Why We Pray for and Support Israel – 4

Why We Pray for and Support Israel – 4

Subject – Unrighteous Deception and Strong Delusion 

By Rick Welborne

Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT2)
¹  The LORD had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.
²  I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.
³  I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” 

--God has laid a message about Israel on my heart and today I am sharing with you. It has been amazing and biblical, that since we started emphasizing Israel how much we have been blessed.

--The events of the last month concerning the attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists and the subsequent unveiling of a massive surge of antisemitism worldwide have led me to believe the end is near.

2 Thessalonians 2:8-11 (NKJV)
⁸  And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
⁹  The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,
¹⁰  and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
¹¹  And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie,

--One of the great mysteries of the end times (as revealed in the Bible) is not so much the worldwide rebellion against God.

--But that those who are waiting for Jesus to return actually believe that they can destroy Him and the armies of heaven. Example of the man in Louisiana.

--They know exactly Who they are waiting for and they sincerely think they can overcome Him. Many scholars believe the following from Psalm 2 was written about this very time and battle:

Psalm 2:1-4 (NLT2)
¹  Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans?
²  The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the LORD and against his Anointed One.
³  “Let us break their chains,” they cry, “and free ourselves from slavery to God.”
⁴  But the one who rules in heaven laughs. The Lord scoffs at them. 

--It doesn’t make sense. For millennia, mankind has rebelled against the will of God, His law, His followers, and even His influence. 

--God has had people hate Him, ignore Him, lie about Him, and even pretend there is no evidence that He exists. 

--But the Battle of Armageddon is an assembly of armies (made up of people) who actually believe they can face, defeat, and kill God.

I don’t know what their definition of God is but Saint Anselm of Canterbury (Italian-born Theologian and Philosopher) said that a very baseline definition of God is:

Anselm - God is that which none greater can be conceived.

--How can any rational human being imagine that a being who has absolutely no equal in either knowledge or power can be defeated?

--The answer is the statement above from 2 Thessalonians. If you are willing to spend your life opposing God, then He is going to help you with taking that final step. 

--God is going to accommodate their insanity. He will allow them to go from opposing His will and influence to believing that He can be brought down and vanquished.

--I’ve never really been one to hyperventilate every time something happens that can be construed as fulfilling end-time prophecy. However:

--The events of the last several weeks concerning the attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists and the subsequent massive surge of antisemitism worldwide have led me to believe the end is near.

--Who knew that our supposedly elite universities in America were breeding grounds and incubators of antisemitism? Most of these universities began as Christian institutions. 

--What kind of people openly celebrate the murder and decapitation of Jewish babies? How in the world can the White House pick this particular time to roll out a “National Strategy to Counter Islamophobia”? 

--This is beyond tone-deafness. This is delusion. Strong delusion. Only now is the biblical description of the end times (in general) and the Battle of Armageddon (in particular) starting to make sense. 

--God is sending strong delusion to those who already despise His will for mankind so that they can take the final logical step … declare war against Him and His Anointed.

--I also used to wonder about Matthew 7:21-23. Jesus predicts people will argue with Him on Judgment Day! They think He isn’t getting it right.

Matthew 7:21-23 (NLT2)
²¹  “Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.
²²  On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’
²³  But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ 

--This isn’t a roundtable religious argument among theologians. These are people who are before the throne of the King of the universe complaining that He doesn’t know what He is doing. 

--How is this possible? Delusion. Strong delusion. Unrighteous deception!

--Peter predicted that towards the end, people would mistake God’s longsuffering and patient desire “that all should reach repentance” for weakness. However, the apostle warned: 

2 Peter 3:9-12 (NKJV)
⁹  The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
¹⁰  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
¹¹  Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
¹²  looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God…

--Now God is patient but a day is rapidly coming when the Lamb will be a roaring Lion.

Revelation 19:11-16 (NKJV)
¹¹  Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.
¹²  His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself.
¹³  He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
¹⁴  And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.
¹⁵  Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
¹⁶  And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

--As per Psalm 2 the days for choosing sides are rapidly coming to an end. We are living in a world where people are taking to the streets and chanting “gas the Jews.” In America!

--Jewish students in a New York university were terrorized by pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Despite video proof to the contrary, members of our own government continue to assert that Israel bombed a hospital in Gaza killing 500 people.

--Truth doesn’t matter any longer. Only the narrative. How can this be? Delusion. Strong delusion.

--Is God worried about the reception that will be waiting to greet His Son as He returns?

Psalm 2:4 (NKJV)
⁴  He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The LORD shall hold them in derision. 

--The point of no return may be much closer than we realize. Think clearly while you still can because “strong delusion” has begun. But the victory will be ours.

Revelation 19:19-21 (NKJV)
¹⁹  And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
²⁰  Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone.
²¹  And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.