This short phrase is very powerful because it indicates a finality. If we say there is "no more" of something we mean it is finished, over, or all gone. "No more" appears four times in Revelation 21-22; the chapters that provide a detailed description of Heaven. The beauty of Heaven is shown, not only in what is said to be present, but also in what is said to be missing or what has come to an end.
1. No More Sea (Rev. 21:1). Revelation is a book of signs and symbols in which physical objects are used to represent spiritual truths. The word "sea" is used to represent the transcendence of God (4:6); that which separates man from the presence of God.
The Bible teaches that, as a result of sin, man is presently unable to stand before the presence of God. Moses made this request, and it was denied (Ex. 33:18-20; 1 Tim. 6:15-16). The veil before the holy place, the divisions in the tabernacle, and the ordination of a priesthood emphasized this separation between God and man. Through Christ we can have a greater fellowship with God, but we still cannot come before His actual presence.
However, when we reach Heaven, this separation will be "no more." When we enter Heaven, we will be entering the abiding place of God. There will be nothing separating us from His presence (Rev. 21:22-23, 22:3-5).
2. No More Death (Rev. 21:4). Nothing brings sorrow and crying to man's existence like the reality of death. That which causes our greatest sorrow is "no more" in Heaven. There are no funeral homes, grave markers, mourning or times of separation in Heaven!
One man visited a terminally ill friend and, upon his arrival, he announced, "I see that you are still in the land of the living." The sick man replied, "No, I am still in the land of the dying. I am going to the land of the living." Jesus knew what Heaven is like, and described the death of a faithful child of God as "entering life" (Mark 9:43, 45, 47).
Death is the greatest power of Satan and sin. It is man's greatest fear. In Heaven we are freed from the pain and fear of death.
3. No More Pain (Rev. 21:4). Like death, pain has been a reality since the introduction of sin into the world (Gen 3:16). The Christians of the First Century were experiencing great pain because of their faith. They were threatened, singled out, caused to suffer socially and physically, and many of them were killed as martyrs. Heaven promised a relief from this pain.
We suffer many things today. Pain comes in different forms and in different ways. We suffer physically (injury, sickness, wear and tear, etc.). We suffer emotionally (family problems, injustices, insults, etc.). In Heaven all these pains will be "no more."
4. No More Curse (Rev. 22:3). In this final descriptive phrase we understand why these terrible things are "no more." When man sinned, God pronounced a curse upon the serpent, the world, and then upon Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:14-19). The separation, death, and pain we experience in this life are all a result of the curse of sin. In Heaven the curse of sin is removed and everything goes back to the way things were before sin entered the world.
Faithful Christians long for Heaven because of what is there, but also because of what is missing. Have you made Heaven your eternal home?