February 14: THE WORLD TO COME (part 2)
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. Revelation 21:1
No more sea in a literal sense means no more vast oceans of salty, undrinkable water. Seas also represent separation from loved ones. Throughout history, many who made perilous attempts to cross them were never seen again. John the Revelator was a very old man on a lonely, barren, rocky penal island surrounded on every side by an undulating, unfriendly sea. The view of a salty, uncrossable expanse in every direction must have been depressing, especially as he thought back on his fellow disciples, all of which had been martyred. His vision of the new earth must have been thrilling! The memory of this amazing sight surely fueled his hope for the future as he lived out his earthly life.
The beauty of the new earth that John saw was no doubt breathtaking: a panorama of colorful meadows, rolling hills, tall trees, lush greenery, abundant flowers swaying in a gentle breeze, and blooming shrubs – all amid winding, sparkling rivers and graceful lakes peacefully reflecting the Edenic beauty of the landscape. Such a vast display of pristine beauty we can scarcely imagine…
Another aspect of the new earth in regard to John’s observation, no more sea, has to do with the symbolic metaphor of the sea as stirred-up waters, continually subject to the winds of strife. Such waters represent multitudes of people (17:15) involved in conflict, discord, and oppression – especially the oppression of God’s people. Daniel’s dream of the succession of world empires that would press the hardest against God’s people was vivid and detailed (see Daniel 7). It led to the empire that would dominate in the days of Christ: pagan Rome. It even followed the course of history that would see pagan Rome develop into papal Rome, which will exist to the very end of this fallen world (vv.11,26).
Worldly organizations that, in the past, stepped into the role of oppressing God’s people are beasts that came up from the sea (7:3). Here, sea meant densely populated areas of the world. Each beast that Daniel saw had characteristics and influences passed around from culture to culture. These traits “added up” to the conglomerate sea beast that John described in Revelation 13. I saw a beast rising up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and on his horns ten crowns, and on his heads a blasphemous name. Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard (characteristics from Greek culture), his feet were like the feet of a bear (Medo-Persian influence), and his mouth like the mouth of a lion (Babylonian man-centered philosophy and speech) (vv.1-2). As an eye-witness and victim of many of the cruelties inflicted by pagan Rome, it is no wonder that John chose to point out: Also, there was no more sea. Amen and amen!
Earlier in John’s vision, he was given a joyful sneak preview of saved people from all nations who will come victoriously, by God’s grace, through the intense last days of earth, their faith gloriously intact. Do you want to be in that number? I do!
After these things I looked and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10