II Thessalonians 2:11 What is the "strong delusion"

Last modified 2024-04-25 pages=1



Romans 11:6 But if it

(Comment: Salvation)

is by grace, it

(Comment: Salvation)

is no longer on the basis of works,

(Comment: Jewish system of works, washings, tithes, Feast Days trips to Jerusalem, 613 ceremonial laws per their tradition, etc.)

otherwise grace is no longer grace. 7 What then ? What Israel is seeking,

(Comment: Salvation)

it has not obtained, but those

(Comment: the Elect, Jews & Gentiles)

who were chosen obtained it, and the rest

(Comment: of National Israel)

were hardened ;

Romans 11:8 just as it is written, "GOD GAVE THEM

(national/ethnic Israel, this does not include the Jewish remnant)

A SPIRIT OF STUPOR, EYES TO SEE NOT AND EARS TO HEAR NOT, DOWN TO THIS VERY DAY."

(what very day, today 21st century? NO! you foolish Dispys, (Dispensationalists and PreMillenariuns) but down to 70 AD the date being prophesied about by David)

9 And David says, "LET THEIR

(National-Ethnic Israels')

TABLE BECOME A SNARE AND A TRAP, AND A STUMBLING BLOCK AND A RETRIBUTION TO THEM.

(Comment: When did this happen in history? Answer, they had their "spirit of stupor, eyes to see not and ears to hear not" even before Christ was born i.e. 3 BC, as Herod tried to wipe out the new king by killing all the babies in Bethlehem. They had this spirit of stupor when John the Forerunner was baptizing the repentant, which Jesus pointed out to them in

Matthew 21:31 Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.

Obviously they had it in Jesus day Jn 7:1 and Matt 23:16ff "blind guides", They had it in Pauls day, Acts 28:24-28 and right up until 70 AD when Judaism ended. See the link Have the Jews been Replaced for a thorough discussion of this.

As for David saying

"Let their table become a snare ..."

well, the Jews were at Passover in 70 AD when Titus surrounded the city. The Jews knew the Roman legions were sweeping across Judea, but instead of surrendering to the Romans in whatever small town you lived (note, some smart cities DID surrender), or instead of fleeing to the hills, the Zionists and Zealots harkened back to the Maccabees day when the Jews staged a successful rebellion against the Greeks. Besides, Herod had just finished building the temple in AD 64, surely God would protect his new temple. And Jerusalem was always Gods city, surely God would protect that. Nope, do a word study on when Jerusalem got changed over from "the Holy City" to "the Great City". Jesus had warned them in Luke 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. But in order for the strong delusion to kick into high gear, God had to chase Cestius off.

One Roman general had already backed down and left with his tail between his legs (Cestius), and Vespasian had called off his invasion to go back to Rome and save the capital and become Emperor, so probably the same thing would happen to his son Titus. This was the strong delusion sent by God, to the Jews. That God would defend His city no matter how decadent, and that they could and would win against the Romans. Which is why God let the whole book of Maccabees happen, as a deluding influence, precursor to 70 AD. When the family of the Maccabees against impossible odds, won two important battles against the Syrians (Antiochus Epiphanes IV) the Syrians decided to pull out of the holy land. If the Jews could do this a century ago, why not now in 70 AD against the Romans?

This is the main part of the fulfillment of

2 Thessalonians 2:11 "I will send them strong delusion").

Many in America today, have a similar "strong delusion" about America. No matter how sinful Israel is, they believe God will forgive and bless Israel. It's the same mistake they make today. They continue to deceive themselves into thinking they are the "chosen people of God" in-spite of their GREAT sin. In short, "we have Abraham for our Father" is their hope and stay. Repeatedly, John the Baptist

(Luke 3:8 Therefore bring forth fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.)

and Jesus

(Jn 3:36 & Jn 8)

tell them to NOT trust in this.

Matthew 13:10And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” 11Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted. 12“For whoever has (been elected), to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have (been reprobated), even what he has (what advantage hath the Jew, Paul says Romans 3:1,2 see also Romans 9:1-8) shall be taken away from him. 13“Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14“In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, ‘YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; 15FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL, WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.’ 16“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. 17“For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.



There are other components to this "strong delusion" too.

(1)That their Great Military leader Messiah (not Jesus) who would deliver them from the Romans, was now walking amongst them:

Matthew 24:23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. 24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Mt 24:25- Matthew 24:25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 So if they say to you, ‘Behold, 28 He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 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. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.



(2) That one of the leaders of the 3 gangs occupying Jerusalem would end up being World Emperor. Josephus Wars 6.5.4 But now, what did most elevate them in undertaking this war was an ambiguous oracle that was also found in their sacred writings, how, “about that time, one from their country should become governor of the habitable earth.” The Jews took this prediction to belong to themselves in particular; and many of the wise men were thereby deceived in their determination. Now, this oracle certainly denoted the government of Vespasian, who was appointed emperor in Judea. However, it is not possible for men to avoid fate, although they see it beforehand. But these men interpreted some of these signals according to their own pleasure; and some of them they utterly despised, until their madness was demonstrated, both by the taking of their city and their own destruction.

Romans 11:10 "LET THEIR EYES BE DARKENED TO SEE NOT, AND BEND THEIR BACKS FOREVER ."

Comment: What does BEND THEIR BACKS FOREVER mean? How and when was this fulfilled? Under the Dispy (Dispensational) scheme. Under the RT (Replacement Theology) scheme? I submit that under RT, it means Rome (Titus acting FOR God, as Gods proxy) was "bending" Judaisms "back". One bends someones back (in vengeance and wrath, like the Roman attitude was towards the Jews at this time) to "break" it. A broken back, FOREVER means you are ruined, forever. David, here, is praying to God to let their table (Passover feast) become a snare and for God to bend their backs forever.

God answered that prayer in 70 AD. Read Josephus, to see what that 70 AD passover was like in the City of Jerusalem. Judaism's back was broken FOREVER, after Titus burned down their temple, destroyed all tribal records in the temple (who is a Levite, which tribe has rights to which part of Judea) so if the Levitical priesthood was destroyed, and the temple, and God is giving you no new prophets, your covenant relationship w. Yahweh is DEAD. Your covenant is over. And rightly so, now that the new covenant has come, the better covenant, according to Paul. God doesn't want any more stinky bloody, dead animal sacrifices from a stiff necked and hard hearted people, kept outside the holy of holies by a veil that needs to be torn in two. That covenant ended forever in 70 AD, now that Jesus has provided the perfect sacrifice.