Given Over To Strong Delusion?

I think the following citations from God’s word can help us understand what is going on in the world today, yesterday, and tomorrow. There are times when God judiciously gives people over to delusion. This compounds their guilt. In 2 Thessalonians 2:11 the Greek words used are ἐνέργειαν πλάνης energeian planēs. Energeian is a noun, that is accusative, feminine, and singular. It usually means working, effectual working, power, and energy. Planēs is a noun, that is genitive, feminine, and singular. It usually means error, delusion, or deception. According to Webster’s Dictionary online, in English the word, delusional means;

“a
: something that is falsely or delusively believed or propagated
under the delusion that they will finish on schedule
delusions of grandeur
b
psychology : a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self that is maintained despite indisputable evidence to the contrary
the delusion that someone was out to hurt him
also : the abnormal state marked by such beliefs”

Think along the lines of a spirit that makes them delusional. Keep in mind that spirit/mind are alike. Your spirit is how you as an individual understands things, and reasons. God the Father is spirit, and must be worshipped in spirit, and truth. The task of understanding this is impossible for us to correctly apprehend in scope, and scale. We can, however, understand it in a way that is sufficient for God’s requirements in the faith. Imagine an unimaginably vast intellect that does not have a physical body. This description falls far short of God the Father. Angels are spiritual beings. Lying ones are demonic. Satan is the father of lies. It makes sense that the demons would also be liars/deceivers. So, the English translation is quite accurate. God, Himself is not lying, nor is He deceiving them. Rather, He sends an influence that causes them to believe what is not true. It is a judicial punishment. Since people behave in accord with what they believe, you will see them acting the way they are acting now, and have acted, and will continue to act.

Have you asked yourself how a person given over to trans ideology can believe what they say believe in light of the objective truth of their sex? This is how. It is the same in the first chapter of Romans. God punishes sin, by giving them over to more sin. Imagine continuing in sin, and then greater sin, and then dying, and going to hell. Their guilt before God has been increased. It would have been more merciful for them to have died sooner, but instead, they live their life, sinning more. Some people will repent. These people are of the eternally elect. This isn’t just a New Testament occurrence. I included a couple references from the Old Testament as well.

And for this reason God sends upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false, 2 Thessalonians 2:11 (LSB)

²⁴ Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. Romans 1:24 (LSB)

⁹ He said, “Go, and tell this people:
‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
Keep on seeing, but do not know.’
¹⁰ Render the hearts of this people insensitive,
Their ears dull,
And their eyes dim,
Lest they see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their hearts,
And return and be healed.” Isaiah 6:9-10 (LSB)

¹² And Yahweh hardened Pharaoh’s heart with strength, and he did not listen to them, just as Yahweh had spoken to Moses. Exodus 9:12 (LSB)

³⁹ For this reason they could not believe, for Isaiah said again, ⁴⁰ “HE HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES AND HE HARDENED THEIR HEART, LEST THEY SEE WITH THEIR EYES AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART, AND RETURN AND I HEAL THEM.” John 12:39-40 (LSB)

¹⁰ And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” ¹¹ And Jesus answered and said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has 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 And in them 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;
¹⁵ FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL,
AND WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR,
AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES,
LEST 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. Matthew 13:10-17 (LSB)

Don’t give up on trying to reach the lost, and deluded. Some of them are of the eternally elect. They may not have reached the point in their lives yet where they will have their eyes opened by God, and respond with God granted repentance, and faith, to the good news of Jesus’ atoning suffering on the cross.

Not to make you hopeless, I want to remind you that God’s word also says, “And such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. 1 Corinthians 6:11 (LSB)” This was in reference to “⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 (LSB)” You can see that this list includes some of the same sins that people are given over to. So, keep preaching the gospel, praying, and helping your lost friends, and family, to understand the truth. You never know. One day they might get it. It is only too late once the person has died. While they are alive, keep trying. Keep telling them the truth in love. Keep coming to God in prayer for them. Keep telling them that they need to repent of their sins, and trust solely in the work of Jesus.