Why does God send a strong delusion in 2 Thessalonians 2:11?
God sends a strong delusion because those who heard the gospel rejected it, loved unrighteousness, and refused the love of the truth. Having spurned His offer of salvation, they are given over to believe the lie—Satan's claim that they can be God—so they embrace the Antichrist and are condemned.
Les explains that the strong delusion comes upon those who heard the gospel, contemplated it, understood it, but rejected it and spurned God's offer of salvation. Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved, and because they had pleasure in unrighteousness, God sends them a strong delusion so they believe the lie—the one lie Satan has told throughout Scripture, that a person can be God. As the tribulation begins and God again deals in the supernatural realm, these same people will be the first to acclaim the Antichrist as the God of this world when he signs the treaty with Israel. They are condemned because they believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: