"And there was no more sea..."

[Lehigh3]

Stormcrow,

I reviewed this thread also, but I tend to think "and there was no more sea" is a reference to the abyss.
I think the first heavens & earth were not limited to "the temple" fixtures alone but to old covenant Israel in which God had said He would make a new covenant...... If we look at the wording in Rev.21:1, "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea." (NKJV)

Well, 2 points here:
1) If we limit it to "the temple" how do we account for the fact that in the new Jerusalem there is "no temple in it?"
2) Rev.21:1's "and there was no more sea" is included with the other prophetic symbols of the natural world-the first heaven & earth. In Revelation 7:1-3 God’s people are marked on their foreheads right before his judgment is poured out on the land and sea (land and sea have the connotation of Jew and Gentile in Revelation ( Rev.13:1,11)

 

[Stormcrow]

Stormcrow,

I reviewed this thread also, but I tend to think "and there was no more sea" is a reference to the abyss.
I think the first heavens & earth were not limited to "the temple" fixtures alone but to old covenant Israel in which God had said He would make a new covenant...... If we look at the wording in Rev.21:1, "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea." (NKJV)

Well, 2 points here:
1) If we limit it to "the temple" how do we account for the fact that in the new Jerusalem there is "no temple in it?"
2) Rev.21:1's "and there was no more sea" is included with the other prophetic symbols of the natural world-the first heaven & earth. In Revelation 7:1-3 God’s people are marked on their foreheads right before his judgment is poured out on the land and sea (land and sea have the connotation of Jew and Gentile in Revelation ( Rev.13:1,11)

While I was researching this issue (before posting this thread), I came across several valuable insights regarding the Temple itself and the furnishings therein.

The Temple was not just a replica of the heavenly Tabernacle, but essentially laid out - in architecture - the story of man's creation, fall, and redemption.

Here are two links you might find interesting:

http://www.askelm.com/temple/t040301.htm

http://www.kjvbible.org/firmament.html

The second one explains how the brazen sea fits into the picture.

As to the question, "If we limit it to "the temple" how do we account for the fact that in the new Jerusalem there is "no temple in it?", well, the verse you cited provides the answer: the Temple "heaven, earth, and sea" is gone! There is no more Temple! And the New Jerusalem has no need of one.

What I'm trying to stress here is that "heaven and earth" is a Hebrew euphemism for the Temple: the place where heaven and earth were united. The brazen sea - as the second link illustrates - may very well refer to the gulf that separated man from God, but that only makes the symbolism even more important!

It was to be filled with pure, unadulterated waters so that the priests could ritually cleanse themselves. It was too tall for the priests to enter from above, so the pure, cleansing water flowed from above into smaller basins wherein the priests could bathe. In other words, this ritual cleansing foreshadows the sanctification and purification provided by God through His Holy Spirit for us, His "royal priesthood."

Hope this helps.

 

[Stormcrow]

@Lehigh...

To extend the heaven and earth metaphor, we are the new heaven and earth...His Temple, the dwelling place of God on earth.

 

[Hitch]

@Lehigh...

To extend the heaven and earth metaphor, we are the new heaven and earth...His Temple, the dwelling place of God on earth.

If not then the H&E of Moses remain after the death and resurrection of Christ

 

[Lehigh3]

While I was researching this issue (before posting this thread), I came across several valuable insights regarding the Temple itself and the furnishings therein.

The Temple was not just a replica of the heavenly Tabernacle, but essentially laid out - in architecture - the story of man's creation, fall, and redemption.

Here are two links you might find interesting:

http://www.askelm.com/temple/t040301.htm

http://www.kjvbible.org/firmament.html

The second one explains how the brazen sea fits into the picture.

As to the question, "If we limit it to "the temple" how do we account for the fact that in the new Jerusalem there is "no temple in it?", well, the verse you cited provides the answer: the Temple "heaven, earth, and sea" is gone! There is no more Temple! And the New Jerusalem has no need of one.

What I'm trying to stress here is that "heaven and earth" is a Hebrew euphemism for the Temple: the place where heaven and earth were united. The brazen sea - as the second link illustrates - may very well refer to the gulf that separated man from God, but that only makes the symbolism even more important!

It was to be filled with pure, unadulterated waters so that the priests could ritually cleanse themselves. It was too tall for the priests to enter from above, so the pure, cleansing water flowed from above into smaller basins wherein the priests could bathe. In other words, this ritual cleansing foreshadows the sanctification and purification provided by God through His Holy Spirit for us, His "royal priesthood."

Hope this helps.

Ah, I think I see what you mean. I noted the "waters above the firmament" before & it's relationship to the 3rd heaven Paul speaks of, but my understanding of the abolition of the "sea" in Rev.21:1 is now much clearer thanks to your 2nd link.
In the construction of Moses' Tabernacle in the wilderness there were three main parts: 1) The outer court, where the brazen altar of sacrifice was. 2) The Holy Place, where the candlestick, table of shewbread, and golden altar of incense were. 3) The Holy of Holies where the Ark of the covenant was. Also note that between parts two and three was a curtain for a partition, which matches the "sea" above the firmament (in type) in the structure of the Three Heavens.


So I wonder if it the waters above the firmament under God's heaven have just changed in what they symbolize now. (ie: the water of life coming from God's throne: the gospel?)

 

[Stormcrow]

So I wonder if it the waters above the firmament under God's heaven have just changed in what they symbolize now. (ie: the water of life coming from God's throne: the gospel?)

I think that's the beauty of the symbolism here: it "works" on a number of different levels. While the sea was used for ritual purification, it can also symbolize the gulf between God and man that only His grace could span. And when viewed in that way, the imagery of pure water flowing from above by which the priests were purified paints a beautiful picture of God's pure "living water" flowing from His throne to us in Christ.

Anyway, that's the way I see it. Thanks for the reply.