"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea," (Rev. 13:1)
Not just one grain; that would appear ludicrous to even the most foolish. But it seems possible when multiple grains have gathered under the feet, giving the appearance of some form of foundation -- altho' after any amount of time, if there is weight and mass applied to it, all will prove to sinking quicksand and suck in the life of any who entrust sustenance there. After all, even scripture tells us the beast rises up out of the sea. It is something wet and horrible from a threatening deep. There is no beckoning to "Come up higher" as from a heavenly Father but a clawing, grappling, "Aha! Gotcha where I want ya!" Wet sand is heavy; it doesn't float up to heaven but tends to sink down to the bottom of the murky sea.
「そして、彼は、海べの砂の上に立った。」黙示録12:18？
Yes; I was confused when Saaya and Rana came Wed. and I tried to open to the last verse of Rev. chapter 12 in my Japanese Bible and couldn't find it. As it turns out, the 新改訳 is based on a different manuscript, so its 12:18 in my English KJV, was at 13:1 in the Shinkai Yaku!
At any rate, it made me really think of how important it is where our feet are and what they are doing:
- WHERE THEY ARE - Altho' the sandy seashore may not be that far away from the "house the wise man built on the rock," we can see these undesirable threats lie very close to dwellings based on solid foundations...that they are set up by contractors that offer fast, easy gains but rob you blind and offer no guarantees. We need to abstain from the appearance of evil (I Thess. 5:22).
WHAT THEY'RE DOING - "Standing on truth" isn't good enough. Even the devil knows how to do that. The foolish man is the one hearing truth and disobeying it. There are many who claim to be Bible-preaching or God-fearing Christians but live for their own agendas as if there was no Greater One to obey; that is the foolish man who built his house upon the sand, no matter how loudly he announces he stands on truth. That "truth" may be sand that'll crumble after it gets wet, and the beast rising up out of the sea may bring enough water (worldly allure) to make sure that happens.
