Timeless Truths: The greatest threat to the church of the Last Days is not the antichrist, but rather the spirit of antichrist that is already powerfully at work in the world.

Host: Steve, we want to talk today as we continue our discussions on your book, Intoxicated with Babylon. This week we are going to be talking about the spirit of Antichrist. There's a lot of speculation in the Church today, of course, about who is going to be the Antichrist and where he is going to come from. You know, there are people who have all their charts laid out of how everything's going to unfold in the end times when it comes to the Antichrist, but you made a comment in this section about how that really ought not to be our primary focus. Why did you say that?

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Steve: Well, it kind of lends to the mentality that has grown increasingly in the Church over the last 20-30 years, where the big focus is on the Antichrist and his government. But who the man is who becomes the figurehead for the rebellion against God's authority really is not the issue. Much more important is the spirit who will be possessing the man, because it is the spirit of Antichrist that will be providing the momentum in the unseen realm around us that is going to be paving the way for this major assault against God's authority. This man can do nothing outside of the power of the devil. So really, it's this spirit that's going to possess this man who is already working feverishly, not only in the world but much more importantly, in the Church.

Host: And this spirit that you say is going to be the real power behind the Antichrist, you have written that you believe that this spirit is already at work in the world. Is there something that has happened in recent history where you believe that the impact of this spirit has grown significantly?

Steve: Yeah, I believe that something happened in the decade of the ‘60s that kind of took this nation over a line. Think about what life was like in the early ‘60s. People typically did what they were told to do. The kids went to school, they had crew cuts and they just lived a very simple life. Of course, there were always kids that were rebellious, but generally speaking, kids in school or people at work just did what they were told. But something happened during the decade of the ‘60s that changed all of that. And now we look back and we can see that that's when the Vietnam war got underway, the whole sexual revolution burst on the scene, the hippie movement started in San Francisco, and drugs started becoming available. All of these dynamics started working together to create a momentum of rebellion against authority.

Host: I was going to say, they called it the “anti-establishment movement,” but it really was against authority of any kind.

Steve: Yeah, that's a good point. That's exactly what it was. And now, the people who run this country and so on, we're the ones who were kids growing up under that back in those days. So now we're the ones in control and the whole mindset has completely changed.

Host: And at the core of it is just quite simply, rebellion.

Steve: It is rebellion. You know, the bumper sticker that sums up the last 40 years in America is “question authority.” It just says it all. Don't do what you're told unless they can tell you why you should do it.

Host: It's really the “I want” generation. “What I want is what I ought to have.”

Steve: Yeah. And I don't want anyone to tell me differently.

Host: And it's in all of us. Our flesh loves that. Our flesh doesn't want to be told what to do, so really the enemy is dangling the carrot before what is already natural to us as human beings in our fallen state.

Steve: Yeah. Rebellion, especially to God's authority, is nothing new. It's been here since the garden. But the Bible says that in the end times things are going to accelerate. Things are going to be different. It's going to be the way it has been, but in a much more intense fashion.

Host: You talk about the mystery of lawlessness in this chapter. Talk to us about what you mean by that.

Steve: Well, that's a biblical term that is used in 2 Thessalonians 2 when referencing the coming of the Antichrist. The Greek term for law is “nomos.” It's the same meaning as the word “torah” in the Hebrew. It's the law. And the word for lawlessness in the Greek is, “anomos.” And “ah” is used like “un” in our terminology. Like when we say unbeliever or ungodly. Well, this is unlawful. That's what the word actually means. So, the mystery of lawlessness revolving around the end times is that something is going to break forth when it comes to this unwillingness to obey what you're told to do. That's really what it boils down to.

Host: What you're saying is that has to happen in order for the Antichrist to be able to have the kind of power he's going to need to have?

Steve: Yes. And right now, there is an undergirding, a foundation being laid by Satan in this country and around the world of this lawless spirit that is paving the way for something greater in the days to come.

Host: What I found interesting is that you mentioned that even David saw this coming.

Steve: Yeah, it's very interesting. Psalm 2 is a very profound chapter. It's just a short little Psalm, maybe 12 verses or so. But in that chapter, he describes a coming together of world leaders against the authority of God. Now we saw this manifest itself with Herod and Pilot against Jesus, and that is certainly one fulfillment of that prophecy. But there's a greater prophecy or a secondary prophecy, at least for the end times, and you see it come to fruition in the book of Revelation, especially in chapters 17-19. You see where the kings of the earth become one-minded. They form a unified resistance to God's authority and that is also laid out right there in Psalm 2, thousands of years ago.

Host: You know, as you talk about that, as we look at what's happening in the world today, do you have the sense that it's going to be an outright spoken denial of God's authority? Or is it just going to be the way that the nations and leaders are operating, that the way that they're thinking and trying to act and trying to control things is just in and of itself in opposition to what God has said is going to happen?

Steve: I would say it's going to be both. It will definitely be what you just described as far as the direction that things will go. People can say they believe in Jesus Christ, that they believe in God, and that they’re religious. World leaders can say whatever words they want, but the reality is found in how they live their lives. And there is a movement into a greater and greater global unity against God's authority, and I'm convinced that 99% of these people have no idea what they're involved in. But it is moving in that direction, and the enemy is behind the whole thing.

Host: Well, the reason I ask, so I'm glad you answered it that way, is that I'm leading you into this next part of our conversation. You wrote in this chapter in your book that there is lawlessness that is found in the Church. There are many in the Church today who may not be outwardly denying God. In fact, they may be professing to be a believer in God, and yet they are in this lawless spirit of the Antichrist.

Steve: Well, they've grown up in a culture that is saturated with rebellion. It's in their blood, so to speak and they have often brought that mentality into the Church. But it's not just against spiritual leadership, like in your pastor’s authority and so on. Much more importantly is the way that we have allowed one corruption after another to come into the Church and the breaking down of the moral fiber within the Church of Jesus Christ to the point that where we are now. Today, practically no sin is looked down upon even in the Church.
         We have gotten so far on the side emphasizing grace in the wrong way to the point that we have lost the passion for righteousness. The hunger and thirst for righteousness. The awareness that our God is a holy God, who hates sin. All of that is gone. What has been left in its place is this experiential type of Christianity where everything is built around how we feel and it becomes man centered instead of God centered.

Host: Yeah, that is absolutely true. And Steve, unfortunately that is where we're going to have to leave this conversation for now. We will continue this discussion next week on the spirit of Antichrist, and we'll pick up on this theme of how it is manifesting itself in the modern church.