The Coming Delusion

Lately it seems that people in the world have lost all common sense. From the common people to police departments and judges, from lawmakers to leaders in congress, and all the way up to the president! What in the world has happened to us? It’s as if everyone has been stricken with stupidity! Is it possible that God has sent us a spirit of confusion that is spoken of in scriptures?

The Strong Delusion

The Bible’s prophecies concerning the Last Days also introduce us to a phenomenon called the strong delusion that God allows because people refuse to believe Him. (Isaiah 22:5, Micah 7:4, Deut. 28:20)  2 Thess. 2:10-12 states that people will be influenced by this strong delusion because they refuse to listen to the truth.  “…because they did not receive the love of the truth so as to be saved. For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who did not believe the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness.” It will be so influential that even the people of God might be fooled.

“Don’t assume self-delusion is always willful or conscious,” says David McRaney, author of ‘You Are Not So Smart’, a book about self-delusion. “We often engage in something called confabulation, which is basically making up a story we can believe in to explain away behavior we don’t understand. We are very good at pattern recognition, and whether or not we have the story correct as to what is causing the pattern, we naturally learn to associate cause and effect.”

In other words, if the button says it will close the elevator doors, and the elevator doors don’t close until we’ve been pushing it for 20 seconds, we still manage to convince ourselves that our actions brought about the outcome. It’s just like the guy who takes the sugar pill labeled “Advil” — when the headache goes away on its own after a couple of hours, he convinces himself that it was the pill that did the trick. “The close buttons don’t close the elevator doors in most elevators built in the United States since the Americans with Disabilities Act,” explains McRaney. “The button is there for workers and emergency personnel to use, and it only works with a key.”

Many cities and towns have buttons at crosswalks that allow a pedestrian to speed up the arrival of a walk signal. And in many places, they do exactly what they promise to do; but not everywhere. The City of New York admitted several years ago that most of the “push button, wait for walk signal” buttons were no longer active, having long ago been replaced by automated systems that keep all the lights on a set timer. Just as with the elevators, it would be expensive to replace or remove all of the non-functioning buttons or to inform the public through some sort of media campaign. That makes them placebo buttons just like the close door buttons on an elevator. (Information from Mainstreet.com)

http://www.mainstreet.com/article/smart-spending/5-things-you-think-work-actually-don-t

Many religious and political leaders have been deluded into thinking that because of their high position they will never be found out or held accountable for their sin. This is the devil’s best tactic.  He is an expert in the art of delusion. When Yeshua was in the desert the devil tempted him with the delusion that he would give him power over all the kingdoms of the world if he would only bow down in worship to him. (Luke 4:5-6) As we enter the Last Days, these delusions will become even stronger and those who refuse God’s truth will not only continue to be deceived but will deceive others as well. (2 Timothy 3:13)

We are Legion

Mobs like ‘Occupy Wall Street’ are simply people deluded by Satan; and are used only for destruction and chaos. I think it is interesting that members of ‘Occupy Wall Street’ are using the term “We are legion” in their posts and videos.

In Mark 5:2-9 we read of Jesus healing a demonic. When Jesus spoke to the demons he asked, “What is your name?” “My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” (Mark 5:-9)

Ann Coulter, author of “Demonic: How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America,” while being interviewed on Fox News said, “And now you have this video on behalf of occupy Wall Street with them saying, ‘The voice of the people is the voice of anonymous, for we are legion.’ They are just openly embracing their demonic aspects and, of course, you see the results of that in the arrests, the defecating on police cars, blocking traffic, blocking pedestrians. You can tell it’s just on the edge of violence. That is exactly an aspect of a mob, it is without cause.” Coulter said. “It is as Jesus said, ‘They hated me without cause.’”

In the Last Days many will be deceived by signs and false wonders. Truth cannot be tested by signs. Truth is not your opinion. Truth is the written word of God. Because people will not love the truth of the written word, but will judge truthfulness by power and by displays of miracles, God will send people a spirit of delusion and confusion. That’s why it is so important for us to understand what is truth and what God requires. The best test of truth is the instruction given by God Himself – the Holy Scriptures.

If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, ‘Let us follow other gods’ (gods you have not known) ‘and let us worship them,’ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the Lord your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him. (Deuteronomy 13: 1-4 NIV)

New truths cannot contradict the old. Tradition and the interpretation of our leaders cannot contradict the Bible. In fact, the truth will always glorify the God and His written word.

To the law and to the testimony if they do not speak according to this word it is because there is no light in them. (Isaiah 8: 20)

Truth will always glorify Yeshua Ha’Mashiach (Jesus the Messiah). It will explain Yeshua from the Torah and will show the future. However, when He, the Spirit of truth is come He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak of Himself; but whatever He hears that shall He speak; and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me. For He shall receive of mine and show it to you. (John 16: 13-14)

It is significant that so many are waiting for a global sign that will catapult a leader into the position of the undisputed leader of the world. The Church has already conditioned its members to believe that tradition, and this interpretation seems to take precedence over the Bible. False messiahs will fool even the saints if they are not grounded in the truth of God’s word.    For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. “Look, I have told you in advance. So if they say to you, “Look, He is in the wilderness,” do not go out, or, “Look, He is in the inner rooms,” do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. (Matthew 24: 24-27)

The Second Coming will be one global event, not many local events. But how do you know that this spectacular local appearance is not a global one? – Because scripture tells us that Messiah will be come on the clouds. He will appear in the sky; not on the ground. Unfortunately, when the false Messiah appears many will immediately begin the process of the resurrection and the rapture in their deluded minds. There will not be a theological press briefing. There will be no sermon, argument or debate. – Because they will be deceived into thinking this event to be a rescue operation.

Satan is the ultimate false messiah. Under his influence, the appearance of the “man of sin” will eclipse all others. This false messiah will misquote, twist, and distort the words of the Bible in an attempt to get people to worship him. His coming is described in several prophecies. He is the scapegoat who will appear at Yom Kippur so that we can choose him or the true Messiah. He is the angel of light who preaches a different gospel. He is the beast whose philosophies corrupt the world before his appearing.

Our Response to the Delusion

All religious traditions have a belief system that will rationalize away the true Messiah and the Second Coming. The pride in those traditions is what will cause them to be deceived. (Jeremiah 49:16, Obadiah 1:3) The scriptures warn us time and time again to NOT be deceived! Events occurring today should be of particular concern to each of us. And we should be even more diligent to study the truth of God’s word.

I believe that the Church will eventually be given a new set of laws that coincides with all of the religious traditions and the world will be told to disregard the written instructions of their sacred writings. These will be replaced with “more accurate” instructions. Because these new instructions will go to many parts of the world, and many people will accept these new laws as a truth and the real Coming of Messiah will be ignored. (Matthew 24: 24-27, 31)

The Coming Persecution

For those who refuse these new truths there will be a real threat for disobedience. The false messiah will need the whole world to agree with him and worship him as the true Messiah. But remember that majority belief is not an argument for truth. Only eight were saved in Noah’s ark. Only three were saved from Sodom and Gomorrah. The success of this global delusion depends on people abandoning the Bible. So it is alarming that many Christian groups are doing that now for the sake of ecumenism or to conform to the moral demands of a decadent society.

Today some Christians believe that God has established two sets of legal systems, one for Jews and another for Gentiles. Deceived by this, the two-stage coming of Messiah becomes another trap. If Messiah comes invisibly for only the Christian saints in a secret rapture, and then He comes again later with the saints to set up a kingdom on earth to teach people, when the false coming occurs, people may tend to believe that it is the second stage of the coming when God comes to the earth to teach sinners. If no one relies on the written instructions in TORAH, God will test His people to see whether or not they obey His written word or if they will resort to mob rule imposed by lying spirits.  No doubt, Satan and his angels will disguise themselves as great evangelists from the past.

Understand that those controlled by Satan and the other lying spirits can quote scripture and appeal to tradition in order to verify themselves. The coming of the false messiah might even be preceded by the appearance of other supernatural beings claiming to be dead prophets and kings and disciples who are preparing the way for his coming. This is how he can use biblical texts to confuse you that they are these dead patriarchs come back to life and that his mission is to go to war against the disobedient and establish peace. This might be our time of testing when the miraculous powers of God no longer works for us. The false messiah will have all the glory and supernatural powers. You have nothing but your faith, hope and love. (1 Corinthians 13)

“Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”  (Luke 21:8, 34-36)