2Thess 2:11,12 A Delusion Seals their Fate

[bcbsr]

A Delusion Seals their Fate

2Thess 2:11,12 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

When people delight in wickedness refusing to repent, there comes a point when God gives them over to their sin. "Since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind." Rom 1:28 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Rom 1:21 And people with depraved minds are gullible to embrace lies which ultimately harms themselves. We look back in history and mock such people, yet at the time I'm sure they thought their behavior was right and reasonable.

In the Old Testament the prophet Micaiah spoke of this scenario, The LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’ "One suggested this, and another that Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ "’By what means?’ the LORD asked. "’I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. "’You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ "So now the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The LORD has decreed disaster for you." 1Kings 22: 20-23

Beware of delighting in sin. For God may give you over to it and you wouldn't even know it.

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources

 

[GDL]

depraved minds

Interestingly, this "depraved" trends into meaning "worthless." A mind which rejects God to this point has no ultimate value. And this is likely why "hell" is from "gehenna," which as I recall was an always burning trash dump outside the city.

 

[ClaytonP]

A Delusion Seals their Fate

2Thess 2:11,12 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

When people delight in wickedness refusing to repent, there comes a point when God gives them over to their sin. "Since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind." Rom 1:28 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Rom 1:21 And people with depraved minds are gullible to embrace lies which ultimately harms themselves. We look back in history and mock such people, yet at the time I'm sure they thought their behavior was right and reasonable.

In the Old Testament the prophet Micaiah spoke of this scenario, The LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’ "One suggested this, and another that Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ "’By what means?’ the LORD asked. "’I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. "’You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ "So now the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The LORD has decreed disaster for you." 1Kings 22: 20-23

Beware of delighting in sin. For God may give you over to it and you wouldn't even know it.

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources

I fully agree. However, considering the context in which 2 Thessalonians 2: 11-12 was written, do you think that Paul was here referring more specifically to a delusion, the belief in a lie, concerning the Anti-Christ? That God will cause non-believers to believe a lie SO THAT they will accept the Anti-Christ as the Messiah?

 

[Davy]

A Delusion Seals their Fate

2Thess 2:11,12 For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.

When people delight in wickedness refusing to repent, there comes a point when God gives them over to their sin. "Since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind." Rom 1:28 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Rom 1:21 And people with depraved minds are gullible to embrace lies which ultimately harms themselves. We look back in history and mock such people, yet at the time I'm sure they thought their behavior was right and reasonable.

In the Old Testament the prophet Micaiah spoke of this scenario, The LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’ "One suggested this, and another that Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD and said, ‘I will entice him.’ "’By what means?’ the LORD asked. "’I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said. "’You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the LORD. ‘Go and do it.’ "So now the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours. The LORD has decreed disaster for you." 1Kings 22: 20-23

Beware of delighting in sin. For God may give you over to it and you wouldn't even know it.

The Berean Christian Bible Study Resources

The 'strong delusion' Apostle Paul said in 2 Thess.2 that God will send those is about the coming of that false one who is to set himself up in place of Christ. It is about falling away via DECEPTION into wrongly worshiping that false one in place of God. It is not simply about doing sin, which that idea takes away from the severity of Paul's warning there.