Why is God going to send a strong delusion in the end times?

We must also notice how just are all the dealings of God with men. Those who will fall a prey to all this deceit of unrighteousness, are just those who when they heard the truth did not love it. Loving not the truth, they did not believe it, rather they had pleasure in unrighteousness. And now the deceit of unrighteousness captures them; they believe the lie, and they all fall under the judgment of God. Formerly God sent them the truth, the Gospel was sounded into their ears by men who preached it "with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven" (1 Peter 1:12). Now God sends them a strong delusion. He does for them what of old He had to do for rebellious Israel, when He "blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart" (John 12:40; and see Acts 28:26-27). Is God unrighteous in acting thus? On the contrary; He is acting in righteousness of the strictest and most exact kind.

(2 Thess. 2:9). Having instructed us as to the power that restrains the full development of this fearful evil, the Apostle concludes his description of this lawless one by foretelling the seductive power he will wield, and its terrible effects upon those who have rejected the truth. This fearful display of seductive energy will give occasion for the full manifestation of the power of Satan. The coming of this man of sin will be "after the working of Satan with all power, and signs, and lying wonders." This lawless man will act in deadly opposition to Christ, but his seductions will be shown in that he does so by imitating Christ. We read of the Lord Jesus that He was "approved of God … by miracles and wonders and signs" (Acts 2:22). The same words that are used to set forth the power of God, acting in grace, in Christ, are used to set forth the power of Satan, acting in malice, in the man of sin. Thus Antichrist, under the power of Satan, will seek to belittle the witness borne by God to Christ, by miracles and wonders similar to those performed by Christ.

These powers and signs will not be the trickery of some man-made priest, or the sham healings of men; they will be terribly real, though called "lying wonders," inasmuch as they will deceive men. Thus the coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the supernatural power of Satan. Men forget that there are spiritual beings — "angels that excel in strength," and that Satan, though a fallen angel, has immense powers, far exceeding the powers of man. When the restraining power of God is removed the supernatural powers of Satan will be fully displayed. The working of Satan will be accompanied with the manifestation of "power" far beyond the power of man, with "signs" which convey some portent, and with "wonders" which excite attention.

(2 Thess. 2:10-12). The Apostle closes this solemn portion of his Epistle by describing the awful effect of Satan's power working through the lawless one. All this unrighteousness will deceive "them that perish," those who have heard and refused the truth. "They received not the love of the truth that they might be saved." Having refused the truth they will be given over to this "strong delusion" and will believe a lie. Moreover they "believed not the truth," because they had pleasure in unrighteousness.

As the Lord will manifest His presence in overwhelming power and glory, so will the presence of the lawless one be according to Satan's energy in every form of power and signs and wonders of falsehood to deceive and destroy. The same disbelief which refused the evidence of God's power and truth in Christ will fall under Satan's lie in these powers and prodigies. They are superhuman. Wonders were wrought to a certain point by Pharaoh's magicians. In another way we see surprising effects by natural agents in Job's trials. But here similar language is employed about the man of sin as the apostle Peter used about the Righteous One (Acts 2:22). They will be real miracles to promote falsehood, not pretended ones. The issue will be, not only his own perdition, but the deceiving of all his followers to everlasting ruin because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved. His lie, the deceit of unrighteousness, will be incompatible with salvation by Christ and the truth. They all perish.

The apostle then gives the moral reason for so stern a judgment. “And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error that they should believe the falsehood, that all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness” (v. 12). God's sending a working of error is judicial hardening. Satan follows with his deceiving marvels of power to drag down all its followers to perdition. It is divine retribution. They renounced the truth and salvation with it; they loved the lie. They must perish. The elect of that day escape solely by divine grace, as is true of all the elect in any day.

The judicial hand of God will be put forth in that day, as well as the power of Satan. It is righteous retribution from Himself. Men in Christendom have had the truth, but have not loved it; instead of believing it they have had pleasure in unrighteousness. God will remember all this in the day to come. His hand will be upon them. He will send them a strong delusion, that they shall believe the lie of the enemy. The truth not having been received (though known), the lie shall be to their eternal ruin. Some find it hard to believe that the (so-called) enlightened men of this day will soon bow at the feet of the man of sin; but it is solemnly true. Men who affect to despise their ignorant ancestors for bowing down to stocks and stones will presently be found doing what is immeasurably worse. Probably the strictly religious Jews of the Lord's day did not care to be told that the unclean spirit of idolatry will return into their midst with sevenfold virulence (Matt. 12:43-45). The last state of Judaism will be worse than the first, and Christendom will be in the same condition. The two systems, so opposed in principle, will be together in evil in the dark day that is at hand.

Thus, thank God, the truth is abundantly confirmed, that these things do not relate to the assembly, but to those who, having had opportunity to profit by the truth, have rejected it, and loved iniquity. Neither does it relate to the heathen, but only to those among whom the truth has been set forth. They refused it, and God sends a lie, and an efficacious lie, that they may believe it. He does this in judgment: He did the same thing with the nations (Rom. 1:24-28); He did it also with the Jews (Isa. 6:9-10); He does it here with nominal Christians. But it does relate to the Jews as a nation that rejected the truth — the testimony of the Holy Ghost (Acts 7) — but still more to Christians (in name); in short to all those who will have had the truth presented to them.

We read that God will send them a strong delusion, or rather (as in the New Version), a working of error, that they should believe the lie: that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. They are punished for not having believed the gospel, which they must have known, and for not having loved the truth, by which they might have been saved. They are not heathen, judged on the ground of ignorance, but apostates, judged for having given up what in earlier days they professed to accept as the truth. God's gospel leads to God's Christ; their gospel leads to antichrist. It is the setting aside of God in Christ and the setting up of man to be God. Satan has been working at this ever since the days of Genesis 3:4-5. And this awful crisis is fast approaching. "Even now there are many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last hour." These precursors — who are they? "They went out from us." They are men who have known and preached the gospel without faith in it. By degrees they perverted it, and at last denied it, substituted for it one of their own invention. Christians by name and profession, they become antichristiaris. The truth that is not loved is sure to become unpalatable and opposed.

When God's patience is exhausted, or rather has no more place, then He, yes, "God" Himself, "shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie." (v. 11.) "Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved." God says, 'If you love a lie, you shall have a lie.'

But, further, we must remember that God always overrules man's ways, and Satan's too, for the accomplishment of His own counsels and purposes. All this evil therefore is permitted and overruled to carry out God's will. God is in all this sending upon men "strong delusion." God sent His beloved Son the faithful witness, and men rejected Him; they shall, therefore, in retributive justice, receive a false witness. They refused the truth, they shall now believe a lie. They saw no beauty in the true Christ, they shall wonder after a false one. They would not have Him, in whose mouth was no guile, they shall therefore receive the lie of the deceiver and think it is truth. The fact is, that God has given His truth not to amuse the intellect, but to win the heart; not to exalt man, but for the glory of Christ. It is to be feared that many still trifle with divine truth. They talk about it, raise questions about it, but do not receive it in the love of it. Hence this fearful judgment of God in this terrible delusion. These very miracles of the beast and lying wonders, under direct inspiration of Satan, will be allowed, "because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved." "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

This is a very remarkable expression — "received not the love of the truth." It is a word for the heart and conscience. It does not say, "because they did not profess to be Christians," or "because they did not go to the sacrament," as it is called, or "because they did not know the way of salvation." No, God searches the heart. Whatever knowledge they had, or profession they made, they had no love of the truth, that they might be saved. It is easy to say, "I have been neglectful, I must turn over a new leaf," and the like; but that does not do for God. The testimony of His blessed gospel is the ministry of divine, perfect love. It tells us that "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." And the soul that receives this wondrous love of God in Christ His Son, "receives the truth in love." It comes to the heart of such as a message of richest mercy, and thus begets love in the heart to God. That it is the most blessed and essential truth of Christianity the apostle John declares, when he says, "We love Him, because He first loved us." Real, vital Christianity is love. God's love to the sinner is manifested in the death of His beloved Son; and the soul that really believes on Him for salvation must therefore receive the love of the truth into his heart. Observe, beloved friends, it is "the truth," not men's opinions, but God's word. "Thy word is truth," said Jesus. This is what men are now rejecting; and God will send this "strong delusion" on account of it. He will permit Satan, through the false Christ, to publish a lie, which they will receive: they will be deceived by the "lying wonders." Do think, beloved friends, on the vast solemnity of this point. Already its shadow may be stealing quietly on, and the blinding process almost ready to begin. It may be that the hardened conscience and unimpressible heart — alas I so manifest — combine to show that the time is not far distant when the dark curtain will drop and envelop men's minds, when darkness indeed will cover the earth, and gross darkness the people. As we have seen, the delusion will be overpowering it will be a snare that shall come upon all the dwellers upon earth. What makes it so very awful, is the fact that God sends it. "God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."

There is also the terrible working of the government of God predicted for the end of our Gospel age, when as to those who refused the truth, "God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" (2 Thess. 2:11). This most drastic action of the government of God will well befit the most drastic refusal of His truth, that the world will ever witness.

We have seen, then, that this great enemy of God will be permitted to do wonders in imitation of the power of Christ, and in support of his claim to be Jehovah. It is not surprising that he deceives those that dwell on the earth. And what rapidly prepares the way, and ripens men for all, is that they are now listening to Satan, who has been dissolving confidence in the miracles of Christ, and the scriptures which relate them. Thus, when men not only review but see the horrors of what has taken place in Christendom under their eyes, and when they are left without the love of the truth in their hearts, they will be at the mercy of Satan. Then, when men's desires are gratified without conscience, and God Himself in righteous retribution sends strong delusion that they should believe the lie, (saying to them, so to speak, "You have refused the truth that you might be saved: now, then, have all you like,") — then this personage comes forward, and these wonders are done that affect to be signs from heaven. Is it amazing that they fall down and worship the beast and his image?