Joppa

Israel has about 125 miles of coastline along the Mediterranean Sea. However, ancient Israel did not view this stretch of land in the same way the modern beach-goer does. Back then, the Mediterranean Sea meant chaos, rocky shores, and angry waves. It was a place where rumors of scary weather events came to life, and a place from which an enemy might attack. It’s no wonder that in Revelation 21, as John introduces us to the new heavens and new earth, the first example he uses to describe this magnificent future isn’t an end to the persecuting and oppressive Roman government of the day, a vanishing of sickness and disease, or even the abolishment of death. Instead, he makes this astounding statement: “And there was no more sea.”