Jesus spoke about many of the signs of His return in Matthew 24 and one of the signs would be when the love of many would grow cold (Matt 24:12). Rather than loving others, “people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud” (2nd Tim 3:2), and “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God” (2nd Tim 3:4). Instead of having a natural affection for others, they love possessions over people. That’s why the Bible teaches that “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (1st Tim 6:10). Money’s not evil…loving it over God is!
Dishonoring Parents
When God gave the Israelites the command to honor their father and mother, this commandment wasn’t written exclusively to them. God expects us to honor our parents, whether they’re living or not. Someone who degrades their parents, especially after they’ve died, is breaking this commandment, and there is no promise of God for a long life on the earth (Ex 20:12). It is so important that God makes it the first of the “horizontal six” commandments, as the first four are directed to God (vertical), but the remaining six relate to our neighbors, like not stealing from them, not lying to them, and not coveting what they have. Yes, your parents and my parents made mistakes, but I’ve had more than my fair share, but the command to honor our father and mother is not conditional on their performance. It’s not based upon on how good or how bad our parents were and are, so one sign of a wicked and hardening heart is not treating your parents with honor and respect, especially in front of others.
