From Deluge to Delusion :: By Dale V. Nobbman

This article is about how God has in the past and will in the future carry out various judgments on humanity and the earth. In times past, God judged humanity’s sin and wickedness on Earth by means of a water deluge, referred to as the Great Flood, as detailed in the biblical book of Genesis, in chapters 6 through 8. God spared the only righteous people at the time, Noah’s family, from the deadly flood by means of the ‘Ark’ boat, which God had directed Noah to build using precise specifications, to accommodate all the animals and make it strong enough to survive the flood waters.

At a near future time, God will spare the current righteous people on earth from a deluge of delusion by the Anti-Christ during the Great Tribulation. The believers in God’s son Jesus Christ – that is, all true Christians – will be removed from the earth in an event commonly referred to as the Rapture, meaning ‘to be snatched away’ (I Thess. 4:13-18), thus sparing the people of God’s ‘church’ from the Tribulation period (Rev 3:10).

Make no mistake about it; Satan has been using deceptions and delusions from his playbook ever since the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:1-24), and it continues right up to the present day (II Cor. 4:4). That is how Satan works and interacts in the lives of people, with the goal of sending as many unrighteous people to ‘Hell’ as possible. Today, we are already seeing Satan deceive most of the earth’s population in an ever-increasing way on a daily basis (Luke 8:12). Satan’s deceptions show up in all areas of human activity, but they seem to be especially evident and manifested in politics and government, culture, education at all levels of schooling, in news reporting, and sadly, even in churches.

Satan’s eventual plan is to share his rebellious and evil ways’ playbook with his protégé known as the ‘man of lawlessness,’ that is, the Anti-Christ, who will be revealed and rise to world power after the Rapture (II Thess. 2:3). Why will it be at that time? Because not only will Jesus Christ remove his church (Christians) from the earth at the time of the Rapture, but the Holy Spirit’s role as the restrainer of the Anti-Christ’s evil intentions will be removed (II Thess.2:6-8). If you think the line between good and evil, truth and lies, is blurred today, just imagine what it will be like during the tribulation period dominated by the evil Anti-Christ, referred to as ‘the Beast’ in the Bible (Rev. 13).

Once the Rapture happens and the Holy Spirit’s restraining work is withdrawn from the earth, there will be no limit on the amount or types of evil and sins to take place during the terrible 7-year tribulation time, especially in the last 3 ½ years after the Anti-Christ breaks the peace treaty with Israel, sets himself up in God’s temple, and proclaims he is God (Rev.13:5). That event is known as the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken about in Mark 13:14 in the Bible. Then, as you might expect, all hell will literally break loose on Earth, initiated by the Anti-Christ and his minions, including the False Prophet (Rev. 13:11-18).

All the Anti-Christ’s evil ways will be taking place on Earth at the very same time Jesus and his angels in heaven are opening scrolls and commencing God’s seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments on humanity and the earth, which will take place throughout the Great Tribulation period (Revelation: Chapters 6, 8, and 16).

As we can see happening today, many people are walking away from the truth they once embraced, found in the Word of God (the Bible). People in greater numbers worldwide are now refusing to love God’s truth. Sadly, those who willfully reject the truth and gospel of Jesus Christ before the Rapture may well lose their chance for salvation because Satan is already using his secretive powers to deceive people right now. And then, after the Rapture, God will allow the Anti-Christ to use his persuasive power to delude people into believing a lie. This strong delusion will enter the minds and hearts of people during the tribulation period, thereby preventing them from seeing the truth (II Thess. 2:7-12) that only Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6), our Redeemer and Savior.

All those people believing the lie and delighting in wickedness will be condemned by God (II Thess. 2:12) and cast away to eternal separation from God the Father and Jesus Christ—just like the unbelieving people who were swept away and died during the Genesis deluge.

In Isaiah 66:2-4, the Lord God says, “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word,” referring to those people who are faithful. In contrast, those who have chosen their own ways and delight in their abominations tremble at nothing—and they will be punished. “I will choose harsh treatment for them and will bring on them what they dread. They did evil in my sight and chose what displeases me.”

Do you tremble at God’s truth declared in the Bible—or do you scoff at it? The choice is yours to make, but the choice you make, in your mind, has eternal consequences of determining where you will spend eternity—either with Jesus in heaven or forever separated from God. Choose wisely—as though your life depends on it, because it does, both now and forever. You still have time before the coming Rapture to choose Biblical truth and salvation over lies and irreversible delusion.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son [Jesus Christ], that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

“If you confess with your mouth ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

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