief that the deep personified the power that fought against the deity.” (Thomson)

C. John Collins first takes issue with those who treat the sea as an opponent of God: “There is no indication that the 'deep' [in Genesis 1:1] is any kind of opponent to God; indeed, in the rest of the Bible it does his bidding and praises him (compare Gen. 7:11; 8:2; 49:25; Pss. 33:7; 104:6; 135:6; 148:7; Prov. 3:20; 8:28). And since God names the darkness (Gen. 1:5), there is no reason to believe that it opposes his will, either. Waltke appeals to texts such as Rev. 21:1,25, where the new heavens and new earth will have no sea or night...” Collins then turns to what he believes is a better explanation, i.e. “that the seer used these symbols for what fallen man fears rather than as comments on the moral status of sea and night in themselves.”

Separation and Insubordination

“The sea was to the Jews a symbol of separation (not, as to the Greeks, a means of communication); moreover, throughout the Bible it symbolizes restless insubordination (cf. Job 38:8-11; Ps. 89:9; Isa. 57:20), and in Rev. 13:1 it casts up the system which incarnates hostility to God and His people. Naturally, then, there is no room for it in the new creation.” (Bruce)
Barrier to Peace

Hoekema states that “the sea in the rest of the Bible, particularly in the book of Revelation (cf. 13:1; 17:15), often stands for that which threatens the harmony of the universe, the absence of the sea from the new earth means the absence of whatever would interfere with that harmony.”

Satan

Mabie offers the opinion that “the likely relationship between Leviathan [Psalm 104:24-30] and the creatures of the book of Revelation should be noted. These creatures – a 'great red dragon having seven heads' that 'spews water like a river from its mouth' (Rev 12:3,15) and a beast from the sea having 'seven heads' (Rev 13:1 [cf. Rev 17:3]) – function as the personification of rebellion against divine order (i.e. chaos) and as such provide an ideal image for Satan (cf. Rev 12:9; 20:2) in the unfolding of an overarching eschatological schema.”

Turbulence and Unrest

“The sea [is] the primeval force of turbulence and unrest (Gen 1.2; Ps 29.3,10).” (Ruiz)

Evil

Beasley-Murray: “The assertion that the sea is no more has in mind the current personification of the sea as the quintessence of evil; whatever else is meant here, therefore, the main sentiment is the exclusion of evil from the new order of life.”

“The final doom of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet is to be cast alive into the lake of burning sulphur...The sea, the domain of the beast, will finally be destroyed as well – not merely pushed back but dried up (Rev 21:1).” (Beagley)

“The new creation is more than just a restoration of the original creation. In it there will be 'no longer any sea' (Rev 21:1), whereas in the first creation the 'sea,' the primeval source of evil (cf. Rev 13:1), remained as the potential threat to the cosmos (Gen 1:2; 7:11).” (Kim)

And the footnote to this verse in the Jerusalem Bible reads: “The sea symbolises evil because it was the home of the dragon, cf. Jb 7:12+; it will vanish as it did at the Exodus, but this time for ever, before the triumphant advance of the new Israel, cf. Is 51:9-10; Ps 74:13,14; Jb 26:12-13; Is 27:1.”

Demonic Force

Bocher says that “the sea threatens life (e.g. that of a seafarer, Acts 28:4; 2 Cor 11:26) and so belongs on the side of the demonic and that which opposes God. The Revelation of John, in particular, extends traditions of Jewish apocalyptic, in its conception of the sea as a personal power (Rev. 7:2f) which will be overcome in the last days so that it...must surrender its dead (Rev. 20:13) and finally possess no more right to existence (Rev. 21:1).”

Conclusion

Beale feels that the “use here probably summarizes how all these various nuances of 'sea' throughout the book relate to the new creation...While all these meanings of 'sea' are in mind here, the allusion to Isaiah 65 and the immediate context [in conjunction with the absence of mourning and death in 21:4] suggest a focus on the sea as representing the threat of tribulation for God's people, which will no longer exist in the eternal state.”