STRONG DELUSION

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“What Is Truth?”—Pontius Pilate (John 18:38)

 

We are told in 2 Thessalonians 2:11 that God is going to send “strong delusion” upon the world when the antichrist comes into power. The Church of Jesus Christ will have departed via the Rapture, thus ending the “salt and light” influence of the Holy Spirit operating upon mankind through those believers. Then as if to add insult to injury, a supernatural hallucination will cover the earth like a blanket in order to ensure that Satan incarnate will be 100% successful in his takeover! All men everywhere will welcome him with open arms and not a single voice will be raised in protest. At that point the devil will have achieved his ages-long goal of ruling the world and having men worship him rather than Yahweh God.

 

Why do you suppose God is going to allow him that extreme latitude? The Bible does not give a specific reason, but I am convinced it falls under the same category as the old saying, “Be careful what you pray for because you might get it!” As the god of this world (2 Cor.4:4), Satan has used every strategy possible to push Yahweh aside and usurp His role as Sovereign God. And for the duration of the seven year Tribulation Period he is going to be given enough rope to hang himself. That unrestrained freedom will totally unleash his hatred for everything God created and the monstrous lie taught by the secret societies/mystery religions that Lucifer is the “good god” will finally be exposed—but by then it will be too late for all those deceived by it.

 

For some time after the Rapture there will be no believers on earth and the “mystery of iniquity” (2 Thess.2:7—which I personally believe is Gnosticism) will rapidly come to full flower. But the Bible—the very Word of God—will still be around because the devil and all his demons cannot destroy it (1 Pet.1:23)!  No doubt one of the first orders the antichrist will give is to prohibit anyone from owning a Bible and every copy in the world that can be found will be burned. But before his reign of terror is brought to an end at the Battle of Armageddon, untold millions will have come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through the efforts of 144,000 Jewish missionaries! Chapter seven of the Book of Revelation tells us that 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes will be “sealed” by God for His service and that “a great multitude which no man could number of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues” (vs. 9) would be saved out of the “great tribulation” (vs.14). The majority opinion among conservative Bible teachers is that the great multitude will be the spiritual fruit of those born-again Jews. And while Old Testament Israel failed in her responsibility to witness to the nations, that failure will be rectified during the Tribulation Period.

 

The context of 2 Thessalonians 2:11 relative to God sending the “strong delusion” is generally taken to mean that it will descend upon mankind after the Rapture of the Church, but I am not so sure that it does not begin at some time prior to that event. In fact, I think a very good case could be made for its presence right now! In my nearly 68 years of life there has been no prior time in which so many were so confused about what the Bible teaches. Men with advanced degrees in theology are now pushing plans and programs so far removed from clearly stated Bible doctrines that “strong delusion” definitely comes to mind.

 

A case in point involves “Theonomy” (derived from the Greek words “Theos” and “Nomos”—meaning “God” and “law”). Also called “Dominion Theology” and “Reconstructionism,” it is an attempt to reconstruct America back to its Puritan roots and the biblical ideal for society. And while I definitely agree with the sentiment of living according to God’s Word, any attempt by men to force that ideal upon society is contrary to the Scriptures! It did not work in the days of Calvin and Cromwell and will not work until the Prince of Peace imposes it upon all of mankind during His Millennial Kingdom.

 

One glaring error in such thinking is the belief that we are now living in the Kingdom, and as a result we should be reigning with Christ over the earth—as Revelation 5:9-10 says:

 

“And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; 10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (KJV).

 

But are we now living in the Kingdom of Jesus Christ? And is it true (as they strongly assert) that the Lord will not—indeed cannot—return to Earth until His Church has reclaimed it from the devil? Are believers supposed to use any and all methods at our disposal to establish dominion over unbelievers, such as political means, social reformation, and even violence if necessary?

 

My friends, if you think this movement is a minority fringe-element within Christendom—think again! When the Religious Right began their on-going effort to influence the political policy of the United States during the Reagan administration, they were following this philosophy whether most realized it or not. And that is the primary reason why left wing liberals continue to howl about the separation of church and state. They know from Church history what inevitably happens when Christians with good intentions go too far. So be advised that zealots in high places who rightly condemn the excesses of the Moslem Taliban are doing everything they can to establish a Christian version intended to subjugate the entire world!

 

But even if such efforts gain popular support within Christendom, trying to force spiritually dead individuals to conform to biblical principles will inevitably fail. And to prove that assertion we only have to point to the fact that the King of kings Himself will enter the Millennial Kingdom with a totally regenerate populace. Then as children are born to them and the number of unbelievers gradually increases over the centuries, the sin of rebellion will be in their hearts. The Lord Jesus Christ will rule “with a rod of iron” (Rev.2:27; 12:5; 19:15) and they will be forced to adhere to His law. But after 1000 years of forced obedience, hordes of those people whose numbers “are as the sand of the sea” (Rev.20:7-8) will run to Satan after he is released from the bottomless pit (Rev.20:3) in an attempt to overthrow God. So even after having been ruled by a perfect government in a perfect environment, the sinful human heart will not be conquered by such pressure.

 

Dominion Theology is but the latest wrinkle on the old “Manifest Destiny of the United States” theory of the 1800’s. Here is what Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia (Internet) says about the subject:

Historian Beshoy Shaker has noted that three key themes were usually touched upon by advocates of Manifest Destiny:

  1. the virtue of the American people and their institutions;
  2. the mission to spread these institutions, thereby redeeming and remaking the world in the image of the U.S.; and
  3. the destiny under God to accomplish this work.

The origin of the first theme, later known as American Exceptionalism, was often traced to America's Puritan heritage, particularly John Winthrop's famous "City upon a Hill" sermon of 1630, in which he called for the establishment of a virtuous community that would be a shining example to the Old World. In his influential 1776 pamphlet Common Sense, Thomas Paine echoed this notion, arguing that the American Revolution provided an opportunity to create a new, better society:

‘We have it in our power to begin the world over again. A situation, similar to the present, hath not happened since the days of Noah until now. The birthday of a new world is at hand....”’ [End of quote from Wikipedia].

Yes, that new world—the New World Order—is definitely on the horizon and many diverse elements are joining forces to “bring in the kingdom.” But be advised it will not be the Kingdom of Jesus Christ.

 

“But wicked men and imposters will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and leading astray others and being deceived and led astray themselves” 2 Tim.3:13 (Amplified Bible, emphasis mine).

 

This world is becoming more rotten by the minute and the notion that all of mankind can be manipulated into embracing the Church is patently ridiculous. Beware of such teaching! God is currently plucking His elect ones off the sinking ship of human government and no amount of political or economic intervention is going to keep it afloat. Then when it finally goes “belly up” at the end of the Tribulation Period, the devil will be at its helm.

 

Only after the strategies of sinful men have been allowed to run their course will Jesus Christ come back to rule and reign. And the first thing He will do upon returning is smite the armies of antichrist with the “sharp sword” of His mouth (Rev. 19:15). That fact alone indicates He will not return to a world that has been brought into subjection by the Church.

 

If you have been born again and received Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, but have been very lukewarm in your spiritual walk with Him, you need to immediately ask Him for forgiveness and for renewal. He will instantly forgive you, and fill your heart with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Then, you need to begin a daily walk of prayer and personal Bible Study.

If you have never placed your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior, but have come to sense His reality and the approaching End of the Age, and want to receive His FREE Gift of Eternal Life, you can do so now, in the privacy of your home. Once you truly believe in Him as Lord and Savior, you are spiritually Born Again, and are as assured of Heaven as if you were already there. Then, you can rest assured that the Kingdom of Antichrist will not touch you spiritually. If you would like to become Born Again, turn to our Salvation Page now.

We hope you have been blessed by this ministry, which seeks to educate and warn people, so that they can see the coming New World Order Kingdom of Antichrist in their daily news.

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