Revelation 21:1"And there was no more sea." Really, we don't have any sea?

Question

Revelation 21
21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

"And there was no more sea."
For an old sailor like me, this verse, if it were true, would be one of the saddest verses in the bible.

ROFLOL!

Then you christians will say, "It's metaphorical, God has a way!" Well explain too how it is metaphorical, don't just say, "It's metaphorical" everytime you get stuck!

Answer 1

It is apparent that you know almost nothing about apocalyptic literature (the genre of the Book of Revelation) and that you have not studied the Book of Revelation itself in an effort to understand the writer's intent. This is not a terrible fault on your part. Apocalyptic literature as a genre and the Book of Revelation in particular require some time consuming study to understand. There are just two points here that I will bring to your attention. First, the prophecy about the sea is a futuristic one. John was seeing a prophetic heavenly vision, not a literal unfolding of events. Neither John, nor any one else that has read him (until you that is) has asserted that John thought the sea disappeared at that time.

Furthermore, the images in this apocalyptic revelation are not to be taken literally. I know of no one (until you) who has made such a suggestion. You seem to claim you do not understand the concept of metaphors. I wonder how advanced your schooling is and what your age is. Metaphors are commonly used even in our own language and time. If I say "you are a rock," that is not to be taken literally. The Bible is a very poetic book which uses many metaphors. Jesus said "I am the door." Do you really think anyone (until you) would have taken that literally? He also called himself light and further said that Christians are light. Do you really think anyone takes this literally? Is this really so hard for you to understand?

At this point, since you have asserted yourself in a proud and mocking tone, you are not likely to humble yourself and back down. Go ahead and save face. Still, think about these things later. I believe you will come to understand in time.

Answer 2

There are various interpretations of the book of Revelations, as the very word "revelation" means "to be revealed".
You can not just pick and choose a single verse in the Bible itself, let alone in the book of Revelations, and expect somebody to explain it, without them getting into a long and detailed explanation. Just like any book, it has a story line, and if you were to pick and choose short passages out of it, surly you would never get the full meaning, unless you know the story surrounding it.
The Book of Revelation is filled with prophecies, many fulfilled, and many still yet to be fulfilled.
It often contains symbolism, which much of it is used to explain the prophetic visions of this generation, in the only way somebody thousands of years ago could.
Just think, if you were alive thousands of years ago, and were to get a glimpse into 2007, you would see things that would probably be unexplainable to you, thus making symbolism and analogy pretty much the only way you can explain what you have seen.

LineDancer had a pretty good answer, yet another interpretation would be that "new heaven and new earth" are the 'cosmos,' or the world order that now exists, which will eventually be toast. A pole shift would rearrange the sky that we see and our planet will have come through a major cataclysm, including volcanic eruptions, land risings and sinking, etc. I expect all of this and more as Yahweh (God) cleanses the earth of its parasitic infestation of the Children of Darkness.

In Revelation, 'earth' usually symbolizes the 12 Tribes of Israel (Adamic Christendom). The 'sea' symbolizes the masses of humanity, as distinct from the 'earth.' In Revelation, very little can be taken literally, so "no more sea" would mean a very great reduction in the population of this planet. In other Scriptures, we can conclude that two-thirds of the population of this planet will perish at the Judgment Day. Again, this is only one interpretation, yet there are a few other credible ones out there

Answer 3

Logic tells me that this ("there was no more sea") could NOT be literal.


The correct translation of Revelation 21:1 is this:

I saw as it were a new heaven and a new earth because the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; for the earth had fled and the mountains thereof and there were no more isles of the sea.


John’s presentation here is not a physical transformation of the earth but a spiritual one. He writes previously (in chapter 16) regarding those who isolate themselves from others (“islands”) and those who lift themselves above others (“mountains”):

And every mountain fled away, and the islands were not found. (Revelation 16:21)

"The prophets figuratively characterized those who put themselves above others as “mountains.” Those who isolate themselves from the rest of the world, believing they are more righteous than others, are expressed as “islands.”

Understanding that ALL of Revelation was written figuratively, and are in no way intended to be interpreted as literal, is the first step to becoming free....


This answer comes from a book I read explaining Revelation . It is so easy a child could understand it. The truth has been hidden for hundreds of years and is now available to the world. It is free or can be purchased at the site below. It totally opened my eyes to the truth.

Answer 4

Rev 21:1 describes “a new heaven and a new earth.” No longer do corrupt human systems of government hold control in society, for “the former heaven and the former earth” have passed away. Also, the Devil and his subtle influence have been removed. No longer is there a confused “sea” of humanity, tossed to and fro as they pursue godlessness.

The literal planet will not be destroyed. After all wickedness has been cleared away, then happy times will return. As Rev.21:4 says: "And [God] will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away."

Answer 5

There will be no sea, the New heaven and New earth is in spirit.

What ever happens on earth happens in heaven and what ever happens in heaven happens on earth. Those found worthy have no need for physical things, or to have their sins washed away by the snow waters to the sea.

Answer 6

Look at the context of when it was written, the people then were not big fans of the sea because people became lost in them and never seen again so this is a way to give comfort.

Answer 7

The Bible does quite often use words in a symbolic way, but it also provides the 'key' to translate the symbols.

Isaiah likened the wicked people of earth, the masses alienated from God, to “the sea that is being tossed, when it is unable to calm down, the waters of which keep tossing up seaweed and mire.” (Isa 57:20) At Revelation 17:1, 15 the “waters” on which Babylon the Great “sits” are said to mean “peoples and crowds and nations and tongues.” Isaiah further prophesied to God’s “woman” Zion: “Because to you the wealthiness of the sea will direct itself; the very resources of the nations will come to you.” (Isa 59:20; 60:1, 5) This seems to mean the turning of many persons from among the multitudes of earth toward God’s symbolic “woman.”

Daniel described four “beasts” that came up “out of the sea” and revealed these to be symbolic of political kings or kingdoms. (Da 7:2, 3, 17, 23) Similarly, John spoke of a “wild beast ascending out of the sea,” that is, out of that vast portion of mankind that is estranged from God; and his mention, in symbolic language, of diadems and a throne again links the idea of a political organization with this beast out of “the sea.” (Re 13:1, 2) He also saw in vision the time when there would be “a new heaven and a new earth” and when “the sea,” that is, the turbulent masses of people alienated from God, would be no more.—Re 21:1.

Persons lacking faith. A person who lacks faith, having doubts when he prays to God, is likened by the disciple James to “a wave of the sea driven by the wind and blown about.” He does not recognize or appreciate God’s fine qualities of generosity and loving-kindness. “Let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from Jehovah; he is an indecisive man, unsteady in all his ways,” James declares.—Jas 1:5-8.

Immoral men. James’ brother Jude warns his fellow Christians of the great danger from wicked men who slip into the congregation with the purpose of bringing in moral defilement. He calls them “wild waves of the sea that foam up their own causes for shame.” (Jude 4-13) Jude may have had in mind an earlier expression of Isaiah (57:20) and may be figuratively describing such ones’ passionate, reckless disregard for God’s laws and their rushing against the divinely constituted moral barriers in their degraded, lustful course. As Cook’s Commentary on Jude 13 remarks: “They cast forth to public view the mire and dirt of their excesses . . . So these men foam out their own acts of shame, and cast them forth for all men to see, and so to blame the Church for the ill-deeds of these professors.” Another commentator says: “What they impart is as unsubstantial and valueless as the foam of the ocean waves, and the result is in fact a proclamation of their own shame.”—Barnes’ Notes on the New Testament, 1974; compare Peter’s description of such men at 2Pe 2:10-22.

Answer 8

I never said it was a metaphor (it's not).
I only seem to see atheists and anti-christian call (post) things they don't like are metaphors.

Romans 10
Luke 16:19-31

Answer 9

Revalation is a prophesy of what is going to come...and this part was a vision John saw of the earth as it was being destroyed by the works of the Lord so he would soon create a new paradise.

Answer 10

its a spelling mistake,it should have read"no more seats"