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1 And[kai] I saw[eido] a new[kainos] heaven[ouranos] and[kai] a new[kainos] earth:[ge] for[gar] the first[protos] heaven[ouranos] and[kai] the first[protos] earth[ge] were passed
away;[parerchomai] and[kai] there was[esti] no[ou] more[eti] sea.[thalassa] KJV-Interlinear
1 And I saw a
new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed
away, and there is no longer any sea. NASB
The ultimate destination of life, is heaven. We are all on this earth temporarily, and have never been placed here on a permanent basis. One of the fundamental principles of Christianity is that we are strangers and exiles on this earth, waiting only for our permanent home in heaven, 1 Chron 29:15; Psa. 119:19; Heb 11:13-16; 1 Peter 2:11
Our citizenship is in heaven, not this earth, Phil. 3:20.
One of our primary mandates, among many others, is to be focused on Heaven, to seek the things above, not the things of this earth, Col. 3:1-2.
To love the world is to love something that is going to cease in its existence. To love heaven is to love something that will go on forever, 1 Jn. 2:15-17.
Everything of importance exists in heaven. Believers who have successfully run the race of life and have died are in heaven, Heb 12:23. Believers' names are recorded in heaven, Rev. 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12,15; 21:27; Phil 4:3, believers are citizens of heaven, Phil 3:20, believers' inheritance is in heaven, 1 Peter 1:4, believers' reward and treasure is in heaven, Matt 5:12, 19:21.
Where your treasure is (heaven), your heart should be too, Lk. 12:34. Unfortunately too many people see their treasure here in this world, rather than heaven. If you set your mind on the things of heaven (Bible doctrine), then you will not set your mind on the things of this world, Rom. 8:5-6. And by thinking doctrine, you will be less likely to become ensnared by the enticements, distractions, and deceptions of this world.
Heaven is an actual place. The Bible refers to three heavens, 2 Cor 12:2. The first heaven is the earth's atmosphere, Gen 1:20; Job 12:7; Ezek 38:20; the second heaven is interplanetary and interstellar space, Gen 15:5; 22:17; Deut 1:10; 4:19; Ps 8:3; Isa 13:10; and the third heaven is the dwelling place of God, Deut 4:39; 1 Kings 8:30; Job 22:12; Ps 14:2; Dan 2:28; Matt 5:34; Acts 7:55; Heb 9:24; 1 Peter 3:22.
Christ is presently preparing a place for believers in heaven, John 14:2-3; 1 Thess 4:16-17.
Relative to earth, Heaven is referred to as, up, Rev. 4:1; 2 Cor 12:2. Though heaven is far beyond the created world in even possibly in another dimension, when believers die they will be there immediately, Cor 5:8. Those believers alive at the Rapture will also be transported from the earth, to heaven, 1 Thess 4:13-18; 1 Cor 15:51-55.
And now in our current verse, the current heaven, and current earth, will cease to exist, and be replaced with a new heaven and a new earth. However, remember that we have three heavens. The third heaven is the home of God and will not be replaced. Only that which is in this universe (two heavens in the plural) will be destroyed and then replaced, Isa. 65:17, 66:22.
The word for new, 'kainos,' refers to new in the sense of fresh, virgin, something that has never existed or touched before. The new heaven and earth will be totally unlike the current one, and will not be some form of revision of the current one. The old world will not merely blow up and then be reformed into a new world out of the same material. The old world will disintegrate completely out of existence as though it had never existed. A new universe will be created out of nothing, as it were, and will have nothing to do with the old. The new universe will be far, far better.
Passed away, 'parerchomai,' means to go completely out of existence with no residue, with no evidence that it ever existed, Job 15:15, Isa. 24:5, Psa. 102:25-26, Lk. 21:33.
And then there will be no more sea.
This has three possible meanings. One is that there will be no oceans. A second possibility is that there will no longer be the emptiness of space, ie., planets, moons, stars, and the vacuum in between. These seem unlikely as there would be lots of folks, namely sailors who are certain to long for smooth seas and fair winds in heaven.
The third possibility is that it is a reference to the removal of the unrest of nations, no longer the attribute of disorder, violence, unrests that are an integral part of this current universe, Isa 57:20; Ps 107:25-28; Ezek 28:8.
The sea is the first of seven evils that John says will no longer exist, the other six evils being death, mourning, weeping, pain, Rev. 21:4, the curse, Rev. 22:3, and night, Rev. 21:25; 22:5.
