Our next episode of Pure Life LIVE is Saturday August 2 at 10am EST. Join us as we tackle more of the questions you submitted about navigating the devastation sexual sin causes in a marriage.

if you haven't had a chance to watch the first part of this Q&A, click here.

Timeless Truths: Satan doesn't really care if people live moral lives, as long as they never truly give their allegiance to God. This is why we must allow God to lead us into repentance from the rebellion that is in all of us.

Host: Steve, we want to finish up a discussion that we began last week on your book, Intoxicated with Babylon about your chapter titled, “The Spirit of Antichrist.” Last week we spent most of our time talking not so much about who the Antichrist is going to be, but rather the power that is going to be behind him. The spirit that is going to be so prevalent and growing in the last days. A spirit that you defined as a spirit of lawlessness.

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        We finished our discussion last week talking about how the spirit of lawlessness is manifesting itself in the Church and you have a quote in this chapter from Oswald Chambers that I want to read. He wrote, “The Bible looks on sin not as a disease, but as red-handed rebellion against the domination of the creator. The essence of sin is ‘I won't allow anybody to boss me, saving myself,’ and it may manifest itself in a morally good man as well as in a morally bad man. Sin has not to do with the morality or immorality, it has to do with my claim to my right to myself, a deliberate and emphatic independence of God, though I veneer it over with Christian phraseology.” And the reason I bring that up is because we can actually be in the spirit that we're talking about and yet have all the outward trappings of a Christian.

Steve: Oswald Chambers really put his finger right on the core of sin when he wrote this little thing here, because what he's bringing out is the fact that sin has much more to do with our relationship to God's authority than it does with morality. And you know, a superficial church will constantly parade the big sins. The things people consider as the bad sins. Homosexuality, abortion, fornication and child molestation. We love to focus on those things because since we can say, “I don't do those things,” it's so much easier to point the finger at other people in order to feel good about ourselves spiritually. But there is a greater reality of how God looks at sin that Romans 2 brings out. It reveals that we may not be doing those terrible sins others are doing, but our hearts are still just as rebellious as those other people are. And that's the part that people often do not want to face.

Host: Well, we see that in Jesus's interaction with many people. He was very compassionate and very willing to forgive the person caught in adultery, but He was very strong with those who were locked in the bondage of self-righteousness and unwilling to admit what was wrong in their heart.

Steve: Yeah. He was much stronger with those who thought of themselves as “the morally good people” than He was with the publicans and sinners.

Host: Steve, you said that there will be a sign that this evil and this spirit that we're talking about has reached its peak. What was that sign?

Steve: Well, I said the final stage of lawlessness is a stubborn refusal to repent. I expect to see that in the world but what is frightening to me is how pervasive that mentality is within the Church. We have either rationalized our behavior away because we have been emotionally deprived in some manner, or we have just completely skirted taking responsibility for what's really going on in our hearts. One way or another, people have found a way to get out of acknowledging responsibility for their sin and you hardly ever hear preachers passionately calling on people to repent anymore. That's the thing that frightens me and that is what's paving the way for the great apostasy that's headed our way.

Host: Well, you said many of those who claim to be His followers don't know what real repentance is, which may be why they're not talking about it. And you say they don't know what it is because they've never really done it.

Steve: And many of them have never done it because they've never been led to do it because their pastors have never really lived in repentance themselves.

Host: Well, certainly, Steve, as you wrote, as the enemy’s activity increases in the days ahead, we need to be very sure as Christians that our conversion is a true conversion. And of course, we could talk for hours about that but just maybe as we close today, help folks to understand what is the evidence of a true conversion.

Steve: Well, in the chapter, I used an example from the Old. It was something that one of the Israelite kings said to another king who was coming in to invade. He just wanted to surrender to this king, and he said, “Just as you say, my lord the King. I and all I have are yours.” (1 Kings 20:4b, NIV) That represents true repentance and that represents a true conversion. Complete surrender to a conquering king. That's conversion.
Too often, people look at conversion as just an alteration of their lifestyle to fit Christianity into it, but true conversion means that their kingdom has been overthrown by a new king. Something is completely different and their attitude is that they have gone from being the king of their own life to Jesus Christ being the king in a very real and practical way in their daily lives. That's what a true conversion looks like.

Host: And He is a wonderful king. And it is a wonderful freedom and joy to know Him and to give up our lives for Him.

In the 29th message of our "Unveiling Yahweh" series, we will be looking at God's desire to be found.

What if God offered you everything you ever wanted—victory, security, even ministry fruitfulness—but said He wouldn't go with you? Would you take the deal?

Moses had that chance, but he boldly refused, declaring, "If you don't go with us, we won't go."

But this isn't just a story about Moses. It's a question for all of us: Do we truly want God, or just the things He gives us?

In this gripping message, Dustin Renz unpacks one of the most profound revelations of God in all of Scripture.

How would your life be if God appeared to you in a powerful vision? Certainly, the rest of your days would be spent in perfect obedience to His authority.

We often imagine that what we need most is a powerful experience with God to change us. But often these encounters fade away as a person returns to a lawless lifestyle. In our 40 years ministering to Christian sex addicts, we’ve met many men who continued living in blatant sin —even after having powerful encounters with God.

This same sad response can be seen in Israel’s history as well.

In this episode:

· Why did Israel rebel against their Redeemer?

· What can we learn from their tragic history?

· How God uses spiritual revelation in our lives

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The holy law of God tests the human heart to its core. It cuts against pride, selfishness, lust and injustice. It requires (and rewards) genuine, self-sacrificial love. It asks every seeker after God a penetrating question: Will we truly submit to God and His ways, or will we embrace the spirit of lawlessness and self-will?

Resources

• Consider God's Discipline a Joy (Sermon) By Patrick Hudson

Blazing fire. Darkness and gloom. Violent storm. Surely these words must describe a time of judgment in Israel’s history. But this is exactly the picture the writer of Hebrews paints when describing God giving the 10 Commandments to Moses.
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Yet David would later declare that the law of God rejoices the heart and tastes sweeter than honey.
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Modern Christians have a complicated relationship with the law of God. Some view any adherence to God’s law as legalism that upends the Gospel of Grace. Others see it as an outdated set of rules for a time and a nation long ago.
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But what if the blessings we are searching for start with a love for God’s law? What if drawing near to such a terrifying scene is the way into true freedom?
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This episode:
• What perspective should we have towards God’s law?
• The tragic nature of the human condition
• The blessings that come from obedience to the law (not legalism)

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.

Yahweh wanted a unique and exclusive relationship with Israel. He wanted to reveal Himself to her and use her to call the nations to Himself. But Israel was so used to serving sin and self that she didn't know the first thing about embodying the humility, selflessness and purity of a God like Yahweh. In this episode, we’ll look at the momentous day when God came down in fire on Mt. Sinai to give Israel His law, and we’ll talk about why that event is still relevant for us today.

Resources

• The Holy One of Israel | Rediscovering the Gift of Repentance (Short Video)

Satan has always been at work undermining God’s authority. It was that way in Heaven; it was that way in Eden; and it’s that way today—nearly everywhere we turn.
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All of us want to find freedom from our problems. We all want peace, joy, and a meaningful life—but in a day filled with unrest, those things feel out of reach.
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The solution isn’t changing our outward circumstances or even changing the world around us. It is to submit to the authority of the God who promises to give us all those things, and more, when we are in right relationship with Him.
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This is the first episode in our series, Resisting the Rise of Lawlessness, where Pure Life Ministries founder and president, Steve Gallagher, unpacks what it means to truly live as part of the Kingdom of God.
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This episode:
• The cultural chaos unfolding in today’s culture
• A biblical look at the roots and rise of lawlessness
• Why many believers will be shocked on Judgment Day

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In the 28th message of our “Unveiling Yahweh” series, we will be looking at God’s probationary system.

God has set up earth-life as a testing ground to prepare us for eternity. To many, this concept may seem strange or unfamiliar, but a thorough examination of Scripture confirms this idea. In today’s message, Steve Gallagher explains three aspects of God’s probationary system to help us see the significance of our daily decisions.

At the dawn of creation, sun and moon, stars and planets, birds, beasts, fish and man freely submitted to the authority of God. And then a rebel creature invited mankind to choose their own will above the will of God. And with that, the spirit of lawlessness began to work in this world.

Welcome to our series, “Resisting the Rise of Lawlessness.” In this series, Steve Gallagher and the staff of PLM will offer both scriptural and practical truth aimed at helping each one of us discern whose authority we are under. The authority of Yahweh, or the spirit of lawlessness?

Resources

• The Serpent of Pornography and How to Crush it (Article) By Steve Gallagher

When Nolan and Kendra said “I do,” their future was as bright as could be. But their desire for the things of this world and the darkness from their past soon eroded that hope. Things quickly spiraled into detachment, addictions, adultery, and attempted suicide.

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Feeling a sense of complete hopelessness, this young couple entered the Overcomers-At-Home Program. It was here that God began His redemptive work!

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Watch the beauty that only God can bring in a marriage that was smoldering with ash. Nolan and Kendra stand as a testimony of incredible hope for any husband and wife that are willing to allow God to work.