God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false... (2 Thessalonians 2:11)
And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth with their armies gathered to make war against him who was sitting on the horse and against his army (Revelation 19:19).
One of the great mysteries of the end times (as revealed in the Bible) is not so much the worldwide rebellion against God, but that those who are waiting for Jesus to return actually believe that they can destroy Him and the armies of heaven.
They know exactly who they are waiting for and they sincerely think they can overcome Him. Many scholars believe the following from Psalm 2 was written about this very time and battle:
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, “Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us” (Psalm 2:1-3).
It doesn’t make sense. For millennia, mankind has rebelled against the will of God, His law, His followers, and even His influence. God has had people hate Him, ignore Him, lie about Him, and even pretend there is no evidence that He exists. But the Battle of Armageddon is an assembly of armies (made up of people) who actually believe they can face, defeat, and kill God.
I don’t know what their definition of God is but Anselm said that a very baseline definition of God is:
God is that than which none greater can be conceived.
How can any rational human being imagine that a being who has absolutely no equal in either knowledge or power can be defeated?
The answer is the statement above from 2 Thessalonians. If you are willing to spend your life opposing God, then He is going to help with taking that final step. Going from opposing His will and influence to believing that He can be brought down and vanquished.
I’ve never really been one to hyperventilate every time something happens that can be construed as fulfilling end-time prophecy. I’m not a fan of the Left Behind series of books or movies. And I quit buying books written by Christian celebrities (oxymoron) telling us just how close we are to the Rapture and the Great Tribulation. (Have you noticed that those two events seem to take precedence over the return of Jesus?)
However, the events of the last month concerning the attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists and the subsequent unveiling of a massive surge of antisemitism worldwide have led me to believe the end is near.
Who knew that our supposedly elite universities in America were breeding grounds and incubators of antisemitism? What kind of people openly celebrate the murder and decapitation of Jewish babies? How in the world can the White House pick this particular time to roll out a “National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia”? This is beyond tone-deafness.
This is delusion.
Strong delusion.
Only now is the biblical description of the end times (in general) and the Battle of Armageddon (in particular) starting to make sense. God is sending strong delusion to those who already despise His will for mankind so that they can take the final logical step … declare war against Him and His Anointed.
I also used to wonder about Matthew 7:21-23. Jesus predicts people will argue with Him on Judgment Day! They think He isn’t getting it right.
[D]id we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?
This isn’t a roundtable religious argument among theologians. These are people who are before the throne of the King of the universe complaining that He doesn’t know what He is doing. How is this possible?
Delusion.
Strong delusion.
Peter predicted that towards the end, people would mistake God’s longsuffering and patient desire “that all should reach repentance” (2 Peter 3:9) for weakness. However, the apostle warned “The day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar…” (2 Peter 3:10). That “roar” comes from the returning Jesus:
From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).
As per Psalm 2:8-9.
The days for choosing sides are rapidly coming to an end. We are living in a world where people are taking to the streets and chanting “gas the Jews.” Jewish students in a New York university were terrorized by pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Despite video proof to the contrary, members of our own government continue to assert that Israel bombed a hospital in Gaza killing 500 people.
Truth doesn’t matter any longer. Only the narrative. How can this be?
Delusion.
Strong delusion.
Is God worried about the reception that will be waiting to greet His Son as He returns?
He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord holds them in derision (Psalm 2:4).
The point of no return may be much closer than we realize. Think cogently and clearly while you still can because “strong delusion” has begun.
