Very few human beings in the western world have a strong connection to reality these days...
Scripture tells me the Strong Delusion will accompany the rise of Antichrist. Here, it calls him the Man of Sin and the Son of Perdition (goes into Destruction). It also calls him “that Wicked” later on.
IMHO, some version of this Strong Delusion has already started. And we see indications of it world-wide. And it’s happening around the same time that cash is being rejected by some and electronic payments, credit and debit, are preferred.
I remember one of my customers considering pay-by-phone around the time of 2000-2002. Now it’s here.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 King James Version (KJV)
3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition;
4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.
5 Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
6 And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.
7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.
8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:
9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.