Wednesday: Between Land and Sea
Daily Lesson for Wednesday 30th of April 2025
The land and sea imagery in the Bible, especially for prophecy, can be very instructive. Consider the case of the symbols of land and sea in Bible prophecy, which are contrasted sharply.
“Symbolically, when earth and sea are juxtaposed, earth often represents the ordered world, or even the land of Israel, while sea refers to the Gentile nations that menace it as the sea menaces the land.”—Beatrice S. Neall, “Sealed Saints and the Tribulation,” in Symposium on Revelation, book 1, ed. Frank B. Holbrook (Silver Spring, MD: Biblical Research Institute, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 1992), p. 260.
In this thinking, land is a place of stability, established on the government of God; sea represents the unstable turmoil of nations established on human pride.
With the idea expressed above as the background, read Revelation 12:15-16 and Revelation 13:1,11. Notice the juxtaposition between water and earth. How are they used, and what can they teach us about how to understand prophecy?
Image © Phil McKay
Notice that the dragon uses water to persecute the woman (the church). As we have seen, in prophecy water often symbolizes worldly governments and the turmoil and chaos that often attends them. Hence, we can see how Satan was able to use the masses, prodded by their leaders, to persecute God’s people through much of church history.
Also, Seventh-day Adventists have understood Revelation 12:16 to refer to the migration of persecuted believers to the New World. If our understanding of land and sea is correct, what does this say about the founding of the American republic?
Could we consider it to be “the earth” in the same way that the “Promised Land” was—a place set aside for God’s people? Could this be why the land beast first appears to be lamblike? Though America has never been the “New Israel” as some of its early founders liked to see it, for a long time it has been a land of religious freedom for millions of the world’s religiously oppressed.
Unfortunately, this lamblike beast will one day speak “like a dragon” (Revelation 13:11, NKJV). The United States, so long a beacon of religious freedom for the persecuted, will become the dominant religious persecutor! This is another example of what happened when humanity chose to rule itself instead of being ruled by God.
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One thing that prophecy is very good at is providing encouragement and hope. As God’s people face all sorts of persecutions from the devil and his agencies, prophecy tell us to be patient and faithful. “If any man have an ear, let him hear...Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.” (Revelation 13:9–10). In the face of persecution and death, God’s people are called to summon their patience, endurance and unwavering faith for the crown of life is to be won. Now is the time to prepare for that dreadful time that will fall upon the face of the earth (Daniel 12:1, Matthew 24:21–22, Joel 2:1–2). God has not left us alone to face this awful time. He has given us all the tools we need to face the enemy.
“By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence” – 2 Peter 1:3, NLT
Amen. Thank you for this encouragement!! Well written.
In the current climate, it is very easy to become a religio-political analyst. The leadership of the United States of America changed the playing field at the beginning of this year and a couple of weeks ago, the Pope died giving rise to speculation as to the direction the Roman Catholic Church will take in the future. Given the Seventh-day Adventist background, I am not surprised to see several several, "We told you so!" articles in Church websites and publications.
With this in mind, we come to today's lesson - which incidentally was probably written about 5 years ago. It would be very easy for me to write a "fulfilment of prophecy" comment, but I want us to think outside the box a bit, because sometimes we take the easy way out and quote church literature rather than thinking for ourselves.
One of the most successful strategies in warfare (and game-playing for that matter) is the idea of distraction. You cause the enemy to focus on something they regard as important while you get ready to attack them where they least expect it. Read the history of the great World War 2 battles and you will see that strategy being successfully used over and over.
The big picture idea that I see in the symbolism of the land and sea is that the new battle comes from an area where it is least suspected and in a way that is masked. I am not sure where the current geo/religious-politics will lead, but I am certain that evil is most likely to attack us where we are most vulnerable and least expect it.
Mark 13 is worth reading in this context:
We have a Gospel commission to fulfil. And that is much more important, and quite different to shouting, "We told you so!"
I believe the unexpectedness, speed, scope, and means of what became the global crisis of the pandemic is an excellent illustration of your point.
Beautifully said my brother.
Our compromise must be with Jesus alone (and I'm not mixing this concept with the Law), meaning we need to develop a personal relationship with our Creator, and Jesus is the "bridge" to God. He is God. Everything else that the Bible discloses is for our conscientization. But the exact hour of the end of this great controversy between evil and good is unknown. Take heed, and be glad, redemption is on the way!
Well said.
" ....I am not sure where the current geo/religious-politics will lead, but I am certain that evil is most likely to attack us where we are most vulnerable and least expect it."
I've often said that those closest to us are the ones we should pay the most attention to. Our enemies do not know as much about us as our friends, acquaintances, and alliances do. Too many of us will fall and fail in testing times as we are swayed by every whim and fancy. So what should we do?
We ought, now more than ever, to connect more earnestly with God's word to allow the Spirit to reveal what we need to know when we need to know, or 'Thy Will be Done' is also apropos. Have a blessed Wednesday.
During the recent global pandemic I couldn't help but notice how the United States government,(the lamblike land beast) a longtime advocate for both religious and societal freedom, lost it's "lamblike" voice and starting speaking like a dragon by restricting freedoms, even those pertaining to worship, in ordering the closure of churches, and the mandating of a medical procedure. It was a massive power grab that I hadn't seen before.
The truly sad and frightening thing was how readily the churches, and the people, went along with it all, even our own religious freedom advocating church seemed to lose it's lamblike voice. I saw it all as a trial run for the mark of the beast issue.
Think it can't or won't happen again? Don't be so certain. The devil works on the basis of incrementalism, he gradually ratchets up the pressure to catch his prey in his snare. He knows our vulnerabilities and when and where to strike. His greatest weapon is fear, however 1 John 4:18 gives the remedy to fear.
Our only safety is in obedience to God's Word, rather than mans edicts when the two conflict with each other. (Acts 5:29) We must become fearless through a rock solid love relationship with Jesus. It's the only way that we won't again fall victim to the fear of man. It's the only way that we will stand faithful and fearless through the coming final crisis. We have a message for the masses, and a mandate from heaven to deliver it. Rev. 14:6-12
One might ask, Tim, was it infringement of religious liberty when the “Jewish” church, theocratic Israel, restricted the freedom of lepers in their community, that a woman in menstruation could not fellowship as usual? The restrictions under the pandemic did not prevent or forbid Christian worship of their God. The government was concerned about the spread of the virus just as Israel’s concern for the spread of leprosy, I think. We don’t limit worship of God to a building, I know.
I am very hesitant to suggest that the loss of freedom associated with the COVID-19 pandemic was religious in intent. To be fair, public health figures and governments faced the most serious health problem since the Spanish influenza plague after World War 1. They were scrambling to understand what was going on and made decisions based on their understanding of worst-case scenarios. With the benefit of hindsight some of those decisions are now judged as ineffective. We can argue that the science for those decisions was flawed but that is quite different to implying that it involves religious persecution.
I should add that during the period of the crisis, I saw many Christians stepping up and acting with the love of Jesus. On-line fellowship flourished, often with more individual interaction than is seen in Church liturgy. Further, I know of many Christians who went out of their way to ensure that those most affected by the lockdowns were cared for. Some of us are grateful that during the great toilet paper shortage we had in Australia there were congregation members who ensured we never went short.
Some complained about loss of freedom, but others found an opportunity to minister. That is what the Kingdom of Heaven is about.
I applaud the work of those who made the best of a bad situation and created online spaces where there could be some spiritual fellowship. We believe that an online community can provide some of that. That's why we have this blog.
On the other hand, while we can't know what was "religious in intent," what we can know is that there was a real loss of freedom of conscience, and that is "religious" by definition. From what I have observed here in the US, I believe all of Tim's points are valid.
It wasn't difficult to see the religious discrimination when bars were designated as "essential services" and remained open, while churches were forced to close. Protests bringing thousands of people together shoulder-to-shoulder were allowed to continue, while Christian worshipers couldn't even gather outdoors, except in closed cars on a field.
The forced "vaccination" was difficult for some to evaluate because they trusted the officials who proclaimed the shots to be "safe" and "effective" and would prevent infection and spreading it to cherished grandparents, while we now know that they knew that they were neither safe nor effective. (This is easily verified right on the related government sites where officials who once proclaimed the necessity of the shots are recorded as stating that the shots were never intended to prevent infection or the spread of infection!)
Here in the US, at least, the shots were never officially approved as "vaccines" because they did not do what vaccines were supposed to do. But most folks didn't bother to check out the facts or read the fine print but believed what those in "authority" told them. Those who did their own research and knew that the shots were dangerous lost their jobs, as did a doctor in our family (who had graduated summa cum laude on a full scholarship) who lost her clinic and hospital privileges, and a nurse in our family who lost her job.
What was especially troubling was that institutions closely connected to the church were in lockstep with the secular "authorities," causing people to lose their jobs and even their homes, while others lost their children to "social services." (The fate of the doctor and nurse in our family would have been no different if they had worked in Adventist hospitals.)
Also troubling was that some church members in official positions considered it their duty to inform government authorities regarding their brothers and sisters who were meeting discreetly in homes. (That pushed some people right out of the church. They reasoned that a church that acted like this could not possibly be God's true church.)
There is a clear spiritual parallel. We are to know God's truth for ourselves. It is not safe to trust those in "authority" whether in secular authority or our church. We each must know God and His truth for ourselves.
Years ago we were told that "the last movements will be rapid ones." The Covid pandemic illustrated how rapidly the whole world can pivot from one way of looking at things to completely the opposite way. It demonstrated how quickly freedom can be lost. It demonstrated how rapidly people who were once internationally honored and lauded because of their achievements can become pariahs because they did not go along with the official narrative.
We know that this will happen again. Not too long from now, all those who profess to honor the commandments of God above the dictates of government and society will have their commitment tested. Those who hold fast to their commitment to God will lose their means of physical, social and moral support in this world. They will have to depend on God alone. Brother will betray brother, and children will betray their parents and vice versa - just as happened during the Covid time.
The time to prepare for that situation is now, not tomorrow, next week or next year. God has graciously allowed us to see a demonstration that things can happen very rapidly, leaving no time to prepare or "buy oil" as five of the sleeping virgins wanted to do. (Matt. 24:6-13) The time to "buy" the oil is now. (Rev. 3:18)
Inge, I am in full agreement with your comment. There were people in positions of power, Illinois Governor Pritzker, for example, issued a travel ban and then took his family on vacation in Florida and Wisconsin. It brought out the worst in people that had a totalitarian bent. When churches and other places of worship were closed, but liquor stores and bars were deemed essential and allowed to remain open, I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that we were dealing with evil forces and were being played.
Even the church that organized to meet within an drive-in theater with no interaction of individuals was shutdown.
The cautionary tale in all of this is how quickly society can lose their freedoms. Suddenly the mark of the beast scenario no longer seemed like a religious conspiracy theory. Indeed, now is the time to prepare. To wait until the final crisis breaks to prepare, will cast those people as the foolish virgins, who end up being lost.
An interesting article from Pew Research on the restrictions on religious groups around the world during the pandemic: How COVID-19 Restrictions Affected Religious Groups Around the World in 2020
Well Said, Tim and Inge
Mark 13:5,6,9 "... Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many. . .You must be on your guard...."
What is it to come in His name? Does not the Bible utilize names to denote one's character?
Could we rephrase Mark 13:6?
... For many will come in My character, like caring for your health, and will deceive many. ...
I'm just thinking its a possibility; look how divisive the shutdown became.
The author of this quarter's lessons made a statement in his SS, Lsn 4 interview w/It is Written, re: 'the abomination of desolation'. Paraphrase: Babylon tore down Jerusalem's temple because their worship did not look different from pagan worship.
A most important statement was made in the author's discussion of Lsn 5 re: prophecy (and has been stated in today's blog talk). Paraphrasing: Prophecy is not about predicting the future but it is to prove who is the true God. Our commission is to find God's missing children and share Christ, the peace that passeth understanding. It will be all right; we know the ending.
Thank you for your consideration.
Revelation 13 doesn't say that this beast from the land would start out like a lamb and that at some point later, near the end of time, start to speak like a dragon.
This beast has always looked benign, Christian, like a lamb, because it arose from the relative safety of "the land." But make no mistake, it has always spoken like a dragon. It has always persecuted the most vulnerable (Natives, Africans, people of color). We shouldn't be surprised that this dragon-like speech comes "all of a sudden"
Waters in the bible have generally been represented people. In Revelation 17:15, we can read that “waters … are peoples, multitudes, nations and tongues.” Similarly, rivers also represent people in the world and different nations. Habakkuk 3:8 asks the question: “O Lord, were You angry with the rivers … was your wrath against the sea?” It does not make sense for God to be angry with literal bodies of water, clearly showing that ‘rivers’ denotes nations in this verse and ‘the sea’ represents different nations of the world.
Why is there no mention of the interpretation of what the earth is given in the Great Controversy p 440 - ie, that it has to do with the amount of population?
"But the beast with lamblike horns was seen “coming up out of the earth.” Instead of overthrowing other powers to establish itself, the nation thus represented must arise in territory previously unoccupied and grow up gradually and peacefully. It could not, then, arise among the crowded and struggling nationalities of the Old World—that turbulent sea of “peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” It must be sought in the Western Continent. "
Hello Michelle! Actually the quotation that you shared does interpret the symbol of the land beast.
"Instead of overthrowing other powers to establish itself, the nation thus represented must arise in territory previously unoccupied and grow up gradually and peacefully. It could not, then, arise among the crowded and struggling nationalities of the Old World-"
Hi Tim,
Thanks for the response. Sorry for the confusion! I meant why wasn't the Great Controvery's interpretation of what "earth" represents - mentioned in today's lesson? (Ie, "earth" is not as populated as "seas")
Of course, I don't know if the author of the lesson reads this board, so it's not fair of me to expect commentators here to know the answer
Michelle, I'm sorry that I misunderstood your question. I think the reason the author didn't use the quote from Great Controversy could be two-fold. One, we want to first establish our beliefs from scripture. Two, there probably wasn't room to include it. The author has to fit each day's lesson on a single page for printing in the lesson quarterly format.
Oh, sorry, I don't mean why didn't they quote it.
I mean why is the interpretation appear to be different.
The author interprets the land or earth as "place of stability, established on the government of God"
whereas the Great Controversy interprets it in terms of lack of population.
Hello Michelle! A place of stability would indeed be a sparsely populated land because you wouldn't have the upheavals that congested, populated areas have; quests for supremacy and power, etcetera. I see it merely as a matter of semantics and perspective, while mainly the principles are in harmony with each other. Does that make sense?
Tim,
I do see how the two interpretations could relate to each other. Although I personally don't see them as being necessarily logically equivalent.
However, reasonable minds may differ as to how important the distinction is between the two.
I felt deeply troubled reading the lesson today and I can't imagine how an indigenous believer would feel about it. I don't disagree that God used North America to provide protection for those who were persecuted, and certainly our church was born in North America but to suggest that it was a place set aside for God's people, just like Canaan, can take us to some very dangerous ways of thinking. What are the implications? It isn't much of a stretch to take that idea and move to justify wiping out the original inhabitants (which happened to a certain extent during various wars) or forcing them to become Christians (which also happened through institutions such as residential schools). After all, that's what Israel did when they entered Canaan.
I taught on a reserve for four years and while there are definitely some unbiblical beliefs that exist in native spirituality (the ideas of bad spirits etc. probably the most prominent), overall many of their traditional teachings are not at odds with God's teachings. Their root beliefs support living in harmony with nature, respecting elders, being humble etc. The Iroquois Confederacy had a system of democracy long before many Europeans states did. The people I worked with were gracious and kind and my students were open to talking about spirituality, including Christianity, in a way that would never take place in a standard public school. We had a prayer each morning. There were plenty of problems too, but I cannot compare these groups to the evil nations that God drove out in Joshua.
God protecting His people by allowing them to escape to North America is one thing. Suggesting God actually orchestrated the creation of the United States is another. I suppose you Americans can't believe I would say that, but I stand by it. The US has done some very good things. He also a lot of dark history too, and this history goes back to the very beginning. Lamblike does not mean it is a lamb. It has had beastly traits right from the start. Comparing it to the nation of Israel is not something we should teach.
One thing to keep in mind is that God's foreknowledge of events doesn't necessarily equate to foreordination. I believe that it was God’s desire and intent that the Pilgrims and all those following would peacefully coexist with the indigenous people on the North American continent, not subjugate and destroy them. The settlers should have come as missionaries not as conquerors. Sadly, many bad things have been done in the name of God throughout this planet, which has caused many to turn away from believing in God.
Sorry please, but I'm a novice to both ssnet ànd to the Adventist world, but I would like to understand more of this lesson "between the land and sea" more between the lamb like beast that speaks like a dragon what does it mean? And what lessons can we pick from the beast?
Hello Emmanuel! Welcome to ssnet! I hope that you will stay and grow with us in the knowledge of the Bible and Bible prophecy.
The "land beast" is a nation that would develop in a sparsely populated part of the world. It would initially espouse religious and societal freedom for all. However, it would, and has at times, gone against those foundational principles to act, or speak like the dragon (the devil). A nation speaks through it's laws. Bible prophecy predicts that this nation that was established with "liberty and justice for all," will eventually and has at times in past history, go against it's lamblike principles to become a persecuting power against God and his people.
Keep learning with us, we are all students on a journey to the kingdom of heaven. Blessings to you!