Mining Deeper in the Word: Heart of the Seas

Revelation 16

3 The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea, and it became blood as of a dead man. Every living thing in the sea died.

The second angel poured out his bowl into the sea

This study will follow a different format as we explore a single word in this passage – the sea.

We begin with an outline of this concept/symbol that involves both the literal and symbolic history of the sea, unpacking each step of this outline as we examine passages related to that aspect.

Literal seas and/or figurative seas

History of the Sea

Divine Order versus Chaos and GMO

Dividing and Reordering to restore Egalitarian Unity

versus

Co-mingling or Overwhelming to impose Hierarchal Uniformity

Commerce and the Sea

Meanings of the symbol of Sea

Satan’s affect on and/or use of the Sea

Heaven’s interactions with the Sea

Issues of the Heart

The Heart of the Earth

Jesus’ rescue mission to the heart of the Earth

The Millstone connection and the Sea

The Heart of the Sea

Satan’s demise in the heart of the Seas

Why is it important to spend so much time on just one prophetic symbol? I am discovering how this symbol is one of the key ways God explains the broad comprehensive nature of the ongoing war between light and darkness that affects all creation ever since the launch of the insurrection by His most gifted being Lucifer. Here we will review references revealing how this key word is used both symbolically and/or in reference to literal bodies of water. We examine the first mention of this word in Scripture, but also discover how this symbol is used preceding even that.

Literal seas and/or figurative seas

Many references to the sea are obviously literal while others are clearly figurative. Additionally some references combine both. Yet because of our penchant to move to something else once we decide something is literal, in doing so we can fail to uncover important symbolic truths involved. Here is an example from the account of the great flood of Noah.

The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ship, and it was lifted up above the earth. The waters prevailed, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ship floated on the surface of the waters. The waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered. (Genesis 7:17-19)

It is easy to assume that this is merely a story of literal waters and how they inundated the entire planet. Yet if we become aware that stories in the Bible, including the creation account, are saturated with vital symbolism of far greater truths we can discern that this passage contains much more than simply information that water covered all the land during Noah’s flood. When we include the spiritual aspect of what transpired leading up to this as the cause for the flood, our understanding can grasp how the wickedness and total depravity that prevailed exceedingly in the hearts of people all over the earth paralleled what is described here in relation to the waters.

Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart. (Genesis 6:5-6)

Our perceptions and appreciation of history and prophecy can be greatly expanded when we see the connection between nature and the moral condition of those living on earth. Thus when it says the waters prevailed, and again they prevailed greatly over the whole earth, we can begin to realize that this was a reflection or possibly even an inevitable consequence of the refusal of humanity to repent and allow God’s principles to have authority over even the nature around them. When humans become obsessed with co-mingling what is not designed to be mingled, they are under the influence of the enemy who delights in distorting and amalgamation in violation of God’s design for everything to reproduce after its own kind. This defaces the image of God in creation and advances the goals of the enemy to discredit God as being the originator of chaos and suffering when in truth it is the opposite.

Here are other passages where the sea is used more symbolic than literal.

I have found David, my servant. I have anointed him with my holy oil,... In my name, his horn will be exalted. I will set his hand also on the sea, and his right hand on the rivers. (Psalms 89:20-25)

Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, says "My people who dwell in Zion, don't be afraid of the Assyrian, though he strike you with the rod, and lift up his staff against you, as Egypt did.....

His rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up like he did against Egypt. It will happen in that day, that his burden will depart from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil. (Isaiah 10:24-27)

Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because your heart is lifted up, and you have said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet you are man, and not God, though you did set your heart as the heart of God-- (Ezekiel 28:2)

I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. (Revelation 21:1)

In this last verse it is important to keep in mind the nuances of between the literal and symbolic. The entire book of Revelation is to be approached as primarily symbolic, so when John says there is no more sea in the new earth, it doesn’t preclude there being large bodies of water to accommodate marine life God created in the beginning. Rather it more likely relates to the present condition of our planet being mostly covered by oceans. This was not the condition previous to the flood. Rather this is a symbol of the history of how the seas of wickedness have dominated this world, but will be completely absent after the final events as described in the closing chapters have been completed.¹

After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree. (Revelation 7:1)

I saw another great and marvelous sign in the sky: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them God's wrath is finished. I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who overcame the beast, his image, and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. (Revelation 15:1-2)

There are many passages that refer to the sea as symbolic with no connection to a literal body of water. We will consider more in this study, but begin with reviewing the history of this word.

History of the Sea

The first mention of sea is found in the creation account in Genesis 1.

God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse sky. There was evening and there was morning, a second day. God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;" and it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters he called Seas. God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:7-10)

While this is the first occurrence of the word Seas, we will learn this is not the first point in time this symbol refers to. Long before God orchestrated the emergence of perfect beauty and order on this planet, out of darkness and chaos describing the condition in Genesis 1, Satan had caused chaos and brought in darkness that affected the surrounding universe. What is described in Genesis 1:2 is prophetic inference to the spiritual and emotional conditions existing around the universe as well as how God chose to respond to the problems brought about as a result of Satan’s rebellion.

Divine Order versus Chaos (GMO issues)

One of the main contentions that launched this war was the assertion that God’s governance contained faults and lacked sufficient security to deter problems that might arise from granting too much freedom to intelligent beings. Such assertions in reference to order and security are not new in our time, for this was how Lucifer’s originally gained traction for his insinuations and doubts about God’s style of leadership long before this world came to be. As we shall see, prophetic language uses the metaphor of seas as central for describing the activity of commerce. The concept of commerce directly influenced every other issue, but first we explore the contrast between God’s way of relating to His created beings to Lucifer’s proposed improvements for God’s design that were unacceptable.

We live in a world defined by Satan’s design of reward and punishment as the most effective way to maintain social order. What we often fail to appreciate is how underlying faulty principles affect our conclusions, perpetuating a wrong direction because our moral compass has been damaged. To put it simply, the principles of heaven as seen in the original creation account, reflect the way the Godhead has interacted from eternity past. The principles of agape love are eternal and are life; they are the only way to maintain joy, peace, safety, happiness and bring true security. Any alternative disrupts these parameters and upsets the delicate balance for order in perfect freedom as designed by God.

In the first 3 days of creation we find a unique and important element included in the deeper meaning of the word create. Particularly as it comes to dealing with the chaos caused by Satan and his incessant slander and accusations against God’s integrity, Genesis reveals how God works to first separate what has been improperly combined. Then the separate parts can be restored to the way they were designed to be, recovering the glory of love that is the purpose of creation to reflect God’s essence.

Dividing and Reordering to restore Egalitarian Unity

God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness. (Genesis 1:3-4)

God said, "Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters." God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. God called the expanse sky. There was evening and there was morning, a second day. (Genesis 1:6-8)

When we view this as metaphor and not merely a literal account of physical creation, amazing insights emerge. Take for instance the meaning of the word translated here as expanse, or in other versions as firmament. In Hebrew this word does refer to firmament or sky. But the Greek word used in the Septuagint offers an even more interesting definition. That word means something established, that is, (abstractly) confirmation (stability): - stedfastness.

In the creation account the function of this sky or atmosphere was to keep the waters above separated from the waters below. From that perspective we find great importance for this air-filled space as being established, stedfast, something to maintain stability. This is opposite of chaos. God creates order, harmony and beauty out of chaos, Yet He first divides, implying that things were improperly mixed before. This is a pattern useful to gain other discoveries throughout this study.

God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;" and it was so. God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters he called Seas. God saw that it was good. (Genesis 1:9-10)

This separation of water from land is happens by the word of God. Not only have the waters been separated or divided the previous day by insertion of a stabilizing atmosphere, but here the lower waters are further restricted to allow dry land to appear. But this also involves gathering together. Thus in the history of this word used to convey important prophetic insights, we discern principles of creation design. In this account we see God dividing that apparently is necessary before a fuller restoration of His design can be achieved. And the goal of these creative acts is stability.

Here is another instance where we see this pattern of God dividing waters to bring freedom and restore healthy stability.

Lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go into the midst of the sea on dry ground.

Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. The children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand, and on their left. (Exodus 14:16, 21-22)

This story not only involves dividing waters in a most spectacular manner, but even while the waters were being divided, God was also affecting darkness and light by placing cloud of His presence between the Israelites and the pursuing Egyptian army bent on destroying them.

Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel's army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long. (Exodus 14:19-20 NIV)

For the horses of Pharaoh went in with his chariots and with his horsemen into the sea, and Yahweh brought back the waters of the sea on them; but the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea. Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand; and all the women went out after her with tambourines and with dances. Miriam answered them, "Sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea." (Exodus 15:19-21)

Here we find this familiar pattern of the old song or the Song of Moses in our study of chapter 15. This is different from what God wants us to replace it with – the New Song or the Song of the Lamb. What I am coming to realize is that God’s people need to come to rely entirely on the Song of the Lamb as their only anthem if they will find victory over all the powers of darkness.

Here are a more examples involving the sea and God’s activity separate or divide for the purpose of establishing His original design.

Awake, awake, put on strength, arm of Yahweh; awake, as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. Isn't it you who did cut Rahab in pieces, who pierced the monster? Isn't it you who dried up the sea, the waters of the great deep; who made the depths of the sea a way for the redeemed to pass over? The ransomed of Yahweh shall return, and come with singing to Zion; and everlasting joy shall be on their heads: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

I, even I, am he who comforts you: who are you, that you are afraid of man who shall die, and of the son of man who shall be made as grass; and have forgotten Yahweh your Maker, who stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; and fear continually all the day because of the fury of the oppressor, when he makes ready to destroy? and where is the fury of the oppressor?

The captive exile shall speedily be freed; and he shall not die and go down into the pit, neither shall his bread fail. For I am Yahweh your God, who stirs up the sea, so that the waves of it roar: Yahweh of Armies is his name. I have put my words in your mouth, and have covered you in the shadow of my hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and tell Zion, You are my people. (Isaiah 51:9-16)

Don't you fear me? says Yahweh: won't you tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea, by a perpetual decree, that it can't pass it? and though the waves of it toss themselves, yet they can't prevail; though they roar, yet they can't pass over it. (Jeremiah 5:22)

Co-mingling or Overwhelming to impose Hierarchal Uniformity

Satan ever works to distort God’s design and frustrate His plans for life. Thus it is no surprise that what God divides Satan is working to amalgamate or co-mingle in unhealthy ways.

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep were burst open, and the sky's windows were opened. The rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights. (Genesis 7:11-12)

This is opposite of what God divided during creation week. This is effectively de-creating the earth, un-dividing what God previously divided, co-mingling the waters above with the waters beneath as well as un-separating the seas from the land. This is what Satan does, bringing chaos into God’s order and defacing beauty to thwart God’s designs for good so he can justify his slander.

One of the fascinations of ancient Babylon was gods represented as amalgamations of species, often half human and have animal or fish. They believe that creation came as a result of the gods co-mingling salt waters with fresh water.² This is how Satan distorts God’s design, and as Jesus said, whenever he speaks he can only speak lies. He is the father of lies, and primarily about God.

You are of your father, the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and doesn't stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks on his own; for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:44)

There is a problem with much of the praise being offered to God. It is partially seen in how the Song of Moses differs from the New Song. When praise includes presuppositions that God operates in ways like Satan insists He must do, relying on manipulation through threats of punishments or offers of rewards, our trust in God’s methods and character are infected with errors because we cling to belief that Satan’s ways are necessary in order to maintain order. We saw some of this in what we just read involving the miracle of the Red Sea crossing. Let’s look at that again and notice how in their celebration of freedom they distorted what actually took place.

From this passage it can be confusing to know who caused Pharaoh and his army to go into the sea and be drowned. But when we replace the Song of Moses with the Song of the Lamb, we can see even in this passage that it was clearly Pharaoh who made his fateful choice to plunge into the heart of the sea where the waters were being divided by faith. God divided the waters to bring about freedom, yet when rejectors of His mercy presumptuously attempted to navigate that same channel without faith, the sea relaxed and returned to its normal state. The result was Pharaoh and his army being drowned.

This is a lesson for us as we study this chapter of Revelation. Too long we have assumed like Moses, Miriam and the liberated Israelites, that God is the cause of plagues, that God will run out of patience and execute vengeance, punishment, settle scores. Yet nothing is further from the truth. This comes from the duplicitous versions of God circulated since the fall of our first parents, ever looking for someone to blame. This is why God sent His only Son, the only one who reflects the real truth about His heart of pure love with no darkness, death or violence in Him, taking all the blame on Himself.

We will find later in this chapter how those with the mindset and mark of the beast, who worship the beast version of God, accuse Him as being behind the terrifying effects they feel, not realizing it comes out of their own rejection of the kindness of God. These accusations are blasphemy. Yet too often we parrot those who blaspheme God, joining them to assert that God is sending these plagues, when we are already informed clearly about the contents of the bowls poured out as being prayers and incense? We need to quit polluting our praises with old song lyrics and instead swell the growing chorus of praise for the Lamb as worthy of our trust, who reveals the truth that alone sets us free from sin and fear.

Pharaoh had given himself over to resisting God’s will for him, despite repeated warnings given that could have saved him from the tragic effects the plagues brought. The plagues of Egypt were directed at the false gods of Egypt to discredit them. Yet Pharaoh repeatedly hardened his heart, following the lead of Satan whose character he reflected.³

With the blast of your nostrils, the waters were piled up. The floods stood upright as a heap. The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, 'I will pursue. I will overtake. I will divide the spoil. My desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.' You blew with your wind. The sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. (Exodus 15:8-10)

You divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their pursuers you did cast into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters. (Nehemiah 9:11)

but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea. (Matthew 18:6)

These last few passages have key phrases we will visit later in this study.

Commerce and the Sea

One the most important components of Satan’s design is trading and exchange. This purports to be for the benefit of all and was one of the first invention he promoted in his grand new order. We find this best described in Ezekiel chapters 26-28. When we come to the study of Revelation 18 we will discover how closely it parallels Ezekiel 27. The point is that in both passages the sea figures prominently as peoples which commerce and trafficking depend on to thrive. These chapters in Ezekiel provide important insights about this phenomena in the context of the metaphor of the king of Tyre. I believe this describes how commerce developed in heaven long before here on earth.

It may come as a surprise that commerce was never in God’s plan. But trafficking and commerce depend on motives foreign to the kingdom of heaven that Christ came to reestablish.

A careful study of these chapters in Ezekiel can open our understanding to grasp the larger perspective. They also include the final outcome of this experiment and how the one who invented it will be swallowed up in his own system, coming to his demise in the heart of the seas, the very ones he manipulated and exploited for his own benefit.

Lucifer was created to glorify God by sharing the light, wisdom and deep things of God freely to all others. His name meant light-bearer, and that was his purpose for existence. How long he did this effectively we do know, but at some point he chose a course apart from his design to reflect God’s glory by experimenting with drawing attention to himself. The major development was trading. This involves making exchanges with others to acquire things desires rather than brining those needs directly to God. I believe this is part of what began his process toward more open rebellion, for in choosing to live apart from intimate dependence on God and trusting His heart in everything, the seeds of selfishness came into existence and the rest is the sad history of sin.

Seas can represent masses of people (or other beings in the case of Lucifer before this world). What was God’s purpose for angels and for other inhabited worlds? We can know what God’s will and purpose is, and it applies to all creation. This is how we can see the way sin resists God’s will, but also see how the Son of God will accomplish restoration of God’s original design.

In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)

Praise him, you heavens of heavens, You waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of Yahweh, For he commanded, and they were created. He has also established them forever and ever. He has made a decree which will not pass away. Praise Yahweh from the earth, you great sea creatures, and all depths! (Psalms 148:4-7)

Praise Yah! Praise God in his sanctuary! Praise him in his heavens for his acts of power! Praise him for his mighty acts! Praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet! Praise him with harp and lyre! Praise him with tambourine and dancing! Praise him with stringed instruments and flute! Praise him with loud cymbals! Praise him with resounding cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise Yah! Praise Yah! (Psalms 150:1-6)

Why is praise such a core ingredient for life? Because all life, love, energy and power originate with God and are circulated through praise throughout all creation. This is what it means to thrive and is the means transmission that binds everything together in harmony, order and joy. This is illustrated by the circulation of blood in the body as essential for keeping us alive and well.

There is a principle Jesus stated simply, and it is the principle circumvented by trading that led to Lucifer turning into the great Satan, the accuser and abuser he has become.

Jesus sent these twelve out, and charged them, saying, "Don't go among the Gentiles, and don't enter into any city of the Samaritans. Rather, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, preach, saying, 'The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!' Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Freely you received, so freely give. Don't take any gold, nor silver, nor brass in your money belts. Take no bag for your journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for the laborer is worthy of his food. Into whatever city or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy; and stay there until you go on. (Matthew 10:5-11)

He who didn't spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how would he not also with him freely give us all things? (Romans 8:32)

As Jesus mentored His disciples about the true nature of His Kingdom, He sought to separate their thinking from the world’s reliance on commerce to increase their trust in their loving Father in heaven to care for all their needs.⁴ They were led to see that their Father in heaven is the author of this principle, and in sending His Son into the heart of our mess here on earth, He seeks to rescue us from the debilitation of fear, selfishness, shame and pride. God is freely giving as well.

What does it mean to freely receive and freely give? This is critical to understanding how to think, live and relate according to heaven’s design. Freedom is at the very heart of what it means to live in love, and God is love. Thus we must have an appreciation of freedom and how central it is to life.

Freely means there is no sense of obligation or expectation of repayment involved when we receive or give. We must also be aware that we must first receive before we will be able to give. But as James 1 points out, believing involves the truth about the generosity and kindness of our Father, not about what we want. Without this willingness to trust our Father’s heart, we are double-minded and are unable to receive due to our unbelief. James makes this very clear.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. For let that man not think that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8)

When we become aware that we are part of the seas described prophetically both here in Revelation as well as in Ezekiel and elsewhere, and that our purpose by creation is to freely receive everything from God by trusting His heart regardless of circumstances or appearances, we will, by the principle of reflection (created to image God), freely be able to give with no expectations of return, because our love and desire to praise our generous Father makes us generous in giving from what we have freely received to others. This is what it means for seas to praise God, for as each one participates in this glorious activity of joyfully sharing what we are freely receiving, the result is gratitude, praise and honor increasing appreciation for God’s kindness, generosity and love.

This is what we are called to by our Savior. This is the will of God for everyone one of us. If we want to know and do God’s will, it is already made clear, and this is really what is happening throughout Revelation 16 that we are studing currently.

We exhort you, brothers, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be patient toward all. See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good, for one another, and for all. Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus toward you. (1 Thessalonians 5:14-18)

For this is the will of God, that by well-doing you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: as free, and not using your freedom for a cloak of wickedness, but as bondservants of God. (1 Peter 2:15-16)

What has interfered and prevented the free flow of praise to circulate the life of God’s passion of love to everyone? It is the spirit of commerce that stifles the heart with selfishness. This deadly virus has to be completely eradicated before the universe can be restored and secure from reinfection. This is why this issue of trading and commerce⁵ is so central to understand more clearly what lies at the root of the war between light and darkness.

When we read Ezekiel 26-28 it can seem irrelevant until we realize that it is heaven’s perspective that views the end with the beginning at once. Knowing how this experiment will end provides context for perspective. Chapter 26 mentions the demise of the lord of this system. Chapter 27 expands on how commerce made him super wealthy. Yet in all 3 chapters God reminds us that its collapse is unavoidable. The demise of this whole system is not because God imposes punishment to stop it, but because it is unsustainable just as a Ponzi scheme cannot go indefinitely.

Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay aside their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit on the ground, and shall tremble every moment, and be astonished at you. They shall take up a lamentation over you, and tell you, How are you destroyed, who were inhabited by seafaring men, the renowned city, who was strong in the sea, she and her inhabitants, who caused their terror to be on all who lived there! Now shall the islands tremble in the day of your fall; yes, the islands that are in the sea shall be dismayed at your departure. (Ezekiel 26:16-18)

This informs us of those involved in this trading on the ‘seas’ but also how in the end they will lose their very identity along with their occupations and wealth when commerce finally collapses on itself.

Chapter 27 gives a sense of how involved and pervasive this system becomes.

...tell Tyre, you who dwell at the entry of the sea, who are the merchant of the peoples to many islands, thus says the Lord Yahweh: You, Tyre, have said, I am perfect in beauty. Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders have perfected your beauty.

They have made all your planks of fir trees from Senir; they have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you. Of the oaks of Bashan have they made your oars; they have made your benches of ivory inlaid in boxwood, from the islands of Kittim. Of fine linen with embroidered work from Egypt was your sail, that it might be to you for a banner; blue and purple from the islands of Elishah was your awning.

The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers: your wise men, Tyre, were in you, they were your pilots. The old men of Gebal and the wise men of it were in you your repairers of ship seams: all the ships of the sea with their mariners were in you to deal in your merchandise.

Persia and Lud and Put were in your army, your men of war: they hanged the shield and helmet in you; they set forth your comeliness. The men of Arvad with your army were on your walls round about, and valorous men were in your towers; they hanged their shields on your walls round about; they have perfected your beauty.

Tarshish was your merchant by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches; with silver, iron, tin, and lead, they traded for your wares. Javan, Tubal, and Meshech, they were your traffickers; they traded the persons of men and vessels of brass for your merchandise. They of the house of Togarmah traded for your wares with horses and war horses and mules. The men of Dedan were your traffickers; many islands were the market of your hand: they brought you in exchange horns of ivory and ebony. Syria was your merchant by reason of the multitude of your handiworks: they traded for your wares with emeralds, purple, and embroidered work, and fine linen, and coral, and rubies. Judah, and the land of Israel, they were your traffickers: they traded for your merchandise wheat of Minnith, and confections, and honey, and oil, and balm. Damascus was your merchant for the multitude of your handiworks, by reason of the multitude of all kinds of riches, with the wine of Helbon, and white wool. Vedan and Javan traded with yarn for your wares: bright iron, cassia, and calamus, were among your merchandise. Dedan was your trafficker in precious cloths for riding. Arabia, and all the princes of Kedar, they were the merchants of your hand; in lambs, and rams, and goats, in these were they your merchants.

The traffickers of Sheba and Raamah, they were your traffickers; they traded for your wares with the chief of all spices, and with all precious stones, and gold. Haran and Canneh and Eden, the traffickers of Sheba, Asshur and Chilmad, were your traffickers. These were your traffickers in choice wares, in wrappings of blue and embroidered work, and in chests of rich clothing, bound with cords and made of cedar, among your merchandise. The ships of Tarshish were your caravans for your merchandise: and you were replenished, and made very glorious in the heart of the seas. (Ezekiel 27:3-25)

It is doubtful one could find a Scripture passage more saturated with commerce language than this. Notice how this commercial activity is not just an innocuous exchanging of goods, but includes slave trading and labels like princes, wise men, pilots and other words defining social status, all involved in trafficking that defines their worth. This mindset of commerce permeates the entire design of Satan’s system because it is predicated on belief that the value of humans is relative and defined by external measurements of worth. This commercial mindset saturates all society, all religions, all cultures and most of our relationships. This is why God has such an issue with commerce, because it not only circumvents trust in His care for His children, but by investing in trading we are drawn away from the only Source of life and real value and left to navigate the unpredictable seas of public opinion. We desperately look for affirmation, satisfaction and a sense of belonging, but in all the wrong places.

In the next few reference we see the Ponzi scheme of Satan will not last forever

Your rowers have brought you into great waters: the east wind has broken you in the heart of the seas. Your riches, and your wares, your merchandise, your mariners, and your pilots, your repairers of ship seams, and the dealers in your merchandise, and all your men of war, who are in you, with all your company which is in the midst of you, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of your ruin. At the sound of the cry of your pilots the suburbs shall shake. All who handled the oar, the mariners, and all the pilots of the sea, shall come down from their ships; they shall stand on the land, and shall cause their voice to be heard over you, and shall cry bitterly, and shall cast up dust on their heads, they shall wallow themselves in the ashes: and they shall make themselves bald for you, and gird them with sackcloth, and they shall weep for you in bitterness of soul with bitter mourning. In their wailing they shall take up a lamentation for you, and lament over you, saying, Who is there like Tyre, like her who is brought to silence in the midst of the sea? (Ezekiel 27:26-32)

Who is there like Tyre?

Who is like the beast?

We saw in Revelation 12 that the counterpart to this is in the meaning of the name of the other covering cherub Michael. His faithful testimony exposed the previous covering cherub who abandoned his position to become the great accuser. Michael’s name literally means, Who is like God? It is Michael alone who reveals what God is really like, not the beast who wages war against detractors, not Tyre who exploits the whole earth with commercial trafficking to be rich and famous, but only Michael, the one who humbled Himself all the way to an ignominious death in order to save the reputation of God and expose the real truth about love as the only way to overcome evil.

It is Michael the archangel of heaven who is God’s Christ, who also took on the likeness of human flesh to show us the heart of the Father. Satan insists our value can be increased through trading, but the truth is that what was actually being traded was the truth about God’s heart in exchange for the lie of the serpent. The lie was that in trading we could provide for our own needs. That lie led to our ruin as it sold us a bill of goods devoid of truth or anything life-giving. This is why its demise is certain.

Because, knowing God, they didn't glorify him as God, neither gave thanks, but became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and traded the glory of the incorruptible God for the likeness of an image of corruptible man, and of birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things.

...who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. (Romans 1:21-23, 25)

Tyre built herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver like the dust, and fine gold like the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will dispossess her, and he will strike her power in the sea; and she will be devoured with fire. (Zechariah 9:3-4)

The king of Tyre, the king of Babylon and many other metaphors are used because all such earthly rulers reflect the one who inspired them. They used his system to gratify their thirst for power or wealth. How will God defeat such powers? Using force to punish them? No. Rather they are defeated by the Lamb who demonstrates Himself worthy (Revelation 5) of the trust of all the universe. He alone reveals the truth of God’s heart, His disposition, motives and methods that all spring from love alone. What we find here in chapter 16 are a group of Lamb emulators, displaying for all to see that overcoming evil only succeeds by relying exclusively on the New Song, by praising God in their intercessions and forgiveness of their enemies while not valuing their own lives more. In this way they vindicate God’s reputation with the faith of the Lamb and the word of their testimony, just as the Lamb did who has overcome the world for them.

In that day you will ask in my name; and I don't say to you, that I will pray to the Father for you, for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed that I came forth from God. (John 16:26-27)

I have told you these things, that in me you may have peace. In the world you have oppression; but cheer up! I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because your heart is lifted up, and you have said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet you are man, and not God, though you did set your heart as the heart of God-- behold, you are wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that is hidden from you; by your wisdom and by your understanding you have gotten you riches, and have gotten gold and silver into your treasures; by your great wisdom and by your traffic have you increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches-- therefore thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because you have set your heart as the heart of God, therefore, behold, I will bring strangers on you, the terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and they shall defile your brightness. They shall bring you down to the pit; and you shall die the death of those who are slain, in the heart of the seas. (Ezekiel 28:2-8)

Note carefully who is the active agent here. God allows circumstances and natural consequences to expose this massive Ponzi scheme with all its deceptions. This arouses the fury of all who have been exploited by it. It is their fury that is unleashed on the great leader who has deceived and exploited them. They bought into his promises that they could achieve a higher status through exploiting others, but now they see with horror that it is all a mirage that collapses in the light of truth.

Notice the target of the swords raised in revenge for what has come on them. It is not the body but rather the attraction of his wisdom. This reveals that the demise of Satan has nothing to do with God directly tormenting him with punishing fire as we have imagined. Rather, his demise involves the complete collapse of all credibility to the point where no one will ever again have even a hint of desire to believe his lies because he is completely exposed as fraud. He exploited them and led them to exploit others. Now it is his credibility that is consumed, not his personal existence.

This may raise other questions, and we can explore this more as we get near the end of this study. If God is not the active agent in destroying evil-doers, then what causes the extinction of Satan and his followers in the end if it is not God executing them with a sentence of death?

Will you yet say before him who kills you, I am God? but you are man, and not God, in the hand of him who wounds you. You shall die the death of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, says the Lord Yahweh.

Moreover the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and tell him, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: You seal up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, emerald, chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and beryl. Gold work of tambourines and of pipes was in you. In the day that you were created they were prepared. You were the anointed cherub who covers: and I set you, so that you were on the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you.

By the abundance of your traffic they filled the midst of you with violence, and you have sinned: therefore I have cast you as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed you, covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness: I have cast you to the ground; I have laid you before kings, that they may see you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your traffic, you have profaned your sanctuaries; therefore have I brought forth a fire from the midst of you; it has devoured you, and I have turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all those who see you. All those who know you among the peoples shall be astonished at you: you are become a terror, and you shall nevermore have any being. (Ezekiel 28:9-19)

Satan can thrive only so long as he can elicit worship, honor, respect and cooperation from others. Because he cut himself off from the presence of God who alone provides life, he has become a leech siphoning life out of anyone and everyone he can seduce with his sophistries to believe his slander against God. His demise comes when no one is left who will allow him access to their life. That is when he is cast into his lake of fire, the kind of sea where love is experienced as torment.

I have come to realize that the sea of glass mingled with fire, and the lakes of fire described in later chapters of Revelation, may all be in the same location and composed of similar elements. The difference in experience is not that God is rewarding overcomers and torturing the lost, but is in the way we react to the intensity of the presence of agape love. This is also what is being described here in chapter 16, for as we have pointed out, the contents of these bowls is the giving glory to God through praises, prayers and an atmosphere of pure love as received from the Lamb. This passion of God’s love is ecstasy for those who are allowing themselves to be brought into harmony with its principles, yet it is experienced as torment on the part of those who have stored up resistance against God’s love and can no longer alter their character.

Now thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and reveals through us the sweet aroma of his knowledge in every place. For we are a sweet aroma of Christ to God, in those who are saved, and in those who perish; to the one a stench from death to death; to the other a sweet aroma from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? (2 Corinthians 2:14-16)

Those who are lost like Satan in the end, have so sealed into their own characters a fake identity received from the system of commerce and the mindset of earning and deserving, that they destroyed their very capacity to freely receive and freely give love. They have hardened their hearts against the Spirit of kindness⁶ until forgiveness can find no place in their heart. This caused Satan to leave off walking among the stones of fire in God’s presence, and why his accomplices left with him⁷. They abandoned their places in heaven. Because there was no place in their hearts for love, there was no place found for them in heaven⁸ where the atmosphere is always love, truth and freedom.

This brings us to the next category for understanding the meaning of seas.

Meanings of the symbol of Sea

Their roaring will be like a lioness. They will roar like young lions. Yes, they shall roar, and seize their prey and carry it off, and there will be no one to deliver. They will roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea. If one looks to the land behold, darkness and distress. The light is darkened in its clouds. (Isaiah 5:29-30)

In that day, their strong cities will be like the forsaken places in the woods and on the mountain top, which were forsaken from before the children of Israel; and it will be a desolation. For you have forgotten the God of your salvation, and have not remembered the rock of your strength. Therefore you plant pleasant plants, and set out foreign seedlings. In the day of your planting, you hedge it in. In the morning, you make your seed blossom, but the harvest flees away in the day of grief and of desperate sorrow. Ah, the uproar of many peoples, who roar like the roaring of the seas; and the rushing of nations, that rush like the rushing of mighty waters! The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters: but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far off, and will be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like the whirling dust before the storm. At evening, behold, terror! Before the morning, they are no more. This is the portion of those who plunder us, and the lot of those who rob us. (Isaiah 17:9-14)

I create the fruit of the lips: Peace, peace, to him who is far off and to him who is near, says Yahweh; and I will heal him.

But the wicked are like the troubled sea; for it can't rest, and its waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, says my God, to the wicked. (Isaiah 57:19-21)

They lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roars like the sea, and they ride on horses, everyone set in array, as a man to the battle, against you, daughter of Zion. (Jeremiah 6:23)

These passages all portray a troubled spirit, the fruit of internal turmoil and violence. This was noted as one of the first symptoms that appeared in Lucifer’s spirit and was attributed by God as being caused by excessive trafficking. The spirit of commerce involves taking offenses which is a violation of the very design of beings intended to reflect the gracious character of God’s heart. This internal violence⁹ is what precedes external violations of others. The sea throughout Scripture is often used as a metaphor of this condition of the spirit as it is easy for storms to begin and thrive over the open waters of the seas.

But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach; and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, without any doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, driven by the wind and tossed. For let that man not think that he will receive anything from the Lord. He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (James 1:5-8)

These are hidden rocky reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you, shepherds who without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; wild waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the blackness of darkness has been reserved forever. (Jude 1:12-13)

He said to me, "The waters which you saw, where the prostitute sits, are peoples, multitudes, nations, and languages." (Revelation 17:15)

When God created this world in Genesis 1 and 2, in essence He opened up a fresh spring for the universe through which pure water of truth might come to bring clarity and new perspective into the confusion and chaos caused by Lucifer’s rebellion and slander. He created new beings untainted by the existing turmoil elsewhere, humans formed in His own image with capacity to develop characters like His own. This could break through the stalemate caused by the accuser’s slander to divide truth from lies, light from darkness, pure waters distinct from other kinds of water. This was the purpose in the creation of this world for the strategic time in which it occurred.

In heaven Satan had muddied the waters of truth for the angels and other created beings with his subtle lies and insinuations against God’s integrity, undermining trust in His motives and methods. This resulted in the waters of knowledge of authentic truth about God and His perfect design, to become mingled with lies that appeared compelling but did not reflect God’s truth. This war has always involved competing versions of God, and which system would be more effective to maintain order and avoid chaos. Satan insisted that every sin requires punishment if justice is to be served. He denigrated mercy as weakness and postured himself as the one who would stand boldly against corruption through rigid law-enforcement. He denied being the author of evil, always subtly shifting the blame onto God by means of devious arguments that seemed irrefutable.

This chaotic situation brought about by Satan’s assault on God’s reputation and trustworthiness is the backdrop for everything we are studying in Revelation. Here is outlined the history and future of this war. And the metaphor of seas involving the beliefs, emotions and actions of people affecting how they relate to God and others, lies at the heart of this narrative.

When God showed up on the scene to reformat our planet, the first thing He did after introducing light was to dispel the darkness by separating the waters with a life-giving atmosphere of fresh air. He afterwards named the gathering of the waters below this dividing barrier as sea. The Hebrew word for the Holy Spirit is ruach which means breath or breeze. It is representative of the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Truth, Love and Freedom that alone effectively separates and divides truth from lies with the light about God. No one else has capacity or wisdom to accomplish this effectively, which is why it is vital that we invite the Spirit to guide us while we probe these passages to come to a discernment of the truth as it is in Jesus. Without this guiding Spirit we will fail to receive what we need for abundant life.

Here is a passage that is often used to defend double-minded beliefs about God.

I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil. I am Yahweh, who does all these things. (Isaiah 45:7)

Jesus defines judgment as initiated by light that comes and exposes the darkness of lies about God (John 3:19). Reactions to that light is how we judge ourselves. (John 3:20-21). This involves our judging God (Revelation 14:7). Light simply exposes darkness for what it is (Romans 7:7-9). Yet the reactions of fear, shame or condemnation experienced by those in darkness, it feels the opposite. This is the blame mindset Adam and Eve fell into when they resisted the Light. This is the current woke mentality, insisting there is no fault in ourselves but rather with any who disagree with or offends us.

Consider how this applies to peace and evil in this verse. Those who cling to evil deny there is anything wrong with them, yet attack those who are full of peace because they feel uncomfortable. Likewise, in the presence of the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), those siding with evil perceive Him as the author of evil. Why? because they feel relatively comfortable until truth and peace riles their troubled spirit; then they feel condemned. This flesh mindset first originated in the heart of Lucifer who transformed himself into Satan, the ultimate accuser. He would have us attribute evil and darkness to God rather than believe that God is light with no darkness at all in Him (1 John 1:5).

But nobody can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the image of God. Out of the same mouth comes forth blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send out from the same opening fresh and bitter water? (James 3:8-11)

Satan’s affect on and/or use of the Sea

Daniel spoke and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the sky broke forth on the great sea. Four great animals came up from the sea, diverse one from another. (Daniel 7:2-3)

We have seen how the sea represents restless peoples further identified as the wicked, or all who dwell on the earth. These symbolic beasts represent great empires that have arisen and collapsed throughout history. We see how those empires emerged from such kinds of people, restless to conquer and subjugate others. Note how these beasts are amalgamations between species, opposite the principle defined at creation that everything reproduce after its own kind. Amalgamation is one of Satan’s methods of deceiving, enticing, intimidating and introducing confusion that ultimately results in chaos and ruin. In Revelation 13 a beast rises out of the sea again, only this time it is an amalgamation of the previous ones. This reflects how Satan opposes and defies God’s orderly principles.

Then [the dragon] stood on the sand of the sea. I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten horns and seven heads. On his horns were ten crowns, and on his heads, blasphemous names. The beast which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power, his throne, and great authority. (Revelation 13:1-2)

In the trumpet sequence we learned of the disturbing effects when something like a burning mountain was thrown into the sea. This expands much more in this outpouring of the contents of the bowls we are looking at here. Yet keep in mind that all the aftereffects of these outpourings are reactions to what goes into the sea, not punishments inflicted by God.

The second angel sounded, and something like a great burning mountain was thrown into the sea. One third of the sea became blood, and one third of the living creatures which were in the sea died. One third of the ships were destroyed. (Revelation 8:8-9)

Therefore rejoice, heavens, and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil has gone down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has but a short time." (Revelation 12:12)

Their roaring will be like a lioness. They will roar like young lions. Yes, they shall roar, and seize their prey and carry it off, and there will be no one to deliver. They will roar against them in that day like the roaring of the sea. If one looks to the land behold, darkness and distress. The light is darkened in its clouds. (Isaiah 5:29-30)

Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

All these verses expose how the devil and his devices inspire the evil of this world.

There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the midst of it, like a roaring lion ravening the prey: they have devoured souls; they take treasure and precious things; they have made her widows many in the midst of it.

Her priests have done violence to my law, and have profaned my holy things: they have made no distinction between the holy and the common, neither have they caused men to discern between the unclean and the clean, and have hid their eyes from my Sabbaths, and I am profaned among them.

Her princes in the midst of it are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, that they may get dishonest gain. Her prophets have daubed for them with whitewash, seeing false visions, and divining lies to them, saying, Thus says the Lord Yahweh, when Yahweh has not spoken.

The people of the land have used oppression, and exercised robbery; yes, they have vexed the poor and needy, and have oppressed the foreigner wrongfully.

I sought for a man among them, who should build up the wall, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none. Therefore have I poured out my indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I brought on their heads, says the Lord Yahweh. (Ezekiel 22:25-31)

Behold, Yahweh makes the earth empty, makes it waste, turns it upside down, and scatters its inhabitants. It will be as with the people, so with the priest; as with the servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the buyer, so with the seller; as with the creditor, so with the debtor; as with the taker of interest, so with the giver of interest. [notice the involvement of hierarchy and commerce]

The earth will be utterly emptied and utterly laid waste; for Yahweh has spoken this word. The earth mourns and fades away. The world languishes and fades away. The lofty people of the earth languish. The earth also is polluted under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, violated the statutes, and broken the everlasting covenant. Therefore the curse has devoured the earth, and those who dwell therein are found guilty. Therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men left. [Pollution is a result of how commerce violates the principles of how earth was designed.]

The new wine mourns. The vine languishes. All the merry-hearted sigh. The mirth of tambourines ceases. The sound of those who rejoice ends. The joy of the harp ceases. They will not drink wine with a song. Strong drink will be bitter to those who drink it.

The confused city is broken down. Every house is shut up, that no man may come in. There is a crying in the streets because of the wine. All joy is darkened. The mirth of the land is gone. The city is left in desolation, and the gate is struck with destruction. For it will be so in the midst of the earth among the peoples, as the shaking of an olive tree, as the gleanings when the vintage is done.

These shall lift up their voice. They will shout for the majesty of Yahweh. They cry aloud from the sea. Therefore glorify Yahweh in the east, even the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel, in the islands of the sea! From the uttermost part of the earth have we heard songs. Glory to the righteous!

But I said, "I pine away! I pine away! woe is me!" The treacherous have dealt treacherously. Yes, the treacherous have dealt very treacherously. (Isaiah 24:1-16)

Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and tell him, You were likened to a young lion of the nations: yet are you as a monster in the seas; and you did break forth with your rivers, and troubled the waters with your feet, and fouled their rivers. (Ezekiel 32:2)

Every despot who has ever lived reflects the disposition of the prince of this world. Satan is the originator of all the lies that foul the waters of truth about God’s reputation and character. It is the spirit of Satan that troubles our spirit, confuses our thinking, manipulates our feelings and poisons the atmosphere of our soul. Thus muddying of the waters is another illustration of how the enemy stirs up confusion that obscures the truth of God’s saving love, compassion and gracious disposition.

The earth trembles at the noise of their fall; there is a cry, the noise which is heard in the Red Sea. Behold, he shall come up and fly as the eagle, and spread out his wings against Bozrah: and the heart of the mighty men of Edom at that day shall be as the heart of a woman in her pangs. Of Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad; for they have heard evil news, they are melted away: there is sorrow on the sea; it can't be quiet. (Jeremiah 49:21-23)

There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the waves; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to happen, look up, and lift up your heads, because your redemption is near. (Luke 21:25-28)

Heaven’s interactions with the Sea

After this, I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth, or on the sea, or on any tree. (Revelation 7:1)

It is only by God’s constant intervention and restrictions on the powers of evil, that the world enjoys as much peace and freedom as it does. Were it not for heavenly agencies constantly at work to restrain evil, there would be only ruin, chaos and destruction. This peace is not due to inherent goodness of man, but rather the goodness of God that inhibits and limits the free reign of Satan. This is why we are to worship the One who created the sea and everything else, because His design and power alone brings life, happiness, joy and all we were created to experience.

He said with a loud voice, "Fear the Lord, and give him glory; for the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and the springs of waters!" (Revelation 14:7)

I have found David, my servant. I have anointed him with my holy oil, with whom my hand shall be established. My arm will also strengthen him. No enemy will tax him. No wicked man will oppress him. I will beat down his adversaries before him, and strike those who hate him. But my faithfulness and my loving kindness will be with him. In my name, his horn will be exalted. I will set his hand also on the sea, and his right hand on the rivers. (Psalms 89:20-25)

Because the sea is representative of those given over to Satan’s lies about God, there is constant resistance to God’s movements in this world. This symbol of the sea is at times portrayed as having a personality and intelligence of itself.

Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion. The sea saw it, and fled. The Jordan was driven back. The mountains skipped like rams, the little hills like lambs. What was it, you sea, that you fled? You Jordan, that you turned back? You mountains, that you skipped like rams; you little hills, like lambs? Tremble, you earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob, who turned the rock into a pool of water, the flint into a spring of waters. (Psalms 114:2-8)

If I take the wings of the dawn, and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will hold me. (Psalms 139:9-10)

Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, says "My people who dwell in Zion, don't be afraid of the Assyrian, though he strike you with the rod, and lift up his staff against you, as Egypt did. For yet a very little while, and the indignation against you will be accomplished, and my anger will be directed to his destruction." Yahweh of Armies will stir up a scourge against him, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb. His rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up like he did against Egypt. It will happen in that day, that his burden will depart from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil. (Isaiah 10:24-27)

These present a complex view of God’s interactions in the affairs of this world and how often He appears to use methods of the enemy. Yet if we stick with the Jesus version of God, light is shown on these passages helping us to discern that much of the confusion about God’s motives comes from the limited perspective of the writers themselves in their incomplete perceptions of God. This also reminds us that despite any circumstances or feelings we might experience, God’s promise for those whose hearts dwell in Zion (the mindset of heaven) is that the galling yoke will come off of us as certainly as God rescued His chosen people from slavery in Egypt.

In that day, Yahweh with his hard and great and strong sword will punish leviathan, the fleeing serpent, and leviathan the twisted serpent; and he will kill the dragon that is in the sea. In that day, sing to her, "A pleasant vineyard! I, Yahweh, am its keeper. I will water it every moment. Lest anyone damage it, I will keep it night and day. Wrath is not in me, but if I should find briers and thorns, I would do battle! I would march on them and I would burn them together. Or else let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me. Let him make peace with me." (Isaiah 27:1-5)

This gives us another glimpse into the truth about God’s wrath. We often perceive God’s wrath much like ours, but that is not what is in the heart of God. But He is willing and ready to battle against anything that disrupts our connection with Him or that steals our peace.

Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon has devoured me, he has crushed me, he has made me an empty vessel, he has, like a monster, swallowed me up, he has filled his maw with my delicacies; he has cast me out. The violence done to me and to my flesh be on Babylon, shall the inhabitant of Zion say; and, My blood be on the inhabitants of Chaldea, shall Jerusalem say. Therefore thus says Yahweh: Behold, I will plead your cause, and take vengeance for you; and I will dry up her sea, and make her fountain dry. Babylon shall become heaps, a dwelling place for jackals, an astonishment, and a hissing, without inhabitant. They shall roar together like young lions; they shall growl as lions' cubs. When they are heated, I will make their feast, and I will make them drunken, that they may rejoice, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, says Yahweh. (Jeremiah 51:34-39)

What does this drying up of the sea represent? If the sea represents those in cooperative support of Satan’s agenda, drying up that support could be the means by which love triumphs in the end. This previews how evil will be vanquished at last, by drying up all credibility of Satan’s ways, by exposing all his deceptions through flooding the universe with the truth that sets us free.

Though they hide themselves in the top of Carmel, I will search and take them out there; and though they be hid from my sight in the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent, and it will bite them. (Amos 9:3)

This parallels a previous passage explaining how it is impossible to hide from God’s awareness. The bite of the serpent is the spirit of Satan, the archenemy of God. No matter how we may try to hide from reality, we cannot escape the principle of cause and effect in the condition of our spirit.

Then said they to him, "What shall we do to you, that the sea may be calm to us?" For the sea grew more and more stormy. He said to them, "Take me up, and throw me into the sea. Then the sea will be calm for you; for I know that because of me this great storm is on you." Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get them back to the land; but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them. Therefore they cried to Yahweh, and said, "We beg you, Yahweh, we beg you, let us not perish for this man's life, and don't lay on us innocent blood; for you, Yahweh, have done as it pleased you." So they took up Jonah, and threw him into the sea; and the sea ceased its raging. (Jonah 1:11-15)

I believe a principle is involved here, that nature is designed to alert us to our spiritual condition. This storm reflected the dissonance inside Jonah, his resistance to God’s call for him to go and warn Nineveh. Jonah’s resistance led to a corresponding dissonance in the nature that surrounded him, ultimately leading to a crisis designed to draw him to repent.

Then Jonah prayed to Yahweh, his God, out of the fish's belly. He said, "I called because of my affliction to Yahweh. He answered me. Out of the belly of Sheol I cried. You heard my voice. For you threw me into the depths, in the heart of the seas. The flood was all around me. All your waves and your billows passed over me. (Jonah 2:1-3)

We have witnessed this pattern before, where what people say God did does not match up with the facts in the story. Jonah says it was God who cast him into the sea, despite the fact he had clearly asked the sailors for it himself. God allowed circumstances to get Jonah’s attention, but it was at Jonah’s insistence that the sailors reluctantly complied.

Tyre built herself a stronghold, and heaped up silver like the dust, and fine gold like the mire of the streets. Behold, the Lord will dispossess her, and he will strike her power in the sea; and she will be devoured with fire. (Zechariah 9:3-4)

Ephraim will be like a mighty man, and their heart will rejoice as through wine; yes, their children will see it, and rejoice. Their heart will be glad in Yahweh.

He will pass through the sea of affliction, and will strike the waves in the sea, and all the depths of the Nile will dry up; and the pride of Assyria will be brought down, and the scepter of Egypt will depart. I will strengthen them in Yahweh; and they will walk up and down in his name," says Yahweh. (Zechariah 10:7, 11-12)

This passage is full of promises and insights for those willing to listen with their heart. It resonates with the story of Jacob who had to pass through his own night of affliction of soul as he wrestled with the mysterious messenger sent to bring to him the very thing he craved the most – assurance and identity. This sea of affliction may be our necessary battle against our false identity reinforced by the world around us, until we overcome as God strikes the waves of unbelief to heal us of double-mindedness.

Here are some sea stories that can enhance our appreciation for how God relates to us.

When evening came, his disciples went down to the sea, and they entered into the boat, and were going over the sea to Capernaum. It was now dark, and Jesus had not come to them. The sea was tossed by a great wind blowing. When therefore they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing near to the boat; and they were afraid. But he said to them, "I AM. Don't be afraid." They were willing therefore to receive him into the boat. Immediately the boat was at the land where they were going. (John 6:16-21)

This is example of nature reflecting the condition of our disposition. The sea around them was reflecting the disciple’s moods of bitterness and frustration after Jesus had just thwarted their attempts to forcibly make Him king of Israel. Yet despite this, Jesus remained above the dark emotions and came to provide new perspective and invite them to repentance and renewed faith.

The wonderful part is how Jesus drew near to them, walking over the waters unruffled, despite their resistance, fear and suspicions. God does not treat us according to our ways of relating, but comes repeatedly until we are willing to receive Him and synchronize with His heart again.

Leaving the multitude, they took him with them, even as he was, in the boat. Other small boats were also with him. A big wind storm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so much that the boat was already filled. He himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up, and told him, "Teacher, don't you care that we are dying?" He awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace! Be still!" The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. He said to them, "Why are you so afraid? How is it that you have no faith?" They were greatly afraid, and said to one another, "Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Mark 4:36-41)

He got into the boat with them; and the wind ceased, and they were very amazed among themselves, and marveled; for they hadn't understood about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. (Mark 6:51-52)

When he got into a boat, his disciples followed him. Behold, a violent storm came up on the sea, so much that the boat was covered with the waves, but he was asleep. They came to him, and woke him up, saying, "Save us, Lord! We are dying!" He said to them, "Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm. The men marveled, saying, "What kind of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" (Matthew 8:23-27)

They came to him, and awoke him, saying, "Master, master, we are dying!" He awoke, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and it was calm. He said to them, "Where is your faith?" Being afraid they marveled, saying one to another, "Who is this, then, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?" (Luke 8:24-25)

This exposes another thread that parallels that of the sea. It is Jesus who has the power and authority to rebuke violence and out of control elements. It was Satan who instigated these violent storms on the sea of Galilee, and it was Satan, an out of control spirit wind (defined in Hebrews 1 in regards to angels) who was the main subject for these rebukes from Jesus.

We see parallels of this in encounters Jesus had with other demons who had captured the minds and bodies of human beings, ruining their lives and threatening society around them with supernatural intimidation. Yet demonic power is no match against the power of Jesus’ love, for Jesus is the very embodiment of God’s passion of love which is the most powerful force in all creation. Perfect love casts out fear entirely when we consent, for fear cannot stand long against love.

These stories relate to how Satan uses power, but also reveal how he will be defeated in the end. God will not use violent power against violent wickedness. His rebukes are directed against sinister supernatural beings who are violating their own creation design, yet He allows them to continue their activities until their violation of other’s freedom reaches a tipping point in the framework of the rules of engagement for this war. To understand how this works, we must appreciate the true nature of authority and how it transfers from one to another.

The Heart of the Earth

From all that we have viewed thus far concerning the seas and particularly how Satan will meet his demise in the heart of the seas (we will finish that part of the study later here), how might God do to rescue fallen humanity from the same fate? If the seas represent the wicked hearts of human beings, is there anything that could be done to turn that situation around to save them?

What I am coming to see is that instead of sending His Son to the heart of the seas to redeem mankind, God sent Him to go to the heart of the earth to recapture the authority lost when Adam surrendered dominion over this earth over to Satan. This is what Jesus said Himself in response to a demand by some Pharisees that He work a sign to prove to them His identity as their Messiah.

For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Matthew 12:40)

We need to unpack what is meant by the heart of the earth, but whatever it means it must be connected to the plan of redemption and the means of accomplishing the strategic move God made to overcome the power of evil that has infected every human being, keeping them trapped in the slavery of fear under the bondage of Satan.

Jesus answered them, "The time has come for the Son of Man to be glorified."

Now my soul is troubled. What shall I say? 'Father, save me from this time?' But for this cause I came to this time.' (John 12:23, 27)

This cause referred to here by Jesus must be the main reason God sent Him to this world. It has to do with glorifying God’s reputation, which is at the heart of the problem of sin, for sin is distrust in God’s heart because of lies that poison our thinking and infect us with doubts that disable us from resting in God’s love and care for us.

Jesus was sent to the heart of the earth to bring the light of the real truth of God’s heart to the location where the root of the problem of sin lies – the fallen heart of humanity. Why the heart of the earth? Because human beings are comprised of the dust of the earth¹⁰ combined with the breath of God making them living souls.

Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return. (Genesis 3:19)

In light of this it is even more sobering to learn of one of the after-effects from the choice of Adam to rebel against God’s loving authority and give the serpent his worship and allegiance.

Yahweh God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock, and above every animal of the field. On your belly shall you go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. (Genesis 3:14)

If Jesus came to rescue us by going all the way to the heart of the earth, we must ask this question: What is associated with the heart? How can our understanding of the function of our physical heart inform us as to the meaning of this prophecy expressed by Jesus?

Our heart is the organ involved in circulating our blood that is absolutely essential to live as a human being. If blood becomes infected by toxins it affects the heart’s ability to function properly. The heart is a physical part of our body and requires the same blood to nourish its tissues as every other part of the body. Circulating blood is vital to being healthy, yet the blood must also be healthy to support the heart in order for the mind to function with the spirit to energize the body in order to thrive and flourish.

The heart is central both symbolically and literally as an essential part to our emotional state. Scripture uses the word heart to describe the core part of our spiritual being that God desires most for Himself. This is the part of our design which is vital for connecting to other beings with the deepest level of our psyche where we experience life-receiving-and-giving fellowship. This is where we sense our value, our purpose for existence and feel hope to push forward and where we experience our group identity.

If prophetically the symbol of seas represents primarily those who are restless, unsettled, often aggressive or depressed, these conditions then would represent a serious spiritual heart condition caused from not receiving vital elements necessary for healthy function, just as physical heart problems can caused by nutritional deficiencies that can lead to dysfunction of the physical heart.

The physical is designed to reflect the more important and more real spiritual realm. This is a principle useful to know when seeking to understand meanings in prophetic symbols. Paul state this explicitly when he contrasts the gospel with its opposite which is rejection of the saving truth by believing The Lie in its place.

...that which is known of God is revealed in them, for God revealed it to them. For the invisible things of him since the creation of the world are clearly seen, being perceived through the things that are made, even his everlasting power and divinity; that they may be without excuse. (Romans 1:19-20)

This brings us to how the heart of Jesus is central to appreciating how His blood can affect our salvation without falling into the trap of Satan’s lies about the reason for the death of Jesus. John understood this, which is why he put so much emphasis on this in his narrative of the death of Jesus. He highlighted precisely the symptoms that provide overwhelming proof how it was the heart condition of Jesus that was the cause of His death, not from all the physical abuse received at the hands of sinners.

However one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. He who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, that you may believe. (John 19:34-35)

What does this have to do with seas? Recall how Ezekiel prophesied that Satan (King of Tyre) would meet his demise in the heart of the seas. Then we read how Jesus said He would be three days and nights in the heart of the earth. John makes a big deal over testifying personally as to the true cause of Jesus’ death, how the external symptoms of blood and water that flowed from His side proved that the blood in His heart had been stilled for so long it had separated or divided into its component parts of hemoglobin and plasma. Compare this with a previous passage we looked at describing the salvation of Israel from Egyptian slavery.

With the blast of your nostrils, the waters were piled up. The floods stood upright as a heap. The deeps were congealed in the heart of the sea. The enemy said, 'I will pursue. I will overtake. I will divide the spoil. My desire shall be satisfied on them. I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.' You blew with your wind. The sea covered them. They sank like lead in the mighty waters. (Exodus 15:8-10)

I can’t help but sense that these symbols are directly connected from heaven’s perspective. What was necessary in order to save us from our slavery to sin was prefigured on how the deliverance from Egyptian slavery through the dividing of the Red Sea was described long before. We are saved by coming to appreciate that it was the rupturing of the heart of God in Christ, and how that reveals that God allowed the full effect of all the sins of every human being to be literally experienced emotionally by His beloved Son, in order that those sins should not drown us in their oppressive darkness.

Jesus’ rescue mission to the heart of the earth

Why is this distinction made between the heart of the seas and the heart of the earth?

How can Jesus going to the heart of the earth for 3 days and 3 nights be a solution and provide prevention for a death in the heart of the seas? The answer leads us to the heart of the issue!

When Jesus was entering¹¹ deep into the heart of the earth, He not only experienced physical symptoms of extreme stress causing His body to sweat out blood right through His skin pores, but His final death on the cross was caused as that stress ruptured His physical heart. Thus He remained dead on the cross for some time before the soldier pierced His side, revealing that there had already been separation of the plasma and hemoglobin and witnessed to by the disciple John (who also relayed Revelation to us).

How might the ‘cup’ Jesus spoke of while in the garden, relate to the symbol of the seas? This mysterious cup was symbolic of what was described in Isaiah 53 where it speaks of God laying on Him the iniquities of us all. A symbol of this kind of container in the sanctuary temple services was called the great sea. In Solomon’s temple this was a massive laver or container full of water used for ritual and literal cleansing purposes during the daily services of the temple. This was was used for both cleansing of dirt and filth picked up on the bodies of the priests, as well as with cleaning up the blood and washing the animal meat involved in the sacrificial system.

This symbolic system of rites and rituals evolved in people’s understanding into attempts to manipulate God’s disposition towards sinners. These ideas obscuring the true meaning of the sacrificial system became so polluted with dark superstitions about God that the entire design had to be swallowed up and neutralized by Christ who came to expose the whole matrix of dark traditions about God. It is all these spurious lies and superstitions that keep people afraid of God that had to be taken into His own psyche and confronted by the light of truth about God¹² until it led to the loss of His own life. This is represented as being the blood by which we may be saved. Symbolically then, Jesus was confronted by the specter of drinking what would symbolically involve the entire contents of the ‘great sea’ in order to neutralize all the lies and slander Satan has used to undermine God’s government and distort perceptions of His character in the minds and hearts of beings all over the universe, not just this planet.

The physical capacity of the great bronze sea in Solomon’s temple was somewhere between 5,000 or up to 18,000 gallons of water. Either way, ingesting anywhere near this amount of water (not to mention if it also was representative of the filth and blood from the sacrificial system along with it) would mean certain death to any human body. Yet the infinite capacity of the Son of God became also the Son of Man for this very purpose, to take onto Himself the ‘weight’ of the sins of the entire world. But beyond even this, He came to demonstrate to the entire watching universe filled with intelligent angels and other beings, the healing truth that God is nothing other than pure love, that He really is light with no darkness at all anywhere in His heart, that He is truth and fully trustworthy.

The saving blood of Jesus is not the same as the blood of a dead man symbolized by the aftereffects of this bowl being poured out. This dead blood here in the second bowl outpouring describes the spiritual condition of all who have fully spurned the mercy revealed by the blood of Jesus. This reminds us again of the power being unleashed through the praises, intercessions and incense of the lives and testimonies of these reflectors of the Lamb. This is what is being poured out on a sea of unbelieving, hateful, bitter people hardened beyond help by lies of Satan.

This contrast of perceptions about God exposes the condition of the spiritual blood of everyone. The Lamb’s agents are revitalized, energized and empowered by the true testimony of the blood of the Lamb. Additionally they receive an outpouring in their lives of the living Spirit of of heaven even more powerful than witnessed on the day of Pentecost. In turn they pour out their praises and their very lives to be channels of God’s unconditional forgiveness and love to their enemies just as the Lamb did¹³ under similar circumstances. This is how their Father who is in heaven is again glorified, in the same way the Lamb glorified His name during His last 3 days and 3 nights leading up to His resurrection.

False teachings and superstitions related to the meaning of the cross as embraced by those who dwell on the earth, make God out to be the ultimate debt-collector, demanding blood sacrifices in order to placate His wrath¹⁴ against sinners. Such lies are what lead to ultimate spiritual death in the heart of the seas. Such lies about God harden hearts to be like stone, and the condition of their spiritual blood is no different than the physical blood of a dead person. Yet this death has already been experienced by the Lamb who took upon Himself all their sins. All this suffering is needless and is only happening because of their determined resistance to the truth revealed in the blood of Christ.

It is no secret that Jesus was sent from heaven to take away the sins of the whole world. What is far less clear to most is the true nature of sin and how this is to be experienced. The enemy has convinced the world that it is God from whom we need to be saved, making God the Father out to be our real liability and picturing Jesus as seeking to appease His anger. In this tragically distorted caricature of the gospel, Jesus is pitted against God who is bent on punishing us, by taking that punishment upon Himself. This is a perversion of gospel, a doctrine of demons. The true gospel must be exposed in the true Light that came to enlighten every man in the world. That is what is being described in this chapter of Revelation.

It is true that Jesus went to the very heart of the earth to rescue anyone willing to respond to save to the uttermost even the most despotic sinner. Jesus took the enormous crushing weight of the millstone of responsibility for all our sins on Himself, and that weight crushed out His lifeblood beginning even before He was nailed to the cross, even before any violent hand was lifted against Him. Isaiah 52-53 explains this in more detail than any other prophecies. Yet despite such clear explanations many continue to be duped into believing Satan’s assertion that it was God who did this to His Son.

He was despised, and rejected by men; a man of suffering, and acquainted with disease: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we didn't respect him. Surely he has borne our sickness, and carried our suffering; yet we considered him plagued, struck by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed. (Isaiah 53:3-5)

When we view salvation through this lens of the heart, we see the true enemy, the great accuser who spawned the seeds of sin originally, is the father of all evil and wickedness. His lies resulted in the symbolic seas of restlessness in people trapped by his sophistries and who reflect his disposition. Seas represent peoples who both exploit and are exploited through the activities of excessing trafficking as we have seen. Without people and their willingness to participate in this pyramid scheme invented by Satan, commerce could not function. This is why an effect of the flood of glory seen at the beginning of Revelation 18 results in the collapse of commerce as described in the rest of that chapter. This collapse is the counterpart of its opulent growth as previously described in Ezekiel chapters 26-28.

What has been often obscured since the inception of evil is the true cause for the ill effects that have resulted. Satan ever works to shift responsibility to others or God for the chaos and suffering that sin causes, insisting that if God were not interfering so much with his plans, that Satan’s design could actually succeed. He insists his ideas are fundamentally better than the weak ways of the Lamb. Until these issues are completely clarified so that every being in the universe is fully convinced beyond a shadow of doubt that God is in no way complicit as the cause of pain, suffering and death, the universe will never be secured from reinfection of this deadly virus of selfishness.

A question that needs to be addressed is this, did Jesus become a sinner in order to save sinners, or was He made to appear like and experience the full effects of the curse of sin while remaining completely innocent and untainted by sin? If the later is true, how can that make us the righteousness of God?

This can only be understood when we have a right perspective of the true issue of sin and judgment. Sin is not something that offends God’s sensitive soul causing Him to react by requiring punishment to satisfy a cosmic scales called justice. Sin is a disconnect, a pulling away from a relationship of simple trust and open communion of hearts with our Creator. The lies we believe poison our relationship with the only Source of life that exists and with others. It is Satan who insists that sin must receive punishment¹⁵; this was never God’s idea. Imposed punishment for sins is part of Satan’s counterfeit design that results in more unrest and more dissonance, not reconciliation. Thus the remedy for the virus of sin cannot include the lie that God and His Son have differing dispositions towards sinners. The graciousness witnessed in the reflection of the life and example of Jesus is nothing less or more than the same graciousness that defines the heart of our heavenly Father.¹⁶

It was not punishments sent by God that Jesus came to save us from. Rather, Jesus came to demonstrate clearly how the effects of distrusting God heart will end in our hearts failing us from fear. The fear, shame, condemnation and guilt that sin causes inside of each of us is never from God but rather a reaction from lies lodged deep in our heart that resists the truth that alone can reconcile and restore us back to our original design for intimacy, full trust and bold confidence in the presence of God.

The seas also represent lies and their effects on people who can never rest because of lies about God’s disposition towards them. This includes religious people, for wickedness is not so much about open breaking of the law of God as it is about choosing to hold to lies that rob one of peace, making them unable to rest in God’s presence. Thus Jesus need not come to immerse Himself in our lies (seas) but to go to the very heart of the problem, the heart of the earth. After all, the original human was created from earth, not salt water. The problem of sin is in the heart, not merely outward malfunctions that manifest a diseased heart condition. Jesus came to restore our hearts to live in love, not improve our facade. When our heart is healed and reconnected with the great heart of Love, the outward condition will sort itself out as the fruit of the Spirit permeates the life. The root of the problem is dealt with when Jesus is allowed to heal our heart which in turn will resolve the bitterness of our spirit.

The Millstone and the Sea

Just as there are differing versions of symbolic blood, so too there are different kinds of ‘stones’ cast into the sea. A more obvious one represents Satan and his slanderous misrepresentation of the Father’s disposition, who makes the blood of Jesus as an outlet for God to supposedly vent His fury over sin in order that sinners might have a way to escape being the targets of His fierce anger themselves. Such lies from Satan have led untold millions of God’s children to stumble around in fear and distrust of God’s heart, for these doctrines deny the truth of who God really is. Such lies undermine faith and all originate with the father of lies who Jesus says comes only to steal, kill and destroy.

This arch-enemy is portrayed alternately as a great mountain (Revelation 8:8) cast into the sea, a great star fallen from heaven (Revelation 9:1) who opens the abyss from which dark smoke (representing his lies) blanket the whole earth. The Son of Man came to remove the yoke of Satan’s heavy weight of condemnation, guilt, shame and fear from off our minds and hearts, and to give us a new identity in Jesus as reflectors of God’s righteousness. Yet this weight taken by Christ, like a crushing millstone of condemnation will not forever remain on Him but will in the end be returned to its originator, exposing him as the cause of that great millstone. It is Satan who in the end will at last be shouldered with unavoidable accountability for every sin in the entire cosmos.

After Satan has been fully exposed before every being, resulting in complete and permanent loss of credibility, this culprit who alone is truly to blame for the entire sordid history of sin will become fully exposed for all his crimes against humanity. But once he is removed, all who have joined him and formed their characters around his likeness will likewise be exposed by the truth of Jesus’ and God’s love for them with no one else left to blame.

Before we explore how a millstone and the sea are connected, let’s first look at some references relating to millstones to help us see why this symbol is used.

No man shall take the mill or the upper millstone to pledge; for he takes a man's life to pledge. (Deuteronomy 24:6)

Then went Abimelech to Thebez, and encamped against Thebez, and took it. But there was a strong tower within the city, and there fled all the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut themselves in, and got them up to the roof of the tower. Abimelech came to the tower, and fought against it, and drew near to the door of the tower to burn it with fire. A certain woman cast an upper millstone on Abimelech's head, and broke his skull. Then he called hastily to the young man his armor bearer, and said to him, Draw your sword, and kill me, that men not say of me, A woman killed him. His young man thrust him through, and he died. When the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed every man to his place. Thus God requited the wickedness of Abimelech, which he did to his father, in killing his seventy brothers; and all the wickedness of the men of Shechem did God requite on their heads: and on them came the curse of Jotham the son of Jerubbaal. (Judges 9:50-57)

Then Joab sent and told David all the things concerning the war; and he charged the messenger, saying, "When you have made an end of telling all the things concerning the war to the king, it shall be that, if the king's wrath arise, and he tells you, 'Why did you go so near to the city to fight? Didn't you know that they would shoot from the wall? who struck Abimelech the son of Jerubbesheth? Didn't a woman cast an upper millstone on him from the wall, so that he died at Thebez? Why did you go so near the wall?' then shall you say, 'Your servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'" (2 Samuel 11:18-21)

In Job we find a whole chapter dedicated in God’s speech to Job that describes Leviathan, a mythological symbol of Satan. In the midst of this description we find reference to a millstone.

There is strength in his neck. Terror dances before him. The flakes of his flesh are joined together. They are firm on him. They can't be moved. His heart is as firm as a stone, yes, firm as the lower millstone. When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid. They retreat before his thrashing. (Job 41:22-25)

Back in Revelation we also find a parallel symbol used, and in a similar context to the first reference that gives us clues as to how prophecy predicts what will happen not just to Satan, but also to all who allow themselves to be used as his agents and share his agenda.

something like a great burning mountain was thrown into the sea. One third of the sea became blood, and one third of the living creatures which were in the sea died. One third of the ships were destroyed. (Revelation 8:8-9)

This prophecy clearly parallels this second outpouring on the sea we are looking at here in chapter 16. In one sense it involves a reversing of the separation of the land from the waters on the third day of creation, with the land part being a mountain, plunged into the sea with enormous repercussions. It also has similarities to descriptions of what happened to Pharaoh and his army being ‘cast into the sea’ during Israel’s deliverance from bondage.

What if this dead blood refers to a growing portion of people’s mindset being darkened by belief in a blood-thirsty God who demands appeasement through a sacrifice of a perfect human being before being willing to forgive? In the trumpets this reference to the sea involves one third being affected, while here in the plagues it is all of it. If this has to do with toxic pagan-infected theology destroying the heart’s ability to trust God, and if seas represent the mindset of people who cannot or will not enter into His kind of rest because of all this refuse, garbage, waste minerals and filth being washed in from the land, then these prophecies might take on a whole new dimension we never noticed before.

Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to Yahweh, and said, "I will sing to Yahweh, for he has triumphed gloriously. The horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. Yah is my strength and song. He has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him; my father's God, and I will exalt him. Yahweh is a man of war. Yahweh is his name. He has cast Pharaoh's chariots and his army into the sea. His chosen captains are sunk in the Red Sea. The deeps cover them. They went down into the depths like a stone. Your right hand, Yahweh, is glorious in power. Your right hand, Yahweh, dashes the enemy in pieces. (Exodus 15:1-6)

You divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on the dry land; and their pursuers you did cast into the depths, as a stone into the mighty waters. (Nehemiah 9:11)

You saw until a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet that were of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken in pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, so that no place was found for them: and the stone that struck the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.

In the days of those kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor shall the sovereignty of it be left to another people; but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has made known to the king what shall happen hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation of it sure. (Daniel 2: 34-35, 44-45)

In this prophecy from Daniel we see an original stone specifically identified as not being formed by any hands whatsoever. This is significant, particularly for our study here, for the millstone that represents the crushing weight of guilt, condemnation and shame is an artificial stone formed by Satan’s lies about God’s disposition towards sinners that causes us to doubt His love for us and to resist the very truth that can save us from fear of death. It is this stone of truth that corresponds to the light in Jesus’ definition of judgment in John 3:19-21, exposing and grinding to powder all falsehoods that Satan uses to bind people in his kingdom of darkness.

So how do we fit into all this? Because we are personally involved in this war every day, we need to understand how to respond to Satan’s attacks of shame, guilt and condemnation in ways that align us with the truth that overcomes the power of darkness. In light of these passages we can connect the prophetic dots of the millstone back to Satan and his surrogates along with the violence and force that this symbol involves. Putting this together helps it start to make more sense.

In that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?" Jesus called a little child to himself, and set him in the midst of them, and said, "Most certainly I tell you, unless you turn, and become as little children, you will in no way enter into the Kingdom of Heaven. Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Whoever receives one such little child in my name receives me,

but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a huge millstone should be hung around his neck, and that he should be sunk in the depths of the sea.

"Woe to the world because of occasions of stumbling! For it must be that the occasions come, but woe to that person through whom the occasion comes!" (Matthew 18:1-7)

Note several points that are key here. Jesus says we must choose to become vulnerable, trusting and humble like an innocent little child who has not yet been overly infected with the poison of adult traditions and baggage. Otherwise it is impossible to be part of His kingdom of grace, love and truth.

Secondly, the way we treat those who are vulnerable, trusting and transparent reveals the kind of God we worship and what we believe about our own identity along with how we think God treats us. If we relate to vulnerable people as Jesus does, we can bless not only that person, but Jesus says we are also receiving Him. If we succumb to temptation and exploit them for our own advantage, in doing so we misrepresent God’s heart to them and lead them to lose trust in the truth about His unconditional and everlasting love for them. We join the ranks of the enemy and further his diabolical work of defaming God’s reputation, defacing His image in our own hearts as well as to others.

Why does Jesus say that occasions of stumbling must be? It sounds strange, almost like there has to be temptations. Yet if we consider this thoughtfully we may realize some things. For one, so long as there is a devil around, there are going to be temptations to exploit others, urges that well up inside us from our predisposition to act selfishly, so we must resist such urges and remind ourselves of our true identity in Christ so we can remember how to act like our true self in Him.

Another lesson in this is that the true kingdom of love involves willing vulnerability on the part of everyone. Thus vulnerability is not to shrink back from, for Jesus said we must choose to be like this if we want to be part of His kingdom. So as long as there are vulnerable people around us, the way we participate in His kingdom of love is to relate to them with openness, being humble and vulnerable ourselves and resisting any urge to exploit anyone. This is how eternity will be experienced, for everyone will be willingly vulnerable and free of all fear because there will be no one left to exploit anyone. This is what heaven involves, and this is what we are called to through the Spirit dwelling in us, reproducing in us the likeness of God.

One last observation on this passage. Jesus said it would be better for him… How could it be better for an abuser to be cast in the sea with a massive stone around their neck than to exploit a vulnerable, childlike person? This seems out of character for Jesus to say, at least like it sounds to us initially.

In the Greek this phrase can be translated different than this. It literally means to collect, to bear together. It is composed of two words meaning together with and to bear or carry or be driven. In light of the revelation of God’s heart by Jesus, I see this as potentially meaning several things. One might be that my false identity, my sinful urges, habits and past history that seeks to define for me who I am, must be drowned and exterminated. My false identity is what causes the heavy millstone of condemnation to make me act ungodly or desire to exploit someone to make me feel better. It would be better for me to put to death that old man identity and put on¹⁷ the Lord Jesus Christ as my true identity. I need to embrace that I am now, presently, the righteousness of God in Christ¹⁸, not an exploiter of vulnerable people or situations.

Secondly, I see this as informing me that sin itself when indulged in, is the true cause of the ill effects brought into my life. It is not God who demands I be drowned in the sea for offending Him or even His innocent children; rather it is sin itself that defaces God’s image in my inner being and destroys my ability to thrive in the presence of love. God never has to inflict punishment for sin, because sin is our greatest danger, not God. When I get together with sin, it will force me to bear its consequences, and the mental and emotional effects will eventually drive me to the point of choosing death rather than life, even in an atmosphere where saints who have chose to be like vulnerable children do the opposite.

Here are a few more references to help us piece this together. This next one comes near the end of an important parable Jesus told of a vineyard leased out to renters who come to imagine it belongs to them instead of the one who built it. He repeatedly sent messengers to receive the produce of the vineyard, but each one was met with hostility at best.

But afterward he sent to them his son, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But the farmers, when they saw the son, said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and seize his inheritance.' So they took him, and threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?"

They told him, "He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will lease out the vineyard to other farmers, who will give him the fruit in its season."

Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected, the same was made the head of the corner. This was from the Lord. It is marvelous in our eyes?' "Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation bringing forth its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but on whoever it will fall, it will scatter him as dust."

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he spoke about them. (Matthew 21:37-45)

How are all these stones coming into view for us here?

The stone in Daniel came from outside and was not shaped by anyone’s hands, meaning it was not artificial or superficial in any way.

Jesus said the stone which the builders rejected [referring to Himself as that stone] is in reality the head or most important foundation stone of the entire edifice God is building in His kingdom of love.

A heavy millstone [a different stone that has definitely been cut out with hands and designed to crush grain, becomes an enormous dead weight around the neck of one who causes others to stumble in their trust of God’s heart.

Babylon is portrayed as coming to a final end being cast into the sea like a huge millstone.

Babylon represents the very essence of Satan’s social order that relies on rewards and punishments to control and manipulate the masses [the seas] for his personal aggrandizement and worship.

For in an hour such great riches are made desolate.' Every shipmaster, and everyone who sails anywhere, and mariners, and as many as gain their living by sea, stood far away, and cried out as they looked at the smoke of her burning, saying, 'What is like the great city?' They cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, 'Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her great wealth!' For in one hour is she made desolate.

"Rejoice over her, O heaven, you saints, apostles, and prophets; for God has judged your judgment on her." A mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and cast it into the sea, saying, "Thus with violence will Babylon, the great city, be thrown down, and will be found no more at all. No craftsman, of whatever craft, will be found any more at all in you. The sound of a mill will be heard no more at all in you. (Revelation 18:17-22)

Satan’s demise in the Heart of the Seas

We have considered how Jesus came to the heart of the earth in order to rescue us. But from what does Jesus save us? It is not God, for that is becoming clear in the revelation of God’s heart brought to light by His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus went into the heart of the earth, the origin from which humanity was created, the dust of the ground. He did this to save us from a tragic end in the heart of the seas that will happen to the devil and his angels.

Here is a warning from Jesus shortly before His death. It reveals heaven’s foreknowledge of the final end of sin and sinners based on their despising of His kindness and mercy. The results of how we chose to relate to the Father’s love sent to us in Christ, is displayed in the fruit in our lives and the way we treat those around us and determines our disposition.

"But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Then the King will tell those on his right hand, 'Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry, and you gave me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me.'

"Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? When did we see you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? When did we see you sick, or in prison, and come to you?'

"The King will answer them, 'Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

Then he will say also to those on the left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you didn't give me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and you didn't take me in; naked, and you didn't clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn't visit me.'

"Then they will also answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and didn't help you?'

"Then he will answer them, saying, 'Most certainly I tell you, inasmuch as you didn't do it to one of the least of these, you didn't do it to me.' These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." (Matthew 25:31-46)

What is this eternal fire? It is what is described as a lake of fire in Revelation 20 where the devil ends up, yet it also correlates with the sea of glass mingled with fire as described in chapter 15.

There is good reason that the word heart is used to relate to these eternal consequences. Salvation has to do with our heart condition, not about knowing right answers or performing enough good deeds or other superficial criteria. It is the condition of our heart, our spirit, our posture towards love and our disposition towards God that determines our eternal destiny. This decision is not made for us by God but rather is entirely up to us to decide how we respond to the light of truth about His love for us. The devil and his angels made their decisions long ago, and since then they have been seeking to compel others to come into the same condition of hatred towards God as they have. Yet humanity is not so far depraved as they are yet. All heaven is doing everything to win as many as possible back into loyalty to God and cooperation with His ways and will.

Jesus opened a way for all who are willing to be reconnected to our Father, by embracing the identity Jesus restored for us and allowing His Spirit to align our condition with our identity. This is why He went to the heart of the earth, to gain authority through identification with us so He could give every human a new identity in Him. By identifying with Him we are able to escape the power of the devil and become filled with new life and the Spirit of God.

So why does Scripture tell us that Satan will meet his final end in the heart of the seas? If seas represent people, particularly angry, wicked people who have given themselves over to think and act like the devil, what might it look like for Satan to be swallowed up by the very seas he relied on to promote his agenda of trading for so long? It is not so difficult to imagine if we take a little time to contemplate the evidence already provided.

Son of man, tell the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because your heart is lifted up, and you have said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet you are man, and not God, though you did set your heart as the heart of God-- (Ezekiel 28:2)

and tell Tyre, you who dwell at the entry of the sea, who are the merchant of the peoples to many islands, thus says the Lord Yahweh: You, Tyre, have said, I am perfect in beauty. Your borders are in the heart of the seas; your builders have perfected your beauty. (Ezekiel 27:3-4)

Your riches, and your wares, your merchandise, your mariners, and your pilots, your repairers of ship seams, and the dealers in your merchandise, and all your men of war, who are in you, with all your company which is in the midst of you, shall fall into the heart of the seas in the day of your ruin. At the sound of the cry of your pilots the suburbs shall shake. (Ezekiel 27:27-28)

therefore, behold, I will bring strangers on you, the terrible of the nations; and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, and they shall defile your brightness. They shall bring you down to the pit; and you shall die the death of those who are slain, in the heart of the seas. (Ezekiel 28:7-8)

It will happen in the day that Yahweh will give you rest from your sorrow, from your trouble, and from the hard service in which you were made to serve, that you will take up this parable against the king of Babylon, and say, "How the oppressor has ceased! The golden city has ceased!"

Yahweh has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of the rulers, who struck the peoples in wrath with a continual stroke, who ruled the nations in anger, with a persecution that none restrained.

The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet. They break out song. Yes, the fir trees rejoice with you, with the cedars of Lebanon, saying, "Since you are humbled, no lumberjack has come up against us."

Sheol from beneath has moved for you to meet you at your coming. It stirs up the dead for you, even all the rulers of the earth. It has raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. They all will answer and ask you, "Have you also become as weak as we are? Have you become like us?" Your pomp is brought down to Sheol, with the sound of your stringed instruments. Maggots are spread out under you, and worms cover you. How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, who laid the nations low!

You said in your heart, "I will ascend into heaven! I will exalt my throne above the stars of God! I will sit on the mountain of assembly, in the far north! I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I will make myself like the Most High!"

Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you will stare at you. They will ponder you, saying, "Is this the man who made the earth to tremble, who shook kingdoms; who made the world like a wilderness, and overthrew its cities; who didn't release his prisoners to their home?"

All the kings of the nations, sleep in glory, everyone in his own house. But you are cast away from your tomb like an abominable branch, clothed with the slain, who are thrust through with the sword, who go down to the stones of the pit; like a dead body trodden under foot. You will not join them in burial, because you have destroyed your land. You have killed your people. The seed of evil-doers will not be named forever. (Isaiah 14:3-20)

They went up over the breadth of the earth, and surrounded the camp of the saints, and the beloved city. Fire came down out of heaven from God, and devoured them. The devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are also. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Revelation 20:9-10)

You were the anointed cherub who covers: and I set you, so that you were on the holy mountain of God; you have walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you. By the abundance of your traffic they filled the midst of you with violence, and you have sinned: therefore I have cast you as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed you, covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you have corrupted your wisdom by reason of your brightness: I have cast you to the ground; I have laid you before kings, that they may see you. By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your traffic, you have profaned your sanctuaries; therefore have I brought forth a fire from the midst of you; it has devoured you, and I have turned you to ashes on the earth in the sight of all those who see you. All those who know you among the peoples shall be astonished at you: you are become a terror, and you shall nevermore have any being. (Ezekiel 28:14-19)

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we won't be afraid, though the earth changes, though the mountains are shaken into the heart of the seas; though the waters of it roar and are troubled, though the mountains tremble with their swelling. Selah. (Psalms 46:1-3)

The Heart of the Issue

What is important from this better understanding of the meaning of seas? I believe this relates to our eternal salvation, the most important thing for any of us. I will add one more clue relating to the difference between seas of salty water and others bodies of fresh water. It is in a phrase Jesus repeated having to do with dividing those who choose to respond to His love from those who cling to lies that make them afraid of love and who will experience His presence as torment.

I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Matthew 8:11-12)

Then he said to his servants, 'The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren't worthy. Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the marriage feast.' Those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding was filled with guests. But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn't have on wedding clothing, and he said to him, 'Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?' He was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and throw him into the outer darkness; there is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be.' For many are called, but few chosen. (Matthew 22:8-14)

Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes. Most certainly I tell you that he will set him over all that he has. But if that evil servant should say in his heart, 'My lord is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards, the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn't expect it, and in an hour when he doesn't know it, and will cut him in pieces, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. There is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be. (Matthew 24:45-51)

He also who had received the one talent came and said, 'Lord, I knew you that you are a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter. I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the earth. Behold, you have what is yours.'

But his lord answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn't sow, and gather where I didn't scatter. You ought therefore to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received back my own with interest. Take away therefore the talent from him, and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will be given, and he will have abundance, but from him who doesn't have, even that which he has will be taken away. Throw out the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Before him all the nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. (Matthew 25:24-33)

One said to him, "Lord, are they few who are saved?" He said to them, "Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen up, and has shut the door, and you begin to stand outside, and to knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open to us!' then he will answer and tell you, 'I don't know you or where you come from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.' He will say, 'I tell you, I don't know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity.' There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets, in the Kingdom of God, and yourselves being thrown outside. They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in the Kingdom of God. Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last." (Luke 13:23-30)

How does this relate to a restless sea? Jesus says that the outer darkness, living apart from the light of His passionate fire of love, those who have spurned His ways and disposition, will react with overwhelming tears of unspeakable sadness. At the same time there is intense anger, resentment, bitterness and recrimination seen as gnashing or grinding of teeth.

Teeth grinding is a symptom of stress, and nothing could be more stressful than realizing you have destroyed your own capacity to live in joy, to have your deepest longings for peace and happiness satisfied, or even to experience rest.

It would not be hard to imagine that with untold millions of people weeping profusely at the same time, the result could be a sea of tears. Tears have high salt content. So do seas. The seas are salty because of the residue of minerals left behind after much evaporation of water. It is analogous to the condition of the Dead Sea or the Great Salt Lake which have no outlets, leaving them shrinking in size but with increasing salt concentration over time, unable to sustain life or grow vegetation.

This is what selfishness does to our spirit and soul as well. When we allow the enemy to steal the life of God given to each of us, the fresh waters of life evaporate and return the upper atmosphere, while our own lives deprived of outlets that could keep our waters and spirit fresh, become stagnant and more and more toxic. These examples of nature are designed to alert us to the dangers of continuing to live for self, ever receiving yet shrinking in spiritual life because we become fixated on gratifying our own needs or defending ourselves with little care for others. If this cycle of death is to continue to its conclusion, the inevitable outcome will be death in bitterness of soul. This may be the most important lesson of all to be gained from this study of the word sea.

We saw at creation how God divided the waters above from the waters below. The seas were below while the waters above were likely fresh, clean and pure. Later in history pervasive wickedness enveloped the whole earth resulting in co-mingling of the waters above with the waters below, producing a flood proportional to the condition of wickedness of the same magnitude. This is how sin operates; it reverses God’s creation design, affecting all who cling to sin and who resist God’s love to transform and heal them. These are the people labeled in Revelation as all those who dwell on the earth. Just as seas below are increasingly filled with salt, so the flood of tears in the end will distinguish between those whose tears are wiped away from those who perish in a sea of tears.

The choice is ours to make. Will we choose life or death? Truth or lies? Vulnerability and joy, or isolation and hardness of heart? What sea will define where we choose to spend eternity?

I saw another great and marvelous sign in the sky: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them God's wrath is finished. I saw something like a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who overcame the beast, his image, and the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, having harps of God. (Revelation 15:1-2)

I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. (Revelation 21:1)

Why is the new heaven and earth noted as having no more sea? I believe this is symbolic rather than literal as there would still likely be large bodies of water to accommodate sea creatures that will be included in the new earth restoration. Likely this is reference to the absence of restlessness, of double-mindedness, of doubts about God’s integrity. This is a universe once again free, whole and undefiled by sin. This is how love wins and casts out all fear.

When all is said and done and the victory is fully realized and secured forever, the restoration of God’s original purpose and design for all nature means no more angry, violent beings that disturb the peace or darken His glory. The waters of the new earth will be the waters of life, where everyone is an outlet of the spring of life eternally fed directly from the heart of God. All nature will be restored to continual praise with no dissonant note to mar it. The New Song will be supreme as the only theme song forever.

Praise him, you heavens of heavens, You waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of Yahweh, For he commanded, and they were created. He has also established them forever and ever. He has made a decree which will not pass away. Praise Yahweh from the earth, you great sea creatures, and all depths! (Psalms 148:4-7)

1Why would heaven be included in this statement, for it makes little sense to say there would be no more sea in heaven. But if we understanding the sea as referring to restless, unmet selfish cravings dominating those who dwell on the earth, then John here sees that this condition will never be repeated after completion of the great restoration of all things in Christ.

2But nobody can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the image of God. Out of the same mouth comes forth blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. Does a spring send out from the same opening fresh and bitter water? (James 3:8-11)

3Having chosen Satan as his god, he placed himself in the severe reward and punishment system Satan enforces. Because Pharaoh made a decision to let the Israelite slaves leave during emotional weakness following his own son’s death, Pharaoh invoked Satan’s merciless justice and was compelled to pay for his choice. Pharaoh was demonically driven to risk himself and his whole army in an insane attempt to recapture his escaping slaves. But Satan’s justice has no mercy or forgiveness, and in reality it was Satan that ordered the death of Pharaoh when viewed from the larger perspective.

4God is so wealthy that his chief delight is to give. His treasure-stores are so full that it is pain to him when we refuse him an opportunity of lavishing those treasures upon us… He is so very, very rich. It gives him true joy when we just let him give and give and give again to us. [Sit, Walk, Stand p. 12-13 by Watchman Nee]

5For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some have been led astray from the faith in their greed, and have pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Timothy 6:10)

6Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of God; (Romans 2:4-5)

7Angels who didn't keep their first domain, but deserted their own dwelling place, he has kept in everlasting bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day. (Jude 1:6)

8There was war in the sky. Michael and his angels made war on the dragon. The dragon and his angels made war. They didn't prevail, neither was a place found for him any more in heaven. (Revelation 12:7-8)

9By the abundance of your traffic they filled the midst of you with violence, and you have sinned: therefore I have cast you as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed you, covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. (Ezekiel 28:16)

10It is no coincidence that evolution (Satan’s idea of what to believe about the origins of life and how humans evolved from lower creatures) teaches that life began in a primordial sea, not on dry land. This directly contradicts how Scripture describes the origin of humans as coming directly from the hand of God above as the crowning act of creation week and shaped personally using the dust of the earth as His raw material.

11An important part of understanding how all this fits together is a careful study on the use of the word ‘hour’ by Jesus, particularly in the gospel of John. Jesus throughout His ministry kept saying that His hour had not yet come. Then suddenly a few days before His death He switches that to saying the hour had come. Appreciating the significance of this shift indicates, at least to me, that it was at that point in time where began the 3 days and 3 nights countdown. I believe it is a big mistake to simply assume that the phrase ‘heart of the earth’ refers only to Jesus lying in the tomb. Rather the heart of the earth has to do with the great emotional intensity experienced by our Savior as He physically and spiritually entered into the experience described in Isaiah 53.

12But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation; namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having committed to us the word of reconciliation. (2 Corinthians 5:18-19)

Far from an offering to appease the wrath of an offended deity as religion has taught, the gospel reveals that Christ met His death because the lies of sin that were placed on Him vicariously by God during the last 3 days and 3 nights of His ministry for us, were confronted by the light of God’s presence that dwelled inside of His heart and was never extinguished. The face-off between light and darkness, truth and lies is what caused the unbearable stress experienced by our Savior during His last hours leading up to His death. This titanic struggle between conflicting identity sources is how Christ earned the authority to replace every human’s false identity as a sinner with His own identity as victor over sin and beloved child of God.

For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

13Most certainly I tell you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also; and he will do greater works than these, because I am going to my Father. (John 14:12)

14How shall I come before Yahweh, and bow myself before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will Yahweh be pleased with thousands of rams? With tens of thousands of rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my disobedience? The fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? (Micah 6:6-7)

15 In the opening of the great controversy, Satan had declared that the law of God could not be obeyed, that justice was inconsistent with mercy, and that, should the law be broken, it would be impossible for the sinner to be pardoned. Every sin must meet its punishment, urged Satan; and if God should remit the punishment of sin, He would not be a God of truth and justice. {Desire of Ages p. 761}

16Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you know him, and have seen him." Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us."

Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you such a long time, and do you not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How do you say, 'Show us the Father?' Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works' sake. (John 14:6-11)

17The night is far gone, and the day is near. Let's therefore throw off the works of darkness, and let's put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day; not in reveling and drunkenness, not in sexual promiscuity and lustful acts, and not in strife and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, for its lusts. (Romans 13:12-14)

182 Corinthians 5:21

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Thursday, June 22, 2023

Heart of the Seas - Rumor notes 159

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