In his work The Crowd, Gustave Le Bon made a startling statement as early as 1895: ‘In crowds, it is stupidity and not mother-wit (=the thinking mind) that is accumulated.’ It seems we have reached an age where a physical crowd is no longer necessary for deception and existing in a constant state of illusion. Alone in the solitude of their homes, isolated individuals come under the same mass influence through a special medium and become captives of deception and illusions. This special medium is hidden right there in all of our pockets.
Without any doubts, we live in the age of deception. Countless competing ideologies are vying for influence and asserting their own authority. However, these conflicting belief systems have failed to foster restoration or create a society that is more healthy, and functional. Society has never been more fractured. We are witnessing an unprecedented rise in broken families, while the epidemics of mental illness, addiction, suicide, and loneliness have surged to historic levels.
The more access to stuff we have, the less happy we become. The more information we consume, the more confused we are. The more friends we have around the world, the more lonely we feel. We live in the age of delusion: a delusion of wisdom, happiness and significance.
This state of deception and delusion is only set to intensify.
There are at least three reasons for that.
First, We Love Delusion!
Yes, we enjoy being deceived. We enjoy living in delusion. In a nod to the film The Matrix, we frequently find ourselves opting for the blue pill when given the choice.
Why? Because that is the most convenient. We prefer the security of belonging to a group over embracing the truth. We prefer feeling good over being right. We love to bathe in our assumed moral superiority over taking the cold shower of brutal reality.
We love to live in lies, because we enjoy deception. Apostle Peter confirms that when he writes that we are “reveling in our deception” (2 Peter 2:13). The original language is best captured by this translation: “habitually indulging in arrogant, mocking luxury of deception”. The human heart is so consumed by its own desires that we have lost all sense of shame or reverence. Peter’s conclusion is that “they have eyes full of adultery… they have hearts trained in greed.” (2 Peter 2:14). Our heart lusts for deception. This is our inherent nature since the dawn of history. “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Genesis 6:5)
We love to live in lies, because it worships us. It is warm, comforting and cozy. It doesn’t demand change. It affirms who we are, how we live, what we pursue. Deception worships us, satisfies our desires and justifies our decisions. “We refuse to love the truth and so be saved.” (2 Thessalonians 2:10) We are afraid that the truth would undermine our security, and would demand a change. A change that is painful and hard. A change that is humbling and costly. A change that brings battles and losses. Who would want to trade the warmth of deception to the coldness of truth? And that’s why billions are living in a mass delusion. The main reason for our deception is internal—our own wicked heart.
Plato (427 BC – 347 BC) recognized this inherent resistance to the truth, illustrating in his Allegory of the Cave that people often prefer the comfort of shadows to the reality of the light. He argued that human nature is so resistant to having its delusions challenged that it will violently reject, or even seek to destroy, those who attempt to bring the truth into their world.
According to Jesus, freedom is found only through the truth (John 8:31), yet those who reject it remain in bondage. Freedom is scary. Freedom means responsibility. Freedom means that I need to change and I can change. Freedom is leaving behind my false security.
The depravity of the human heart is profound; as evidenced in Revelation 9:20, even catastrophic events that claim the lives of a vast majority of the population fail to move people toward repentance:
“they did not repent of the works of their hands, nor give up worshiping demons and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts.” Despite witnessing the most devastating catastrophes, humanity persists in its pursuit of material wealth and immoral behaviors, continuing to idolize personal ideologies and engage in violence or theft.
Second, God Sends Delusion
He grants us exactly what we desire.
“…because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Th 2:10–12
We get more of what we want.
It might seem evil of God to do this—to further intensify the power of delusion and allow us to believe in lies.
The illustration of the tug-of-war might help us understand what is happening here.
When two people are in a tug-of-war, and one wants to pull the other in their direction, but that person refuses to go, if he suddenly lets go of the rope, the other falls backward with even greater force.
God pulls us in one direction, while we desperately want to go in the other. Then, He lets go of the rope. In effect, we take an even greater tumble backward.
When we persistently resist His guidance toward the truth, He eventually permits us to be consumed by our own desires, leaving us to the mercy of deception, delusion, and falsehood.
Third, We Live in a World Ruled by Deceivers
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” – Ephesians 6:12
In Ephesians 6:12, Paul uses a specific hierarchy of Greek terms to describe the “spiritual architecture” of the opposition Christians face. While many modern readers see these as synonyms for “demons,” scholars and theologians generally agree that these terms describe a stratified organization of fallen spiritual beings.
Rulers, authorities, cosmic powers, spiritual forces of evil – they all are actively creating a world ruled by delusion.
Here is a breakdown of these four categories based on the original Greek context:
1. The Rulers (Archas)
The Greek word arche refers to those in the “first” or “highest” position.
Who they are: These are high-ranking fallen celestial beings who exercise dominion over vast regions, nations, or civilizations.
The Intent: They are the “architects” of evil, influencing the ideologies and spirits of entire cultures. In the Old Testament, these are often linked to the “Princes” mentioned in the Book of Daniel (like the Prince of Persia), who fought against God’s messengers.
2. The Authorities (Exousias)
This term refers to “delegated power” or the right to exercise force.
Who they are: If the Rulers are the architects, the Authorities are the “executives.” They represent the structures and systems that exert influence over human life—political, social, and economic.
The Intent: They focus on the legitimacy of evil, working to make sinful behaviors or oppressive systems seem normal, legal, or culturally acceptable.
3. The Cosmic Powers over this Present Darkness (Kosmokratoras)
This is a rare and powerful Greek word: kosmos (world) + krateo (to hold/rule).
Who they are: These are spiritual “world-holders” that dominate the atmosphere of the current age. They are often associated with the darkness of the mind—ignorance, superstition, and the “spirit of the times”.
The Intent: Their goal is to obscure the light of the Gospel. They manage the “darkness” by keeping humanity blinded to spiritual truth through deception and worldly distractions.
4. The Spiritual Forces of Evil in the Heavenly Places (Pneumatika tēs ponērias)
This is the most general but also the most direct category.
Who they are: This refers to the vast “rank and file” of the demonic realm—wicked spirits that inhabit the unseen dimensions (the “heavenly places” or the air).
The Intent: These forces engage in more individual and localized attacks. They are responsible for personal temptation, spiritual oppression, and the direct promotion of “wickedness” (ponērias) in the lives of believers and unbelievers alike.
Paul’s point in listing these is to show that the “war” is not against people (“flesh and blood”), but against a highly organized, invisible empire. This is why he immediately follows this list with the command to “put on the whole armor of God”—because spiritual hierarchy only can be overcome with physical weapons.
The manifestation of these beings is one of the most intriguing aspects of biblical theology. Unlike the “flesh and blood” humans they oppose, these entities are primarily immaterial spirits. However, they manifest in three distinct ways depending on their “rank” and their goal.
1. The Institutional Manifestation (Rulers & Authorities)
The “Rulers” and “Authorities” manifest through human structures.
Systems and Ideologies: They “embody” themselves in corrupt governmental systems, oppressive laws, or cultural movements that promote fear, hate, immorality or pride.
Crowd Psychosis: Scholars often describe this as the “spirit” of an age or a city. When a whole society begins to act in a way that is unified in evil (like Nazi Germany, or communism or ancient Rome’s persecution of Christians), theologians see the manifestation of a “Ruler” or “Authority” guiding the collective human will.
2. The Intellectual & Cultural Manifestation (Cosmic Powers)
The “Cosmic Powers” manifest through the mind and the senses.
Deception and Blindness: Their manifestation is the “fog” of spiritual ignorance. They create a mental environment where truth seems like a lie and lies seem like truth.
The “Spirit of the Age”: They manifest as the underlying “mood” of a culture—such as a pervasive spirit of despair, hedonism, or nihilism—that feels impossible for individuals to escape.
3. The Personal & Physical Manifestation (Spiritual Forces)
This lowest rank is the one most commonly associated with individuals.
Possession and Oppression: They can manifest by controlling a human. This can manifest as physical ailments, mental torment, addiction, or localized “hauntings.”
Angels of Light: As 2 Corinthians 11:14 notes, they can manifest as something beautiful or “holy” to deceive. They don’t always look like “demons”; they often manifest as a “helper” or a source of false “secret knowledge.”
Where are We Heading?
Into more deception.
“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Th 2:9–12).
As we are clearly inching toward the end times “Satan [is working] with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception…”
The Bible warned us about that.
“And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” Revelation 12:9
1 Peter 5:8-9: “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.”
Many will be deceived and fall away.
Put on the whole armor of God. (Ephesians 6:12-18)
You will need all of them.