Delusion so strong they can't be loose of it

Paul writes in II Thessalonians 2:

[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.
[13] But we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth:
[14] Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Verses 13 and 14 are talking about when we’re taken out of the way. The timing of the delusion is not now; it’s in the future, and that’s not, “Well, maybe it will be in 2050,” explained Richard Jordan in his study at church tonight, answering a question from someone who wondered if the “strong delusion” Paul's referring to is already in play right now.

After our current “dispensation of grace,” and the Body of Christ's been taken out with the Rapture, the prophetic program begins again. The next thing up in the prophetic program is this strong delusion.

The delusion is believing the lie program. It’s that thing in Mark where he says, “It will so strong that if He didn’t shorten the days,” and that’s why there’s only that seven-year period. Otherwise, if the (tribulation) ran to its natural conclusion, EVERYBODY would be deceived; it’s that strong of a delusion, that powerful of a lie program.

Mark 13: [19] For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.
[20] And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days.
[21] And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
[22] For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.

So, when Paul talks about the strength of the delusion it’s that it would encompass everybody if He didn’t shorten the days. A delusion is an effectual inward working of a lie, error. They refuse-- they do not want to believe the truth.

In John 8:44, the Lord Jesus Christ is talking to the religious leaders of the nation Israel who’ve been taken captive by Satan: [44] Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

The lie program was the invention, the product of Satan. In Genesis 3, the first question he asked Eve was, “Yea, hath God said?” She misquotes the Scripture and talks to him and he says, “No, you won’t die.” He flat out lies to her and that lie program, Romans 1:25 says: [25] Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.

By the way, the context historically for Romans 1 is the Tower of Babel. In Genesis 1, that lie program became established among the nations as the official system of operating and Baal worship has been the thing that’s controlled the operation of the Gentile nations of the earth all through history.

The lie is “worshipping the creature more than the Creator.” The lie is the deification of the creature, making the creature God. The lie is you can be your own God.

There’s an interesting thing in Revelation 21:8 when He talks about putting people in the lake of fire. He says, [8] But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

It’s where the lie leads you. So, this strong delusion has to do with believing the lie program the satanic policy of evil has developed and worked out.

In II Thessalonians Paul talks about the working of Satan. The Antichrist is the ultimate personification of the lie program. It comes to its fruition in him.

II Thess 2: [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.

The strong delusion is the lie people are given who don’t want to believe the love of the truth and they have the working of Satan; that spiritual working effectually in their inner man to make that lie program work in them.

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The strong delusion is so strong that the natural man can’t get loose from it. Isaiah 44:10, talking about the psyche of idolatry:

[10] Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing? It's got no profit at all to it.

Verse 20: [20] He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?

He’s holding a lie in his hand and he’s so deceived he thinks it’s the truth and he cannot deliver his soul; he’s so held-captive; it’s such a powerful delusion that he can’t get away from it. Again, that delusion is based in Baal worship.

When it talks about "the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders," that’s the whole Antichrist program!

Revelation 13, talking about the Antichrist:

[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?

When they worship the Antichrist, they’re really worshipping the power behind him:

[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.
[13] And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,

Do you remember any prophet in the Bible who made fire come down from heaven? You remember Elijah up on Mount Carmel fighting the prophets of Baal and he made fire . . . this guy's going to imitate him.

Elijah is there in the first part of the 70th Week. Satan's guy is going to duplicate, imitate, seek to replace the prophets of God:

[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.
[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.
[16] And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:
[17] And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
[18] Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

You see the economic power, the social governmental power, the religious power. He's going to consolidate all that power and he gives it to the Antichrist. The strong delusion is the thing causing people to FOLLOW the Antichrist.

(to be continued tomorrow)