869. 20:13 Then the sea gave up the dead who were in it. This symbolizes external and natural people in the church called together for judgment.

The sea symbolizes the external component of the church, which is natural. Thus those whom the sea gave up symbolize external and natural people in the church. That the sea symbolizes the external component of the church, which is natural, may be seen in nos. 238, 398 at the end, 402-404, 470, 565[r], 659, 661 above. The dead mean people who had died from earthly lands, as in nos. 866, 868 above.

The dead that the sea gave up mean external people in the church, because the only people judged were those who engaged in some worship. For all those who scorned the sanctities of the church and denied the reality of God, the Word, and life after death, were judged immediately after death and conjoined with people in hell, to which they were subsequently cast down. But external and natural people who had professed with the mouth the reality of God and of heaven and hell, and had acknowledged the Word to some extent - these were the ones called together for judgment.

Many of those "from the sea" were saved, for we do not read that they were all cast into the lake of fire, as Death and Hell were. Rather we are told that any of them not found written in the Book of Life were cast into the lake of fire (verse 15). Those among them who were saved are also meant by the rest of the dead who did not live again until the thousand years were completed (verse 5).

It can now be seen from this that the sea's giving up the dead who were in it symbolizes external and natural people in the church called together for judgment.