The Coming Flood

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Matthew 24:36-41

(I started this blog months ago, but did not feel I could release it. In light of the Texas flood, we have a vivid example of loss when an unexpected, unimaginable flood occurs—one the leaders were not prepared for. In no way am I condemning anyone, and I am deeply saddened by the loss of so many. But perhaps it is for this reason that this blog is so significant.)

Jesus was asked a two-part question in Matthew 24: “What will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the age?” He opens His response with a striking warning:
“Take heed that no one deceives you.”

This sets the theme for the entire discourse that follows.

Paul echoes the same concern in his letter to the Corinthians:
“But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 11:3

Yes, sadly, believers can be misled. Paul frames this as a corruption of the mind—a drift away from the simple, pure devotion to Christ, carried away by lies and Satan's craftiness.

I’m amazed at how many want to complicate the gospel. This confusion often arises through false teachings and teachers who, driven by pride, present themselves as having the inside tract on revelation. But their arrogance distorts their message.

I recently heard a well-known preacher reflect on how, after receiving a fresh revelation of Paul’s gospel of grace, he began questioning whether he had been deceived for over thirty years—just like the Galatians. I was struck by his humility. It takes great courage and humility to ask such a question.

Jesus issues a sobering statement in Matthew 24:24:
“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.”

Jesus warns us because this widespread deception is a key sign of the end of the age. The most serious spiritual threat to the Church isn’t persecution, but the corruption of truth—a battery of lies with the intent to deceive. It is the primary tactic the Antichrist will use.

This deception will be so persuasive, so supernatural in appearance, that even the elect could be misled. That’s not a small warning. If you think things are bad now, wait until the stage is fully set for the Antichrist.

Jesus further illustrates the nature of the end times by comparing it to the days of Noah. Life carried on as usual—people eating, drinking, marrying—until the flood came and “took them all away.” They ignored Noah's warnings until it was too late.

But this end-times flood isn’t one of water. God promised never to destroy the earth that way again. No, this is a different kind of flood—it is a flood of deception.

Jesus continues the comparison:
Two men in a field—one taken, one left.
Two women grinding at a mill—one taken, one left.

Where are they taken? Swept away by the flood—not of water, but of lies.

This same imagery appears in Revelation 12:15:
“So the serpent spewed water out of his mouth like a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away by the flood.”

The flood here represents a torrent of lies—a surge of false assertions and corrupt teaching flowing from the enemy’s mouth.

Jesus described him in John 8:44:
“He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth... When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

So how do we stand up against this flood? If even the elect are at risk, what will save them?

Paul answers this question in 2 Thessalonians 2:9–12:
“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders... because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved... God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie...”

The reason people will be swept away is not for their lack of knowledge—it’s a lack of love for the truth. Therefore, they will be subject to strong delusion. By definition, this is an active force leading people astray from what is true.

On the flip side, it stands to reason that for those who have a love for the truth, the flood will not harm them. They will be left standing. We don’t need to know everything—we just need a heart for what is true, even if that means amending something we previously thought was correct.

Jesus describes the nature of deception in Matthew 6:22–23:
“The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”

This is deception in its most dangerous form: mistaking darkness for light—believing a lie as if it were truth.

To guard against this, we must be willing to re-examine long-held beliefs. We must allow the Holy Spirit to affirm what is true and expose what is false. I try to approach Scripture with humility, asking the Spirit to teach me—even if it challenges what I think I know.

Paul instructs Timothy:
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” — 2 Timothy 2:15

To rightly divide means "to cut straight." When I teach, I am often having to distinguish what religion has taught and what is actually the true meaning of the Scripture. That may sound arrogant, but only truth can set people free, and that is always the goal. So many are bound by religious teaching.

Rightly dividing the truth means we’re willing to change course if needed—sometimes going against a widely accepted teaching. Human teachers can err, but the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth—and He will lead us into all of it. I can testify—He is a reliable teacher!

There’s nothing wrong with having teachers—I am one. But we each must learn how to rightly divide the word of truth for ourselves. Jesus prayed, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth." To be sanctified means to be set apart. And it is truth that sets us apart. Our love for it will prove to be our ark.