“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” – Matthew 24:12
Jesus said that in the Latter Days lawlessness would abound. He said the sad consequence of lawlessness would be cold-heartedness. When hearts become more like ice cubes than burning coals people are inclined to slip off the track of truth and over the cliff of riotous anarchy. That is what we are seeing today.
Cold hearts are the consequence of indoctrination into a world view based on relativism and self-centeredness. When self is the center of your universe and feelings are your guide, whether you realize it or not, you are “under the sway of the wicked one” (1 John 5:19). When you’re under the sway of the wicked one, you can be twisted like a pretzel into believing or supporting almost anything. When you’re under the influence of the god of self, “truth” becomes vague and distorted, and you become a part of what Vladimir Lenin referred to as the easily manipulated “useless idiots.”
Cold hearts are the consequence of a Christless existence. Without Jesus, the god of this world will blind you (2 Corinthians 4:4). The context of Jesus’ statement about lawlessness creating cold-heartedness is the Last Days of human existence. The Bible states, “Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron” 1 Timothy 4:1-2). That’s what we are seeing today.
Without Christ, a person is easily manipulated and deceived into thinking hate is a form of love and falsehood is a form of truth. Without Jesus as your Savior and Lord you become what the prophet Isaiah described as those who “call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:10). Sad to say that there are more and more “Christians” in the “Church” who have lost sight of the truth found in the word of God. As a result they are being caught up in the most unsanctified causes. Instead of being awakened through God’s word, they are being put to sleep in deceptive wokeness. Jesus prayed to His Father in heaven, “Sanctify them in Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). To be sanctified means to be set apart for God’s use. Christians today are often giving themselves over to the unbiblical, no, anti-biblical causes of this world. They are seduced by their feelings and no longer walk by faith fed by the word of God (Romans 10:17; 2 Corinthians 5:7).
The Church is supposed to be, “the pillar and ground of truth” (1 Timothy 3:15). Jesus said truth is bound up in the word of God. For those “Christians” who minimize the word of God or outright cast it aside for alternatives that “feel right,” or “feel righteous,” I would caution you that our first parents did the same and just look at the mess we are in as a result (Genesis 3). Truth is not negotiable. Truth is not relative. Truth is absolute and comes from God and His word. Because of this J.C. Ryle warned, “Never forget that truth is of more importance to a church than peace.”
What is the truth found in God’s word? Jesus is the epitome of truth. He said, “I am the way, the TRUTH, and the life” (John 14:6). If we want to operate or live within the parameters of truth, then we need to look to Jesus. Those justifying their riotous and calamitous anarchy ask, “Didn’t Jesus overturn tables in the Temple?” From that they leap to, “It’s time to overturn some tables.” Then they think, “Should I run in hordes to the streets breaking, robbing, burning, destroying, victimizing, and pillaging like a Viking?” If that has crossed your mind, let me caution you. Christians are called to be “more than conquerors” not Ivan the Terrible (Romans 8:37).
When Jesus overturned tables in the Temple, he wasn’t doing it in support of those who had broken the law of the land, He was doing it because of those who had reduced the precincts of God’s house to a place of thievery and extortion. When rioters are supposedly paid for their calamitous actions they do the same. When “Christians” leave the truth of God’s word and get caught up in the insurrectionist tactics of those wanting to overthrow this country, they are like lambs to the slaughter at the altar of the enemy.
In the Bible you never find followers of Jesus jumping on board the wagon of anarchists. You never find disciples aiding and abetting those who use violence to accomplish their goals. The only people rioting in the Bible are those who oppose the gospel. The only rioters we see are those trying to shout down and shut out the truth of the gospel (Acts 19:21-41). So, if you call yourself a Christian and join in with the rock throwers, understand you have become a part of the problem not the solution.
The Christian who wants to hold fast to the truth of God’s word should understand the truth of Jesus and His word is that peacemakers would be blessed not rioters. Peacemakers, not rioters will be called “sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). When Christ and His word are left out of the equation of life, people are deluded into supporting peace wreckers and opposing peacekeepers.
We need to understand that one of the primary roles and purposes of God ordained government is to do good. That would include keeping the peace and order of society (Romans 13:1-7). God is orderly. He is not the Author of chaos. That is true in the church and outside it. That is true for all of His creation (1 Corinthians 14:33 and 40). Remember that next time you are tempted to join those throwing rocks at ICE agents, police, or military personnel. Remember that if you’re tempted to pick up a brick and work against those called in to bring peace and order. Remember the chaos is often caused by local officials who have, in many cases, willfully surrendered law enforcement or who have been overwhelmed by well-funded rebels. Remember the next time you are tempted to cheer on the destroyers that the stores and property being stomped and destroyed belong to hard working people. When police vehicles are set ablaze and destroyed, remember, they were purchased with the tax dollars of hard-working tax paying citizens.
“Christians” caught up in the fervor of demonstrations and the wrecking crews trying to dismantle this countries’ law enforcement are usually those who have forsaken scripture. They are “Christians” who have unwittingly replaced the truth of God’s word with “doctrines of demons” that divide on the basis of race, gender, and anything else they can come up with. The objective of the agitators is not truth, but to disrupt, divide, and to conquer. When you depart from the word of God the consequence is your heart becomes cold. Your heart becomes cold to God and your neighbor. And in your spiritual iciness, you are buying into the lie that you are really on fire. You’re on fire marching for a cause. You’re on fire marching in support of criminals. Maybe you even demand that vicious gang members, deported from the country, BE BROUGHT BACK to our country. You’re on fire for the perpetrators and forget the pain of their victims. That’s what happens when love grows cold because of lawlessness.
Jan Hus, who gave himself to be burned at the stake, did so saying, “Therefore, faithful Christian, seek the truth, listen to the truth, learn the truth, love the truth, tell the truth, defend the truth, even to death.” Christian, take a step back, look at the rabble and alleged paid rioters who get their call from Craigslist.[1] Is that where you want to hang your hat? Is that what Jesus has called you too? Is that what you want to burn for?
But what about the “innocent” immigrants being deported? Did they enter the country legally? No. Then they simply are not innocent. The Statue of Liberty has the inscription, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” I believe in those words and am proud to live in a country that has such words as a welcoming to immigrants. My father was an immigrant. But there is a significant difference between immigrants from my father’s day and those of today. My father and other family members who were immigrants came to this land and were proud to have come here. They couldn’t wait to become citizens and be a part of what they viewed as a “Grand Experiment.” My father taught himself English from a dictionary on his own. He was proud of America and of eventually becoming a citizen of this country.
There are still some immigrants with that heart today. But more prevalent today it seems immigrants come not to contribute but in many cases to receive or take. Many really are coming to invade a nation they believe came by its land through theft and bullying force. They come to plant their foreign nations flag in America’s land. No country is perfect. Every country has its regrettable parts historically. But comparatively speaking, the United States of America is light years ahead of other countries in terms of freedom, opportunity, happiness, and representative government.
The United States of America is still a country that is on the top of the list of countries immigrants want to enter. If our nation is so “evil,” why are so many people trying to get into it? The problem arises when people flood the country illegally, it overwhelms the social service system, but it also crowds out services to those who are citizens and have actually pledged allegiance to this country. There should never be one person who served in the military who is homeless or without medical care or food. But there are. Citizens who pay taxes should be cared for when catastrophic events devastate them, e.g., Hurricane Helene. But there have been reported incidents where citizens who have lost everything have been given pretty much nothing to help them in their time of need.[2] The reason for this is frequently the ineptitude of the government. It also seems as though victims get help based on if they are profitable investments for the party affiliations of blue administrations. But compounding such issues is the illegal immigration that has flooded our country. [3]
For those joining the cause of supposed “persecuted” immigrants in our land, I understand there are definitely people in need of help. I’m all for helping people. We are a wealthy nation of comparatively wealthy people. The poorest of our nation would be well off in other countries. But what is happening is a designed unrest with an ulterior agenda. This issue is not merely about helping people. This issue has a political venom. Don’t be duped into thinking otherwise.
Do you think that welcoming immigrants into our nation illegally is only because people are heartwarmingly wanting to help hurting people? I encourage you to look at the liberal Martha’s Vineyard’s example for some exposing truth on that idea. [4] There is a more sinister political agenda underlying the highly organized demonstrations-often-turned-riots in our country. I suspect at the core of motivation for much of what is going on is a lust for a potential voter pool bonanza. Also there is the motive for more federal funding which is based on the number of people in a region. And there is the motive of tipping the balance favorably in the upcoming 2030 census (Electoral College).
There is much more going on beneath the surface. I encourage you to watch a recent Thomas Sowell commentary on what actually is going on with the present planned rioting. He says in part:
One of the Dangerous illusions of our time is the notion that law can be treated as a suggestion, that borders can be erased by sentiment, and that a nation can survive when its sovereignty is reduced to a slogan. The recent anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles marked by burning cars, assaults on federal officers and demands to abolish the very agency tasked with enforcing our immigration laws are not merely local disturbance, they are a symptom of a deeper crisis, a crisis of principle of reason and of the rule of law itself.
When law becomes optional, civilization becomes negotiable. And make no mistake, what we are witnessing in Los Angeles is not a negotiation for justice, but a demand for surrender.
Let us begin with the facts unadorned by the emotional haze that so often clouds these discussions. Over two days protests in Los Angeles escalated into chaos. Demonstrators set vehicles ablaze, obstructed federal agents and defaced property. Some waved foreign flags, Mexican among others, while chanting for the abolition of immigration and customs enforcement and the release of detained immigrants. These are not the actions of a reasoned grievance, but the hallmarks of mob rule.
There is a clear line between lawful protest, which is the right of every citizen, and the lawlessness which is the enemy of every society. Yet for political convenience many blur this line pretending that destruction is dialogue, and violence is virtue. Symbols can obscure the plain truth. The truth here is straightforward. Some individuals with no legal right to be in this country are detained under laws passed by those elected to represent us. These protests are not about defending humanity; they are about defying the very idea of law enforcement when it clashes with ideology.
What kind of nation survives when its laws are treated as optional? Burning cars is not an expression of compassion, it is an act of destruction that endanger lives and livelihoods. Obstructing federal officers is not a defense of human rights, it is an assault on mechanisms that keep a society functional. When protesters block roads or surround federal buildings as they did in Paramount, and downtown Los Angeles, they are not merely exercising free speech, they are attempting to impose their will through intimidation. What is the endgame here if every law can be vetoed by a mob? What remains of governance if every officer enforcing the law is branded a villain who will uphold it?
To understand this crisis we must distinguish between legal and illegal immigration, a distinction often obscured by those who prefer emotional appeal to empirical clarity. Legal immigration is a process governed by rules designed to balance a nation’s generosity with its capacity. Illegal immigration by contrast is a violation of those rules, an act that undermines the very system that makes legal immigration possible.
No one disputes the humanity of those who cross borders unlawfully, but humanity does not confer immunity from law. No nation can survive with borders in theory and a welcome mat in practice. Immigration and customs enforcement exist for one reason, to enforce the laws that Congress has passed. Those laws are not arbitrary, they reflect the reality that no nation can absorb unlimited numbers of people without straining its resources, its infrastructure, and its social cohesion.
In Los Angeles ICE agents arrested about 118 individuals including five gang members and others with criminal history ranging from drug trafficking to domestic violence. These are not the huddled masses of poetic imagination. They are individuals who have broken laws, some violently, yet the narrative peddled by protesters and amplified by sympathetic media is one of indiscriminate cruelty as if ICE agents are rounding up innocents for sport.
Sowell goes on to state:
In the immigration system the lesson is clear. When enforcement is abandoned, the system collapses, chaos follows, and the first victims are often the very communities’ protesters claim to champion.
What does it mean to abolish ICE? Does it mean no border enforcement at all, no deportation of criminals, no limits on who can enter and remain? Protesters rarely answer these questions because to do so would expose the absurdity of their position. A nation without borders is not a nation, it is a free for all and in a free for all the strong prey on the weak, the lawless triumph over the law abiding, and the very compassion protestors invoke becomes a casualty of the chaos they create. [5]
Lawlessness leads to lovelessness. That is what we are seeing played out in the organized riots our nation is facing. And so you aren’t deluded into thinking borders are not Biblical or the will of God, we find the word “nation” 112 times and “nations” 377 times in the Bible which implies borders. A nation is defined by its borders. The idea of borders is conveyed by the word “kingdom” which occurs 364 times and “kingdoms” which occurs 65 times. When God’s people entered the Promised Land, they were instructed to make borders for each of the tribes (Joshua 13-21). [6]
If borders define nations and there is a group in America seeking to destroy our borders, what does that tell you about their ultimate objective? It tells you that the border war is over the very existence of the United States of America. We are witnessing a demonic global effort to destroy all nations and replace it with a single global system. What’s wrong with that? Wouldn’t that enable the world to better care for its people? Wouldn’t that bring us all together? Aren’t nations the reasons for wars? My response to those questions is that a global government is still a government, and no government system is going to be perfect. Every government is run by people and people are sinful. Furthermore, those pushing for a one-world government have designs on a select unelected few to run it. Whenever you have the few governing the many you have a recipe for tyranny. Looking at the alternative options to our nation, I’ll opt for our Federal Republic thank you very much. I choose the nation whose founders sought “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness” for all. We’re not perfect, but we’re light years ahead of the alternatives.
Salvation is not in government. Salvation is in God through faith in Jesus. Don’t you think it’s a little bit suspicious that those funding and supporting a “Global Reset”[7] and one world government are also the ones that plan on being in control of that government? There is only one Person trustworthy enough to sit on the throne of a world kingdom, His name is Jesus Christ, the King of kings and LORD of Lords.
Before the Kingdom of God is established on earth, there will be a one world government, and it will be run by one who will present himself as a savior of the world. This one world ruler will claim to be a christ figure. He will likely be handsome and intelligent and cunning. He will appeal to the world, and they will likely welcome him into power. But it will be one of the biggest mistakes in human history. This world leader will be who the Bible calls, “Antichrist” (Romans 13). That is the direction we are moving in folks. Wake up and smell the scripture brand coffee.
“So, if that is what the Bible says is going to happen, then why should we get in the way of it happening? Why shouldn’t we just step aside and let it happen?” We can’t just step aside and let evil and lawlessness prevail, because that is not what Jesus calls us to do. Jesus calls us to be peacemakers. He calls us to be salt and light; to infiltrate and influence this world for His glory (Matthew 5). We are called to expose evil in this world (Ephesians 5:11). We are called to restrain evil in this world (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). Jesus calls us to love our neighbor, and lawlessness is not going to achieve that, it’s going to prevent that. Indeed, the Bible says, “Love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10). Love, true love, love that can change this fallen world, is love that is poured out into the heart of those who have trusted Jesus as their Savior and been indwelled by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:1-5). The love we need is the fruit of the Holy Spirit in us (Galatians 5:22-24).
Laws aren’t given by God to get us to heaven. If we try to get to heaven by keeping laws, it will have the same effect as lawlessness, our heart will remain cold. The religious leaders who crucified Jesus are examples of this (Matthew 26). The Holy Spirit convicts the sinner of such truth (John 16:8-11). Laws are given to expose and clarify that we are sinful and in need of a Savoir. Law exposes our wretchedness (Romans 7). All of this rioting and following causes is a dying sinful world’s last gasp effort to find meaning, purpose, a Savior.
Salvation is not in a political or social cause. Salvation is only in Christ. True equality and justice aren’t going to arrive until Jesus does. Jesus came to pay the debts of our breaking God’s Laws (Galatians 3:10-13). God gave us the Law to protect us, to protect people from injustices. And laws were given by God to create an orderly redemptive environment where the gospel can be shared and received. God is a lawgiving God. The Law is like a fence funneling the sinner to the foot of Jesus as Savior (cf. Galatians 3:24). All of this falls under the umbrella of God’s grace. The Law of God serves a vital purpose, but we are saved from our sin by keeping laws.
The Bible speaks of a “Royal Law.” It states, “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself,’ you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors” (James 2:8-9). The gospel of Jesus Christ is truly the only way for us to love our neighbor the way we should. The world’s kind of love is like a cheap street trick of trying to find the ball under one of three cups. The ball of loving your neighbor is never under the cup you think it is. Only in Jesus and His gospel and God’s word is the true and proper use of Law and the true and proper use of love. Riots and lawlessness deceive and lead to coldhearted lovelessness.
“And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.” We shouldn’t be surprised by the rioting and unrest we are seeing in the world. But we shouldn’t be deluded by it either. There is hope. Jesus also said, “But he who endures to the end shall be saved.” And He pointed us in the right direction promising, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:13-14). Father, in Jesus’ name, don’t let us be overcome by lawlessness. Don’t let our heart become cold. Holy Spirit help us to share the gospel answer this world so desperately needs. Help us to be lawful while not becoming loveless. Please make us what we need to be, to do what you call us to do, for Your glory, until Jesus’ returns. In Jesus name. Amen.
[1] I say “alleged” here because there is some dispute as to the truth of whether rioters are paid. I would only say, “Where there is smoke, there is often fire.” It would not surprise me if rioters were indeed paid to riot. https://www.facebook.com/thehodgetwins/posts/breaking-paid-riots-in-los-angeles-craigslist-ads-are-now-offering-650012500-per/1287566549392596/
[2] https://nypost.com/2024/11/19/lifestyle/north-carolina-helene-survivors-facing-winter-without-heat/
[3] https://www.heritage.org/border-security/commentary/state-cash-illegal-aliens-homeless-vets-are-left-the-cold
[4] https://nationalcenter.org/ncppr/2022/09/26/marthas-vineyard-and-the-lefts-hypocrisy-on-illegals/ Also, https://www.foxnews.com/us/conservatives-blast-marthas-vineyard-leftist-hypocrisy-deporting-illegal-immigrants-island
[5] Sowell EXPOSES the Insane Truth Behind LA’s Anti-ICE Riots || Thomas Sowell Reacts
[6] For a detailed study on this topic I encourage you to watch The Bible, Borders, and Immigration from Pastor’s Point of View and Andy Woods at Pastors’ Point of View (PPOV) no. 320. The Bible, Borders, and Immigration. Dr. Andy Woods. 9-20-24.