Will The Sun, Moon, Earth And Sea Be No More In Heaven?

Will the sun, moon and seas be no more, as it says in Revelation and in the Book of Isaiah?

The Word

There is only one thing that has always existed and it is God. Make that the Three Persons Who have always existed forever; God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Nothing else existed before God and everything that exists now owes its thanks to God. The Apostle John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1), so God was before everything and everyone, but also God is the Creator of everything and everyone. This means that Jesus “was in the beginning with God” (John 1:2), but it also means that “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). When God creates something, it is always good (Gen 1:12), but not only does God abide forever, His Word does too. The Bible says that “the word of the Lord remains forever” (1 Pet 1:25), and “The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever” (Isaiah 40:8). The Word also tells us that “A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever” (Eccl 1:4), and since Jesus is God, His Word also abides forever, saying, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matt 24:25). We must all agree with the Psalmist: “Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens” (Psalm119:89), but what of verses that say, “the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more” (Rev 21:1b)? If these pass away, then where will New Jerusalem or the Kingdom of God be established?

“A generation goes, and a generation comes, but the earth remains forever” (Eccl 1:4).

The Earth

The Apostle John “saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more” (Rev 21:1), so what happened to the old earth? The Apostle Peter says that the earth is in for a scorching. He writes that on “the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed” (2 Pet 3:10). He says that “all these things are thus to be dissolved” (2 Pet 3:11), meaning the heavens, heavenly bodies, and the earth itself are going to be purified by fire. This doesn’t mean the earth ceases to exist because John says after the first earth and heaven have passed away (been burned with fire), he sees “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev 21:2). There must be something for the New Jerusalem to land on, and there is…a new earth and a New Jerusalem, but it’s nothing like the old. The Prophet Isaiah wrote, “For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind” (65:17), so the earth’s not going away…it’ll just go through an extreme makeover. Jesus did say, “Behold, I am making all things new” (Rev 21:5), but He doesn’t say He’s going to destroy the earth. The earth will only undergo purification by fire.

The Sea

Even though the Israelites were not a seafaring people throughout their history, they did have a prominent naval force and cargo shipping fleet. It reached its peak under King Solomon, and Greek and Egyptian archeologists have noted the special maritime capabilities of the Tribe of Dan and the nation of Israel, however Israel’s naval forces never matched those of the powerful Roman or Phoenician Fleets of the time. These powers dominated the Mediterranean Sea for hundreds of years. Although there is no historical or biblical evidence that the Jews feared the oceans or seas, they did have a history of entering into the seas, particularly, the Red Sea. Shortly after Pharaoh freed Israel, he changed his mind and caught up with Israel. And there they were…with their backs to the Red Sea and the Egyptian army on the other. Both represented death for Israel, but God was with them and He suspended the physical laws of nature and allowed the children of Israel to pass through in safety, but the same Sea that brought safety to Israel, brought death to Egypt. God is God and He does as He pleases, but the Scripture that says “the sea shall was no more” (Rev 21:1) doesn’t necessarily mean there won’t be oceans or seas in the Kingdom of God. The oceans or seas will all be boiled away from the fire that the earth will undergo, as the Apostle Peter mentioned, (2 Pet 3:10-11), but there may be oceans, lakes, and rivers on the new earth, so the sea being no more may have more to do with the end of death itself than the oceans not existing anymore (Rev 21:4).

The Sun and the Moon

“And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Rev 21:23).

Finally, John writes about the New Jerusalem where he “saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb” (Rev 21:22-23). Previously, having the sun for daylight meant we didn’t have to walk around in the dark, we could work, play, and do whatever we needed with the life-giving sunshine lighting our way, but now the Lamb of God and His majestic, brilliant glory fill the temple and the sun itself pales in comparison. He not only lights our way…He is the way (John 14:6). The sun still may give her light, but compared to the Shekinah glory of God in Jesus Christ, the sun’s light will be overcome. His glory will be so bright that the sun might look like the moon in the daytime. The moon may not even be visible in the New Jerusalem…maybe not even the sun. When Christ comes to begin His rule and reign, not a billion suns could be greater than His glory. They won’t need the sun in the New Jerusalem because “By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there” (Rev 21:24-25). Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Then, even the dark of night is gone forever.

Conclusion

We cannot say with assurance there will be no more seas in the kingdom of God, or that the sun, earth, and moon will no longer exist, but what we can say with 100% confidence is that “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4), and not only that, “the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God” (Rev 21:3). Sea or no sea, sun or no sun, I want to be in His presence. That’s all that matters. And it could be today as Jesus said “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus” (Rev 22:20)!

Here is some related reading for you: What Does the Bible Say Heaven is Like?

Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version^® (ESV^®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Tagged as: Heaven, Kingdom of God, New Jerusalem