Will There Be No More Oceans in the New Earth?
I want to briefly touch on a verse in the book of Revelation that many believe teaches when Jesus returns, the earth will be wildly different. Namely, that there will no longer be any oceans or ocean life.
Here is what we find in Revelation:
“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
There are some who take this passage literally. They believe that the new earth will have no oceans at all. My view is different. Revelation, like other books of Scripture, is apocalyptic. It contains a myriad of texts that use very figurative language to describe truths. Because Revelation is an apocalyptic genre of writing, we need to include that fact in our method of interpretation. For example, throughout Revelation we see several descriptions of Christ: a slain lamb (Revelation 5:6), a figure with a sharp sword coming out his mouth (Revelation 19:15), one with feet like bronze (Revelation 1:15), etc. None of these should be taken literally. They are descriptions of the character of Christ as seen through a vision John received.
So, I think it wise to also consider the broader context of not only the entire book of Revelation, but all of Scripture when trying to interpret a verse like Revelation 21:1. I don’t think the text is teaching that the new earth will be void of oceans and oceanic life.
When God created the heavens and the earth, he said it was good. (Genesis 1:31) Sin entered the world, and now all creation groans, anticipating Christ’s return to destroy the works of the devil. (Romans 8:22) That being said, I think what the new earth will be like is just like it is right now, minus sin and the results of sin: death, pain, and suffering. One of my favorite theologians, Dr. Derek Thomas, has said that if you want to know what the new earth will be like, just look out your window and take away the curse. It will be Eden all over again. In fact, the book of Revelation ends where the Bible begins: in a garden. The vision given to John is ultimately a complete restoration before the Fall.
So, what about Revelation 21:1 and the mention of no longer any sea? I think the answer lies in the chapters that precede it. Several times we read that evil comes up out of the sea. The sea represents evil. In fact, the Jews believed that evil comes from the sea. In the Old Testament, we read of a Leviathan that lives in the sea. This creature is quite possibly a reference to Satan, or at the very least a reference to evil nations.
When we read in Revelation that there is no longer any sea, I think it’s God’s way of telling us that Satan and his forces are no longer a reality at the judgment. They are permanently banished in the lake of fire. This is what we look forward to when Christ returns. We look forward to having new, physical bodies living forever on a new physical earth devoid of Satan, sin, suffering, and death. We look forward to seeing the face of Jesus Christ. I don’t have reason to think otherwise from Scripture that the new earth will have beautiful oceans full of God’s beautiful oceanic creations.
There are surely those who read this article who will disagree with my interpretation. I understand that. I could be wrong. There may not be seas on the new earth. If that is the case, I think we will be in such a state of bliss we won’t care. But, until Christ returns, I think we do well to interpret Scripture as carefully as we can (2 Timothy 2:15), taking the entire counsel of Scripture as our guide to all interpretations. There are things we should take literally, and there are things that we should take figuratively. The debates arise when scholars are divided on which direction to take.