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Habakkuk 2:14 "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

 

The waters covering the sea are not always peaceful nor predictable. In fact, waters are often a symbol of chaos or disorder that God steps in to tame. See the opening verses of Genesis, for example: "The earth was without form and void ... and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters." (Genesis 1:2), "And God said, 'Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place and let the dry land appear.'" (Genesis 1:9). The waters are under God's control, not ours, and when they are meant to wash over us, they will, as they did in Noah's time. 

 

So while it seems a lovely thought that knowledge of the glory of God will fill the earth, the comparison to the waters of the sea serves as a warning that such knowledge will not be comfortable to all. Habakkuk meant it that way. He drops this verse in the middle of a series of warnings of woe that will befall various sinners - "Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house (Habakkuk 2:9), "Woe to him who builds a town with blood" (Habakkuk 2:12), etc.

 

Knowledge of God's glory it will eventually fill the earth, there will be no choice but to acknowledge His glory. But as Revelation makes clear, it will be a very chaotic and troubled time as that comes to be. Those who have spent their days ignoring God and pursuing their own desires against His laws, will be like those drowned in a flood. As the knowledge of the glory of the Lord pours into a world sated in sin, it will feel and look a lot like destructive inundation rather than peaceful advancement of coexistence.