And you wonder why I hate dogma.
Strong delusion =/= inescapable any damned thing. Strong delusion, the Bible says. Equating that with anything else is taking a leap of faith on zero evidence.
Well, let's walk through it step-by-step. If Paul had wanted to just say "trickery", he could have used the Greek word for that, apate. See
here. But he didn't use that word, he used the Greek word
plane. While both words mean "to deceive", in English, we have gradations of strength in words to refer to deception. There is a misdirection or excuse, which is a very mild kind of deception. Then there is the lie, which can range from a simple lie to an elaborate conspiracy. Then there is deceit as in cunning deceit. Then there is delusion as in inducing a stupor or mind-controlled state. And so on, and so forth. So it is in Greek. Go compare the contexts of these two Greek words as they are used in the New Testament. The first word (apate) just refers in every case to simple deception, as in, a lack of complete truthfulness. This word (plane) refers to the worst kinds of deception. The Jews use it to decry the possibility of the nation believing that Jesus rose from the dead! (Matt. 27:46) That would have been for them a
worst-case scenario. This is the kind of deception that Paul is referring to, the worst conceivable deception. In 1 John 4:6, John uses this word to contrast with the Holy Spirit, "the spirit of error", "the spirit of [planes]" -- this is the spirit that is the exact antithesis of the Holy Spirit. It doesn't get any worse than that.
But even
that is not strong enough for Paul. No, he adds the adjective "strong" in front of it -- it is a
strong delusion, "energeian planes". It's
strongly the worst-case deception. And the purpose of this strong delusion is to cause those who fall under it to believe The Lie. It is not "a" lie, the Greek specifically says "THE" Lie. And what is The Lie, in the Bible? What's the first and greatest Lie? "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and
you will be like God, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:4,5) That is The Lie. God is going to give the wicked over to believe that they have become God or gods.
Paul did not invent this, Jesus spoke of it in Matthew 24 and doubtless taught Paul what he knew during the encounter on the Road to Damascus: "For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible." (Matthew 24:24) Note how Jesus has worded this (and yes, that's how it is in the Greek): the signs and wonders that the Antichrist will do are of a nature that they would deceive even the elect... and then, as an afterthought, he adds, "if that were possible". The point is that
no one will escape the coming deception. Even the elect would fall for it, but that's not possible. And why is it not possible? Is it because the elect are so clever? Nope, 1 Cor. 1:26-29. There is only one other possibility ... and that is that God will
supernaturally deliver his elect from the
inescapable deception of the Antichrist.
ALL WILL FALL, except the sheep. This is Scripture, not my opinion.
And note that neither Jesus nor Paul are inventing this idea of a strong delusion or inescapable deception. They are getting it from the Old Testament:
"The LORD has poured into them a spirit of dizziness; they make Egypt stagger in all that she does, as a drunkard staggers around in his vomit." (Isaiah 19:14)
"I trampled the nations in my anger; in my wrath
I made them drunk and poured their blood on the ground." (Isaiah 63:6)
"Be stunned and amazed, blind yourselves and be sightless; be drunk, but not from wine, stagger, but not from beer. The LORD has brought over you a deep sleep: He has sealed your eyes (the prophets); he has covered your heads (the seers)." (Isaiah 29:9,10)
"I will make your oppressors eat their own flesh; they will be drunk on their own blood, as with wine. Then all mankind will know that I, the LORD, am your Savior, your Redeemer, the Mighty One of Jacob." (Isaiah 49:26)
See also Isa. 28:5-13, Isa. 51:17-23, Jer. 25:15-28, and many more.
In short:
This is how God does judgment, and it is particularly how he will pour out his
final judgment.
Irrelevant strawman screed elided...
Did you ever try to test that hypothesis by testing it for reasonable reasons to doubt it? Like, for instance, if God is letting the devil use trickery on us, like He allowed the devil to do things to Job, and to Jesus in the desert, then could He not be doing it for the same purpose?
Sure, and Scripture says this in respect to the last generation that will be on earth. That's what the Great Tribulation
is, it's the last fiery ordeal that the church will face on earth, and then victory (forever). Peter calls it the "fiery ordeal", (1 Pet. 4:12). For those of us who believe in Jesus, the purpose is to bring us closer to God, to cleanse us from sin, and to make us ready for eternity. For everyone else, the purpose is destruction.
Why would God attempt to test us with a final exam that God knows we can't pass?
Because the Gospel is the last stop on the train to the Lake of Fire. It's our last chance to disembark that train. No future chances. So, you either get off or burn. With finality. This was part of the reason that Jesus went to the Cross... he didn't descend from heaven to be tortured and murdered in order to go on "testing humanity" for all of eternity. No, he went to the Cross in order to defeat death, thus shattering the power of the devil (Heb. 2:14,15) and damning him and all his angels to the lake of fire, John 16:11 et. al.
Language of the Bible doesn't actually say it.
Language of the Bible doesn't say "Trinity", either, and yet it clearly teaches it. While poorly-formed inferences can lead one astray, this does not mean that
all inference from the text is invalid, quite the opposite, the text
demands that we make inferences with our God-given brain, which was given to us for that very purpose.
Remember, all I need to discount that barely semi-Biblical "Simulation Theory" theory is reasonable doubt.
Nobody is positing Simulation Theory, you need to work on your reading comprehension. Rather, I noted that Simulation Theory (and those who believe in it) is a lot like whatever it is that Paul is referring to in 2 Thess. 2:11, and Jesus in Matthew 24:24. That belief in Simulation Theory has become widespread is surely a sign of the End Times. There have always been crazy people who believed they are living in a dream. But never before has a large part of the public been in this schizophrenic state of mind. What is happening in the world today is unprecedented.
Is that what loving Parents do?
Those who are under God's judgment are not his children. They are damned.
