Sunday 12th October
Read 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12
“For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie 12 and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth but have delighted in wickedness.” (NIVUK)
Paul argues that those who refuse to love the truth and be saved will get what they long for. God grants them susceptibility to deception and a willingness to believe the lies. We read these words and we think they are aimed at those poor people, at the end of time, who will turn against God and His people violently and deliberately. They will wrack up for themselves a deserving judgement and when it is complete the Lord will return.
Yet Paul is spending so much time explaining this to the Thessalonians for a reason. On the surface he is making the point that they are foolish if they believe rumours that Jesus has returned. As they know, all sorts of things will happen before that day arrives. So why does he spell it out in this way?
The most straightforward thing to write would be ‘Remember the teaching I gave you from Daniel concerning the Lord’s return? Well, none of that has happened yet so move along.’ Instead we have this longer description and reminder, even if it is a little opaque to us. Paul wants them to be wise to the enemies’ ways because they are and always will be his ways. There will be temptations and leaders who will rise up even within the church who will lead people, including them, away from the truth. They, and we, are the poor people who need to wise up.
The best way to wise up is to love the truth and defend it against all imitations. We need to know and love Jesus deeply so we can spot the fakes. Prayer and study and reliance on grace is the only way to succeed.
