THE LOVE OF MANY WILL GROW COLD

A Prophetic Warning in a Message from Christine Darg
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What is the distinguishing mark of a follower of Jesus?

LOVE-- "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13: 35)

Yet Jesus also warned us that an End-time sign would be the lack of love. In his Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24:12, Yeshua foretold the pervasive attitude that's in the earth now,--"Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold."

The Revised Version renders this verse: "The love of THE many shall wax cold." And the New Revised is even more explicit, "MOST men's love will grow cold." The literal meaning is not just an indefinite number of "many," but "THE many," -- in other words, the majority of people will be cold and heartless.

Recently I've been mediating on the reason for lovelessness, "because iniquity shall abound." Why would the abundance of iniquity dampen love?

The word translated "iniquity" is "anomia," or "lawlessness." "Because iniquity -- anomia -- LAWLESSNESS -- shall abound, the love of THE MANY shall wax cold." When people no longer regard God's law, when they rebell against God's law and disregard God's ways, love goes out the window because of the tensions, chaos and pressures of lawlessness.

Suddenly there are fires to put out on every side-- our governments are in trouble; Israel is in constant danger; families are being beseiged; economies are tottering on the point of collapse; the weather is freakish. The birthpangs of Messiah are in the earth-- constant crises, spiralling tensions-- and thus we're in great temptation of absorbing all this stress.

In Matthew 24, the Lord not only warns us that the love of THE MANY will grow cold, but He also describes how the lack of love will manifest in His own household. He prophesied the state of his household at that time, when the Master returns. Jesus outlined three specific aspects of love growing cold among the brethren. Notice please that the people in his household are likened to a "wicked servant" when....

(1) They say, "My Lord delayeth his coming."

(2) They begin smiting their fellow-servants.

(3) They eat and drink with the drunken.

My friends, please be warned that these three wicked trends of the Lord's "evil servant" are to be guarded against in the last days! Let's examine them again:

(1) Are you saying, "My Lord delays his coming"? A distinguishing mark of a true believer, which is increasingly mocked by the world and by members of the Church, is a "Rapture Ready" attitude and joyful anticipation of the Lord's coming at any moment--Maranatha! I've noticed that many believers who used to say they were looking forward to the Rapture seem to be "stuck in" and comfortable with this world and even say they want to live through the Tribulation for various and sundry reasons. It has become a popular viewpoint among many evangelicals not to believe in the Rapture, to argue that the Lord's coming will be delayed. Surely this in itself is one of the most striking signs of the end!

(2) "And shall begin to smite his fellowservants." Love is to be our distinguishing mark, yet I notice that many professing believers are becoming increasingly bitter, harsh, petty, critical, touchy, childish, accusative, abusive, sharp in their remarks, rejoicing when someone falls, backstabbing, hateful, spiteful. Yet the Lord said the world will know we are His disciples if we love one another! Messiah's brethren are to be the world's most big-hearted people-- nothing should offend us. Are you worn down by coping with bitter, ugly-spirited "believers" who are absolute drains? Or are you behaving in this manner? We need to examine our attitudes.

(3) "And to eat and drink with the drunken." This speaks of loving the world and becoming intoxicated, stupefied, with this world. In many nations we have so much prosperity that this is a very real and present danger and a temptation to become lazy, "evil servants."

Indeed, the Lord Himself finishes this discourse in Matthew 24: 50-51, with a warning: "The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Beloved, "Blessed is that servant whom his Lord, when he cometh, shall find watching."

Lord, help us to return to our first Love and truly to love one another in these difficult days of lawlessness!