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)
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? (Psalms 114:2-5)
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.
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)
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)
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.
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.
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)
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.
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.
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
commerce
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 kindness
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 him.
They abandoned their places in heaven. Because there was no place in
their hearts for love, there was no place found for them in heaven
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 violence
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 earth
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 entering
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 God
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 did
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 wrath
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 punishment;
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.
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 on
the Lord Jesus Christ as my true identity. I need to embrace that I
am now, presently, the righteousness of God in Christ,
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)
Posts
