Jesus’ Warning about Love and the Solution
David W Palmer
(Matthew 24:10–13 NLT, Jesus speaking) “And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. {11} And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. {12} Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. {13} But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”
This warning from Jesus is extremely serious; it should snap us all suddenly and completely to full attention and vigilance. Our Lord—because of his infinite love for us and not wanting us to perish—shows us well in advance what will certainly happen in the time just prior to his return: “many” will “turn away,” or “fall away” from Jesus (ESV). The people he is talking about here are those who once believed and walked with him in love for his family. He said that they will “betray” those in the body of Christ; and many will actually “hate each other.” Shocking!
Next, Jesus goes on to warn of “many” false prophets who will “deceive many people.” According to what he said in Matthew 7:15–23, a false prophet will look like a true prophet—with gifts of the spirit (even operated in Jesus’s name) and with what looks like a true prophetic ministry. But in context, Jesus lets us know that they will not have the right fruit—the fruit of the spirit—or live by his Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” In other words, false prophets won’t live by love, be able to control their flesh and its lusts, or show evidence of a life submitted to God’s Spirit of Holiness (hearing and following the Good Shepherd’s voice (See: John 10:27)).
I encourage you to be alert to these “many false prophets,” and do not allow them to deceive you along with the “many” that they will deceive. So stay in his word, remain in full submission to Jesus via the Holy Spirit; be holy, and always do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
(Matthew 24:12 NAS) “And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.”
(Matthew 24:12 APE) “And because of the abundance of evil, the love of many will grow cold.”
Our prophetic Lord warns us very clearly about our time: “Because of ‘lawlessness,’ ‘abundance of evil,’ and because ‘sin will be rampant everywhere,’ the love of many, even most, will grow cold.” Jesus makes it obvious that the enemy is coming after your love. Surrounded by all of this sin, hatred, betrayal, and false prophets, loving each other fervently will become more and more difficult. Through the apostle Peter, the Holy Spirit urges us to keep our love fervent, hot, and on the boil:
(1 Peter 4:8 NKJV) “And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’”
Through Jude, our Lord shows us another important key to staying permanently in God’s love (including the associated forgiveness and fruit of the spirit):
(Jude 1:20–21 NKJV) “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”
Jude’s key involves “praying in the Holy Spirit.” This obviously would include speaking and praying in tongues (if you have received this crucial gift); and it would also include any prayers led by the Holy Spirit—especially those based on the prayers in the Bible and on God’s promises.
We know that the Holy Spirit said, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself” (1 Cor. 14:4). So praying and speaking in tongues—where your spirit talks directly to God—builds you up. This is a great asset in strengthening yourself spiritually and morally to maintain a life of love, and to walk in the supernatural realms of the Holy Spirit. Again, I say, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself”; plus, as you do, you are “building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.” This will help you “keep yourselves in the love of God,” which will empower you to have the fervent
