The Love of Many Shall Wax Cold

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Jesus then says that because of all this persecution, hatred, betrayal, turning away from the Christian faith, false prophets leading many astray, and deception, this will be one result:

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:12-13, NIV).

The New Living Translation says it this way:

Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.

The New King James Version says it like this:

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.

"Lawlessness." How often are we hearing that word today? There's another prophecy all about that very term ("man of lawlessness," see 2 Thessalonians 2 - there's two different translations at that link), but that's a whole big discussion for another day. (Tweet that!)

The original King James Version uses this phrase which has always stuck in my mind:

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

That phrase has stuck with me because it is such a visual image. "The love of many shall wax cold." (Tweet that!) Love waxes cold. Love no longer flows. What a sad and desperate condition. But this is what will happen when Christians are slammed and silenced and persecuted and hated and betrayed to death. (Tweet that!)

God is love (1 John 4:8), and without His representatives in the world allowed to speak His truth about what is sin and what is right, when we are hushed from speaking the truth about sin, which is the most loving thing to do, love waxes cold. (Tweet that!)

But not all love will wax cold. The love of most or of many will wax cold, but not of all. (Tweet that!) The one who stands, those who remain firm in their faith in Jesus through to the very end, will be saved.

What does it mean that these people will be saved? I believe these are those who have already been saved to eternal life because of their faith in Jesus. (If you're not one of us, you can be at any moment you believe in Jesus as your Savior.) Because of Him, their love will never wax cold. (Tweet that!)