“And none of the wicked will understand.” One of the characteristics of the end times will be the marked division between the wicked and the wise. Of course, there have always been wicked people on earth. But in the end times the sheer numbers of the wicked, and their inability to see actual goodness and truth, and instead “call evil good and good evil,” and put “darkness for light and light for darkness” (Isa. 5:20), will make the end times exceeding difficult for those people who love God (which is an important reason for godly people to fellowship together for mutual support).

Jesus said that “the love of the many will grow cold” (Matt. 24:12), and that will be true. In the end times, and especially during the Tribulation itself, there will be a coldness and hatefulness on earth like the world has not seen before; but there will also be a deceiving blanket of false love bandied about—an acceptance of those things that God forbids and dislikes—and that will be called “love.” Jesus said the increase in hatefulness would be due to an increase in lawlessness. To be sure, an “increase in lawlessness” means an increase in crime, but more pointedly it refers to people turning away from God’s laws and commands and being “lawless” in His eyes. But since God is love, when a person turns away from God’s commands the only thing there is to turn to is less love; that is, less genuine love.