Matthew 24:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.

NIV: Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold,

NASB: And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold.

CSB: Because lawlessness will multiply, the love of many will grow cold.

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

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

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

Jesus is describing to the disciples the harsh reality that awaits them after He leaves (John 16:5–7) and before the end of the age when He returns (Revelation 19:11–15). He has said that they will be hated for their association with Him, that they will be persecuted and killed (Matthew 24:9). Many who seem to follow Jesus will fall away due to that pressure and some will even betray the others. False prophets will rise to teach error and lead many people away from the truth of Jesus (Matthew 24:10–11).

Now Jesus adds that one result of this false teaching will be disorder: a rejection of standards of goodness and morality. Those who follow the distorted vision offered by false prophets will abandon truth. They will rebel against virtue or submitting to God. The ultimate result of that self-serving, self-following lawlessness will be the loss of love. The imagery of love becoming "cold" evokes a corpse: not merely unmoving, but dead and lifeless. As humanity falls further away from the teachings of Christ, it will become less loving.

Famously, Jesus taught that God's entire message to humanity hung on two commands of Scripture: to love God with everything one is and to love one's neighbor as one's self (Matthew 22:37–40). It's not surprising that rejection of God's law correlates to a loss of love for God and for others.

Matthew 24:1–14 follows Jesus and the disciples out of the temple. This comes after His devastating criticism of the scribes and Pharisees in chapter 23. Christ predicts a moment when the temple will be destroyed without one stone left on another. Later, His disciples ask for more information about these future events. Jesus describes a season in which the world will be in turmoil but that alone will not be proof that the end has come. His disciples will be persecuted, killed, and hated for His name's sake. False prophets will rise and some with them will fall away from the faith.

Jesus makes a dire prediction about the destruction of the temple. Immediately after this, while seated on the Mount of Olives, Jesus responds to a question from the disciples. They ask when judgment will come and what signs will signal His return. Christ describes a season of unimaginable world turmoil and persecution. He points to a specific moment of defilement of the temple, at which point people should run for their lives. Jesus speaks of world-threatening tribulation which will be cut short right before He returns as King and Judge. Since nobody can possibly know when He will return, His followers must live in readiness.

Jesus has just left the temple area, after delivering a blistering criticism of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23). After predicting that the temple would be destroyed, He answers their questions about the end times. He speaks of a period when He will be gone from earth and they will be persecuted and killed. The world will be in turmoil, but the gospel will be preached everywhere. Nobody knows exactly when Jesus' return will be completed, so his followers should constantly be prepared. Jesus continues to teach on these themes in the next chapter.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.