Concerning the prophetic signs of the end times, Jesus Christ said this: "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)
When we think of wickedness, we think of popular forms such as crime and violence. And only a fool would deny that crime hasn't become more prevalent in the world over the past 60 years.
However, Christ defined wickedness in much broader terms than merely crime statistics. When he revealed that the love of most would grow cold in the end times, what did He mean? He meant that the love of God will wane and die in the last days preceding His return.
Thus, according to Christ, many will not only turn away from the faith; i.e. drop out of the church, but they will lose their salvation as well by renouncing their faith. That's why Christ stated that those who stand firm to the end will be saved. He meant that those who resist the temptation to trade their faith for the temporal pleasures of the world will be rewarded with eternal life.
But clearly, things are getting much worse across the world. The apostle Paul revealed this prophecy concerning the increase in evil in the end times: "But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power." (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
Since 1960, crime has skyrocketed in the United States. While statistics can be manipulated to convey unintended meanings, the crime statistics for the U.S. over the past 55 years speak for themselves. They can't be manipulated.
Since everything has a cause and effect relationship, then what's caused the uptick in crime and violence across the world? Paul provides the answer: "Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them." (Romans 1:28-32)
Paul revealed that evil is commensurate with man's ignorance and rejection of God and His transcendent moral laws. The more people turn away from God, the more wicked they become. There's your cause and effect relationship. Ironically, Paul stated that despite the prevalence of evil in the last days, people would embrace a form of godliness, but without any power. (2 Timothy 3:5)
What was Paul referring to? He was referring to dead religion that gave the appearance of honor and recognition of God, but without power. What power? The power of God's Holy Spirit that helped the early churches spread the gospel through miracles such as healing, deliverance of demonic spirits, and even raising the dead.
Without that power, the Christian church is dead. Why has the church lost that power? Because it has no love for God. If the church did, it wouldn't have opened its doors to all the world's false religions and their assorted idols.
To that, Paul warned: "Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?" (2 Corinthians 6:14-16)
Is Christ coming back soon? Based upon the signs, His return is getting near. How near? We don't know. We don't have an exact date. However, we have the prophetic signs. And the signs tell us that Christ's return is getting close. That could mean tomorrow or it could mean several years.
But whenever it is, we have to be ready. For Christ Himself warned: "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." (Matthew 24:42-44)
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