In describing the "New Jerusalem," the coming Kingdom of God, John writes:

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. (Revelation 21:1, NIV)

Does this mean that, when the Kingdom comes in its fullness, there will no longer be any oceans or beautiful beaches?

In the Ancient Near East, the "sea" served as a common symbol for the forces of evil and chaos. The origin of this symbol goes back at least as far as the Babylonian creation myth, which recounts how Marduk, the god of light and order, defeated Tiamat (or "Leviathan"), the seven-headed sea monster goddess of darkness and chaos. Marduk sliced her body into two halves, making heaven from one and earth from the other. So the creation of the cosmos results from the victory of a good god over the sea and the sea monster, the forces of evil and chaos.

Building on this cultural tradition, Jewish and Christian apocalyptic writers also use the "sea" as an image for chaos and evil.

 In the Old Testament, Daniel writes:

In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea. (Daniel 7:2-3)

In context, each wild "beast" symbolizes an empire, a political power that opposes God and persecutes His people Israel. Accordingly, Daniel pictures them as emerging from the "sea," that great reservoir of evil and chaos.

In the New Testament, John adapts Daniel's symbolism to speak of political powers hostile to Christ and his Church:

And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads (like Leviathan), with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. (Revelation 13:1)

Revelation also contains a beautiful three-part symbol involving the "sea." First, in chapter 4, John sees a vision of God's heavenly throne:

Before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. (Revelation 4:6)

Here the "sea," symbolizing the forces of evil and chaos, remains perfectly calm, perfectly still, "like a sea of glass" without a single ripple. What has "tamed" the forces of evil, subduing them before God's throne? The context points to the cross of Christ, where the "Lamb of God" won the decisive victory over evil by dying as our sacrifice for sin:

...with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation...Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain! (Revelation 5:9, 12)

Note that the "sea" still exists, but Christ has robbed it of much of its power.

This calm sea appears a second time in Revelation 15:

And I saw what looked like a sea of glass mixed with fire and, standing beside the sea, those who had been victorious over the beast.... (Revelation 15:2)

The people beside the sea symbolize Christians ("the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus" -- Rev 14:12). John pictures them "standing beside the sea," just as Israel stands by the Red Sea in Exodus 14-15. Like Israel, these Christians have "passed through the waters." They've had a painful, difficult journey, full of trouble, persecution, and even martyrdom. The "sea" was "mixed with fire." But now at last they stand safe and dry on the far "shore" at the end of time. Like Israel, they sing "the song of Moses" -- a song of victory over their enemies (Revelation 15:3-4).

Finally, John mentions the "sea" once more in chapter 21:

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. (Revelation 21:1)

When Christ returns and carries out the Final Judgment, the "sea" -- all evil -- will cease to exist.

Reflect...

1. Read the story of Israel crossing the Red Sea in Exodus 14-15. Read also Psalm 74:12-14. How does this Psalm present God's defeat of the Egyptian army as a victory over "Leviathan," the forces of evil and chaos?
   
   
2. Read Isaiah's description of God's final victory in Isaiah 25:21-27:1. How does it compare to John's vision in Revelation 21:1?
   
   
3. Read Revelation 21. In what other ways does John describe the "New Jerusalem" as the end of evil? (See verses 4, 8, and 27.)
   
   
4. Read Genesis 3:17-19. Against this background, what does Revelation 22:3 mean when it says, "No longer will there be any curse?"

Christopher A. Davis, Ph.D.
Professor of New Testament
Hope International University
Fullerton, California

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