Say it isn’t so!

Am I reading this verse correctly where “God is going to send a ‘misleading influence’ that will cause people to ‘believe a lie’...which in turn it will lead to their eventual destruction?” (2 Thess. 2:11)

[You really need to look up that verse in other translations to get the full impact of what is being said here - https://tinyurl.com/fyx4vj2h ]

I am indeed...reading that passage correctly, as hard as it is believe and process. But if it's of any help, you might interpret this as another way of saying ‘When God gives us what we want’. ....No, my friends...it’s not an uncommon thing for God to allow us to choose, and then after we make the wrong choice...He gives us what we asked for. I guess that is why we are often reminded to ‘choose wisely’ (Yesterday’s message).

Take a close look at this text there in 2 Thess. 2:9-12; and please beware that once you have read it, you are without excuse and cannot say you did not know this was in there. (You might also make note of Luke 8:11-12). We are given warning and a limited explanation how all the drama of the ‘lawless one’s coming’ will unfold. And because of all the ‘unrighteous deception of signs and lying wonders...people will perish’.

Do you know why...these people will perish? It tells you right there in verse 10: “...because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved”. And it’s for this reason (they did not believe the truth)...that “God will send this delusion so they will believe the lie”. We are also told there that they had (or found) ‘pleasure in unrighteousness’ (12) You might also read 2 Tim. 3:1-5.

They made a choice ...to not believe the truth. Care to take a guess as to what ‘truth’ he is alluding to here?

I would submit to you that it is the same ‘knowledge of truth’ that Paul would make reference to three times in his letters to Timothy-(1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Tim. 2:25-26; 3:7). It’s the same truth that Jesus came to proclaim that brings ‘freedom’ in John 8:32-36. And it’s the same truth that comes with a very somber and serious warning found in Hebrews 10:26-31.

In fact, I don’t know of any other ‘truth’ being taught today that gets more pushback, more arguing and excuses, and angers and offends more people...than the truth that any ‘believer’ can be totally set free from the power of sin and actually ‘go ...and sin no more’. People will toss out articles and essays written long ago warning of the ‘dangers of teaching sinless perfection’.  They are quick to tell you that they "know of no one who is living like that", despite what scripture teaches about those who are actually abiding in Jesus (1 John 2:6, 3:6,9; 5:18)

It has been so ingrained in our ‘sheep-like brains’ that we will always ‘continue to be sinners...saved by grace’; that we will ‘always continue to sin on this side of heaven’. And the very idea of suggesting that one could walk in the freedom which Jesus paid for...dearly, I might add, causes ‘things’ to rise up in anger and want to argue and debate such a silly and heretical idea.

I would even go as far to say it is probably one of the greatest lies ever perpetuated and passed down through the church world...this ‘absurd’ idea that we could be ‘free indeed’ and live out the rest of our Christians lives as a ‘new creation’ (2 Cor. 5:17; 1 John 3:6-9; 5:18)

I can only wonder what the results would look like....if you picked any prison in the country, then proceeded to inform the entire population in that prison that they had been given a full pardon and were now free to go and finish out their lives in freedom...how many would actually get up and exit the open prison door, and how many would choose to remain?

Yes, a ridiculous and unrealistic hypothetical scenario. But yet, take a look back at the history of the Israelites during the 70 year captivity in Babylon. The time had come for God to bring them out and return them to their homeland where He wanted to restore them, which included the rebuilding of the temple and the walls of the city (Ezra and Nehemiah). I was shocked to learn a year or two ago that at the time, there were some one million Jews living in captivity in Babylon. Care to guess how many heeded God’s call to come out (Jer. 50:4-9; 51:6-8,45)? Less than 5% left and returned home. You might call that a ’remnant’.

Do you know why...God was calling them out? He was about to bring judgement on Babylon and wanted to spare His people. Now take a look at Revelation 18:1-5. Care to take a guess what God is calling His people out of today? How about ‘captivity’ (John 8:34-36). 

I’ve heard it said over the years that ‘folks will believe what they want to believe’... and that seems to be true.