2 Thessalonians 2:11 kjv
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2 Thessalonians 2:11 nkjv
And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,
2 Thessalonians 2:11 niv
For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie
2 Thessalonians 2:11 esv
Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,
2 Thessalonians 2:11 nlt
So God will cause them to be greatly deceived, and they will believe these lies.
2 Thessalonians 2 11 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 2:17 | ...you shall not eat... for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. | God's commands are truth, disobedience has consequences |
| Exod 7:3 | But I will harden Pharaoh's heart... | God's sovereign hardening of hearts for judgment |
| Deut 2:30 | ...the LORD your God hardened his spirit and made his heart obstinate... | Divine hardening as a judgment of will |
| 1 Sam 2:25 | If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him? | Sin against God is severe, demanding consequences |
| 1 Kgs 22:23 | Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets... | God allows and orchestrates deceptive spirits for judgment |
| 2 Chr 18:22 | Now therefore, behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets... | God sends deceptive influence as judgment |
| Isa 6:9-10 | "Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive." | Judicial blinding and deafening |
| Jer 8:9 | ...they have rejected the word of the LORD, and what wisdom is in them? | Consequences for rejecting divine word |
| Ezek 14:9 | And if the prophet is deceived and speaks a word, I, the LORD, have deceived that prophet... | God's role in the deception of false prophets |
| Hos 4:6 | My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you... | Rejection of truth leads to destruction and divine rejection |
| Prov 1:29-31 | Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the LORD... Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way... | Consequence of rejecting wisdom and divine fear |
| John 3:19 | And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness... | Preference for darkness results in judgment |
| John 12:40 | "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see... and understand... and turn... and I heal them." | Divine judgment by blinding and hardening |
| Acts 7:51 | "You stiff-necked people... you always resist the Holy Spirit..." | Consistent resistance to the Holy Spirit |
| Rom 1:24 | Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity... | God's judicial "giving over" to sinful desires |
| Rom 1:26 | For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions... | Judicial consequence for unrighteousness |
| Rom 1:28 | And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind... | God gives over to a debased mind after rejecting Him |
| Rom 9:18 | So then, he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills. | Divine sovereignty in hardening and mercy |
| Matt 24:24 | For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. | Prophecy of widespread deception in the end times |
| Mark 13:22 | For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. | Intensification of deception |
| 1 Tim 4:1 | ...in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. | Falling away due to belief in false teachings |
| 2 Tim 4:4 | and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. | Rejection of truth for falsehood |
| Heb 3:12 | Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away... | Warning against a disbelieving heart leading to apostasy |
| 2 Thess 2:9-10 | The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan... all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. | Immediate context: previous refusal of truth and Satan's deceptive power |
| Rev 13:14 | And through the signs it is allowed to perform on behalf of the beast, it deceives those who dwell on earth... | Deception by false prophets/beast as divine allowance |
| Rev 16:9 | They were scorched by the great heat, and they cursed the name of God... They did not repent and give him glory. | Persistence in rebellion and rejection of truth |
2 Thessalonians 2 verses
2 Thessalonians 2 11 Meaning
God actively enables a powerful, effective deception to fall upon those who willingly rejected His truth. This divine action causes them to firmly believe in what is fundamentally false, serving as a direct and just consequence for their prior refusal to embrace the saving truth.
2 Thessalonians 2 11 Context
2 Thessalonians chapter 2 clarifies key events surrounding the "day of the Lord," reassuring believers who were distressed by misunderstandings about Christ's return, possibly due to false reports or letters circulating in the church. Paul explains that two major events must precede the day of the Lord: a great "apostasy" or falling away from the faith, and the revelation of the "man of lawlessness," the Antichrist figure.
Verse 11 follows directly from verse 10, which describes "those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." The verse elucidates why they succumb to deception: their willful rejection of God's truth provokes a severe judicial response from God. In the historical and cultural context, this addresses believers' concerns about spiritual deception, preparing them to discern genuine truth from the powerful lies that would arise, especially in a world prone to idol worship, false philosophies, and emperor cults, which presented rival claims to ultimate authority and truth.
2 Thessalonians 2 11 Word analysis
- Therefore (καὶ διὰ τοῦτο, kai dia touto): This connective phrase strongly emphasizes that what follows is a direct, logical consequence or judicial action in response to what was just stated in verse 10. It establishes a divine causality.
- God sends (ὁ θεὸς πέμψει, ho theos pempsei): This signifies God's active, deliberate involvement. The verb pempsei is in the future tense, denoting a certain, purposed act of God. It implies more than passive permission; it is a direct sending or commissioning of this condition as a judgment.
- them: Refers to those specifically identified in 2 Thessalonians 2:10 as "those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved." The judgment is precisely upon those who willfully rejected salvation through truth.
- a strong delusion (ἐνέργειαν πλάνης, energeian planēs):
- strong (energeian): Means an effective working, a powerful, active force or operation. This is not a slight error but a compelling and forceful deception that takes hold of a person. It highlights the potent, operational nature of the deception.
- delusion (planēs): Refers to a wandering, error, or deception. It indicates a fundamental straying from the truth, leading to profound error. This deception is deep-seated and not easily shaken.
- so that they may believe (εἰς τὸ πιστεῦσαι αὐτοὺς, eis to pisteusai autous): This is a purpose clause, revealing the specific intent behind God's action. The "strong delusion" is sent in order that they will believe. It demonstrates God's judicial intent to confirm them in the error they already preferred.
- what is false (τῷ ψεύδει, tō pseudei): Literally "the lie." The use of the definite article suggests a specific, prominent, and pervasive falsehood—likely referring to the ultimate anti-truth or the core deception promoted by the man of lawlessness, which fundamentally contradicts Christ's truth.
- Therefore God sends them a strong delusion: This phrase underscores God's direct, active, and judicial role in confirming individuals in their unbelief. It is not merely Satan's work; God ensures the deception takes root and thrives among those who resist Him, acting as a divine recompense for their previous rejection of truth.
- so that they may believe what is false: This emphasizes the judicial consequence. The "strong delusion" is purposively directed to cause belief in "the lie." It highlights that divine judgment can entail allowing individuals to fall deeper into the very falsehoods they desired, hardening their hearts and minds to truth and cementing their choice for unrighteousness.
2 Thessalonians 2 11 Bonus section
- This verse counters any theological understanding that presents God as purely passive in judgment; here, God actively sends a powerful operative force of delusion. This emphasizes God's sovereign authority and just judgment.
- The "lie" (tō pseudei) is not merely any untruth, but often understood as the ultimate deception of the anti-Christ, promising salvation or ultimate authority apart from or contrary to Christ, perhaps even divine status for himself.
- The judicial "sending" in this verse highlights that hardening of hearts and spiritual blindness can be both a result of human rejection of truth and an active divine decree in response to that rejection, a concept woven throughout the Scriptures from Pharaoh to the end times.
2 Thessalonians 2 11 Commentary
2 Thessalonians 2:11 serves as a profound statement on divine judgment, illustrating God's active role in confirming the self-chosen path of those who willfully reject His truth. It is a severe consequence for an unrepentant heart, indicating that God, in His righteous justice, will give over individuals who "refused to love the truth" (2 Thess 2:10) to a powerful, effective deception. This judicial hardening is not arbitrary but flows directly from humanity's persistent rebellion and preference for falsehood over God's saving grace. The result is a belief in "the lie"—a pervasive and foundational error, often understood to be the specific deceptive teachings of the "man of lawlessness" and his anti-Christ system. The verse powerfully demonstrates that once the door to truth is shut by human will, God may confirm that choice by sending a compelling delusion, thereby condemning those who found pleasure in unrighteousness.