Growing Cold
"...Will there be any sign ahead of time to signal your return and the end of the world? ... Many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. Many false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray. Sin will be rampant everywhere and the love of many will grow cold. But those who endure to the end will be saved." Matthew 24:3-13 Every year in our house around September/October, our family gathers around for the annual launch of the gas burning fireplace. With just a few clicks of the starter, the pilot light ignites followed by a quick turning of the knob. The orange flames spring into action. For the next six months, that fireplace provides a magnetic warmth and glow that almost always has someone nearby held fast in its grip. As Jesus was painting a rather grim picture of life as it nears the apocalypse, he spoke of a dissipating warmth. It wasn't a decrease in the temperature as the sun went down. It was a description of people's he...