Revelation 21:1
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.
It is only fitting that born-again people in glorified (born-again) bodies should live in a new (born-again) environment. The Redemption Story would not be complete if our spirits were regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and our bodies redeemed in the resurrection but our habitat were left untouched. Praise God that our threefold salvation shall be complete in the eschaton!
Furthermore, there shall be no more sea. Note that in Hebraic thinking, the sea symbolises that hostile, mysterious, untamed and chaotic medium, which is inhabited by Leviathan and hybrid monsters, which God will destroy in the last days (see Isaiah 27:1, Daniel 7:1-13). Praise God that there shall be total order, security and peace in the world. Thank God for the Prince of Peace and our living hope!
Moreover, the sea symbolises division and separation. It’s the oceans that separate one continent from another. As we speak, there are vast divisions among the peoples of the world and among ourselves in our families and communities. Thank God that the evils of discrimination, strife and schisms shall come to an end! One day we shall all live with our loved ones in unbroken fellowship. We shall all get together as one in the love of God.
Thirdly, the sea symbolises change, instability and inconstancy. There’s is a wild and menacing unpredictability that today’s oceans embody. Storms and tempests that wreck our joy and ruin our endeavours–that’s the sea today. But, thank God that in Paradise our joy shall be boundless, our tranquillity will be unlimited and our peace uninterrupted. That’s our living hope!
Pastor Josh