The Strong Delusion: A Biblical Examination of Christianity and Truth

Scripture warns that in the last days a powerful deception would arise—one so convincing that many sincere, religious people would embrace it while believing they were serving Elohim (God). The Apostle and Rabbi Sha’ul (Paul) refers to this as a “strong delusion.”

This raises a difficult but necessary question:

Could the strong delusion described in Scripture be connected to the religion of Christianity as it exists today?

This teaching is not written to condemn individuals, but to examine a religious system in light of Scripture. Truth is not determined by sincerity, popularity, or tradition, but by alignment with the Word of Y’hovah, which is TORAH (His Instructions).

The Biblical Foundation of the “Strong Delusion”

“And for this reason Elohim sends them a working of delusion, for them to believe the lie, so that all should be judged who did not believe the truth, but delighted in unrighteousness.”
— 2 Thessalonians 2:11–12 (TS2009)

He striveth after ashes, a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say: ‘Is there not a lie in my right hand?’
Yesha'yahu Isaiah 44:20. (JPS Bible)

The Spirit expressly states that in the acharit-hayamim "End of Days" some people will apostatize from the faith by paying attention to deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come from the hypocrisy of liars whose own consciences have been burned, as if with a red-hot branding iron.
Timotiyos Aleph (1 Timothy) 4:1–2 (CJB)

Several key truths emerge from these passages:

• The delusion is sent, not accidental
• It comes after truth is rejected
• It causes people to believe a lie
• It is connected to lawlessness "Without TORAH" (2 Thess. 2:3,7)

Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way.
For the Day will not come until after the Apostasy has come and the man who separates himself from Torah has been revealed, the one destined for doom.
For already this separating from Torah is at work secretly, but it will be secretly only until he who is restraining is out of the way.
Tas`loniqim Bĕt (2 Thessalonians) 2 Thess. 2:3,7 (CJB)

This deception is not atheistic or pagan. It is religious, persuasive, and deeply entrenched in the traditions and doctrines of men.

What Is “Truth” According to Scripture?

Before identifying the lie, we must define truth biblically.

“Your righteousness is righteousness forever, and Your Torah is truth.”
— Tehillim (Psalm) 119:142

“Set them apart by Your truth—Your Word is truth.”
— Yochanan (John) 17:17

Truth, according to Scripture, is not abstract theology. It is rooted in TORAH of Y’hovah, which includes all of Scripture—Tanakh, Brit HaDashah, and the Apostolic Writings —rightly understood and lived.

To reject TORAH is to reject truth itself.

“The Lie” and the Spirit of Lawlessness

Rav Sha’ul connects the strong delusion with lawlessness:

“For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work.”
— 2 Thessalonians 2:7

Lawlessness (anomia) does not mean chaos—it means living as though the TORAH is irrelevant.

This aligns directly with the warning from our Rabbi HaGadol Y’hoshua Ben Y'hovah:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, only those who do what my Father in heaven wants. On that Day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord! Didn’t we prophesy in your name? Didn’t we expel demons in your name? Didn’t we perform many miracles in your name?’
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 7:21-22 (CJB)

Then I will tell them to their faces, ‘I never knew you! Get away from me, you workers of lawlessness!’
— Mattithyahu (Matthew) 7:23

These individuals:
• Call Him Adon “Lord”
• Perform religious works
• Claim faith in Him

Yet they are rejected—not for lack of belief or faith, but for TORAH-lessness, without the Law.

Christianity and the Problem of Division

In a world filled with countless religions and denominations, no faith is more divided than modern Christianity — the Greco-Roman system that evolved centuries after the time of the Apostles.

One of the most striking features of Christianity today is its fragmentation.

There are 40,000+ denominations, all claiming:
• The same Bible
• The same Messiah or Christ
• The same Spirit of Truth

Yet they teach contradictory doctrines. While these denominations often share certain outward similarities, they differ sharply on the most vital truths of Scripture: the identity and deity of Y’hoshua HaMashiach, the role of the Ruach HaKodesh, the nature of Torah, and what it truly means to walk in covenant with Y’hovah.

Always be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, and making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding power of shalom.
Eph`siyim (Ephesians) 4:2-3 (CJB)

Truth, by its nature, is singular, not fractured.

There is one body and one Spirit, just as when you were called, you were called to one hope. And there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, and one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all, and is in all.
Eph`siyim (Ephesians) 4:5-6 (CJB)

“Elohim is not Elohim of confusion.”
— 1 Corinthians 14:33

This level of division is not evidence of truth—it is evidence of a lost standard and a lack of love for the truth.

The Removal of Torah as the Root Cause

Historically (2nd–4th centuries), Christianity:
** Declared the Torah abolished
** Replaced Sabbath with Sunday
** Replaced biblical feasts with Roman holidays
** Severed itself from Israel
** Condemned Jewish practice
** Proclaimed God as a Trinity
** Reframed obedience as legalism

Once Torah was removed, interpretation became subjective. Without a fixed standard, every Pastor, Bishop, Reverend, and Doctor of Divinity became his own authority, and division multiplied endlessly.

“Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
— Shoftim (Judges) 21:25

Another Messiah, Another Gospel

Rav Sha’ul warned:

“You put up with another Yeshua… a different spirit… a different good news.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:4

Much of Christianity presents:
• A Messiah (Christ) separated from Torah
• Grace without obedience
• Faith without discipleship
• Love without covenant
• Salvation without repentance

This is not the Y’hoshua of Scripture—the Torah-observant Jewish Mashiach who taught His talmidim to walk as He walked.

Galatians 1:6-12 emphasizes that there is only one true gospel, which Apostle and Rabbi Sha’ul (Paul) received through revelation from Y'hoshua HaMashiach, not from human sources. He warns against anyone who preaches a different gospel or good news, declaring that they should be accursed.

I marvel that you are so readily turning away from Him who called you in the favour of Messiah, to a different ‘Good News,’ which is not another, only there are some who are troubling you and wishing to pervert the Good News of Messiah.
However, even if we, or a messenger out of heaven, bring a ‘Good News’ to you beside what we announced to you, let him be accursed.
Galatiyim (Galatians) 1:6–8 (TS2009)

“They Did Not Love the Truth”

This is the most sobering statement in the entire discussion:

“Because they would not receive
the love of the truth.”

When this man who avoids Torah comes, the Adversary will give him the power to work all kinds of false miracles, signs and wonders. He will enable him to deceive, in all kinds of wicked ways, those who are headed for destruction because they would not receive the love of the truth that could have saved them. This is why God is causing them to go astray, so that they will believe the Lie.
Tas`loniqim Bĕt (2 Thessalonians) 2:9–11 (CJB)

Scripture does not say they never heard the truth.
It says they did not love it.

Why?
Because truth:
• Confronts tradition
• Requires repentance
• Demands obedience
• Disrupts comfort
• Costs identity

Religion that requires nothing is easier to embrace.

Go in through the narrow gate; for the gate that leads to destruction is wide and the road broad, and many travel it; but it is a narrow gate and a hard road that leads to life, and only a few find it.
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 7:13–14. (CJB)

The Bereans vs. Modern Christianity

The Bereans were praised because:

“They searched the Scriptures daily to see whether these matters were so.”
— Ma’asei (Acts) 17:11

Today, many believers:
** Never receive the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit)
** Rely on pastors, bishops, reverends instead of Scripture, the Word
** Accept creeds and tradition over the Word
** Never become a disciple of the Mashiach (Messiah)
** Avoid questioning doctrine or defending the truth
** Dismiss Torah without studying it

This is not discernment—it is delegated faith.

Important Balance: Individuals vs. the System

So whoever disobeys the least of these mitzvot and teaches others to do so will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But whoever obeys them and so teaches will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 5:19 (CJB)

It must be stated clearly and righteously:

• Many Christians sincerely love Y’hovah
• Many obey more than they are taught
• Many are victims of tradition, not architects
• Elohim judges hearts, not labels

The strong delusion is institutional, not personal.

Just as in ancient Israel:
• Corrupt systems existed
• Some faithful individuals still walked uprightly to the YHVH/God of אברהם (Avraham), Isaac is יצחק (Yitzhak), and Jacob is יעקב (Yaakov).

Rabbi's Conclusion

From a Netzari Mashiach Judaism perspective, it is biblically defensible to conclude that:

Christianity—as a post-biblical religious system that claims the Mashiach (the Christ) while rejecting TORAH—fits the pattern of the “strong delusion.”

Modern Christianity:
• Claims truth while redefining it
• Honors Messiah (Christ) while rejecting His walk
• Promotes belief while discouraging obedience
• Produces hearers (always learning, but never able to come to the knowledge of the truth, 2Tim. 3:7) instead of talmidim

Our teaching is not meant to condemn, but to call people back to the "WAY".

The early followers of HaMashiach were known as Netzarim — The Branch, The Way. They did not form a new religion called “Christianity.” They remained within the faith of Yisra’el, keeping Torah while proclaiming Y’hoshua as the promised Mashiach. Their mission was restoration, not innovation.

Final Exhortation

The antidote to delusion is not argument—it is love for truth.

“Return to Me, and I shall return to you,” says Y’hovah.
— Mal’akhi (Malachi) 3:7

“Stand at the crossroads and look; ask about the ancient paths, which one is the good way? Take it, and you will find rest for your souls.”
— Yirmeyahu [Jeremiah] 6:16

The Truth is not found in modern denominations (40000+).
Today, the Ruach HaKodesh is again calling people to return to HaDerekh, the ancient path of TORAH and faith.

The Truth is not found in the traditions of men.
The Word of Y’hovah calls us to leave behind man-made systems and return to His pure way:

“Then I heard another voice out of heaven say, ‘My people, come out of her, so that you will not share in her sins or suffer from her plagues.’”
— Hitgalut [Revelation] 18:4.

This is not a call to abandon faith—it is a call to purify it. Be born again. The true Derekh (Way) of Y’hoshua HaMashiach is not found in religion or denominational belief, but in covenant obedience through TORAH and the guidance of the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Spirit). To “come out” means to separate ourselves from error, compromise, human tradition, and ALL that distorts the Word of Elohim.

Now is the time to return to the emunah (faith) of the first-century Netzarim—to walk in the "WAY" as disciples of the Living Torah, Y’hoshua HaMashiach.

Dear friends, I was busily at work writing to you about the salvation we share, when I found it necessary to write, urging you to keep contending earnestly for the faith which was once and for all passed on to God’s people. For certain individuals, the ones written about long ago as being meant for this condemnation, have wormed their way in—ungodly people who pervert God’s grace into a license for debauchery and disown our only Master and Lord, Yeshua the Messiah.
Y'huḏah (Jude) 1:3-4. (CJB)

Leave behind the divisions and doctrines of men and answer the call of your Rabbi (Teacher) Y'hoshua:

“Follow Me.” — Mattityahu [Matthew] 4:19

Let us, Shamar (guard), read, study, His commandments (TORAH), live by doing His halakhah (walk), and make talmidim (disciples) of all nations until He returns.

You're not called to be a disciple of your pastor, church, or denomination.
You were called to be a disciple of Yehoshua/Yeshua.

Truth is found in covenant faithfulness to Y’hovah Avinu Elohei through our Rabbi (teacher) Y’hoshua Ben Y'hovah by the power of His Ruach (Spirit).

By Rabbi Francisco Arbas
📧 franciscoarbas.yisrael@gmail.com
Following His ‘WAY’ — Netzari Mashiach Judaism