The Truth and the Lie
The Truth and the Lie: Whatever God provides the world, the devil feeds the opposite
Our lives as believers should have been a smooth ride. You come to salvation; live out God’s will for your life; and travel the road towards your destination, eternal life. If only it were that easy. The evil one is always on the lookout how he can deceive people and get them to stray off the path God has offered. It started in the garden of Eden, and it has continued through the ages. As we approach the end of the final dispensation where man is in control, the deception has increased. Paul writes the following:
1Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 5Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? 6And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. 7For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 8And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 9Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. – 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
The focus of this week’s lesson is not so much about the rapture or and the meaning of “a falling away”, but rather the real message in this text – the truth that has been presented will be ignored, and the lie that will be believed in the future. This is the warning we are given. The truth as God intended has already been made known to us:
6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. – John 14:6
Jesus is the Word (John 1:1) and the Word represents the truth (John 1:17; John 14:6). The only way to get to the Father is through the truth. Nobody has ever gained anything worthwhile otherwise, although the devil wants you to believe that he can provide what you need. He is the father of lies:
44Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. – John 8:44
Read the context and you will see how Jesus confronts the Jewish leaders about the false teaching of the devil, compared to His purpose on the Earth which is to reveal the truth. The thing about a lie is that it is not always the exact opposite of the truth; it is often a partial truth, a slight deviation, a half-truth, and therein lies the problem. An occultic freemason, Manly Hall, said this: “The half-truth is the most dangerous form of lie, because it can be defended in part by incontestable logic.” You can baffle gullible people with logic they cannot challenge. Society has created people that cannot, and will not, think. As we speed towards the inevitable end of this dispensation, Paul’s words need to be heeded more than ever:
10And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. – 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12
Those who do not want to accept the Truth (Jesus) will be served the other option, the devil’s lie. They do not want to receive or accept Jesus, the Lord and Saviour as their own (John 1:12) and so the only option they have is the lie. God Himself does not send them the lie, the devil does, through the working of the Antichrist. What God does instead, is to send the delusion, which will enable them to believe the lie. A delusion is the belief in something that is not true. It is not just a once-off decision, it becomes part of one’s life. In addition, the delusion God sends is so strong that it cannot be escaped. The result is eternal damnation.
If you are spiritually mature (1 Corinthians 2:15), you will recognise the lies around you. The deception is already at work, and has been for a long time:
7For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. – 2 John 7
The lie is that Jesus Christ never came to the Earth as a person and died for our sins. This has been spread for a long time and the devil uses many people to spread his false message. This prepares the way for the antichrist to sit in the temple and announce himself as God:
3Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. – 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
When this time comes, those who are still on the Earth are so deluded that they cannot distinguish the truth from the lie, and they do not want to. They did not want God to be in charge. Now they have the devil and will suffer the consequences.
Conclusion
The days we are living in right now are filled with deception. Just look around you and see the deception (lies and half-truths) that presents itself as the truth. Do not be carried away by this. It is not even the ultimate lie. God has not yet sent the strong delusion, but what is present now is already powerful enough to lead people astray. Imagine how it will be when the Church is taken out of this dispensation and the influence of the Holy Spirit no longer protects those who are left behind. The Truth is your only hope, and eternal life in God’s presence. The other one offers no hope, only everlasting damnation Which will you choose?