Dr Paul Allen

“And for this cause, God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie.” ( 2 Thessalonians 2:11 ) This is a startling declaration! Why would God want to deceive people and cause them to believe a lie? The “cause” that would activate such an extreme decision on God’s part must be very serious. The preceding verse states it plainly. It is “because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved” ( 2 Thessalonians 2:10 ). Because they “resist the truth” ( 2 Timothy 3:8 ), they will “believe the lie”! The specific context refers to those who elect to follow the coming “man of sin,” but the principle is timeless. It tells us that God’s attitude toward men is determined by their love of the truth rather than by their knowledge of the truth. When people love God’s truth, there is no limit to the amount of truth and blessing they may receive from God. Note the attitude of the writer of Psalm 119: “How sweet are thy words unto my taste!” “Thy testimonies...

Destruction of the bodies and souls of men is another major area of demonic activity. Physical problems that demons can inflict include dumbness (Matt. 9:33), blindness (Matt. 12:22), crookedness of limbs, paralysis, and torturous diseases (Mark 3:10; Acts 8:7; Luke 13:11, 16). Mental derangement is also within their power (Mark 5:4–5; Luke 9:37–42). The moral impurities of the Canaanites seem to have been traceable to demon activity (Lev. 18:6–30; see also Deut. 18:9–14), and we know that Satan can tempt believers to immorality (1 Cor. 7:5). The war against the souls of men was illustrated by our Lord in His teaching about the worthlessness of self-reformation (Matt. 12:43–45). The believer is in a constant spiritual warfare, his enemies being Satan and his demons (Eph. 6:12). Notice that this verse teaches the organization and ranking of demons and “their world-wide way over the present … spiritual and moral darkness.”59 In the Tribulation period, the destructive power of demo...

The Creation (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) ". . .in him is no darkness at all." ( 1 John 1:5 ) Some have suggested that the gospel message is the most important truth in the Bible —and, perhaps, from a temporal human standpoint it may well be. However, there is another more frequent message throughout all of Scripture here summarized by John: "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all" ( 1 John 1:5 ). In the Bible, God's "light" is clearly focused on intellectual and moral holiness. That unique holy nature both drives and limits the revelation of Himself to His creation . In the intellectual sense, God is the source of all truth ( Psalm 119:130 ; Psalm 36:9 ). The holiness of God requires truth and because of His holiness, God cannot lie ( Titus 1:2 ). Whenever God reveals anything, He must reveal the truth about Himself and His nature. The opposite of truth, even though it may contain some truth, is the active agent that opposes G...