Sermon – Revelation 21:1-6 – The Missing Sea

Rev. Jeffrey T. Howard

Sermon – Revelation 21:1-6 –  The Missing Sea

First Presbyterian Church of Ocean City

May 1, 2016

            This is the fifth in a series of sermons drawn from the last book of the Bible, Revelation.  We have seen that this book reveals a hidden spiritual reality that has been revealed for us by Jesus Christ.  The first thing revealed was that Jesus is with us in worship.  Then it was revealed that he is present with us sitting on a throne as a sacrificed lamb who paid for our sins.  He is also a shepherd gathering the souls of the Christian dead into Heaven.  And this is part of an extended period of time when Jesus rules from heaven after binding Satan when Jesus came the first time.  The promise is that Jesus will come again and evil will be no more. The 21^st chapter of Revelation begins this way.

Revelation 21:1 Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”^[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

            “There was no longer any sea.”  This may sound like bad news here in Ocean City.  We depend on the sea.  We eat fish, crabs and oysters from the sea.  The livelihood of our community comes from the visitors who play on the sea shore every summer.  The Atlantic Ocean just two blocks away is beautiful.  So the last thing we want is for the sea to be no more.  But I assure you, that this is good news.  We will get to this, but first let’s pray.

            “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments.” (Revelation 19: 1-2)

            Revelation tells us that there will be a new heaven and a new earth because the old heaven and old earth have passed away.  And in this process the sea will be removed.  To understand what is going on here we have to look at the first creation and for this we turn to the first book of the Bible.

Genesis 1:2a   In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep,

            “Darkness was over the deed.”  Picture yourself in a small wooden boat just off the coast of Ocean City.  The waters are calm.  The warmth of the sun in comforting.  But suddenly the winds pick up.  The waves are beating against the side of your boat.   The rain pours down.  Thunder and lightning are everywhere.  You are helplessly pushed further and further away from the coast until you can no longer see land.  Then the sun goes down and heavy clouds block the moon and the stars.  The world you experience is in deep darkness over the surface of the deep.  This is what the world would be like without God’s creative power.  Let’s see what happens next.

Genesis 1:2b  and the Spirit (wind) of God was hovering over the waters.

            Suddenly out in the darkness and the deep a breeze picks up.  You raise you sail and God takes control of your boat.  You are comforted because God is in control.  Then this happens.

Genesis 1:3 And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

            And with this light you can see the coast.  God’s wind is guiding you westward toward safe harbor.  You are saved be God.

            This is what the original creation was like.  The world started with the deep, a sea filled with dangerous sharks that could eat you, giant whales that could overturn your boat, and jagged rocks that could rip open a hole in your hull.  In ancient times the sea was a symbol of evil.  It was frightening place.  But with God’s wind in your sail and God’s light it could also be a place of beauty and plenty.  And so filled with faith in the Lord ancient Hebrew fishermen would set sail confident in God’s protection and would return with the bounty of the sea.

            Ancient people feared the sea.  We hear this prayer from the Psalmist.

Psalm 68:14  Rescue me from the mire, do not let me sink; deliver me from those who hate me, from the deep waters.

            The sea was a symbol of evil for ancient people.  It stood for things that separate us from God.  This is best seen in the story of the Exodus.  The people of God were enslaved in Egypt.  God sent Moses to Pharaoh to tell him to let God’s people go into the wilderness to worship God.   The people of God were blocked from worship by Pharaoh and separated from God by the Red Sea.  But God removed the sea so that his people could find and worship him.  Here is what happened.

Exodus 14:21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

            By removing the sea God eliminated the barrier between God and his people.  God’s people were free to worship him.   The same is true for us.  Evil separates us from God and enslaves us to sin.  The symbol of this evil is the sea.  Only by removing the sea completely, by fully destroying evil, can we come close to our God. 

            According to Revelation the sea is the home of Satan.  We read in the 12^th chapter.

Revelation 12:12  Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”

            And it is from the sea that a great beast emerges to menace the earth.

Revelation 13:1 The dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. It had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on its horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.

            And according to Revelation the sea is the repository of all evil on earth. 

Revelation 18:21  Then a mighty angel picked up a boulder the size of a large millstone and threw it into the sea, and said: “With such violence the great city of Babylon will be thrown down, never to be found again.

            And the faithful who have died at sea will be raised to new life.

Revelation 20:13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done.

            So what will happen to the sea, the source of evil that separates us from our God.  What will happen to the devil, and the dragon, and beast, the all the evil on earth?  Well listen again to the good news.

Revelation 21:1  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.

            All that separates us from our God will be removed.  All evil will be destroyed.  There will be no more temptation and no more sin.  And with that we are no longer separated from our God.    And so it is time for a wedding, joining us and our God together forever.

2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

            The promise of scripture is that heaven and earth will come together.  Nothing, anymore, will separate us from our God.  The hidden spiritual reality that now exists will become our eternal reality.             All of this is unbelievable.  How can this happen?  How can it be true?  Well, here is what God said.

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life.

            And with that the sea, the source of evil, is completely destroyed and replace by a spring.  And those who drink from the waters of this spring will enjoy eternal life.    This is all good news.  God will destroy the evil that separates us from him.  Then heaven will come down to earth and God, the scarified lamb on the throne, will rule for eternity in justice and righteousness.

            And as believers all of us will be there.  We will be invited to join with God at a great banquet.  In a few moments we will gather around this table as a foretaste of this banquet.  But in the meantime remember that until the sea is removed, heaven and earth are still separated, and so in this banquet we will be spiritually lifted up to dine with Jesus in heaven.  Let’s pray.

Revelation 19: 6 “Hallelujah!  For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!  For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.  8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”  Amen.