The Flood and the Second Coming
“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” (Matt. 24:37-39).
This article will examine one of the most common objections to preterism,[1] which is that Jesus compared the second coming to the flood in Noah’s day…which was a global event.
Not only did Jesus imply the second coming would be a global event, but he also said that the timing is unknowable: “But of that day and hour nobody knows” (v. 36). In fact, Jesus said it would happen when people are least expecting it, just like in Noah’s day, when people were “marrying and given in marriage…right up until the flood came and took them away” (v. 38-39).
Response: First, regarding the timing issue…Contrary to popular opinion, the timing of the second coming was never supposed to be a surprise for believers. That’s right, you read correctly. It’s true that Jesus did not know the exact day and hour, but he certainly knew it would happen within a generation–which the Bible defines as forty years (Heb. 3:8–10; Num. 14:30–34; Neh. 9:21)–and he said so over and over and over. For example, he told his audience in AD 30: “There are some standing here who shall not taste death [die] till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (Matt. 16:28; see also 10:23; 24:30, 34; 26:64; Rev. 22:12). Clearly, Jesus expected his second coming to happen within his generation. And his apostles did too. In AD 61-62, James said “The coming of the Lord is at hand…behold the Judge is standing by the door!” (James 5:8, 9; see also Heb. 10:37, Phil. 4:5, Rev. 22:7). The timing of the second coming was never meant to be a surprise for believers.
Even back in Noah’s day, Noah and his family knew full well that an enormous flood was coming soon, even though they did not know the exact day and hour. That’s why they built the ark! They didn’t just build the ark for the fun of it; they built it in anticipation of a soon-coming judgment. In fact, even the wicked people in Noah’s day should have known this judgment was coming soon. How? Because there was a gigantic ark sitting in the middle of the desert. The completed ark was an unmistakable signof imminent judgment. Yet, the wicked people of Noah’s day laughed and scoffed. This was Jesus’s point in comparing the second coming to the flood. Jesus was warning the people of his daynot to be like the unbelievers and scoffers of Noah’s day who had ignored the unmistakable sign (the gigantic ark sitting in the middle of the desert) and continued about their lives as if all was well–marrying and giving in marriage–right up until the flood came and took them all away.
Just like the gigantic ark sitting in the middle of the desert in Noah’s day, there were unmistakable signs of imminent judgment in Jesus’s day too. In fact, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and Sadducees for not recognizing those blatant signs all around them: “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times” (Matt. 16:2, italics mine). What were these “signs of the times” to which Jesus referred? The signs and wonders–the miracles–happening all around them! Jesus raised people from the dead, not to mention himself. Jesus restored the sight to the blind. Jesus fed five thousand men (plus women and children) with five loaves of bread and two fish. The apostles, too, did similar signs and wonders. The “signs of the times” were everywhere! And of all people, the Jewish leaders–who knew the Scriptures best–should have recognized the times they were living in. After all, their own prophet Joel foretold that in the last days, there would be miraculous “signs and wonders,” which would be followed by the great and awesome day of the Lord:
“And it shall come to pass in the last days that I [God] will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:17-21, italics mine; quoted from Joel 2:28-32).
Because of all of the miraculous “signs and wonders” happening in the first century, the Jewish leaders (Scribes and Pharisees) should have been the first to recognize the time period they were living in, given their extensive knowledge of the Scriptures. But they turned a blind eye instead. They refused to believe. They had eyes, but could not see. They had ears, but could not hear (Matt. 11:13-14, Rom. 11:8, Acts 28:27).
Jesus’s apostles, on the other hand, did recognize the times they were living in. In fact, on Pentecost, Peter quoted Joel’s last days prophecy in its entirely and said: “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel” (Acts 2:16). In doing this, Peter was stating in no uncertain terms that the last days, prophesied by Joel, were upon them–which meant “the great and awesome day of the Lord” could not be far behind, per Joel’s prophecy (see Acts 2:17–21 above).
Jesus, too, alluded to Joel’s last days prophecy in the Olivet Discourse. After the disciples had asked about the “end of the age” (Matt. 24:3)–a.k.a. the last days–Jesus mentioned “the sun, moon, and stars turning to darkness” (cf. Matt. 24:29 and Joel 2:31), which would be followed by the coming of the Lord (cf. Matt. 24:30 and Joel 2:31). Jesus was clearly alluding back to Joel’s last days prophecy, just like Peter on Pentecost. And when did Jesus say it would happen? “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.” (Matt. 24:34, italics mine). In fact, Jesus specifically linked all these events to the destruction of the temple (v. 2)–which happened in AD 70.
Here are some other clear passages showing that the apostles knew they were living in the last days (prophesied by Joel):
(AD 57) “Now all these things happened to them [the Israelites in Moses’ day] as examples, and they were written for our admonition [Christians in the first century], upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Cor. 10:11, italics mine).
(AD 62) “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son [Jesus]” (Heb. 1:1-2, italics mine).
(AD 62) “…but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb. 9:26, italics mine).
(AD 63) “[Jesus] indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you” (1 Pet. 1:20)…”The end of all things is at hand” (1 Pet. 4:7).
Can there be any doubt that Jesus and the apostles believed the last days had arrived? In fact, by the time the later New Testament epistles were written in the mid/late AD 60’s, it was no longer even the last days anymore. By now, it was the last hour of the last day: “Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour” (1 John 2:18, italics mine). Note: antichrists were people in the first century who denied Jesus was the Messiah (1 John 2:22-23, 4:2-3; 2 John 7).[2]
Jesus and the apostles clearly believed the last days had arrived. And the Scribes and Pharisees should have realized it too! Yet most of them mocked and scoffed instead, just like the scoffers in Noah’s day. This was Jesus’s point in comparing his second coming to the flood. Jesus was warning the people of his day (in the first century) to keep watch because there was, in essence, a gigantic ark sitting in the middle of the desert–the miracles–which meant a cataclysmic judgment was coming soon.
And it did, in AD 70! According to the first century historian Josephus, 1.1 million Jews perished during the Jewish/Roman War of AD 67-70 and another ninety-seven thousand were taken into slavery. Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed.
Second, it’s true that Jesus compared his second coming to the flood, but the flood was a local event–and Jesus knew it! How can we be sure of this? Because Jesus not only compared his second coming to the flood, but he also compared his second coming to the judgment of Sodom, which was a local judgment that Lot and his family avoided by fleeing Sodom. In fact, Jesus compared all three events to each other because they all were local events:
“And as it was in the days of Noah [the flood], so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man [the second coming]: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot [the judgment of Sodom]: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed [the second coming]” (Luke 17:26-30).
Jesus compared the flood to the second coming to the judgment of Sodom. Since the judgment of Sodom was a local event, therefore, so were the other two!
But doesn’t Genesis 6:13-18 describe the flood as a judgment of “all the earth” and “all flesh,” you may be wondering?
Yes it does. However, these kinds of global-sounding descriptions are often apocalyptic language (hyperbole). Or they refer to local geographical areas. For example, Luke 2:1-2 says: “It came to pass in those days [in the first century] that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered [for the census].” However, this census of “all the world” did not include the Chinese, the Aborigines, or the East Africans–even though the Romans knew full well these people existed. Caesar Augustus’ “world” was the Roman Empire, not the entire planet; and that’s the world he taxed.
Likewise, Paul said in AD 62-63 that the gospel had gone out to all the world: “The truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit” (Col. 1:6, italics mine). Paul was clearly referring to the Roman Empire–not the entire planet.
In another example, 1 Kings 10:24 says “the whole world sought audience with Solomon to hear the wisdom God had put in his heart” (italics mine). This, too, is clearly hyperbole. After all, the Aborigines of Australia did not seek an audience with Solomon.
Notice, also, how Jeremiah describes the judgment of Jerusalem and various other nations, which happened in approximately 600 BC:
‘The Lord will roar from on high, and utter His voice from His holy habitation; He will roar mightily against His fold. He will give a shout, as those who tread the grapes, against all the inhabitants of the earth. A noise will come to the ends of the earth–for the Lord has a controversy with the nations; He will plead His case with all flesh. He will give those who are wicked to the sword,’ says the Lord” (Jer. 25:30-31, italics mine).
All the inhabitants of the earth. All flesh. This is exactly how Genesis described the flood. Yet Jeremiah is describing the judgment on Jerusalem, Edom, and various other nations (Jer. 25:18-21), which happened around 600 BC. In fact, God used the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar to execute the judgment (v. 9).
In another prophecy, Zephaniah warned: “Near is the great day of the Lord…And all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealousy, for He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth” (Zeph. 1:14-18, NASB, italics mine). Despite the global-sounding descriptions, this is about the judgment of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
In another passage about the judgment of Jerusalem in 586 BC, God said “My sword shall go out of its sheath against all flesh from south to north, that all flesh may know that I, the Lord, have drawn My sword out of its sheath; it shall not return anymore” (Ezek. 21:4, italics mine). All flesh!
In one final example, John the Baptist, quoting Isaiah 40:6, said: “The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (italics mine). The reason why John the Baptist quoted this passage was because it was finally happening in his day! However, all the people on the planet did not see the salvation of the Lord in the first century–even though all kinds of people did (Jews and Gentiles alike).
As these many examples show, terms such as “all the earth” and “all flesh” do not always refer to the entire planet / every single person. This should not be all that shocking, however, because we too speak like this too all the time (all the time?). How many times have we asked, “Has the whole world gone mad?” or said “She rocked my world”? We use hyperbole like this “all the time”–and and so did the biblical writers.
Given the hyperbolic uses of “all the earth” and “all flesh” all throughout the Bible, we cannot just assume these terms were intended literally when describing the flood. As the old saying goes, “When you assume, you make an ass out of both u and me.” We need more evidence, either biblical or scientific, to reach an informed conclusion about the scope of the flood. And when we look at that evidence, it points to a local event–not global.
Regarding the biblical evidence, there is not a single Bible verse that says anything to the affect of: “In spite the many figurative uses of ‘all the earth’ and ‘all flesh’ all throughout the Bible, the flood was literally a global event.” What we do have, on the other hand, is Jesus comparing the flood to the judgment of Sodom, which could be avoid by fleeing the area (Luke 17:29-30). It seems even Jesus did not believe the flood was a global event!
Regarding the scientific evidence, let’s just say the evidence for a global flood is scant. In an article by the Christian apologetics organization Reasons to Believe entitled “Is a Global Flood Scientifically Possible?” the author points out that there is not enough water on the planet to cover the tops of all the mountains. Think about Mt. Everest, which is 29,029 feet (or about 5.5 miles) above sea level. To cover the top of this mountain, it would take 75% more water than is currently available on the entire planet! Moreover, Mt. Everest is rising only four millimeters per year–which equates to 125 feet over the last 10,000 years, or 500 feet over the last 40,000 years. Reversing this trend would make almost no difference to the calculation above. There is just not enough water on the planet to cover the mountains.
Global flood proponents sometimes argue that the mountains back in Noah’s day were much flatter, which made it possible for water to cover the earth. They argue that God’s judgment caused a massive and quick (within a year or so) uplifting of the mountains, which accounts for the sudden change in the earth’s topography.
However, that theory is dubious. To begin with, “the tectonic forces required to cause such massive mountain and ocean-building events in a single year would have been so violent and caused such turbulence in the waters that [Noah’s] ark would likely have been torn apart or capsized…[Also] Genesis 7:17–20 speaks of the waters increasing and rising greatly but makes no mention of violent or turbulent motions in the seas. Similarly, Genesis 8:1–5 tells us the waters receded, once again without mention of violence or turbulence.”[3]
Moreover, if a global flood happened, there would be evidence for it. Yet according to the U.S. Geological Survey, there isn’t any.
The aforementioned article by Reasons to Believe sums it up well: “In order to reconcile a global flood view with the current scientific evidence, one must accept a number of difficult-to-believe claims. Either (1) the global topography was similar to today’s, but the water used to cover the globe no longer resides on Earth (or is hidden from our discovery); or (2) the water on Earth today was sufficient to cover the globe, but tectonic forces completely altered the topography of the globe (in a way not detectable to us).”[4]
Given such evidence–both scientific and biblical–it seems pretty clear that the flood was a local event, not global.
Besides, many theologians argue that at the time of the flood, humanity was confined to the Fertile Crescent (a crescent-shaped region of the Middle East), which means God did not have to flood the entire planet to judge humanity. All he had to do is flood the Fertile Crescent area.
Therefore, the flood was a likely a local event. And since Jesus compared his second coming to the flood, therefore, the second coming must have been a local event too.
Third, it’s true that Jesus compared his second coming to the flood (Matt. 24:37), however, Jesus also said–a mere three verses earlier–that his second coming would happen within a generation (Matt. 24:30–34). So it must have happened in the first century!
And contrary to futurists,[5] Jesus was not talking about two different comings, separated by 2000+ years, in the span of these three verses (Matt. 24:34-37); at least he never said he was. Saying that the coming in verse 37 is a different coming than the one in verse 34 is nothing more than eisegesis, reading one’s preconceived ideas and traditions into the text. The plain reading of the text shows Jesus has one coming in mind throughout the entire chapter! Furthermore, Jesus said this coming would happen within a generation, which means it must have happened in the first century.
For a detailed exegesis of the Olivet Discourse and the long list of problems associated with the “two-coming” theory, see my book The End Is Here: How the New Testament’s Prophecies Were Fulfilled.
Alex Polyak, The Bible Fulfilled 1/12/24
[1] Preterists believe the second coming is past, based on passages such as Matthew 16:28, where Jesus said, “There are some standing here who shall not taste death [die] till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (See also Matt. 10:23; 24:30, 34; 26:64; and Rev. 22:12).
[2] See my book The End Is Here.
[3] Jeff Zweerink, Is a Global Flood Scientifically Possible?, Reasons to Believe (Sept 21, 2015).
[4] Ibid.
[5] Futurists believe the second coming is a future (to us) event.