2nd Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
This passage of scripture gives us the reasons why God permits strong delusions to come to those who volunteer to be taken captive by the enemy of souls, and it is because of a hatred of truth, and the love of unrighteousness. The purpose of God in sending Christ to die for our sins, is so that we may be rescued from the tyranny of a relentless foe, who bends all his energies to our destruction. But many people do not take kindly to the unvarnished truths of God's word, for it interferes with our carnal desires and purposes, and thus, in order to quiet an awakened conscience, many prefer to deliberately choose deception, by singing that once famous song, "Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies".
Thus it is that the devil rises to the occasion, by providing those smooth doctrines, falsehoods, and deceptions that are tailor-made to suit itching ears, and then God has no choice but to allow the delusions to be presented to those who refuse to choose otherwise. An example of what is being referred to occurred when the unbelieving Jewish leaders were looking for ways and means to stifle their knowledge of the divinity of Christ. In one instance Christ had healed a blind man on the Sabbath day, and he was instructed by Jesus to go wash himself in the pool of Siloam, which he did, and was completely healed.
The man was then brought to the temple to the pharisees for certification, but after relating to them how he was cured, they utterly denounced his cure as not being from God. And although friends and neighbors were questioned, together with the man's own parents, who verified the fact that he was indeed born blind, the pharisees, like pharaoh of old, hardened their hearts by refusing to accept the undeniable truth that was there before their faces, and according to the scriptures, they went a step further by excommunicating the man and the miracle, by casting him out of the temple. Let's read:
John 9:16 Therefore said some of the Pharisees, This man is not of God".... "Others said, How can a man that is a sinner do such miracles? And there was a division among them. 18 But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and received his sight, until they called the parents of him that had received his sight. 19 And they asked them, saying, Is this your son, who ye say was born blind? how then doth he now see? 20 His parents answered them and said, We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind: 21 But by what means he now seeth, we know not; or who hath opened his eyes, we know not: he is of age; ask him: he shall speak for himself. 24 Then again called they the man that was blind, and said unto him, Give God the praise: we know that this man is a sinner. 25 He answered and said, Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see. 26 Then said they to him again, What did he to thee? how opened he thine eyes? 27 He answered them, I have told you already, and ye did not hear: wherefore would ye hear it again? will ye also be his disciples? 34 They answered and said unto him, Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost thou teach us? And they cast him out.
In these verses we see a whole lot of questions being asked over and over again, with several confirmations coming in from different sources, yet the pharisees were bent on not believing, though unmistakable evidence was present. Now, what is God supposed to do with people who refuse to believe, even when tangible evidence that cannot be refuted is presented before them? The answer is that they are sent "Strong delusion" that they may believe a lie, not because God takes pleasure in their deception, but rather because they have made their own choice, in the face of the clearest evidence to the contrary. Hence the reason why the following words were spoken by Christ, pertaining to those who stubbornly refuse to believe. Let's read:
Matthew 13:10 And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11 He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 13 Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. 15 For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
In our day, the very same experiences are being repeated, for there are many in the evangelical world, and many other protestants and Christians who are becoming very disturbed over the recent developments in this country, which are leading us to the brink of social unrest and moral anarchy. Yet, just like the pharisees, many of us prefer to bury our heads in the sand, by going with the flow, and merely watching from the sidelines, as satan ramps up his efforts to extirpate righteousness from off the face of the earth. And instead of raising our united voices against the institution of iniquity, many prominent televangelists are now closing their eyes, and singing that song "Que Sera, Sera, Whatever will be, will be".
If we earnestly desire to escape the overmastering delusions which will come upon the world as a snare, then it is imperative that we now cultivate a love for the truth, even if at times it may step on our toes, or rub us the wrong way. Error never sets any person free, only the truth does, and if we desire Christ in our lives, we must incorporate the truth into our very being, for Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. We therefore end with two passages of scripture which confirm this sacred truth, and let us treasure the truths of God's word, for they are indeed a savor of life unto life. Let's read:
John 8:31 Then said Jesus to those"... "which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Psalm 119:142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!