The Figurative Sea, Many Waters in the Bible Figurative. (1) Vast multitudes of people are likened to the sea, because of their noise, and their overwhelming force (Jer. 51:42). (2) Wicked men are like the troubled sea, that cannot rest, and whose waters cast forth mire and dirt (Isa. 57:20). (3) To “shut up the sea with doors†(Job 38:8) is a symbolical expression for restraining, fixing a bound thereto. (4) “The sea hath spoken†(Isa. 23:4) is figurative for the rock island upon which new Tyre stood, and made her lamentation. (5) The noise of hostile armies is likened to the “roaring of the sea†(Isa. 5:30; Jer. 6:23). (6) The abundance of the seas, is converted to the church, when multitudes in Lesser Asia, Europe, and the isles, are turned to the Lord by the gospel, and consecrate their trade and wealth to him (Isa. 60:5) . (7) “The princes of the sea†(Ezek. 26:16) is a figurative term for the merchants of Tyre. (8) “From sea to sea†(Amos 8:12; Mic. 7:12) stands for “from one end of the world to the other. (9) “Waves of the sea†represent righteousness (Isa. 48:18), a devastating army (Ezek. 26:3-4), and in their restlessness the wicked (Isa. 57:20), and the unsteady (James 1:6). (10) The diffusion of spiritual truth over the earth is symbolized by the covering waters of the sea (Isa. 11:9; Hab. 2:14). (11) Am I a sea or a whale, that thou settest a mark over me? Am I like the sea or a whale, quite ungovernable? or, am I able to endure one storm after another, as the sea? (Job 7:12). (12) “Raging waves of the sea foaming out their own shame†(Jude 13), is a figurative description of false teachers who threw out their vile teachings like wrecks upon the shore. (The Popular and Critical Bible Encyclopaedia V-3, 1910, Pg. 1540) Although they quote James using the sea as those “unsteadyâ€, James is speaking of people who have no faith in God or Christ with the ability to fulfill prayers. That is why he says, “But let him keep asking in faith, not doubting at all,†James is talking about a person who believes there is a God, and His Son, Jesus Christ. But like unbelievers, they don’t put their faith in them. They are not like the psalmist who wrote, “For the word of the Lord is upright, And all His work is done in faithfulness.†( Ps. 33:4 NASB ) The Hebrew word used here is 'emuwnah (em-oo-naw’) from the word ‘emuwn (ay-moon) meaning faithfulness, trusty, which comes from the root meaning to support, confirm, be faithful. In the majority of uses in the Greek scriptures the sea represents “peoples and crowds and nations and tongues.†(Rev 17:15b NWT) Jude calls them “wild waves of the sea that cast up the foam of their own shame;†(Jude 13 NWT) How is this possible? In the Revelation given to John it says, “Now when the dragon saw that it had been hurled down to the earth,†(Rev. 12:13) Who is the dragon? Go back to verse 9, “So down the great dragon was hurled, the original serpent, the one called Devil and Satan, who is misleading the entire inhabited earth;†When it says inhabited earth, it is both the planet, and the established governments. In prophetic/symbolic language, the earth represents the more stable portion of mankind. As we can see from this scripture, the great serpent is Satan, “who is misleading the entire inhabited earth.†What is his intent? “. . .to wage war with the remaining ones of her offspring,†(Rev. 12:17) Who is she/she? “. . .the woman who gave birth to the male child.†How does he (Satan/serpent) do this? “And the serpent spewed out water like a river from its mouth after the woman, to cause her to be drowned by the river.†(Rev. 12:15) What is the water? “peoples and crowds and nations and tongues.†(Rev 17:15b NWT) They make up the sea, which produces what? These waters/sea is where the beast comes from. “And it stood still on the sand of the sea.†(Rev. 13:1) Who is it, that stands on the sand of the sea? From 12:17, That is, the dragon. Then what happens? “And I saw a wild beast ascending out of the sea,†(Rev 13:1) What or who is the wild beast? If the sea represents “peoples and crowds and nations and tongues.â€, the beast is the governments. Where does it get it’s authority? “And the dragon gave to the beast its power and its throne and great authority.†(Rev. 13:2b) What is it’s [the beast] purpose? Again: “It was permitted to wage war with the holy ones and conquer them, and it was given authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation. The water that the serpent spews out are peoples of the nations who hate God's people. They will persecute and put to death anyone talking against their government. We are living in the prelude to those days. It will only get worse.
A massive amount of research there....thanks for that and I get what the sea is i have always been troubled with just what the dragon was spewing from his mouth...I knew that water /seas usually meant mankind or nations, people...but I just couldn't make sense of it.....until now.