When Jesus was asked to describe what would be the signs leading up to the ‘end of the age’ along with ‘His return’, He responded with a very detailed and chilling message. (Matt. 24)

One of many nuggets of insight provided is found in verse 12 that is sandwiched in there between how believers will be hated by all for His namesake and ‘many will be offended...and deceived’. I am repeating the verse in multiple translations below so we can develop a richer appreciation and understanding of what He is saying:

“Because lawlessness is increased, the love of most people will grow cold.”

“And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.”

“Because disobedience will expand, the love of many will grow cold.”

“And many people’s love will grow cold because of increased distance from Torah.” (CJB)

“Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others.”

“There will be so much more evil in the world that the love of most believers will grow cold.”

“There will be more and more ·evil [sin; lawlessness] in the world, so ·most people will stop showing their love for each other [ the love of many/most will grow cold].”

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Friends....can I just tell you now that it is not just ‘all the lost folks’ out there whose hearts will grow cold and hard; it includes anyone...who continues to practice sin and lawlessness, regardless of how long they have sat on a church pew.

... and just to make sure we are all on the same page here: ‘lawlessness’, or breaking the commandments of God...is what ‘sin’ is. (1 John 3:4).

In Matthew 7:23, when Jesus shares this chilling notice that ‘many’ in that day will appear before Him, expecting entrance into His kingdom only to be told that Jesus ‘never knew them’ and then are commanded to ‘depart...you who continue to practice lawlessness/iniquity’, He is making it known that ‘sin’ is what kept them separated from God. That truth has never changed. (Isa. 59:2)

That is what sin does: It separates us from God, and in the process...it hardens our hearts....gradually ...over time. Why do you think Jesus told us to “Go...and sin no more”?

“Beware brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called today lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.” (Heb. 3:12-13)

Jesus commanded us from the very start that all men need to ‘repent’. (Matt. 4:17; Acts 17:30; 2 Pet. 3:9) Repent means to ‘turn from’. If we continue to practice sin, then we have not repented of it. And Jesus warned that ‘unless we repent we will all likewise perish’. (Luke 13:3,5)

So how does this play out? If sin hardens the heart, then it makes it more difficult for the seed of God’s word to take root in us. (Luke 8:5) That in turn hinders the chance of any fruit being produced in us. And we know what happens when the ‘tree cutters’ come to lay down the axe...fruitless trees get the axe. (Matt. 3:10; John 15:6)

This thing about ‘false security’ I was talking about the other day... Lots of folks can find security in simply being ‘tall trees’- trees with lots of leaves and branches, trees with thick trunks and even have multiple ‘rings’ to show how long they have been around. That church deacon, preacher, or song director that finds security because they have been a ‘faithful church serving member for 30 years’...but has produced little, if any ‘good fruit’...is in for a rude awakening if I read Luke 13:6-9 correctly. And let’s not forget the line of distinction Jesus gave us about trees that think they can produce both good and bad fruit. (Matt 7:17-18).

Fruit does not lie. If someone has ‘grown at ease in Zion’ (Amos 6:1) and disregards over time some of those ‘petty sins that easily beset us’ (Heb. 12:1) they may find themselves in that group we read about in Matt. 7:22-23. A long time church member who is well known and beloved...still has a ‘few areas’ they struggle with; and one might conclude they have not overcome and repented of. But who are we to judge, right? We have our ‘own issues’ to face so let’s just focus on the ‘good fruit’ and ignore that ‘bad fruit’.

Yet in the messages the Lord sent to the seven churches in Rev. 2-3, nearly all seven churches were rebuked for one thing or another, being told their ‘works were not yet complete’ and to ‘repent’ and it is only the ones who ‘overcome’ that will see all these rewards etc. Why Jesus even warns the church at Sardis that if they don’t repent, how will He come upon them like? - A ‘thief’? (3:3). And what does a ‘thief’ come to do? To ‘steal, kill, and destroy’. (John 10:10)

Turn back to Matt. 24 where Jesus gives that lengthy message to His disciples explaining what things will be like when He returns. Interestingly, He compares it to being ‘as it was in the days of Noah’. (37)

Genesis 6:5-12 paints a grim picture of how selfish and wicked and evil men’s’ hearts had become back in the days of Noah. God was fed up and was bringing destruction as He was going to send a flood to destroy the world and all the evil within it.. The only ones who would survive this flood of destruction were those who were ‘in the ark’. And there were not many. (1 Pet. 3:20)

Then Jesus tell us right there in Matt. 24 it will be just the same when He returns. (37-38) People will be ‘eating and drinking and marrying’ and not even know what hit them until it is too late. Why do you suppose that is? Their hearts had ‘waxed hard’ and they were unable to hear/receive the seed of God’s word. They may have trusted in the false sense that even if what Noah had been preaching was truth, they would be fine given how close they lived to the ark. Why they could see it every morning when they woke up. Why, I would not be surprised if some even helped Noah out from time to time.

Friends...Jesus is coming back with destruction this next time.(2 Thess. 1:7-8; Matt. 13:41-43) He warned that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken in to. Care to take a guess as to ‘who will be breaking in’? Take a look at Matt. 12:43-45, Joel 2:6-9, and Hab.1:6-7. Oh, and in case you were unaware...that passage from Habakkuk was the one Paul warned the church of that they better not let this happen to them. (Acts 13:40-41) Therefore you also be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (Matt. 24:43-44)

And what did Daniel say about these days? The wise will see and understand but the wicked will not see it. (Dan. 12:8-10). Destruction will be all around them and they won’t even know it. (Isa. 42:23-25). God’s people don’t even recognize His judgements. (Jer. 8:7). When they are saying ‘peace and safety’ then comes sudden destruction. (1 Thess. 5:2-3)

I was watching a video recently about that huge tsunami that struck Thailand about 20 years ago. The footage that was compiled was mind boggling. I’ve watched other videos of tsunamis as well and you see this similar pattern where the waters make their way inland...it’s not always some giant wave that comes crashing down on everyone ...but more of a rapid and rising current that comes out of nowhere. And anything and everything that is not ‘grounded’ is swept away to destruction. That is what flood waters do...they come...they rise rapidly...and they are no respecter of anything or anyone that is not grounded or rooted on the ‘Rock’ (Matt. 7:24-27).

So will it be when the Son of Man returns and he releases the ‘flood waters’ that are already here, friends. And we know the ‘enemy comes in like a flood’.(Isa. 59:19) So how can you know if you are ‘in the ark’? To be ‘in the ark’ is to be ‘in Christ’. To be ‘in Christ’ is to be a ‘new creation’...where the ‘old is gone’ and one becomes a ‘partaker of the divine nature’. (2 Cor. 5:17; 2 Pet. 1:4). And this is how we ‘know we are in Him’- IF...we keep His commandments. (1 John 2:3). Whoever says “I know Him’ and does not keep His commandments is a liar!” (4)...”this is how we know we are in Him’. (5)...whoever says he abides in Him ought himself to walk just as He walked’. (6)

His words, not mine.