“‘ “People of Israel, the Lord and King says,‘ Go, every one of you! Serve your gods. But later you will listen to me. You will no longer treat my name as if it were not holy. You will not offer sacrifices to other gods anymore.
So I have also made a choice. I will make them suffer greatly. I will bring on them what they are afraid of. When I called out to them, no one answered me. When I spoke to them, no one listened. They did what is evil in my sight. They chose to do what displeases me.”
The coming of the man of sin will fit how Satan works. The man of sin will show his power through all kinds of signs and wonders. These signs and wonders will lead people astray.So people who are dying will be fooled by this evil. These people are dying because they refuse to love the truth. The truth would save them.So God will fool them completely. Then they will believe the lie.
The Lord will drive you out of the land. And he will drive out the king you place over yourselves. All of you will go to another nation. You and your people of long ago didn’t know anything about them. There you will worship other gods. They will be made out of wood and stone.
They knew God. But they didn’t honor him as God. They didn’t thank him. Their thinking became worthless. Their foolish hearts became dark.They claimed to be wise. But they made fools of themselves.They would rather have statues of gods than the glorious God who lives forever. Their statues of gods are made to look like people, birds, animals and reptiles.So God let them go. He allowed them to do what their sinful hearts wanted to. He let them commit sexual sins. They made one another’s bodies impure by what they did.They chose a lie instead of the truth about God. They worshiped and served created things. They didn’t worship the Creator. But he is praised forever. Amen.So God let them continue to have their shameful desires. Their women committed sexual acts that were not natural.In the same way, the men turned away from their natural love for women. They burned with sexual desire for each other. Men did shameful things with other men. They suffered in their bodies for all the wrong things they did.They didn’t think it was important to know God. So God let them continue to have evil thoughts. They did things they shouldn’t do.
“‘ “Suppose that prophet is stirred up to give a prophecy. Then I am the one who has stirred him up. And I will reach out my powerful hand against him. I will destroy him from among my people Israel.The prophet will be as much to blame as the one who asks him for advice. Both of them will be guilty.Then the people of Israel will no longer wander away from me. And they will not make themselves‘ unclean’ anymore with their many sins. They will be my people. And I will be their God,” ’ announces the Lord and King.”
I let them become‘ unclean’ by offering sacrifices to other gods. They even sacrificed the first male child born in each family. I wanted to fill them with horror. Then they would know that I am the Lord.” ’
The Lord will drive you out of your land. He will scatter you among the nations. Only a few of you will remain alive there.There you will worship gods that men have made out of wood and stone. Those gods can’t see, hear, eat or smell.
