END TIMES

Strong Delusion

In a long passage about the Antichrist and the end times in II Thessalonians, Paul refers to a “strong delusion,” a mass deception that will occur at that time —

2Th 2:8-12 : 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.

There are clues in other parts of the Bible as to what this delusion might be. In Matthew 24, Jesus warns about “false Christs and false prophets” —

Mat 24:21-25 : 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. 23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. 25 Behold, I have told you before.

The beast of Revelation, the Antichrist, will seem to be “wounded to death” and yet will be miraculously brought back from death —

Rev 13:2-4 : 2 And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. 3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. 4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

There is “another beast” in Revelation, commonly called the false prophet, who promotes worship of the Antichrist —

Rev 13:11-12 : 11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. 12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

The false prophet “deceiveth them that dwell on the earth” with his miracles —

Rev 13:13-14 : 13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

His most notable miracle will be to make the image of the beast seem to come alive (maybe not so amazing in this age of animatronics) —

Rev 13:15 : And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.

These all could be part of the “lying wonders” that will make up the strong delusion of the end times. But my sense is that these are just hints, that the full framework of the deception has not been revealed in scripture (thus contributing to the deception when it comes to pass and allowing us to better understand the phrase that “God shall send” the delusion).

LINKS — For Further Consideration
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Delusional Speculations — Further thoughts on what the delusion might be.

Strong Delusion — A poem about the mass deception of the end times.