2. Thessalonicher 2:11

for this cause--because "they received not the love of the truth." The best safeguard against error is "the love of the truth." shall send--Greek, "sends," or "is sending"; the "delusion" is already beginning. God judicially sends hardness of heart on those who have rejected the truth, and gives them up in righteous judgment to Satan's delusions (Isa 6:9-10; Rom 1:24-26, Rom 1:28). They first cast off the love of the truth, then God gives them up to Satan's delusions, then they settle down into "believing the lie": an awful climax (Kg1 22:22-23; Eze 14:9; Job 12:16; Mat 24:5, Mat 24:11; Ti1 4:1). strong delusion--Greek, "the powerful working of error," answering to the energizing "working of Satan" (Th2 2:9); the same expression as is applied to the Holy Ghost's operation in believers: "powerful" or "effectual (energizing) working" (Eph 1:19). believe a lie--rather, "the lie" which Antichrist tells them, appealing to his miracles as proofs of it . . . (Th2 2:9).

The apostle is very careful to hinder the spreading of an error into which some among them had fallen concerning the coming of Christ, as being very near (Th2 2:1-3). Then he proceeds to confute the error he cautioned them against, by telling them of two great events that were antecedent to the coming of Christ - a general apostasy, and the revelation of antichrist, concerning whom the apostle tells them many remarkable things, about his name, his character, his rise, his fall, his reign, and the sin and ruin of his subjects (Th2 2:4-12). He then comforts them against the terror of this apostasy, and exhorts them to stedfastness (Th2 2:13-15). And concludes with a prayer for them (Th2 2:16, Th2 2:17).

2:11 As seen elsewhere in Scripture (Exod 9:12; 2 Chr 18:22), God sometimes hands people over to the power of the sin or deception they have desired in place of the truth (Rom 1:24, 26, 28; 11:8).