Revelation 12:15

And the serpent cast out of his mouth after the woman water as a river, that he might cause her to be carried away by the steam.

Water as a river ... This flood is thought to represent "overwhelming misfortune, every form of destructive and bitter persecutions,"[82] "all manner of delusions,"[83] etc. Caird thought the river is "the river of lies which the serpent spewed out of his mouth."[84] The fact of the serpent's mouth being mentioned here as the source of the river, and also the fact of his original deception of Eve with a base lie suggest that the river is indeed a great and never-ending stream of vicious and delusive lies. In ancient times, it was the lies of the Gnostics and various delusive heresies that rose from within the historical church herself; but the old serpent's falsehood business is a prolific and prosperous as ever. It is not difficult to cite examples. Lenski cited evolution; Pieters named:

Ebionism, Gnosticism, Manichaeism, Montanism, Arianism, and Pelagianism from early centuries, and Romanism, Socinianism, Unitarianism, Modernism, Russellism, Christian Science, Spiritualism, etc., from later and present times.[85]

For ourselves, we shall add Solifidianism, Materialism, Communism, and Humanism.

[82] A. Plummer, op. cit., p. 314.

[83] R. C. H. Lenski, op. cit., p. 384.

[84] G. B. Caird, op. cit., p. 159.

[85] Albertus Pieters, op. cit., p. 165.