04/01/2008
9The coming [of the lawless one] is based on Satan’s working, with all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders, 10and with every unrighteous deception among those who are perishing. [They perish] because they did not accept the love of the truth in order to be saved. 11For this reason God sends them a strong delusion so that they will believe what is false, 12so that all will be condemned—those who did not believe the truth but enjoyed unrighteousness.
When I was 4 or 5, my cousin tricked me into believing there was a ghost in his attic. And despite evidence to the contrary, urging by my parents, and even my cousin recanted the story, I continued to believe the ghost was there. Years later, I came to understand my folly.
But in the same way, people of this world would rather follow the easy path rather than address their sin and confess their unrighteousness before a Holy God. They become intrigued by some made-up religion and begin to consume it.
Paul explains that this is no less than the work and deception from Satan. Even now, people are scoffing at this idea. But there is a good and Holy God just as there is an evil and lying devil. Satan will employ every trick he can to deceive and lead you astray.
Unfortunately, some-- even in the face of overwhelming evidence-- will chose to follow the deception. Paul in his letter to the Romans points out that God’s glory is evident in all creation and those who say “there is no god,” will have no excuse when called to account. Even so, some will follow religions that revere the creation over the Creator, or religions that refuse to acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God. Some will believe that aliens created the human race and are our overseers. Some will simply choose to believe that everything that exists is a simple accident of nature.
These are all deceptions created by Satan.
What then does verse 11 mean? Is God causing some to go astray? Certainly not! What this means is that those who chose these paths of deception will become so ensnared by them that there will come a point that they can no longer see the truth. They will have spun a cocoon (as it were) around them based on these lies and will eventually be totally engulfed in the delusion.
Unfortunately, some will chose this path. This does not diminish our role to share our faith. We must always share our faith. But when those people reject our message, they are not rejecting us; they are rejecting God.
The message today is just a reminder that there is an evil force hard at work in our world. Sometimes we forget that Satan is real and working to steal souls from their opportunity to be saved. You are in the middle. What will you do?
Jeff Justus
Cleff Publishing
www.cleffpublishing.com
©2008 Cleff Publishing, all rights reserved.
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